Hard Wood Read online

  For a second I did nothing but sit there while the snow started to really accumulate on the windshield. The engine died on me, and when I tried to restart it this awful clicking noise came through. Dread settled into me.

  Reaching across the seat and grabbing my cell out of my purse, I half expected the damn thing to be dead. That would have been my luck. But I had battery power and a signal. I quickly did an Internet search for the tow truck place in town, called them and told them my shitty luck, and breathed a sigh of relief when they said they’d send someone out to help me. But that relief was short-lived when they told me they couldn’t give me an estimate on time, seeing as there were a lot of accidents because of the weather.

  I disconnected the call, tossed my phone on the seat, and cursed. God, what the hell was I supposed to do now? For twenty minutes I sat there, the interior of the car starting to get frigid. I’d freeze to death before they got to me. I was exaggerating, but it could be true.

  I saw headlights of an oncoming car, and because I wasn’t thinking rationally at the moment, I found myself climbing out of the car. A gust of wind slammed into me, taking my breath away.

  I was about to wave the car down, hoping it saw me off to the side, the snow piling on my car and camouflaging it. But before I could try and get the driver’s attention I slipped on the snow and the slight incline of the ditch. There was no stopping myself from going down. My legs went out from under me, my foot twisting in a horrible, awkward angle. I cried out and gripped my ankle just as I heard the car pass me. I cursed my shitty as fuck luck.

  Noah

  The turns were treacherous, the ice thick. And even though I had chains on my tires and my truck was built for this kind of weather, I was still taking it slow on the winding roads.

  The rhythmic sound of the windshield wipers moving across the glass was calming, even though I was stressed out as fuck over trying to drive in this bullshit weather. I took another sharp turn, driving slow, safely, or at least as safely as I could in this freak weather.

  It wasn’t uncommon for us to get snowstorms in March, April, hell, even in late May. But this one was the worst I’d seen.

  I was about ten minutes out from home, but at this rate it would take double that time, if not more just to reach the road I needed to turn onto to make the trek up the mountain to my cabin.

  The snow was thick as it slammed against my truck, and it was a crazy sensation, as if I were underwater trying to swim through this shit. I pitied anyone who didn’t have the proper vehicle for driving in this weather. And then, as if my thoughts conjured up the yuppie who would attempt mountain driving in a snowstorm, I saw a car in a ditch, the snow already thick and covering it. It was obvious it had been sitting there for a while, and although there were no hazard lights on, and anyone smart enough wouldn’t be sitting inside in this weather, I pulled slowly to a stop off to the side across from it.

  I left my engine running as I put on my beanie, zipped up my jacket, and climbed out of the truck. The snow crunched under my boots as I made my way toward the car. I stood there a second just staring at the vehicle. The back tires were in the ditch, and the hood faced the road. Even if I wanted to, there was no way I could help the poor sap that was stuck in this situation. Maybe if it weren’t a storm, but right now he’d be lucky to get a tow truck out here to haul his ass out.

  I turned around, about to head back to my truck, deciding I’d call the sheriff’s office so they knew about the accident, when I stopped, thinking I heard something. I listened again, and then heard it again. A fucking cough.

  Shit, someone was actually in the car in this fucking weather, with the engine not running, and the hazard lights not even on? What the fuck kind of person could actually be in there?

  I turned back around and brushed the snow off the passenger side window before leaning down. It was hard to see anything with the windows fogged up from the inside. I knocked on the glass and took a step back. “You okay?” I said loudly enough for whoever was in there to hear me. I didn’t hear anything at first, but then a muffled voice came through.

  “I can’t hear you,” I shouted.

  A second later I heard the driver’s-side door open and a head popped up over the hood. Everything in me froze, which had nothing to do with the frigid weather. There stood the woman who had consumed every single part of me, snow falling over her hair, her eyes wide as she took me in, probably the same way I was doing with her. The forest incident came to the forefront of my brain, with vivid images of what I’d wanted her to do to me then. I could see her swallow, and wondered if the pink on her cheeks was actually from her thoughts about watching me jerk off and had nothing to do with the bitterness in the air.

  What were the fucking odds that I’d come across her now?

  We stood there for a second, neither speaking, the wind slamming all around us. “Car trouble?” I clenched my jaw at what I’d just said. Of course she’s got fucking car trouble.

  “Um,” she said and nodded. “Yeah. A tow truck is coming.”

  I glanced toward town. I didn’t want to burst her hope, but the odds of a tow truck making it out here before dark were pretty fucking slim.

  “I know,” she said. “I’ll be waiting here forever. But they’ll come...eventually.”

  A huge gust of wind came at us, and I saw her grab onto the edge of the door as she was rocked backward. She gasped and looked down. Every part of me wanted to go to her, to make sure she was okay. In that moment I didn’t think about what happened in the woods, didn’t care about anything else aside from getting her out of this fucking weather.

  “You okay?” I asked, taking a step forward, not wanting to freak her out by invading her personal space. Hell, she didn’t know me. I’d watched her at the café like some kind of fucking creep. Getting all up in her business probably would just scare the fuck out of her.

