The Woodsman Read online

  I groaned, knowing she was right. I had been blinded by his good looks and his charm. He was a charismatic man, but he wanted a woman who was available to him when he needed her without having to support her in the same way.

  “Thank you for being such a good friend, and I know you're right. Back then, I would have defended him and said you were wrong. I had to come to this on my own.”

  “Love is supposed to make you feel good, most of the time anyway, not depressed. I hope you find someone who makes you feel good. Take care of yourself out there.”

  “Okay, well if you don't hear from me, it's probably because I don't have service. I'll drive into town and check in with you when I can.”

  “Okay, take care. Please don’t wait too long to check in. I love you!” she shouted.

  I took my hand off the wheel for a second to end the call and then put it right back on. I knew the roads weren’t safe, and I was a little freaked out by the snow. The roads were covered with a thin layer of white. The sun was setting and the temperature dropping according to the thermometer readout on the rearview mirror.

  I should have hired a car. I had no business driving in a snowstorm. The airport was warning travelers there would likely be delays as they were expecting something big. I never received a call back from the lame Airbnb owner, and I prayed the cabin was stocked with firewood, flashlights, and everything else I would need to survive for a few days.

  The car slid, but I was quickly able to regain control.

  I couldn't wait to get to the cabin—and safety. I hoped my dream trip to the mountains was going to turn out to be a nightmare. I didn’t need another disappointment in my life now.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Chase

  Looks like shit is about to get serious.

  I looked up at the heavy grey clouds covering the sky and knew the weatherman was right. Hell, everyone had to be right once. The small bit of snow coming down was nothing compared to what those clouds had in store.

  I had to finish splitting the logs before it really came down. I didn't enjoy cutting wood for a fire when there were several feet of snow on the ground. I swung the ax, relishing the feel of the heavy weight flying through the air and slamming into the wood round.

  Whack!

  The log split in half, giving me a sense of satisfaction. I picked up one half and split it in two before moving to the other half. It was a repetitive process, but once I got my rhythm going, it went pretty fast.

  Whack!

  I slammed the ax head into the chopping block and began to stack the split wood. The sound of a car engine surprised me. I assumed it was either Jayden or Liza. They were the only people who would deign to visit an ex-con on a mountain in a snowstorm.

  I turned around to see if it was my cousin or aunt and saw a black sedan coming up the tree-lined driveway instead. Sedans in this part of the country, in the middle of winter were unheard of. Clearly, this person was not a local.

  I stood on the covered porch and watched as the car came to a stop. A woman, with what appeared to be brown hair was behind the wheel. I waited, standing on my porch doing my best to appear menacing. I didn't like strangers showing up at my door. Nothing good ever came of it.

  She opened the car door, and I had to fight the urge to put my palm to my forehead. She was wearing high-heeled boots. Great, just what I needed. A clueless city girl on my mountain.

  The woman waved and took a few unsteady steps away from the car and in my general direction.

  “Hi!” she waved before quickly putting her arms out at her sides to steady herself.

  “Hi,” I said, not waving.

  “You must be John. I'm Madison Carr. I made the reservation. I didn't know you'd be here to greet me.”

  I looked at her, wondering what the hell was wrong with her.

  “I'm not John, and I'm definitely not here to greet you,” I told her.

  She stopped walking. “What?”

  “I'm Chase Nichols. I own this place.”

  “Oh.”

  She looked very confused.

  I stood there, watching. I didn't know who she was or what she was about, but I trusted no one. A few years in prison will do that to a guy.

  She spun around and made her way back to the car. I took the opportunity to check out her ass that looked pretty damn good in a pair of black skinny jeans. She was tiny but filled out in all the right places. She leaned into the car and popped back out, waving what I assumed was her purse in the air.

  “I have it right here,” she called out, gingerly walking toward me again.

  I watched in amusement as she made her way up the steps and came to stand next to me.

  “See? Here,” she said, digging in the massive bag.

