Secluded Nature

by Lindsey Brewster

“What about us?”

  “That’s the thing that we are going to have to figure out. I have to find another job. I’ve been able to handle everything with my last paycheck and what I have in savings, but it’s time I get another one and start getting back to normal. Or, at least finding a new normal.”

  Standing up, I walk over to the balcony that has a view of the marvelous garden.

  “Then we will figure it out. If this is what you want, then I’m not going to stop you, but I’m not going to give up what I’m doing at home either. I can move it down here, but I have so much going on there. I don’t know if my clients will stay through the transition over here.”

  Turning around to face him, I’m finally able to see how much he loves me. “I would never ask you to move here with me, or even follow me.”

  “Do you not realize how much I love you?”

  “I do! That’s what scares the hell out of me. Do you realize that you are willing to give up all of your projects now to move here with me? All you’ve worked towards. I can’t let you do that.”

  He walks over to me, taking my face in his hands.

  “Then what am I supposed to do? Let you go? That’s not going to happen. I can’t live without you. You are stuck with me.”

  Tugging on his shirt, I pull him closer. “You can’t throw your whole career out the window for me.”

  “But I will. I can start over. My name is well known in the business.”

  “But…”

  “No, no more of those. We have enough of this in our life. Trust me, please.”

  I sigh, but nod, “Okay.”

  “Now, why the hell did you book two rooms?”

  “Because I didn’t know where this conversation was going to end up.”

  “Well, then I guess my next question is do I need to use that room?”

  “If you want. That’s up to you.”

  “Well, I want to sleep in that bedroom, and I want you in there with me.”

  “Good, because that’s what I want, too.”

  I giggle as he practically drags me through the door.

  He stops and holds me at arm’s length, his thumbs rubbing circles on my shoulders.

  “You’re sure you’re okay with doing this? After the miscarriage?”

  “I’m sure, but I’ll let you know if anything bothers me.”

  With that, he pulls me to him and kisses me. It’s slow and gentle and absolutely perfect. He pulls away after a minute. “You’re on birth control, right?”

  “Yeah, I started it back up after I went back to the doctor.”

  He lifts my shirt over my head, then swiftly unclasps my bra. I grab his shirt and he leans down to help me get it off of him. I run my fingers down his body and hear him moan. He pulls me up against him and covers my mouth with his. His hands trace around my body, coming around to unbutton my jeans. My hands move to his hair, gently tugging his mouth even closer.

  Pulling away, he slips my jeans down my legs. He kisses my stomach. “You’re so short.”

  “And?”

  He travels back up my body, leaving wet kisses on his way up. “Just makes it hard sometimes.”

  “Hard to do what?”

  “I’ll show you someday.”

  With that, he leans me back against the bed, slowly lowering me down. His lips never break contact with mine as he lowers himself over me. My legs wrap around his waist, and I grind into him as we both moan.

  His kisses move down my neck and shoulders, tongue tracing circles around my nipples, then under the curves of each breast. My body arches towards him, my fingernails digging into his back. He stops the delicious torture and kisses his way down my body until he gets to the lace of my panties. He lightly traces the edges of them; it feels like electricity running through my body.

  “Take them off, please.”

  I take some shallow breaths as he slips them down my legs. Once they’re off, I watch him as he removes his pants and boxers to reveal his very prominent erection. He gets back on the bed, pushing me backwards.

  “This is probably going to be quicker than either of us wants.”

  “This is me not caring and wishing you’d hurry up.”

  He lifts my ass up to rest on his thighs and rests each of my ankles over his shoulders. He slowly enters me; the feeling is so much more deep. His hands are gripping my hips and he sets a rhythm, urging my hips to meet his every thrust.

  My hands are gripping at the sheets as he picks up the pace. I meet him thrust for thrust, writhing beneath him. A hand comes up and he tugs at my nipple, causing me to groan. He thrusts into me hard once more before he stops, slowly circling his hips. He kisses me, and the more he picks up his pace, the more my pleasure builds. His hand comes down in between us, and he presses it against my clit. “Cum for me, baby.” I cry out as my orgasm consumes me. He thrusts harder and faster and groans with his own release.

  My legs finally drop to my side and I curl up against him, letting our ragged breathing slow down.

  Basking in our post-coital, we stay silent for several minutes. He finally breaks the calming silence. “That was…”

  “Mind-blowing.”

  He pulls me in closer to him. “It was. Why can’t the rest of our relationship be this easy?”

  I laugh, rolling over on top of his chest. “When are relationships ever this easy?”

  “Fair enough.” His arms come around me, holding me closer as my head rests against his side.

  “So, are we going to go back to Will’s tomorrow?”

  “I was thinking about going to the cabin. It’s not a long way from Will, so I’ll still be nearby, but we will have some peace and quiet. Mason is leaving after Christmas, and Will needs to get his kids back on schedule; it’s killing him. He’s worn out every night.”

  “I like the cabin. Abbey, we have to find a way to make this work. I can’t lose you because I’m an ass or you are too stubborn.”

  "I want this to work out, too. After Christmas, I'm going to move everything to the cabin from Rhode Island. I'm going to get a job so I will be able to afford to get a place closer to work."

  "I can't convince you to move in with me back there?"

  I groan and roll over so that my face is buried in his neck.

  "No, I don't even have a job there anymore. I can get one here at Vanderbilt Children's, if I'm lucky. As much as I'd love to even think about that offer, I can't. I wouldn't be able to support myself."

  There’s a look in his eyes that gives me a hint of what he’s thinking.

  “No, you will not support me. I can’t just let my independence go. I’ve worked for it for too long.”

