Mountain Men of Liberty (Complete Box Set)
Page 38
“All thanks to you,” I announced.
“Me? What did I do? Nah, this was all your hard work and dedication.”
“And I couldn’t have done it without you.” I gave him a quick kiss before pushing myself off him. I shot him a flirty grin as I headed toward the master bath. “Wanna join me, stud?”
“If I ever say no to showering with you, just put me down, got it?”
We were both laughing as we walked into the shower. He was a little bit behind me, as he’d removed his leg. He’d put it on before making love to me, and it took him awhile before he would go without it completely, but he seemed to feel safe with me at last.
He climbed into the shower behind me, and I enveloped him in my arms, burying myself against his chest.
“I love you,” I whispered, almost too softly. I feared he might not have heard me.
“I love you too.”
I turned my face upward to look at him. “I meant what I said. Today wouldn’t have been possible without your help.”
Grant was a humble man. He wasn’t going to take credit for any of it. But he stopped arguing with me; he knew he couldn’t win this time. He kissed my lips to silence me instead, and honestly, I wasn’t about to complain about that.
Ooo000ooo
“It looks so nice,” Tabby said as she explored the new and improved daycare. “I mean, it was nice before, but wow.”
Before, we had the very basic of daycares, but with the help from Grant and his newfound wealth with his properties being worth millions, we were able to do so much more. He’d done most of the work himself too.
“We can finally start accepting all kids,” I said, beaming with joy.
Not only did we have a wheelchair ramp to get inside, our entire building was now accessible to folks with other disabilities as well. We had a room that was set up for children with autism when they needed to get away from loud sounds or people. The bathrooms now had enough room for a wheelchair to be able to comfortably turn around. We even had enough to bring in a few more teachers. Not just staff, but teachers - including one who specialized in special education. Tabby was graduating soon and would probably take on a full-time role there too. We finally had enough to pay everyone, and people were coming from all over - not just Liberty - and choosing Little Cubs over other options due to the stellar reputation we’d built up.
Our daycare was now state-of-the-art and listed as one of the best for children with disabilities. I knew my father would be proud. After all his struggles, and ours too, finally we were doing our part to make the world easier for people like him.
“Where’s Caleb?” Tabby asked me.
As usual, whenever someone asked that question, my heart would skip a beat. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to not being scared when he was out of my sight. I searched the room until my eyes landed on him in the corner. Grant was nearby, but Caleb was busy playing with some of the other kids. He no longer had trouble walking or running with them, and he took off across the room with another little boy chasing him.
“No running inside,” I called.
Caleb slowed down. “Sorry.”
I couldn’t be too mad. It was just nice seeing him able to keep up with the others. After his struggles the past year, it made me so happy. His shoes were doing wonders, all thanks to Grant.
Leah came up behind me, her arms full of balloons that she’d picked up for the kids.
“Congratulations, Piper. I always knew you would do great things,” she said, giving me a hug.
“Thanks for all your love and support over the years. I couldn’t have done it without you and your brother.”
“Don’t even mention it,” she said. She placed a hand on my growing belly. “Just promise to pay me back by letting me watch my niece or nephew, and we’re even.”
“You know I’ll be calling you a lot, right?”
“You better. You and Grant need date nights and stuff, and don’t ever think you have to go it alone. Just because you’re a caregiver doesn’t mean you should feel ashamed for letting Auntie Leah watch that little angel from time to time.”
Caleb ran over to me, yes, he still ran after I told him not to. It was hard for him not to. Since he couldn’t run for so long, it was like he had to do it every chance he got. I let it go this time. He stood by my side and stared up at the balloons in Leah’s hands.
“Would you like one?” she asked.
Caleb nodded. “Yes, please.”
I patted his head. He was so polite, and I was so proud of every little thing he did. I truly did love him like my own.
Grant also joined us, taking my other hand in his. I leaned against him, resting my head on his chest. I stared at the people around me, at my new, renovated daycare. It was bigger and better than anything I could have imagined. I had a family of people around me that cared. I’d be a mother soon. I had a husband and a child that were my whole world.
Life couldn’t get much better.
Book Three - Knocked Up by the Mountain Man
Prologue
This man could move mountains. Have mercy on me.
Standing at the top of the hill overlooking the world, all I could do was look at him. He was the most gorgeous thing about the view. I’d always thought he was hot, but having him open up to me like he had? It showed him in an entirely new light.
His body felt even better to touch than to look at. At least until I began removing his clothes. I ripped his shirt off over his head, with his help, and stood in awe.
His chest and abs were the tightest, most toned of any I’d ever seen. He looked like Jason Momoa, but somehow even better.
I outlined the tattoos on his chest with my fingers, the smooth muscle underneath his skin tightening with each touch.
“F*ck, I need you,” he growled, lifting me to make it easier to kiss me.
We made out like two drunken teenagers.
Our hands explored each other’s bodies, our mouths moved from lips to neck to chest then back to lips again.
He pulled off my shirt, tossing it to the side and went back for my sports bra.
