Lumberjack (A Real Man, 1)

  LUMBERJACK

  A Real Man

  Jenika Snow

  www.JenikaSnow.com

  Jenika_Snow@Yahoo.com

  LUMBERJACK (A Real Man, 1)

  By Jenika Snow

  www.JenikaSnow.com

  Jenika_Snow@Yahoo.com

  Copyright © June 2016 by Jenika Snow

  First E-book Publication: June 2016

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: The unauthorized reproduction, transmission, or distribution of any part of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  This literary work is fiction. Any name, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.

  Please respect the author and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials that would violate the author’s rights.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Lumberjack (A Real Man, #1)

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Epilogue

  Coming Soon

  About the Author

  He hasn’t been with a woman in five years.

  She hasn’t been with a real man ... until now.

  Vivian

  I’ve had enough of the crap that goes along with living in the city. So, I packed for a weeklong vacation in the mountains. Isolation in a cabin for the next seven days sounds like a good way to recoup and get my life back in order. After getting lost while hiking, I stumble upon a cabin that has me questioning whether to ask for help, or if I should brave staying the night in the woods.

  Jake

  I left everything behind years ago after the woman I was with betrayed me. Now I work as a lumberjack and live my life as a recluse. Being celibate for the last five years says a lot about my self-control, but I’m a man and have needs, and not giving into what I really want is hard as hell. But I can’t let myself get close to anyone, not even for a few hours. Getting close is how I got screwed over before.

  As soon as I see Vivian, I know I have to have her. It’s been forever since I’ve had a woman. Because of a storm rolling in, she’ll have to stay with me overnight. We could do a lot of filthy things in that time. I pride myself on my control, but when it comes to Vivian, I don’t know if I can keep my hands to myself.

  I know I can’t.

  I have needs, and it’s clear Vivian’s in need of a real man to help her unwind. I can certainly help her in that department.

  Warning: If you’re looking for a sappy, pull-your-heartstring kind of book ... this isn’t it. If you want a short and dirty story featuring an all-around alpha hero who hasn’t had a woman in years, and a heroine who’ll find out what it’s like to be with a real man ... this might be for you.

  Chapter One

  Jake

  Sweat beaded on my forehead, but I didn’t deviate from my work. My flannel was soaked, as was the white t-shirt underneath it.

  I wrapped my arms around the log I’d just chopped down and cut into three separate pieces, hoisted it over my shoulder, and moved toward my chopping block. After dropping the wood on the ground, I pulled my ax from the wooden block, and started going to town on cutting the log into manageable pieces.

  I lifted the ax above my head for only a millisecond before bringing it down on the wood in front of me. It splintered in two and fell to the side.

  All around me, the sound of men chopping wood and swinging their axes across tree trunks, echoed around the forest. I was focused, because being anything but that during this kind of work was dangerous.

  The sound of the lunch horn rang, and I finished chopping the last log. After gathering what I’d cut, I tossed it into the bin and headed over to where the other lumberjacks were.

  Men were gathered around with their lunch boxes in their laps, their food already out and being shoveled into their faces. I sat down on a log away from everyone and took out my sandwich. The sound of the machines running in the distance and the logs dropping into the water filled my head. This is what I’d done for the last five years.

  Moving out in the middle of nowhere had been the only thing I could think of doing to get away from my toxic life. After I caught my girlfriend fucking my best friend, I’d cleaned out my bank account, packed the shit that meant anything to me, and left.

  Truth was I’d been unhappy in my life anyway, and I’d needed a good kick in the ass to get me moving and leaving all that shit behind.

  So, I’d done just that. I told my family what I was doing, and where I’d be if they needed me. Then I went off the grid, thinking about me for once, getting my shit in order.

  That seemed like a lifetime ago now, but here I was: still loving every fucking minute of it.

  “Jake, you coming to town with us tonight?”

  I looked over at one of the men I’d worked with for only a year.

  “No,” was all I said and finished eating.

  “After all these years of us asking you to come with us, find some women, and let off steam, why do you always say no?”

  I stared at Bruce— I’d worked with him since becoming a lumberjack. Bruce had been with the company for years before I came along, and although he was a hard worker, I’d never seen him as a friend.

  Hell, I didn’t see anyone a friend, not really.

  I kept to myself, did my work, and when my shift was over, I headed home and lived in solitude.

  “Because I like my isolation,” was all I said.

  “Or maybe you like to jerk off?” One of the newer guys, a younger man who was a prick, said.

  I didn’t bother responding; I’d learned long ago I needed to keep to myself and not let shit get me worked up. The only thing violence ever solved for me was a momentary pleasure, like when I’d knocked my best friend’s teeth in after he pulled his dick out of my girlfriend.

  I hadn’t gotten into a fight since.

  After I finished my sandwich and the lunch horn rang again, I got back to work. The sweat had cooled on my body, but I’d work up another one in a few minutes.

