Mountain Men II: Primal Hunger Read online

  Almost all of the food was supplied by a small self sustaining farm set on the property but situated somewhat away from the main fitness compound. Fresh fruits and vegetables abounded. The farm was yet another reason the resort opted to stay small and exclusive. Keeping the guests size minimal allowed the small farm to supply the resort with the excess crops they grew and keep food costs to nearly nothing.

  It was genius really.

  The exclusivity of the place kept the demand for its services very high. The wait list to come here had, at times, been months in advance. Maura had no doubt the waitlist would soon extend to years. The timber cut to clear the area for the club house had been repurposed into the housing material or raw materials to make the furniture. They employed solar water heaters which often came in handy during hard mountain winters when losing electricity during snow storms was more common than not. The clever design of the fireplaces in guests’ cabins gave off maximum heat with minimum energy waste. The expenses for this resort were next to nil, the carbon footprint very little, and it was an excellent model for a sustainable eco friendly resort.

  Genius.

  After breakfast, each guest was given their individual itinerary for the fitness assessments. Everyone would participate in a yoga lesson everyday but proficiency level of each student would be determined before grouping into classes of similar skill sets.

  Maura had included yoga in her classes at the gym. She jiggled less in those workouts, but still was very much a beginner. Apparently most of the yoga classes were set near the river bank, which ought to be a tranquil setting.

  There were a variety of methods of exercise the resort used to whip its guests into shape. Maura couldn't help but feel a surge of both anticipation and dread flash through her. Suck it up buttercup. This was what she had come for, the discipline needed to seriously shed pounds. Two men came to the front of the room to welcome everyone. Maura was temporarily dumbstruck by their contrasting coloring and resulting hotness.

  Each man's coloring complemented the other perfectly. Bain's coloring was dark, having those dark chocolate eyes and hair, and he stood tall and broad, heavily muscled like a boxer. The man next to him stood almost as tall but with tawny gold hair, sky blue eyes, and a more leanly muscled frame, more like a swimmer or martial artist. Maura wouldn't mind being the meat in that man sandwich. Heat flooded her body and pooled in her panties. Bain chose that moment to meet her assessing gaze. Her face flamed and she looked away, sure that her thoughts were written all over her face.

  You must quit lusting over every man you encounter here.

  That problem was solved easily when, after the greeting and brief orientation from hot and hotter, guests broke for an opportunity to meet the people they would be sweating with over the next couple weeks. She actively avoided looking at Bain, embarrassed at being caught undressing him with her eyes and concentrated on meeting the other guests. The men mostly dismissed her after a handshake and perfunctory name swap then gravitated toward the more delicately formed members of the women's group. The women were mostly nice. She supposed she posed no threat for male attention and that made making female friends easier.

  * * * *

  Bain watched, trying not to glare at the men touching Maura. It was simply handshakes, but his bear was decidedly unhappy about the situation. This completely conflicted with the incredulity he felt at the men's immediate dismissal of what was so obviously a luscious, beautiful woman. How could they miss what a desirable, delectable woman was right in front of them? Not that he wanted men to hit on her. Hell, he didn't know what he was thinking anymore.

  Bain couldn't keep his eyes off the way she flitted amongst the guests. Her smile dimming ever so slightly every time she was summarily dismissed after each greeting. He saw a quickly disguised flash of pain in her eyes every time. It made his bear very grumpy. Bear wanted to go to her, comfort her, and cause pain in those that put sadness in her eyes. He was having to put effort in restraining his beast from doing bodily harm to his guests.

  Gavin could feel the tension rolling off of Bain in waves. He could see the woman Bain was growling over and was immediately captivated by her sweet face and figure. She was generously curved and in all the best places. Her breasts were full, hung pleasantly over a soft waist and nicely flared hip. When she turned to greet another camper, Gavin got an eyeful of her backside and felt a rush of blood to his groin.

  Juicy.

  Overwhelmed suddenly by the urge to sink his teeth in that behind like it was a rare steak, he felt a bigger rush of blood to his groin and had to adjust himself. His lion purred in agreement. There was something unique about this woman. The curious feline in him perked at the hint of a riddle to be solved.

  What is it about that woman?

  This was going to be a very, very interesting couple of weeks.

  Gavin couldn't wait to assess her physical fitness. Hell, he had already assessed her physically anyway. Luckily, he didn't have to wait for long. Her last name began with B and was toward the top of his list. Gavin was also not surprised that her's was the name on the file that Bain asked for the day before. She was wearing yoga pants that molded her shapely legs in mouth watering detail. She had paired that with a larger t-shirt that hit her mid-thigh. It offered only a tantalizing peek at the amazing ass that hid underneath it. It also planted the image of what she would look like padding around wearing nothing but a shirt.

  His shirt.

  After sex.

  Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail that had a slight curl at the end. Gavin couldn't stop the image of that ponytail wrapped around his fist from flashing in his mind. Gavin was stunned momentarily when she turned and the full force of her bright smile focused on him then gaped.

  "You're the yoga instructor," she gasped?

  "Now, now Miss Brooks, that's not very equal opportunity of you."

