Lumberjacked : A Holiday Mountain Man Lumberjack Romance

by K. C. Crowne

  As we headed back the way we came, we passed the bakery. The smell of fresh bread hung in the air, and I inhaled deeply. “Oh, my God,” I moaned, nearly drooling. “We need to get something to eat.”

  “I have food,” Viktor said.

  “Yes, but if we buy something here, you don’t have to go out and kill it.”

  Before Viktor could protest, I walked into the bakery. He sighed and followed me in.

  The bakery was decorated in orange and brown with cartoon turkeys and cornucopias everywhere, but aside from the decorations in the window and around the counters, there were cookies shaped like turkeys in the display case, too. They were beautifully done, with intricate detail that would stop me from wanting to eat them. It was art.

  “Hello,” a plump woman with red cheeks and a broad smile said from behind the display of rolls and muffins and cakes. “What can I help you with?”

  “I have no idea,” I said with a giggle. “The smell of your bread attracted us. What’s freshly baked?”

  “Cheese rolls,” she announced happily.

  “Perfect! We’ll take a dozen.” I turned to Viktor. “That’s okay, right?”

  He nodded. “Whatever you want, Malen kiy.”

  Whatever I wanted? It was hard to keep my mind from wandering.

  “Terrible weather we’re having,” the baker asked as she bagged the rolls. “Most of Owl Creek Road washed away, I heard. And Brush Creek is flooded, too.”

  My heart sank when I heard the route to Grizzly Falls was closed. I wasn’t going home any time soon, apparently. What an incredibly unfortunate series of events. It was almost impossible to believe - no phones, the roads were inaccessible… it was as if Mother Nature herself was trying to keep me here.

  “Are you new in town?” the baker asked, handing me the brown paper bag with our rolls

  “Just passing through,” I said, taking it.

  “Oh, well, then you’ve come to the right place for a tourist experience. I’m Kathy, the owner. I bake most of this myself every morning.”

  “It smells incredible,” I gushed, sucking in another deep breath.

  Kathy offered me a bread board with different pieces to try, and I took one. Viktor did the same, although he looked like he was just doing it to be polite.

  I bit into the delicious bread and nearly moaned. “Oh, it's amazing!” I exclaimed with my mouth full.

  Kathy practically glowed. “If you spread the word, that would be wonderful.”

  “Of course,” I said, swallowing. “I’ll tell everyone I see how delicious your goods are.”

  Viktor paid with cash, just like at the doctor’s office. I wondered if a man who lived secluded in the mountains had no use for a bank.

  When we left the store, I opened the bag and breathed in the heavenly scent of fresh bread. “This is why I will never look like a Hollywood model,” I said. “I love bread too much.”

  Viktor put his hand on my hip and spun me around to face him so quickly I yelped, nearly losing my balance. “I won’t hear any more of it,” he growled. “You’re fucking stunning, Angel. Do you understand? You don’t need to change a thing.”

  He was so fierce, so serious. And the vehemence with which he’d said it, the power rippled over my skin. I swallowed hard, trying not to wonder what it would be like if he took control in the bedroom, and nodded.

  No man had ever made me feel as good about myself as he did. It was incredible how he could scold me and at the same time compliment me.

  “Let’s get back to the cabin,” Viktor said hotly and marched away from me.

  I didn’t understand his moods and stared after him for a moment, frowning. He never slowed, and I didn’t want to get left behind. I followed at a jog to catch up with the pace he set with his long legs.

  Viktor

  I lay on the roof, the sniper rifle set up. It was dark. I had chosen one of the roofs where the lights didn’t reach. St. Petersburg was a bright city, a beautiful city, but it had a dark side all the same. You didn’t fuck around in the alleyways unless you could handle yourself.

  Lebedev couldn’t handle himself. For one, he couldn’t handle his booze to save his life. He was like a frat boy who’d just turned twenty-one, stumbling all over the place with the hooker he’d picked up to take home. Or rather, to a hotel room. I didn’t get the feeling his wife would condone this behavior.

