Craving In The Mountains, page 1
Craving In The Mountains
Greene Mountain Boys
Olivia T. Turner
Copyright© 2024 by Olivia T. Turner.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including emailing, photocopying, printing, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author. For permission requests, email Olivia@oliviatturner.com
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This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events, businesses, companies, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Edited by Karen Collins Editing
Cover Design by Olivia T. Turner
Contents
Copyright
About
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Epilogue
Epilogue
Epilogue
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About
What do you do when you’re in a funk that won’t quit?
I tried everything:
- Sleeping all day (check)
- Binge watching Stranger Things all day (check)
- Feeling sorry for myself all day (check)
But nothing works. My funk gets funkier. Depression looms.
So I do something drastic to shake myself out of it.
I head to the Greene Mountains to go parachuting with my crazy cousin and his wild friends.
I need a rush of adrenaline. A dump of endorphins.
And I get it.
When I see the hottest mountain man alive.
Aiden Hughes.
He works in Search and Rescue.
And when I inevitably get myself lost on the mountain, he comes for me.
Depression is a distant memory when I’m in this alpha’s big arms.
The funk is gone. Desire takes its place.
Now, I’m craving more than adventure…
I’m craving a new start.
With him.
Anyone have a craving for a hot bearded Mountain Man with a possessive attitude? Steam is in the forecast for the Greene Mountains! Don’t miss out!
Insta-love at its finest with no cheating and a super sweet HEA guaranteed. Enjoy!
To Dan,
We were so right for each other until we were all wrong.
When you think of me, I hope you think of that water fountain in London and not the time I threw all your shit out the window.
Chapter One
Kylee
“If this won’t snap you out of your funk,” my cousin Nerf says as he tosses me the packed parachute, “nothing will.”
My heart starts pounding as I look down at the pack. I’m literally holding my life in my hands.
“Shully packed it,” Nerf says with a confident nod. “He’s the best packer we got.”
I swallow hard as I glance over at Shully who’s bent over and picking his teeth in the reflection of the Jeep’s filthy side mirror.
My life depends on that guy folding a huge piece of nylon properly.
“Great,” I mutter as the guys head into the General Store to grab some snacks and drinks.
I place the pack in the back of the Jeep and follow my cousin inside. The guy behind the counter gives him a double take when we walk in. Nerf is used to it. He’s a tall lanky redhead with huge ears and a very distinctive face. People are always staring at him, but it’s not really the good kind of staring. It’s the kind that you’d do if a four-year-old showed you her clay sculpture and you’re trying to figure out what it is.
The guys are attacking the chip aisle. They’re grabbing as much as they can hold before they head over to the soda fridge and start loading up on Mountain Dew. I laugh because these guys are exactly the type of guys who are in Mountain Dew commercials—crazy adventurous nuts who spend their free time doing activities that are trying to kill them.
“You want?” Nerf asks as he tosses me a cold red bottle of Mountain Dew Code Red.
I catch it with a chuckle. “Sure.”
I’ve never had this before and I’m not exactly sure if it’s even meant for human consumption, but when in Rome, you do as the Romans do, and when you’re hanging out with wild adrenaline junkies, you risk it all, even indigestion.
It’s been a tough month for me. I’ve been in a dark place.
Laying in bed and feeling sorry for myself has been my coping method of choice, but it’s not working. I’m not feeling any better. It’s just making everything worse.
I knew it was serious when my mother came over and suggested I hang out with Nerf for the weekend. Nerf and his buddies are not the type of people you want your kids hanging out with. Not because you’re more likely to get into trouble, but because you’re more likely to die. They’re always doing crazy shit. They were doing parkour before it had a name. They weren’t even videotaping it and putting it on YouTube for clicks and fame. They were jumping from building to building and climbing up radio towers and dangling from one hand for fun. They just do all this crazy shit for themselves.
I needed something to snap me out of my somber daze after the life I worked my ass off to build came tumbling down, so I sent him a text.
He sent me five words and one number back:
Be ready on Saturday at 8
I was too afraid to ask what he had planned. It could be anything. Riding dirt bikes along the edge of cliffs, paragliding through the mountains, wingsuiting over the forest, surfing monster waves, swimming with deadly sharks, rock climbing with no ropes. They’ve done it all.
So, I was actually relieved when he picked me up and announced that we were going skydiving out of a little airplane in the Greene Mountains.
Jumping out of a plane is better than floating next to a Great White shark, but it’s still terrifying. We’ll be hurtling through the atmosphere with only a pack strapped to our backs. I’m starting to realize that now, and I’m getting really nervous.
“Are you sure this is safe?” I whisper to Nerf as his buddy Tito pays for everything. Tito made a fortune from Bitcoin and he finances all of the group’s wild activities, including the excessive amount of Mountain Dew.
