She fumbled a few times but was getting better with each attempt. As long as she kept practicing, she would only get better.
“There is something called muscle memory. When you repeat an action so many times that it become automatic or engrained. That is your goal for this exercise and the others. You want to be able to do it smoothly every single time without even thinking about it. It could save your life someday,” he told her.
“How long until I can practice with the rifle?” she asked.
“I don’t want you doing too much. Your ribs and wrist need to heal completely before putting stress on them.”
She pouted at him, and he pulled her in for a kiss.
“Go on now and rest. Later we’ll go over some other things with the group.”
He smacked her butt as she walked past and she turned around, startled.
“You!” she said. “You’ll pay for that!”
“I’m counting on it. Now get that fabulous ass inside and take a nap or something,” he ordered.
She just raised an eyebrow and walked away.
Jim snorted and shook his head, clutching Cam’s shoulder.
How about something a little more advanced for me,” he asked Cam.
“You’ve got it. Let’s go get Jack and Monica too.”
◆◆◆
After the impromptu session for the more advanced shooters, he went in to prep the generator.
It was a commercial standby generator, propane. It probably produced between 20k and 30k watts, but they wouldn’t be using that much. The ground along the back wall outside had been excavated, allowing an extensive opening and vent system. It circulated and pulled out the air effectively enough and the door to the rest of the basement was sealed. It was safe.
Cam studied the console, checked the fuse, and switched the generator to manual. It fired up with a loud rumbling. He stayed there, checking the temperature and the output readings until he was satisfied that it was operating normally.
He left the room, glad that the generator room was well-insulated and soundproofed. A quick trip up the steps and he was confronted by an ecstatic Jessica.
“Yay! We have a fridge again,” she said, clapping.
It was ridiculous, but Cam smiled at her antics. Such excitement over a little cold air. Speaking of cold air, he needed to check the thermostat.
Nick walked down into the lobby, a little pep in his step as well.
“Bradley’s excited that he can watch movies again,” Nick said ruefully.
“Well, tell him to enjoy it while it lasts. The propane won’t hold out forever.”
Having completed that task, he set out to find Angie. He walked up the stairs and into their room. The curtains were drawn against the afternoon sun and Angie was fast asleep in their bed. She was resting on her side, her hair spread out on the pillow behind her.
God, she was stunning.
He stripped off his t-shirt and crawled up the bed, laying behind her. He rested one hand on her hip.
Her skin was smooth and warm. He ran his fingers lightly up and down her bare leg, reveling in the feel of her against his body.
“Mmmmm.” She opened one eye.
“What are you doing?” she asked sleepily, turning on her back and raising her hands to stretch.
She winced and put a hand to her side.
“I’m thinking about how many ways I can take advantage of you,” he murmured in her ear, his voice deep and intense.
He saw a flare of heat in her eyes, and she reached up to pull his face down to hers.
Instead of kissing him as he expected, she gently nipped at his lower lip. She caught it between her teeth and ran her tongue over it. He hardened instantly and took control of her face. He plunged his tongue into her mouth and demanded her response.
She ran her hand up his chest, circling around to his back, and gripped his muscles. She pulled him closer, and he reminded himself not to rest his weight on her. Holding himself up above her, he caged her in, arms on either side of her head.
“I want you now,” he told her, eyes focused intently on hers.
He thought maybe he had been too direct.
“Yes,” she said after a moment.
She wrapped her legs around his hips, and he groaned.
Angie
“I love you,” she told him. He moved one hand to cradle her face.
“I love you too, baby,” he replied.
He rolled to his side and covered her hips with one hand. He saw goosebumps form as he trailed his hand along a path of his own choosing.
“Again?” she asked him.
“As many times as I can before supper,” he said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Three, at least.”
Cam kept his promise.
◆◆◆
They were laying on top of the blanket, exhausted and covered in sweat. They had to get in the shower soon or they would miss supper. She heard the room door open and footsteps approaching the bedroom.
She glanced at Cam. He slung the blanket over them, covering her up to her collarbones as he sat up.
She looked over as Jim walked into the room. His mouth fell open in shock.
“Don’t you ever knock?” Cam grumbled.
“Wow,” he said, eyes moving over her.
She saw him swallow.
“Jim! What do you want?” Cam asked impatiently.
“Well…” He looked over at her again.
“I didn’t mean that,” Cam added, holding up a hand.
Jim sighed. “I just came to put away my stuff. I do live here too, you know.”
“Rent is cheap. Find somewhere else to sleep from now on,” Cam said.
Angie held the blanket over her and sat up. “Cam! That was mean.”
He didn’t look sorry.
“You’re kicking me out of my home?” Jim said, widening his eyes. He looked extremely sad.
“Cut it out. We both know your tricks,” Angie said.
“You wound me,” he said, placing a hand over his heart.
“We know that one too,” Cam said sarcastically.