  “Come, darling,” I heard the hooker say to Lebedev. “We should get out of the dark. This area is not a good one.”

  “Fuck it,” Lebedev slurred. “I’ll protect you.” He pulled a gun from his pocket and swung it around in the air. The hooker jumped back, fear in her expression. I didn’t blame her. Most men were idiots with guns. Give an idiot alcohol, and the equation turned into a shit show.

  “Anton, please, put the gun away,” the hooker pleaded.

  Lebedev laughed and fired two shots into the air. One of them whistled past my ear, and I ducked behind the edge of the roof. Fuck, that had been close.

  “I didn’t sign up for this shit,” the hooker said and walked away.

  “Hey, where you going?” Lebedev’s slurring made him almost incoherent.

  “You’re playing with the wrong gun, honey,” the hooker said. “When you get your shit together, we can try again.”

  I was glad she was gone. I preferred when no one saw the body go down. No traumatized witnesses.

  A car pulled up in front of Lebedev, and he staggered a little.

  “Masha?” he asked, incredulous, when a woman stepped out. She wore a fur coat, and her blonde hair glinted in the streetlight just above them.

  Dammit, his wife had found him. He wasn’t alone.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Anton?” Masha asked. She didn’t sound angry. She sounded exasperated. “I thought we talked about this.”

  Anton had tucked away his gun when he’d recognized his wife. Had she seen it? It was difficult to say.

  “You told me you would be home by eleven.”

  I glanced at my wristwatch. It was almost one in the morning.

  “I don’t have to answer to you,” Lebedev shouted.

  “Hush, Anton,” Masha scolded. “The children.” She pointed to the car, and I saw two white faces, wrapped in fur hats, peeking out.

  For fuck’s sake! How the hell was I supposed to shoot the man now? No fucking way I was doing it with the kids watching. The women were bad enough – I hated seeing them wail in terror and anguish when their men went down. I’d given up on killing people in public a long time ago.

  But kids? That was a whole different puddle of piss. I wasn’t in the business of causing irreparable damage to a child. Hell, if I’d been treated right when I was a little tyke, maybe I wouldn’t have ended up the bastard I was.

  I put the gun away. My phone rang, vibrating against my leg. I pulled out the phone.

  “Is it done?” Maksim asked.

  “No,” I said. “There is a complication.”

  “Don’t do this to me.”

  I killed the call. I wasn’t arguing about this. I lifted my rifle and pointed it at Anton Lebedev. I squeezed my eyes shut and pulled the trigger.

  The world turned red around me. I shattered into a million pieces that blew away, scattered on the wind.

  “No!” I shouted, sitting up in my bed, breathing hard. My breath rasped in and out of my throat as I gasped for air. My skin was slick with sweat as I ran my hands through my wet hair.

  “Hey,” Angela whispered next to me.

  I jerked around, grabbing the thin neck and squeezing. Only when Angela cried out did I realize I wasn’t dreaming anymore. I was hurting her. I let go of her, jerking back, horrified at what I had done.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered fiercely.

  “What the hell?” Angela whispered. Her hand was clutched to her throat, her eyes wide.

  “Did I hurt you?”

  She shook her head. “You scared the living shit out of me.”

 
I felt like an asshole. Not Angela, of all people. I couldn’t hurt her. She was my Malen kiy.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, staring at me wide-eyed.

  Why did she care how I felt after what I’d nearly done to her?

  “I’m fine,” I said, but my voice was hoarse. I struggled to keep my shit together. Fucking pathetic, if you ask me. I’d nearly hurt Angela. The one good thing that had happened to me.

  “Did you have a nightmare?”

  I nodded and swallowed hard.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  I shook my head. I couldn’t tell her about my past or anything that had happened in it. I hated these nightmares and how they came back to haunt me. How reality and my dreams melted together until I couldn’t tell one from the other. In my dreams, I did everything I’d vowed I wouldn’t do. In my dreams, I was the devil himself, with no moral compass, no heart.

  And that wasn’t me. It wasn’t who I wanted to be.

  “It’s going to be okay,” Angela consoled, reaching out a hand, then dropping it.

