Page 105 of Mountain Men Heroes
Her mother was crazy.
She shook her head.
He moved to reach out to her but thought better of it and let his hand fall back to his side.
“So, huh, are we going to do this?” she croaked around a scratchy throat. Her shoulders drooped and her gaze fell to the table where several trays holding the whiskey lined the deep red cloth covering it.
He rubbed a hand over his face and backed off a step, his gaze roaming over the crowd.
She could use a stiff drink. Maybe two. And she wouldn’t say no to a third.
From her lower point of view, his eyes appeared hooded from her as he peered down. “I had no idea they came in pink.”
She blinked. “What?”
“Your long johns. You really gonna race in those.”
That got his attention?
She held his gaze and popped the first button at her neck and quickly unhooked the others. His eyes roved over every inch of skin she exposed and his expression darkened when the mounds of her breasts were revealed. And her lack of a bra. A real one anyway. The thin, lacy thing she had on didn’t leave anything to anyone’s imagination. Had she known she would be stripping in front of the town maybe she would have gone for full coverage.
She edged the sides of her long johns open.
He threw a heavy hand over hers, a dark, dominant hunger in his eyes. “Wait,” he drew out drinking in the sight of her dusky nipples pinned behind deep blue lace. “No Southern rookie is going to freeze on my watch. Button that back up, sweetheart. You look way too damn good with them on. I’d hate to see the fight that would break out if you were to take them off.”
“You don’t think I can do this?” She popped another button right above the band of her matching panties that had a growl coming from him. “I might be a sweet-talkin’ southern belle, but you should know better than to think me weak.”
Defiance had her popping another button and another. Each one earned her a sexy narrowed-eye look. Reaching out, he took her hands in his and quickly refastened the few risqué buttons revealing the sexy V of her lacy panties.
Leaning in, until the only thing she could smell was fresh pine and snow he said, “If you do I’m afraid for the male population of Savage Ridge. I might have to fight them off. Might be fun but I’d rather use the time you have here with us with you and not getting my hands bandaged.”
Oh.
That only made her want to find out what that entailed, but he had a point and she didn’t relish the fact her nipples would freeze if she went through with her little challenge.
She willed her heart out of her throat. She could easily blame the heat hitting her cheeks on the freezing bit of air blasting them head-on from up the street. That was her story and she was sticking to it.
Damon reached around her and swiped a couple of shots from the table then pressed one into her hands.
“This will help get the muscles warmed up and take the edge off.” His lips parted and in two seconds every last drop slipped past his lips.
She raised her cup. “Bottoms up.”
“Everyone, thirty seconds.”
Damon pressed another drink into her hands. “Guess that means us!”
“You know the rules, right? We have to run down the road as we drink the whiskey and we can’t spill any. And we have to cross the finish line before anyone else.”
They were so screwed. Liquid heat prickled up her limbs. “Yep. Easy.” She nodded, wide-eyed. This was so not easy.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the next teams are lining up. Racers, are you ready?” The booming voice rang out over the crowd and elicited whistles, woots, and screams from the ladies. She didn’t blame them.
Damon in a loincloth didn’t leave much to the imagination and was the perfect Christmas present.
“Hey, Ivy.”
She leaned around Damon’s big body to see his brother all smiles and no clothes. She knew him by name but had yet to meet her sister’s other brother-in-law. He was a leaner, yet just as finely toned version of Damon. A brunette stood by his side in a set of blue panties and bra that resembled a 60’s bathing suit. And a scarf to match.