Stranded: A Mountain Man Romance

by Piper Sullivan

  Beer and chili swirled on my tongue, igniting my senses. “Are you wet for me? I’ll bet those panties are already soaked for me.”

  I wish I could have proven him wrong, but one finger and he’d know the truth. “Only one way to find out.” He stared at me for a long, hot moment and then began to tear my clothes off like they were on fire. “Too many damn clothes,” he groaned when he had me down to my underwear, tearing my purple panties off my body with is hands. “Mmm, better.”

  I leaned back and let my head fall on the door with a thunk. It didn’t knock any sense into me though, because I gasped, sighed and sank into his touch when his fingers slid through the slick moisture between my thighs. “Ah,” I groaned and he pulled back with a smile.

  “So fucking wet,” he groaned and thrust two fingers deep, filling me up wickedly and starting a hot pressure building in my toes. “Fuck, so wet.” His lips went to my neck, my shoulder as he thrust deep, thumb swirling around my clit.

  “Stop teasing me,” I grunted out.

  The bastard laughed and dropped to his knees, tossing one leg over his shoulder and licking me long and slow. More teasing that made my thighs quiver and my heart pulse. His fingers hooked deep and he pulled my clit between his mouth, sending me off in a blaze of fireworks that shot from every single one of my pores. “You want this cock?”

  Smug bastard. “Unless someone else’s cock is available?”

  I laughed, but he growled and turned me around, pressing me into the door face first and burying his face in my neck. His tongue twirled in hot wet tornadoes, he sheathed himself and let his cock press up against my pussy, already drenched. “Fuck, feels even better than I remember,” bit out as he slammed what I guessed were nine inches of solid steel cock into my body. He growled, deep and intense enough to make my skin pucker with desire. His teeth sank into my shoulder as he slid deep, my body pulsing and clenching to adjust to the invasion.

  “Ah, fuck.” I arched my back against him and he slid deeper, pushing me against the wall and making me gasp. Pant. Scream. “Rex!”

  “Yeah, that’s right. You know who this pussy belongs to. Me.” His hips pumped into me fast and hard, hands gripping my hips as I pushed back with my palms flat on the wall. “Fuck! You’re so tight.”

  “Rex,” I said again because what else could I say? He filled me up deliciously, made my skin heat until it felt like it was boiling. “Yes!” My hand smacked the wall beside my head, pushing me further back as he hit that spot that made my legs go weak.

  From this position I could feel everything. Every thick inch of him, every vein and every time his cock grew harder inside of me. Hips smacked against mine, hard and fast, and with a kind of hunger that was missing the last time. It was like his body had been as hungry for me as mine was for him. That thought was terrifying. And empowering. “I’m not gonna last, too tight.”

  I grinned, grateful he couldn’t see the smile that spread across my face as one hand slid down my belly and between my legs. Two fingers grazed across my swollen clit as he pumped in and out of me, my eyes closed so that I could feel every nanosecond of this mistake. I absorbed the shock of his body smacking against mine, the sharp crack of slick flesh against slick flesh, the smell of sweat, vanilla and sex in the chilled air. And then it hit, tingles began at my feet as he thrust hard, deep, traveling up my legs and hips, spreading over my breasts and up my neck until the flames of orgasm shot out of every pore. My body shook but he held me, tight, as he drove deeper and harder, I pulsed around him, milking his cock as he chased his own pleasure.

  He grabbed my hair and pulled back hard, forcing me to arch until he sank so deep he became a small part of me. A dark laugh erupted from his gut and he licked my neck, gripping my hair tighter as he pumped faster and faster until he was buried even deeper, growling his pleasure and his teeth into my neck.

  That growl, so animalistic and so visceral did something to me and I gripped him hard as another wave of pleasure swamped me and I cried out.

  “Fuck, Lena you’re trying to kill me.” He laughed, the sound vibrating my body and making him shiver with aftershocks. “Your pussy is like hot sunshine and cold beer. Perfect.”

