Secluded Nature

by Lindsey Brewster

  After we’re all full from our delicious meals, we head out to our cars.

  “My flight’s bright and early in the morning, Abbey.”

  I nod and look down. As much as I’m used to him leaving, it still hurts. He comes toward me and envelopes me in his arms as a tear falls down my cheek and onto his shirt.

  “I’m gonna miss you, hot stuff.”

  “And I’m going to miss you, gorgeous.”

  He kisses the top of my head and lets me go, looking at Luke.

  “Take care of her, man. If you hurt her, I’m coming after you.”

  “I would expect nothing less.”

  My car is pulled around and I get in, giving the valet worker a tip.

  As I’m climbing into the driver’s seat, Luke asks, “Hey Abbey, do you mind if I come over?”

  “Sure, it’s not like I’m doing anything.”

  “Great. See ya in twenty.”

  I pull away and head for my apartment. I go straight in to take off these dreadful shoes and find myself relaxing on the sofa ten minutes later when Luke arrives.

  The first words out of his mouth once he has shut the door behind him are straight to the point. “So about that list…”

  “What about it?”

  “Can I have it?”

  “Hmm, let’s see. You and Mason broke into my house, you left me hanging, and you laughed at me this morning.” I count off each offense on my fingers and look at him with very fake disappointment.

  His lips quirk up in a smile. “That’s quite a list. I really owe you, huh?”

  I grin, “Coffee or cookies usually work.”

  He shakes his head. “I’m thinking something else.”

  “And what’s that?”

  He licks his lips. My face flushes and my mouth drops open in shock at what comes out of his mouth. “Wh-what?”

  “You heard me.”

  “I mean… what?”

  “Abbey, I said that I owed you a proper date, and then I’d make up that list to you in the bedroom.”

  “Uhhh, I might be speechless to the last part.”

  He smirks, “You think I can’t.”

  “Not that, just… nevermind, nothing.”

  “Abbey…”

  “Nothing, just give it what you’ve got, babe.”

  He flashes me a grin, “Is that a challenge?”

  I raise an eyebrow. “Is it?”

  Luke crosses his arms and comes to stand so our bodies are touching. “Well then, four orgasms, maybe one to grow on, in one night for you. Nothing for me. And if you’re still not begging me to stop, it’ll keep going, but I doubt it.”

  “You do realize what I used to do?”

  “Yes, but I find it hard to believe you think I’m ignorant about that sort of thing.”

  “You could’ve asked Mason.”

  “Just because I don’t do the sex club scene doesn’t mean I don’t use other things. I’d like to see your collection.”

  I bite my lip, not knowing what to say.

  He leans down and kisses my forehead. “Let’s go on that date.”

  “Right now? It’s late!”

  “And? Put those heels back on. And a jacket!”

  “Fine.”

  He grabs my hand once I’m ready and leads me out the door.

  “We’re taking my car.”

  “Where are we going?” I ask as I buckle into the passenger seat.

  “You’ll see.”

  He starts driving and I doze off.

  As I wake up, I see the car is parked at the edge of a field; Luke is leaning against the front of the car. Beyond his silhouette, the night is dark and peaceful. We have moved away from the city and the lights, so the cool night stars and nearly full moon are in full view.

  I get out. He looks around at me and pulls me against his side. “You looked so peaceful, I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  “It’s beautiful out here.”

  “I come out here when the city gets to be too much.”

  Smiling, I snuggle into him to absorb his heat.

  “It’s a nice date. I really like it.”

  He chuckles. “We aren’t there yet.” He leans out of our embrace and offers his arm instead. I take it and he leads me further into the field. We walk a good ways and happen upon a barn.

  I stop in my tracks, admiring its rusticness in the moonlight.

  “I love this. It’s like a little bit of home.”

  “I thought you might like it. Let’s go inside.”

  I trail behind him as we walk into the barn, taking in the beautiful night.