  “I’m fine, just twisted my ankle pretty good when I was an idiot and slid down the ditch.”

  There was no way I was letting her stay here and wait for the tow truck. No way in hell.

  “Come on, I’ll take you to my cabin to wait for the tow. It’s closer than town.” Maybe I should have offered to take her to her place, but my cabin was closer, and it only made sense to go there. She was silent for long seconds, probably weighing if coming with me—a strange man who was offering to take her back to his place—was really a smart idea.

  “Um,” she said and looked toward the road.

  “I’m not a serial killer,” I said, trying to lighten the mood as I smiled. But maybe I shouldn’t have said that. “I’m Noah Ash. I own Ash lumber with my brothers—”

  “I know who you are,” she said softly, the pink in her cheeks seeming to get darker.

  “You do?” I was a little surprised, despite it being a small town and everyone seeming to know everyone. She nodded.

  “Not that I’m stalking you or anything,” she said swiftly and chuckled a little. Another gust of wind slammed into us. “I’m Mia Richards.”

  Mia.

  I played her name around in my head. It would sound good rolling off my tongue when I had her under me, in my bed, her cries of pleasure filling the cabin. My body heated, and sweat started to line my spine. “Come on, the weather is a real bitch, and I’ll take a look at your foot. We can call Lenny at the tow company and let him know where you’re at.”

  Finally she nodded and grabbed her things out of the car. I waked around the front of the vehicle when I saw how badly she was limping, and the way she grimaced. I slipped my hand under her arm and helped her toward my truck, this feeling of possessiveness claiming me hard. I had no idea why I felt this way, but it was undeniable. It was a feeling I wanted to cover myself with, to bask in.

  Once we were both in the truck I punched Lenny’s number into my cell and waited until he picked up. I explained where we would be, but made sure it was on spe
aker so she felt more secure with what was going on.

  “Ready?” I asked after I disconnected the call. She nodded, and as much as I should have looked away, I couldn’t help but stare at her. She was gorgeous, petite but womanly, even under the layers of clothes that covered her. Hell, I remembered how she’d looked at the café, the skirt and shirt molded to her body, showing me her curves.

  My dick got hard, and I shifted on the seat. Turning my attention back to the road, I put the truck in gear and headed to my place. I needed to get my head out of the fucking gutter and just focus on being a gentleman.

  But damn, it was hard not picturing her as mine, not envisioning her in my home, under my sheets. I wanted that like a fiend, but I also needed to keep my fucking cool. I sure as hell didn’t need to spout all this shit off and scare her before I got to properly know all about her. And I would. I wanted to know everything there was to know about Mia. I wanted to memorize every single inch of her, as well. I held back my groan.

  I wanted that. I wanted that pretty fucking badly.

  Chapter Five

  Mia

  I was uncomfortable. He knew I’d seen him. Hell, I almost think he wanted me to catch him jerking off in the woods, that he’d known I was there.

  I glanced over at him just as he pulled in front of his cabin. Images of me seeing him here just days ago slammed into my head. The picture was vivid, erotic...arousing. I shifted on my seat as my pussy became wet.

  He was out of the truck before anything could be said. I watched as he hurried around the front of the vehicle, the wind and snow whipping around him. He opened the passenger side door and helped me out. And then he hustled me up the porch steps and into his cabin.

  The drive had been long, seemingly endless, but the weather was getting progressively worse, and the radio mentioned it wouldn’t let up until sometime in the middle of the night.

  I didn’t even know if the tow truck would be able to make it out to get my car, not with the weather so dangerous. I stood there, my hand braced on the wall, just looking around. It was spacious and smelled like him, this woodsy, pine and citrusy scent that invaded my senses. There were beams on the ceiling, and the walls were exposed wood. It had a rustic, definite cabin-feel to it.

  I loved it.

  He took me over to the couch and I sat down, staring at him. For long seconds all we did was gaze into each other’s eyes. I had no doubt he was thinking about the last time he’d seen me, because hell, that’s where my mind was. I couldn’t help but lower my eyes to his crotch, knowing exactly what he looked like down there. I quickly lifted my gaze back to his face so as not to seem like a pervert.

  He was smirking.

  I felt my face become so damn hot.

  But despite all of that the electricity that I felt was tangible, causing the hairs on my arms to stand up.

  After a few moments of silence between us, he cleared his throat. “Let me go get some things to tend to your ankle,” he said, his voice hard and thick. I hoped he couldn’t see the way my skin formed goose bumps at the effect he had on me.

  He turned and disappeared down the hallway. I sat there, my heart thundering as I looked around his house. He came back only minutes later with a first aid kit. I didn’t know what he was actually going to do, given the fact I was pretty sure I just had a nasty sprain.

  I exhaled and tried to calm down, to loosen up and not be so tense. There were no doubts in my mind that me watching him in the woods would be brought up while I was here. It was just too thick of an incident not to talk about. I also owed him an explanation, and an apology for watching him then running off.

