Take a Mountain Man Home for Christmas: A Mountain Man Romance Christmas Collection

by Crowne, K. C.

  When it was safe and the forest was silent again – mourning in the aftermath of the terror it had spread – I opened my arms and looked down. The green-eyed beauty was unconscious.

  Shit.

  With a sigh, I picked her up, her body limp in my arms. She was tiny, 5’4” at the most, and light as a feather. Lifting her took no effort at all, and I turned, trudging up the hillside like fucking Tarzan taking Jane back to safety.

  As soon as I was on solid ground, I laid her down on the mulch and studied her, checking for injuries that might be life-threatening. God, she was beautiful. An angel.

  She had a bruise on the forehead, matted blood in her hair, but neither injury looked too serious. Her skin was smooth with a tiny splash of freckles across her nose. Perfect full lips, delicate neckline, everything perfect. My eyes slid down her body and found curves enough to make a man’s mouth water. She was in fucking good shape, too.

  Her clothes were torn, and through the rips her soft, smooth skin showed. A long tear up her leg showed the pale skin of her thigh through her jeans, and I swallowed. My cock was suddenly at full attention, straining against my pants.

  Nyet, I told myself. I could not want her. Not like this. She was unconscious, helpless, possibly injured, even if not serious. Frowning, I stared at her. Who the hell is she? And how did she end up in these parts of the woods where hardly any soul trespassed?

  Had Maksim sent her to find me? I wouldn’t expect a woman like her for a spy for the mob, so that would make her perfect. But a spy? He couldn’t imagine Maksim would let a beauty like her slip out of his grasp. He’d want her for himself, and that thought bothered him more than it should have.

  I didn't know who the hell she was, so I needed to keep my guard up. But she needed help. She needed to be patched up, taken care of.

  Bringing her back to my cabin crossed my mind, but I didn’t like anyone knowing where I lived. The whole point of being up here was so no one could find me. Or figure out who I was.

  Even if this girl was an innocent pedestrian, it was a major risk to let her know about my life here. I didn't exactly blend in. I was a fucking big ass Russian with a deep accent and mob tattoos all over his neck and body. Not exactly your everyday average nice guy. More like the kind of dude that had things to hide. I was bound to draw attention. And that was all Maksim would need to find me.

  But fuck, I couldn’t leave her here. She needed help. And damned if I was going to abandon this creature. No fucking way. I grunted, ignoring the voice screaming at the back of my mind that I was making a colossal mistake, and lifted her in my arms again. She was unconscious, so she wouldn’t know how we got to the cabin, I rationalized.

  The trek to the cabin was a little harder after the mudslide. The ground was slippery and unstable, and I had to leave my axe. Couldn’t carry her and it, so I’d have to come back later. I made it after nearly double the time I would have made it on a normal day and welcomed the comfort of my home nestled in the shadows.

  The cabin was small but cozy, and it was comfortable for what I needed. The bedroom and bathroom were separate from the open plan living room and kitchenette, and I had running water after I’d tinkered some with existing, rusting pipes. The water came from a natural stream higher up, but I had managed to get it flowing into the house.

  The cabin was warm when I shouldered open the door and carried her to my bedroom. I carried her to the bed and laid her down gently. I studied her more closely, making sure she didn’t have any visibly serious injuries. A bump to the head, a few minor scratches and bruises, but nothing appeared to be broken.

  Carefully, I peeled the torn jacket from her shoulders. She moaned softly when I moved her, and the sound made my balls tighten.

  Fuck. What I would give to... Nyet, I scolded myself again. I would not give in to my primal urge.

  The blouse she wore gaped dangerously low. The top two buttons had snapped, and the swell of one breast showed, leaving just enough to the imagination.

  My cock punched against my jeans - cursing me for trying so hard to tame the beast inside. I wanted her, that much was excessively clear. I hadn’t responded like this to a woman in a long time, but my cock had a mind of its own, straining upward, needing a release.

