Mountain Men II: Primal Hunger Read online

  Mountain Men II: Primal Hunger

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  PRIMAL HUNGER

  By

  Mandy Monroe

  (C) Copyright by Mandy Monroe, May 2014

  Cover art by Alex DeShanks, May 2014

  Smashwords Edition

  New Concepts Publishing

  Lake Park, GA 31636nj

  www.newconceptspublishing.com

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.

  Chapter One

  Maura’s car bounced down the wooded, shady road. Saying she was roughing it was an understatement. There hadn’t even been a gas station for miles. She was looking forward to this retreat, though. Maura felt the extra pounds jiggling whenever she hit uneven road and her resolve to find this out of the way retreat strengthened. It was that jiggling mess that made her cringe. It was confirmation in her mind of every cruel taunt and jest she'd received as a child. She mentally shuddered and purposefully dismissed those thoughts. She wouldn’t dwell on the fat of the past but would focus on a fit and trim future. Her little blue sedan crept up a moderately steep section of the road that led to a rural mountain fitness retreat.

  Maura had been hitting the gym for a few months now but decided it was time to take more drastic weight loss measures. Everyone at her gym was buzzing about the exclusive fitness retreat in the mountains that pampered and pummeled you all at the same time. She'd decided that an escape from her life for a couple weeks, paired with the potential to lose a few pounds, sounded like a win-win situation. She'd saved for a few months, taking extra hours at the office, and scraped up enough to afford the trip.

  The road forked and led to a national park on one side, the retreat on the other.

  Maura had read in her research on the place that the fitness retreat center had an arrangement with the national park officials for permits to use small bordering parts of the land, they in turn offered internships for students of forestry, wildlife biology, and others. The partnership made sense to her. The retreat employed people educated in being in the wild, and the students earned field credits for school, win-win.

  She hadn’t really been an outdoorsy person most of her life, hiking, biking, and whatnot, but she did enjoy being out of doors. Her thoughts drifted to all the things she would be doing over the next few days and she found herself looking forward to the canoeing the most. She had difficulty envisioning herself having fun in a bathing suit, but she knew she would also be wearing a lifejacket and that would cover most of her. The group might even be able to see some really neat things on the trip. The grin on Maura’s face dissolved somewhat when the thought chain led her to other water activities that ranked a lot higher on her stress meter. Swimming.

  Ugh, Maura’s nose scrunched, this better not be the kind of retreat where people only go to show off how good their stick thin bodies look in next to nothing!

  Her attention redirected to following the last few instructions on the map as the road became more and more winding. She kept an eye out for the wooden slat signs with their neat and precise lettering carved expertly into the surface. They were neither ornate in the design nor too casual in appearance as to be mistaken for shabby. Hopefully the rest of the company was similar in design and presentation.

  Who are you kidding, Maura scoffed to herself? You would sleep on rocks and eat grass clippings to get this weight off.

  All thoughts disappeared when she rounded the corner and saw the entrance to the retreat. Whoa.

  Her car was dwarfed on each side with stacks of rough hewn river rock and slate framing each side of the road. A large intricately carved cedar slab stretched from one rock wall to the other with ‘Barrett Retreats’ in the center and the carving of a bear in relief on the left and right. The right side had a bear on all fours standing in front of pine trees and the left was a detailed portrait of a bear. The features of the bear were so intricate she slowed the car to a crawl to view it longer. It was beautifully done. Making mental notes to trek back up here at some point to photograph the sign, Maura continued, eagerly anticipating her first view of the main house.

  It did not disappoint. After a heavily wooded half mile the tree line spread and opened to reveal a large, rustic hunting design cabin. The base was the same rough river and slate rock that framed the entrance. On top of it were large cedar tree trunks notched together at the corners. The chimney on each end of the house was again the same rough rock mix. The rustic cut of the materials should have seemed primitive but the wide wraparound porch and the large sometimes floor to ceiling windows that lined both floors of the building gave it a sophisticated air.

  Maura parked the car and went in search of directions to check in. As she reached for the door it swung open towards her and she collided with a well muscled and very large man walking out.

  His arm shot out and he grabbed her waist to keep her from stumbling backwards down the stairs.

  She righted herself and looked up to see who, or what, she had run into. Her gaze just kept traveling up… and up… and up.

  Leave it to me to run into a human wall.

  Maura looked up and got momentarily stuck in the deepest, richest, chocolate brown eyes she had ever seen. Before she could gawk any further, she remembered to apologize. It couldn’t feel good to have someone of her big size run smack into you. “I’m so sorry,” Maura said, appalled at the first impression she was leaving. “I hope I didn’t hurt you!”

  His eyebrows shot up at her comment in what looked like surprise.

  Maura’s mood soured. Surely he knew fat people had manners, too.

  “Hurt …. me? You? No. I'm fine.”

