Wild Beast_A Mountain Man Romance

by Katie Ford

  Jason smirks. “Yeah, well, maybe when you’re married you’ll understand that long liquid lunches are a goddamned necessity. And wait until you have a kid, god, it’s like the torture never ends.”

  I smirk back. “I’m never getting married,” I reply. “Why get married when I can fuck any woman I want?”

  “That sounds more like the Damien I know,” Jason says approvingly. “Come on. Lunch today. Shareholders tomorrow.”

  I sigh. I can’t win this fight – Jason Hadley is even more stubborn than I am. He’s always been like that. It’s one of the reasons that I’ve continued working with him despite his occasional goofy behavior. I don’t know what he has up his sleeve today, why he was so fucking insistent that we cancel the meeting and go drinking, but I know he’s not budging.

  “Fine,” I say. “Just give me a minute and then we can go.” Rolling my eyes, I get to my feet and grab my briefcase. Susan gives me a confused look when Jason and I step out into the lobby.

  “Going somewhere, Mr. Evercore?”

  “A long lunch,” I say, glancing at Jason. “I’m not sure I’ll be back before the end of the day. Keep an eye on things for me, and you can leave at four-thirty today.”

  Susan gives me a bright smile as Jason and I leave the building together. Outside, it’s bright and sunny – the kind of weather that makes me squint. I follow Jason down the street and realize that he’s leading me toward the center of town.

  “Where are we going? The Chop House?”

  “Nope,” Jason replies smugly. “Come on, we’re almost there.”

  I groan. “Christ, I didn’t you wanted to go hiking, too,” I say sarcastically. “What’s gotten into you? You’re acting really strange today.”

  Jason doesn’t reply. We cross the main street of town and turn left. Just as I’m waiting for the light to change, I feel a hand clamp down on my arm. My first instinct is to twist and throw the person off, but their grip is strong and they’re not budging.

  “Hey,” I growl, whirling around and narrowing my eyes. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

  That’s when I feel the cold metal cuffs snap around one of my wrists.

  “Damien Evercore, you’re under arrest for embezzlement of funds. You have the right to remain silent. You—“

  “Hey!” I shout loudly. “What the fuck is going on!”

  The cop slams me down on the ground with a painful force that leaves me breathless. My heart is racing and my mind is spinning in a frantic pattern as I look around for Jason, wondering what the hell is going on.

  “Jason!” I cry loudly. “What the fuck!”

  Jason is standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, looking down at me with that same smug expression. A crowd of people is forming and I can hear the flashing of reporters’ bulbs as they move in close for a desperate glimpse at the dangerous felon.

  Me.

  And then I know in my heart that Jason is behind everything. He dragged me out in public and then had me arrested in front of the whole fucking town. It’s like something from the Wild West, except I’m not being dragged away behind a horse.

  “You shouldn’t have done it, Damien,” Jason says with a big smirk. “You should have known better!”

  I wake up in a cold sweat. My whole bed is soaked with perspiration and my heart is racing in my chest. Jason’s words are still ringing in my ears and I feel like I’m on the edge of having a panic attack. Whenever I manage to forget about the past, and whenever I manage to lose myself in the mystery of the woods, my nightmare always comes back.

  I feel like I’ll have this dream over and over for the rest of my life. It was years ago – over ten, to be exact – and whenever I have the nightmare, I live my arrest over again. Those days were dark and bleak. I barely remember being on house arrest while I waited for my trial. I barely remember the trial itself.

  My lawyer, Jed Snyder, was the best man money could buy.

  But I was still found guilty.

  And I remember prison so well that I’ll never forget a single fucking second of it.

  God, I have to get out of bed. I have to do something, or else I’m going to drive myself crazy. It’s maddening – I abandoned my city life and moved to the woods in search of solitude. And solitude was exactly what I fucking got, too.

  Maybe too much solitude is bad for a man. Maybe I should get out and make an effort.

  As I climb out of bed, my toe kicks something across the room and I realize it’s Emma’s shredded panties.

  Oh shit.

  Emma.

  Sweet, curvy Emma.

  She was a welcome distraction from all of this hell. I still can’t believe how willingly she gave herself to me. I stole the virginity of a sweet young girl and I should be ashamed of myself. But because I’m an animal, I had to rob Emma of the most precious gift a girl can give to her partner.

  I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me. In the old days, when I was a billionaire, I’d just hire a call girl. I loved women – and they loved me – but the convenience of transactional sex was always tempting. I loved being able to call for a woman, fuck her, then discard her and never have to see her again.