  And I sure as hell did jerk off. Not being with a woman might be my choice because I didn’t want to socialize with anyone, but I wasn’t going to get blue balls because I was stubborn.

  Fuck that.

  I’d worry about myself, force myself not to react to some asshole’s jabs, and focus on why I’d come out here in the first place ... to get away from all the bullshit.

  Vivian

  “This is bullshit, Viv.”

  I didn’t bother looking at Russ as he all but shouted right in my face.

  “Back off, Russ.” I was annoyed, and I couldn’t be held liable for my reaction if he didn’t give me the personal space I fucking wanted.

  “Viv—”

  “Just stop,” I said and turned around, facing the man I’d just broken it off with. “We have only been together for three months, and in that time you’ve fucked your way through the office and managed to bitch about anything and everything. You and I both know whatever we were doing with each other wasn’t going to last. It wasn’t real.” I rubbed my head, feeling so damn tired all of the sudden. “I’m twenty-nine years old. I’m not staying in a relationship—or whatever the hell we’ve had—when it isn’t going anywhere.”

  Russ cocked his head back like I’d just slapped him.

&nbs
p; “Excuse me?” he said with shock and disgust in his voice.

  “Yeah, Russ, I know about you sticking your dick in anything that has a hole.”

  He snapped his mouth shut after I said that. Had he really not wondered why we’d only had sex a handful of time since we’d been dating? Hell, I hadn’t even let him touch me after I found out he’d been banging half the office.

  He straightened and narrowed his eyes. “We didn’t have an exclusive relationship, Vivian.”

  I snorted at that comment. True, we hadn’t actually said those words, but hell, when I slept with a man, and went on dates with him, I thought that meant we wouldn’t be going around screwing everyone.

  I didn’t bother responding; I just exhaled and shook my head.

  “Come on, this is crazy,” he said and grabbed my arm. I pulled out of his grasp. “Don’t fucking touch me, Russ. I asked you to leave, but you’re still here. If you say we weren’t exclusive, then why in the hell are you still here?” The truth was I hadn’t actually seen a future with him anyway. Maybe I’d just stayed with him for this long to entertain the idea of not being a lonely spinster?

  He didn’t answer right away, but I didn’t wait for him to. I walked over to the front door of my apartment, opened it, and glared at him. “It’s over. I can’t even say it was fun while it lasted, Russ, but it was what it was.”

  “And it’s over, just like that?”

  I nodded. “Just like that. Now, please get the hell out of my apartment.”

  He grumbled something under his breath, but I didn’t care if he was cursing me out. I just wanted him gone so I could finish packing.

  “Fine.” He walked past me, but stopped before he walked out of my place. “And if you weren’t such a tight ass, Vivian, maybe things could have worked out.”

  I just shook my head that he had to get one last dig in.

  When he was out of my apartment, I shut and locked the door, and went back over to my suitcase. I needed to get my shit together and hit the road; I planned on disconnecting for the next week. This little trip was definitely a spur of the moment kind of thing, but I knew it would do me good. It had to, because right now I was tired of the world around me.

  Taking off work hadn’t been difficult since as I was in a top position at the firm where I worked. Although I’d had to rearrange my schedule and place clients on different days, I knew if I didn’t do this for myself, I’d go crazy.

  I zipped up my bag and sat on the couch. Grabbing my laptop, I looked over reservation I’d made. I was going to spend the next seven days in a cabin three hours from the city. It wasn’t a huge leap in the vacation direction, but it sure as hell would be better than what was going on in my life right now. The city noises, sights, lights, and all the bullshit that came with it and my job would fade away as I focused on just me.

  Hell, the cabin didn’t even have a TV, let alone Wi-Fi, so I would be totally disconnected from everything and everyone, and it’s exactly what I needed. Maybe I wouldn’t even come back. Maybe I’d find so much peace in the middle of nowhere that I just said fuck everything else.

  I wouldn’t know until I went, but I was open to just about anything right now.

  Chapter Two

  Jake

  As I headed to my truck after work, I heard the guys talking about going into town and scoring. They were like teenage guys for the way they talked, but I didn’t give a fuck. I’d gone the route of treating a woman with respect, and she’d fucked me over royally. Even before her, I had never been one to hit up the bar trying to stick my dick in the easiest female. And I certainly hadn’t done that after her.

  I opened the bed of my truck and grabbed my cloth. After wiping off my ax, I stored it and closed the bed before walking around to the driver’s side. I was fucking sweaty and filthy, but I’d worked hard as hell, and being exhausted meant I’d crash for the night instead of lying in bed and thinking about how alone I really was. I might like the peace and quiet, and love the solitude, but the fact remained I also liked women, and not having one in years was pretty fucking hard.