Nerf gives me that cocky grin. “You’re bummed out, right?”
I sigh. “Yeah.”
“You got a dark cloud hanging over your head after what happened, right?”
I nod.
“What you need is an adrenaline rush to shake all that dark shit out of you,” he says with a shrug of his slender shoulders. “You’ll see. Your brain will be so flooded with endorphins, you won’t be able to stop smiling, and then you can close this chapter and start a new one having done something crazy and adventurous.”
I’m not quite sure if I agree with his logic, but everyone starts running back to the jeep and I suck it up and follow them.
I hope he’s right. I do need something to shake my life up.
The chapter I’ve been in is truly over and I need to start a new one. I guess I have writer’s block or something because it feels like I’m staring at a blank page, not knowing what to put on it.
Maybe I need to start somewhere fresh, I tell myself as I step outside and look around at the adorable mountain town.
I can see myself living in a place like this. Every day would feel like a charming movie with the cobblestone sidewalks, cute little shops and restaurants, and with the majestic mountains jutting into the sky everywhere I look. It’s spectacular.
It’s late in the summer, so all of the flowers planted around the old-timey antique street lights are overflowing with gorgeous colorful petals. Families and happy people are walking everywhere. I spot a young couple with a cute little kid walking hand in hand. The man is a muscular giant with a long beard and short-cropped hair.
I smile as I look at his lucky wife. Maybe that’s what my next chapter should be—settling down with a hunky man and having a beautiful child.
“Let’s go, Kylee!” Nerf shouts as he bangs the side of the Jeep with his palm. They’re all packed in there, waiting for me. “It’s time to fly. Literally.”
I suck in a breath, give the happy family one last look, and then hop into the Jeep to await my fate.
Just as I get into the Jeep and close the back door, a Search and Rescue truck pulls into the spot beside us.
“Whoa,” I whisper to myself when the driver steps out and looks at us. He’s gorgeous. Striking blue eyes on a stunning face. His brown hair is long and messy in a wild, sexy kind of way. I’m not going to forget this man anytime soon. He’s big and tall with broad shoulders and muscular arms. The navy blue Search and Rescue shirt he’s wearing is clinging to his body, showing off his massive chest and tattooed biceps. I can’t look away.
A fantasy of being lost in the wilderness and having this gorgeous hottie find me pops into my mind where I know it won’t easily leave. He is so dreamy.
I lick my lips and sink a little lower into my seat as he turns and looks at us. He spots Nerf first who’s behind the wheel about to drive away. Nerf starts the engine and loud rock music blares out of the speakers.
But he hasn’t even looked at me yet. He doesn’t know I exist.
His beautiful eyes finally make their way to the back seat where I’m sitting and his mouth drops open when he spots me. His eyes widen and he gets all stiff, staring at me in shock.
We’re both staring at each other in stunned silence as the Jeep starts to roll backward. I’m about to scream at Nerf to stop, but the man darts forward and races around his truck.
“Hold up,” he says to Nerf with his hand up.
Nerf ignores him, so I put a hand on his shoulder. “Wait a second. Please.”
I can feel the annoyance coming from my cousin, but he stops the Jeep and turns down the volume. “Are you a cop?”
“No,” the man says as his eyes dart back to me. “Search and Rescue.”
“Well, we don’t need either, so thanks.” Nerf goes to back up again, but I squeeze his shoulder and he hesitates.
“Are you guys hiking in the mountains?” the man asks. I love his voice. It’s so deep with a little bit of a growl in it. He’s so freaking hot.
“Parachuting,” Shully says. “Our plane’s waiting, bro.”
“You’re going parachuting?” he says as he stares right at me. He looks worried all of a sudden, like the thought of me jumping out of a plane is making him sick.
“Yeah,” I say, probably sounding as worried as he looks.
“It’s too dangerous,” he says with an air of desperation in his eyes. “There’s fierce gusts of wind swirling around the mountains today. Where are you landing?”
“It’s all good, bro,” Shully says with a roll of his eyes. “We’re landing in the valley on the east side.”
He’s staring right at me. Those blue eyes are locked on me with a fierceness that has my breath caught in my throat.
“Don’t go,” he says. “Please.”
“We’ll be fine,” Nerf says as he turns the music back up and hits reverse. “We’ve done this a gazillion times before.”
The man doesn’t seem concerned about them at all. His heated eyes are fixated on me as I’m thrust backward and onto the street.
I never take my eyes off him as the Jeep jerks to a stop and then propels forward.
I whip my head around and watch him for as long as I can. He never takes his eyes off me as we race down the street and then turn away.
What was that?