  I’d seen a few women when stopping by the local town for supplies over the years, but no one like her. Had I been the same man I once was, this internal struggle probably wouldn’t have even existed. I would have waited for her to awaken, seduced her, and fucked her brains out. But now, I didn’t want the complications a woman added to my life.

  I had to contain myself. I huffed with frustration and turned away to focus on something else. My shoulder was throbbing. I cursed and tried to look at the back of my shoulder. Blood had fused my shirt against my skin, and I grunted when I tried to pull it off, feeling the fabric pulling at the wound. I walked to the bathroom, intending to take care of the large gash and forget about the stunning woman laying on my bed.

  I needed to take care of myself. I needed to keep my head straight. I glanced through the door to the bed where I could see most of her body and part of her face. Her clothes were dirty and torn. Not ideal for the bruises all over her body.

  If I could keep my shit together, I would have to undress her. Get rid of the clothing that hung on her body like she was doing it a damn favor - at least she was by my assessment of her luscious curves.

  Even in her unconscious state, everything about her was beautiful, pure. Angelic.

  What the fuck had she been doing on the mountainside? And so early? Her truck – I assumed it was hers – was probably fucked beyond recognition. We would deal with that later. One thing at a time.

  I finally got my shirt off my back. It was ripped where the branch had dug into my skin, and the wound looked nasty, the skin jagged and ripped. I splashed cold water on it and hissed at the pain.

  I couldn’t do much else to the wound because of its placement, so I focused on the unexpected guest in my bedroom. I needed to make sure there was hot water when she woke up. I had running water but not much heat, so I walked to the stove and put on a kettle.

  When my damsel in distress awoke, I could offer her something warm to drink to help soothe her fears. The fears that would surely come after realizing she was alone in a cabin with a colossal Russian, inked up with mob tattoos.

  Yep, the chamomile tea would help smooth things over.

  .

  Angela

  Oh my God, everything hurts, I thought as I shifted. I needed something for the throbbing pain.

  The first thing I became aware of, before I even opened my eyes, was a pounding headache in my left temple. I felt like I’d been run over by a truck. I blinked my eyes open, piercing light in the room forcing me to close my eyes again for a moment. I groaned and opened them and finally saw the room I was in. The place looked like something out of a hunting magazine.

  A real cabin, with walls made of logs, a sleeper-style bed, a crude wardrobe against the wall, and a bearskin rug on the floor. Cozy. I half expected the stuffed head of a deer or antlers above the bed. Luckily, however, there was only a naked lightbulb.

  I sat up and groaned, but my eyes remained opened. Where the hell am I?

  When I looked down, I realized I wasn’t wearing my clothes but was in an oversized men’s t-shirt. And no bottoms other than my panties. I still wore my socks, but that seemed like an afterthought. My skin was scraped and bruised in several places. I pressed my fingers to a bruise, blossoming on my forearm, and winced when it hurt. I had a few bandages on my legs and right shoulder. What the hell happened to me?

  “Hello?” I called out but got no answer. I climbed off the bed, steadying myself. I felt dizzy and sore, but I needed answers.

  My wounds were bandaged. Where was I and how had I ended up here? I tried to remember, but my mind was blank. I remembered the Halloween party at the office on the weekend, then I remembered getting to work on Monday morning. The decorations for the party had sti
ll been up. Little Jack-O-Lanterns and witches hanging from the ceiling. Cobwebs in the office corners. But after that…

  I didn’t even know what day it was. I scrambled for my phone. Tuesday. Somewhere, I’d lost a whole day. And when I only had a week left, a day wasn’t something I could afford.

  I had no signal. I tried putting my phone on flight mode so that it searched for the nearest cell tower when I switched it back, but still nothing. I tried dialing, but that didn’t work either. Panic coursed through my body, but I didn’t give in to it yet.