  She pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to me. I took it and quickly read it.

  “There's been some kind of mistake,” I said, looking at her and noticing she was a very beautiful woman. And cold. “Look, why don’t you come in and tell me what you are talking about before you freeze to death in that ridiculous outfit?”

  She hesitated.

  “It’s alright, I can wait out here”

  “Look lady, if I wanted to do you any harm, I wouldn’t need to ask you to come inside. You’re clearly freezing your tail off, and my invitation won’t last long.”

  She finally agreed. I pushed open the heavy wooden door and gestured for her to go inside first.

  She stood there, dancing a little.

  “You can sit by the fire,” I offered.

  “Thank you. I'm adjusting to the climate.”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  “I live in Florida. I'm here for a two-week stay,” she said, pointing to the paper I was holding.

  I read it again. “Well, this is the right address, but, I can assure you, I didn't rent out my house.”

  She threw her head back and looked at the ceiling. “No.”

  “Yes,” I replied. “This is my house and I didn’t rent it out. Either they got the address wrong, or this is a scam of some sort.”

  Her shoulders stiffened, and her chin went up. “I don't believe it’s a scam. My credit card has already been charged for the two-week stay. I paid for this cabin, and I intend to use it.”

  I guffawed. “Um, no, you didn't, and no, you aren't. This is my house and my house alone. Whoever sold you that stay is probably selling oceanfront property in Arizona as well. I don't know how you found this place or who you paid, but it wasn't me.”

  “I paid someone! I'm here, and I need somewhere to stay. What if you’re the one scamming me? Maybe you took my money?”

  “I didn't take your money.”

  “Someone did.”

  “Lady—”

  “It's Madison, which I'm sure you already know since you have my credit card information,” she spat out.

  The woman was feisty. I liked that. She was tiny but mighty. I watched her chest heave, her voluptuous breasts moving the scarf she had around her neck up and down. The woman was no pushover. I had to admire that. She was in a strange man's house and, instead of being afraid, she was fighting back.

  “Trust me, I don't have your credit card information. Besides, if I was going to steal your money, why would I still be here when you showed up? I would’ve sent you a fake address or something.”

  “No, I supposed not. What the hell am I going to do?” she said, her blue eyes looking at me with a combination of fear and frustration.

  I shrugged. “I don't know.” I stood, crossing the room to pull the coffee pot off the woodstove.

  “I've heard of this happening. My friend warned me,” she muttered.

  “Heard of what happening?” I asked.

  She shook her head and waved the paper. “People find home listings on the internet. They copy the pictures and then create ads to rent the place out. They collect the rent and security deposit up front and then vanish.”

  “Wow, that's ballsy.”

  “Yes, it is, and it's rude.”


  I smirked. “Definitely rude.”

  “I need to call my credit card company. Hopefully, I can get my money back. Of course, that does me no good considering I'm here with nowhere to go.” She buried her face in her hands.

  I stood there, staring at her, not sure what to say. “Sorry,” was about all I could muster.

  She stood. “This is ridiculous. I'm going to town to find out what the hell is going on, and I’m getting my money back.”

  I looked out the window, a thread of complete irritation curling around my gut at the sight outside. “Good. You should get your money back, but as far as leaving and trying to get back into town, that’s not going to happen now,” I said, pointing at the snow that was falling in earnest now.

  She growled in frustration. “I'm not staying here with a man I don't know.”

  I laughed. “You were trying to stay here not two minutes ago.”

  Her eyes squinted as she glared at me. “That was when I thought you were the owner here to greet me.”

  “I am the owner, and I did greet you.” I couldn’t help myself.

  She stamped her booted foot. “You know what I mean!”

  I shrugged. “I was just stating facts. I don’t like this any more than you do, but I’d have to be a complete asshole to let you drive out in this weather. The snow is going to start piling up pretty quickly up here. The plow trucks won't run out here until well after a storm is over. We aren't on one of the main routes, and no school buses come up this way, so we aren’t a priority.”

