Lodge Lies
by @mysticravenJournalist Mara is trapped in a mountain lodge for three days with Lucas Vale, the politician she blames for destroying her brother—but as they battle in front of the fire and share sleepless nights, she discovers her brother lied about everything. By the final night, anger gives way to truth, and she rides him on the bearskin rug while snow pounds the windows.
MEET THE CHARACTERS
Mara Delgado
A 29-year-old investigative journalist with wild chestnut curls that escape every bun she attempts and sharp hazel eyes that miss nothing. Her body is lean from restless energy, always moving—tapping her pen, pacing rooms, jaw tight with barely-contained fire. She has a small scar above her left eyebrow from a childhood fall that she's always touching when she's angry.
Lucas Vale
A 37-year-old politician with silver-threaded dark hair, cut sharp and precise, and pale gray eyes that hold everything behind a calm surface. He moves like a man who's learned control—broad shoulders relaxed, hands steady, but there's a restlessness in his jaw when he watches her. Tall, elegant, with the kind of quiet presence that fills a room without trying.
EXPLORE CHAPTERS
Snow and Silence
The lodge door slams shut behind her, cutting off the howling wind. He's standing by the fire, whiskey in hand, dressed like he owns the place—because he does. Her chestnut curls are wild from the storm, cheeks flushed from cold and rage. 'You know why I'm here.' He doesn't flinch. Just takes a sip, those gray eyes traveling down her body with deliberate slowness. 'I have a pretty good idea.' Her thighs press together under her coat. Traitor body. She came here to destroy him, not to feel the heat pooling low in her belly as he looks at her like she's already caught.
The Kitchen Counter
The plate is empty, the wine half-gone, and the silence between them has thinned to something electric. She's still talking—about the letter, about her brother, about all the reasons she should hate him—but her voice is shaking and she's gripping the edge of the counter like it's the only thing holding her upright. He doesn't answer. He just crosses the room, slow, deliberate, until his body cages her against the island, his hands flat on either side of her hips. She should push him away. She should say something sharp. Instead, her thighs part—a small, unconscious invitation—and when he steps into the space she's made, she feels the heat of him through her jeans and knows she's already lost.
The Weight of Want
He carries her from the kitchen, her legs wrapped around him, her mouth still on his. The world narrows to the rhythm of his steps, the creak of floorboards, the heat of his hands gripping her thighs. She feels the exact moment he turns toward the bedroom—the familiar hall, the door she's passed a dozen times—and her stomach drops because this room means something. His bedroom. His sanctuary. The place he sleeps alone. He lays her on the bed like she's fragile, like she might shatter, but the way he looks at her—hungry, desperate, stripped of every mask—says he's the one who's breaking.
His Mouth Unmakes Her
The first stroke of his tongue is a question she answers with her whole body, hips lifting, fingers twisting in his hair. He learns her in the dark—the places she gasps, the way she trembles when he lingers, the small sounds that betray her control. She feels him smile against her skin, and it's not triumph—it's awe, like she's something he never knew he needed until now. When her thighs tighten around his head, he holds her there, keeps her on the edge, makes her beg with her body before he lets her fall.
The Reckoning
She feels him soften inside her, but neither of them moves. The silence stretches, heavy with everything unsaid. She traces the scar above her eyebrow, a habit she can't break, and feels his hand catch hers, guide it down to his chest where she feels the faint tremor of his pulse. The confession escapes her before she can stop it: "My brother lied. About everything. I know that now." She feels his arms tighten around her, feels the shift in the air between them, knows the truth of her investigation has just burned away the last wall between them.