The Mountain Man’s Babies: Books 1-5

by Love, Frankie

  He unclasps my bra, then palms my breasts like their size is perfect. I’ve always been self-conscious that they were too small. That my nipples were a touch too big, and that a real man like Wilder wouldn’t find them attractive.

  But his eyes are hooded, and he’s on his knees, my legs wrapped around him, and he shakes his head while thumbing my nipples.

  “Damn, baby, your body is so fucking perfect. Like a dream. Like a perfect fucking wet dream, except it’s not. It’s real. You are real.”

  Heat rises to my cheeks, and I close my eyes, my heart contracting as his words fall over me. I’ve dated guys, slept with them, but maybe that was the problem. Guys are different than men.

  And Wilder... he is all man.

  And tonight he said he was all mine.

  My worries about my job and my flailing plans and my sister's criticism all float away as Wilder presses his mouth to my breasts, licks them like they are something delicious. Something to savor. Something to enjoy.

  He runs his hand past my belly, between my legs, touching so tenderly, as if I am made of rose petals ready to fall to the ground.

  I sigh, letting him go nice and slow over my folds, and my pussy is dripping under his spell.

  “Try again, Wilder,” I ask. “I want you in me.”

  “You sure, baby?”

  “Please,” I say again. “Please come in me.”

  His hands are on either side of my body as he lowers himself above me. I reach for his cock, wanting to feel his velvety warmth.

  “You’re so hard.”

  “For you.”

  My eyes close, my back sinks deeper into the hotel mattress, as I guide him to my entrance. His tip presses inside me, and I breathe through the pain this time, and as he fills me up, it passes. Instead of wincing, I’m floating away.

  I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling my body closer to him. “I’m on the pill,” I tell him, later than I should have. The truth is, I want to feel every inch of him in me without anything in the way.

  “That’s too bad,” he whispers in my ear, planting kisses along my cheek as he slowly rocks into me.

  His arms slide under me, and he manages to pull me over, and up, so I’m straddling him. Looking in his eyes, I ask, “Why’s that?”

  “Because I’d love nothing more to knock you up. To put a baby in you and keep you as my woman.”

  I don’t know if he’s joking. I mean, of course, he is joking. No one talks like that... thinks like this.

  Except his eyes are fixed on mine, seeing deep into my soul.

  “I don’t want babies for a long time,” I tell him.

  He smiles, as I move my hips in small circles, my pussy exploding with pleasure as he fills me from this angle. “Not even mine?”

  I laugh, pressing my hands to his chest, and I lean over, kissing him again, as his cock pulses inside me.

  “I don’t even know where you live, Wilder. I don’t think we’re quite ready to make a baby.”

  “Maybe not,” he tells me, tucking tendrils of hair behind my ear, then his hand cups my face. “But if we were, you are the sort of woman I’d want to make one with.” He thrusts deep inside me, and I moan as an orgasm washes over me.

  “Why, Wilder,” I beg, my hands on my breasts as I move harder, harder, harder against him. “Why a woman like me?”

  He comes in me, grunting as he does, his hand moving to my hips as he releases deep inside of me.

  “Because you, Stella, you don’t mess around. You go all in. I like that, how confident you are.”

  I grin, clearly, Wilder has a way with women. Has a way with me.

  “I’m not as confident as you think, my professional life is kind of a cluster, to be honest,” I tell him, thinking about my messed-up interview. I roll to his side and he wraps his strong arm around my body, cradling me.

  “It’s all about the delivery,” he tells me.

  “What do you mean?”

  “At the bar, you exuded confidence, knew exactly what you wanted. That’s what you need to do in business too. Don’t give anyone a reason to doubt you.”

  I think back to the interview, how I so quickly deemed myself a terrible designer for the job that seemed bigger than my skill set. But I know if I spent a few weeks cultivating my eye for more rustic interiors, I could do great.

