by Alison Bliss
He stepped in front of the horse and motioned with his hand for me to stay put. He walked toward a sound I couldn’t hear, guarding me from an unknown evil. Both his hands cradled the weapon in a defensive position, ready to react at a moment’s notice.
Like a cannonball, the boar shot out of the brush straight toward him. Junior raised the rifle and aimed, but he didn’t shoot. I wanted to yell, but wouldn’t dare risk distracting him, which would inevitably endanger his life—and mine. The hog was closing in fast.
Now! Damn it, shoot him now!
I opened my mouth to scream, but he fired. The sound ricocheted off the surrounding trees. With a bullet hole between the eyes, the boar collapsed, hitting the ground and sliding to a dead stop next to Junior’s booted feet.
The horse lurched skittishly under me. I grasped a handful of its mane and held on in case it bolted. A click of Junior’s tongue settled the stallion instantly.
The sight was ridiculous. Junior stood over the massive boar as if it were a harmless puppy. The man had steel cable nerves and a pair of brass balls.
My eyes widened to the size of saucers. “Holy shit!”
Junior shrugged. “Hakuna matata.”
…
Junior had parked his truck and horse trailer two miles downstream from where he found my tracks on the bank. Once he trailered his horse, we drove toward the house.
“I can’t believe you found me,” I told him, the hero worship written all over my face. “Especially at night after it rained. You must be good at tracking.” He smiled at me, but didn’t say anything. “I don’t really know how to thank you.”
“You just did.”
I lowered my eyes. “I thought Jake would be looking for me…but I guess…well, he must be mad…”
“Nobody’s mad, Emily. Worried, but not mad. Jake and the other boys found the spot where you fell into the river and called me. I picked up my horse and parked my truck farther downstream while they all split up searching the banks from there on foot. Over the years, I’ve taught each of them boys how to track, and they’re good”—he gave me a wink—“but I’m better.”
I offered him a smile. “Should we call and tell them I’m with you?”
“Cell phones don’t work back here. Too many trees, no clearings. When we hit the highway, we’ll call Floss and let her spread the word. They’re carrying two-way radios to stay in touch with Hank.”
“It was kind of you and the others to help. You guys hardly know me.”
“I know you, Emily. Better than you think. You are so much like my daughter, Lucy, in personality. The two of you could’ve passed for sisters.”
“I’d like to meet her.”
“You can’t. She died four years ago.”
The shock made my head whip around to him. “Oh, I…I’m sorry. No one told me. I thought the clothes…”
“I couldn’t get rid of them before, but you came along and…well, I wanted to help. It made it easier to part with them.”
I patted his hand with understanding. “May I ask how she died?”
“Lucy was in her first year of college when she met a man named Brian Wellington. They went out only a few times, but he was obsessed with her. He got jealous easily, so she broke it off. When he caught her at a party talking to another boy, he went crazy. After she left the party, he followed her back to her dorm and stabbed her to death. The bastard went into hiding before the police could arrest him.”
“Did they find him?”
“No.” Junior’s eyes turned black, making him look more savage than I’d ever seen him. “And they never will.”
I swallowed. He didn’t have to spell it out for me. “Is that why you stopped working as a tracker?”
“Yes.”
“What about Lucy’s mother?”
“Suzanne died a year after Lucy from a brain aneurysm.”
“I’m sorry. I know what it’s like to lose everyone you care about. My parents…”
“I know.”
I gave him a strange look. “Is there anything you don’t know?”
He grinned, but didn’t answer.
“Who told you?”
“The first time I met you, I knew something was going on. When Jake introduced you as his girlfriend, you were caught off guard.” He chuckled softly, as if remembering the look on my face. “Few people can lie to me and get away with it. Jake’s not one of them.”
“I understand helping Jake find me when you thought I was his girlfriend, but now that you know I’m nothing to him, why bother?”
“I could find you faster than the boys could. I wasn’t able to save my daughter…or my wife…but I could help you. It won’t bring them back, but maybe it’ll save my soul. ” He gave me a knowing look. “And you’re something to Jake, whether you two admit it or not.”
