A Real Man: Limited Edition Read online

  “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.

  2

  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.

  3

  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.

  A cabin.

  I slowed until I came to a stop. The cabin was small, and I could see a light coming from the main window in front. I could see smoke coming from the chimney, and smelled it as if I stood right beside the fire.

  I was in the middle of nowhere, or at least I thought I was. But someone clearly lived out here and was even home by the looks of it. I contemplated whether I should ask for help.

  What if it’s some maniac that chops up women and stores them in his cellar?

  God, my imagination was having a field day right now.

  Or maybe it’s just someone that wants to be alone.

  I heard the sound of wood being chopped, and glanced around, seeing if I could see who was wielding the ax. I could barely see a small shed on the other side of the cabin, and I mentally and physically forced myself to move closer.

  What if there are women chained up in that shed?

  Oh God, I was getting myself all worked up, picturing all those horror movies I’d watched back in the day featuring psychos and their harem of captives.

  It was getting dark, and there was no way I wanted to stay in these woods when it was dark as hell.

  Maybe I should have been even more frightened than I was, but I kept moving forward. I was exhausted, filthy, and even had leaves and pine needles in my hair. Every part of me hurt, and I realized just how out of shape I was. But I’d been walking aimlessly around the woods for hours, not even sure how far I was from my cabin or town.

  The sound of wood being chopped suddenly stopped, and so did I. My heart was beating fast, and I adjusted the backpack I wore. I was out of water, only had one more granola bar left, and mosquitos were devouring me. Being inside sounded pretty damn good right now.

  The sound of a door opening and closing rang out, echoing off the trees and making my pulse jump a bit. There was obviously a door in the back of the cabin since I still couldn’t see anyone. And then I saw a massive shadow walk across the main window on the front of the cabin. There was a curtain covering the glass, but it was slightly sheer, and the shape—which had to belong to a man—looked huge.

  Would I rather face what’s in that cabin or what is roaming these woods at night?

  Steeling myself and forcing my feet to start moving again, I kept a tight, almost painful hold on the straps of my backpack and took the porch steps one at a time. Once I was in front of the door, I held my breath, hearing my heart thundering.

  Maybe a family lived here and I was just freaking myself out for nothing?

  I heard the sound of twigs snapping in the distance, or maybe that was just my over reactive imagination? Either way I wasn’t staying out here any longer. Without thinking about it anymore, I lifted my knuckles against on the door, and prayed whoever answered wasn’t a psycho.

  Jake

  The sound of someone knocking on my door surprised me. I rarely got any visitors, and when I did, it was usually someone from work.

  But that was rare.

  I got off the couch, set my book on the coffee table, and walked toward the door. I took my ax off the hook by the door, and reached out for the handle. If it were someone who had no business being here, they’d find out pretty damn quickly what I could do with an ax.

  I pulled the door open and immediately lowered my gaze to the disheveled as fuck woman standing on the other side. Maybe I was a sick fucking bastard, but my cock instantly got rock hard when I saw her.

  She was gorgeous.

  Her hair was a wreck, with debris from the woods stuck in the fire colored strands.

  Red, my fucking favorite.

  I realized neither of us had said anything for long moments, and I noticed her focus was on the ax I held.

  “Um,” she said in a low, very feminine voice.

  I looked between her and my ax, and then set it aside.

  “I’m out in the middle of nowhere. I don’t get a lot of company,” I said, explaining why I was holding an ax so she wouldn’t be so freaked out. I didn’t say anything after that, just waited to hear what she had to say, and why she was standing on my doorstep looking like she’d been rolling down a hill.

  “I was hiking, but I’m lost,” she finally said, licking her lips after the words were out.

  She might be dirty as fuck from hiking, scared because she was lost and standing on a stranger’s doorstep, but despite all of that, I was fucking rock hard for her. I was a bastard for the filthy images playing through my head, but I couldn’t help my body’s reaction to a gorgeous woman.

  I hadn’t been with a woman in five fucking years.

  “Well, come in,” I said and stepped aside. She was hesitant, and took a few seconds before she stepped over the threshold. I shut the door and looked her up and down. The jeans she wore formed to her tight ass, and I ran my hand over my cheeks, feeling the beard covering my flesh.