  “Look at what I did to you,” I growled, riddled with guilt.

  I felt like throwing up. What the fuck was this weakness? I’d never felt like this before. But I’d nearly lost myself working for Maksim. I didn’t want to be a merciless son of a bitch anymore.

  With Angela there, I was reminded of the scum I had been. And I was so aware that I hadn’t changed, that I still wasn’t good enough for her, no matter what I had decided to become.

  I will never be good enough for her.

  I scrubbed my face with my hands as the realization hit me.

  She put her hand on my back, careful to touch me, as if she knew how fucking close to the edge I was. I flinched, but she rested her hand on my shoulder blade and didn’t move it, as if she were touching an injured animal who might bite. Her hand was well below where the stitches had been put in, and her presence, her hand on my back, was soothing.

  “Lie down,” she suggested.

  I didn’t want to do what she told me. I didn’t want her to coddle me. But I sagged back to the mattress, suddenly exhausted. I lay on my side, my back to her. I didn’t want her to look at me. I didn’t want her to see the face of a monster.

  Slowly, Angela caressed my back, running her hand in circles. It was soothing, comforting. Almost hypnotizing, and I felt the claws of the dream let go. Never had I felt calm so soon after a nightmare. Sometimes, I wouldn’t sleep for two days, the taste of blood metallic on my tongue, the sound of screaming in my ears whenever I closed my eyes.

  But Angela was there to soothe me. I took a deep breath and let it out in a shudder. Angela kept running her hand over my back, and I suddenly craved her touch. More than what she was giving me. I wanted her. All of her.

  I rolled over, and just like that we were face to face. My body pressed against hers. I felt her tits against my chest, heaving as her breathing changed. Her skin was scalding hot against mine, burning even through her shirt. I wanted that shirt off and gone. I wanted her naked so I could fuck her.

  “Tell me to stop,” I said gruffly.

  “What?” she was breathless.

  “If you tell me to stop, I will roll back over and go to sleep. But if you don’t…”

  I couldn’t finish the sentence. My body ached for her; my cock was rock hard in my boxer shorts. I ground myself against her without meaning to. I just couldn’t help it.

  Angela moaned, and fuck if I wasn’t going to topple over the edge just from that. I could come from the sound of her voice.

  But I needed her to want it, or I would bite back this lust forever.

  The atmosphere in the room was so thick, it was hard to breathe. Heat stretched thin between us, drawing us closer.

  “What if I don’t want you to stop?” Angela whispered.

  Fuck.

  Me.

  That was it.

  Angela

  Oh, God, the way he looked at me would have made my panties melt if I were wearing any. I only wore the pajamas Viktor had bought me on our trip to Snowmass.

  He’d had a terrible nightmare. I’d never heard a man scream with so much emotion. He’d scared the crap out of me when he’d grabbed, though he hadn’t hurt me. As powerful as Viktor was, I didn’t think he could ever hurt me. There was just something about the way he looked at me, the way he treated me…

  I was still trembling, but the fright he’d given me gave way to lust as heat washed through my body, pooling between my legs. My body burned for his touch, and I arched my back, pushing my breasts against him. His large hands roamed my hips. When he touched me, I felt small and delicate.

  “Tell me to stop,” Viktor murmured again. His voice was thick with need.

  “What if I don’t want you to stop?” I whispered. The idea hadn’t even crossed my mind. I was so caught up in the power and the lust that surrounded us, dragging me under, I hadn’t thought about anything other than the feel of his body pressed against mine, the thick line of his cock pushing against my thigh.

  I didn’t want him to stop. I needed his hands on my skin. I ached for him in a way I’d never ached for anyone before. I’d been with men, but not like this. I’d never been fucked. I was saving myself. For what? I hadn’t known then, but I knew now. Viktor was the man I had been waiting for. He was the one I wanted to give myself to.

