Chapter Two
Mia
I had a mountain of paperwork spread out around my desk, and I felt like I could rip my hair out. I’d settled into my new Rockbridge life over the last month. The town was quaint and the people friendly. It was such a huge difference from the hustle and bustle of city life. But surprisingly I was very busy for such a small business, maybe just as much as before I moved here.
I exhaled and rubbed my eyes. It was well past lunchtime and I knew I needed a break. I was a workaholic by nature. But getting out of the office would do me good. I leaned back in the chair and stared out the window, watching as people walked by, bags in their hands from shopping, and this cozy notion of country life surrounding them.
I grabbed my purse and stood up, about to head across the street to the little restaurant for some lunch, when I saw a black pickup truck pull into one of the parking spots. I could see slabs of wood in the bed of the truck, but it was the man who stepped out of the driver’s side who had my full attention.
He was big, his arms thick and strong, his red plaid shirt was stretched across his bulging biceps and wide shoulders. I’m not much of an ass woman, but the faded jeans he wore molded to him perfectly.
He walked around the back of the truck and tossed pieces of wood aside as if they weighed nothing. He looked like a lumberjack, and I meant that in the most stereotypical of ways, given the fact he wore that flannel and even had a pair of dark suspenders on.
“You finally taking a lunch?”
I turned around in my chair and faced Flora, one of the interns. She’d just come back from finishing college in Denver, and although she was young, she was sharp. Her red hair was piled high on her head in a sophisticated chignon that seemed almost out of place in this small mountain town, but she pulled it off. Beautiful and smart, once her internship was done, if she decided to stay, she’d be an incredible asset to the company.
She had her focus out the window and I knew she was staring at the lumberjack.
“You know him?” It surprised me how curious I was about a man I’d only just seen. She nodded once but a dark look covered her face. It was gone as fast as it had arrived. Clearly there was some kind of baggage going on there. Had they dated? Did the lumberjack hunk have some deep, dark secret that only she knew about? Hell, maybe the whole town knew about it. Maybe I should’ve backed away right then and there, but my curiosity won me over.
“That’s Noah Ash, one third owner of Ash Lumber, the only supplier for wood in town, but also the biggest supplier for the surrounding area and even some major businesses.”
Noah.
Okay, so he was successful, but that didn’t explain the weird look that had covered her face. She smiled at me and crossed her arms over her chest. I guess I’d have to probe her a little if she wasn’t going to be forthcoming with the information.
But why do I care? Why do I even want to know about this man so much?
“I feel like there is something else going on here—with him, I mean.”
Flora didn’t say anything for a second, and when she looked back out the window I did the same. Another truck and an SUV had since pulled up behind the pickup. I watched as two other men, dressed similarly to the lumberjack hunk, stepped out of their vehicles and made their way to meet him at the front of the café. They were all huge in that lumber-slinging way, but one of them was even bigger. Taller than the other two by a good six inches, he looked larger than life itself.
“Those are the other two owners of Ash Lumber, Liam and Big Johnny.”
I didn’t need to guess which one was Big Johnny.
“Noah’s the oldest, and took over the business when their father passed away. Liam is the youngest.” Flora had a wispy quality to her voice, which led me to believe she had feelings for one of them. I didn’t go any deeper on that, though.
“I still feel like I’m missing something. What’s the story there, Flora?”
She turned back around to face me. “Maybe I can join you for lunch? We can check out the café across the street?”
I didn’t bother telling her I was headed there anyway.
“And besides, the Ash brothers are eating there, so this is the perfect opportunity for you to see them, you know, up close and personal.” She grinned.
I chuckled. “Lunch there sounds great, and I’m sure the view won’t be too bad either.” Flora started laughing. It wasn’t just because I wanted to know more about this Noah Ash fellow, although that was a big selling point. But Flora was sweet and kind and it would be nice to talk to someone. As it was, I hadn’t made any friends since moving here, and the loneliness, once I left work and wasn’t surrounded by co-workers anymore, was weighing heavily on me.
“I’ll meet you out front.” And then she was gone and I was looking back out the window, watching the three brothers walk into the café.
I had a feeling if I didn’t get my head screwed on tightly I could easily find myself a little too curious about Noah Ash.
Noah
I sat at one of the bigger tables and waited for Johnny to finish up the order he was giving to Rickie. Liam sat beside me, his fucking cell phone in his hand as he played some stupid game on it. The little beeping noises coming from the device were grating on my nerves, but I didn’t say anything, and instead leaned back in the chair and crossed my arms over my chest.