…
Floss hugged me tightly, bringing a smile to my face, before Junior could lift me out of the truck. I didn’t doubt she’d been standing in the driveway since we hung up with her.
“Hank and Jake are on their way back now,” Floss said. “Let’s get you inside and clean you up.”
Junior carried me into the cottage with ease and sat me gently on the bed. He turned to leave, but I grabbed his hand, pulling him back. I touched the side of his face and kissed his cheek. “You’re a good man, Junior.”
With his Native American skin color it was hard to tell, but I was sure he blushed. “Take care,” he said before leaving.
Floss played doctor, checking the bump on my head and looking at the scratches on my legs before pulling two thorns and a couple of large splinters out of my feet. Several small cuts had dirt packed in them, but I told her I’d scrub it out in the shower. She helped me stand—amazingly easy to do when you don’t have spikes crippling your feet—and shuffled me into the bathroom.
I sat on the bed with fresh clothes and clean, damp hair while Floss checked my feet again. With the dirt and mud gone, thorns and splinters would be easier to spot. She removed another sizable splinter, applied antibiotic cream to both feet, then wrapped them in gauze. I was glad I wouldn’t have to look at the small white pustules that had formed where the fire ants stung me. It was like my feet had broken out with a bad case of acne.
As she finished, Jake exploded through the cottage door wearing his gun in his shoulder holster. I jumped, not having heard them pull up. He didn’t say a word, just positioned himself in the doorway. I tried not to look directly at him. Flustered, I waited for him to move, to do something, to yell at me, but he didn’t say anything.
“I’m going to let you two chat,” Floss said before making herself scarce.
The room closed in on me and I couldn’t breathe. If Floss was running, I had to expect the worst. I wished she’d taken Jake’s gun with her.
He was bound to be upset that I caused more trouble, costing them all a sleepless night. I probably could guess his thoughts. Hurricane Emily strikes again. He openly and loudly disapproved of my stunts any other time. Why wasn’t he shouting colorful words at me already?
After the bar fight, he struggled to control his temper in the parking lot. Before that, I hadn’t thought he was capable of losing control. Not completely, anyway. Sure, he yelled at me a lot when I made him angry. Holy freaking cow! I must’ve done a bang-up job pushing his buttons if I left him speechless. He was never this quiet, this motionless, for any length of time.
I should say something, apologize or at least explain what happened. I wasn’t sure it was the smart thing to do. His silence and restricted movements were “Don’t Feed The Bear” signs, if I’d ever seen them. If I opened my mouth now, I’d be inviting the danger. Maybe it’s what he wanted. His way of surrounding me with fuel, striking a match, and letting the flames force me to react. With unwavering patience, Jake could easily wait me out.
Someone had to go first. “Before you say anything, I’d like to—”
“Don’t.” The only word he spoke.
Shit. “If you’r
e going to yell at me, get it over—”
“Don’t speak.”
Fuck me. What’s he going to say next, three words? The anticipation was killing me, but I sat quietly, wondering what he was thinking. Come on, Jake. Yell at me. Punch a wall. Do something. Anything.
When he moved toward me, I changed my mind.
He sat on the side of the bed, facing me. I instinctually drew away from him, but he wouldn’t allow it. His arm slid around my waist, pulling me back and making me flinch. I still wasn’t sure of his mindset. My eyes refused to meet his, avoiding the storm I imagined raging inside, but he caught my chin and lifted it.
I was surprised at what I saw. Jake looked terrible. No, he looked like shit. And it wasn’t from the bruises left over from the bar brawl.
A painful scowl puckered his face and his dark, unruly hair was disheveled. His gray eyes appeared weathered, as if he had aged ten years overnight. Every bit of the strain showed on his face, but he didn’t look mad. He looked…pitiful.
“Jake…?”
“Shhh,” he said, pulling me into his chest. “Don’t talk.” His hand twisted into my hair as his fingers made feather-light strokes against my scalp. “Jesus, Emily. You were gone, dead for all I knew. I wasn’t sure we’d find you in time and I couldn’t stop thinking if I’d only—”
“Jake, I’m fine.”
