STORY EXCERPT

“I’m not warning you again, human. Get down from that tree or I’ll chop it down, along with you in it.” The unnamed woodsman practically growled those rude words to Everett James. 

“Like hell I am. Don’t you know what kind of tree this is? This is a hundred-year-old redwood. One of the few left in this damn country. Heck, this world,” Everett yelled back.

Oh, he badly wanted to look this rude woodsman in the face and give him a reckoning, a history lesson about the redwoods in this area. Why they needed to be saved. Too bad it took all of Everett’s energies and abilities to hang on to his tree. His tree. That was right. Everett wouldn’t climb down until this tree was saved. Either way, he didn’t dare tell this rude asshole he was stuck. No way, Jose.

Sweat dripped down his face, practically soaked the back of his shirt. Everett dug his nails further into the trunk and silently hoped the tree would forgive him. Everett didn’t know how long he could last, hanging on for his dear life like this. Any other person with common sense would ask the stranger for help, but where would that lead? Not just embarrassment on his end but this bastard might end up cutting down his precious tree. 

He refused to join his brothers at the major accounting firm their father owned and ran despite having an accounting degree from the most prestigious accounting school in the country. Unlike them, Everett chose his passion over family duty, responsibility, and whatever nonsense his dad and brothers sprouted on a constant basis. 

So far, Everett hadn’t saved one tree, and none of the protests he helped run with the others at the Save the Trees non-profit organization seemed to be able to change the world. Since it was a non-profit, Everett also took up part-time jobs to support himself, and he couldn’t even afford his own place right now, so he bunked in with his best friend, Roger. Hell, if he rated his life right now from one to ten, and ten being the best, he was at a one or a zero. 

When the woodsman hadn’t answered him at all, he yelled, “Hey, are you still there? Did you hear what I said?”

Panic rose inside of him. What if he simply fell off this three-hundred-foot tree? Everett couldn’t even remember how he managed to get this far up in the first place. Oh right. He used to be the target of bullies back in high school for being the geeky and weird kid, so he climbed trees and buildings all the time. Except he wasn’t a lean and limber teenager anymore.

What would Everett’s tombstone read? Died unable to save one damn tree?

Oh God. The horror. Shit. His glasses started to slip down his nose, but making a grab for them meant letting go of the trunk. Everett grimaced, letting them fall to the ground.

Hours must have passed, because the woodsman finally called out to him again. “You’re still here, human? I’m impressed. Not really. I got to get to work.”

“No way. You’re an illegal logger, aren’t you?” he demanded. 

He’d only seen a glimpse of the flannel-wearing giant with the massive axe once, because he nearly lost his hold trying to look at the only other man who managed to find him. Did the bastard actually go to lunch or something, only to come back here to taunt him? His stomach grumbled, and Everett got mean when he was hungry. God but his arms ached. Every inch of him did. His palms felt raw, scraped up, and probably had some splinters stuck in them, too.

Everett began to seriously doubt himself. Was this one tree worth his life?

“Illegal?” The man let out a huff, as if he was insulted. “Well. I already said my piece.” 

Just like that, his energy was renewed.

“Yeah, well. Tough luck. I’m going to hang here all day,” he yelled, only to hear that dratted sound. A sharp axe whistling through the air and cleaving through wood. The entire trunk vibrated at the force of the giant’s swing. Holy moly. How strong was this dude? Wait. This bastard kept calling him human. Was he a paranormal then? That meant this guy would be able to tell his tree without much effort.

“Wait,” he blurted, digging his nails into the wood. “Don’t you care about this redwood? It’s been here for a hundred years, damn it.”

“Wrong tree,” the giant had the gall to grumble out loud.

The axe made that sharp whistling noise again, hitting wood. He hung on for his dear life.

“I don’t want to die, not now. I haven’t done anything worthwhile in this world,” Everett whispered over and over again. 

“You ain’t dying, fool,” the giant hollered back.

“Screw you!”

His sweaty fingers began to slip, and the inconsiderate giant underneath him kept wielding that damn axe of his like some well-oiled machine. Maybe this bastard killed trees like these all the time. A real pro. 

“I hate you,” he yelled. “So damn much.”

“I don’t give a shit. You wasted so much of my time already.”

Who did this bastard really think he was? Everett was doing the world, the environment a favor. All this guy was doing was wrecking Mother Nature. If the world ended today, Everett would definitely have a place in heaven. This guy could rot in hell for all he cared. 

Another swing did the trick. He yelped, finally letting go. Everett flailed his arms, as if that could somehow make him sprout wings and fly. He screamed, kept plummeting downwards, to the earth, to his would-be killer.

STORY EXCERPT

“I’m not warning you again, human. Get down from that tree or I’ll chop it down, along with you in it.” The unnamed woodsman practically growled those rude words to Everett James. 