“Motherfucker,” Liam swore.
Given the passion in his voice, I assumed maybe some serious shit was going on. But he was still focused on his phone. He tossed the cell down on the table and looked pissed. I couldn’t help but laugh. Clearly he’d lost at whatever game he was playing.
“What?” he all but spit and I couldn’t help but laugh harder. I just shook my head, not about to go there with him, although it would have been so fun and easy. Liam glanced over at Johnny once more. “What’s he doing, trying to get into Rickie’s pants?”
I looked at Johnny. I didn’t bother telling Liam Rickie did nothing for our brother, that Johnny held a flame for a certain woman. No, getting into all of that was too exhausting, especially since I knew Liam would just drill Johnny about it when he returned to the table, and that would lead Johnny to deny everything.
Rickie was smiling up at Johnny, and although it was obvious the middle-aged divorcée would have been happy to hop in bed with my brother, I knew he wouldn’t go there. He might try to play it off like he didn’t want anyone, that he was content to be a loner like me, but I knew him better than anyone else, and I knew who he really wanted. But that was also shit I wasn’t about to touch on, not when the last time I brought it up Johnny got salty as fuck with me.
Once the food arrived Johnny grabbed the order and came over to the table.
“Finally,” Liam said under his breath and Johnny grunted in annoyance.
“Next time you go get the fucking food and let Rickie try and talk you into coming over tonight.”
Liam and I both laughed.
Johnny scowled harder.
He sat down and we started eating. I listened to my two younger brothers bitch about something that happened at work, but I focused on the sandwich in front of me and all the shit I had to do later on today. It was the sound of the door chime, and of Liam clearing his throat and shifting in his seat, that had me glancing up. Liam stared at the entrance before glancing at Johnny, who seemed oblivious to whatever the hell was going on. I looked behind me at what held Liam’s interest.
Immediately I saw Flora, the woman I knew Johnny had feelings for, hell, probably even fucking loved. For some reason, though, he kept them to himself, refusing to acknowledge anything. But I wasn’t an idiot. I knew our brother was just a stubborn Ash male that refused to admit that he wanted something. Hell, I was the same way. But it wasn’t Flora who had me interested now; it was the woman who was with her.
Her long, light brown hair hung in loose waves around her shoulders, and the way the sun came through the window made it look like golden wheat. She wore a white blouse and a knee-length tight black skirt. Her professional appearance seemed a little out of place in our mountain town. Hell, even the attorney we had in Rockbridge wore khakis and a button-down flannel most days, and he was one hell of a lawyer.
Flora and the other woman were unaware that I was staring at them, but that was good because it gave me a chance to really look at her without her noticing. I couldn’t help the way my body tightened as I watched her walk behind Flora. The skirt molded to her ass to perfection, and her curvy frame called out to every male part of my being.
The emotions and arousal that slammed into me were so powerful, so fucking intense, that I actually reached out and gripped the edge of the table, my fingers curling around the wood so tightly I thought I might crush it under my grasp. I didn’t want to sexualize her, but I couldn’t help the fact she was so damn gorgeous. My cock got rock hard and my balls drew up tight. This low growl left me like I was some kind of animal unable to control himself.
Nothing else mattered in that moment except that woman.
Mine.
That one word coursed through me, pounding inside of my skull like a war drum, causing my heart to jackhammer in my chest. I’d never felt such an immediate, intense feeling consume me. And that’s exactly what it was doing. It took hold of me and refused to submit.
I pictured her in my bed, surrounded by my sheets, the scent of me covering her, making me even more territorial. I saw her hair fanned out around her, a look of pleasure covering her face as I spread her thighs. I’d lean low, run my tongue along the very center of her, and lap up the arousal that I caused. I could tell she’d taste sweet, so fucking good that I’d grow addicted from just that one taste. She’d have her hands in my hair, tugging at the strands, causing me pain and pleasure.
Fuck, I was harder than damn steel, my cock threatening to burst through my zipper.
I didn’t know why this woman, who I didn’t know anything about, had me reacting this way, but a part of me wanted it to go further, deeper.
I wanted to thrust my dick into her hot, wet heat. I wanted her to cry out as I filled her, as I stretched her.