  I ignored the way his words settled over me like a warm blanket. It didn’t matter. He liked my pussy, not me. And only because he was the only one who’d been there. Men were stupid, that was no surprise. The surprise was the mix of affection and annoyance that flashed inside of me. I winced when he pulled out, unable to look at him as something a lot like regret settled in my gut. I scanned the floor for my clothes, sliding my jeans on and stuffing my ripped underwear into a pocket.

  “Lena,” he began in a tone that sent a chill through me.

  “Yeah?” I grabbed my jacket and scarf, tossing them over my arm before I let my gaze meet his. My free hand dug for my keys as I waited for whatever he had to say.

  “I’m not signing off on use of the mansion.”

  My shoulders sank and that chill turned into heat. Searing white hot fire at his words, spoken so casually. “Why didn’t you just say that then?”

  He shrugged. “You have to ask?”

  I rolled my eyes, disgusted with both of us. Him for fucking me and then ripping away my dream. My future. Me, for letting him. “Right.” I turned and pulled open the door, stepping out and walking away.

  “You can be mad at me,” he called out, “but I don’t want to be stuck dealing with it when you get bored.”

  I felt the tears pool in my eyes but I used every ounce of strength I had and turned to face him. “Fuck you, Rex.” I yanked open the car door and started the engine, refusing to set eyes on that prick again. I had no use for him.

  Or for Cody any longer.

  Rex

  I turned my truck up the long paved driveway that led to the mansion the whole town affectionately called Cody House, and sighed as the wood and stone structure came into view. The first time I’d seen it as a kid, I thought we’d hit it big. Again. My dad was a piece of shit who’d skipped out before I could memorize his face, but Jared and Mika’s dad had been wealthy and kind. Until Ma had cheated on him, that is, and then we were kicked to the curb while my brother and sister grew up in the lap of luxury. Not that I resented it, but I remembered thinking this place would be the answer to my prayers.

  And it had been. Marcus wasn’t just generous with his money, the man had helped foster my love of whittling into a lucrative career making high end furniture. I owed him a lot but he never made me feel that way, not even when he and Lulu had split up. He’d still reached out to me, checked up on me. Bought furniture from me.

  So when he called to ask me to go check on the house after a break-in, I hopped in my truck and rolled down the mountain to make sure the place was okay. I should have asked where in the hell Lena was.

  Lena. Who I hadn’t seen or heard from in more than a month. After she’d driven away from the cabin, I’d expected to hear from her again and again. I waited for her to try and wear me down and talk me into her idea. But she hadn’t, and I felt better about my decision. She’d been devastated, that much had been clear, but clearly she hadn’t been serious about her idea. If so, she wouldn’t have given up so easily.

  As I approached the door it pulled open and I froze at the man inside. “Jared? What the hell are you doing here?”

  He grinned and pulled me into a hug like he was the older brother instead of me. “Long story. Short version is that I was headed up to see you because Mom was worried, but I ran into Lena and she said you were fine.”

  I crossed my arms and followed him inside. “Okay.” That didn’t tell me shit about why he was staying here. With Lena.

  Jared dropped down on the sofa in the living room. I blinked at the furniture, all uncovered which it rarely was. “Anyway I told her about the new adventure place I’m building here and the house on the property was worse than I was led to believe. She came to me a few weeks ago and said she was leaving and I was free to stay here if I kept an e
ye on the place until Mom and Marcus get back.”

  Leaving? “Where?”

  He shrugged. “She wouldn’t say. Only that she didn’t have a choice.” Blue eyes so similar to mine, but slightly darker widened in surprise, then narrowed in anger. “Tell me you didn’t, Rex. Fuck man! Tell me you didn’t.”

  In that moment I wished I could tell him that I hadn’t touched her, hadn’t fucked her so well that no man would ever be able to satisfy her. And I wanted that to be the truth. But it wasn’t. “I did. And worse.”

  “Are you the reason she tore out of here like she was on the run?”

  “Yes and no.” I explained the whole situation, staring at my hands in disbelief that I was having this conversation with my kid brother. “I thought she might at least fight for it, if she really wanted it.”

