Her Mountain Prince Read online

  Her Mountain Prince

  Valerie Wilde

  Copyright © 2018 by Valerie Wilde

  All rights reserved.

  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.

  About the Author

  Mother of two by day, super-secret romance enthusiast by night!

  Even when taking care of the husband and kids, Val’s hands are never far from the keyboard. She spends most of her evenings in front of a computer writing some of the wildest smut you can imagine.

  She understands that sometimes you just need to spend some quality time with a glass of wine and a particularly steamy book, and she likes to write those books.

  Contents

  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

  Epilogue

  Thank you!!

  Also by Valerie Wilde

  Free Books!

  Prologue

  The master bedroom of the Royal Palace of Askovia was decorated with the finest things; rich tapestries and golden ornaments. But, as I lay back on the massive four-poster bed, I wasn’t paying any attention to any of that. I only had eyes for Gabriel.

  His hard cock stood to attention, precum crowning the tip of it as he leered down at me. I spread my legs for him, wanting him to see how wet I was for him, how ready. I was empty and I needed him to fill me.

  He was almost completely naked, every strong muscle on display. The only thing he wore was the golden crown of Askovia on the top of his head. I was the same - naked except for a golden crown, mine sparkling with diamonds.

  “My Queen,” he said, in his deep, gravelly voice as he got on the bed between my legs. I knew he loved the taste of me, he loved to lap at my sweetness and this time was no different. He bent down so that I could see the crown glittering on the top of his head.

  I reached down, grabbing hold of his hair just as I felt his tongue lick gently at my pussy lips.

  “Oh, YES!” I cried, letting him know how good he made me feel, “My mountain Prince!”

  Chapter One

  Ruby

  I looked up from the ledger as the bar door swung open and one of the regulars walked in. He was the first customer of the evening. For a second, with the door open, the sunlight shone in, lighting up the usually darkened bar and illuminating the dirt and grime of the place. I winced.

  It didn’t seem to matter how hard I scrubbed, the Corral Bar just never looked clean. The owner had told me not to bother - Buddy thought that none of his customers cared about how dirty the place was. Personally, I’d rather work in a clean bar.

  I nodded at Jackson as he took a seat at the far end of the bar. Like most of the regulars at the Corral, Jackson wasn’t here for any conversation. He just wanted a quiet corner to sit and drink. I put down my pen and fetched his beer. I’d been working here for three months now, not long really, but that was more than enough time to learn the drink orders of every regular that came in.

  When I left New York, I had no idea where I was going to go. I’d simply fled. I left everything behind, especially everything that had happened on that last, terrible day. I was too upset and distraught to even think of a destination. I just got on the first bus out of there, leaving everything behind and letting the thrum of the bus engine numb me.

  I’d stayed like that, huddled in my seat for hours, feeling so angry, as the bus drove through the night, taking me away from all my problems.

  After a few hours, my red-hot anger faded into a deep sadness. It was a good thing that the bus had been half-empty, it meant no-one saw me when I burst into tears. I had been able to cry with a degree of privacy. The other passengers leaving New York had looked just as miserable as I did anyway. I’m not even sure they noticed me.

  In any case, no-one had stopped to ask why I was crying; even if someone had seen me, everyone was too wrapped up in their own problems to ask about mine. I guess that’s just life in New York.

  Finally, after I’d cried myself out of all my tears, I had fallen asleep, sitting upright on my bus seat. Exhausted.

  I don’t even know how long I slept. But when I awoke, after hours of traveling, I felt like I had a weight lifted off my shoulders. I felt like I was free of all the things that had been weighing me down, that I’d escaped. I was free of the job I’d just quit, and my shitty boss, and free from the ex-boyfriend that I never wanted to see again.

  The next day, when the bus stopped for gas in a small town, I found, without too much surprise, that the joint bank account that I shared with my ex had been emptied. He had wiped it clean.

  I guess that’s just the kind of man he was.

  I stared at the ATM screen, feeling like such an idiot. Jake had always had a mean streak in him. After all the other ways that he’d betrayed my trust, this really shouldn’t have been a surprise, but somehow it still hurt.

  I should have been devastated about the joint bank account. We both put money into that account, saving up for the life that we were planning together.

  I should have thought about taking my money out as soon as it was over between us. It was so stupid of me.

  But then I’d been stupid about a lot of things when it came to my old life.

  Things hadn’t been great between Jake and I for a while. Still, I would never have expected for things to end the way they did. I’d come home from work early. Finding him, like that, was the biggest shock of my life. Compared to that, an emptied bank account was just the shitty frosting on top of a shit cupcake.

  But that life was gone now, and I just couldn’t seem to care about the money, I was too worn out by everything else that had happened. I’d walked into my apartment to find my boyfriend in bed with someone else, cheating on me, and I wasn’t even sure it was the worst thing that had happened to me that day.

