Scarred: A Mountain Man Romance

by J. R. Ryder

  He really was handsome.

  Everything about him seemed perfect from his brow bowl to the sharpness of his nose. He was chiseled and flawless.

  I leaned down and kissed the top of his head, doing so slowly, hoping not to wake him.

  As soon as I did, his eyes shot open.

  They were gorgeous. No, beyond gorgeous. They were stunning.

  “Good morning.” His voice was husky and deep.

  The sound alone was enough to fan the fire lingering in my stomach. Without realizing what I was doing, I moved closer, settling myself against his chest.

  He placed his hand on the back of my head, holding me in an affectionate manner.

  Somehow, it felt like I had known this man my entire life. There was just something about him that made it easy to let my guard down. I wasn’t worried about getting hurt. In fact, laying in his arms like this, I felt an incredible sense of serenity.

  “Sleep well?” He asked, kissing the top of my head. He cupped my cheek in his large, rough-palmed hand, letting his thumb rub into my skin.

  I nuzzled into his touch, craving it more than anything else. “Extremely well.”

  “Good.” He smiled.

  It sent my heart racing. If he kept this up, I was going to die of a heart attack or something.

  “You know, I never gave you a massage. That’s awfully rude of me, don’t you think?”

  I laughed. “I really don’t mind. What you gave me was much better than a massage. You blew me away.”

  His finger danced along my collarbone as he looked into my eyes. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, but I promised you a massage and that’s exactly what you’re going to get. Roll over for me.”

  “Really, you don’t have to do this.”

  “I want to.” He insisted.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” He answered, reaching into his nightstand and pulling out some baby oil. He squeezed some into his hands before taking my nipples between his fingers, rolling them back and forth. “If you don’t want to turn around, I suppose I can do your chest first, but I wanted to leave the best for last.” He said with a wink.

  I moaned, tilting my head back in pleasure, toes already curling. This man had a magic touch. He knew exactly where to focus on to drive me wild. I bit my lip to keep as quiet as possible but even I was moaning his name, begging for more.

  Jasper was intent on taking this slow – agonizingly slow.

  I pushed my hips into the air, but he simply ignored me, massaging his fingers into the tender flesh around my nipples. It felt so good.

  Goosebumps decorated my skin as I arched my back, finding it hard to keep still with the pleasure coursing through my body.

  “You know, some girls are able to climax through nipple play alone. Are you one of those girls?”

  “I… I don’t know…” I breathed.

  “I would say that there’s only one way to find out, but I owe you a massage and it's best if we don’t get sidetracked. Don’t you agree?”

  I groaned. “You’re mean.”

  “Am I?” He replied with a smirk on his face. “You know, most guys don’t bother to hand out massages free of charge.” As he spoke, he slipped his hands underneath my body, rolling me over.

  With my back exposed, he squirted a bit more baby oil onto his hands, lathering them up. A second later, he ran them along my shoulder blades.

  “Mmm.” I murmured.

  “Do you like that?” He whispered into my ear.

  “Mhm.”

  “Just relax and enjoy yourself.” He moved his fingers with skill. He knew exactly where to apply pressure and where to allow his fingers to just glide along my skin.

  Soon enough, my eyelids grew heavy. “If you keep this up, you are going to put me to sleep.”

  “You can sleep if you’d like.”

  “But then I won’t be able to enjoy myself.”

  He chuckled. “Do you like it that much?”

  “I do. No one has done this for me.”

  “This is your first massage?”

  “I guess you can say that,” I admitted.

  “Have you never had a significant other?” Jasper questioned, hands stopping, waiting for my response.

  “I have.”

  “And they never offered to give you a massage?”

  “No.”

  “They aren’t worth your time, then. A girl like you deserves to be pampered and well taken care of.” He leaned down, allowing his lips to travel along the back of my neck.

  I shivered, a tingle of pleasure running down my spine when he kissed the nape of my neck. “Mmm…”

  At my sounds of pleasure, he lingered there, sucking and nipping on the sensitive flesh all while massaging my back and making my body feel weightless.

  Eventually, his hands moved down to my ass, applying a bit more pressure to my cheeks.

  “Mmm.”

  He chuckled. “You’re rather receptive to my touch. I like that.” He mused, spending a bit more time on my ass before moving to my legs.

  This was amazing.

  I closed my eyes, losing myself in the moment.

  Then, he took my left foot into his hands, pressing his thumb into the heel. Jasper worked slowly, making me feel cared for.

  “Jasper…” It was the last word I whispered before falling asleep.

