by Amber Faye
The tension ratchets up another level. I can feel the thickness in the air. We’re all waiting for the hammer to come down, for someone to move first.
The next peal of thunder, it’s me who moves first.
Chapter 9
Karlee
The shots were loud and relentless. They followed the thunder so closely at first I thought they might be a series of lightning strikes, but I knew what kind of situation we were in. I didn’t know what to do other than stay in bed and wait it out. Shouting mixes in with the deep boom of shotguns, all backdropped by the sound of heavy rain. It all seems so ridiculously dramatic, but my mind is on more serious things. I dwell on what could happen if Gage didn’t come out on top. Not one of the scenarios racing through my mind ends well.
I get the courage to get out of bed and grab my jeans from the floor. I scream as buckshot rips through the wood above me, and I see that had I waited a second earlier it would have skimmed me in bed. My heart is racing.
Gage’s shirt is still on the floor, and I grab it and put it over myself. Despite everything going on, the smell of his skin, a mixture of sandalwood and sweat, calms me down. I think about popping my head up to see what’s happening, but by the time I’m rationalizing what to do, the gunfire stops.
I can see the moonlight dancing as it reflects through the stream of water coming down the window. My heart is pounding in my chest. The noises outside have stopped. I slowly get to my knees.
The door bursts open and a figure staggers in. I brace myself for something awful, but I let out a sigh of relief when I see it’s Gage. He’s leaning on his shotgun, his other hand holding his side.
“Gage, you’re hurt!”
He grunts and staggers to the wall, where he slides down to the floor. I hurry over and grab his hand. It’s covering his side, and it pulls away to reveal he’s been shot.
“It’s not bad,” he says. “I’ll get it fixed up before we head out.”
I’m overcome with relief. I couldn’t imagine what would happen without my protector, my warden. I grab Gage gently, nestling my head into his chest.
“My brother? The sheriff? The other —”
He cuts my words off with a finger on my lips. It’s gentle, but firm. I close my eyes, knowing what’s coming next.
“I didn’t have a choice, babe. It was him or me.” He says. “I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you. I had to put them down.”
I’m weirdly at peace. I might be in shock, or maybe I realize how cruel my brother had been all these years since our parents died. In that moment, I feel the shock of everything wash over me, all held together by the large, calming figure I’m clinging to.
We get up and get Gage’s wound cleaned up. It’s a few pellets, and it seemed more serious at the beginning than planned. Gage looks at me as I dress the wound, and I can tell by the slight smirk that he’s impressed.
“You were born to be with me,” he says.
I look up from dressing his torso. “What do we do now?”
“We head out. We disappear. My pickup is already in a different name, and that name has a cabin up in Northern Idaho. The last person to know my business died here tonight. If you want, we could disappear without a trace. I’m not going anywhere without you, so you have all the cards. Either we answer for that’ —he points out to the direction of the last stand— “or we can head to the Carlson ranch, take his stash, and start a new life. Your call, babe.”
My mind drifts to one of those evergreen trees that needs a fire in order to grow. I’ve been licked clean by the flames, and now those flames are holding me in their hands.
“I’m in.”
Epilogue
A Year Later…
“Ow, Gage. Watch it!’ I say, looking at him with contempt. He sends me back a broad smile and waves the gardening trowel at me, the tool he just whacked me on the ass with. I stare at it with annoyance. I kneel back down to start planting, but Gage is back behind me again. He’s shirtless (as usual) and his arms wrap around me tightly. I feel his cock against my ass, and every time it immediately turns the heat up inside me.
“I like it when you look at me like that. I think I’ll just fuck that stare right out of you,’ he says. The next thing I know, I’m on all fours as he’s sticking his dick inside me. I yell at the top of my lungs. For the past year, his giant cock has never failed to make me feel like I’m losing my mind. Out here among the pines, though, I’ve been able to scream as loud as I want about it. I arch my back in pleasure, but I’m met with his strong hand pushing me back down, getting better leverage as he rails against me like a stallion.
I scream. He comes. I gush. The calls of multiple birds echo across the thick, forested landscape. I lie back on the ground, his semen sticky around my thighs, and I want him to do it all over again.
“I couldn’t help myself,” he says, plopping next to me as he does up his pants. His hands reach over, touching my face. “You’re just so fucking hot, bent over like that. I guess I have to be careful, though. We won’t be able to be that rough soon.”
I stare at that rough face, the light scars across his chest; the huge looming presence that seems to be the only rock solid thing I’ve ever known. My hand reaches to my belly and the tiny life inside of it. I feel an avalanche of feelings for this man, although I guess it’s more apt to call him an outlaw. We both are, after the incident.
At first, it was harrowing, but after the first few months, where there was nothing much to do but explore every inch of each other’s bodies, it seemed like we were off the hook. A quick Internet search for news in the nearest town, a sleepy hamlet of 100 people, revealed headlines for Hico Canyon.
“Sordid Deals Catch Up with Local Sheriff” At that moment, I breathed a sigh of relief for the both of us.
My mind turns back to it as we lay there, my mind already thinking of how he’ll fuck me tonight. Should I let him know they’re not looking for us? That we have nothing to worry about at our little hideaway ranch in the woods?
His stubble rubs my neck and he kisses me as his hands reach underneath my shirt. My man is ready for more. I think telling him would do more harm. It might even break the spell we have. And if he doesn’t know, we can continue this little dream in the woods. It almost makes him my prisoner. A prisoner of his own desires. It feels like a little piece of him that’s just mine, that even he can’t touch.
My mind listens to the wind in the trees as his fingers trace my clit. I moan again. What could be better than this?
Want more?
Join Amber's mailing list to get notified of new releases!
Join us on Facebook today!
*
Copyright © 2021 Amber Faye
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Contents
Front Matter
Title Page
Chapter 1
Scene
Chapter 2
Scene
Chapter 3
Scene
Chapter 4
Scene
Chapter 5
Scene
Chapter 6
Scene
Chapter 7
Scene
Chapter 8
Scene
Chapter 9
Scene
Epilogue
Scene
Back Matter
Manuscript Format
Fan Club
ayscale(100%); -o-filter: grayscale(100%); -ms-filter: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share