  “Am I close to town?” she asked, her voice soft, tight. She turned around and faced me, and I stared into her light blue eyes.

  “You’re hours away from town.” I heard her exhale, and I could see she was nervous and frustrated, as well as tired.

  Just then the sound of thunder booming outside sounded.

  “Of course it’s about to storm,” she said under her breath.

  “You don’t get out much, do you?” I asked in all seriousness.

  She didn’t answer me verbally, just shook her head.

  “It storms often.”

  “I’m lost and in a strange man’s house.” She looked at me. “No offense. And it’s about to storm.”

  “I’m Jake Braxton.” I tried to keep my voice calm as I spoke, but my body wanted nothing more than to push everything aside and just take her right here. I wanted to hear her scream my name out as she came all over my cock.

  I cleared my throat and got my thoughts in order. I certainly didn’t want to come off as some asshole.

  “I’m a lumberjack and have been living out here for the last five years.” I told her the stats and saw the surprised look on her face. What exactly was she surprised about? Because I was an ax wielding man, who wore the stereotypical flannel shirts every day, and lived in the middle of nowhere?

  “Now we aren’t so much strangers anymore.” I waited for her to give me something to go by, maybe even just her name, but she didn’t say anything. She also looked tense as hell.

  “You’re a lumberjack? Seriously?”

  I nodded.

  She nodded. “Okay. I’m Vivian Clarke,” she finally said, and started looking around the cabin again.

  “Want a drink?” I asked.

  She didn’t answer right away, but did give me this ‘are you fucking serious look’. I shrugged and went into the kitchen. “I figured after the day you’ve clearly had, you might want something to drink because you’re either thirsty as fuck, or you need something stronger.” I looked at her over my shoulder and saw she’d turned her head away from me quickly.

  I couldn’t help but feel this spark of lust slam into me at the thought that she might be staying the night due to the weather. But I wasn’t bringing that up right now, not when I’d just barely let her in the house, and she was clearly nervous.

  The chances of me getting my dick wet in her sweet little body were pretty slim to none, but hell, I hadn’t been this close to a woman in far too long.

  “I have water … or liquor. That’s about it.”

  I checked her out a little more, and now that she wasn’t looking, I adjusted my raging hard-on. Yeah, the fucker hadn’t seen anything this sweet in a very long time. Finally, she turned back around and looked at the whiskey bottle I held.

  “Liquor.”

/>   Yeah, I figured she’d need something a little harder after the night she was having.

  4

  Vivian

  I was in a strange man’s cabin—a lumberjack of all things—and didn’t know what in the hell to do. I didn’t even know they actually called themselves lumberjacks, but it fit him pretty damn well.

  I looked around again, seeing a big bed in one corner, a door that led to the bathroom across from that, and the large room that made up the kitchen and living room. Aside from a few pieces of furniture, the cabin was pretty sparse. There was a bookshelf, which was filled with books, though. Seeing as he didn’t have a TV, I assumed that was how he spent his free time.

  I took the glass from him and moved back a step. He went over to the fire and stoked it, and I couldn’t help but stare at him.

  He was huge, like the biggest man I’d ever seen. He had to be at least six and a half feet tall, and the muscles stacked upon muscles that covered his entire frame were a little intimidating. I didn’t want to stare and seem creepy, but then again, he had to be used to it.

  “What were you doing hiking all the way out here?” he asked without turning and facing me.

  I didn’t answer right away, mainly because I was too focused on the way the muscles on his back flexed as he pushed a piece of wood around. Embers seemed to float up from the flames, and when he finally faced me, I realized I still hadn’t answered him.

  “I’m staying in a cabin, and wanted to get out in the fresh air for a hike. I got lost.” I turned and looked out the living window. “But I couldn’t even tell you what direction my cabin’s even in.” I exhaled roughly.

  He braced his arm on the mantle of the fireplace and just stared at me. He had shorter blond hair, and a full-on beard. With him living out here in the middle of nowhere, being as massive as he was, and clearly able to use an ax—and as a weapon when need be— I could image him as the perfect Mountain Man.