  I pull up and rest my chin on my hand, knowing I should head out. This was a hotel bar hook-up, not intended for anymore, and I certainly don’t intend to outstay my welcome. “Thank you.”

  Wilder raises an eye. “For what?”

  “For the advice. And for the fuck.”

  “That’s it, you’re going to leave?” He sits, up, watching me as I stand and reach for my discard panties.

  “Well, I mean....” I shrug, not really knowing what I mean, but also pretty positive that when I walk out of here I’ll be asking the TV producers asking for a second chance.

  And I will bring it.

  Tenfold.

  “When can I see you again?” he asks.

  My eyes linger on his cock. It is so big, felt so good, and I never even had it in my mouth.

  Maybe I should stay for another round.

  But then I think about my future. Happy hour just ended; it’s still only six o’clock at night. I might have time to make a case for myself, to catch the execs before they leave.

  “Where do you live?” I ask. The odds of us seeing one another again are slim. He’s a businessman staying in the city, and if he knew how paycheck-to-paycheck I am; he probably wouldn’t have been quite so generous with the compliments.

  “I live in Idaho,” he says, surprising me. “You ever out that way?”

  “No,” I tell him, pulling up my pants. “I haven’t been to Idaho since I was a kid, vacationed at a lake there once.”

  “That’s a shame.”

  I twist my lips, thinking about my next few months. “You know, actually, I’m going to be in Spokane in three months. I have an interior design convention that my mom got me tickets to for Christmas.”

  This piques his interest. “I don’t think I want to wait that long to see you again,” he tells me.

  I laugh. “Wilder, you are so full of shit. You don’t even know me.” I clasp my bra on then pull on my top. “Why don’t you give me your cell phone number and I’ll call you when I’m in town. Spokane, Washington is just over the Idaho border.”

  “I know where it is. But I’m not giving you my cell number for you to lose. We’re making plans, here and now.”

  I shake my head, honestly completely smitten with his relentless pursuit.

  “The conference is at the Davenport Hotel, that’s where I’ll be. Meet me in the hotel bar for happy hour.”

  “What day?” he asks, pulling on his boxers as I lift my purse to my shoulder.

  “May tenth.”

  Wilder shakes his head slowly. “So this is all I get, not even a last name?”

  “No,” I tell him, feeling exhilarated by the spontaneity of all of this. The flirty eyes in the bar, the hot and heavy sex, the appointment to see him again. So mysterious. It’s like a scene from a romance novel... not a scene from my actual life. “This way is better. The anticipation will be worth it.”

  “For someone who doubts themselves, your confidence at the moment is through the fucking roof, you know that right?” He walks to the door, opening it for me.

  “Well, I have you to thank for the confidence boost.”

  Before I leave, Wilder grabs my wrist, pulls to him, and kisses me hard.

  “I won’t forget our date,” he tells me, slapping my ass, and watching me walk away.

  Chapter Five

  Wilder

  If you’d have asked me yesterday about the defining moment of my life I would have undoubtedly said it was meeting Stella.

  But then I check my phone as I walk to my truck after I disembark the plane back home.

  Seventeen missed calls.

  Eleven voice mails.

 
From phone numbers I know and numbers I don’t.

  My pulse quickens, no one calls that much when things are good. Good news, even the best good news, can wait until the plane touches the ground. Everyone I know knew I’d be a thousand miles up in the sky when they left these messages.

  This news can only be bad.

  I throw my suitcase in the back of the truck, turn on the engine, and stare at the fucking phone screen. It’s taunting me. Begging me to look, to listen, to call back.

  I’m fucking terrified. Worse case scenario on a mountain can be pretty fucking bad.

  Before I can make a decision, the phone starts vibrating. It’s Jaxon.

  “Hello?” I say. Praying like hell nothing happened to his babies, to Harper. God. I run my hand over my beard, anxious as fuck. “What happened?”

  “Did you get the messages?”

  “I haven’t listened to anything. Tell me your family is alright. That Bucks’ family is alright.”