  “I'm not staying here.” Her voice went shrill, and I could tell she was panicking a bit.

  “Look, I'm not going to force you to do anything. But the fact remains, it isn't safe for you to be driving.” I tried my best to sound reasonable, despite my brain screaming that I wanted her to leave.

  She rolled her eyes. “I can drive back to town.”

  I shook my head as she made her way to the door. “It isn't a good idea.”

  The answer to my warnings was a loud slam of the door. I growled in frustration. She wasn't my problem. Sure, she was beautiful and would probably end up frozen to death under a drift somewhere, but that wasn’t my fault. I turned my attention back to pouring myself a cup of coffee, but that little niggle of responsibility wouldn't be quiet.

  “Dammit!”

  I stalked to the door, threw it open, and shouted for her to stop, but it was too late. The stubborn woman was already backing out of my driveway. The snow had continued to pick up in intensity in the short time we had been inside. I could barely see her car fifty feet down the driveway.

  “You’re insane!” I yelled again, even though I knew she couldn't hear me.

  The woman wasn't dressed for the Colorado winter, and it was pretty obvious she didn't know how to drive in the snow. Not to mention, whoever rented her that fancy car had been pretty clueless. The rental agency obviously saw a pretty woman from Florida and took advantage of her. That pissed me off.

  I stood there watching, straining to see the black car in the snow. When I saw taillights glowing in the sea of white, I was a little relieved to see she had managed to turn around. That or she’d spun around. Either way, the nose of the car was headed down the hill and back toward the main road. I waved a hand and wished her luck, but I didn't go back inside.

  I couldn't. I knew how treacherous that road was. I felt glued to the spot on my porch, even though the biting cold was chilling me to my bones. Her lights faded completely, and I could see nothing but white. The snow always had a way of making everything eerily still and quiet. There were no birds or other forest animals scurrying about. Every breathing thing was hunkered down and prepared to ride out the storm.

  Except one. That Madison girl.

  A shiver rocked my body as gusts of icy, cold wind whipped across the porch, blowing snow in my face as it did. It was time to go back in. Just as I was about to shut the big wooden door, I heard the faint sound of metal crunching.

  “Shit!”

  I knew it had to be her. I ran inside, pulled on my heavy coat, grabbed my first aid kit and raced out the door.

  If there was one thing I did exceptionally well, it was preparing for the worst.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Madison

  “I shouldn't,” I said in a low voice. I glanced around the cabin, knowing I wasn't supposed to be here.

  The man of the cabin stepped closer to me. “You should. I'll make sure you have a good time.”

  I could feel my face flushing, my arousal heightening. “I can't,” I whispered, but every part of my body yearned to stay with him.

  “I think you can, and I know you want to. Stay with me,” his voice was deep and husky.

  The sound of it sent shivers down my spine and caused goosebumps to break out all over my body. I stood there, squeezing my legs tightly together, rubbing my jeans close against my pussy that was suddenly aching with need. I wanted the man so badly. I couldn't resist.

  “You-I—” I couldn't string words together to form a sentence. All I could do was feel. I wanted him deep inside me. I needed to feel the weight of him over me, driving into me. I wanted the perfect stranger who was making me wet simply by looking at me. I stared back at him, taking note of every detail of his face.

  My God, he was hot. There was a certain dangerous quality about him that had me very excited. It was the danger that made it all that much more desirable. His body was huge, like the typical mountain man. I could see his muscles straining underneath that snug T-shirt he was wearing. His biceps were bulging, and his pecs seemed to be dancing as his arms moved up to reach out to me. His legs look like tree trunks under his jeans, a little too tight around the thighs.

  “It's okay,” he whispered, stepping closer to me.

  I could feel his warm breath blowing across my neck as he leaned down. He was very tall. His brown hair was a little too long, but it was what I would expect from a man who lived in the middle of nowhere. It had a Johnny Depp quality that I found incredibly sexy. Was it as soft as it looked? I ran my hand up and smiled when I discovered it was silky and thick.