  Chapter 12 (Jasper)

  Mandy stayed with me for a few days as we waited for the snow to thaw. A part of me wanted to stay snowbound with her forever but I knew, sooner or later, she’d want to leave.

  I was cooking breakfast on the third day of her stay when she walked up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist, resting her head on my shoulder. “What are you doing?”

  “Making breakfast,” I answered. “Home fries and grits. I hope you like it.”

  “Southern food. Are you originally from the south?” She asked, moving to the side and hoisting herself onto the counter, looking at me with a curious expression on her face. “You know, I’ve been staying here for a couple days now and I really don’t know much about you.”

  “What would you like to know?” I raised an eyebrow in her direction.

  “Anything. What’s your favorite food?”

  “Filet Mignon.”

  “Fancy.” She swung her legs, leaning forward ever so slightly. “I can’t imagine that you find much of that out here in the mountains.”

  “No, unfortunately not.”

  “ you only live out here temporarily then?”

  I shook my head. “No, this is my home, now.”

  She frowned. “Don’t you get lonely out here?”

  Before I could answer her, Wolf came bounding into the kitchen, barking at me. Excitedly, he jumped onto his hind legs, placing his paws on my shoulders, covering my face with sloppy kisses.

  “Down,” I ordered but he ignored my command.

  He continued to kiss my face, tail wagging a mile a minute.

  Mandy giggled.

  Wolf’s ears perked at the sound. He turned his head in her direction before changing targets. He placed his paws on her thighs and drenched her face in his slobber.

  “Yuck!” Mandy exclaimed, trying to push the massive dog away from her. “Wolf definitely needs a breath mint or something. God… that stinks!”

  I grabbed him by the collar, forcing him to the ground. “Manners.” I chided.

  Wolf just looked at me as if he had done nothing wrong. A second later, he sauntered off to his bed, plopping down on the plush surface, hiding his snout under a tattered blanket he was exceptionally fond of.

  “Why do you think I put up with that mutt?” I said, pointing my thumb in his direction.

  “Okay, but don’t you ever wish you could interact with other people. I mean, a dog is nice, but Wolf isn’t a human. You can’t have a conversation with him.”

  I was quiet for a moment. She had a point. Loneliness was a crippling feeling, but it beat the deadliness of the corporate world. If I
had stayed there a minute longer, I would have suffocated underneath the weight of it. At least in the heart of the mountains, a man was at peace with himself.

  “ what’s your favorite food?” I asked, hoping to move the conversation away from my decision to live in the mountains. Mandy had yet to know about my wealth and I intended to keep it that way. Right now, whatever was developing between us felt organic – like it was meant to happen. When she looked at me, it felt like she was looking at me and not the billionaire persona I had hidden behind for so many years.

  “Hmm, mac and cheese. I have a soft spot for any cheesy pasta, to be honest.”

  “Oh? Why didn’t you tell me? I could have made some.”

  She shrugged. “I didn’t want to sound ungrateful. After all, you saved me from dying. I didn’t really think I had the option to be picky about what I ate.”

  “I still want you to enjoy your meals.”

  “And, I have. You’re actually a pretty decent cook. I’m impressed.”

  A sense of pride swelled in my chest. Back when I was a billionaire, I didn’t dare step foot in a kitchen. I thought it was beneath me. I had personal chefs cook all of my meals but all that changed when I made the decision to live on my own. At first, all I ate was charred meat but over the years, I’ve gotten better, learning to follow cookbook recipes and even becoming confident enough to come up with a few of my own.

  “ is there anything else you want to know about me?” I asked, sitting down at the kitchen table.

  She sat down across from me, already digging into her plate of food. “Yeah, where did you get some good looks and is there any left for the rest of us?”

  I chuckled. “I think you’re the one that took the lion’s share.”

  “Are you kidding me? If we were a couple, you’d be out of my league.”

  “Absolutely not, Mandy. You’re a stunning young woman. Any man would be extremely lucky to have you.”

  She blushed, looking down in shyness. Her long eyelashes fluttered. A pink hue traveled along her cheeks, making her look even more adorable than she already was.

  I reached across the table, placing my fingers underneath her chin, lifting her head so she’d be forced to look at me. “Trust me, Mandy, you’re a beautiful woman. Don’t ever let anyone tell you differently.”

  Her blush became deeper in color. She held my gaze for a moment before looking away. “I…” She started to say something but then her lips pressed into a tight line and she fell silent. “Never mind.”

  “Do you not think you’re beautiful?” I asked.

  “It’s not that…”

  “Then, what is it?”

  “Nothing. Can we stop talking about this? Our food is going to get cold.”

  I frowned. “Mandy…”

  “Jasper. Seriously, drop it.” With that, she shoved a forkful of home fries into her mouth.