  Oh hell, what if something happened to sweet Rosie? The poor girl spent her life waiting for a break. She finally got it when she met Buck. I’m gonna lose my shit if anything happened to them.

  “We’re all okay,” Jaxon tells me.

  I exhale, my head falling against the headrest. Thank god.

  “But Dean, you’re brother and his wife, they’re not okay.”

  The air leaves my lungs. “What do you mean, not okay?” Jasper and Tracy are my only family. Well them, and their twins, Briar and Finn.

  “There was a car crash out on the interstate. The whole family was in the car, but the twins are okay. Thank god. But you need to get to the hospital outside of Boise. They were airlifted there an hour ago.”

  “Are they alive?” I ask, trembling on the words I can’t believe are my own.

  “Just get to the hospital. I’ll meet you there, Dean.”

  I slam my hands against the steering wheel. Then I turn on the engine and go find what is left of my family.

  * * *

  The funeral is frigid. Snow is still on the ground and I wish there were something to make it melt away, to make all of the last few days fade into oblivion.

  Most of the time I’m grateful my parents, rest their souls, died the way they did. They were in a fatal car wreck, just like Jasper and Tracy, a tragic coincidence, but they were dead on arrival.

  Tracy and Jasper were in surgery by the time I arrived at the hospital. Twelve hours later, they both died on operating tables, in the same wing of the hospital. Their bodies broken, their hearts stopped, and yet they were just across the hall from one another.

  And now they are buried beneath the snow, and my mind works to memorize every detail of our lives together because their babies are going to need me to remember.

  “Dean,” Jaxon says, as we head to our vehicles after the service. I swear to fucking God everyone’s vision is blurred. It’s just such a fucking waste. “The girls are at our cabin with the babies. You gonna be okay driving over?”

  I nod, needing to be alone for a few more minutes. Knowing it’s the last time I’m gonna be alone for a real long time.

  * * *

  Harper is spoon-feeding Briar and Finn when Jax, Buck, and I get home from the service. Rosie is stirring a pot of soup on the stove, and the toddlers and babies are in various states of play. Some are crawling, some are swaying in a swing, and some are stacking Duplo blocks.

  “Hey boys,” Harper says, setting crackers on my niece and nephew’s high chair trays. “You look like you could use a drink.”

  Jaxon nods and grabs us beers from the fridge.

  “Did it go okay?” Rosie asks, pulling out a warmed loaf of bread from the oven.

  I nod tightly. “It was cold as fuck, sad as fuck too.” I look around the room at all the kiddos and apologize for my language. We all talk shit, but we try to keep it clean around the kids.

  “It’s okay, Wilder. We know you’ve had the worst week out of anyone.”

  I look over at Briar and Finn. “Not anyone. Those two lost their parents. How am I supposed to explain that to them?”

  As Rosie ladles soup into bowls she answers me, “That isn’t something you need to worry about for awhile. Right now, you just need to focus on making sure they are loved and taken care of.”

  I take a long pull from my beer. “That’s the hardest part, though. I’m in so far over my head.” Being the only family these two have, they are now in my care. I am their legal guardian. Their parents’ will plainly stated they were to be mine, which is no surprise. I’m their godfather... but also their parents’ replacement.

  Jasper and Tracy are gone but I’m still here.

  “The thing is,” Buck says, squeezing my shoulder, “is that you’re not in this alone. We all have your back.”

  “And we’ll help with childcare for as long as you need,” Harper adds. “You already have an ad with a nanny agency. I’m sure they will find you someone in no time.”

  I nod numbly at my reality. “They’re just so small.” We all turn to look at the six-month-old twins. I am going to do everything within my power to be the man they need.

  “You can take a few months off work,” Jaxon adds. “The reality show won’t start until summer anyways when the ground is dry and good for building, that’s a good four months away.”

  I raise my eyes to the ceiling, trying to keep my head on straight. They’re right of course. I have them to help me through this, and a job that will be waiting for me once the dust settles.