  His brown eyes met mine, and I could feel myself practically melting. There was a warm sensation low in my belly that spiraled up and down. My panties were growing wet with my desire. The way he looked at me made me feel as if I was the sexiest, most desirable woman in the world.

  His mouth came down on mine, slowly, probing, but not too demanding. His lips were soft—a contradiction to the rest of his hardness. I stepped closer to him, needing to feel his body against my own. I was pleasantly surprised to feel a very large and very hard erection pressed into my belly. I deepened the kiss, demanding more from this strange man who had captivated me, rubbing against that massive cock, wanting to know what it would feel like pushing inside me. I was a small woman. Would I be able to handle a man as big as my mountain man?

  He bent down, put an arm behind my knees, and lifted me up. My eyes widened in excitement as he lifted me. He made me feel weightless. He carried me down the short hall, used a foot to kick open a door, and strode across a very masculine bedroom. The large bed in the center of the room with a rustic headboard and large pine posts amped up my excitement, and my imagination ran wild as I thought about all the dirty sex we could have in that bed.

  I lay on his bed, intently watching to see what he would do next. I knew it was wrong, but I wanted him. I wanted him in every way, and I didn't care about Mark back home. The way this man looked at me was far more intense than Mark was ever capable of matching. I quickly banished Mark from my thoughts and focused on the man who had moved over me, pulling my warm sweater up my stomach. I lifted my arms, giving him full permission to remove my shirt.

  As if he would have waited for me to grant permission.

  His hands moved to unbutton the snap on my skinny jeans, and he slowly tugged them down. I was a little embarrassed I didn't have on sexy panties, but I had been thinking about comfort when I’d dressed that morning,
not about sex with a hot stranger.

  He didn't seem to mind the plain old cotton panties and pulled them off immediately after my pants were gone. He slid one hand under my back, unhooked my bra, and shucked that as well. I lay there on his bed, completely naked and throbbing. I didn't know what he wanted from me, but I knew I would give it to him.

  The man never spoke, which was intimidating but arousing. He didn't need to use words. His eyes and his touch said it all.

  One of his rough, large hands slid over my breasts and down my stomach. I knew what he wanted when he looked between my legs with obvious intent. I slowly spread them a bit wider. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I chastised myself for being so bold, but I shut that part down in a hurry. I was hot and wet and willing to do whatever the man asked if he pleased me, and deep down, I knew he would.

  He dropped to his knees at the edge of the bed and pulled my body closer to him until my butt was on the very edge. He draped my legs over his shoulders and dove between my legs. The first swipe of his tongue on the outer lips of my bare pussy nearly drove me over the edge. He used two fingers to part the lips and ran his tongue oh so slowly up and then down my clit.

  One of my hands went to the top of his head, and the other gripped one of his massive shoulders as I jackknifed up. I wanted him to stop as much as I wanted him to keep going. Thankfully, the decision was not in my hands.

  He put one hand in the middle of my stomach and forced me back down to lay flat on my back while he ravished my pussy with his tongue. My hands fell beside me, gripping the quilt that had covered the bed. His tongue pushed inside me, and I could feel the climax brewing. I was so close. He lapped at me, his tongue working in slow, hard circles against my clit, driving me so close to the edge, I felt I would fall over the cliff at any second. His teeth nibbled at the hard nub above my opening, and I fell into a blissful sea of orgasm, coming for what felt like forever.

  He stood and pushed me back on the bed a little, leaving my legs on his shoulders. He pushed in, slow at first, and then he began to plunge into me with such force, my body jerked across the bed. I grabbed the quilt in my hands, holding on as he thrust into me over and over with force. My legs bounced against his shoulders with the motion. He quickly wrapped an arm around my ankles to keep my legs firmly planted against him as he rammed deep inside me.