I didn’t even hesitate.
I let him strip me down in the wilderness. Anyone could walk upon us at any time, but I didn’t care.
He took my breasts into his hands, cupping one in each. He gazed down at them, his eyes filled with lust as his mouth moved lower until he could suck on them.
He took turns, going between them like he couldn’t decide which one he liked better. I just liked his mouth on me.
My insides were on fire, and my panties were drenched. I needed him to touch me much.
I moved my hands to his pants, releasing the buttons. I was shaking but managed to yank them down. He helped remove them the rest of the way, and I felt his hard cock before I saw it.
Wrapping my hand around it, I stroked him, amazed at how hard and thick he was. Everything about the man was larger than life.
Everything.
He lifted me into his arms like I weighed nothing at all, then he went down, laying me in the grass just off the trail. The earth beneath me crackled as my weight settled into the leaves and grass. He slid my yoga pants down and I shimmied out of them for him. I lay there, naked and exposed for him.
His eyes moved over my body, drinking in the sight.
The way he looked at me made me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.
He began kissing my neck, then moved lower to my breasts, teasing my nipples with his tongue before going lower. He tickled my belly button, bringing out a giggle from me before going even lower.
He pushed my thighs apart, and I gasped as he dotted kisses along my inner thighs. Gently, he parted my lips with his hand before diving into my folds.
I cried out in pleasure as his tongue found my clit. He circled it and teased it, making sure not to touch it directly, while his fingers played with my opening.
“Yes,” I whimpered, writhing against the grass.
He sped up the pace, sucking at my juic
es. I was squirming and twisting beneath him so much that he needed to hold me in place.
He held onto my hips, pressing me into the ground and keeping my legs open for him. With one hand, he took my leg and threw it over his shoulder so he could get even closer.
He buried his tongue inside of me, and it felt so good, I pressed on the back of his head, urging him to go deeper, but his tongue could only reach so far. I wanted more of him.
“Please,” I begged, trying to nudge him upward. “Please.”
He wasn’t having any of it, though. He continued eating me out, devouring my pussy and sending shudders throughout my whole body.
I threw my head back against the ground, overcome with pleasure, my nails digging into the back of his head. I both wanted him to hurry up and fuck me and for him to continue eating me out like this forever.
I couldn’t make up my mind. Either way, I was on the verge of orgasm and every flick of his tongue brought me closer and closer.
He lifted his face long enough to mutter the words, “Cum for me, Josie.”
“I’m—” I didn’t even get the words out. They became garbled and turned to screams which echoed throughout the valley as I came.
My lower body arched upward as I pressed him into me, cumming harder than I’d ever cum before.
The man of my dreams didn’t let up until I couldn’t take it anymore. My clit was throbbing and over-sensitive, and I jumped when his tongue passed over it again. He pulled himself away from me, staring up from between my thighs with a cocky ass grin on his face. His lips and beard were soaked, and he made a show of licking his lips and fingers clear as he moved up the length of my body.
I grabbed him and wrapped myself around him.
“What do you want, Josie?” he asked, staring down at me.
His cock was inches away from my opening. I felt myself widening in yearning for him, wanting more than anything to be filled up with his thick cock.
“I want you,” I whimpered, rubbing myself against him. “Please.”
“No, tell me what you want to do, exactly.”
“I want you to f*ck me,” I whispered.
“Louder. I couldn’t hear you.”
“I want you to f*ck me,” I said, speaking louder.
“Good girl.”
Chapter 1
Jose
“Cyrus Whitaker!” I called his name the second I opened the door to Xtreme Adventures.
Some man I knew wasn’t Cyrus stopped me in the lobby. “Cyrus is meeting with some potential clients. What can I do to help you?”
I didn’t bother to pay attention to him. He was background noise as far as I was concerned. I pushed forward.
“Miss, I told you—”
I turned on my heels. “What? Are you afraid that an angry woman storming into his office might hurt his business?”
“Well, yes, to be frank, that’s exactly—”
I turned around and walked to the office door with his name on it. I didn’t even think about the possibility it might be locked; I just turned the knob, shoved open the door, and found the man of the hour sitting at his desk with two other men sitting across from him.
All three of them turned to look at me. Cyrus was the only one to stand up.
His presence was intimidating to most. He was at least 6’5” or 6’6”, all pure muscle from the arms as thick as tree trunks to the abs that looked as solid as a brick wall. It had been a while since I’d seen him in person; mostly I saw his ads around town. He’d grown a thick beard that was a little too messy for my liking and needed a trim, as did his light brown hair.
“Josie Parker? What brings you in to see me?” He had a deep, rumbling voice with just a hint of southern twang from growing up somewhere outside of Liberty, Utah.
I slammed the printed papers down on his desk, never taking my eyes off him. He glanced down, scrunching his face as he picked them up off the desk.
He lifted his gaze to mine. “Ms. Parker, I’m in the middle of a meeting.”
“I’m not going anywhere until you explain these reviews you left.”
