by Jenika Snow
Now he just needed to show her that life with him, even if it was isolated and secluded, was perfection as long as they were with each other.
6
A loud crash startled Shea from her dream. She shoved the blanket off and without thinking rushed to the window. One glance outside and she was terrified. The sky flashed with streaks of lightning. Seconds later she covered her ears as the sounds seemed to echo, shaking the very house that should be offering her protection. She’d never been afraid of storms before but this was more than that.
Never had she experienced such noises and sounds that shook houses. Storms weren’t something that she was afraid of and yet right now, she felt shaken to her core.
“It’s okay,” Abel said from right behind her.
“Aren’t you afraid? They could tear your house down.”
“There’s a risk but this is not the worst storm I’ve lived through.” Abel moved closer to her. He placed a hand on her hip and having his warmth surround her, she felt safer. Sinking back against his large muscular chest, his other arm went instantly around her, shocking her with the warmth that emanated from him.
So warm.
So big.
So protective.
All of her life she had thought about what it would be like to find a man to claim as her own and to have him all to herself. Abel was all by himself. He lived alone, away from all the bullshit that life had to offer. Tilting her head back, she looked at him. He was staring out of the window, checking the storm that was thrashing about. Another roll of thunder hit just after a flash of light lit up his face. She jumped and his hold on her tightened a little more.
“You don’t have to worry about a thing. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
His fingers stroked her hip in soothing circles and she relaxed once again.
“I’m sorry. I’m not used to it being so … loud and aggressive.”
“You get used to it. I kind of like it. It comforts me.”
“It comforts you?”
“Yep. I like the sounds of thunder and lightning. The storms. They soothe me.”
“I’ve never heard them be this loud before.”
“Just watch the beauty of it. See it as something far more stunning and full of life and it won’t scare you anymore.” Again, he was still stroking her hip where he held her.
Staring straight ahead, she waited. The trees looked like they were going to snap with the force of the wind but they didn’t.
The sky lit up and she watched the bolt of lightning that seemed almost purple within the sky.
“Wait for it. You know it’s coming.” His arm tightened around her and as the thunder shook this time, she wasn’t afraid. There was no way she could be with him holding her so close, not that she had a problem with that.
Stroking his fingers, she waited to see what else would happen. He didn’t move his hands or try to touch her in any inappropriate way. This man was a true gentleman even though she knew he was aroused by her. She’d seen the evidence earlier and now she wanted him to go a little … less gentlemanly on her.
Her pussy was slick with arousal and she wanted him.
A virgin she might be but she wanted him to push her down, to rid her of that pesky cherry and to make her his.
Biting her lip, she jumped again at the rumble of thunder, completely missing the lightning. Her thoughts focused on the man behind her, touching her, creating that building need that was threatening to claim her.
She wanted him more than her next breath.
Their reflections flashed in the window and she couldn’t help but tilt her ass back and try to make it seem innocent as she leaned a little closer.
There was no mistaking the rock-hard erection pressing against her ass. Nor what it did to her. She wanted him to pull her panties down, to slide in, to make her his.
Her nipples tightened at the thought of him sucking on them. His hands holding them in place as he lavished each one with attention.
She was going out of her mind.
Sex had always been something that happened around her.
She’d never been obsessed by it.
Apart from now.
She couldn’t get it out of her head. She wanted it with Abel. For him to be her first.
Another bolt of lightning flashed and as the thunder rumbled this time, she gave a little gasp and a wiggle.
His hand on her hip tightened and she bit her lip, feeling him press his dick against her ass. It was for only a split second and then he pulled back and she mourned his touch, wanting him to do so again.
What would it be like to be completely taken over by this man? To have him take her, to use her body for his own enjoyment, to belong to him. She knew he wouldn’t leave her pleasure out of it.
He would give as good as he got.
Abel wasn’t just a taker.
“Be careful, Shea,” he said.
She glanced over her shoulder to see him staring at her. The need in his eyes was so easy to see.
She’d done that to him, made him want her, made him ache for what she could offer. A life out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by wilderness, and no one else sounded perfect. To most people it sounded scary being without the convenience of normal life. She didn’t need to be around so many people. All she could think about was being around this man, Abel.
“Why should I be careful?” she asked. She didn’t know how to tell him to just take her. That she wanted him to.
“You’re playing with fire. There’s only so much control I can keep.” He squeezed her hip one final time and pulled away, leaving her aching for him in more ways than one.
7
She sat at the table, one leg bent up, her foot poised on the edge of the chair. Shea had a cup of hot coffee in front of her, more cream in it than actual coffee. Well, powdered milk to be specific. Although Abel had a generator, he hadn’t turned it on, telling her he saved it for emergencies, like bad snow and ice storms. Even though the storm had been violent last night, it was still going, the rain a steady shower over everything.