  “You’re an asshole. This house should be hers and hers alone. No offense to you, but they were married for what, like ten minutes? And her father puts you down as half owner? Disrespectful is what that shit is.” He shook his head, eyeing me like I made the decision. “And then to have you fuck her and then fuck her over? I can see why she left now.” He leaned back, one ankle resting on the opposite knee, glaring and shaking his head.

  “Bullshit. If she wanted this business so bad, she would have stayed and fought.” At least that’s what I kept telling myself as guilt burned a hole in my gut.

  “Right, because you were going to change your mind? Have to admire a woman who knows when to cut her losses. Damn shame though, she’s a damn fine chef. And I’ve had some great food.”

  “When did you taste her food?” The question was irrational. I shouldn’t give a damn, but I did. I needed to know they hadn’t shared an intimate meal.

  His lips curled in amusement but he didn’t comment. Thankfully. “She did a one night only ‘Bon Voyage Cody’ dinner for about twenty of her favorite people. Fan-fucking-tastic bro.”

  That shouldn’t have stung either, but it had. She hadn’t invited me or told me she was leaving. Lena didn’t owe me any explanations but I wanted one, dammit. “When did she leave?”

  “I don’t know, three weeks or so. She went to New York for a couple weeks to fill in for a friend, but she didn’t know where she was headed after that.”

  “Does Marcus know?”

  Jared shrugged. “Not my business. She’s safe, wherever she is.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  He rolled his eyes at me. “Because she is a grown woman capable of taking care of herself. And because she texts me once in awhile just to say hi,” he grinned smugly.

  “Call her.”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  Jared stood and glared at me. “Because you’re the reason she left. If you want her for any reason, go find her.” He turned and walked away, his hiking boots echoing loudly on the hard floors.

  Go find her. Like it was that easy. Like I didn’t have plenty of work to keep me busy.

  Like she’d really want to see me or talk to me.

  Lena

  “Okay guys you have everything you need. If you have any questions give me a call.”

  “Thanks, chef,” several voices called out as I made my way through the kitchen and into the dining room of the southwestern themed restaurant in Santa Fe where I was filling in for a few more weeks. The executive chef had broken his leg and when it became clear that he couldn’t run a kitchen with one leg, he’d relented and they’d called me.

  “Have a good service, fellas.” I waved and went out into the bright, sunshiny New Mexico day. This place was beautiful and just what I needed after spending nineteen days in New York working alongside a former instructor of mine. The city had been as vibrant and nonstop as I remembered, but it hadn’t held quite the same appeal it had when I was twenty-one. When my time there had ended, I’d planned to go to California and work up and down the coast until I found a good fit, but the call had come in and I’d ended up in Atlanta and then New Mexico. Funky and artsy, eccentric and colorful New Mexico.

  I liked it here. The city itself was laidback and everyone seemed nice, but it allowed for the anonymity of a larger city. Which was exactly what I needed at the moment because something was wrong with me and I couldn’t figure out what. At first, I chalked it up to being homesick. Heartsick. But it persisted and followed me from New York and down to Atlanta. Nausea, vomiting, a lack of focus and fatigue. I was so damn tired all the time and with my luck it would probably be cancer. So instead of going back to my crappy little suite at the extended stay hotel to relax, I hopped in my truck and headed to the nearest clinic. I stepped inside, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness in the near empty waiting room.

  The receptionist flashed a friendly smile and kept silent until I approached the desk and asked to speak with a doctor. “I haven’t been myself lately and I’m worried something is wrong,” I told her and she slid me a clipboard filled with blank forms to be completed. I took a seat and answered every questions, hands trembling as I let out a shaky breath. I hated going to the doctor, for any reason. The news was rarely ever good and never cheap.

  I needed to know what was wrong though, so I finished the paperwork, handed it to the perky receptionist and waited. Two women went to the back before my name was finally called, and with a long fortifying breath, I followed a nurse into one of the examination rooms.

