Cave Man (The First Mountain Man Book 1) Read online

  Cave Man

  The First Mountain Man

  Frankie Love

  Contents

  About

  1. Stone

  2. Skylar

  3. Stone

  4. Skylar

  5. Stone

  6. Skylar

  7. Stone

  8. Skylar

  9. Stone

  Epilogue 1

  Epilogue 2

  About Frankie

  Want a Freebie?

  Copyright © 2021 by Frankie Love

  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

  Cave Man: The First Mountain Man

  By Frankie Love

  One minute I’m in an underground cave on a Special Ops mission,

  and the next thing I know, I’ve travelled through time.

  My life became prehistoric pretty damn fast.

  I may have fought bad guys in the military, but now I have new enemies.

  Woolly mammoths and saber-toothed tigers – and no other humans in sight.

  Five years later, I’m still stuck here.

  Lonely as hell with a bright yellow bird I’ve named Polly to keep me company.

  What I really want is a woman.

  When a flash of lightning brings rain, I’m worried about my fire going out.

  Turns out that’s the least of my concerns.

  Because there’s a new storm in this Paleolithic place.

  Her name is Skylar.

  She’s a gorgeous force to be reckoned with and she’s plenty pissed to be stranded here with me.

  Dear Reader,

  It’s been a long ass year and we all deserve a vacation.

  Forget tropical beaches – we’re headed to the place where the first mountain man lives.

  He’s feral, grumpy and hot as hell.

  And his hands can do more than build a fire – they’ll give you the heat you crave.

  I know this one is a little far-fetched, but darling, you deserve something extraordinary.

  Xo, frankie

  1

  Stone

  I like being on a mission, working alongside my brothers in arms to get the damn job done, but we've been running on fumes for 48 hours. What I wouldn’t give for a good night’s sleep, with a woman in my arms.

  But we’re getting close to our target. We can feel it. Taste it.

  "They're up ahead," Carnage shouts. He shouldn't scream, not when we’re closing in on the terrorists we’re tracking, but like I said, maybe we are all just a bit delirious. The caves we’re in are underground, water at our feet, and it’s dark. The Yucatan Peninsula may be a beautiful, lush jungle, but we’re not seeing any of that today.

  When gunshots begin to sound, I know we’re in trouble. "Get down," I urge Flint and Storm. "Stay low."

  We separate then, the five of us. And that’s probably our first mistake. Carnage goes one way, Rock another. Someone must have tossed a grenade toward the sound of the bullets because there’s a blast that decimates a chunk of earth, giving us time to get away. Instead of going deeper into the caves, we veer left, hoping we'll lose whoever’s shooting at us. Hoping like hell we'll get out alive.

  But the walls of the cave shake with the aftershock of the blast. I try to catch Storm’s arm, but I can’t. He seems to have fallen through the floor of the cave – to where, I don’t know. He calls out for me, scared. I know he is. We all are. We may be bad ass burly men, but we’re still human.

  Before any of us can reach one another, the cave begins to tremble.

  We were sent here on a mission, but suddenly it feels like this is where we’re going to die.

  If we are buried in the rubble, none of us will come out alive.

  In this moment, as my world begins to fade to black, I think how much it hurts that I’m dying alone without the love of a woman, without any love at all.

  I’ve spent my life working up the ranks, focused on my career, and now it's all flashing before my eyes. Sure, I’ve done a good job serving my country, but the cost has been pretty great considering I’ve never had the chance to tell someone I loved them. Never had the chance to draw a woman I loved into my arms and tell her I'd never let go.

  I black out before I can worry about any more regrets.

  When I come to, I'm stunned that I can move my fingers and toes. There's a gash along my chest, along my head too. When I press my fingers to it, I feel blood. My mouth tastes like metal and I spit, looking around, calling for the guys. Carnage, Flint, Rock, and Storm. No one shouts my name, calls for me.

  Dammit, I know I'm in a hell of a lot of trouble now. I stand. The cave's as dark as I remembered, and I tug off my backpack, reaching for a headlamp. I flip it on, taking in my surroundings. I need to get out of this cave, stat.

  Parched, I grab my metal water bottle from the pack, but it’s empty.

  There's crystal-clear water at my feet, no longer murky like it was before the grenade went off. I bend over, reaching for it, suddenly desperate for something to drink. It feels like years since I’ve had water. I cup the water in my hand, taking a drink. And it’s the sweetest water I've ever tasted in my whole damn life.

  I spend an hour looking for the guys – for any signs of life. But there is no one. Nothing. All I want is to get the hell out of here. If something's happened to the other men, maybe I can find them on the other side. Hell, maybe they're already out of these caves.

  I'm exhausted, but the thought of daylight pushes me forward. When I finally reach an exit, I climb out of the cave, taking in the clear blue sky above.

  But it’s the absolute quiet that has me stopping in my tracks. Sure, we are in the remote jungle, but this kind of quiet is unsettling. No distant cars, planes, people. A monkey swings from a tree in front of me, startling me with his howl as he catches hold of a vine.

