by Harley Wylde
“No one ever mentioned a grandmother to me,” Mara said. “I thought maybe I just didn’t have grandparents. The only family I ever had was my mom and dad. And like I said, Daddy wasn’t around that much. Is my grandmother nice?”
“She’s the best. When all this is over, when I know you’re safe, I’ll take you to meet her. I think she’d like to know that a piece of her son lives on through you.”
“Why would my dad have kept me a secret? I was nine when he died. That seems like a long time to keep your daughter hidden from your mom. You said he seemed proud of me, but… maybe he was ashamed?”
“I don’t know what he was thinking, sweetheart. Maybe when we find out what happened to your dad, we’ll find answers to that question too. I can’t imagine him keeping you from your family, and there was no way that man was ever ashamed of you.”
“Did he suffer?” she asked after a few minutes of silence. “Or was it quick?”
The mission was classified, which meant that I couldn’t really tell her anything. Even Wilma didn’t know the truth behind her son’s death. But if my hunch was correct, it was about to make nationwide news. I didn’t like the haunted look in Mara’s eyes. While I couldn’t give her specifics, maybe I could at least give her peace of mind.
“It happened quick,” I told her. “I don’t think he even saw it coming.”
She nodded.
“You should get some sleep,” I told her. “I’ll stay down here on the couch. You can have the bed.”
She eyed the couch, then me. “I don’t think you’ll fit.”
“Trust me, I’ve slept in worse places. I’ll be fine.”
“I don’t feel right claiming your bed.”
“Mara,” I said softly. “Take the fucking bed. I’m not asking you. I’m telling you to get your tiny ass up the stairs.”
She looked like she wanted to argue, but I narrowed my eyes at her. She huffed at me and then went upstairs like I’d demanded. I heard her rustling around, and finally the cabin became still and quiet, except for the crackling of the fire. My phone dinged, and I pulled it out.
Wire: Holy shit! No word for months and now you drop this mess on me?
Me: How big of a mess?
Wire: Dude, this is some seriously fucked up shit. You need to come home.
I sighed. Yeah, I had planned to head that way as soon as the weather permitted. But knowing that Wire had found something so fast, it meant this shit was way worse than I’d thought. And I knew he wasn’t going to tell me a damn thing over the phone.
Me: As soon as the snow clears. I’m bringing someone with me.
Wire: You’re alone on a fucking mountain. Who are you bringing? A bear?
Me: Funny, asshole.
Wire: You know I have to tell Torch.
Fuck me sideways. Just what the Pres needed, more shit coming down on the club. Torch was not going to be happy with me, but I knew I’d have his support just the same. He knew what I went through, what I battled every day, and I knew he’d want justice too. The man had served his country and would understand how important it was to clear up this mess.
Me: Do it. I’ll let you know when I’m coming home.
I tossed the phone down next to me and ran my hands through my hair. Whatever peace I’d fought for since coming here was now shattered, but with Mara came hope. How the fuck, out of all the people to crash on this particular mountain, did I end up with Thomas O’Malley’s daughter? Fate was a fickle bitch, but maybe this time, she wouldn’t fuck me over.
Chapter Three
Mara
I’d fallen asleep almost immediately last night, but this morning, as I stretched and breathed in deep, Rocky’s musky scent seemed to wrap around me and hold me close. Something about that scent called to me. As I’d studied him in the firelight last night, I’d noticed he was rather sexy for an older man. He had to be close to my dad’s age, or how old my dad would have been if he were still alive. The rage I’d seen on his face should have scared me, but for some odd reason, I felt safe with him. Maybe because he pulled me from the wreckage like a hero saving a damsel in distress? Or maybe it was because he’d known my dad. Whatever the case, I didn’t think Rocky would hurt me. Not intentionally anyway.
