Ryan
I looked at the screen and then shoved the phone back in my pocket. I knew the whole town would be here within the hour if we hadn't found her.
“Have you seen anything?” I asked as I approached Ryan.
“Nothing.” He shook his head. He was bent over trying to catch his breath too.
“Did she have her gun on her?” He asked me
“I don't remember. She usually has it on her hip. I don't know why she wouldn't be carrying it today.”
“Let's hope she did.” Ryan said then turned.
“I'm going to follow the river bank.” I pointed in that direction.
“I'm going to head toward Shannon’s Peak.” He looked back at me. “We’ll find her.”
We looked for almost an hour, and I was starting to lose hope when my phone dinged in my pocket.
Why didn't you tell me about the natural spring on your property?
E
Where the hell are you?
Luke
Excuse me?
E
Where the hell are you?
Luke
I'm at the house, where the hell are you?
E
I lifted the phone to my ear as it rang. I was mad, but when her voice came across the line, I smiled.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Ryan and I realized you weren't back, and we are out in the woods looking for you.”
“I came back to the house.”
“I can see that. Did you not hear us?”
“I've been here for almost an hour,” she said. Ryan and I had been running around the woods for over an hour, and she was sitting at the house.
“We thought you got in trouble. You are never gone for more than a couple hours or so.” I was speaking fast and heading back toward the house.
“I have a gun and a cell phone. I think I got this,” she said into the phone. She sounded a little annoyed at me, but I needed to get my hands on her to make sure that she was okay.
“I'll be there in a minute.” I hung up and ran toward the house. I called Ryan quickly and let him know that she was safe, and then I hauled ass home. I was in a flat run when I got to her steps, and she walked out the door to greet me.
“Jesus, Luke.” She pushed my hair back from my face.
“I thought you were lost or hurt or dead.” I said between the breaths sawing in and out of my mouth.
“Why didn't you just call me?” It seemed logical, but I had tried to call her.
“I did, and it went straight to voicemail.” I shouted without meaning to. “I'm sorry,” I said almost immediately.
“I'm sorry that I scared you.” She leaned forward and kissed my mouth. I caught the back of her head and pulled her against me. She wiggled away and laughed.
“You are gross. Go take a shower.” I reached for her again. “I just got out, and I don't want your sweaty body and dirty hands on me, go.” She pointed toward her house, so I skipped the stairs two at a time and took a quick shower. Luckily, my shirt and a pair of my boxers were on the chair in her bedroom. When I came down the stairs, I pulled her to me and kissed her hard.
“You scared the hell out of me.” I kissed her all over her face.
“You guys are gonna make me puke.” Ryan said as he strolled into the house.
“I sent him to your shower.” She pointed at Ryan and turned back to smile at him.
“Don't ever do that shit again, Emmy.” Ryan walked over and kissed the top of her head. I wanted to pull her away, but I knew Ryan cared about her too.
“I'm so sorry. I never thought about you guys being worried about me.”
“We keep tabs on you most of the time; you just don’t realize it. The longest you have ever been in those woods is two hours and forty-five minutes. When Luke looked up and it was close to seven, I think we both panicked.” Ryan sat at my kitchen table and dropped his hands to his lap.
“I had no idea,” she said apologetically.
“There are too many things out there that could kill you. I've seen bears, bobcats, cougars, mountain lions, and the occasional big mule deer, all of which could be a big problem if you’re alone,” Ryan said.
“I don’t know why my phone didn't work, but thank you for worrying about me.” She hugged Ryan from behind. He stood and turned on her shaking her back and forth.
“Don't. You. Ever. Do. That. Again.” He said as she laughed. I could feel the adrenaline crash, and I was suddenly exhausted and my head was pounding.
“Do you have any ibuprofen?” I stood.
“Yes.” I watched as she disappeared up the stairs.
“You good?” Ryan asked.
“My head is pounding, and I think we may have overreacted.”
“There is never an overreaction when you are dealing with people being alone in these woods.” Ryan pointed out the window.
“I guess you're right.”
When Emmy reappeared, she was carrying several bottles in her hands. “I wasn't sure which one you would want.” She sat them on the table, and I reached and grabbed the middle one. I was having trouble getting the arrows lined up, so Emmy grabbed the bottle from me, opened it, and poured four caplets in my hand. I watched as she poured some water into a glass before handing it to me. I tossed them in my mouth and swallowed them down with the water. I reached for her and pulled her down and into my lap. I just wanted my hands on her.
“Okay, well that's my cue.” Ryan stood and walked toward her front door. “I'll see y’all tomorrow.” He waved and then disappeared out of the house.
I ran my hands up her sides and nuzzled into her neck.