He studied my face as his eyes clouded over. “But I’m not.” Then his mouth covered mine.
I tried not to lose my smarts, struggling to control the mind clutter and scattered feelings. But I had to contemplate whether Jake had a passive-aggressive disorder. When his tongue swept into my mouth, caressing mine, I no longer cared. After all, I’m no doctor. Hell, I was in the midst of spiking a fever myself.
When Jake resurfaced, his gray eyes had changed. Cold, murky ashes now smoldered with heat. He traced a velvety finger along my collarbone, as if finger painting across my skin, until he reached the strap of my halter top. Pushing it aside, he gently pressed his lips to my shoulder, then his tongue, making me shiver at his slight touch.
Confused, I pushed him back. “W-what are you doing?”
“If you don’t know,” Jake said, snaking his hand around my neck, “then you’re way behind.” He nipped at my bottom lip and trailed his mouth up my jaw.
“Wait…” I murmured unconvincingly, as his lips brushed across my ear, his tongue flicking at my lobe. But he wasn’t stopping. “Jake, hold on.” I put my hands on his chest and moved him back again. “Why are you acting like nothing happened?”
“I’m not,” he said softly, settling his hands on my hips and pulling me closer. “Something happened. Fine. We’ll talk about it later.”
“Later?” Did we switch roles somehow and I wasn’t aware of it? “Why later? Why not right now?”
“Because, right now, we’re busy.” Jake nudged me onto my back and crawled over me, lifting my shirt to reveal my midriff. He tickled it with his soft lips, moving upward with the shirt until he neared my breasts.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins, disrupting the delicate balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in my brain. It made it harder to think. Was he planning to yell at me later? If so, I wasn’t sure I wanted to have sex with him before getting berated.
With my hands, I blocked his progression to my breasts. “Talk first, sex later.”
He groaned with frustration and flopped onto his back. “Never thought I’d hear you say that,” he grumbled.
“Neither did I,” I admitted, trying to get control of my senses. “What is this? Aren’t you mad at me?”
“For stopping me, yes. For falling into the river and getting lost in the woods, no.”
I tossed him a suspicious glance. “You’re not mad?”
“God, Emily, it was an accident. We knew what happened the moment we found where you fell into the water. What we didn’t know was what happened to you afterward. I wasn’t even sure you made it out of the river alive. Not until Floss reached us on the radio and told us Junior had found you.” He ran his fingers through his hair, the stress of the memory showing plainly on his face. “I knew Junior would get to you first. The boys and I are good at tracking, but—”
“He’s better,” I said, finishing his sentence.
Jake’s eyes narrowed. “Junior said that, didn’t he?”
I smirked in confirmation.
“That stupid Indian has no modesty when it comes to his abilities,” he said. “He’s good at everything and damn well knows it. But I guess you know that already.”
“Because he found me first?”
“We passed Junior on the road. He told us about the hogs. You don’t know how lucky you are the Russian boar didn’t get ahold of you.”
“Well, I’m not stupid. I wasn’t going to stand there and let a four-hundred pound pig—”
“Five.”
“Huh?”
Jake sat upright. “Junior said the hog was closer to five hundred pounds.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to feel stupid for guessing low or smart for coming as close as I did.
“It was a good guess,” Jake said, which made me feel better. He swiped a strand of hair from my cheek and pushed it behind my ear. His hand rested on my neck, his thumb rolling lightly over my cheek. His eyes glazed over with emotion. “I…I don’t know what I would’ve done if something had happened to you, Emily.”
I touched his face in an effort to comfort him, but didn’t miss the shift in his posture or the stretched seam in his jeans. “Jake, I—”
“I need you, Emily. I need to touch you, to feel you under me. No more waiting. No more wanting. Right now.”
“What about the rules? You said—”
“Screw the rules.” He pushed me back onto my back, rolled on top of me, and nuzzled into my neck. “Now, where were we?”