“That I left?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know,” I growled. I crossed my arms in front of my chest. He flipped through the papers, a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips as he read. That only added fuel to the fire.
Since he wasn’t getting it, I grabbed the top sheet from him and read it out loud so his clients could see the type of person they were working with. “Ms. Parker’s fine ass is the only reason for choosing to work with her. Her drippy, cheery, over-the-top hippie act is a bit much. If you want a real workout, go to Xtreme. If you want to watch a fine ass woman bend over into the doggy-style pose, then I can’t blame you for choosing Free Spirit Outdoors. Just come over to us when you want a real workout. Signed Seymour Butts.”
I cocked an eyebrow and waited for a response. Cyrus was clearly trying hard not to laugh. His clients, two men in corporate attire, looked at each other before standing up to leave.
“Hold on,” Cyrus said, holding a hand out to stop the men. “I swear on my life I didn’t write these.”
“Oh yeah? Then why do all of them mention your business?” I grabbed another sheet and was about to start reading it when his clients stopped me.
“Cyrus, I think we need to reschedule.”
“Fine, yes, I understand,” Cyrus muttered, shooting a look of death toward me. “Set something up with Ben out front. I promise we won’t be interrupted next time.”
The men shuffled out of the room, leaving Cyrus and me alone. They’d shut the door as they left, giving us privacy.
Cyrus looked down at the reviews again, letting out an audible chuckle. “Sorry, this one took me a bit - Hugh Jass. Get it, Huge Ass? Though I wouldn’t say you have a huge ass. It is shapely and nice—”
“I don’t find this funny in the slightest,” I retorted.
“Come on, no one in their right mind would think these are real.” He dropped the papers in the trash can nearby.
“My concern isn’t what’s actually written. It’s the one-star ratings that came with all of them. As you know, when customers Google my business name, they probably won’t even look at the actual reviews. They look at the rating. And surprise! My ratings are now trashed while you continue to get five stars. I’m sure most of them are fake too.”
“Ms. Parker, I don’t like what you’re insinuating.”
“Oh, I’m not insinuating anything, asshole. I’m flat out saying it. You are an unethical piece of trash, Cyrus Whitaker. And you can bet I’m going to let everyone know this about you.”
“I didn’t write these.” His voice was louder; I was getting through to him.
“Oh, it’s not so funny now, huh? When I have information that could damage your business, suddenly it’s no laughing matter. Maybe you should have thought about that before trying to ruin my business. You don’t fuck with Josie Parker.” I pointed a finger at him to emphasize my point. “Remember that.”
Having said my piece and feeling satisfied that I’d ruined his day as much as he’d ruined mine, I turned and left the office. Ben was apologizing to Cyrus as I left, but I ignored both men. My insides were burning with rage, but when I reached my car, that anger turned to something else entirely - fear.
I was shaking as I fumbled with the keys to get inside. Once tucked away in relative privacy, I let out a scream I’d been holding inside for far too long. I pounded on the steering wheel and let the tears flow. I hardly ever let myself cry; there was just too much to do - too much I had to take care of. I didn’t have time for a breakdown. But I gave myself permission to let it all out before heading home because I knew once I got there, I’d need to put on a happy face no matter what I felt on the inside.
Ooo000ooo
I pulled into the driveway and hit the button for the garage. I waited as the old door took its time opening and pulled my old beater of a car inside. There was just enough room in the garage for my car alongside
my mom’s old minivan. I waited until the garage door was closed all the way before unlocking the car and getting out. I held my keys in hand, positioned between my fingers as if ready for an attack. It wasn’t even that late yet, but the darkness of the garage coupled with so many potential hiding places meant I was always on my guard.
I walked to the door, flipping on the light switch for the garage and surveying it, watching for movement, before unlocking the door and hurrying inside, dead bolting the door behind me. I leaned against, taking a deep breath, and listened for sounds inside the house.
The television was on in the living room. Alex Trebek’s voice read off the next question and someone buzzed in to answer.
“Josie? Is that you?” my mom called.
“Yeah, it’s me.” I dropped my keys and purse on the kitchen table as I passed through it. Something smelled good. Mom must have had a good day and decided to cook. My stomach growled as I continued into the hallway that led the living room. I’d eat later; I had more pressing matters to attend to first.
As I turned the corner into the living room, I found my pride and joy sitting in the middle of the floor with toys scattered around. My mom was sitting with him, leaning against the couch and looking incredibly uncomfortable. When Milo saw me, his eyes lit up and he reached his hands out for me.
“Hey, baby,” I said, picking my son up and holding him tightly. He was ten months old now, hard to believe how big he was getting, but he still had that baby smell I’d never get sick of. “You don’t have to sit on the floor, Mom.”
“Yes, I do,” she disagreed. “Because when I got down to play with him earlier, I found out I couldn’t get back up.”
“Oh God, you overdid it, didn’t you? I thought I smelled your home cooking in the kitchen.”
I put Milo back down on the floor and went over to help my mom to stand.
“Well, after you worked all day, it’s the least I could do,” she grunted. “You deserve a hot meal now and then too.”