Page 192 of Mountain Men Heroes

His face cleared and his eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“Krista filled me in. She told me why my mother was so desperate to trap a Becker. She wanted the money and security that came with your name. Now everyone is talking behind my back how I’ve finally succeeded where she failed.” Pain shot through my chest.

“That you think of me as nothing more than a charity case and mentioned as much to your brothers. But really, that’s neither here nor there because I never asked for anything from you. And you know it.”

I could see the anger leave Sawyer as clearly as I could see the moon in the sky. His jaw relaxed, his shoulders lost their tightness, and the gold moved out of his eyes only to be replaced by a softness that made me want to beg him to see me in another light.

“Krista Phelps is a bitch, sweetheart. And she wormed her way under your skin because she is jealous I never paid her any attention at all. Now she’s trying to get Mac’s attention and will do anything to get what she wants.”

“Doesn’t mean she’s lying. At least not all the time. How can I stay in a town that thinks so little of me?” I rubbed a hand over my heart and my voice dropped to a whisper. “And I’m not running from you, Sawyer, I’m running from the ugly stain my mother left on me the day I was born.”

He moved toward me slowly, his posture reminding me of someone approaching a wounded, cornered animal. I had nowhere to run and it wasn’t like I could overpower him. I stared at him with wide eyes, wrapping my arms around my middle.

He took in my protective stance with a glance. “I would never hurt you.”

I shook my head. “There’s more than one way to hurt someone.”

He stepped closer and I sank my teeth into my bottom lip. My body began to react to his nearness. I could feel my heartbeat pick up its pace. Heat coiled in my belly. Every nerve ending went on high alert and goosebumps rose on my skin.

I started trembling in reaction to my conflicting desires. Part of me wanted nothing more than to turn tail and run. The other part of me was all for running, too—straight into Sawyer’s arms.

“Trinity, tell me what you think you mean to me. Isn’t that the only thing that matters here?”

“You say I’m yours. But that can mean a million things, Sawyer. I’m yours as in another conquest. Yours as in you can do to me anything you please. Yours as in you took my virginity as you think you own me now.”

He shook his head and a gentle smile touched his lips. “No, sweetheart, not in a million years would you only be a conquest on my bedpost. There’s no way I could ever think so little of you. When I say you are mine, I mean I’ve given you my heart and soul.”

I lifted a hand to rub the place he nipped me on the neck.

“And that love bite is just that. A love bite. Krista must have been green with jealousy to make you feel anything other than loved after what we’ve shared. I meant what I said when I asked you to stay. It’s why I took you to my home. I wanted it to be our home. Where we have as many babies as possible.”

Every thought about town gossip, my mother and feeling betrayed by a place that should feel welcoming flew from my mind. “Kids?”

He chuckled. “I can’t wait to see you so round with my child I have to help you get in and out of bed.”

“Sawyer,” I snapped, “that is seriously not sexy.”

“It is to me.”

He tucked me into his strong arms, his heat enveloping me wholly.

“Oh, sweetheart, after being with my family how can you think they would be gossiping. This town loves you. You’ve just let a jaded situation with your mother color your vision. You have to stop looking through those glasses, baby. How can I erase whatever that bitch said from your mind?”

I gave a halfhearted shrug. “I don’t know anymore.”

“Come here, baby.”

He swung me into his arms and tucked his face into my neck.

I tentatively slid my hands up over his shoulders. After several long moments, Sawyer pulled his face from my neck, a big smile on his face.

Sawyer cradled me to his chest and moved us over to the floral-print club chair in the corner of what made up the living room of my studio apartment. He sank into it, settling me on his lap, his arms tight around me.

“Why did you run, Trinity? Why didn’t you come talk to me about everything?”

I stared into his eyes and searched for an answer, but all I could do was shrug.

“When we have a problem, I need you to come talk to me. Don’t jump to conclusions, don’t run away. Come talk to me.”