  As I enter, he’s stacking a couple of hay bales together for us to sit on. He sits down and pats the spot next to him. I grab some bales and stack them one by one so we can lean our backs against them.

  As I sit, I rest my back against the hay and prop my legs up on him. We sit in silence for a while, just listening to the night.

  “How did you meet Mason?” I ask curiously.

  He runs his hand up and down my leg. “He was in my physics class in school and we started hanging out. After we graduated, we didn’t talk much, until he contracted me to build that mansion of his in Springport. It was such a small town I didn’t even think it would fit.” He chuckles at the memory.

  I nod in agreement. “Tell me about it. Did you two just become friends?”

  “Yeah, he would bring lunch into the office to meet with me, or I’d go to his apartment. We just hit it off.”

  He pulls my heels off and slides me down to where I’m partway sitting in his lap. I shoot him a glare as I pull my dress back down.

  He looks down at me seriously. “What are you so afraid of?”

  “Getting hurt.”

  “You don’t trust me not to hurt you?”

  I shake my head and take a breath. “It’s not that. It’s hard to explain.”

  “Try, Abbey. I need to know.”

  I lay back on the hay and close my eyes, knowing the story I’m going to tell him is going to bring back memories I don’t want to relive.

  “About seven years ago, I was big into the sex club. There weren’t many people who would mess with me. They knew I would put them in their place, unless they were my partner that is. Well, I had a partner for a while and I began to trust him more and more. I have a high pain tolerance and he took advantage of that. He got mad one day and shoved me back against his counter, progressively pushing my hip into the side of it until it made a cut. I told him to stop at that point because the pain was too much, but he wouldn't. When I was finally able to get him off, I could barely walk without falling. I had to call Mason and my dad back so we could talk. Mason came running and by the time he got there, Tyler had calmed down and realized what he had done, but I still wouldn’t let him touch me. He knew what he did, but he didn’t think he was in the wrong.” I let out a breath, hating having to tell this story. “Mason was carrying me out to his car when my dad finally showed up. I told him what had happened, but he said that I deserved it and that I needed to quit being a baby. He told me to take the punishment I deserved. Knowing my dad was on his side fueled Tyler to show up at the hospital and try to touch me. I ended up with six stitches, and my hip was slightly popped out of place. I know you wouldn’t hurt me intentionally, but it’s still a fear. I don’t trust many men anymore. It’s caused me a lot of problems in relationships.”

  Luke is silent for a minute and then asks a single question. “What did you do to make him mad?”

  “I told him I would not be fed like I was a dog. I was a person, not an animal, and I would not eat on my hands and knees.”

  “Abbey I would never--”

  “I know, but the fear is still there, Luke. It always will be.”

  He pulls me up so that I am looking at him.

  “Abbey, I would like to try new things with you, but I would never hurt you like that. Ever. I don’t hurt women, and I won’t hurt you. You mean more to me than you think and to hurt you in any way would h
urt me even more. I’m not like that Tyler guy, and I never want you to compare me to him.”

  “I don’t plan on it…”

  We sit in silence for a minute again as he holds me. I try to clear my head of the memories, trying to focus on the sounds of night, the prickle of hay on my skin, the warmth of Luke’s body, to keep me grounded in the here and now.

  “Why did you leave?”

  “That’s complicated…”

  “I’m listening.”

  I sigh and try to think of a way to put it best.

  “Well, it was an accumulation of things. There was Mason; I was worried about him. Don’t think I didn’t notice where he punched you when I saw you at the airport. Aside from that, I mean, we had two weeks, and what was going to happen afterwards? My life is hectic and can be changed with a single phone call.”

  “Okay.” He takes me in his arms and holds me. I rest my head on his shoulder and watch the night sky.

  I stare down at our interlocked hands and how small mine are compared to his. He turns his head and asks, “So, good date?”

  “Amazing, actually. This is more my thing than dinner or something fancy.”

  “I figured. You seem to like to do your own thing.”

  I nod in agreement. “Yeah, that’s a good way to describe it. This is about as close as you can get to a perfect date.”