  “It’s gonna be okay, Wilder,” Harper says, lifting Briar from the highchair and handing her to me. “Just take one day at a time.”

  Rosie takes Finn from his chair and wipes his face clean with a washrag before setting him in my other arm. “See, you have two arms, you can take care of two babies.”

  I swallow, wishing like hell I had a woman to help. And it’s not the babies I’m talking about needing help with. I mean I wish I had a woman who was here to hold me like I’m holding these two.

  Because damn, I could really use some tender loving care right about now.

  Chapter Six

  Stella

  Meeting Wilder changed my life.

  I walked out of the hotel room, swiped power-red lipstick on in the elevator, and went back to the conference room where our interview was held.

  The producer, Janice, who had escorted me out looked surprised to see me, but I was all-in, all business, and not leaving without the gig.

  I could do this.

  Heck, I’d unabashedly gone door to door asking for old furniture I could reupholster when I still hadn’t landed my first gig out of college. I’d knocked on the doors of design firms and gave them my pitch, desperate to break in the field. I could certainly muster up the courage to meet with this Los Angeles television crew.

  This isn’t necessarily a job I was made for – but I want to see my sister with her jaw agape. I want to make it on my own, without anyone’s help.

  And I did.

  It worked.

  They gave me the job.

  Like a for real, signed contract, here is the salary and the start date, legit job.

  “Really?” Anna asks when I stop by her house the next morning. “You got it? You’re going to be on TV?”

  “Yeah. I mean, they’re filming a handful of shows for next year, all over the country, and I’ll start work late May.”

  “Wow.” Anna raises her eyebrow at her housekeeper who is arranging a vase of flowers, water getting all over counters. “Nina, you’re making a mess. I’ll do that. Go get Nicolette ready for school.”

  Nina frowns but leaves the kitchen.

  “It’s just water, Anna,” I say, confused at her attitude toward Nina. I mean, I understand being a brat to me -- that’s her regular behavior. But Nina did nothing.

  Anna just waves me off. “You wouldn’t understand. You have literally zero responsibility. You just flutter around doing whatever you fancy.”

  I roll my eyes, not nee
ding this. Not after yesterday’s high. Beside landing an amazing job, I also managed to screw the hottest man I’d ever seen.

  I was up all night touching myself at the memory of his cock. I was half-tempted to Uber over to the hotel and knock on his door for a midnight booty call. But then I remembered our May 10th plans and forced self-restraint.

  Sometimes the wait makes it all worth it.

  “Just so you know, I am very responsible. I work out and eat three meals a day and shower regularly.”

  Anna scoffs. “Exactly. No freaking clue.” She raises her arms pointing to her gorgeous mansion as if she knows anything about sacrifice. “I’m a stay at home mom, Stella. Just wait until you have kids, all those things you think make you an adult will feel like luxuries.”

  I shrug. “I get it. You are more adult than me. Fine. But Anna,” I tell her, shaking my head at her lack of reality. “You are not the poster-mom for women who are roughing it. So maybe get off your high horse and stop laying it on quite so thick.”

  I turn, leaving her kitchen, because seriously, what world is she living in?

  My world may not be as full as hers, but it is still mine.

  And I like it just the way it is.

  * * *

  Six weeks later...

  I remember thinking––the day after my hotel quickie and landing the job––that Wilder’s confidence boost changed my life.

  Apparently, that was the understatement of the century.

  Because if I thought he had changed my life before... that doesn’t hold a candle to what it is now.

  But seven tests don’t lie.

  I am definitely pregnant with Wilder’s baby.

  “I just don’t get it.” Anna sits across from me at a coffee shop. Nicolette is beside her with a mini iPad in her hands. “You got p-r-e-g-g-o from a one night stand? Didn’t you use a condom?”

  I shake my head at my sister. She’s seriously going to spell out preggo but not condom? What am I even doing telling her?