Ava The last time I thought somebody loved me, they told me I was broken. A disaster. A helpless mess who can't take care of herself. Now I'm starting to think they might be right. Fired from my dream job and tired of feeling like a disappointment, I ran away to the mountains, and then ran straight into a new disaster. I fell, literally, into the arms of a big, burly, bossy mountain man. Luke is terrifyingly hot. And also, he's just kind of terrifying. He was supposed to be my new boss. Until I managed to tank the interview, thanks to a herd of stupid goats.Now he thinks I can't take care of myself. Great. Luke I've hidden all my fucked-up feelings up here on the mountain, carving a refuge out of the wilderness with my bachelor brothers. It worked. Until now. Until her. She's a whirlwind. A wonder. A beautiful little bundle of curves and chaos who ignites every protective instinct I've ever had. And I have a lot. Too many, by most people's standards. I've heard it before. Control freak. Obsessive. Domineering. Maybe that's true. Ava draws out my deepest cravings. She's brilliant, but she's reckless. She doesn't take care of herself the way she should. She's just begging for a firm hand, and it's driving me wild, in every sense of the word. I want her. I want to protect and cherish her. Shelter her and take care of her. Forever. If she'll let me. The Hot Mess and The Mountain Man is a steamy, sugary, OTT instalove novella. Read it if you love a possessive, protective alpha hero with a squishy marshmallow inside. (A spicy cinnamon roll. Mmm.)This is the first standalone story in the Guardian Mountain series. No cheating, no cliff hangers, and the happiest of every afters guaranteed.