  Well, if she didn’t think she was beautiful, then I just wasn’t doing my job right. Tonight, I would make her aware of just how beautiful I thought she was.

  Chapter 13 (Mandy)

  All this talk about feeling beautiful just made me remember Keith. The dirtbag had nearly ruined my life.

  For the entirety of our relationship, he was the nagging voice in my head, feeding off all my insecurities, making them worse than they really were. I worried about my weight, complexion, hair, and everything else regarding my physical appearance until it became an obsession.

  It would take me hours to get ready to leave the house and even then, I felt like I wasn’t nearly as pretty as all the other girls I saw on the street. I envied them. more importantly, I hated myself.

  And, Keith was always there to make me hate myself even more.

  After we broke up, it took a long time to piece my self-confidence back together. A very long time.

  It was only starting to take shape again.

  “I’m going to go hunting this afternoon. The snow has thawed out enough for me to wander around the nearby tracks. I wouldn’t recommend you going back just yet but… if you insist, I’ll show you the way.”

  “Are you trying to get rid of me already?” I asked. “I’m offended.”

  “No. No. That’s not what I meant. I love your company. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to stay here for my sake. I realize that you must have a life you want to get back to.” Jasper spoke quickly, almost nervously, like he thought that he had actually hurt my feelings with his comment.

  I laughed. “Don’t look so worried. I’m not actually mad. I was just joking around with you.” With a smile on my face, I jumped down from the counter and rested a hand on his chest before leaning down to kiss him. “What are you hunting?”

  “Just small game. Rabbits and such.”

  I grimaced. “You kill rabbits?” The thought of some poor, innocent creature dying at the hands of a bullet made my stomach church. Logically, I understood that all meat came from a slaughtered animal, but the thought of that death being palpable was something I didn’t like to think about. I rather keep it in the recesses of my mind. What I didn’t know wouldn’t hurt me, right?

  “Yes. They’re great for stew. If you want, I can make you some for tonight.” He offered.

  I shook my head, wrapping my arm around my stomach, face scrunching up in disgust. Just the thought of eating a rabbit nearly made me sick. That would be like eating Bugs Bunny. I imagined the bowl of stew saying, “What’s up doc?”

  “You okay?” Jasper asked, a look of concern on his face.

  “Yeah. Yeah. I’m fine. I just don’t think I’m one for rabbit stew. The thought sort of freaks me out. I’m sure it tastes fine but it’s just a mental thing, you know?”

  He nodded. “Don’t worry. I understand completely. I don’t eat shellfish due to the simple fact that it made me sick one time when I was a child. The doctors have told me that I’m not actually allergic to any of it, but I still refuse to touch anything of that nature.”

  “ you’re not a fan of oysters, huh?”

  “No.” He frowned. “Never.”

  “Good, you and me both. I can’t stand how slimy they are.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I agree. I’m more of a meat and potatoes type of guy.”

  “I’ve noticed.”

  “You don’t mind, do you?”

  “No, but you might be better off adding some vegetables to your diet.” Yet, even as I said there, I couldn’t help but notice that Jasper looked like the epitome of health. He was physically fit. His skin was flawless. He could go at it all night without even breaking a sweat. I felt like this man could eat absolute junk and he would still look like he belonged in front of a Hollister bag.

  “I suppose you’re right. When I lived in the city, my chefs used to integrate a variety of vegetables into all my dishes because I refused to eat them on my own.”

  My brows furrowed in confusion. “Wait… did you just say ‘chefs?’ Like, you had people that used to cook for you?”

  A shadow swept across his face. “Never mind.” He said quickly, shaking his head.

  I was about to ask him to explain himself when he leaned forward and kissed me ever so slightly.

  In response, my heart thumped loudly in my chest, making it hard to focus.

  He held me a little tighter, lips dominating mine until my mind turned to much.

  Eventually, he pulled away, smiling down at me. “Well, I should get going before we get too carried away.”

  “Okay… have fun…” I answered, still a bit dazed.

  “Stay safe.” He said, kissing the top of my head. “I’ll be back soon.” Ever so slowly, he stepped away, heading for the door. There, he hesitated, looking back at me. “Of course, if you wanted to come with me, I have an extra gun you could use.”

  For a moment, I imagined what it would feel like to walk through the snow-covered mountains with Jasper. There would be danger around every corner from wild animals to slippery slopes. Nonetheless, I felt that so long as I stayed by his side,
nothing would be able to hurt me. He’d keep me safe.

  “I think I’m going to have to pass…” I answered. “I don’t think I have it in me to kill a rabbit.”