  The cabin was quiet, which was both comforting and alarming. The place was rustic, a lot less done up than some of the cabins I’d seen decorated and advertised around town. Houses with a hunting-cabin feel were all the rage these days. But this… it seemed like someone actually chose to live like this without even basic luxuries. No stove, no heat except the fireplace, minimum furniture. Luckily, I’d seen a bathroom with a toilet and hoped for running water.

  I got up slowly and explored. Definitely a bachelor pad, not one hint of a feminine touch anywhere. Nothing of real beauty… until I walked to the grand window.

  Holy shit.

  The view took my breath away.

  This cabin, wherever it was, was surrounded by large, evergreen trees. Sunlight seeped through the canopy of leaves and fell in a dappled pattern on the forest floor. The cabin rested against the mountain and looked out over an endless valley from below.

  Picturesque was the word that came to mind, although I’d never seen beauty like this before. Raw, unrefined nature. Like a fairy tale, I mused.

  I heard footsteps and my heart skipped a beat. Fear tingled beneath my skin, and I stepped away from the front door. When the large wooden door opened, I gaped at the colossus who stepped through it. The tall man had to dip his head to get through the door, and when he stood in the little room, his presence swelled until it pushed into all four corners.

  He had a sexy, rugged look about him. His beard was thick, although his hair was shorter but casual, as if it had grown out of whatever cut he used to wear it in and he left it that way. It curled around his ears, but it wasn’t long enough for anything else. He had tattoos across his neck that disappeared into his shirt. He had a scar across his left cheek, deep and angry, which gave him a fierce look, something almost scary. But he wasn’t scary. No, his scar did nothing to detract from what God had intended when he’d created this Adonis.

  In one word, he was delicious. And he looked dangerous…

  “Who are you?”

  “I live here,” he answered blandly, his accent thick, his voice deep.

  “That doesn’t really tell me anything,” I replied, my voice stern.

  He grunted and shrugged as he plopped a dead bird on the table and headed for the kitchen. He looked like he belonged in this setting of the wild woods. But I gagged as I stared at the poor being he’d just plopped on the table like it had never lived.

  Was I dreaming? Maybe I was still asleep and whatever had knocked me out was still working its magic on my mind. I glanced at him again. He appeared to be at least six foot six of pure muscle with a chiselled, masculine jawline that made me want to stare at him. Despite the fact that I knew he’d killed the creature, butterflies danced in my belly. My eyes grew wide, hungry when he walked back into the room. I glanced at his face, and his eyes drew me. Dark, brooding eyes. Fierce when they locked on me. I felt like we were the only humans in this world.

  I swallowed hard and suddenly felt a sense of intimidation. Were we alone in this cabin? How did he find me and then bring me back here? I felt exposed.

  “Who the hell are you?” I asked again, sounding more confident than I felt. “And how did I get here?”

  His eyes sparkled with amusement. He lifted his hand toward his scar but stopped himself as if he was set on not being self-conscious about it. Curious.

  “How do you feel?” he asked.

  God, when he spoke, the sound of his voice tugged at something deep inside me. His voice was like velvet, sliding over my skin. Deep, baritone. Delicious. And he spoke with an accent I could only guess to be Russian. God, it sounded dangerous. Like those big bodyguards in movies. Or the leaders of some scary mob that did horrible things to people who crossed them.

  I shivered. This couldn’t be right. He couldn’t be one of those… he was just a man.

  In a cabin.

  In the middle of the woods.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  “I’m fine,” I snapped, my fear translating into anger.

  He chuckled, and the sound rumbled in his chest. He walked to the little table in the corner, a knife in his hand as if he planned to butcher the creature, a turkey, I thought, right there in the cabin. I curled away in horror.

  “Did you… kill that?”

  He looked at the bird as if only noticing it and nodded. “You must eat.”

  “There’s no way I’m eating an animal you just killed. You did just kill it, right?” I asked, aghast at the sight.

  He only crossed his arms over his chest and looked at me with an amused smile. “Who do you work for?”

  “What?” Why was he answering my questions with questions?

  “You are here for who?” His accent, the way he expressed himself, made me swoon.

