Hard Wood Read online

  The Dirty Bits from Carina Press give you what you want, when you want it. Designed to be read in an hour or two, these sex-filled micro-romances are guaranteed to pack a punch and deliver a happily-ever-after.

  A new supersexy insta-love novella from USA TODAY bestselling author Jenika Snow that has a gruff lumberjack yelling T-I-M-B-E-R for the woman he’s been waiting for.

  The Ash Brothers—they know how to handle their wood.

  I’m a hard man. A loner. Or so town gossip says. After having my heart sent through the chipper, I’ve kept to myself. I prefer the quiet of the woods to the ramblings of clingy women who think they can tame a wild mountain man.

  Until Mia. Now she’s all I think about.

  I should have stayed away. She’s too sweet for a brute like me, but I can’t stop wanting her, picturing her sated in my sheets.

  Mia knows just what kind of wood I’m working with. She’s the soft to my hard, the sugar to my bitter bark.

  And I love seeing her walk on the wild side.

  This book is approximately 15,000 words

  For those times when size does matter. The Dirty Bits from Carina Press: Quick and dirty, just the way we like it.

  Dedication

  To my readers. Always.

  Coming Soon from Jenika Snow and Carina Press

  Knock on Wood

  Touch Wood

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from Rough & Tumble by Rhenna Morgan

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Noah

  Being part owner of Ash Lumber made it so technically I didn’t have to do the dirty work. I had employees who worked under me to do that. But just because I co-owned the company with my two brothers didn’t mean I didn’t want to get my hands dirty.

  I was a lumberjack right down to my very marrow.

  I liked chopping wood, slinging it over my shoulder and hauling it to where it needed to go. This was a family owned and run business, and it also helped keep me busy, kept my mind from wandering. Not only did we deal with cutting down the trees for production, over the last few years we’d even dabbled in development and construction. It was just one more branch of the business that was expanding. And that was the main reason I worked just as hard as the men who worked for my brothers and me.

  For nearly my whole life I’d lived in Rockbridge, Colorado, a picturesque lumber town. We had mountains on three sides of us, the town situated so the snowcapped peaks could always be seen. The thick forest was our backyard, and this was the only place I’d ever felt comfortable, ever felt was truly my home.

  This was the only place that I ever felt I belonged.

  There had been one time in my life that I’d moved away, one time where I’d been out of my element and miserable as fuck. And I’d done it all for a woman...for what I thought was love. I’d agreed to move to the city, to allow Amelia to pursue her dreams, even though skyscrapers and concrete would surround me, would be my coffin.

  We only lived in the city for a few months before tragedy struck, but I’d hated every second of it. Traffic had been my alarm clock, and steel and glass had been my view. It was because of my emotions and the hope that things would be better, that I stuck it out, knowing that in order to make things work I had to sacrifice what I wanted for her to be happy.

  But even though I wanted her to be happy and successful, maybe it had been my own selfish thoughts, the fact that I hated living in the city so much that I found myself despising everything about it.

  And things had started to become tense between us, strained. She was working constantly, and her attitude toward me became cold. In just those few months I’d seen a change take over her, watched as she started putting her career before our relationship. We’d grown detached, and it had felt more like I was with a roommate.

  But before we worked anything out, if we even could or would have, I lost Amelia to a drunk driver.

  I blamed myself for not trying harder with her, for not making her see we needed to focus on each other. But in just those short months we’d grown apart to the point I don’t know what the future would have looked like for us anyway. Even after all that, though, self-hate and guilt had eaten at me.

  So I moved back home, jumped back into the family-owned lumber business, and tried to move on with my life.

  Ten years passed, and I hadn’t been with a woman since, had never even wanted to have one by my side or in my bed.

  The years had hardened me to a point, had made me despise the kind of emotions that falling in love and being with somebody invoked. Because I knew it didn’t last. It never lasted. People drifted apart, love was lost, and loneliness was the only solid thing you could count on.

  I was happy in my current situation, content with working day in and day out. I enjoyed keeping to myself. And that’s how it would stay. Because even if I did find a woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, hell, to share my bed with, I feared I’d be no good for her.

  Being celibate, focusing on work, on being the loner I’d become, had worked out well for me. I didn’t deny that I jerked off plenty of times, needed some kind of outlet for pent-up arousal, but that’s as far as I went. Women didn’t interest me, and another relationship sure as fuck wasn’t in my future.

  Keeping to myself was best for everyone all around. At least that’s what I’d been telling myself this whole time.

  Mia

  I said goodbye to the life I’d known for far too long, packed up all my belongings, and headed to Rockbridge, Colorado. Although Rockbridge was only a couple hours northwest of Denver, where’d I’d been living and working for the last few years, it felt like a whole other world.