“Like hell I am. Don’t you know what kind of tree this is? This is a hundred-year-old redwood. One of the few left in this damn country. Heck, this world,” Everett yelled back.

Oh, he badly wanted to look this rude woodsman in the face and give him a reckoning, a history lesson about the redwoods in this area. Why they needed to be saved. Too bad it took all of Everett’s energies and abilities to hang on to his tree. His tree. That was right. Everett wouldn’t climb down until this tree was saved. Either way, he didn’t dare tell this rude asshole he was stuck. No way, Jose.

Sweat dripped down his face, practically soaked the back of his shirt. Everett dug his nails further into the trunk and silently hoped the tree would forgive him. Everett didn’t know how long he could last, hanging on for his dear life like this. Any other person with common sense would ask the stranger for help, but where would that lead? Not just embarrassment on his end but this bastard might end up cutting down his precious tree. 

He refused to join his brothers at the major accounting firm their father owned and ran despite having an accounting degree from the most prestigious accounting school in the country. Unlike them, Everett chose his passion over family duty, responsibility, and whatever nonsense his dad and brothers sprouted on a constant basis. 

So far, Everett hadn’t saved one tree, and none of the protests he helped run with the others at the Save the Trees non-profit organization seemed to be able to change the world. Since it was a non-profit, Everett also took up part-time jobs to support himself, and he couldn’t even afford his own place right now, so he bunked in with his best friend, Roger. Hell, if he rated his life right now from one to ten, and ten being the best, he was at a one or a zero. 

When the woodsman hadn’t answered him at all, he yelled, “Hey, are you still there? Did you hear what I said?”

Panic rose inside of him. What if he simply fell off this three-hundred-foot tree? Everett couldn’t even remember how he managed to get this far up in the first place. Oh right. He used to be the target of bullies back in high school for being the geeky and weird kid, so he climbed trees and buildings all the time. Except he wasn’t a lean and limber teenager anymore.

What would Everett’s tombstone read? Died unable to save one damn tree?

Oh God. The horror. Shit. His glasses started to slip down his nose, but making a grab for them meant letting go of the trunk. Everett grimaced, letting them fall to the ground.

Hours must have passed, because the woodsman finally called out to him again. “You’re still here, human? I’m impressed. Not really. I got to get to work.”

“No way. You’re an illegal logger, aren’t you?” he demanded. 

He’d only seen a glimpse of the flannel-wearing giant with the massive axe once, because he nearly lost his hold trying to look at the only other man who managed to find him. Did the bastard actually go to lunch or something, only to come back here to taunt him? His stomach grumbled, and Everett got mean when he was hungry. God but his arms ached. Every inch of him did. His palms felt raw, scraped up, and probably had some splinters stuck in them, too.

Everett began to seriously doubt himself. Was this one tree worth his life?

“Illegal?” The man let out a huff, as if he was insulted. “Well. I already said my piece.” 

Just like that, his energy was renewed.

“Yeah, well. Tough luck. I’m going to hang here all day,” he yelled, only to hear that dratted sound. A sharp axe whistling through the air and cleaving through wood. The entire trunk vibrated at the force of the giant’s swing. Holy moly. How strong was this dude? Wait. This bastard kept calling him human. Was he a paranormal then? That meant this guy would be able to tell his tree without much effort.

“Wait,” he blurted, digging his nails into the wood. “Don’t you care about this redwood? It’s been here for a hundred years, damn it.”

“Wrong tree,” the giant had the gall to grumble out loud.

The axe made that sharp whistling noise again, hitting wood. He hung on for his dear life.

“I don’t want to die, not now. I haven’t done anything worthwhile in this world,” Everett whispered over and over again. 

“You ain’t dying, fool,” the giant hollered back.

“Screw you!”

His sweaty fingers began to slip, and the inconsiderate giant underneath him kept wielding that damn axe of his like some well-oiled machine. Maybe this bastard killed trees like these all the time. A real pro. 

“I hate you,” he yelled. “So damn much.”

“I don’t give a shit. You wasted so much of my time already.”

Who did this bastard really think he was? Everett was doing the world, the environment a favor. All this guy was doing was wrecking Mother Nature. If the world ended today, Everett would definitely have a place in heaven. This guy could rot in hell for all he cared. 

Another swing did the trick. He yelped, finally letting go. Everett flailed his arms, as if that could somehow make him sprout wings and fly. He screamed, kept plummeting downwards, to the earth, to his would-be killer.

ADULT EXCERPT

“I’m stuffed and now I’m sleepy,” Everett said, leaning against his shoulder. 

“Sleepy?” he asked. “We can’t have that.”

Everett raised his head and looked at him, confused. “Are you in a rush? Crap. I didn’t even bother asking if you had other plans.”

