Untamed (Irresistible Bachelors Book 9)
Untamed
Lauren Landish
Edited by
Valorie Clifton
Edited by
Staci Etheriedge
Copyright © 2018 by Lauren Landish.
All rights reserved.
Cover design © 2018 by OkayCreations.
Cover Models: Jonny James.
Photography by Wander Aguiar.
Edited by Valorie Clifton & Staci Etheridge.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The following story contains mature themes, strong language and sexual situations. It is intended for mature readers.
All characters are 18+ years of age and all sexual acts are consensual
Contents
Introduction
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Epilogue
Excerpt: Motorhead
About the Author
Introduction
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Irresistible Bachelor Series (Interconnecting standalones):
Anaconda || Mr. Fiance || Heartstopper
Stud Muffin || Mr. Fixit || Matchmaker
Motorhead || Baby Daddy
Everyone has their first love. Mine was Aubrey O'Day.
We were high school sweethearts with our futures planned, together every step of the way.
Then one day, he disappeared.
I was shattered, left with questions and doubts.
I've worked hard to rebuild my future, to create a different life. And I have. Good job, good friends... but something's missing.
A decade later, he's back in my life. But he's changed. Gone is the happy-go-lucky boy I knew, replaced by a brooding, mysterious beast of a man. Gone are the boyish good looks and innocent laughter. His broad chest, rippling arms, and chiseled abs have all exploded until he's literally a mountain of pure muscle.
Still, some things haven't changed. One look from him, and the fire he lit in my belly flares back to life. But where has he been? Why did he leave me?
And can we still have that future we dreamed of so long ago?
Prologue
Ana
I shouldn’t be here, lying in bed in a barely-there silk shift, my goosebump-covered thighs half-exposed, waiting for him. Not after what happened. Not after what he did. If I were smart, I’d leave now.
But I can’t help myself. My body wants him, needs him, even if my mind is screaming that this is a bad idea.
I turn my head at the sound of creaking wood and bite my lower lip as our eyes meet. He’s standing in the doorway, tall, muscular, and imposing. His mostly-shadowed form nearly fills the space, and only the ethereal light coming through the small window above me lights his face, making his eyes almost glow ferally as they devour my every curve.
A beast-like hunger radiates from him, so palpable the hair on the back of my neck rises and a damp, primal heat starts to warm the space between my thighs.
My pulse quickens and my breathing is heavy as I press my thighs together, my limbs trembling with an almost insatiable craving. Never in my entire life have I seen someone look at me with this much want. This much need.
And I need him.
I need him right fucking now.
The corner of his lips quirk upward as his burning eyes take in my trembling body. He knows exactly what his greedy stare does to me, and he has me exactly where he wants me.
“Please,” I half moan, half whisper, hearing how desperate I sound. It’s an alien feeling. I’ve always been the one in charge, never begging a man for anything.
But in this moment, I don’t care.
I want this. I want him.
“I need you now,” I whimper, sliding one shoulder strap off. It’s a silent offer, with no conditions. Just take me, ravage me, give me the animal pleasure that’s hiding behind your eyes. Show me what desire brings. “Claim me. After so long, take what’s yours.”
Grinning like a wolf, he pulls off his red flannel shirt and tosses it to the side, exposing his rippling muscle, hardened by years of hard work. His faded blue jeans are hung low, showing off the rock-hard ‘V’ at his hips, his happy trail descending to the huge cock imprint that even the sturdy fabric can’t fully cloak.
My mouth waters at the sight, my lips parting in a soft moan of desire.
God, he’s so fucking sexy, a true mountain of a man. I never thought it was possible to want another human being this much.
His eyes burn into me, tracing down my chest, my hips, before centering on my core. As his gaze brushes along my skin, my nipples harden and my clit begins to throb like a war drum. I’m ready to explode . . . and he hasn’t even laid a finger on me yet.
He growls, sniffing the air. “You’re already so wet for me.”
It’s not a question but a statement of fact. There’s no denying it. I am beyond wet for him. He can probably smell my arousal, and I know he can see it too, his eyes flashing lust as they come to rest on my soaked panties.
“Yes,” I sigh, my hands unconsciously drifting down my stomach toward my dripping mound, my knees parting to show him the near-translucent wispy garment.
“No,” he grunts possessively. I freeze instantly, my hand a fraction above my throbbing clit. “Mine.”