There were already reports of flooding coming from his emergency radio. But in all honesty she didn’t care about any of that. She liked being here, almost wished the storm would stay strong, forcing her—giving her an excuse—to stay with Abel out in the middle of nowhere. She was crazy for thinking that, wanting things to stay the way they were.
It was like she lived in a different time, a different place.
After she’d been woken up by the storm she hadn’t been able to get back to sleep. So she sat in the oversized chair, the blanket curled around her as she stared at the fire. The time passed slowly out here, as if things ran different, as if they didn’t abide by the outside world.
It was perfection.
Early this morning, before the sun had even risen, Abel had headed outside. She watched him out the window as he worked in the woodshed off to the side. She had no idea what he was doing, but she assumed that his daily chores didn’t stop with the angry weather.
She heard him coming up the patio steps and then a second later the front door opened. The wind and rain whipped inside for a second before he closed the door behind him. He removed his rain jacket, droplets of water splashing on the wooden floor. His short dark hair was wet, the strands sticking to his forehead and temples like spilled ink.
Shea stood and went over to the French press coffee machine. It had taken her a moment to figure out how to use it, modern electricity something she’d become dependent on. She poured him a cup, knowing he liked it black from when she’d first arrived at his cabin.
Setting it on the table, she waited for him to approach. When he sat down across from her he lifted the coffee cup up and smiled at her. For a long moment they didn’t speak, but the electricity and heat moved between them, suffocating her. Her heart started beating faster, and every erogenous zone in her body came alive.
All she had to do was be in the same vicinity as him and everything in her li
t up like it was a firework on the Fourth of July.
“Still bad out there?” she asked. He nodded and took a long drink from his cup. The seconds passed before he spoke. “Yeah and looks like it won’t let up anytime soon.” He leaned back in the seat. “No doubt the flooding has already started, and if it won’t stop raining it’ll only get worse, far too unsafe to be trying to head down the mountain to get you to town or to your car.”
“I’m not worried about that right now. Unless you’re sick of me being here?” she joked, smiling, teasing him to make light of the situation. Abel was a caring man, maybe even gentle at times. He’d shown her generosity, compassion, and a safe haven. But most of all he’d made her wish for things to be so much different in her life.
He didn’t have the complications of outside life, of electricity tangling up his life, making things more confusing. He relied on himself, hunting, providing only what was needed to survive.
It wasn’t for everyone, certainly not for most.
That’s what she wanted.
“Do you like it out here? You want to stay in the middle of nowhere permanently?” he asked and brought the coffee cup to his mouth to take another long drink. Before she could answer he stood and made his way toward the counter to pour himself another cup of coffee. “Do you want some more?” She finished off her cup and stood, making her way over to him and getting another refill.
For long seconds she didn’t speak and she contemplated how best to answer his question without sounding desperate for what he had.
“I’ve never been a people person,” she answered honestly. “I guess the solitude always appealed to me even if I may never have that.” She tried not to think about how her body heated when he was near, how her arousal tried to consume her. But Abel was gruff, serrated around the edges even. She couldn’t help but feel this pull toward the primal side of him. He made her feel feminine, as if she just knew being with him would be perfection.
It was immensely attractive that he knew how to survive, that he didn’t need anyone or anything to make that a possibility.
“I was the same way,” he finally said, leaning against the kitchen counter and drinking his coffee. “That’s why I finally said fuck it and got this place, moved away from the modern comforts that I’d had for so long, and decided to go all caveman.” He smiled but she could see and hear he wasn’t joking. She supposed living this way did make him a caveman.
They stood in silence, but it was comfortable. A part of her wanted to admit to him that she wanted this, to stay with him out in the middle of nowhere. But she wasn’t a lunatic, wasn’t desperate to open herself up to a virtual stranger. Sighing and setting her cup down, she offered him a smile. “I’m not sure what I can do to help out while I’m here, but I’m a pretty good cook. I can make dinner, if you’re good with that?”
He didn’t speak for long seconds and she wondered idly if he was tense like this because he was so used to being on his own. Maybe he hated the fact she was here, invading his personal space, his isolation and solace? But she’d seen the way he looked at her, that heated glance when he thought she hadn’t noticed. Did he see she wanted him, as well?
Could Abel see that being in his presence was exactly what she wanted?
8
This storm wasn’t letting up and they were onto day three. Shea was clearly worried about her car. She sat in the chair across from him looking out the window.
“No one will be venturing out,” Abel said.
“I need some clothes and … personal items.” Her cheeks were a bright red.
He didn’t have a clue what she meant by personal items.
Her leg bounced up and down and he saw her nerves.
“What’s wrong?”
“Do you think I can just go and check? Maybe go and get something out of my car?” she asked. “I miscalculated something and now I really, really need to … get something.”