  The way they smelled so damn sweet, and the fact they were soft all over, had me harder than steel every damn night. I didn’t think about just one female in particular, but just about women in general. I had no hopes of ever finding that perfect woman for me, not where I lived. But I didn’t want to open myself up again, not when the last time had ended with me being betrayed by two people I thought had my best interests at heart.

  The fact I rarely ventured down the mountain to try and meet a woman certainly didn’t help the situation.

  No, I might complain about being lonely, but I enjoyed that solitude, too.

  I got in my truck and made the forty-five minute drive to my cabin. I was out in the middle of fucking nowhere, having built the cabin two years ago. I’d poured all my savings, and what I’d earned working as a lumberjack for three years before that, securing the land, and finally getting the cabin built. It was small, only two rooms, but the property was five acres and afforded me the privacy I wanted.

  When I was back at the cabin and inside, I went into the bathroom, cranked the shower on, and got undressed. Once in the shower, I closed my eyes and braced a hand on the tile wall in front of me. My dick got hard pretty damn fast, and I didn’t hesitate to grab hold of the thick length and give it a squeeze. My balls drew up tight, I clenched my jaw, and I started jerking off.

  Moving my palm up and down my cock.

  Stroking myself faster and harder.

  Gritting my teeth.

  I pictured a beautiful woman in front of me: nude, ready, and willing. I had a thing for red heads, so that’s what I envisioned, with a thatch of trimmed red hair covering her cunt, she’d be so fucking eager for me.

  “Fuck,” I cursed as I came. I was like a damn teenager at how quickly I got off these days. It took nothing but a few pumps and squeezes on my cock before I exploded. I opened my eyes, seeing the last of my jizz coming out the tip of my shaft, the water washing it down the drain.

  Shit.

  I had to be a masochist to torture myself like this.

  Was it really worth being alone and wanting my solitude if I had to resort to jerking myself off just so I didn’t explode?

  Vivian

  I was sexually frustrated. I could admit that, own it even. But that didn’t mean I liked being that way. It wasn’t just about getting away for my own sanity, but also about the fact I wasn’t getting what I wanted out of the relationships I’ve had.

  Bland sex.

  Vanilla touches.

  No passion.

  All of that and more summed up my past sexual relationships pretty damn well.

  The truth was I was tired of city life, exhausted over the fact I couldn’t find my niche in the world. I’d been doing the same thing for so long it was monotonous now.

  I pulled her car up the gravel driveway of the cabin I’d rented for the week.

  It was small, just one room that held the living room, kitchen, and bedroom. There was a small bathroom off the living room, and through the open doorway I saw a sink, toilet, and shower.

  Damn, not even a tub.

  I’d seen the pictures online, was glad it had been available on such a short, spur of the moment notice, and had hoped that in person it was still decent.

  Getting out and grabbing my bag, I headed inside. The key was in a lockbox around the doorknob, and once I punched in the code and opened the door, I just stood there. It smelled like pine and vanilla and looked clean. I tossed my bag on the floor and went back to the car to grab the boxes of food and the case of water I’d picked up on my way up here.

  Once back inside, I shut the door, turned the lights on, and looked around. It was quaint, homey even. It certainly wasn’t what I was used to living in the city, and thank God for that.

  I just stood there and listened.

  There was nothing but stillness and the sound of my breathing.

  Just silence.

>   I closed my eyes and just took it in, and for the first time in longer than I could even remember, I felt peace and calm.

  Maybe I should have unpacked my shit, or just relaxed after the long drive, but instead, I put on my hiking boots, packed a small backpack with granola bars and two bottles of water, and decided to try out the trails that were right off the cabin property.

  I stepped back outside, looked around, and just inhaled the clean, fresh air. I had lived in the city for so long, the smog and congestion had been my life, had been a part of me. I hadn’t realized until this moment, when I was surrounded by the wilderness and the nothingness that I had been so trapped.

  What a wonderful thought: just break away from it all, get my very own cabin, and move. But I didn’t think I had the balls for all that. I might be a spur of the moment kind of girl, but that was jumping off a cliff without a parachute.

  But, it was a thought, one that was plausible, and I knew living out here was something I definitely could get used to this.

  Chapter Three

  Vivian

  I was lost, so fucking lost I didn’t even know which direction I was anymore.

  I stopped and turned in a circle, but everything looked exactly the same. I thought I’d stayed on the path, but part of it was overgrown, and before I knew what had happened, I was so far off where I’d started there was no way I could find my way back.

  I lifted my hand and shielded my eyes from the setting sun. The light barely came through the branches above, and I knew if I didn’t find shelter soon, I’d be staying the night in the woods.

  And that was a big hell no on what I wanted to do, or how I wanted to spend my first night relaxing.

  I started moving quicker, not sure if I was going North or South, or even toward town or the cabin.

  I walked for another twenty minutes before I saw light breaking through the trees, and smelled the scent of smoke. Picking up my pace, and adjusting the straps on my backpack, I moved closer to the building.