I watch him, my chest heaving, as he strides across the room, each massive footstep filling the cabin with the sound of creaking wood. Each step he takes is an eternity as every cell within my body awakens and screams in anticipation, electricity carried within my bloodstream itself as he nears.
When he gets to the side of the bed, he drops down, making the steel frame squeak loudly in protest, his almost massive weight settling upon my lower body. He spreads my legs wide before him, his deep voice dropping into a hungry growl that sounds more animal than human as he slips my soaked panties down my thighs.
I can’t take it. The sight of him a breath’s width away from my soaking wet pussy is too much to take. I can feel my inner walls clenching even though there’s nothing there yet. “Fuck, you smell fucking delicious and sweet . . . like wild honey,” he rumbles, licking his lips. “And finally, I get the taste I’ve dreamed of for so long.”
His words have me bucking my hips toward his face, wanting what he’s about to give me so badly I fear I’ll break in two. “Yes . . . get your fill. Take what’s yours.”
My heart . . . it’s his. Always has been. Though it might kill me if he breaks it again.
My body . . . all his. Every fucking part of it.
Chapter 1
Aubrey
Work and pain. It’s my entire existence. I wake up, wash under a flood of cold water, do chores around my cabin, go outside, hunt or chop fire wood if I’m running low, and then return when the sun goes down to eat and sleep in a bed that’s more steel tubing and springs than mattress. Rinse, repeat.
It’s a monotonous cycle. Some might even think of it as hell.
But for me, though, it’s peace. It’s a hard sort of heaven.
The work and strain keep my mind occupied, freeing it from the demons that torment me and the ghosts of my past.
But not today. Today’s agenda is a different kind of hell. From far away, like the buzzing of an annoying fly, I vaguely hear . . .
“Fresh crisp air, sweeping views of Great Falls, magical nights spent looking up at the twinkling stars. Enjoy it all while staying at our amazing cabin, featuring all the amenities you need. So what are you waiting for? Book your trip to Bear Mountain now. How’s that sound?”
“What?” I grunt absently, sitting back in my great oak chair. It’s handmade, like most of the furniture in my cabin, but there aren’t too many chairs that can take a man who stands six five and is built like a Strongman contestant.
Seated at a large wooden table near the window in a chair that makes her look not much bigger than a child, Carlotta Lawson, my fiery-haired second cousin and sales and marketing consultant, looks up from her laptop and scowls murder at me. “Have you been listening to me at all?”
A lock of red hair falls in front of her green eyes and she brushes it back in annoyance to continue her glare. She’s been working for the past hour to create a presentable brochure, and my lack of attention to detail has her on edge. I know I should be helping out more. She’s just about the only member of my family . . . hell, nearly the only person, I have contact with anymore.
But to be honest, I haven’t been listening for the past ten minutes, though I should be. I need this sales pitch to be a hit with potential customers. Rising taxes on my fifty acres of land have been brutal, and if I want to hang onto my mountaintop paradise without dipping into my savings, I need to raise some cash.
Luckily, there’s an extra little cabin on the property that will make a great seasonal Airbnb rental to help pay the bills. I won’t even need to do any face-to-face contact with guests. I can hire a cleaning person when I need it, or just clean it when they’re not around. But I’m not the marketing genius she is, so I need Carlotta to come up with the perfect vision . . . with as little input from me as possible.
I’m not the creative type, but give me an axe and I’ll impress anyone with how fast I can send a tree crashing down before I lug it through the woods to turn it into firewood.
Carlotta continues to glare daggers at me as the silence drags out. “Well?” she finally says. “I’m waiting!”
I scratch at my beard, reminding myself I need to trim it. “Sure, I have,” I finally say. “I’ve been paying attention.”
Carlotta huffs, unconvinced. “Then what did I say?”
I think for a moment and say an approximation of what I think I heard. “Something about twinkling stars and gorgeous bears. And maybe crisp apples, but I don’t know where you got that shit from.”
Carlotta snorts in disgust. “See, that’s my point exactly!” she says, ignoring her laptop to stare at me. Before I know it, she’s slipped off into one of her epic rants about how I’m an inconsiderate, ‘grunty’ bastard who might as well be a caveman. She gets out of her chair, stomping back and forth and waving her arms around as she explains all of my shortcomings, behavioral, physical, and maybe genetic, in excruciating detail. It’d hurt if I still had feelings, or if they weren’t all things I’ve heard before. Reality is . . . she’s right, though, so not much I can do but let her get it all off her chest. “ . . .always so rude. I’m here to do you a favor and you don’t even have the decency to pay attention!”