Again, her face was bright red and she looked mortified.
“Are you wanting to leave?”
“No. Not at all. This isn’t about leaving. Just for us to go there and come back. I know it’s risky. I could go.”
He glanced out of the window. There was no way she was going to her car. “I can’t let you go. It’s way too dangerous. Tell me what it is that you need and I’ll figure something out.”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Why not?”
“It’s … private.”
“Shea, we’re out in the middle of nowhere. Privacy or not, I need to know so that I can get it for you.” He stood up and went to her side. Placing a finger beneath her chin, he tilted her head back. “Please, Shea, don’t hide from me.”
“It’s …” She nibbled her lip. “It’s that time of the month.”
He didn’t think it was possible for her face to get any redder. Now he felt embarrassed himself.
“I … my supplies are there. Wow, this is so embarrassing.”
“It’s not embarrassing. This is natural and I don’t believe it’s safe to go to your car.”
“It’s fine.”
Now it was his time to feel a little embarrassed. “I have some.”
“What?”
“They’re not the bullet looking ones. They’re just the erm, the ones that go on the panties.”
“You have sanitary pads?” she asked.
He gripped the back of his neck. “Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Living out here you never know what might happen. You may have a woman that gets lost that needs a bit of help and you know, what may be, may be.” He’d seen them at the grocery store on his last bulk buy expedition. He recalled staring at them for a good five minutes feeling like a creep seeing as he didn’t have a woman but something in his gut had told him to pick them up. That he’d need them for something. So, he picked them up and put them in his cart.
When he got home, he felt like it had been a complete waste of money. Not anymore.
Heading to the bathroom, he felt her behind him, following him. The wind howling outside was the only sound to be heard.
Grabbing the bag from the back of the cupboard beneath the sink, he showed them to her. “I hope these help.”
“They’ll help.” She stared at the box and even though her face was red, she still looked so beautiful to him. “Thank you, Abel.”
She threw her arms around him and he held her tight, not wanting to let her go. Closing his eyes, he basked in her attention, loving the feel of her curvy body pressed against his.
His cock began to harden and he wanted her.
She’d been with him a matter of days and that need was only getting stronger.
The storm was a nightmare to him right now.
“I’ll leave you to it.”
He left the bathroom and headed outside onto his back porch. The wind was picking up and as he got his shit together, he watched the trees as they thrashed around.
It would be a lot easier for him if he could take her to her car, and then to the nearest town. Having her in his home, it felt good. It felt right to him. She cooked and she added that feminine touch he didn’t even realize that he was missing.
He knew he was missing it but he just tried to deny it.
“Why now?” he asked, staring out at the sky. “Huh? I was doing just fine and now you bring me her and she’s going to want to leave.” He ran a hand down his face.
Seconds passed and the wind picked up.
“Abel, you okay?” Shea asked, calling out to him.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Walking back inside, he locked the door, securing it in place. Turning toward her, he saw a smile on her face. “Thank you so much. I was, erm, I was worried about that. You think of everything.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Are you looking for a woman?”
“I’m not looking for anyone. It’s just me here.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s just … you thought about something as simple as that.
I just wondered about it.”
She folded her arms beneath her chest, which raised her tits up.
The shirt she wore wasn’t overly large and he saw every tempting curve.
“I passed it down a shopping aisle. It’s not a big deal.” He didn’t want her thinking too much of it.
You need to stop getting attached right now.
“Abel, what’s wrong?” Shea asked, not backing down.
He stepped into the kitchen, hoping to put some distance between them but once again, she was there. Her scent surrounding him, making him ache for more. “Nothing.”
“You’re walking away. Did I embarrass you? I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”
“You don’t embarrass me, Shea. Far from it.”
“I don’t understand what is happening right now. What I’ve done wrong?”
She hadn’t done anything wrong. This was all on him because he couldn’t keep his fucking shit together. There was no doubt that he wanted her. It wasn’t just because Shea was a woman either. There was something about her that called to him, that demanded he be with her. He was attracted to her, wanted her, craved her. Most of the night he thought about her. The temptation to go and watch her sleep was always so strong. One of the nights he had allowed himself a peek and she’d looked so beautiful.
This life wasn’t for many and he knew that.
No matter what little she had in her life, it was still there waiting for her. She was only here because her car had stopped, and soon, she’d go. Be nothing but a distant memory and he couldn’t allow himself to want her knowing that outcome.
“Abel, please.”
“Just stop, okay? As soon as this storm is fucking over I’m taking you to your car and that’s it. Over. Nothing. Just enough with all this other bullshit, Shea.”
“I’m not trying to bullshit you or hurt you.”
“Right now, I’m on edge and I don’t know how much I can take. When I look at you, I want to fuck you. I want to make you mine and that feeling isn’t going away anytime fast. So back the fuck off.”