  His arm tightens around me, “I have a question, I hope you’re okay with me asking.”

  I turn in his lap, attempting to keep my dress in place, to face him. “What’s that?”

  “Would you be willing to try different things without the normal dynamic that comes along with it?”

  I suppress a smile. “You know, some normal relationships use ‘toys’ and there’s no implications, it’s just what they’re comfortable with in it. So yes, Luke, I’m okay with that.”

  He gives me what Leah has often referred to as a panty-dropping grin. I watch excitement light his eyes.

  “Can we walk around in the fields for a few minutes before we leave?”

  “Sure, but first-”

  He flips us so I lay beneath him on the hay.

  “You do realize hay is now poking me in the back because of this.”

  He leans down and captures my lips, effectively quieting me.

  He pulls away, “Do you ever shut up?”

  I tangle my hands in his hair and yank him back down to me. He chuckles as he kisses my lips and the vibrations run through me. He pulls away and stares at me, smirking. I bite my lip, trying to slow my erratic breathing.

  “This is gonna be fun.”

  I burst out laughing, and he rolls off of me. He holds his hand out to me to help me up. I work on removing the hay from my dress and hair.

  I jump. “Hey, off my ass.”

  “Sorry, baby, there was some hay on it.”

  “No shit, Sherlock, I was just lying on a hay bale.”

  “Ever the challenge.”

  Sticking my tongue out at him, I skip out the barn door barefoot. The feeling of grass on my feet is refreshing.

  I turn around to see him jogging towards me. I giggle and burst into a full sprint, knowing he’s eventually going to catch me, but that doesn’t matter. He reaches me and picks me up mid step, twirling me around.

  “Where do you think you’re going, sweetheart?”

  “Hmm, away from you?”

  He raises an eyebrow. “Why?”

  I do my best to keep a straight face.

  “Because I loathe your presence, you ruin all my fun.”

  He snorts and crosses his arms across his chest. “Really? I believe I’m responsible for quite a bit of your fun.”

  I shake my head repeatedly “No, I don’t believe so. That was all me.”

  He raises an eyebrow and takes a step towards me, and in return I step back. We do this continually until I’m backed up against a tree.

  I’m staring at his chest and he huskily whispers, “I think you’re wrong.”

  I look up at him and his mouth swoops down onto mine.

  I return the kiss with equal fervor. I missed this. His hands trace around the hem of my dress. I move my hands up his chest to grip his shirt. I pull him towards me and he grips my thighs, lifting me up.

  Something sharp stabs me in the back, and I jerk forward, causing us to topple onto the ground.

  Luke looks up at me, worried. “Are you okay?”

  I nod as the pain in my back eases. “Something stabbed me in the back.”

  We look up at the tree and see a piece of a branch from where a limb had broken off in some past storm.

  “Turn over and let me look.”

  I shake my head. “No, I’m sure it’s fine. Let’s just go home where I’m not dealing with trees that stab me.”

  “Abbey, you can either stand up to let me see, or I’m bending you over my knee, but either way, I am going to look.”

  I groan and get up to get my shoes. He grabs my arm and turns me around. “I said I wanted to look.”

  I sigh and just stand there as I feel him pull down the top of my dress.

  He hisses. “Shit, you’re bleeding.”

  “It’ll be okay. It just needs to be cleaned. Is there a hole in my dress?”

  “How mad would you be if I said yes?”

  “A bit, but I’ll get another one.”

  “Yeah, there’s a hole, but I’ll buy you another one since it’s my fault.”

  I shake my head and walk back to the barn to grab my shoes. “No, really, it’s okay. It wasn’t that expensive.”

  “I will buy you another one. Let’s get back to your place so we can clean that up. And I believe I have another part of my IOU to live up to.”

  I laugh, “Looking forward to it, babe.”

  Chapter 10

  The ride home was a relaxed silence; I’m okay with that. Once we get on the interstate, Luke's hand comes to rest on top of mine. I turn my hand up so our fingers can intertwine.