“My plans involve you,” he said, slipping a hand past the hem of Everett’s jogging pants to give Everett’s thickening shaft a squeeze. His human moaned, clearly awake now. 

“And what do you intend to do with little old me, bear?” Everett asked. 

Axe realized he liked seeing this playful side of his human. When he first encountered Everett hanging on to that tree for his dear life and when Everett argued with his brother, Everett seemed uptight, defensive. With him, Everett finally let his guard down, and Axe liked that. 

“First, I want you naked. No reason to hide that sexy and tempting body of yours from me,” he said. “Today won’t end without me burying my cock deep inside of you.”

Everett shuddered at that, but Axe could tell by Everett’s racing heart that his human was excited by that prospect.

“I fantasized about you,” Everett began, then blushed, as if he couldn’t continue.

“Did you now? Tell me more.”

“You pinning me against this big old tree and having your way with me out here, entirely in the open,” Everett whispered. 

“Who knew you had a dirty mind, Everett? Stand up.” They both did. “Clothes off.”

“Doesn’t sound like a question,” Everett had the gall to say.

“I’m in command now, and you like it.”

“I do?”

“No reason to hide anything from me, Everett. You like it when I take control. Say it.”

“I do,” Everett whispered, cheeks and neck pink. “I didn’t think I’d like any guy giving me commands, but with you, it’s different.” 

That answer pleased Axe immensely. He took off his shirt, followed by his hiking boots, pants, and boxers. Axe was impatient to get his hands on his sweet human, to introduce Everett to a whole new world of pleasure. Finally, both of them were nude, and nothing would get in his way. 

He gave Everett a gentle shove toward the tree, intending to make Everett’s erotic fantasies come to life. “Are you ready for this, little human? Once we set on this path, there’s no turning back. When I claim you, I’ll only want more. I’ll take everything you’re willing to give.”

* * * *

“Yes, take it,” Everett whispered without hesitation, already starved for Axe to touch, to kiss him again. To turn his entire world upside down. 

He reached out, touched Axe’s left pectoral, the old rake marks there. Touching those old wounds reminded Everett they both came from two different worlds, but that didn’t stop him. Axe took his wandering fingers, pressed to them to his lips for a kiss, before pinning his wrists above his head. Adrenaline spiked through his entire system as Axe lowered his mouth to his. Plundered him. 

Everett responded, hungry for more. This time, nothing would stop them. He rubbed his body shamelessly against Axe, as the shifter thrust his tongue down his throat. He sucked down hard on it, incredibly turned on. Everett couldn’t wait for Axe to sink that glorious dick inside his little hole. Oh, he was definitely beyond ready. 

Axe pulled his mouth back, and he moaned. Everett had a hard time stringing a full sentence together.

“Please.” That was the only word Everett seemed capable of uttering. 

Axe planted more kisses on his mouth, the side of his neck, scorching ones accompanied by tiny bites that had him groaning and begging for more. The werebear seemed to linger longer on the spot between his shoulder and neck. Axe bit him, hard enough to bruise, but he didn’t mind. Maybe shifters bit all the time.

Axe pulled his head back, as if he was stopping himself from doing something, to stare at him. Everett panted. “What’s wrong?” he whispered. “I might be human, but I’m not fragile. I liked it when you bit me.”

“You have no idea what kind of effect those words have on me.”

“Then tell me.”

“Later. I don’t want you to bail just when things are heating up between us.”

He scoffed. “You think I’ll run from you? Axe, we’re both adults here. We both know what we want, and that’s each other.”

He watched Axe grab something from the back pocket of his jeans. Lube. Everett grinned, liking how his bear anticipated them having sex during their picnic.

Axe positioned himself in front of him again, looking very much like a hungry predator, but Everett was happy to be his prey.

Everett mounted Axe, just like a tree, wrapping his legs around the shifter’s waist and putting his arms behind Axe’s neck. Axe growled, the sound guttural and raw. The shifter easily supported his weight, placing those big hands on his ass and leaving the lube on his belly. 

“Work that cock for me, Everett. I want to watch.”

Axe’s command had Everett instantly obeying. Everett had played with himself plenty of times, but Axe watching him masturbate made him rock hard in only seconds. Axe muffled his moan with another kiss, as he furiously ran his fingers up and down his shaft. 

“Don’t come yet. Lube yourself up,” Axe ordered.

Everett momentarily stopped from his task to uncap the lube. He drizzled plenty on his fingers, worked more into his puckered entrance while Axe watched him intently the entire time. Everett pushed one finger into his asshole, soon added a second one, and began making twisting motions. 

“That’s enough. I want to be inside you now.”

He took his digits out. Axe used one hand to easily support him and moved the other to position his dick into his entrance.

“Oh yes,” Everett whispered. “I’ve always dreamt of this.”

“Me fucking you so hard you won’t be able to walk?” his crude bear teased.

“Just take me already.”