  Maura examined him closer to better judge if he was making fun of her. He looked genuinely surprised. She puzzled at that a bit. She couldn’t help her gaze from exploring his features. His hair just touched his collar and was slightly shaggy but not raggedly so. It shone in the sunlight and when the light hit it she saw that she had mistaken the color for black at first glance but it was a dark rich brown much like his eyes. His nose showed evidence of having been broken and not properly set in the past but only added to his rugged handsomeness. His lips were full and parted slightly in surprise. She had the irrational impulse to kiss him right then but realized his lips were moving again. It took her a moment to register that he was talking and to hear what he was saying.

  “What is your name?”

  “Maura. Maura Brooks.”

  “Hello Maura Brooks. I’m Bain. I work here. Can I show you around? Get you checked in?”

  Maura nodded and tried not to notice how enticingly muscled her tour guide was as she followed behind him looking room to room in the main cabin. He was tall, a good foot taller than her five foot five frame, but with shoulders so wide she could probably sit comfortably on one side. His waist was also thick, but not with fat. It was as solidly muscled as the rest of him. A man that dense with muscle should be clumsy and slow but Bain moved with fluidity and grace that belied his size. She blushed when completely inappropriate but wickedly satisfying visions of him moving that fluidly, naked, popped in her head.

  Returning her attention to what she was being shown in the house, she marveled at the simplicity and efficiency of the cabin. The rooms only needed to hold about fifteen people comfortably for a number of different workouts. Part of what made this camp so desirable was its exclusivity. Management
only allowed twelve clients at a time, six men and six women. That allowed the workout rooms to be moderately sized, as well, and with a few clever scheduling tricks and mobile equipment, the floors were used for a number of activities. Most of the workout action was outside. The efficient floor and equipment planning let the main cabin size stay stately without being too large and overwhelming the beauty of the mountain views in the background.

  He explained that individual schedules would be designed after each camper went through a fitness assessment the following day. The assessment, and physical every client had to bring from their doctor, would determine what individual workout programs would be inserted between group activities like volleyball, kayaking, and hiking. Maura tried not to think about the fitness exam but focused on remaining encouraged by the clean bill of health the doctor had issued her days before.

  Maura realized they were exiting the house and she followed his lead down the path towards the cabins. She was pleasantly surprised when Bain hefted her two pieces of luggage out of the trunk when she opened it and carried them like they were nothing. It had taken all of her might to heave them into the car. To someone with that much muscle, those two ton bags probably felt like next to nothing. He could probably even pick her up without grunting, maybe hold her up against the wall and press that big, hard body into hers.

  Maura shook her head to clear it and felt desire bloom low in her belly. She couldn't help feeling like a horny teen lusting after a camp counselor. They approached a cozy, small cabin made of the same rough hewn wood as the main house. Each camper was assigned their own cabin and each cabin was positioned somewhat close together but surrounded by such dense foliage and vegetation that privacy was also ensured. She was so lost in the view of the trees and the quaint appearance of the cabin she didn't notice he had stopped walking and almost plowed right into him again.

  Bain set down the bags, delved into his pockets, fished out her cabin key, and slid it in the lock. He held the door for her and followed after retrieving her bags. The cabin was a small one room deal. There was a large bed frame made with what looked like small tree trunks fitted together. It gave the cabin a feel of bringing the outdoors in. The headboard of the bed was carved into a scene depicting a lazy creek making an ambling path through a stone filled creek bed.

  Maura was immediately drawn to it. She bent to examine it more closely, inspecting the subtle differences in the carving that made the textures between the rock and the water so distinctive. You could almost hear the water trickling down the stream. She would bet her life it was the same carver who had carved the road signs.

  "So beautiful," she whispered reverently, her voice so soft if was almost a sigh. "Is this by the same carver who did the road signs? What’s his name? How can I find more of his work? I would love to be able to get some for my home."

  When Maura turned to Bain and caught a glimpse of a thunderstruck expression on his face, it quickly morphed into something that, if he were looking at any other woman, Maura would swear looked like desire. She refused to suffer under the self inflicted hopeless delusion that a man that looked like him would lust after someone like her.

  "You would have to talk to management about that."

  His nostrils flared as he took a deep breath in, his pupils dilated, and he cocked his head to the side just a bit. Before she could puzzle much over that reaction, he cleared his throat and excused himself so she could settle in.

  Maura resisted the urge to peek out the window and watch his smooth gaited walk carry him down the path. Her attention turned to the task of exploring and unpacking. She hung up the few clothes that required hangers and turned to the more daunting task of tucking all her workout clothes in the craftsman style dresser. When those were put away she had toiletries to unpack and turned to find the bathroom.

  What looked initially like a rock wall was, in fact, a pass through fireplace that separated the main area of the cabin from the bathroom. It also heated the small space more efficiently in the winter months. In the mountains in the late summers, like now, the days might stay hot enough to work up a sweat and swim but the nights could get cold. Evenings would be nice, relaxing in a bath with a fireplace going. She looked forward to the little luxuries for the days ahead.

