by J. L. Beck
Lumberjack Love
J.L. Beck
Copyright © 2017 by J.L. Beck
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Meet J.L. Beck
J.L. Beck is a stay at home mom to two little minions and is happily married to her high school sweetheart. When she's not writing steamy hot as sin books, you can find her with a glass of wine, and book of choice in hand. She believes all love stories should have a happy ever after, but knows that real life sometimes occurs so for her readers if she can give her books a HEA then she's happy.
If you like romance that bleeds from the pages, and love stories that make you swoon then pick up a J.L. Beck book and forget about the world for a while.
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Chapter One
Jackson
Sweat trickled down my back as I lifted the axe one last time, landing a clean cut against the log. It was August, and the summer heat was refusing to let, up even though Fall was right on our heels.
I admired the stockpile of wood I had gathered myself and wiped at the sweat along my brow with the back of my arm. Country living wasn’t easy. We didn’t have cell phones or TV and we most definitely didn’t have the hustle and bustle of the city.
It was mainly quiet except for a passerby every now and then.
Placing my axe under the shaded tree, I grabbed my water jug, twisting the cap off and bringing it to my lips all in one fluid motion. The cool water had just touched the tip of my tongue, when I heard the crunch of feet against gravel. The noise was coming straight towards me and, even though the footfalls couldn’t have belonged to anyone who weighed more than one hundred and twenty pounds, I was alert and ready.
I twisted around, my blood pumping as my eyes landed on the person who was making all the commotion. In all the years that I had lived out here by myself, never had I seen someone as beautiful as the woman that was running directly towards me. Her hair reminded me of the sun, and her eyes burned a hole through me.
“I need your help,” she panted, out of breath. I could see the panic in her eyes, and knew that whatever it was that was going on was serious. Still, I didn’t get into other people’s business, and I most definitely didn’t allow anyone to bring their business to me. I didn’t care for drama.
“No can do, sweetheart. I ain’t in the business of helping anyone,” I drawled, my cock growing harder and harder with every second I continued to stare at her. She was a tiny thing, short, with a little bit of curve to her. She would be perfect bent over my…
“My piece of shit ex-boyfriend left me on the side of the road about a mile down. I just need a ride into town or maybe a phone to use.” Her voice cracked, and with it my hard ass exterior.
“I’m sorry to hear that, but ain’t got no phone, and I don’t plan on making a trip into town any time soon.” I smiled, or at least tried to. The woman continued forward until she was standing underneath the shaded tree, and almost flush with my chest. I could smell her sweet perfume and knew that if I let her stay here with me that I was going to be in for a whole lot more than I bargained.
“Sir…” She batted her long eyelashes. I could see the dark blue swirls in her eyes and wanted to tell her how beautiful they were, but stopped myself, knowing damn well this was the last thing I needed.
“Sorry darlin’.” I scratched at the back of my head, wondering what the hell I was supposed to be do with her and how I was going to get her to leave without having to drag her back out into the woods.
“I won’t take no for an answer. If you don’t have a phone, or a way into town, I could really use a place to stay for a bit.” Oh fuck. My face went blank. She had to be me kidding me. Right? This was a joke? Fate didn’t send no beautiful temptress out here for me. Not unless she would bring trouble with her.
“I don’t want or need any trouble around here. I’m not a nice man. I’m ornery, rough, and most days I don’t even like being around myself,” I started, but could tell from the look on her face there was no telling her no. She really wasn’t going to take no for an answer and, strangely, I admired that about her.
“My ex doesn’t care about me, as evidence by my being here now, so no trouble will follow me. As for you being ornery and rough, well, you don’t seem like either of those things.” She smiled, and I’ll be damned if my entire day didn’t get that much brighter. How could one tiny little woman come jogging down your dirt driveway and make things seem so much better?
“You can stay then, but you’ll be helping. We don’t often have visitors out here, but on the off chance that we do there is a spare room in the house.” I hooked a thumb towards the wooden cabin behind me and her eyes followed the direction of it. It wasn’t much, just a two-story cabin with a working bathroom. I had inherited the place from my grandparents and loved the quietness that country living brought me. That, coupled with the simplicity of it all, made it my dream home.
“I promise I will listen and help where I can. I just can’t go back,” she announced, a bit shaken up at the thought. I was an asshole nearly every day, but I would never send a woman back to a man that didn’t want her to begin with. Plus, the man had to be blind if he didn’t see the beauty that was before him.
“Are you sure no one is going to come looking for you? Police? Boyfriend? Parents?” I questioned further, arching an eyebrow at her. She didn’t seem to care that I was shirtless with sweat dripping down my bare chest. She just looked me straight in the eyes and spoke.
