The Mountain Man's Reward Read online

  Judd put on a shirt, but it did nothing to hide his bulging frame. I long to run my hands along his arms, feel my fingers slide up and down his back, and every time he smiles across the table at me, it feels like a painfully delicious dagger of need piercing me between my legs.

  I watch as his lips move while he’s talking, mesmerized by the memory of how they’d felt wrapped around my nipples last night, the way they’d firmly sucked on my clit, leaving me quivering and whimpering helplessly. How could something so simple have such power?

  “Cora?”

  I snap out of my daze, blinking. “What?”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” I lie, my words sounding as dazed as I feel.

  “This is all a little much, isn’t it?”

  “I’ll say,” I mutter with an exhale of breath, doing my best not to stare at his flexing forearm as he sips his coffee.

  “This will probably all be gone by morning,” he said. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said a week. And your Dad will be able to get out here by then, I’m sure.”

  “I hope you’re right,” I murmur, mostly lying.

  “Me, too, because I wasn’t kidding about the food rationing.”

  I laugh, feeling a little lighter. I could get through one more day without touching him, right?

  A week? No way in hell.

  As he clears the dishes, I offer to help, but he refuses. Really, the kitchen is small, so it’s probably for the best.

  I look around for something to occupy myself with besides staring at the man I can’t have. I find a bookshelf full of all kinds of books.

  “Those were left here when I moved in,” Judd explains, as I study the shelves. “I haven’t had a chance to go through them all, but I plan on it eventually. There’s not much else to do up here.”

  “No television?”

  “Nope,” he said. “I’ve got music and books and the river. Sometimes I visit Braden. That’s about the extent of my life.”

  “You need to get out more,” I tease.

  “You’re probably right about that,” he laughs.

  Judd finishes up the dishes as I grab a book of poetry and sit on the couch.

  “I’ll make another fire,” he offers. “We went through a lot of wood last night. I’ll be back.”

  I resist the urge to make a joke about his wood as he walks out onto the porch. A few seconds later, I hear the distinct thwack of an ax hitting wood.

  “No fucking way,” I mutter to myself, throwing the book down and walking to the window. Not only was he out there chopping wood on the porch, but he’d taken off his damned shirt again to do so. His muscles ripple with each movement, flexing and stretching. I watch with wide eyes as he lifts the ax over his head and then drops it down into the wood with what appears to be the strength of ten men.

  “My God,” I whisper, as a flush of desire bloomed in my belly.

  Again, and again, he lifts the ax and drops it, splitting the wood into smaller pieces, his muscles dancing just for my viewing pleasure alone. He was so fucking beautiful, that I could watch him all day.

  Unfortunately, his pile of wood grows quickly and all too quickly he’s gathering it into his arms and bringing it back inside. I run back to the couch and grab the book, pretending to have been reading this whole time, my heart racing.

  18

  Judd

  I let her think I didn’t know she was watching me chop wood. Hell, why do you think I took my shirt off? She wanted a show, I’d give her a show.

  Why not? I figure I have nothing to lose at this point.

  I know we’ll never make it through another night together without me taking her again. That fact became apparent as I watched her eat breakfast across from me.

  I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her lips. I couldn’t stop thinking about how they felt sliding up and down my cock and I knew there was simply no way I was strong enough to resist her all night.

  We manage to keep our hands off of each other for the rest of the day, but by the time night falls my balls are aching and my cock has a permanent impression of zipper teeth on the shaft.

  “I have a few steaks to grill for dinner,” I announce, throwing my book on the chair, feeling like I’m going fucking insane. I need something to do, anything at all that wasn’t Cora.

  Because I need her so much that I’m going insane.

  “Sounds good,” she murmurs though she doesn’t move to help at all. It’s just as well, I need a break from her constant presence. It seems like she fills my cabin up completely and if I had to admit it, I liked every fucking thing about that. It was overwhelming and unnerving and made me want her even more. I felt like I was dripping in her and yet I wasn’t allowed to taste her.

  It was torture, through and through.

  “Do you want a drink?” I ask.

  “More whiskey?”

  “That or a beer,” I said.

  “I’ll start with the beer, I think,” she says with a self-conscious giggle. I hand it to her, then grab the steaks and head outside to the grill. I take a whiskey for myself. My frayed nerves need it badly and I take a swig straight out of the bottle and then go to work grilling the steaks.

  The water flowed around the cabin and I tried not to worry about the huge muddy mess I was going to have to clean up after the flood. It had receded some, but the damage was just now becoming apparent. Both my truck and Cora’s Mustang were toast. I don’t have a doubt about that. The best I could do was hope there wasn’t any real damage to my cabin.

  The steaks sizzle on the grill while I lean against the porch railing, letting the whiskey warm my throat and ease my worries away just a little bit. I know it would also loosen up my resolve about not touching Cora, but if I’m completely honest— I’m welcoming that.

  I need to touch her again. I need to sink into her again. And if it was the last thing I ever do, I need to hear that pretty little moan escape her perfect mouth because I’m doing something to please her. I’ve heard it in my head over and over all day, like a song I couldn’t shake.