  * * * *

  Bain closed the door to Maura's cabin and had to take a moment to steady himself. His brain had a lot to wrap around at the moment. A few moments ago he had been sitting in the main house going over paperwork when he’d caught a whiff of something delectable. He'd opened the door and ran right into it! Rather, it had ran right into him. She smelled like vanilla, honey, and a scent that was hers alone. The sweet-toothed bear in him rumbled happily.

  She smelled delicious.

  He had to agree with his bear. Maura Brooks was definitely edible from her curly brown hair, down those lush curves, to the bottom of her wee feet. Speaking of bottom, seeing her rounded backside framed in those shorts as she bent over to inspect the carving had just about been his undoing. Just thinking about it again caused a stirring in his pants. He wanted to give her a reason to grip that headboard she so admired.

  Bain was taken aback by the intensity of the pull he had toward her. He both feared and hoped for what that might mean. He knew his first stop would be to the office to look with a new eye into the background file of one Maura Brooks. Whatever he could find out from those would be a good start on figuring everything out. His bear just wanted to go back to Maura's cabin so he could run his fingers through those rich chestnut curls and make those startlingly bright blue eyes roll back in her head.

  Usually, because of his size, women were intimidated by him or wanted him as a trophy fuck. Back in his fighting days it was constant, but not so much anymore and for that he was glad. Most men just wanted to pit their own strength and size against his. Little Maura had crashed into him and apologized because she thought he might have been hurt. Bain did a quick search in his memory and no one, save Gavin, had ever apologized for hurting him. He couldn't believe she even thought she could, little as she was. She didn't even reach the bottom of his chin!

  Bain was still shaking his head in disbelief when he opened the door to the office he and his brother Gavin shared. Gavin sat behind the cedar desk with his feet propped up on the gleaming surface. His mane of tawny blond hair was tied back in his typical casually-thrown-back ponytail. When loose, his hair reached just past his shoulders and, while Bain couldn’t for the life of him figure out why, women seemed to be obsessed with it. Gavin was clad in his trademark look: khaki cargo shorts, t-shirt (this one had a Buddha on the front), and Chaco sandals. Gavin looked up from the papers he’d been perusing.

  “Hey man. I see the guests have begun to roll in.”

  “Yeah. Maura Brooks is here. Do you have her file out?”

  Gavin tossed a file folder toward Bain with a flick of his wrist and launched the file toward him. Bain snatched it from midair and eyeballed it for a moment before opening it. There were whole pages full of information about his woman contained in this. He felt the stirring of an erection begin and was somewhat startled at the instant reaction he had just thinking about her. It was … disconcerting.

  He sank into his big leather office chair and turned the file over in his hands before opening it and there she was. Maura’s picture was pinned to the inside cover of the file. Her dark curls framed her soft face. She had a light dusting of freckles across her nose and sweet, full lips. Her eyes were a robin’s egg blue, but her smile didn’t really reach her eyes. They had sadness in their depths.

  “See something you like?” Gavin teased from his desk across the room.

  Bain just grunted a bit and redirected his attention right back to Maura’s file. It said she lived about two hours away and worked as a medical coding and billing specialist and apparently wasn’t just some desk jockey. She had redesigned the system of coding and filing both on paper and electronically in the office where she worked in order for it to run more efficiently.
She was smart and efficient. He liked that.

  Six months ago Maura had moved out of an apartment which had a male’s name on the lease and into a place with a lease with her name alone. Bain found himself agitated at the knowledge that she had lived with someone and some man had provided for her. At least he hoped it was in the past and she wasn’t seeing him now. He felt itchy at the thought and scratched the stubble on one cheek.

  Why does it matter?

  Bain snapped the file shut and placed it on the desk. He walked over to his mini fridge and got a bottle of water. After upending it and drinking it all, Bain's eye strayed inevitably back to the seemingly innocuous file on his desk. None of what was in that file should've affected him as profoundly as it so obviously had.

  Unless.

  Instead of exploring that ‘unless’ any further, Bain settled back in his chair and delved further back in the Brooks file. She had first moved out at the age of eighteen into an apartment building and eventually graduated college. Her doctor's physical was clear, nothing to inhibit exhaustive physical activities, especially some of the exhaustive physical activities he wanted to do with her.

  A mental image of Maura bent over the headboard, like she was earlier, popped into Bain's head, except this time she was naked. He felt his canines lengthen and his pants got even tighter. The reaction this woman elicited from him was disturbing.

  The guests began to arrive at a steady pace and saved Bain from having to delve too deeply into that emotional quagmire, but it continued to haunt him most of the night.

  * * * *

  Everyone gathered for breakfast the next morning. The kitchen was fully stocked and open to guests almost always but served up three palate pleasing meals a day. Guests were expected to maintain a healthy caloric intake to fuel themselves, especially on outings that required lots of exertion. They were encouraged to eat when they were hungry, as long as they made sure it was healthy, nutrient filled food. Individual cabins didn't have kitchens for this very reason. The food selection was specially designed for premium fuel intake and minimal caloric impact. Chips and soda weren't among the selections here.