As much as I would have loved to wallow in the bed a while longer, I could hear Rocky moving around downstairs. I kicked off the covers and shivered as the cool air ghosted over me. The fire had died out at some point last night, and the room now held a chill. Frost covered the windows, and the floor was icy under my bare feet. I quickly walked into the adjoining bathroom and started the shower. Pushing the door shut, in hopes of trapping the steamy air, I stripped out of the T-shirt I’d stolen from his dresser last night to sleep in, stepped out of my panties, and entered the standing shower. No tub for my mountain man.
My mountain man? Get a grip, Mara. The man rescued you. It doesn’t make him yours.
I sniffed at Rocky’s shower gel and shampoo, smiling when I recognized the scents that clung to his sheets. It seemed I was going to smell like him today. I shampooed my hair, wincing as my fingers pulled through tangles. I hoped he had a brush I could borrow, or my hair was going to look like Molly Grue’s. As much as I loved The Last Unicorn -- and yes, at nineteen I still watched it at least once a month -- I really didn’t want my hair sticking up like hers. Especially not with Mr. Sexy Mountain Man trapped in this cabin with me.
I’d never thought I had a type when it came to guys. I hadn’t really dated much, had never truly been interested in anyone, but then I’d never met a guy like Rocky before. He was just so… commanding. And it wasn’t just his massive size. Yeah, the guy was packed with muscle and was tall as a damn tree, but it was the way he carried himself, the way he spoke. It was possible that some of that just came from being older than me, but I’d been around plenty of people my parents’ age before and I’d never felt anything like I did when Rocky was around. When he spoke, I wanted to listen. If he said to do something, part of me wanted to obey without question. It made me wonder if he was like that in the bedroom too.
I lathered my hands and started washing my body. My nipples were hard and sensitive from the cold air in the bedroom. Just the slight touch of my fingers as I washed felt amazing. After the day I had yesterday, what I needed was some stress relief. Even though I’d made myself come yesterday, after last night’s revelations, I was wound up tight again. I pulled on my nipples, pinching and tugging. My breasts felt heavy, and I wished Rocky was in the shower with me, his big hands molding to my curves. I trailed a hand down my belly and spread my thighs a little. Leaning against the shower wall, I stroked my clit while my other hand played with my nipple.
Need burned in my veins, my body throbbing and aching. As I pleasured myself, I closed my eyes and pictured Rocky kneeling at my feet. He’d spread me open and use those full lips of his to taste and tease me. His beard would tickle my thighs as he feasted on me, taking me higher and higher, until I shattered under his masterful mouth. My body jerked as I came, a cry slipping out before I could stop it. My heart pounded in my chest as I buried my fingers in my pussy, stroking them in and out, fast and hard. Even though I came, I still wanted more. I wanted to know what it was like to be with a man, to have someone claim me, make my body his in every way. I knew I wasn’t going to come again, not by my own hand anyway, so I finished my shower and got out.
As I dried off, I realized I’d left my bag of clothes in the other room. I wrapped the towel around me, but it didn’t quite cover my ass, and there was a definite gap in the front. How such a big man could have tiny towels I didn’t understand. Opening the bathroom door, I darted into the freezing bedroom and froze halfway across the floor.
My eyes widened as I stared at the man kneeling in front of the fireplace, a blaze going once more. His eyes darkened as he scanned me from head to toe, lingering a while on my mostly exposed pussy. I knew I should cover up, at least pretend to be modest, but the truth was that I liked the way he looked at me.
The hunger in his eyes called to me. He rose to his feet, and the bulge in his jeans was unmistakable. His cock was thick and hard, the denim of his pants pressing it to his thigh. He stared at me for so long, not coming any closer, yet never looking away.
My chest rose and fell with labored breaths, and the towel worked its way loose, falling to the floor. The raw need on his face was nearly my undoing. He was a stranger, some random man who had pulled me from my car. I shouldn’t want him the way I did. It was crazy to feel this all-consuming need for a man I hadn’t known before yesterday. With Sebastian looking for me, I should be worried about getting far from here. Crawling into bed with the man in front of me shouldn’t even be a thought in my head, and yet it was there.
“You’re playing with fire, little girl,” he said, his voice deep and gruff with arousal.
“Maybe I’m hoping to get burned.”