“I have no one. Everyone that’s ever mattered is gone now, so please don’t make me leave when I don’t got no where else to be.” Tears swirled in her eyes and my heart thudded loudly against my rib cage as the sound of rushing blood pounded in my ears.
“I’m Jackson.” I extended my hand and she took it, my large burly hand engulfing hers.
“Lola.” She gave me her name. I had never had a true interaction with a woman before. Hell, I had never even had sex before, yet the way I was feeling between my legs right now, it made me envious of those that had because, regardless of whether or not I wanted Lola to stay, I knew I most definitely wanted to fuck her.
“Did you bring anything with you?” I questioned, my eyes flicking over her body. I didn’t have anything that was going to fit her. I was nearly six foot five, and she had to be close to five foot two.
“No….” She mumbled. “Just what I got on.” Her eyes darted to the grass, nervously. Even if I didn’t want whatever drama she brought with her, I couldn’t just let her go. There were bears, and people far worse than me out here. If something happened to her, it would sit on my conscience and peck away at every shred of my sanity.
“Don’t look at the ground like you’re scared of something. I ain’t going to hurt you. I just
wanted to know if you had any other clothing with ya.” For some reason, the thought of someone hurting Lola didn’t sit well with me. It made my blood boil, and my hands itch for something other than the swing of my axe.
“I just… don’t want to be a burden. I know a man like you don’t have clothing for me and I’m okay with that. I just need some time out here away from it all. I promise, when I’m ready, I’ll leave.” That right there broke the camel’s back. I knew before hand that I wasn’t going to let her leave, but her comment just now sealed her fate. She was stuck here with me in my little cabin by the river.
“You ain’t no burden, Lola. Now get on up to the house. I’ll be starting dinner here soon,” I ordered, needing to take a few more swings with the axe to get the thought of her sleazy ex-boyfriend hurting her out of my head.
She scurried up to the house, and I slammed the jug of water down, no longer thirsty anymore. I promised myself then, as I grabbed the axe from the tree and lifted it above my head, that if he ever showed up here, I would do everything in my power to protect Lola. Just because I didn’t know her deep down in the pit of her soul, didn’t mean she deserved to be treated like shit.
The axe came down hard on the flimsy piece of wood, slicing it straight down the middle. I wondered then what I was going to do with such a beautiful woman. I couldn’t keep her, not even if I wanted to, but I couldn’t let her go.
Something about her rubbed me just the right way and enough that it made me want to explore her in more than one way.
Damnit. I squeezed the handle of the axe, my palms digging into the hard wood. I was screwed and I hadn’t even taken my pants off yet. Yeah, I might be a virgin, but I’m sure that’s not how this worked.
Chapter Two
Lola
Jackson made me feel things I shouldn’t. Like butterflies and that strange clench between your legs that left you drenched. It was desire that he made me feel, and I didn’t even know the man. I just knew he was strong enough to protect me from whatever evil was lurking out in the world.
Evil, like my ex-boyfriend Roger. I knew running was my only option and that if I stopped, I would be back in his clutches, never to escape again. That’s why when I saw the driveway I jogged down it, thankful as hell when I noticed a large burly man outside splitting wood. The second our eyes connected, I felt like he was the one for me. Almost like we had an instant connection. He didn’t look at me like a piece of meat, but like a woman, who was strong and capable.
I stood behind a tree close to the cabin door where he told me to go, watching as he put his entire body into splitting wood. His muscles were taut and tight in all the right places, stretching his flannel shirt out. My mouth watered just watching him.
This is a mistake, Lola. My conscience tried to tell me, as I looked at him with a longing that I didn’t understand. I shouldn’t be so trusting of a man that was twice my size and clearly powerful enough to split wood by hand. Still, any fear I had of the man went out the window when he told me I could stay. I was naïve but even I knew a good man when I saw one and Jackson was a good man.
“Anyone ever tell you staring is rude, sweetheart?” Jackson’s deep voice rumbled straight through to my core. I was so busy inside my own head that I hadn’t noticed him heading towards the house until it was too late. I was watching him when I should’ve been inside getting ready for dinner like he said.
“It’s only rude if you aren’t admiring the beauty of what you’re staring at…” I wrung my hands together and followed behind his large frame as he pushed open the large wooden door of the cabin. The place seemed small on the outside, but once inside, things were different.
High ceilings with large windows that let in the light from outside were placed in the wooden ceiling. Everything was crisp, clean, and homey. A fireplace was in the center of the room against the wall, and a kitchen was off to the left side of the house hidden under what looked be a loft. I couldn’t stop my eyes from moving over all the items in the house, from the homemade furniture that looked as if it cost a fortune, to the roominess the cabin had.