“Fine. I’ll get my stuff and go, but you’ll be hearing from my lawyer.” He slung his rifle back over his shoulder and left.
“Come on baby, let’s shower.” Cam grabbing her hand and pulled her into the bathroom.
“What’s the rush?” she asked him.
They still had a while before they had to be downstairs.
“We’re getting out of here so Officer Mojo can pack up and leave. I want you to myself.”
She grinned and started the water.
Jessica
Jessica grilled steaks for supper. They had plenty.
She pulled them out of the marinade that she had made and rubbed them with some seasoning. They were resting on the counter while the grill was heating up.
She scrubbed and dried the potatoes and sliced them into fries. Then she went out and put the steaks on the massive grill on the back porch. While they were cooking, she fried the potatoes in hot oil, then she seasoned them with salt and kept them in a covered dish.
She turned the steaks and went back in to pull the salad ingredients from the fridge. She tossed together a basic salad dressing, then set out the plates in the dining room.
The others started coming in, following the delicious smell of cooking meat.
“Hey, Jess,” she heard behind her.
“Nick. What’s up?” she asked as she went back out to the grill. Nick followed.
“Could you do me a favor and make mine rare? I’ve been craving rare steak lately,” he said, staring at the meat.
“Sure thing. Hey, could you go find out how the others want theirs?”
Nick went in and asked around, coming back out several minutes later.
“Half medium-well, and the other half well-done. Cam wants his rare too,” Nick reported.
“Got it, thanks!”
She pulled the steaks from the grill at the right times and put them into t
wo separate pans. She let them rest out on the dining room table as she took in the rest of the food and drinks.
Jack smiled at her and took a place beside her tonight. She was glad. For some reason she kept saying the wrong things when they talked, and she was worried he would get tired of it.
“I love your steaks,” he said, eating a bite.
He loved her steaks!
She smiled, unable to hide it all the way. It was ridiculous how happy that little comment made her. She needed to get a grip.
“Thanks. My dad taught me how to grill,” she suddenly remembered that her mom and dad were most likely dead, and her grin fell away.
She stabbed a piece of lettuce and tried not to think about it.
Think about something else, think about something else, think about something else…
“Jess?” a voice called.
She looked up and saw everyone looking at her, concerned.
“Sorry. What did you say?” she asked.
“I asked if tomorrow after breakfast would be a good time for you to join our basic shooting class,” Cam said.
“Oh sure. The breakfast dishes can wait a while. Who all is going?” she asked him.
“Everyone that isn’t an advanced shooter,” he quipped.
“So basically, everyone besides you and Jim then?” she joked.
“Pretty much,” Jim replied distractedly.
Jim had been acting weird the entire meal. He kept staring at Angie and shooting glares at Cam when they happened to look at each other.
She wondered what was going on there. Cam seemed amused by it. Jessica supposed she was probably better off not knowing what it was about. She wasn’t naïve, well…not too naïve anyway. She knew the three of them had a drama thing going.
She thought about how it would feel to have two men competing for her attention. She blushed furiously at the mental images evoked by that thought. Oh God, please don’t let anyone see. She took a sip of iced tea, hoping to cool herself a bit.
She couldn’t imagine dealing with two. She had trouble knowing what to do and say with the one, and she wasn’t even sure that he wanted her attention.
She looked over at Jack, who had polished off the steak and was working on his French fries. He was talking casually with Jonah, who was on his other side.
Jess worried about Jonah. She hoped he didn’t think she was pursuing his dad or trying to take his mom’s place.
How do you love a man who recently lost his wife, and the mother of his child?
The answer was obvious. You love him from afar.
With that discouraging and somewhat heartbreaking problem solved, she got up and began to clear plates from those who were finished.
She reached down to take Jack’s empty plate, and he grabbed her arm. His hand was hot on her skin. He casually slid his hand down and stopped her hand.
“I’ll get it,” he said, standing up.
“Come on Jonah, let’s give Jess a hand tonight,” he said.
“I’ve got stuff to do,” Jonah replied, before leaving the room and running up the stairs.
They heard a door slam, and everyone pretended not to have seen the exchange. Jess was embarrassed and she looked at the floor, wishing he had just let her take his plate.
“I’ll talk to him. He can’t act like that,” Jack promised.
“It’s okay,” she said, not meeting his gaze.
Maybe if she continued to clear dishes then the others would leave and let her be embarrassed in peace.
What did they think of her? Did they think she was after Jack?
She looked up and caught Monica’s smirk.
Jess had enough. She took the dishes she had and went to the kitchen. She would do the rest later. She pulled on her apron and started to fill the sink with hot water. It was so nice to be able to do the dishes with real overhead lights.
Cam said it should be safe enough since the kitchen windows faced the woods and not the lake. The rooms that faced the lake had to be kept dark. They didn’t want to compromise their safety.
As she washed, she thought about the upcoming shooting lessons tomorrow. She was nervous about shooting a gun.