  So, I did the only thing that I could think to do. I ran away from my problems.

  I only had one bank account that Jake didn’t have access to. I checked it immediately. There wasn’t much in it. I just hoped it would be enough.

  I bought a bus ticket west and, then, when I arrived at the end of the line, I did the same thing again. I bought another bus ticket, another ticket west and more miles between me and New York.

  For a while, I just traveled, spending hour after hour staring out of the window and watching the scenery change. I traveled until I was sick of traveling, until I couldn’t imagine spending one more minute sitting in those cramped and smelly seats.

  I wasn’t sure what made me choose this particular town. Maybe it was something to do with the scenery, because it was a town surrounded by the sort of wild open nature that I, a city girl, had never really seen before. Or maybe I was just tired of running and this town was as good a place as any to settle down for a while.

  I collected my bags from the storage compartment under the bus and looked up at the sign nailed above the door of the tiny bus station.

  ‘Welcome to Beauville’

  Well, at least the name is pretty, I thought to myself.

  The numbing effect of all those hours on the bus had at least partially worked. I had a sense that I had escaped my problems. That I was free of the pressures and worries that had been weighing me down. But as good as freedom felt, it was overwhelming too. Al
l my plans for my life in New York had been washed away and I had no idea what to do next. For the first time in my life, I was directionless.

  In New York City I’d had a career. Sure, it had been one that I’d hated every second of, but at least I got up every day with a purpose. What was I going to do in a town like this?

  Chapter Two

  Ruby

  After three months in Beauville, things were looking up.

  I had made a life for myself. It was a world away from my previous life, but I was proud of what I’d been able to accomplish on my own, from almost nothing.

  I lived a one room apartment above the Corral where I tended the bar. It wasn’t the most glamorous life, but the job paid enough to cover my rent and keep me in groceries. This wasn’t going to be my life forever. I knew that, but I’d spent a lot of my savings getting here and setting myself up in my new little home. For once, I was totally in control and I liked that.

  The bar door swung open again and a group of men came in, laughing and taking loudly. This time, with the door open, there was no stream of sunlight. It was getting later than I had realised. It was already dusk and that meant it was time to put away the accounts and focus on the customers.

  As much as I had hated being an accountant in New York, it turned out to be a useful skill to have in my new life. Buddy paid me extra for helping him with the books, and I needed all the help I could get when it came to my bank account. He didn’t have a head for figures and it was easy for me to find all kinds of ways for him to save money. I’m not sure Buddy had ever even heard of a write off before I showed up. He was thrilled to have more money coming in and made sure I got a cut, under the table of course.

  “Ruby! Hurry up, girl!” One of the newcomers called out as the group settled themselves around a corner table, “Can’t you see we’re thirsty!”

  “Sorry!” I answered, picking up my little notepad and hurrying over to the table. “What can I do for you guys?”

  “You can smile, honey!” one of the men yelled at me, leering up at me from his seat. I smiled down at him, noticing that he was missing his two front teeth. He wasn’t one of the usual patrons, I’d never seen this man before.

  Despite the man’s comments, the smile came easily to me. I’d gotten used to always being cheerful with the patrons of the Corral, even when they got a little rowdy. Or a little rude. What Buddy paid me was fine, it paid my rent after all, but I still needed to earn my tips if I wanted any hope of saving up some money.

  “Yeah, that’s nice,” the man said, smiling more widely so that I could see his empty gums. I felt a fat, warm hand, his hand, touch my thigh. Even through my jeans, I could feel the clamminess of his skin as his hand started to slide towards my ass.

  The smile tightened on my face, as I stepped away from him and out of his reach. I wasn’t about to make a scene, but I’ll be damned if I was going to let him paw at me like that. It was usually enough to just step away from guys like him.

  The man that had called me over to the table came to the bar often enough that I recognized him, although I didn’t know his name. He was scowling at me now as he snapped, “Beer for everyone. I’m buying!”

  The men around the table cheered and hooted loudly, banging on the table. As all the men celebrated, chairs scraped back, a couple of the men high fived each other. In the confusion of everyone moving around, I felt a hand on me again. Before I could dodge away like I had last time, the hand pinched down, squeezing my butt hard.

  I let out a yelp of surprise.

  That hurt!

  I looked round, already knowing who had pinched me. Sure enough, it was the same guy from before, leering at me expectantly. He had moved his chair to follow me around the table just to get a second shot at me.

  “Sure,” I said, my teeth clenching instead of reacting, “I”ll be right back with your beers.”

  “I’ll be waiting,” the guy that had pinched my butt yelled after me.