  This guy was interrogating me, and I couldn’t help but think that he sounded hella sexy talking to me like that. Of course, he was Russian. There was something about his rugged appearance that made me want…

  Oh please woman! You’ve never been with a man like him. You wouldn’t know the first thing to do with him.

  “How about I tell you a little about me?” I said, hoping to break the ice and distract myself from his physique. “I work for an insurance company, for the time being, and I live with my mother, who’s probably looking for me.” I hoped my hint that I would be missed would keep him from killing me in the middle of nowhere, though I didn’t get a serial killer vibe from him. Just an I want to fuck him vibe, which I needed to ignore.

  When he didn’t respond, I stated rather harshly, “I don’t appreciate being kept here against my will.”

  He looked confused. “Against your will?”

  “Stop doing that!” I cried, afraid and frustrated. “You either ignore me completely or answer my question with a question.”

  He shrugged nonchalantly and didn’t speak.

  Practically growling, I grumbled, “Why the hell am I wearing a t-shirt? Did you undress me?”

  He cocked an eyebrow at me. “You were bleeding. Would you rather I let you die slowly?”

  “And you thought you needed to take off my clothes without my consent?”

  He frowned. “I’ll take note. Next time, I let you bleed out. Saves me the trouble.” He turned his back on me, laid the knife next to the bird, and returned to the kitchen to make coffee. As if I didn’t matter, as if I wasn’t there.

  “Listen to me you...man.” I spat the words, marching to him, my fear evaporating because he was being an asshole. “I don’t know who you think you are, but you don’t get to ask me questions and not answer mine. Who are you, and where the hell am I?”

  I was right behind him when he spun around, so close he was almost against me, so close, a sigh would press us together. He stared down at me with an expression on his face that pulled me up short.

  Fire burned in his eyes, and his lips were slightly parted. His eyes slid down my body, and with it came a heat I hadn’t expected. My nipples hardened and my core tightened. I was instantly wet. Hot and wet, and all I could think about was this guy pushing me against the wall and kissing me, hands roaming my body, eating me whole.

  I swallowed hard. “Who are you?” I whispered.

  He lifted a hand, moving slowly as if he didn’t want to scare me. Carefully, he hooked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “Insurance company?”

  I nodded, the anger gone, replaced by something much more urgent.

  “Viktor.” The way his name rolled off his to
ngue sounded exotic. Viktor. I liked it. “And you are?”

  “Angela.”

  A slow smile spread across his face. “Angel.”

  “Angela,” I corrected.

  “Malen kiy.”

  “What does that mean?” I asked, frowning.

  His eyes lingered on my lips, and God help me, I wanted him to kiss me. When his fingers slid onto my cheeks, electricity ran through my body. My breath caught in my throat and my body was on fire. A small moan escaped my lips, and I blushed at my reaction.

  Instead of laughing at me or backing away, the heat in his eyes only grew. He lowered his face to me, and I tilted mine up, something magnetic drawing me to him. I knew nothing about him, but this attraction was impossible to fight.

  He caught himself, visibly straightened, and turned away from me.

  I swallowed hard and felt like an idiot. What the hell was I doing? This man was a stranger. A stranger who had undressed me! And he looked like some kind of wild man, if I had to be honest. He looked like I wanted him to… No, I told myself. Girls like me didn’t end up with sexy wild men in forgotten cabins. Girls like me didn’t kiss strangers. And girls like me sure as shit didn’t stand in nothing but a t-shirt and lacy underwear.

  This had to be a dream.

  “Someone will be looking for me,” I announced, suddenly thinking about my boss. Ryan would want to know where I was. He needed something from me, something… I couldn’t remember what I’d been looking into for him. My last case. Soon, I would leave this place behind for good. Well, not this place. But Grizzly Falls. The only place I’d ever called home. “My mom will be worried, and my boss knows where I am.”

  He glanced at me but again didn’t speak. Then he turned away and headed to the table to deal with the bird.