  Viktor groaned and rolled his hips, pushing himself against me. He inched closer and brushed his lips against mine, a silent question. When I didn’t pull away, he kissed me. Softly at first, slowly, testing, tasting. His tongue slid over my bottom lip and into my mouth, and I moaned as he probed my mouth with his tongue. His hand slid into my hair and he closed it in a fist, tugging lightly, tipping my head up. My neck was exposed, and he kissed me like he meant it. The way he held me, in control, demanding but not hurting, made me squirm. I trembled with need. I was so wet. My body begged for release. I wanted him to touch me, to push his fingers into my slit, to slide them around in my wetness, to plunge them into me.

  I’d never thought such dirty things in my life. But Viktor awoke another side of me, a side I hadn’t even known existed. With him, I became a sexual creature made of need.

  I ran my hand over his hip, daring to touch him. He responded by tilting his hip toward me, encouraging. I moved around, sliding my hand over his delicious body, until I squeezed his ass. Tight. Round. Perfect. I wanted to take a bite out of it. Like an apple. I dug my nails into his perfect ass through his boxers and Viktor groaned into my mouth.

  “You’re driving me crazy, Malen kiy,” he murmured. He pressed his lips to my neck. “You have no idea how much I want you. To feel you under me. I want to pin you down and taste every inch of you.”

  I gasped, wanting the same things as he said them.

  “And when I’m done tasting, I want more. I want to fuck you. I want to bury my cock deep inside you, feel every inch of your body sliding over mine.”

  I moaned, curling against him, squeezing his ass tighter. I wanted to touch his cock, but I was nervous. He was so confident and knew what he was doing. I was so inexperienced.

  “Tell me, Malen kiy, has a man ever taken you to a place where you can lose yourself?”

  I shivered and said, “No. I’ve never…” I swallowed, feeling silly admitting it. “I’ve never slept with anyone.”

  Viktor jerked his head up. His eyes were dark in the dim light of the moon falling through the sheer curtains. His thick brows knitted together. “How is this possible?” he asked. “A beauty like you. And no man has touched you?”

  I blushed. “Well, I haven’t done nothing. I just haven’t done everything.”

  Viktor groaned. “Do you have any idea how fucking perfect that is?”

  I hadn’t expected this reaction. I felt silly that I had waited so long. I was in my twenties and still a virgin, when most of my friends had been sleeping with guys since their teenage years. But Viktor made it sound like something special.

  “Tel
l me, Malen kiy, what do you want? Do you want me to take you? To go where no man has gone before?”

  He nibbled the tender skin in my neck, rolling his large body over mine. He held himself up so he didn’t crush me, but his thick cock pushed against my crotch and he ground himself against me. I moaned and gasped. I ran my hands along his sides. Viktor wasn’t wearing a shirt, and his skin was hot. I could feel the thick muscle ripple beneath my hands as he held himself up, teasing me, giving me just enough that I wanted to beg.

  “Do you want me to fuck you?”

  “Yes.”

  Viktor looked at me. His eyes were pools of black I could lose myself in. He lowered his head and kissed me again. The kiss was gentle, tender, so different from the hunger he had kissed me with a moment before.

  “I won’t hurt you, Malen kiy,” he murmured against my lips.

  I didn’t know this man. He was a stranger, and I was stuck in what felt like a dream world. But I trusted him. I didn’t know why, but I trusted him.

  Viktor pulled up my shirt, working it over my abdomen lazily, taking his time. With my shirt still halfway in place, he moved closer and placed lips on mine, his mouth moving as his tongue slid between my lips.

  “I want to see all of you,” he said, his voice a low baritone.

  Viktor finally lifted my shirt, and I gently raised my arms. He broke the kiss long enough to pull my shirt over my head. I shivered with excitement in the cold air of the room as he exposed my skin. I lay topless on the bed, bathed in nothing but moonlight, and felt butterflies in my belly as I looked up at Viktor.

  I wanted this. I wanted him... badly.

  He studied my body as if he hadn’t seen a woman’s naked form before. His face was filled with admiration, lust, and hunger in his eyes as he licked his lips when he regarded me.

  “You are beautiful,” he said in a thick voice. He dipped his head again and kissed me before moving his head to my breasts.