This place does feel like a movie. That was like the start of an epic romance film where the two leads meet and their worlds are rocked forever.
I’m still shaken by it when we arrive at the tiny airstrip and climb out of the Jeep. I can’t get him out of my mind as I slip into the jumpsuit and Nerf straps the parachute to my body.
It’s like I forget to be nervous. I forget to be everything with that beautiful man dominating my mind.
I stare out the window in silence, looking down at the spectacular mountains as the plane rises into the sky.
I’ve never had a moment like that before—so intense, so unexpected, so out of the blue. It was like love at first sight or seeing your soul mate for the first time.
That was the adrenaline rush I needed. That will get me out of my funk.
I want more of that.
The door suddenly opens and roaring violent wind fills the cabin. My brown hair swirls all around my head as I watch Shully disappear through the opening.
“Holy shit,” I gasp when I see nothing but clouds out the door.
Tito goes next, then Nicky.
“Your turn, cuz,” Nerf hollers into my face.
My whole body goes cold as I stare at him in horror. I don’t want to jump. I want to go find that guy.
“Say goodbye to that dark cloud and hello to adrenaline,” he says as he grabs my arms and yanks me to my feet.
I want to explain to him that I’m all good now. That I’ve found something to be excited about. That I’m ready to start a new chapter, and it has nothing to do with jumping out of a moving airplane.
But the wind is too loud, and I’m too slow, and Nerf is too impatient.
He has an iron grip on my arm as he runs to the open door, pulling me with him.
I scream as we fly out of the airplane and plummet into the vast blue sky.
Chapter Two
Aiden
“Aiden, what the fuck, man?” Tyler shouts as I untie his horse and jump onto it. The big burly owner of the Greene Mountain Stables is running over, looking pissed off that I’m horse-jacking him.
“I’ll pay you when I come back,” I say, my voice and heart both racing. I can’t get into these mountains fast enough to make sure she’s okay.
I just want to see her again. To lay my eyes on her stunning face. Those eyes… Those lips… She’s haunting me.
“This isn’t how any of this shit works, man,” Tyler says with his hands on his hips. “You have to ask before you take my horses.”
I want to explain to him how everything just changed, how my life got flipped upside down and inside out in a moment, but I can barely talk. I’m desperate to get back to her.
“I just… There’s an emergency. I need it.”
“Someone lost?”
“Yes,” I huff out. Me.
I’ve never felt more lost in my life. Ever since I saw her, it’s felt like I’ve been in a free fall.
“Fine,” Tyler grunts. “Take her. But don’t do this shit again.”
“Thanks!” I shout as I take off on the horse. She’s the fastest in town. A beautiful white mare named Otter.
She’s pumping her legs as I point her nose to the valley on the east side of the mountains. That’s where my girl is landing, and that’s where I’ll be to greet her.
She left me stunned as I watched her friends drive away, taking my heart with them. I feel hollow now. I don’t know what this is, but I know my life will never be the same again.
I’ve always been content with my single life. Working in Search and Rescue, exploring the mountains, working out, going to the pub with friends, and drawing maps in my free time was all I really needed.
I looked at what Colin and Julian have—wives, children, loving families—and I was happy for them, but I also felt like it wasn’t for me. Like a pair of shoes that didn’t fit right. That way of life didn’t hold any appeal to me.
But now… Knowing that angel is in the world… It’s all I can think about.
I want her. I want her to be the one. I want to love her for the rest of my life and make a family with her. I want to put a baby in her. A whole house full of them.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I mutter to myself as Otter leaps over a fallen tree and sprints up the incline at a reckless pace. “You don’t even know her. You haven’t spoken to her. You don’t even know her name.”
But even as I say it, I know none of that matters. When you know, you know.
And I know.
We fly through the mountains on the way to the landing site. It’s a late summer day with the sun shining, but there’s a nice breeze rippling through the tall grass, so it’s not too hot.
This is a spectacular area. I love to hike out here from time to time and stare up at the tall majestic mountains that have stood here for millions of years and wonder about the stories they could tell. They saw dinosaurs roaming in these valleys. They have the weight of history in their rugged shapes.
But right now, I’m not giving them a second glance. I’m staring up at the blue sky, trying to find her. Trying to spot my angel descending from heaven.
My heart skips a beat when I spot a colorful parachute coming down, and then another. I count five of them, but I can’t tell which one is my girl.
“Come on,” I say, urging Otter on. The parachutes disappear behind the mountains as we rush forward to meet them in the valley. This is the part I’m worried about the most. The winds can be fierce and unpredictable around the mountains. They can easily send an inexperienced skydiver swirling in an unexpected direction.
Otter is definitely earning the bag of apples I’m going to buy her after this as she races along the base of the mountain. We circle the base until the valley comes into view.