  The sound has permeated my soul like a delicious drug I’d only gotten a tiny bit of and had quickly become addicted to.

  I need more.

  I walk back into the cabin with the steaks and one mission in mind: to seduce Cora one last time before I lost her forever.

  I find her in the kitchen.

  “I made a salad,” she said. “You didn’t have much, but I pulled something together.”

  Her smile lights up my soul. I smile back at her, putting the plate of steaks on the counter. “That’s great,” I whisper. “You’re a real Martha Stewart.”

  “Hardly,” she scoffs. “But I’d make a pretty good mom and wife.”

  I lifted a brow in surprise at her words.

  “Wait,” she squeaks, her face blushing bright red, as she holds up a hand quickly. “I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant, you know, in general…”

  “Sure,” I nodded, winking at her.

  “Really!”

  “Okay, I believe you,” I mutter, trying not to laugh. “I’m sure you’d be great at anything you put your mind to, Cora. Your business seems to be booming. The parking lot is always full.”

  We move everything to the table, and I grab a couple of beers as we sat down to eat.

  “You drive by my salon?” she questions. “The station is the other direction.”

  I laugh. “Busted.”

  She hums under her breath. “Nice to know.”

  “Is it?” I question.

  She shrugs. “Confession time?”

  “Sure…”

  “I did know you bought a cabin up here. Dad let it slip a few months ago. I saw your truck once when I was driving by and I figured it must be your place. I swear I wasn’t driving by last night though. I take that drive all the time, like I said.”

  “Cora Lance, are you admitting to stalking me?” I joke, liking that she’s been just as curious about me all this time.

/>   “No!” she protests. “I’m just admitting to…driving by. Just like you drove by my salon.”

  “Fair enough,” I murmur. I reach over and grab her hand, memories of the night before, our hands and bodies joined, flash through my mind. “Thanks for the confession.”

  She smiles and I squeeze her hand, before letting go. We continue eating, mostly in silence, stealing looks at each other in between bites.

  The beer and whiskey relax us both, cutting through the sexual tension between us, and by the end of dinner we are laughing and getting along easily. Gone is the awkwardness of our usual run-ins, gone is the worry about what might happen with her father, instead, we are just two people enjoying each other’s company.

  Eventually we move to the living room and sit on the couch together. she looks over at me and I resist the urge to kiss her.

  “What do you do when you’re not stuck inside here?”

  “I sit out on the porch and watch the river go by. Look up at the moon and stars. Just enjoy the silence, basically.”

  She nods. “You don’t get bored?”

  “Maybe a little, every once and a while.”

  “And then what do you do?”

  “I just sit with it and be bored. I daydream, I guess…”

  “What do you daydream about?” she asked.

  I stopped, smiling over at her. She was so stunningly beautiful that she takes my breath away.

  “You, Cora, I daydream about you,” I confess, tired of fighting it. I lean over and press my lips to hers gently.

  I close my eyes, drinking her in.

  19

  Cora

  His kiss is feather-light.

  He’s so sweet, gentle, and so damn nice that I can’t ignore the feelings I’m starting to feel for him.

  Who am I kidding?

  I’ve had feelings for Judd way before getting stranded at his cabin. But now? After all this? I know I’m going to fight my father to be with Judd. Daddy is just going to have to accept my decision and not take it out on Judd in the process.

  I’ll talk to him and make him see the truth. In the end, he will have to do as I ask, because he wants me to be happy.

  And Judd Wellington makes me happy. Heck, he’s the kind of man that would make anyone happy.

  His kiss is doing just that and more to me right now. And just when I open my mouth to kiss him deeper, he stops me, pulling away with a smile.

  “I can’t stop myself, Cora,” he replies.

  “I don’t want you to.”

  “I don’t think you understand.”

  “I don’t?” I ask, pretty sure I understand quite well.

  “I’m not looking for one night with you, or even two nights. Or hell, however long we’re stuck here. Not that I mind being stuck with you,” he adds. “It’s just that I’ve felt something for you for a hell of a long time, Cora.”

  “You have?” I ask.

  “Absolutely. I’ll admit, I thought it was just the fact that you were so forbidden that I was so attracted to you, at first. But over the years, after some time went by, I knew it was more than that. Now, I know why. There’s something between us, Cora. I know you feel it, too. But I have no idea what to do about it, because like it or not, you are still forbidden fruit.”

  “I feel something for you, too,” I admit, my heart beating wildly. “And to be honest, I don’t care what my father thinks. I’m an adult and I can do whatever I want.”

  “I don’t think he sees things quite the same way. And I understand, I do. If I had a daughter I wouldn’t want her to be with me either. Anything could happen to me, Cora. Every time I show up for a shift, I know the risk I’m taking. You deserve someone that’s not likely to die on you.”