  She shuffled somewhat uncomfortably but Gavin could scent her arousal in the air. It heightened his and made his loose fitting pants tent.

  "You're right. I've just never had a yoga instructor that ... well, looked like you."

  Gavin couldn't contain his bark of laughter.

  "I’ll take that as a compliment."

  Maura blushed an attractive pink on her neck and up her cheeks.

  "It was supposed to be one. It just wasn't a very well worded one."

  Gavin turned the conversation towards the purpose of the visit and asked her the series of predetermined questions for new guests. He was pleased that yoga was already something she had experience in and began to run through a series of poses. Most of the beginning poses were standing but when she bent forward to do the 'downward facing dog' pose, he realized it was going to be a much harder workout than he thought ... for him and his cock.

  Her infatuating backside was thrust in the air, her shirt riding up slightly, and the yoga pants stretched across the plush perfection. Her back was flat and her legs about shoulder width apart. It was all he could do to keep his hand from straying to cup those beautiful cheeks and stepping in to rub the growing length of his flesh against hers. A moment later she teetered as she stood on one leg and instinctively Gavin put his hands on her waist to steady her. Her waist was soft and feminine and if he wiggled his thumb up another inch or two, he would be able to just brush the underside of her breast. He saw her nipples pearl and couldn't resist a feather light brush against them as he withdrew his hand.

  Maura let escape an almost inaudible gasp of breath at his touch. Gavin grinned somewhat slyly to himself. He continued to find excuses to touch her during their time that wasn't an overt grope--like running his flattened palm down her spine to ensure she was supporting it by keeping it straight, placing a hand on her soft middle to remind her to use her core stability and breathing, or gentle swipes of his fingers between her knees when she needed to widen her stance. He felt his response to her with every touch and was innately pleased to hear the little gasps and hitches of breath that let him know she wasn't
unaffected by him either.

  Very interesting.

  * * * *

  Maura couldn't believe the way she was acting during yoga. Well not acted so much as thought. Gavin, worlds hottest yoga instructor, had her damn near panting, melting down into a puddle in her panties. Every touch and swipe of his hand on her body was like pulling a string attached right between her legs. She was having trouble breathing at all, much less taking deep, cleansing breaths. She couldn't fathom what had gotten into her.

  All this activity and fresh air must have jumpstarted your libido.

  Well that was just going to have to stop. There was no way a man who looked like that would be attracted to her. She wasn't the type men like Gavin and Bain went after. She was on the verge of dropping trousers and jumping their bones. Her mouth literally watered around both of them and they probably couldn't pick her out of a lineup of one. She had never been this attracted to any man and here she was fighting an overwhelming attraction to two.

  It had to be something in the air.

  Turning her attention back to her itinerary she almost groaned when she realized she would get no break from her sexual onslaught. The very next assessment she had was her strength training assessment with Bain. Checking the time and deciding there was no time for a cold shower either, Maura opted for a cold drink instead.

  There was plenty of that in the main hall. Grabbing a cold bottle she briefly considered pouring it over her head, or maybe down her pants, before meeting with Bain but decided adding any extra moisture in her pants was the exact opposite of what she needed.

  After chugging down a few bracing gulps of the frigid water, Maura made her way out of the eating area and into the weight room. Bain stood next to a large full length mirror replacing some free weights on the rack. He had a vee of sweat down the back of his shirt and his hair clung to the back of his neck. She had a fleeting desire to lick the sweat from his neck and anywhere else her tongue could find the tasty droplets but gulped down more water instead.

  She couldn't help taking in the way he moved. Even the simple act of putting weights back on a rack caused his muscles to shift pleasantly under his clothes. She resisted the urge to feel those muscles moving under her hands.

  The door clicked shut behind her and startled her out of her growing sexual fantasy. Bain turned just in time for Maura to collect her thoughts and compose herself before she got caught undressing him with her eyes again.

  "Miss Brooks, I'm Bain. I showed you to your cabin."

  Maura nodded. As if I could forget that.

  "Please come in and we can get started."

  "Please, just Maura."

  She stopped next to him and looked up, meeting his gaze. Bain's pupils dilated, his eye color shifting slightly and she found herself being pulled into them. She was fascinated with the flecks of gold that glowed within the dark brown depths.

  "Maura it is then."

  Maura barely repressed a shudder at the way his deep, husky voice caressed her name. She literally felt his timbre travel down her spine. He placed his hand at the small of her back to direct her towards the free weights and she bit her lip to keep from arching into it and encouraging his palm to slide down a little further.

  As if he could read her mind, Bain's palm flexed slightly against her and she did shudder slightly. He released her then and handed over some lightweight dumbbells. To monitor her weightlifting technique, Bain turned her toward the full length mirror and stood behind her.

  Lifting the weights over her head, Maura began the grueling repetition of pumping them up and down while feeling the heat of Bain's body radiating into her from behind. He lifted her arms by slightly, palming the sensitive underside right near her elbow and she felt little electric tingles dance up her arm to her breasts. When she had to lift her arms straight out to the side, Bain placed one hand on her waist and one on her lower spine to correct her posture. His hand was big and spanned it completely. It scalded the thin material of her t-shirt and sent sizzles into her panties. So many images flashed through her head of things that she would like that hand to do, she was thankful she was exercising and had an excuse for her sudden shortness of breath.