  And prostitutes had the added benefit of no emotional attachment.

  But tonight, I can’t do that. I can’t hire a girl to come out here because no one in their right mind would go out to the middle of the woods to fuck a wild beast like me.

  Except Emma, that is.

  Oh, fuck. Just thinking about her now is making me hard again. She was so soft and innocent, yet she took my massive cock like a champ. And watching her finger her clit was so fucking hot – I loved how she obeyed my every command like it was the law. The things I could teach a girl like that…

  I want her again.

  But she won’t be back.

  So tonight, it’s just going to be me and my hand.

  And memories of that luscious young thing named Emma.

  Chapter Five

  Emma

  “Emma, is that you?”

  Mom’s voice floats into the foyer as I step inside and kick off my muddy sneakers. They’re the only thing that remains of my failed attempt at hiking with Travis, and part of me feels almost ashamed to look at them.

  “Yeah!” I call back.

  “Can you come in here, please?”

  Biting my lip, I walk into the dining room. Thank god Mom is alone – there’s no sign of Dad.

  “What is it?” I ask. “Is everything okay?”

  Mom looks up at my outfit and frowns. “Emma, that’s not a very flattering look on you,” she says. “Where did you get those clothes?”

  “Urban Outfitters,” I lie. “I can always return them.” I glance down – my boobs are almost spilling out of Damien’s plaid shirt and my thighs are raw from rubbing against the jeans.

  “Well, I want you to get cleaned up and then have dinner with me,” Mom continues. “Your father was supposed to be home so I ordered a special meal but then he called to cancel. You still like lobster, right?”

  I frown. How is it possible that my own mother doesn’t know my taste in food?

  “Sure,” I say nonchalantly. “I’ll be right down.”

  As soon as I go upstairs and lock myself in my room, my head is flooded with thoughts of Damien once again. I can still feel his rough touch on my body – my chin is chapped from his beard rubbing against it as he fucked me. And my pussy is sore and trembling, but my clit is still throbbing with lust. Even though he made me come hard, I want more.

  I wish he’d let me stay the night.

  In the shower, I soap my body, thinking of Damien as I run my hands over my breasts and thighs. I’m exhausted from my ordeal and my ankle is still hurting, but I’m excited at the thought of seeing him again.

  My hand strays between my legs and I accidently brush against my clit. Gasping, I stagger and lean against the wall of the shower as my hand plays back and forth with my slippery folds. It feels so fucking good
that I close my eyes and moan, pretending my wet fingers are Damien’s mouth.

  The water is lukewarm by the time I’m done bringing myself to a finish. Whew. If the memory of that guy is enough to make me come in the shower, imagine what being with him would be like again. My knees shiver, but my fingers are toes are getting pruney. I have to get on with life.

  Stepping out of the shower, I wrap a towel around my wet body and get dressed in a fresh pair of panties, yoga pants, and my favorite hoodie. Even though my family has a lot of money, I’ve never really been a clotheshorse. My curves are big and frankly, most designer clothes don’t fit me. They seem to be built for girls with concave chests and stick-like legs, and not someone who’s got Double D’s and an ample bottom.

  But it’s okay. Damien clearly loved it, and I smile to myself before wandering downstairs to find my mother at the table with lobster thermidor in front of her. It smells good, but not great … even a little bland after Damien’s amazing stew.

  “Now, I know you should be watching your figure, Emma, but really this is too good to go to waste.”

  I frown. Damien had loved the way I ate with gusto.

  He even gave me seconds.

  “Emma, stop sulking,” Mom scolds. She tosses her head. “My day was exhausting, and it was all for a waste,” she sighs, before launching into an explanation of some charity debacle that I don’t understand.

  I sit there with her for as long as I can stand it, picking at my food. Even though I know it was expensive, it tastes bland and mealy compared to the rich chunks of meat and vegetables from Damien’s stew. I love my mother, but sometimes I feel that she doesn’t understand me at all. I just wish that I had a normal family, with parents who were proud of me.

  When the meal is over, I rush upstairs and climb into bed. It’s late, and I’m exhausted. It isn’t long before I drift into sleep, dreaming of the rippling muscles across Damien’s sexy back.

  On Monday, I get up and shower before dressing in my favorite jeans and driving to school. Park University isn’t much – I’m not really a great student – but I’m eager to get out of the house and see Lacey. I still haven’t decided whether to tell her about Damien. I dreamt about him all night long and when I woke up, my clit was tingling. I had to resist the urge to stick my fingers in my panties and rub myself.