“Luke, I'm fine. I'm sorry I scared you.” She twisted so we were face to face. Her hands reached up and cupped my cheeks, turning me so I was looking into her eyes. “I will continue to be careful in the woods, I promise.” She pulled my mouth to hers and brushed her lips against mine. The kiss deepened and I gathered her hair in my hand and pressed my mouth closer to hers. I needed to be as close to her as possible, so I stood lifting her in my arms and started up the stairs to her room. Her fingers tangled in my hair, and she gave it a tug as we crossed the threshold into her room. My mouth was on hers when my knees connected with her bed. I sat her gently on the bed and settled myself on top of her.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Emerson
I watched Luke as he walked around my room, water dripping from his skin. His hair had droplets of water that were catching the first rays of sun, and it almost looked like he had tiny diamonds in his hair. He smiled when he caught me watching him.
“You like what you see?” He wiggled his eyebrows at me in a playful manner.
“Ehhh... it’s okay.” I shrugged. He narrowed his eyes at me then pounced on the bed, shaking his wet hair in my face. When the cold water hit, I tried to pull the sheet up and over me, but his knees held it in place.
“Not so fast.” He covered my body with his. His hands enclosed my face, and his eyes grew melty.
He lowered his mouth to mine but didn't kiss me. He said softly against my lips, “If I had known then what I know now, I would have worked a lot harder to have you.”
“You mean my stunning good looks didn't draw you in on day one?” I rolled my eyes, and he grew serious.
“There is not a part of you that isn't amazing, even your tendency to yell at me.” I pressed my lips to the corner of his mouth. I kept my eyes open and watched his pupils dilate. He moved over me, and I adjusted, searching for the right pressure. He settled between my thighs, and I pushed up against him as he kissed my jawline before covering my mouth. His tongue swept inside, and the kiss deepened.
He pulled away from me and softly said, “We can't.”
I pulled the back of his neck. “Can’t never could,” I grinned at him. “I want you inside of me.”
The words were soft, and my voice sounded foreign so thick with arousal. He pushed up, shoved his boxer briefs over his hips, and laid back down between my thighs. His
fingers traveled down and dipped inside, spreading me open. I felt his tip against my wetness, and I arched my hips to encourage him. He slowly started to push inside of me. I pushed back trying to get him deeper, but he was taking his time. He lowered himself down on top of me, his weight resting on his forearms. He dropped his mouth toward mine, but our lips simply touched, and our eyes met. He watched me, his eyes focusing from one of my eyes to the other. As he moved his hips, he never looked away from me, our lips never disconnecting. Each stroke was a promise, each movement solidifying our relationship. It wasn’t just sex. It was so much more than that. I had never experienced anything like it. I had never felt the intimacy that we shared at that moment with anyone else.
He said softly against my lips, “I think I might love you.” I pushed my lips up and against his, but he pulled back and just kept staring into my eyes. I felt the familiar burning deep in my belly and tried my best to find the oncoming orgasm, but Luke held steady. As the building intensified, I felt him waver in his movements, each one becoming a little more forceful. I clamped around him, and the world spun. I pulled him against me, our lips mashed together, and I fell down the rabbit hole. I heard him grunt, and then my name floated across his lips as he buried himself deeper inside of me. I felt him swell with each thrust forward. When he released, my body clamped down around him, he jerked and cursed, then slowly slide out of me. I felt every inch as he slid out and then a wetness followed. He laid back over me and kissed me deeply, forcing my head back into the pillow.
***
I woke a couple hours later to find Luke gone. As I walked to the bathroom to shower, I looked out the window to find him and Ryan working on his springboard. They would be leaving in a couple days for the next competition. I found my phone and called Rachel. With everything that had been happening, I hadn't had a chance to call her and let her know how things had progressed.
“Morning, sunshine.” I could almost hear her smiling through the phone.
“Good morning,” I replied.
“Well, don't you sound chipper this morning? Oh my goodness. You finally had sex with him!” She yelled through the phone. “Charlie, she had sex with the lumberjack.” I heard her yell through the phone. “You owe me a massage and thirty minutes of oral!”
I busted out laughing. “You guys had a bet on when I’d get laid?”
“Not so much when, but with who. My money was on the lumberjack. Now, tell me everything.”
The phone went silent as I tried to find the words. “I don't know what to tell you.”
“Please. Spill it girl.” She laughed.
“It was... amazing.”
“And,” she prompted.
“I don't know. It was different than any other time I've had sex.” I smiled, thinking about this morning.
“Which was what, with one other guy?”
“There have been two,” I protested. “Okay, so I don't have a lot of experience, but that doesn't mean I don't know great sex when I have it.”
“Elaborate.”
“It's just different. When I had sex before, it was more a means to an end, with Luke it's more of a means to a beginning. I don't know how to explain it. I just want to be connected to him all the time. When he kisses me even a simple peck, I want him so much it hurts.”
“You got it bad, girl.”
“I think I might,” I sighed. I knew this would happen. I knew I would fall hard and fast for him and then it would end up being a disaster.
“That's how it is with Charlie. I know I tried to explain it to you, but until you’ve been there, you don't understand.”
“You're right, I didn't.”
“So give me all the gory details.” I heard her clapping through the phone. I went on to tell her everything, and she tisked at me when I told her that we had sex this morning without protection. I was on the pill, so I wasn't worried, but to be connected to him like that was sex on a whole other level. She oohed and awed. I told her about everything.