His gaze locked on mine. I took a step toward him, but he shook his head, rooting me to the spot. I knew he wanted me, but I didn’t know how to make him act on his desire. My nipples were hard and my body trembled, but it wasn’t from the cold. That dark gaze of his swept down my body again, lingering on my breasts and pussy, as if he were memorizing me. I wanted him, more than I’d ever wanted anything before.
“Please,” I said softly.
“I’m not good for you, little girl. Too damn old for one thing.”
“You’re not old. And I’m not a little girl. I’m a grown-ass woman.”
His gaze caressed my curves again, but he shuttered the heat I saw in his eyes.
“I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life, Mara. There’s blood on my hands. You deserve a guy who won’t bring death and destruction home with him.” He stared at my breasts again. “And I’m going to tell you right now. If I got my hands on you, had a taste of that honey I see between your thighs, I wouldn’t let you go. You’d be mine.”
His words sent a shiver down my spine, but if he was trying to scare me away, he was failing miserably. What would it be like to be owned by a man like him? To be claimed so thoroughly, knowing another man would never touch me? Before I could say anything else to try and sway him, he stalked past me and out the door. I heard his booted steps clunk down the stairs. After a moment, the front door opened and shut, and I knew I was alone.
I didn’t care what he said. I wasn’t a little girl, and even though he thought he was all wrong for me, I was thinking maybe he was just right. I’d sometimes wondered if there was something wrong with me. I’d never once been tempted to have sex with anyone. I wasn’t a virgin because I’d held onto it on purpose, I’d just never found someone who made me feel anything. But Rocky… I wanted to feel his arms around me, wanted his cock to fill me.
After pulling on the warmest clothes I’d packed, I dried my hair, then went downstairs. My boots were sitting by the door, and I pulled them on before throwing open the cabin door. A good fifteen to twenty minutes had passed since Rocky left, but the snow had stopped falling and I could clearly see his tracks. I knew it was idiotic to wander off, but I wasn’t going to let him run from me. I’d always done what everyone told me to do, but for once, I wanted something badly enough to fight for it. And if that meant trudging through the snow after the stupid man, then that’s what I’d do.
The tracks led into the forest. My legs were aching by the time I reached the clearing. A frozen lake dominated the area, but there was a hole in the ice not far from a pile of familiar clothes. What the hell? Barefoot prints trailed from the clothing to the ice-covered lake. The man wasn’t really dumb enough to go swimming right now, was he? What happened if he drowned? Or died of hypothermia?
Rocky rose from the lake, water cascading down his body. He braced his hands on the ice and lifted himself out of the hole. He stalked forward, a glare aimed my way. Even soaked with water that had to be way below freezing, his cock was still hard. I couldn’t help but look. It was even bigger than I’d thought, and my thighs clenched at the thought of him sliding it inside me.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked.
“You ran off.”
“I left for a reason.”
I licked my lips and tried to drag my gaze back up to his face, but I stopped along the way to admire his eight-pack abs and a chest that was so broad and heavily muscled that I longed to run my hands over it. I’d already been wet from the looks he’d given me in the bedroom, but now my panties were soaked.
“I’m not a child, Rocky. I know you’re older, but there’s nothing wrong with us being together.”
He began pulling on his clothes, and I was a little dismayed that he was covering all that perfection. When he was finished dressing, he grabbed my hand and began dragging me back toward the cabin. I stumbled along in his wake, but he either didn’t notice, or was too angry with me to care. I didn’t know how much time had passed before we reached the cabin. My face was numb from the cold as he pulled me up the porch steps and shoved me into the cabin. The door slammed shut, and I heard the bolt slide into place.
“You really want me?” he asked. There was a hard edge to his voice I hadn’t heard before. “You want me to fuck you?”
I swallowed hard and slowly nodded.
He moved closer, his hand gripping my hair and pulling my head back. “Want me to force you to your knees and fuck that sassy mouth with my big cock? Thrust it down your throat until you gag?”
A whimper slipped through my lips.