  A bird flies overhead, its wingspan wider than my outstretched arms, and I try to place it, but I can't. I've never seen a bird like that before. Bright yellow feathers, a beak that’s long and pointy, eyes alert. Looks like he could be out of The Flintstones, like a dodo bird mixed with a hawk. I don't remember learning about a creature like that when I studied this region of Mexico.

  Looking around, none of this is how I remember it. None of it at all. In fact, the very ground I'm stepping on doesn't seem the same. I don't know where I exited the cave and maybe I came out the wrong way, but this can't be right.

  The jungle around me is lush, thick, bright green flora and fauna like I've never seen before. I walk, mesmerized by the colors, the oversized flowers and the primitive howls and hoots that encircle me.

  It's hot and humid, and I begin to roll up the sleeves of my shirt, realizing that it won't do in this heat. I pull it off, tying it around my waist.

  I begin to walk, taking in the scene. Maybe if I get to a higher point, I think, looking at the mountain ahead, then I'll be able to get my bearings.

  Trying to think, I open my backpack and grab my emergency radio, placing a call. "Purple Junction, this is Special Op 443, Sergeant Maguire. Can anyone hear me? Anyone at all?" I wait for a signal. Spend ten, twenty minutes messing around with that damn radio, not getting a sound, which makes no sense. This is a high-powered device meant to connect me with the higher-ups no matter where I am, any time, any place.

  Fuck, maybe something happened to it when I was in the caves, but that doesn't make sense. As a Special Op, I’m trained to move through land and sea.
Nothing should ruin my equipment, but this is ruined all right.

  By the time I get to the top of the mountain, I'm exhausted, hungry, angry, growly. I don't know what happened to my team, but I'm pissed that they're not here with me, that we’ve been separated like this.

  But when I look out at the top of the mountain, at the valley below, my heart sinks deeper and the fear? Fuck, it begins to grow because somehow in Mexico there are woolly mammoths roaming the woods, there are giant bears growling in the distance. And while I don't see a goddamn dinosaur, the birds that fly overhead are downright Stone Age shit.

  I don't know what happened when that cave began to crumble, but wherever I've ended up is sure as hell not 2021.

  This land? It's prehistoric.

  2

  Skylar

  With a cardboard box in my hand, I walk the six flights up to my apartment. To say I've had a bad day is an understatement. I reach for the keys in my oversized purse, then grunt in frustration as the key gets jammed. Kicking the bottom of the door, I scream to no one in particular, or maybe to my boss, who just fired me.

  I know it's a cliché to say it wasn't even my fault, but it wasn't my fault. I'm not going to stand around and let men talk shit to me while I'm working the register, making them their supersized smoothies filled with pea protein powder and cocoa nibs.

  It's ridiculous. These ripped guys come into the smoothie shop next door to the CrossFit gym acting like they are God's gift to the earth. They aren't. Thankfully, I'll never have to see them again because I don't work at Jumbo Juice anymore.

  I finally get the key to work and shove open the front door of my childhood best friend Tori’s apartment. She’s let me crash here the last few months after my Craigslist roommate turned out to be a little bit shady. And by shady I mean she was selling her toenail clippings to random men on the Internet.

  I should be stressed that I was fired, but honestly, it’s a relief. I've been frustrated with the trajectory of my life for the past two years and this is the kick in the ass I need. Of course, it's not going to help me get an apartment of my own.

  "Skylar?" Tori calls out as I enter the apartment, locking the door behind me. It's a safe building, but if you don't keep the doors locked, you're in trouble. Mostly because our annoying next door neighbor Geoff will be coming over, asking if we have any beer. I'm not interested in seeing him today.

  In fact, I'm tired of men altogether. They all suck as far as I'm concerned. I've never met a real nice guy in my life, it feels like. My dad was an asshole and a deadbeat. The guys I've dated? All pieces of work. Maybe I have a terrible dick detector. How does one improve their ability to gauge what guy is a good one?

  I look at my roommate. She isn't one to ask. She's been blissfully dating Sarah for the last six months.

  I need my own place, which is not going to happen, all things considered. Mostly the fact that I don't have a job.

  "What's in the box?" Tori asks.

  I groan, "Everything that was in my locker at work."

  "What happened?" She's pouring herself a glass of pinot grigio from the box that's in the refrigerator. She lifts her Mason jar filled with ice-cold wine. "Want some?"

  "Need some," I tell her, taking the proffered glass and taking a sip. I drop the box on the couch. "I got fired."

  "Oh no," she says.

  Then her girlfriend Sarah walks in, wrapping an arm around her. "You look upset."

  "I am," I moan, plopping down on the couch. "Do you ever have that moment where you imagine one way your life is going to go, and then it goes the completely opposite way?"

  The women smile at each other, all lovey-dovey, heart eyes, and it makes me sick. I'm happy for them, sure. But being around that kind of love makes me want to barf. Mostly because I wish I had it myself. And I'm never going to find it here. Not in the middle of nowhere, America, in a dead-end job.

  Wait. I don’t even have a job.

  "Maybe this is the change you need," Tori says, sitting down on a cushion on the floor.

  "I don't think I'm ready for a pep talk," I moan.