Something dug into my rib cage. “Wait a second. You forgot something.”
“I have condoms,” he whispered, touching his lips to my skin.
“That’s not what I meant,” I said, though he ignored me, still licking and kissing my neck. “Jake…? Jake, stop.”
Reluctantly, he paused, but I could feel his hard-on through his jeans. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”
“No. It’s hurting me. Where are you putting your gun?”
Jake grinned widely. “Depends on which one you’re referring to.”
Chapter Eighteen
Once Jake’s 9mm handgun rested safely on the nightstand, he returned to the bed. He slithered up my body, kissing and touching lightly. An orientation of sorts. As if he was accustoming me to his touch, preparing my body for the inevitable.
The stubble on his chin rasped across my sensitive skin like steel wool, making the pangs of longing start low in my belly. I craved the tenderness he offered. The need to fulfill ourselves threatened to amp up the passion quicker than expected. Our clothes were merely speed bumps in the road to stimulation.
With our clothing lying in a heap on the floor, Jake pressed his lips to my ear, whispering obscene rumblings of expectation and promise. “You have no idea what I want to do to you, Emily. What I’m about to do to you,” he corrected. “God, I want to taste you.”
I could’ve OD’d on his words alone. I licked my wet, swollen lips. “So what are you waiting for?”
He propped himself up on his knees and flitted glances up and down my body, staring ravenously with a sex-starved expression. Jake resembled a man in a hunger crisis eyeing a buffet. It was a raunchy glare, his darkened eyes sponging up every detail of my naked flesh.
When his tender mouth closed on my inner thigh, I pressed my fist to my lips and let out a muffled cry. With feathery strokes of his tongue, Jake massaged my thighs, tempering me, adjusting me to his heat slowly before he tasted.
His ambitious mouth targeted me in all the right places. I arched under him, my hips undulating rhythmically in time with his pace. His creative fingers pulsed over my sensitive skin, causing the pre
ssure to build. My hands fisted his hair as he pushed two large fingers inside me, rapidly building pressure that would result in an explosion.
The elusive orgasm I’d been chasing since I met Jake fiercely consumed my body like flames from a fire. I twitched and convulsed recklessly until my breath bottomed out and I finally let out a deep, satisfying moan.
I wanted to feel him plunging into me with the forcefulness he possessed. But he had other plans. Jake held on to my hips, pulled me back to him, and continued his exploration of my body with his mouth. I begged him to take me, but he ignored me. Instead, he carried me over the threshold of pleasure once more.
Waves of sensations vibrated inside me, making me purr with ecstasy. I appreciated the attentiveness, the generosity, but even then, for a brief second, I wasn’t sure Jake would stop long enough to give himself to me fully.
I squirmed in his grip, begging for more. “God, Jake, I want you. Please…”
The grin he wore as he rose to his knees wasn’t lost on me. He wanted to hear me pleading, begging him to penetrate my body to alleviate the deep, throbbing ache only one part of his could. He quickly snapped on a condom and kneed my thighs apart, positioning himself with his hand. I could feel his erection prodding at my soft folds, but he didn’t shove into me as expected.
“Open your eyes,” he demanded, unwinding my fingers that were still coiled around the sheets and interlacing them with his.
The heavy-lidded, lust-filled gaze I offered lit up his face, and a primal urge took over. He pulled my hips up roughly and grunted as he buried his thick, hot shaft inside, grinding against me fully. He kept scorching eye contact that burned into me, searing me with his flesh as well as his mind. It wasn’t fair for a person to have this much power over my emotions, my body, but I had accepted it the moment our clothes hit the floor.
No air was left in the room. I couldn’t catch my breath. I was plummeting in a merciless freefall that sucked all of the oxygen from my lungs and, although I grasped for it, my ripcord of completion was still out of reach.
I swept my hands along his back, feeling the hard-packed muscles tightening, rippling under my fingers. He was getting closer. But Jake was going for the big O…mine, not his own. Purposefully, he was holding himself back until he got what he came for. Literally.