  “You don’t think I’ve lived that life already? I’ve watched my mother worry about my father day in and day out. After a while, it just becomes part of life. You have no choice but to just stay strong and pray for the best. I know how to live that, Judd. In fact, I don’t know if I even know how to live any other way. It’s like firefighting is in my blood. The only reason I didn’t become a firefighter myself is because my parents strictly forbade me from doing that. Luckily, I had a passion for hair, so I was fine with my choice, but that doesn’t mean I ever thought I’d escape that kind of life. I always knew I’d end up with a man like you.”

  “So, this wasn’t just a one night thing for you?”

  “Well, maybe it was. We’ll see how tonight goes, I guess,” I laugh.

  “If we can somehow convince your father not to kill me, I’d love for this to be more than just now, too.”

  I smiled, my heart bursting in my chest.

  Slowly, I nodded. “I’d like that too.”

  “Good,” he whispers, his lips pressing into mine again as he pulls me into his arms. He tastes like whiskey and heat and I melt under him, falling back onto the couch, his body hovering over mine as we pull our clothes off and kiss our worries away.

  The fire crackles next to us, and after a moment, he pulls away and stands up. I watch his gorgeous naked body dance under the firelight as he grabs a blanket off the couch and spreads it on the floor in front of the fire. He pulls a few throw pillows down and then grabs my hand, guiding me onto the floor. I lay under him as he kisses me again, the heat from the fire licking my bare skin.

  His lips turn hungry and firm and I match his intensity, the heat building between us like a raging inferno until he is inside me again, sliding in quickly as I wrapped my thighs around his hips, holding on as he rocks against me, over and over and harder and harder. My hips rise and fell, matching his rhythm as our bodies dance together in beautiful harmony. It’s in that moment that I know the truth.

  I belong to Judd Wellington and he belongs to me.

  20

  Judd

  At some point in the middle of the night, we’d moved back to my bedroom and I woke up once more tangled up in Cora’s curls. I couldn’t help but smile, knowing that this would be my future.

  Making love to Cora again last night, knowing she felt the same way about me as I felt about her, and knowing that she wanted the same things I did, just cemented my feelings about her. I know without a doubt what I am going to do.

  The Chief needs to realize that I am serious.

  He needs to see that I’m not just interested in Cora for a quick roll in the hay. He needs to know that I’m going to take care of her. He loves her, I got it. Of course, he wants to protect her. I wouldn’t expect anything less.

  I’m ready for the rage he’ll surely feel once he first finds out. But I know if I am prepared — if Cora and I are prepared — then he’ll quickly come around and see that I have only the best of intentions.

  I untangle myself from Cora and leave her sleeping in my bed. I walk into my closet and turn on the light, rummaging around until I find the box I’m looking for. I open it up and find the small velvet box inside and open it.

  My grandmother’s diamond and emerald wedding ring shines up at me, sparkling in the light. My mother had given it to me after Gran died and I’d been waiting all my life for someone to give it to.

  I slip it in the pocket of my jeans that are lying on the chair next to my bed. Then, I turn to get back in bed with Cora.

  I stop, taking a moment to enjoy the fact that Cora is naked, sleeping in my bed. She looks like a fiery-haired angel bathing in the moonlight coming through my window.

  I slide back in bed with her and pull her into my arms. She stirs, moaning softly and snuggling up against me.

  Never in my life had I held something so fragile and precious in my arms.

  Cora is my future.

  My life.

  And I won’t stop until someday she’s my wife and the mother of my children.

  21

  Cora

  The pounding on the door wakes me up. My eyes fly open and I sit up quickly, the cover pressed against my chest. Judd pulls on his jeans, looking at me, his face tense.

  “Get dresse
d, baby,” he orders, taking time to kiss me quickly on the lips, before quickly leaving the room. I jump up and pull the sheet around my body, following him into the living room, afraid to take the time to dress. My father has a temper and he’s liable to kill Judd.

  Judd opens the front door just as I walk up and see my father standing there.

  “Chief,” Judd says, his face tight.

  “Looks like I woke you,” Dad says, before turning to look at me. His eyes take in the sheet wrapped around my bare body, then he looks back at Judd, bare chested with the scratch marks I’d left on his body last night shining red and raw on his skin. I watch as a wave of anger literally washes over Dad’s face.

  He turns blood red. His lips stretch into a sneer right before he shouts, “What in the hell, Wellington!”

  He lurches forward towards Judd.

  “Dad!” I cry, jumping in between the two of them. I put my hand on his chest, holding the sheet up with my other one. “Stop! Listen!”

  “Damn it, Cora, I told you to get dressed,” Judd growls.

  “I was afraid Dad would kill you,” I mutter, thinking that perhaps it would have been wise to throw my clothes on first.

  “That’s because I’m going to,” Dad growls. “I don’t need to hear anything you have to say, Cora Marie — I have eyes! I can clearly see what’s going on here!”

  “Dad, stop!” I tell him, but he ignores me, moving around me to try and get to Judd. “Stop!” I insist, louder this time, refusing to let him get close.

  “Chief, I can explain,” Judd says, pulling me behind him, even though I fight him.