  Part of me wants to keep Damien a secret, like he was something that belonged to me and me alone. But the other part of me is dying to shout from the rooftops about how amazing he is.

  I pull into the parking lot and begin the slow walk to the building where my first class is. My ankle is still sore – it swelled overnight, and I’m having a much harder time walking than usual. A bunch of lacrosse players jog by and my heart lurches at the sight, but thankfully Travis isn’t with them.

  Making my way into class, I sit towards the back. I haven’t even had the chance to pull my phone out of my purse when I see Lacey moving closer with a big grin on her face.

  “Hey, you,” Lacey says. She smirks at me as she drops down into the neighboring chair. Lacey is tall, thin and blond: basically, my polar opposite. We have nothing in common, aside from the fact that we’ve been best friends for over ten years.

  “Hi,” I reply. “How was your weekend?”

  “It was lame,” Lacey says dramatically. She yawns with her jaw agape and rubs her eyes with both hands. “How was hiking?”

  I swallow nervously. “It was a complete disaster,” I say quietly. At the memory of being abandoned in the woods, my cheeks burn with shame. “The whole thing was a prank. Travis left me in the middle of the woods.”

  “Fuck him,” Lacey says. She snorts. “He’s a lame frat boy.”

  Her words recall Damien’s and I nod. “It was really cruel of him,” I agree. “But I’m sure he’s a nice person deep down. He’s probably just acting like this because his friends put him up to it.”

  Lacey’s eyes get big and she stares at me. “Emma,” she says sternly. “He abandoned you! In the forest! You could have died!”

  “Shh!” I hiss and glance around to make sure that no one is listening. “I don’t want everyone to know!”

  Lacey frowns. “I just think it was a dick move, that’s all,” she says. “You don’t have to get all Mother Theresa about it.” She flips her hair over one shoulder.

  “I’m not,” I protest. “I just don’t think it’s fair to hate someone because of one mistake they made.”

  “Leaving you in the woods doesn’t sound like a mistake to me, but whatever,” Lacey says drily. “It sounds like it was a really messed up thing to do.”

  I press my lips together and make a noncommittal sound of agreement. This is one of the biggest differences between Lacey and me. She’s so assertive! I respect her and sometimes I wish that I could be more like her. But I’m so timid and shy, it’s always so hard to stand up for myself.

  “So, what happened? How did you make it out of the woods?”

  I bite my lip and look up just in time to see Dr. Callahan walking into the room and closing the door. Relief washes over me in a cool wave and I close my eyes and sigh.

  “I’ll tell you later,” I whisper to Lacey as Dr. Callahan dims the lights and starts one of what will be another boring slideshow. “Basically, I found my own way out.”

  But I can tell Lacey doesn’t believe me and after class, she gets up from her desk with a dramatic sigh and rolls her eyes at me. “Come on,” she says. “I know you were about to tell me something really juicy!”

  A flush spreads across my cheeks and I shake my head. “I wasn’t,” I lie.

  Lacey snorts. For as long as we’ve been friends, she’s always been able to read me like a book. And as close as we are, for once, I’m not sure that I want her to. It sounds kinda strange, but having Damien to myself is a sexy feeling – it’s almost possessive.

  Plus, now that I’m back at school, I know that my parents aren’t looking over my shoulder. And while I was able to resist Googling Damien before, now I don’t think I’ll be able to help myself. Suddenly, my fingertips are itching to get on the keys and start looking for information about the mysterious stranger who lives in the woods.

  “You want lunch?” Lacey asks as we collect our books and make our way out of the classroom. “My treat,” she adds. I can tell that she feels guilty about pestering me, but I’m not buying it.

  “Nah, I think I should really go the library and get some studying done.”

  Lacey gives me a surprised look. “Emma, I don’t think I’ve ever known you to turn down food,” she says. “Seriously, what’s the matter with you?”

  I try to look as nonchalant as possible as I shrug. “Nothing,” I lie. “I just have a lot of homework.”

  “Well, I’ll walk with you,” Lacey says. She stretches her arms high over her head, exposing a pale strip of belly. “I should be on the other side of campus, anyway. I have a meeting with my advisor this afternoon.”

  I frowned. “Well, okay. But only if you’re sure.”

  By the time we reach the library, I’m practically itching thinking about Damien. Just as I’m about to go inside, Lacey grabs my arm. “Oh, my god,” she breathes. “Isn’t that the guy who ditched you?”