  In my previous life, before I’d moved to the city for work, I’d lived in Thornton. It had been an up and coming place to live and had its quaint points. But over the years even those homegrown scenic views had been eaten up by restaurants and supermarkets, doctors’ offices and housing developments. Hell, they’d even built over a gorgeous prairie dog field that had been right behind my housing development.

  Dammit, I’d loved those prairie dogs.

  And now I was dropped into some postcard town, where evergreens and aspens surrounded me, and the smell of Christmas filled my head.

  Mountains surrounded the town, the peaks reaching for the very heavens, and forests touching the edges of the roads. The houses were quaint, cabin-like.

  I felt freer, like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders as soon as I arrived in Rockbridge.

  I pulled open the sliding glass door to the house I was renting for the time being and stepped out onto the small deck. Evergreens and aspens were my backyard now. I could see the snowcapped mountains peeking over the treetops, and I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. I’d been so worried about moving, so stressed out about starting a new job and leaving everything else behind, that I hadn’t really been able to appreciate how good this would be for me in the long run.

  I brought my mug up and blew a light brush of air over the top, the steam from my tea disappearing into the fresh, clean air. I had been here for a few weeks now, my new position that of an executive accountant for the one small real estate company in town.

  Truth was, executive accountant was a term far too fancy and sophisticated for the small business I
was working for. I was a glorified number pusher, but the pay was decent—not exactly what I’d made before, but good enough for me to be comfortable. And this small rental property with an acre of land that I’d found had sealed the deal about making this new jump in my life.

  So, I’d put in my two weeks at my former position and never looked back.

  My energy had been drained living that life. I felt the weight of working for a large corporation and coming home to the same four walls, the same postage stamp–sized yard every day. I knew if I didn’t make a change my health would suffer.

  I found myself smiling, and was thankful there were no neighbors around. They’d probably think I was insane, standing here alone, my mug pressed to my lips, a huge grin spread across my face.

  I might’ve only been here a few weeks, but I already felt like this was home.

  Chapter Two

  Mia

  I had a mountain of paperwork spread out around my desk, and I felt like I could rip my hair out. I’d settled into my new Rockbridge life over the last month. The town was quaint and the people friendly. It was such a huge difference from the hustle and bustle of city life. But surprisingly I was very busy for such a small business, maybe just as much as before I moved here.

  I exhaled and rubbed my eyes. It was well past lunchtime and I knew I needed a break. I was a workaholic by nature. But getting out of the office would do me good. I leaned back in the chair and stared out the window, watching as people walked by, bags in their hands from shopping, and this cozy notion of country life surrounding them.

  I grabbed my purse and stood up, about to head across the street to the little restaurant for some lunch, when I saw a black pickup truck pull into one of the parking spots. I could see slabs of wood in the bed of the truck, but it was the man who stepped out of the driver’s side who had my full attention.

  He was big, his arms thick and strong, his red plaid shirt was stretched across his bulging biceps and wide shoulders. I’m not much of an ass woman, but the faded jeans he wore molded to him perfectly.

  He walked around the back of the truck and tossed pieces of wood aside as if they weighed nothing. He looked like a lumberjack, and I meant that in the most stereotypical of ways, given the fact he wore that flannel and even had a pair of dark suspenders on.

  “You finally taking a lunch?”

  I turned around in my chair and faced Flora, one of the interns. She’d just come back from finishing college in Denver, and although she was young, she was sharp. Her red hair was piled high on her head in a sophisticated chignon that seemed almost out of place in this small mountain town, but she pulled it off. Beautiful and smart, once her internship was done, if she decided to stay, she’d be an incredible asset to the company.

  She had her focus out the window and I knew she was staring at the lumberjack.

  “You know him?” It surprised me how curious I was about a man I’d only just seen. She nodded once but a dark look covered her face. It was gone as fast as it had arrived. Clearly there was some kind of baggage going on there. Had they dated? Did the lumberjack hunk have some deep, dark secret that only she knew about? Hell, maybe the whole town knew about it. Maybe I should’ve backed away right then and there, but my curiosity won me over.

  “That’s Noah Ash, one third owner of Ash Lumber, the only supplier for wood in town, but also the biggest supplier for the surrounding area and even some major businesses.”

  Noah.

  Okay, so he was successful, but that didn’t explain the weird look that had covered her face. She smiled at me and crossed her arms over her chest. I guess I’d have to probe her a little if she wasn’t going to be forthcoming with the information.

  But why do I care? Why do I even want to know about this man so much?

  “I feel like there is something else going on here—with him, I mean.”

  Flora didn’t say anything for a second, and when she looked back out the window I did the same. Another truck and an SUV had since pulled up behind the pickup. I watched as two other men, dressed similarly to the lumberjack hunk, stepped out of their vehicles and made their way to meet him at the front of the café. They were all huge in that lumber-slinging way, but one of them was even bigger. Taller than the other two by a good six inches, he looked larger than life itself.