I let her irritation run its course before replying, knowing if I don’t, I run the risk of it starting all over again. “I was thinking, and really, there’s not much I can offer. If you think it’s good, it’s good. I trust you and your skills.”
It’s about as much of an apology as she’ll get out of me, especially after her little tirade. Carlotta shakes her head, crossing her arms and giving me the stink-eye. “If I could fight a man . . .”
I’m barely able to contain my grin at the image of her tiny fists flailing at me as I hold her back with a single finger to her forehead. “Listen, what you have sounds about right. Make it official.”
Carlotta throws her hands up in defeat, snapping her laptop shut and climbing to her feet. “I know you’re just saying that to get rid of me, but fine. I’ll get the brochure printed and sent out to all the local businesses as soon as possible and finalize the online ad so it’s live. I’ll help, though you don’t deserve it.”
I rise out of my chair, towering over Carlotta. She doesn’t mean it. She knows why I live the way I do, even if she doesn’t quite approve. “You do that. I’m sure it will get us some traffic.”
It’s not quite a compliment, but close enough, especially when partnered with my telling her she’s got good skills that I trust. I hand pleasantries like that out about as often as the Bills win the Super Bowl. But truth is, I’m amazed she puts up with my ass at all. Most of the world, and most of my family, stopped trying years back.
Carlotta glares up at me for a moment before her expression softens and she lets out a soft sigh. “Look, I’m sorry, Aubrey. You know I didn’t mean to go off on you like that. It’s just that I’m worried about you. Everyone is. You’ve moved up here, practically become a recluse, and haven’t talked to your parents in years. You know your mother misses you terribly, right?”
I cross my arms over my chest, jutting my jaw. Carlotta never misses the opportunity to bring that little fact up whenever she’s here. Seeing as how she’s the only person I’ve let into my life lately, I don’t necessarily blame her for trying to get messages through to me on others’ behalf.
It’s never worked though. Maybe it will change in the future, but for now, the door is closed. Carlotta doesn’t understand the whole picture, even though she’s probably seen a side of it.
“Anything else?” I grunt stonily.
Carlotta stares at me for a moment before looking all around, stopping at the logs I keep stored on this side of the cabin. “Yeah, how about getting someone in here to help you keep this place tidy? Or better yet, get a girlfriend? It has be lonely up here all by yourself.”
The latter question is one she also brings up, and one I have no intention of answering.
“For your second question, none of your business. As for your first,” I reply, hooking a thumb at the broom against the wall that I just used yesterday, “you’re welcome to help yourself to sweeping and mopping.” My voice is hard, dismissive even to my ears.
I fully expect Carlotta to storm out, but she just shakes her head, looking up at me worriedly. “I’m just going to pretend you didn’t say that.” She leans in closer, her piercing green eyes filled with concern. “In all seriousness, I think it is my business. You can’t stay alone forever, Aubrey. You really need to find someone. At least a damn friend. I can’t even imagine what it must be like for you.”
“I’m fine. It’s just the way I like it,” I say stubbornly, refusing to budge. Carlotta sure is pushing the envelope more than usual today. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear she wants to give me a hug, and I hug about as often as I compliment. “You needn’t worry about me.”
&nb
sp; Carlotta bites her lower lip and then her voice drops low. “I know you’re still hurting over . . .” She stops short of bringing up a name that we both avoid saying, “but it’s been ten years now. You’ve got to start moving on. You don’t have to keep torturing yourself like this. He wouldn’t want you to.”
I keep my stone-faced expression, silent and imposing, not letting Carlotta in on the emotions roiling beneath the surface. Instead, I nonchalantly nod at the door. “I’d invite you to stay for dinner, but it seemed you wanted to leave?” It’s more order than question and works exactly the way I wanted it to.
Anger flashes in her eyes, and she steps back, turning on a heel. “Fine, be that way. I’ll have the proofs to you by tonight.”
Snatching her laptop and bag from the table, she leaves. For a few moments, I hear muffled cursing and then the roar of an ATV engine and the sound of tires rolling over snow and gravel as she drives off.
After she’s gone, my stony demeanor crumbles a little and my shoulders slump. I usually like Carlotta’s visits, and she’s right about a little human interaction being a good thing for me. But only a little, and on my terms. I didn’t mean to piss her off, but I wasn’t about to let her into that side of my brain either. Usually, she knows not to push me, but today, she was bolder than usual.