  He squeezes my hand. "You know this wouldn't have happened if you weren't so short?"

  I snort, "Oh yeah, my height really has to do with the gash I have in my back."

  "No, really, our height difference was why I had to lift you up. I'm pretty sure I'm a foot taller than you, and I have to get you to a decent height so I'm not breaking my neck."

  "Haha, funny. Sorry for my height difference then."

  I'm far from sorry. I like it.

  "You're not sorry. You like it."

  "Damn right."

  He laughs and we both look out at the night sky. I haven't been this relaxed in a while, and even though I don't want to admit it, it's because of the man sitting beside me.

  Thirty minutes later, we are back to my place and heading inside.

  “Come on, I’ll grab my stuff so you can clean up.”

  I walk down the hall to my room, grabbing the peroxide and then head to the bathroom.

  I set the peroxide down, and raise my arms above my head. Luke stares at me for a moment before he gets the picture. He smirks and reaches to grab the hem of my dress, lifting it up. Once my dress is off, I turn to look at my back in the mirror. It honestly felt worse than it looks; it’s just a scratch. I hand him the peroxide and a washcloth to catch the liquid. He looks relieved once it’s all cleaned up.

  “It looks a lot better than when I first looked at it. It’s just a deep scratch.”

  “Yeah, they tend to be. I want to see the damage to my dress. Hold it up?”

  Grimacing, he holds up the dress. I feel my eyes glaze over a little bit. That was my favorite dress. I shake my head, trying to not overreact and just nod.

  “Sorry, baby.”

  “It’s fine. I’ll just get another one.”

  “I’m buying you one. It was my fault. Which reminds me, I do believe I owe you.”

  “Mhmm.”

  “It really does help that you’re already pretty much naked.”

  He comes around behind me so that we’re both facing the m
irror. His hands reach around me, one on my hip and the other on my stomach as he leans down to kiss my neck. His eyes never leave contact with mine in the mirror. His hand traces up to the bottom of my bra while his lips move to my shoulder. I close my eyes. He nips at my shoulder, and I gasp.

  He spins me around and picks me up, carrying me to my bed. I work at getting his shirt off and he pulls back once it’s off.

  I glare. “I swear, Luke, if you leave me hanging, I’m kicking you out.”

  He chuckles. “I actually wanna try something...”

  “What?”

  “I want to tie your arms up to the headboard.”

  A slow smile spreads across my lips. “Okay, there’s some rope inside my closet in the second drawer on your left. I trust you enough to do this, you know?”

  He grins and ventures to my closet. He smiles wickedly as he walks out with his prize in hand and begins tying me up. He makes quick and thorough work of it, the rope bending to his will in a way that shows he has done this before. Once he’s done, he grabs my legs and pulls me down so they are stretched completely out.

  “You okay?”

  I nod. “I’m fine, can we get on with this?”

  He chuckles and, moving up my legs, he nips at my inner thighs while his hands trace at my underwear. He licks up my underwear and I can feel his tongue through the fabric. He begins tugging them down my legs and removing them. He slides up my stomach and traces the top of my bra with his tongue. I moan, unable to help it. He lifts me up and unclasps the bra, throwing it somewhere across the room. Thank God it’s strapless. I lift my pelvis up to grind against him, making him moan.

  His hand slides down my stomach as he kisses me and slips one finger inside of me, curling his finger upwards and his palm pressing against my clit. I groan against his lips as he keeps kissing me until I'm gasping for air. His kisses make their way down my jaw and neck as he slides down my body and rests on his heels. His free hand comes up to cup my breast. He worries one nipple between his fingers while he sucks on the other one. He flicks his tongue against me and I pull against the rope. "I wanna touch you."

  "No baby, just relax and enjoy.” He adds a second finger and I bite my lip trying to stifle the moans. He covers my mouth with his, his fingers speeding up as he growls “Give it to me, baby.”