“Stew is on the stove. I know it’s warm outside but I had some left overs and, well, that’s what we’re having.” Jackson shrugged. I didn’t care if I was having shit on a shingle, as long as I had something warm in my belly.
“Thank you….” I paused for a moment, just as Jackson turned around to look at me. “For not sending back down the road and for giving me a chance to prove myself,” I thanked him, our eyes meeting once more. I could see the curiosity lingering in his dark brown ones, and I wondered just how deeply he wanted to get to know me. Was it on a level we both would appreciate?
“I’m not an evil man. I don’t take pleasure in hurting people, and if you don’t want to go back to wherever it is you came from, then I ain’t going to push you to go back. There’s more than enough room here. Now follow me. I’ll show you to your room.” He gestured in the direction of the hall off the kitchen and I followed behind him, not wanting to miss a single thing. I couldn’t take my eyes off his strong back, or the way his cargo jeans clung to his ass.
Before I realized it, I was running smack dab into him, my chest colliding with his warm back. He turned on me in a flash, his hands gripping me by the arms gently, as he moved me back a pace so that he could fully turn around.
“I’m so sorry, I was looking down and not up and…” I started to mumble, but stopped the moment he clasped me by the chin and brought his face to mine. I could see the tiny flecks of gold in his eyes, and the smell of sweat mixed with woods clung to my senses.
“There’s something about you… something that makes me want to know you… something that I can’t explain just yet, not even to myself.” I was mesmerized, his hand on my skin sending waves of pleasure through me. Yet his touch was gentle and kind, unlike any touch I had ever felt from a man before.
“I feel the same way…” I blew out a breath. The air between us grew hotter as we stood with our hands on one another for a second and then another. Then something seemed to snap inside Jackson and he was releasing me and brushing away whatever feelings he was just having. The moment between us was gone, and so was the fire that had sparked between us.
“Um… Here‘s your room, the bathroom is down the hall. I need to go take a shower… I’ll umm...” Jackson moved around me, refusing to even brush up against me as he all but ran in the direction of his bedroom without even finishing his sentence. A part of me was offended, but another part of me knew that he was probably surprised by my reaction to him.
Silently, I opened the bedroom door, taking in the contents of the bedroom. A large queen sized bed was set up in the center of the room. To the right was a huge window letting in ample light and a tiny nightstand below it. I walked over to the closet and opened one of the doors, revealing space to put my belongs- if I had any.
Everything about this place felt like home, from the landscape outside to the coziness inside. I left the bedroom and went back out into the living room, exploring it alone while I had the chance. Bookshelves lined one side of the fireplace, and on the other side were pictures and small knickknacks. My fingers slid across a dusty photo of two elderly people. They were looking at each other instead of the camera. The love they felt for one another slammed into me, making my knees weak.
I stared for a long time at that photo, wondering who the couple was and how their story went. Placing the photo back on the shelf with wobbly hands, I turned around, coming face to face once again with Jackson.
Air rushed from my lungs at his presence. He was quiet for such a large man, and I clutched at my chest with my hands when he reached, out brushing away a few strands of hair in my vision. He’d changed clothes and he smelt clean, but still very much like the outdoors.
“This was their home, my grandparents. When they died, I inherited it and decided this is where I wanted to spend my life.” My heart came to life then, beating furiously inside my chest.
“They look so h
appy, so in love…” I smiled up at him even though he looked at me as guarded as he possibly could.
“They were happy, and very in love. They died together right here in this house.” The sadness in his voice told me he missed them, and I wondered if he wanted a life like they had, or if he just planned to stay out here all alone for the rest of his days.
“Do you wish you had what they did?” I blurted out the question, not thinking of the possible repercussions until after I had already spoken. Surprisingly, Jackson didn’t lift his hand or sneer at me. He simply shrugged and walked in the direction of the kitchen.
“I think we all wish for a love like what they had. Whether we get it or not is entirely up to fate.” I was right on his heels, listening to every gruff word that came from his mouth. He opened the cupboard and retrieved two bowls placing them on the counter while lifting the lid from the pot that must’ve contained the stew he was warming up for dinner.
“What my grandparents had wasn’t something that could be bought or even made up. It was true love at it’s finest. I choose to live the simple life, as did they, regardless of whether or not I have someone to share that life with. I live this life because I want to. “ He handed me a bowl of piping hot stew and my belly growled loudly.
“Thank you for all of this. I’m not sure I’ll be able to repay you ever.” I plucked the spoon from the side of the bowl, staring at the contents inside it. The stew was hearty with vegetables and meat mixed throughout and it exploded with flavor against my tongue. I moaned loudly as I licked the spoon before digging back into the bowl.
“That right there was enough thanks…” Jackson snorted with laughter at my moan of pleasure. He devoured his own bowl in seconds getting, more before I could even finish half of my own.
