Surviving Love (Montana Wilds Book 1) by Willow Summers Read Free Book Online

recognized you right away. Age has sharpened your beauty, not dulled it. You’re a woman now. Men will line up for you. Phil was giving up a Mona Lisa in exchange for a piece of modern art—a masterpiece versus a toilet seat on a canvas covered in feces. Trust me, I went to a modern art museum a while back, and that stuff is weird!”
    Sara couldn’t help but giggle into his chest.
    “So hush, now. Don’t talk like that. You’re in your prime. Life for a woman your age is just starting to get good. You didn’t leave anything behind. Actually, if Phil wasn’t such a knucklehead, he would’ve held on tight and rode the hurricane when your sexy systems blossomed.”
    Sobs turned into body chuckles. “What are you even talking about?”
    Mikey was chuckling, too. “I don’t know. I feel like a kid again. Just that, men get sexual when they’re eighteen, and women get it when they’re in their thirties. You’re going to get all horny soon.”
    “You sound like you’re fifteen!” Sara couldn’t tell if she was laughing or crying at this point, with her body hiccupping into him, wrapped in his arms. She sniffed and backed off, leaving her hands on his chest.
    He put his palm on her cheek, his eyes softening. “What do you need from me? I should’ve been there when it happened. I made myself your watchdog when you were two years old. That was for life. I should’ve been there. Through all of it.”
    A tear tumbled out, warmth filling her chest. His thumb swished her tear away, his eyes intently studying her.
    “Just be my friend,” Sara replied softly. “I really need one right now.”
    “Of course. Forever. We won’t let distance separate us again. I need my little fart factory.”
    “Oh my God!” she squealed. “You remember that? Look, I was young; no one told me that gas wasn’t hilarious.”
    “Then why are you laughing?”
    She wasn’t laughing. She was cackling. Hands on her stomach, bending over at the waist, she helplessly guffawed. “I was so gross!”
    “I do believe I won the farting competition most of the time. Looking back on it, I think I had a problem.” A crooked smile quirked Mikey’s lips.
    “But you’re a boy. Boys are supposed to be gross. I was supposed to be all dainty and, I don’t know, belle-like.”
    “ Belle-like ? More like bruiser-like.” He put his hand up, palm out, fingers spread apart.
    Without even thinking, Sara put her palm to his, fitting her fingers between his. Electricity surged at the contact, sizzling through her arm and dumping into her body. Swirls of exuberance washed through her, joy and bliss making a spicy cocktail.
    A smile lit up her face. “Wow, we still have that weird electrical socket thing. When was the first time that happened?”
    “We were in the treehouse, remember? I was twelve and you had just turned ten.”
    “That’s right, we’re not a whole three years apart.” She thought back to the soft petals of sun drifting through the tree branches and floating around them. Mikey had held his hand up, just like he had a million times, only this time, when she threaded her fingers through his, a jolt of pure electricity singed her palm and raced up through her arm. It had settled strangely in her body, tickling some parts and tingling others.
    She’d been terrified at the time, unsure what it was and why it happened. She hadn’t liked the strange surge and the answering stirrings. Now, though, she let the pleasant feeling settle deep into her body, humming through her. It was safety and comfort. Like him.
    “I tried to kiss you that day,” he said softly. “A real kiss. Remember?”
    She nodded, still sitting in that treehouse. His beautiful hazel eyes, so expressive, had been looking at her with an intense gleam. He seemed scared, curious, and sure of himself, all at the same time. The strange feeling of holding his hand, and then that look, had been enough to unsettle her. When his lips touched hers, fear had overcome the