  An hour later I felt stunned. Numb. Overwhelmed. The good news was that I didn’t have cancer. At least I didn’t think I did because there was something else inside of me siphoning my energy and focus. A baby. I walked out of the clinic with several prescriptions for prenatal vitamins in my hand, a mild panic attack brewing in my gut and twenty thousand things going through my mind. Pregnant.

  With Rex’s baby.

  I stood on the corner of indecision and what is this fresh hell, staring at the sun and laughing like a crazy person. The universe was a cruel, cruel bitch and apparently, she was seeking her revenge on me. Not only had I harbored an ill-advised crush on the man who at one time had been my stepbrother since the day I’d set eyes on him, but I’d also gone and lost my virginity to him. And now, I was having his baby. I laughed and laughed, until my eyes began to water and my belly began to clutch from hunger and overexertion.

  I’d gotten my childhood wish only weeks after finding out that Rex wasn’t the greatest man on the planet. He wasn’t even one of the good ones. He was cold and callous and gave no fucks about anyone or anything that wasn’t relevant to his world. I chose a spectacular baby daddy.

  When my laughter died down, it was replaced with sorrow. Bone crushing sorrow that everything I’d worked for in my life had been pointless. I was pregnant, about seven weeks since the day Rex had shown me exactly the kind of man he was, and that meant I needed to get my shit together and fast.

  I needed a new plan. A plan C and D, hell I needed to plan all the way to Z with the way things were shaping up around me. One step at a time, I told myself until it helped. Well, at least until I was calm enough to start moving my feet towards the parking garage where I left my car. On the way I stopped to refill the prescriptions and that just made everything feel real. Accepting the white bag containing several bottles of pills meant I’d already decided to have this baby.

  And quickly on the heels of that realization came another. I wouldn’t tell Rex about the baby. He’d made his feelings on the matter clear, which meant returning to Cody wasn’t an option. Not a good one, anyway. And without Cody or the Cody House, my dreams of my own eatery were further away than ever before. No one outside Cody Savings & Loan would give me a line of credit, and clearly Dad had no faith in my abilities or he’d have let me use the house in the first place.

  Which left me two viable options. Find a smaller city where I wouldn’t be worked off my feet every single night, or a small town eatery where the sidewalks rolled up around ten. A single mother had to put the child first, which meant my dream of a seven course weekends would remain nothing but an id
ea.

  I spent the next week buried in work at Cactus, making sure lunch and dinner services ran smoothly and keeping the menu fresh, unique and authentic. I enjoyed it, the challenge of it all, but I also realized that I didn’t want to spend sixteen hours a day inside of a hot kitchen. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t do it, not with a kid waiting for me to come home. Only me.

  That remove several options from the list and I spent my second to last week in New Mexico researching small towns to see what options I had. The bad news was there weren’t many options, and I would have to find a way to supplement my income without neglecting my duties as a mom.

  The best option was by no means ideal but it could provide steady work at a salary that would allow me to take care of the two of us. It’s just me and you kid. I put a hand to my belly as I sat in the office of Cactus and updated the spreadsheets for the food bought this morning for today’s specials.

  I needed to let the plan sit a while. Marinate. In the meantime, I had to finish up paperwork so I could get home and clean up my suite. Casey was coming for a visit and I needed to hide all evidence of my pregnancy because my best friend was a bloodhound, capable of sniffing out even the mildest of secrets. She’d smell this one before she exited the plane.

  One more secret.

  The only saving grace was that eventually, the secret would reveal itself.

  “My goodness Lena, I can’t tell if I should be jealous or worried with how incredible you look!” Casey held me close, examining me much closer than I felt comfortable with, but knowing if I pulled away she’d really know something was up. “Seriously your skin is practically glowing and you’ve dropped weight you didn’t need to lose, but you look tired.”

  I shook my head and stepped back as her gaze scanned the small suite with a bedroom, living room, bathroom and small kitchenette. “Restaurant work is hot and hard, and let’s not forget the long hours.”