  The thing was, the Corral was a bit of a dive. I’d always known that. I was used to patrons making the odd remark, or the occasional cat-call, but no-one had physically touched me before. I wasn’t sure what I should do next, apart from getting them their beers and avoid the man with the missing teeth.

  Who did that pig think he was?! Maybe my life had been sheltered up till now, but it was just a surprise that some guy thought he could just touch me like that! I was fuming! I put my head down and went back to get their beers, rounding the bar without looking where I was going.

  SMACK

  I walked straight into Buddy! I was so distracted, thinking about what had just happened that I had even seen him as I walked behind the bar.

  “Whoa, there Ruby,” he said, catching my arm as I stumbled backwards. Buddy had been so great to me when I’d first turned up in his bar. He’d given me a job even though I’d never tended bar before and had no experience dealing with customers.

  Buddy’s brother owned the apartment above the bar and he’d let rent it for a very reasonable price, because Buddy had recommended me.

  “Ruby, you’ve been here all afternoon and you haven’t taken the trash out yet? Go on, you do that now, and I’ll take them their drinks.”

  Buddy’s voice was gruff. He wasn’t a sentimental man but I was pretty certain that he’d seen what had just happened and this was his way of giving me a break.

  “Sure,” I said, giving him a grateful smile. “Right away!”

  I had taken out the trash late last night, when I cleaned up the bar before locking up. He must have known that. Yeah, this was definitely Buddy’s way of giving me a break.

  “Thanks, Buddy,” I said quietly as I walked behind him to get to the garbage.

  I gathered together the small plastic bag of trash from the afternoon and started down the dark corridor that led to the alley behind the bar, where the garbage cans were kept.

  As I left the bar, I turned back and saw Buddy serving the beer to the group of men. Jackson, still sitting at the bar, still hunched over his drink, suddenly spoke up.

  “In my day,” he said loudly, despite speaking directly into his beer, “We treated a lady with respect.”

  I looked at him in shock. Jackson was such a fixture in the bar, always alone and always concentrating on his drink that I was amazed that he was even aware of what was happening around him.

  “Shut up, old man!” one of the group of guys yelled. I rolled my eyes and turned away. I didn’t need to stick around to see any more of this. As I headed out, I heard Buddy’s voice behind me, calling for everyone to calm down, that there was no need for any trouble.

  I shook my head, glad to get away from the bar. I knew that Buddy would be able to talk sense into everyone. You can’t own a bar in a small town like this, for as long as he has, without learning how to calm down the occasional rowdy customer.

  My hand tightened as I gripped onto the trash bag as I walked away, turning the corner so I could no longer see that was happening in the bar. The sound of yelling echoed along the corridor but it sounded wrong to me somehow. I stopped, listening for a second.

  It should be quiet back here.

  For a second, there was only the sound of raised voices coming from the bar and the sound of my own breathing.

  There was a noise just behind me; a strange shuffling sound that was far too close.

  I spun around.

  The man with the missing teeth was in the corridor! He had followed me back here.

  I felt my heart skip a beat in horror and then restart in a mad dash, beating way too fast.

  I stared at him in dread. It was one thing to grab my butt in the middle of the bar. But following me back here where I was alone? That was not cool at all!

  Why had he followed me? What did he want from me?

  “Ruby, right?” he said, smiling that creepy smile of his.

  “Yeah,” I nodded. It was possible that he’d just got lost on the way to the restroom. I decided to just make an excuse and get away
from him. “I’ve gotta take this out. Washroom is that way.” I pointed behind him and quickly turned to continue to the alley.

  “I just wanted to make sure you’re ok,” he said, his smile widening.

  “Oh,” I nodded. He had just followed me back here to apologize. I relaxed, even though we were alone in the dark and lonely corridor. “That’s ok. Don’t worry about it. I’ve just got to take this out, and then I’ll be back behind the bar.”

  “I’ll help,” he said, just a little too quickly. He took a step closer to me, and now I could smell him. He smelled of stale cigarette smoke and BO.

  “That’s ok,” I said again, repeating myself. I tried to smile, trying to defuse the situation. I could still hear yelling coming from the bar, I could even distinguish Buddy and Jackson’s raised voices. No-one would hear me if I screamed for help.

  He put his hand out, slowly reaching towards me but this time I saw it coming. I wasn’t going to wait around for him to grope at me again!

  I turned and bolted down the corridor, opening the door to the alleyway and stumbling outside in one mad dash.

  Instead of the deserted alley that I was expecting, there was something else. I stopped, mid-stride and dropped the trash bag in surprise.

  There were two men standing there, both of them staring at me. Had this whole thing been a set-up? Were these two men friends with the guy who was following after me?

  I dismissed the thought immediately. These two men were definitely not expecting to see me, and they definitely didn’t look like friends of anyone that would be drinking in the Corral.