My food was forgotten as I continued to stare at her. She brushed her hair away from her face and I tightened my hands on the edge of the table. I wanted to grab her hair and pull on it, watch as her head tipped back and her throat was bared to me. I wanted to see her expression as pleasure washed across her face when I had my cock so deep into her I didn’t know where she began and I ended.
God, I’m fucking losing my mind.
I don’t know how long I watched her, but the sound of shifting beside me, and of Liam clearing his throat, had me glancing away from her and at my brothers. I stared at Johnny and Liam, knowing full well they could see how affected I was. But to my surprise Johnny wasn’t even looking at me. His focus was on Flora, his jaw clenched tightly.
Liam, on the other hand, was staring right at me, his eyebrow cocked, and a smirk on his face. I wouldn’t live this down. I growled low at him and shifted on the seat, trying to alleviate the stiffness between my thighs.
“What?” I said, my voice thick. I cleared my throat, trying to seem like I had my shit together. Liam shook his head and looked down at his food.
“I’m not even going there,” he mumbled under his breath.
Good, at least he was smart enough to keep his opinion to himself, at least for right now. Johnny grumbled something under his breath and looked away from Flora.
“You two are insane, you know that?” Liam said, but he was speaking more to himself than to us.
I didn’t bother saying anything in return, because he was right. I was insane, especially where some sexy little number was concerned. I didn’t even know her name or where she came from. But the feelings inside of me were intense, the need to smell her, touch her, be with her in every way... It was something I hadn’t felt in a very long time, and certainly not this powerfully. I’d never had this reaction to a woman before, never thought it was even possible. But the territorial side of me had risen up, and the one word that kept pounding through my head would not be silenced.
Mine.
Mia
I tried not to stare at Noah. He was finished with lunch and he and his brothers were getting up to go. Although I was off to the side and pretty sure he couldn’t see me gawking at him, I still tried to be stealthy about it.
He was big and strong. He worked with his hands, and that manual labor was evident on the muscles upon muscles that covered his body. His raw power couldn’t be hidden. It was hard not to imagine myself pressed up against a wall, his body blocking out everything else, his thigh between mine. I was already so wet, my arousal so powerful it was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. And my nipples, God, I felt like they could tear through my shirt.
I slouched in my seat just a bit more, thankful Flora was busy messing with her phone and not paying attention to me. Although I couldn’t help but notice how she’d stiffened the moment we’d walked into the café, or how her attention had immediately gone to the biggest Ash brother, Johnny. I wondered what was going on there, but I wasn’t about to probe. It wasn’t my business, and besides, I was too interested in Noah to care about much else at the moment.
I pressed my legs together to try and stem off my desire, but all that did was add pressure to my clit, the little bundle of nerves that throbbed, aching for a man named Noah to ease my suffering. I could have groaned at the thoughts playing through my head.
His hands would run over my naked body, and his mouth would be at my neck. He’d be licking, sucking at my pulse point as he slid his hand down my belly and stopped right above my pussy. God, he’d be whispering the filthiest things in my ear, ones that made me blush but want so much more.
“Looks like there’s an issue back at the office,” Flora said.
I blinked a few times, turned my attention form Noah, who was leaving the restaurant, and stared at the intern. I felt like my face was on fire, and prayed like hell she couldn’t see that I was like this because I was so turned on.
She was still staring at her phone so I chanced one more look at Noah, and that’s when our gazes locked. He was staring right at me, his blue eyes hard on mine. The world could have swallowed me up in that moment and I wouldn’t have cared.
Everything seemed to still, and in that second I felt like he was right in front of me, touching me, stroking my skin until flames licked across my limbs.
“Hey, you okay?”
And just like that, the sound of Flora’s voice had me coming back to the present. I still stared at Noah, watched him leave the restaurant and get into his truck, and only when he drove away did I look at Flora. She had her brows pulled down low in a look of confusion, her body tense as if she were uncomfortable.
“You okay? You’re all flushed.” She looked over her shoulder, but the Ash brothers were now gone.
Thank God, because if Noah would have stayed there any longer I don’t know if I could have controlled myself. Hell, I could have seen myself walking up to him and demanding he take me right then and there.
“I’m fine,” I lied easily. My throat felt thick, my mouth dry. When Flora looked back at me I could see she wasn’t buying it, but she didn’t press me about it. And that was a good thing, because I don’t know if I could have lied about not wanting Noah Ash.