Rocky leaned in closer. “Want me to bathe that pretty mouth with my cum, then flip you over and fuck that pussy of yours long and hard?”
Oh God. No one had ever talked to me that way before. His roughness should have scared me, but if anything, it just made me want him more. All the filthy things coming out of his mouth made my pussy clench.
“How many cocks have been in that sweet pussy, Mara? One? Three? How many lovers have you had?”
I stared at him.
“Answer me.”
“None,” I said softly.
He froze and his eyes dilated a little. “None?”
I bit my lip.
His other hand slid between my legs, cupping me. “Are you telling me this is a tight little virgin pussy?”
“Yes.”
He growled and abruptly released me. “Fuck,” he roared.
I stumbled back a step and stared at him wide-eyed. Rocky stood facing the fireplace, his fists clenched at his sides. I didn’t understand why he was so upset that I was a virgin. Just because I’d never been with anyone didn’t mean that I didn’t know what I wanted. And I wanted him.
“We need off this mountain,” he said. “If we stay here one more day, I won’t be able to stay away. I will fuck you, hard and deep, and more than once. I will take you every way I can, fill you with my cum over and over. I will claim that pussy of yours thoroughly, and no other cock will ever be inside you again.”
His shoulders rose and fell with the force of his labored breathing.
“You don’t want that, little girl. I would want to possess every inch of you, and I’d end up breaking you. I’m not a gentle man, I don’t have a soft touch.”
I didn’t recall asking him to be gentle. When he turned to face me, I saw that his mind was made up. No matter how much I begged, he wasn’t going to touch me. And if getting away from me -- from temptation -- meant driving down a treacherous mountain in fresh snow, then that’s what he was going to do. I only hoped he didn’t kill us in the process.
“Get your things,” he said gruffly.
I stared at him a moment longer, then hurried up the stairs. I stuffed my clothes from yesterday into my bag, then carried it downstairs. Rocky pointed at the couch, and I sat while he disappeared from the room. I heard him stomping around in his bedroom. He’d already banked the fire down here, but the room was still warm. When he came down a while later, with a canvas duffle slung over his shoulder, and a fierce expression on his face, I noticed he’d buzzed his hair short and trimmed his beard.
&
nbsp; “You slept in my shirt?” he asked.
I slowly nodded, wondering if it would make him angry.
He closed his eyes, his nose flaring with every breath. When he opened his eyes again, he looked to be back in control. He stomped through the living room and flung open the door. I hastily followed after him, my breath frosting the air as I stepped onto the porch. Rocky locked up the cabin, gave it a lingering look, then led the way around back. I hated that he felt the need to leave before he was truly ready. He hadn’t asked for any of this, for an unwanted guest. But he’d saved me, and seemed intent on keeping me safe. There was a garage set back away from the cabin. He entered a code on the panel by the door, and the door lifted.
I peered around him and saw a huge black truck parked inside, along with a snowmobile. The tires on the truck already had snow chains on them, and it was lifted. I didn’t think getting through the snow would be an issue with the monstrous vehicle. Rocky unlocked the truck, then helped me inside. His hands lingered at my waist a moment, almost as if he were reluctant to let me go, then he clicked my seat belt into place. He rounded the truck and opened the door. He tossed our bags into the back seat before sliding into the driver’s seat.
The truck engine rumbled when he turned it on. Rocky carefully backed out of the garage onto the snow-covered drive, pushed a button to close the garage door, then began slowly making his way down the mountain. I knew we were creeping along because of how deep the snow was, but the truck didn’t slip once. The winding road down the mountain hadn’t been cleared yet, and I worried for our safety, but Rocky seemed to have everything under control.
I found myself checking the side-view mirror every few minutes. I knew it wasn’t likely that Sebastian would be behind us, but it didn’t stop me from looking. It didn’t take long for Rocky to catch on. He reached over and placed his hand on my thigh, giving it a squeeze. My head whipped around in his direction, but his gaze was fastened on the road in front of us. That single touch was enough to make me tingle, despite my fear that we were being followed.