Would it hurt? Would she completely miss the target?
She wasn’t against guns. She just had never had a reason to use one. She was glad she wouldn’t be the only one learning. She was pretty sure Bradley didn’t have any experience either.
Someone stepped through the doorway as she was finishing up, and she turned.
It was Jack. He had the other dishes from the table.
“Here you go. I’ll help you get these washed and then we can go out to the point,” he offered.
“Okay,” she said.
They washed in silence for a bit before Jack spoke up.
“Are you excited about shooting tomorrow?” he asked her.
“Uhhhh…not really,” she answered honestly.
“Why not?” he asked.
“Well, I don’t know. What if I’m not any good at it? And some of those guns look powerful. What if I make a mistake and get someone killed?”
“That’s what the training is for. They’ll probably start you out on a small caliber weapon to let you get used to it. When you learn the safety rules and have that down, they’ll move you on to firing. It really becomes second-nature once you practice enough.”
“Maybe,” was all she said.
“I’ll work with you on it, if you want,” he offered.
She thought about spending more time with him.
Did she want to? More than anything! Was it the right thing to do? She didn’t know. She didn’t know how she would be able to be near him and still be able to hide her feelings.
“You probably won’t want to after you see how horrible I am tomorrow,” she joked.
“Eh, we’ll see,” he said and winked at her.
They finished drying the dishes and put them away. She took off her apron and washed her hands. Everything was done. She turned nervously to Jack.
He was watching her curiously.
“You still want to go with me?” he asked.
More than anything else on this earth, she thought to herself.
“Yes,” she said.
She followed him out, grabbing a flashlight from the desk in the lobby. She slipped on her boots, and they made their way outside.
The sun was setting, and clouds were rolling in, promising rain later. She loved a good thunderstorm. She inhaled deeply, trying to smell the approaching rain in the light breeze. They picked their way along the trail that crisscrossed the small island. Over here, the rocks were large, and she had to step carefully.
“Here is good,” he said, sitting in the lush grass.
She sat next to him, and they looked out over the water.
The stars were appearing, though they would soon be obscured by the approaching storm.
She didn’t know why he brought her out here, but she waited patiently for him to speak. It was obviously something important. She had an idea that he was going to tell her that their kiss was a mistake and let her down gently. She prepared herself.
“Can I tell you a story?” he asked, glancing at her briefly.
She nodded, and they each returned to studying the water.
“About two months ago, I came home from work and found my wife with another man,” he said.
She was completely floored.
This wasn’t what she had expected him to say. Where was he going with this?
“I’m sorry,” she said, unsure how to answer.
He waved off her apology. “I’m not looking for sympathy or anything, I just want you to understand something. It’s important to me,” he explained.
“Go on,” she encouraged.
He sat back on his hands and stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankle. She picked at blades of grass as he continued.
“Like I said, I came home, and she was with another man. They had obviously just had sex. They were sittin
g half dressed in the kitchen. She had made him lunch. They weren’t expecting me to come home.”
She saw.
“She told me that she loved him, and that she wanted to be with him. She said she was going to tell me soon, but she didn’t want to hurt me.”
Jessica thought back to the time Jack’s wife had come to the station. She only came once since Jessica had started there, and she just dropped something off. She was a pretty woman and seemed nice.
She apparently didn’t know how lucky she was to have someone like Jack.
“I loved her. I loved her even after that. I tried to get her to stay, for Jonah’s sake, if not my own. We had been married for almost fifteen years, and I was lost. I didn’t want to be alone.”
He turned his head away from her and cleared his throat.
“What I’m trying to say is, even though she was my wife and I loved her, I’m not still in love with her. I mourn her loss. She was a good person, even though she cheated on me, but I’m ready to move past that.”
Jessica held her breath, hoping she wasn’t misconstruing his meaning. Her heart fluttered in her chest.
“I’m not being very clear about this, am I?” he chuckled.
“Not really, no.” He was, but she wouldn’t believe it until he said it plainly.
“I’m trying to tell you that I like you. You are kind, and caring, and whenever I see you, my day is made. It was so hard to pull away from you after I kissed you. I didn’t want to.”
“Then why did you?” she asked him.
“Because I felt a little guilty. You see, I haven’t been with anyone else in sixteen years. Just her, and now you. I felt guilty because I wanted you so much, and that I was thinking some extremely lustful thoughts about you.”
She flushed and felt a surge of heat low in her stomach. She felt his hand cover hers in the grass and reveled in the feeling of his touch. Even his hand on hers made her heart pound in excitement, that…and his words.
“Jack, I want you to know that I like you. A lot.” She hesitated to go on.
“But?” he asked.
“But I don’t want Jonah upset about us. I don’t want to hurt him at all or make him think I’m taking you away from him. Did he know about your wife’s…plans?”
Refuge From The Dead | Book 2 | Dead Summer Page 13