  "Well, maybe you should do something for yourself for a change,” Sarah suggests. It is easy for her to say though, she has a very well-paying job at a tech start-up.

  "I wanted to work at the smoothie shop," I clarify. And it's true. I've been working out at the CrossFit gym, working hard on getting strong. After years of diet culture, I got over it and decided what I really needed to do was take care of me.

  So I decided to start working out. Not to have some hot girl summer – that isn't any interest to me. I wanted to be able to do a pushup, a single pushup. Now I can do a hundred.

  And working at the smoothie shop seemed like a great opportunity to get a discount on my snack of choice. I somehow forgot that a lot of the guys who work out next door, are like, complete assholes.

  "You're in amazing shape,” Tori says. “Why don't you go on a trek across the country?"

  I lift my eyebrows. "A trek across the country? What does that even mean?"

  Sarah smiles. "You know, I see these videos on TikTok all the time. Where people just sell all their possessions and hit the open road. Do you have a passport?"

  "Sure," I say, thinking about the one time in college I decided to go with my roommates to Cabo. We drank a lot and sat in the sun. It wasn't a bad way to spend a week, but I haven't used it since. "I have a passport and I don't think it's expired, but what am I going to do with it?"

  "I don't know," Sarah says, smiling, pouring herself a glass of wine. “I’m sure you could do something amazing. Something that will be a good story to tell your kids one day.” She's one of those people who is gregarious, bubbly, always with a new plan, a new idea, and full of sparkle. I understand why Tori fell in love with her. Not that I swing that way, but it's her zest for life that is appealing.

  Maybe she's right. Maybe I am missing that. Missing that joie de vivre. I think that's the phrase. I need a zest for life… zest for something.

  "So where do the people in these TikTok videos go to find themselves?" I ask her. I don't have the app myself.

  "Anywhere and everywhere,” Sarah says. “They buy a van and drive to all the state parks or they go to Guatemala and join a hippie commune, or they get a backpack and hike across the Irish countryside. Any of that sound fun?"

  "It all sounds expensive," I say.

  She shakes her head. "No, they stay in hostels or actually, you know, there is a place in the Yucatan Peninsula where you can go with a backpack and a tent, and camp out at all these parks for free. You should do that."

  I snort. "You think I should backpack across Mexico?"

  Tori smiles. "It's not a bad idea. You're super fit. You could totally do it. Plus you love to hike. Plus you speak Spanish. Plus it could give you a chance to decide what you want long term. It's like a win-win-win."

  "Are you trying to kick me out of the apartment or something?” I ask with a laugh. "Because you seem a little eager for me to go."

  Tori and Sarah share a look. That look. The look that says I hit the nail on the head.

  "Are you really kicking me off the couch?"

  Tori shrugs. "Not like, any moment, but this place is so nice. And Sarah's apartment is next to a loud highway. We're so local, centralized. It'd be perfect if she moved in. But–"

  I roll my eyes. "But this one-bedroom apartment is already a little crowded," I say. I sleep on the pullout couch. For two people sharing the one bedroom, I can see how this place could be really nice. Not to mention the rental market in this city is bananas.

  "Fine," I say with a laugh, not wanting to overstay my welcome. Joking, I add, "I'll leave in exchange for a one-way ticket to Mexico."

  Sarah laughs. "You want a one-way ticket? So you're never coming back?"

  I shrug. "What do I have to come back to anyways?"

  "Thanks for nothing," Tori laughs. "You could come back for me."

  I smile, taking a sip of the wine. Sarah, though, sh
e already has her phone out. Apparently, she's eager for me to go. I laugh, deciding to go with the flow. Choosing to believe the universe will have my back.

  "No hard feelings?" she asks, showing me the Expedia web page for a one-way ticket to Mexico.

  "No hard feelings," I say. "Hell, maybe I'll fly back for your wedding one day."

  Seven days later, I've landed in Mexico. My life savings has been consolidated in one checking account and I have a credit card that will hopefully save my ass in case of a disaster. But I hope there aren’t any disasters looming. I want to have some good old-fashioned me-time.

  I have my backpack loaded with all the gear I could imagine, a one-person tent, an extra pair of wool socks, hiking boots that are broken in, and nylon shorts that have plenty of pockets. I'm not exactly bringing sexy back with this look, but that's not what this trip is about. This is about finding myself, about finding that zest for life.

  I spend over a week winding down the Yucatan Peninsula. I stay in camp sites and explore the city of Playa del Carmen, before making my way to Tulum. The food is incredible, the ocean is majestic, and I find myself smiling more than I have in a long time.

  It was a little unnerving the first night at an unfamiliar campsite, surrounded by strangers, but everyone was here for their reasons, and everyone was polite if not kind. I'm definitely off the beaten path. If I had that TikTok account, I would be videoing the hell out of this place, but I don't and I'm not. Instead, I'm soaking it all in.

  Today I am going to explore what a Google search told me was one of the most magical caves in all of the Yucatan. I'm just south of Tulum and the underground caves supposedly run for miles. I'm a little excited. Okay, more than a little excited. Hell, if the caves are as nice as the picture looked, I might even put on my swimsuit and take a dip in one of the cenotes.