  Noah came back a minute later and set the first aid kit on the kitchen counter and proceeded to grab two glasses and a bottle of whiskey. Then he walked back over to me and sat down. I didn’t move as I watched him pour us each a drink. He handed the glass over to me and our fingers touched as I took it from him. I barely refrained from shivering from that small touch.

  He took a long drink of the whiskey, watching me over the rim of the glass, before setting it back down.

  I swallowed the thick lump that had suddenly formed in my throat. I took a drink as well, the alcohol burning its way down. I needed this liquid courage to bring up what needed to be talked about. “Um. I feel we should probably talk about...” My throat grew tighter. “You know.” I averted my gaze as embarrassment flooded me. I took another drink of the firewater.

  When he didn’t respond I chanced a look at him. He wore a smile but was making himself busy with the first aid kit. Several seconds passed before he finally stopped what he was doing and looked at me. “Yeah,” he said, his voice sounding deeper, thicker. “I was wondering if that would get brought up.” He was still smirking.

  Damn him.

  I finished off my drink. I watched as he did the same. Maybe he was just as nervous as I was?

  He took the now empty glass from me and smiled. It was genuine, and not the cocky one he’d been sporting earlier.

  For long moments neither of us said anything, but the heat, the electricity and the chemistry were there, like fire licking over our bodies. Surely I wasn’t the only one experiencing it? “I wanted to say I’m sorry for being on your property and...” I cleared my throat. “And sorry for watching you in a very private moment.” God, I was actually going here with him, and it was humiliating.

  “I knew you were there, watching me.”

  I snapped my head up and stared into his eyes. “What? You did?” I didn’t know why I felt so shocked right now. I had wondered if he’d done it on purpose. I mean who jerks off in the middle of the woods right after they finish chopping logs?

  “I did.” The way he said that was deep, husky. He was staring right in my eyes, this heavy-lidded gaze piercing every single erogenous zone in my body. “It was a dirty thing to do, but fuck if it didn’t turn me on even more, Mia.”

  God, the way he said my name had me tingling.

  I imagined his big, strong body over mine, his muscles bunching as he held me down gently, thoroughly. Long seconds passed before he spoke again, before I could even think of a coherent word.

  He cleared his throat and leaned back against the chair. It was like what we’d just been talking about was pushed aside. I could see the slight shift in him, as if he had so much self-control it made me feel like a raging teenager who was hormonal.

  “I’m sure you’ve heard all about me,” he said, changing the subject easily. Or maybe it wasn’t so easy for him. Maybe he needed to talk about something else in order to control the situation better?

  But truth was, I was glad we weren’t talking about the masturbatory session he’d had in the woods as I watched. It was turning me on just thinking about it.

  “What do you mean?” I had an idea on what he was talking about, but I didn’t want to bring that up on my own. I didn’t mention the fact that Flora had told me about how he’d lost the woman he was in a relationship with all those years ago, or about how he stayed to himself. He was known in town as a recluse, a loner. And behind his eyes I could see the pain, but also the light that was just waiting to shine brighter again. It was a little on the crazy side, but my instincts told me this man was just like me, moving through life, waiting for...something more.

  He looked me in the eyes, maybe knowing I was keeping that truth from him. “I’m sure you heard about my past, about...everything.” His big body seemed to dwarf the chair he sat in. “This is a small town. People like to gossip.”

  Yes, I’d come to realize that in the short amount of time I had been here. “I heard a little bit,” I admitted, not bothering to try and deny it.

  “I’m sure Flora told you the majority of it.” He didn’t seem upset. “I saw you two at the diner. She knows us well, so it’s only natural she’d tell you things.”

  I remembered that day at the diner, when he’d looke
d right in my eyes before he left, when I’d felt the chemistry move between us. “You know her well?” Although Flora hadn’t said she’d been in a relationship with Noah, my heart sped up slightly at the fact he might admit that. Maybe that’s how she knows the Ash brothers well?

  “She’s lived in Rockbridge her whole life. That and my brother is in love with her but is too much of a hardass to admit it.”

  I felt my eyes grow wide at the fact he’d just told me that.

  “But Flora and my brother Johnny’s relationship, or lack thereof, is a story for another day,” he said and chuckled deeply. “Even if Flora hadn’t told you about my past someone else in town would have, I’m sure.”

  I glanced down at my hands. “Yeah, she mentioned you moved away but came back.” I looked up and stared in his eyes. I didn’t bring up the tragedy, didn’t want to talk about him losing his girlfriend.

  He exhaled, not saying anything for long moments, but then I felt the air, which had been thick with tension, lighten up. And then he opened up to me, a woman he didn’t really know, telling me about the love he’d had once, what he’d lost, and how he had been single ever since. He’d immersed himself in work, in his business, had focused on everything but himself. A part of me broke for him, for what he lost, what he’d lived through. I couldn’t even imagine.

  “I’m so sorry,” I finally said after he was done.

  He smiled but shrugged. “It’s fine. It’s been a long time. I’ve changed as a person, moved on with my life. I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, even if those things are pretty fucking bad.”

  I nodded. I believed in that, too.

  We sat there in silence for long moments, but it wasn’t uncomfortable, wasn’t the kind that made a person shift in their seat, needing to get away.