“I may or may not be a little jealous of the orgasm count.”
I heard Charlie say something in the background.
“Yeah?” She giggled, and I knew I’d lost her.
“I'll talk to you later, Charlie just promised me a few to make up for my jealousy. Love you.” And then she was gone.
***
I worked on my research for the better part of the afternoon, taking the samples, putting them in the appropriate envelopes, and gathering everything I needed so I could send it all off Thursday in Portland. I changed my plans so that I would be in Portland while Chris would be gone from the office as well. Maybe I did it on purpose, and maybe I was adjusting my life to suit Luke’s a little more, but I wasn't sorry for it. And, I actually felt bad for giving Rachel such a hard time when she did the same things. As the month went on, I felt like I saw less and less of Luke, but we were both super busy. I had wanted to try and make his final competition of the year, but with everything going on at work, it just hadn't happened. He wasn't upset but seemed more annoyed that work was getting in the way of us. I was trying so hard to make time for everyone, but I couldn't, and it was starting to show.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Luke
I finished the Spring Board and it put me in first place. I also was sitting in first place in the underhand chop and standing chop. If my times held, I’d be a champion for the first time.
“Dude, that was amazing,” Ryan said as he found me walking out of the crowd.
“Thanks.” I smiled and then moved toward the RV. I had bested all of my competition by more than a second, and I hoped the times would stand with only two competitors left, Chris being one of them.
Emmy and I had been going strong for almost a month, even though I wasn't seeing her as much as I wanted to. It was hard not seeing her when I was gone since we lived literally three feet away from each other, and I’d gotten used to her being right there.
I was looking forward to being done traveling and being at home more working in the shop. She had been a little preoccupied, but she had also been working really hard on her grant, and with the answers coming back, she was in the woods even more. She was gone to Portland at least two to three days a week every week. I knew we were fine, but it didn't help that everything had cooled a bit over the last two weeks. The first week she was in Portland almost the entire week as she moved everything from paper records to a computer system that would keep it all in line. Her grandfather had fought her over it, but she convinced him it needed to be done. We had dinner and shared a bed that weekend, but Monday she was in the woods all day and then had traveled back to Portland to go to her grandfather’s doctor's appointment. We talked daily about everything and anything, and she had often fallen asleep on me, but not in the way I preferred. Truth was, I’d have spent every waking minute with her if it were possible.
“You got this, my man.” Ryan said pulling me from my thought. I sat in the chair outside the RV and emptied a bottle of water I pulled from the cooler.
I watched the boards and waited to see how I would finish.
When everyone was done, I carried my trophy to the RV and we packed to head for home.
“You might think you have it all figured out.” I heard from behind me and knew immediately who it was. Fucking Chris. I turned to face him and he smirked.
“You think she is saving her body for only you?” I turned because I wasn't going down this road again. She had promised me that nothing had ever happened between them, and I believed her more now than I ever had.
“Have you found that cute little scar just under her left hip bone, the one shaped like a tiny crescent moon?” I turned and looked at him. How did he know it was there? It wasn't out in the open and was only visible if she didn't have on pants. I felt my body flood with anger.
“Just move along,” Ryan said and shoved Chris away from me.
“You keep believing you are the only dick she gets, and I'll keep knowing that it's better with me. Those l
ittle sounds she makes when you hit just the right spot are what wet dreams are made of.” I stalked toward him, but Ryan intercepted me.
“Ignore him.”
“That's right. Ignore me, Luke, and I'll ignore you every time I'm balls deep in her.”
Ryan shoved me again. “Don't.”
“I don't give a fuck, let me by,” I growled.
“Not gonna happen, my man. He can't beat you on the field, and he can't beat you with Emmy. She isn't interested in him like that, and you know it.”
Chris laughed as he walked away. “Believe what you want.” He tossed the words over his shoulder and then was gone.
“He’s looking for a fight and will say or do just about anything to pull you into one.”
“He knows about her scar. How could he know unless he’s seen her naked?” I yelled at Ryan.
“I don't know, but I'm sure there is a perfectly good explanation. Maybe a bathing suit. Stop letting him get in your head, damnit. Now let's get our stuff and go home. We should be able to make it halfway if we leave now.” I turned and slammed the door shut on the RV and then moved toward the truck.
“You are not driving.” Ryan pointed toward the passenger seat. I sat in silence as my mind ran through the conversation over and over again. I didn't answer Emmy when she texted me other than to say I won. She called, and I didn't answer, blaming poor reception and that I would call her when it was better. She texted me a dozen more times, and I tried my best not to let my anger leak into our conversation.
I laid in the RV that night and let my mind go on a joy ride with everything that was imaginable. I wanted so bad to believe her, but at the same time, my head was running away because of what had happened before. In my messed-up head, everything was pointing toward her cheating, and that was a problem. Her pulling away, talking less and less, less sex, and mostly more time in Portland... where Chris was. I needed to be grounded, and the only way that would happen is if I was inside Emmy. I needed to claim her.
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