  “Those are the other two owners of Ash Lumber, Liam and Big Johnny.”

  I didn’t need to guess which one was Big Johnny.

  “Noah’s the oldest, and took over the business when their father passed away. Liam is the youngest.” Flora had a wispy quality to her voice, which led me to believe she had feelings for one of them. I didn’t go any deeper on that, though.

  “I still feel like I’m missing something. What’s the story there, Flora?”

  She turned back around to face me. “Maybe I can join you for lunch? We can check out the café across the street?”

  I didn’t bother telling her I was headed there anyway.

  “And besides, the Ash brothers are eating there, so this is the perfect opportunity for you to see them, you know, up close and personal.” She grinned.

  I chuckled. “Lunch there sounds great, and I’m sure the view won’t be too bad either.” Flora started laughing. It wasn’t just because I wanted to know more about this Noah Ash fellow, although that was a big selling point. But Flora was sweet and kind and it would be nice to talk to someone. As it was, I hadn’t made any friends since moving here, and the loneliness, once I left work and wasn’t surrounded by co-workers anymore, was weighing heavily on me.

  “I’ll meet you out front.” And then she was gone and I was looking back out the window, watching the three brothers walk into the café.

  I had a feeling if I didn’t get my head screwed on tightly I could easily find myself a little too curious about Noah Ash.

  Noah

  I sat at one of the bigger tables and waited for Johnny to finish up the order he was giving to Rickie. Liam sat beside me, his fucking cell phone in his hand as he played some stupid game on it. The little beeping noises coming from the device were grating on my nerves, but I didn’t say anything, and instead leaned back in the chair and crossed my arms over my chest.

  “Motherfucker,” Liam swore.

  Given the passion in his voice, I assumed maybe some serious shit was going on. But he was still focused on his phone. He tossed the cell down on the table and looked pissed. I couldn’t help but laugh. Clearly he’d lost at whatever game he was playing.

  “What?” he all but spit and I couldn’t help but laugh harder. I just shook my head, not about to go there with him, although it would have been so fun and easy. Liam glanced over at Johnny once more. “What’s he doing, trying to get into Rickie’s pants?”

  I looked at Johnny. I didn’t bother telling Liam Rickie did nothing for our brother, that Johnny held a flame for a certain woman. No, getting into all of that was too exhausting, especially since I knew Liam would just drill Johnny about it when he returned to the table, and that would lead Johnny to deny everything.

  Rickie was smiling up at Johnny, and although it was obvious the middle-aged divorcée would have been happy to hop in bed with my brother, I knew he wouldn’t go there. He might try to play it off like he didn’t want anyone, that he was content to be a loner like me, but I knew him better than anyone else, and I knew who he really wanted. But that was also shit I wasn’t about to touch on, not when the last time I brought it up Johnny got salty as fuck with me.

  Once the food arrived Johnny grabbed the order and came over to the table.

  “Finally,” Liam said under his breath and Johnny grunted in annoyance.

  “Next time you go get the fucking food and let Rickie try and talk you into coming over tonight.”

  Liam and I both laughed.

  Johnny scowled harder.

  He sat down and we starte
d eating. I listened to my two younger brothers bitch about something that happened at work, but I focused on the sandwich in front of me and all the shit I had to do later on today. It was the sound of the door chime, and of Liam clearing his throat and shifting in his seat, that had me glancing up. Liam stared at the entrance before glancing at Johnny, who seemed oblivious to whatever the hell was going on. I looked behind me at what held Liam’s interest.

  Immediately I saw Flora, the woman I knew Johnny had feelings for, hell, probably even fucking loved. For some reason, though, he kept them to himself, refusing to acknowledge anything. But I wasn’t an idiot. I knew our brother was just a stubborn Ash male that refused to admit that he wanted something. Hell, I was the same way. But it wasn’t Flora who had me interested now; it was the woman who was with her.

  Her long, light brown hair hung in loose waves around her shoulders, and the way the sun came through the window made it look like golden wheat. She wore a white blouse and a knee-length tight black skirt. Her professional appearance seemed a little out of place in our mountain town. Hell, even the attorney we had in Rockbridge wore khakis and a button-down flannel most days, and he was one hell of a lawyer.

  Flora and the other woman were unaware that I was staring at them, but that was good because it gave me a chance to really look at her without her noticing. I couldn’t help the way my body tightened as I watched her walk behind Flora. The skirt molded to her ass to perfection, and her curvy frame called out to every male part of my being.

  The emotions and arousal that slammed into me were so powerful, so fucking intense, that I actually reached out and gripped the edge of the table, my fingers curling around the wood so tightly I thought I might crush it under my grasp. I didn’t want to sexualize her, but I couldn’t help the fact she was so damn gorgeous. My cock got rock hard and my balls drew up tight. This low growl left me like I was some kind of animal unable to control himself.

  Nothing else mattered in that moment except that woman.