  Laying on the bench to press what looked like teeny tiny weights on the bar, she breathed a brief sigh of relief that she would get a break from the arousal his touch was causing. That was a very brief breath because she realized he was going to spot her and ... yup, his groin was a few inches from her face. She saw the hairs on his thighs ruffle slightly when her panting breath brushed across them and thought he shuddered a little.

  She tried to focus on the lifting and the lowering but kept getting distracted by what was covered by workout shorts and under armor just a few inches from her mouth. Saliva pooled on her tongue and she could just pick up the musky, but pleasant, scent of his sweat-slicked skin. Lucky for her, before she could embarrass herself by giving in to the impulse to lick his thigh or something, they were changing position again.

  Maura thought maybe working legs would give her the break she needed to get her mind under control. Bain gripped her ankle and his hand completely encircled it. She felt the now familiar tingles rush up her leg.

  Nope. No break.

  Bain was glad for the break in his schedule right after his appointment with Maura. He needed to gain control of himself. He had been sporting a serious hard-on from the very minute she walked in and he got a whiff of her scent. Just thinking about it made his cock jerk. He marched to his office and debated on where to pour the bottle of water, throat or pants?

  He growled irritably. Normally he was very decisive. Bears weren't known to be real wishy-washy. He was very pointed in his goals and how to achieve them. Now, he couldn't even decide where to pour water.

  Chapter Two

  The second day of boot camp retreat dawned with a splash of brilliant colors across the sky. Wispy fog floated across the mountain peaks and treetops, adding to the mystical feel of the location and dew twinkled on the grass giving the morning sparkle. It was the most pleasant walk to breakfast Maura had ever had. She could almost imagine fairies flitting about at any moment.

  Fairies, indeed. Maura shook her head at herself. All this mountain air and exercise must be getting to me if I’m expecting fairies and the like to appear.

  Breakfast once again included healthy food and handouts, but this time everyone received an individualized workout schedule. She had one-on-one instructions with both Bain and Gavin. She bit back a groan that was about equal parts pleasure and frustration. The pleasure both of the men caused also increased her frustration. Hopefully she would acclimate to the decreased oxygen levels in the higher mountain elevations and this wicked obsession with not one, but two men, would end.

  Yeah, right.

  The itinerary listed a canoe trip beginning in about an hour that included the entire group. Although the thought of paddling herself around in a boat was foreign, and she worried she wouldn't have the strength to keep up, it still seemed like an exciting adventure. She went to her cabin to get dressed in her bathing suit and shorts. She donned sunglasses and a hat after a generous layer of sunscreen had been applied all over her pale skin.

  On the walk to the riverbed where they would be introduced to the instructors and guides, Maura met and pleasantly chatted with some of the other guests and was beginning to genuinely enjoy herself. A few skeptical glances aside, most of the others were happy and eager to get started on their adventure. There was much comparing of class times to see the similarities and differences in each other’s schedule.

  The group arrived at the site and Maura groaned when they walked up on Gavin and Bain standing with two men that she had never seen before. The two new men were introduced as student guides, graduate students in forestry and wildlife management. Darryl seemed ok, greeting everyone warmly. As a bonus Darryl didn’t seem to get the flicker of judgment in his eye when he saw her size. Seth was another matter altogether. There was something unsettling about his gaze, i
t was too ... predatory.

  Guests discovered they would be carrying the canoes from the dry docks, up the forest trail for a mile, and to the actual launch spot. The guides would pair up Gavin and Darryl together in one canoe in the front with Bain and Seth bringing up the rear. When guests were paired in boy-girl groups and assigned a canoe, Maura tried to ignore the half disguised eye roll of her male counterpart. She was determined not to give him the satisfaction of adding fuel to his ignorant and narrow minded fire. It only served to strengthen her resolve to do whatever it took to push through to the end.

  Halfway down the trail, lugging the backend of a canoe she was increasingly sure was made from lead, Maura began to suspect her partner was allowing her to heft a greater and greater amount of the weight. She was sweating and her muscles were already shaking from exhaustion but vowed that she would bite her tongue off before she complained and got labeled the lazy fat chick. Concentrating on not dropping the boat also kept her too occupied to stare at Gavin and Bain. The burn in the muscles in her arms and back wasn’t quite enough to keep a warm burn of a totally different kind from zipping across her breasts and goose bumps across her sweat slick skin.

  * * * *

  Bain could tell the man carrying the canoe with Maura was shifting the brunt of the weight to her. The tilt of the boat told him that. Maura’s face was set. She was clearly determined not to be seen as weak, but that determination told him nothing about how she was doing. He knew she had to be getting exhausted already, but her expression gave no hint of it if she was. She looked like she would carry the canoe by herself all day if they asked.

  He felt a wave of admiration swell in his chest. She was strong. She might not be able to lift as much as he could, but she was strong in spirit and determination. Bain could count on one hand the people that engendered that kind of admiration in him. It was an emotion he was much less familiar with than, say, anger, vengeance, or disgust. Those he knew well.