  He turns and captures my chin, forcing me to look up into his eyes. He kisses my nose before grinning at me.

  “It’s funny how you stop my ideas before they even completely form. We will figure it out. I like it here, in general. I wouldn’t want to live in the area that Will does. You know, I can have us a place built somewhere. Wherever you want.”

  “The only way I would let that happen is if we were married, and we aren’t, so no.”

  “We could…”

  “When the time is right. You’ll figure it out.” I drop a kiss on the tip of his nose.

  His hand moves to caress my cheek, then slides down my body to rest on my thigh.

  “What do you want for Christmas?”

  “I don’t want anything, Luke.”

  “I’m going to get you something.”

  Laughing, I pull myself up to straddle him. “You’re on your own. I don’t ask for stuff.”

  “Well, we’ve only got a few days, and on short notice, I don’t know what I’m going to pull off.”

  “Just spending time with me is gift enough.”

  “That’s too easy.”

  “Hmm then get me anything. Just no ring.”

  “Why not?”

  “I want to be ready.”

  He nods his understanding. “You got it.”

  With that, he f
lips our positions so that I am beneath him. “Care for round two?”

  Linking my arms around his neck, I pull him closer. “Bring it on.”

  We wake up the next morning and head down to the restaurant in the hotel for breakfast once we have checked out.

  “Are you really willing to do all this for me? I feel like I don’t have anything to give you in return.”

  “Abbey, if this is where you really want to live, then yes, I will. But I need you to be sure. You left this place for a reason, right? Will you want to leave again?”

  “I don’t plan on staying here, in this area. I plan on renting an apartment in an area outside of Nashville if I get the job at the hospital. I left because I needed to get away from the overwhelming presence of my family and their need to control everything I do.”

  “You don’t think that’s going to happen again, even with you living in another area?”

  “No, I’ve grown up. I know how to control my own life now. They can’t.”

  “I’ll be back and forth between here and Rhode Island a lot in the next month to start moving the main part of the business here, and I have to finish up projects that are already going on, or rearrange things with clients.”

  “Luke, you really don’t have to do this. We can find another way to work this out. I don’t know how, but we will find a way. You can’t lose your whole clientele because of me.”

  “Abbey, I’ve learned throughout my life that being happy is a hell of a lot more important than having money. I’ll establish a new client base. Nashville is a big city with a growing population, and surrounded by beautiful countryside. People are going to want cabins and houses built here, and I can provide that.”

  Our food arrives, halting further conversation while we eat. Once we are done, we head out to the car, hand in hand, making plans to get our stuff from Will’s before we stop at the store to get groceries for the cabin.

  Chapter 23

  Christmas Eve has brought a light dusting of snow to middle Tennessee, and I sit on the sofa, looking out the window while sipping hot chocolate. Luke is out shopping for my Christmas gift after several frustrating conversations about what I might like. His multitude of questions led him no closer to a concrete answer, as far as I can tell.

  It occurs to me that I haven’t chosen a gift for him yet, either. Unfortunately, no brilliant gift ideas have revealed themselves to me for him, either. I jump up off the couch with an idea. I grab a set of keys and a little square gift box.

  I drop the keys into the box after making sure the extra key is in my nightstand drawer. Wrapping the box, I smile to myself, thinking about how great of an idea this is. I just wonder how he will respond to it.

  This is going to be great. He’s never going to expect it, and it will make Christmas afternoon fun.

  The front door opens and I walk out of my bedroom to find Luke looking for me. Once he spots me, he holds up his hand, motioning for me to stop.

  “Nuh uh, not a step further, baby. Cover your eyes, and I swear if you peek, you will regret it.”

  Raising an eyebrow, I take a step forward and he steps back. “You do realize this is my place and that you can’t hide whatever it is anywhere that I won’t find it?”

  “Oh, I do, but I also know that I only have to keep my eyes on you until tomorrow. Now, cover your eyes.”

  Giggling, I do as he says, feeling him move past me a moment later.

  As he moves down the hallway I hear him shout. “Keep them covered!”

  I stand there for what feels like an eternity until I feel hands close over my wrists, pulling my hands away from my eyes. My eyes focus in on Luke smiling down at me.

  I can’t help but grin back at him.

  “I think I found the perfect gift for you, and I’m excited to give it to you tomorrow.”

  He looks down at me, confused. “What?”

  “I found the perfect gift for you. I hope you like it a lot,” I reply with a laugh.

  “You left the house…”

  Shaking my head, I bring my arms around his neck. “No, I didn’t leave the house. I got it from inside the house.”

  “We will see. The only thing I can imagine is a book. You have a ton of them.”

  “Hey, I like to read. But if it any makes you feel any better, it’s not a book. You’ll see tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Why the afternoon?” He whines.

  “Because we will spend the morning with Will. You know this, Luke.”

  “But I want my present in the morning.”

  “Quit whining. I promise you will like it more in the afternoon than you would in the morning. You’ll have more time to play with it.”

  “Play?”

  I suppress a smile and nod my head while he looks at me with a bemused expression.

  “Is play really the most accurate word?”

  “Depends on the person, really, but if I used a more accurate word, it would give the surprise away.”

  He grumbles as I drag him by the hand to help me finish wrapping everyone else’s gifts.

  I throw one at him to get him to stop grumbling and start wrapping.

  A few minutes into wrapping, I look up to find him looking at me in distress.

  “Abbey, I can’t wrap this present.”

  I look down at the crumpled mess of paper and tape on a box, and I can’t help but laugh. The poor guy.

  “Luke, how did you manage that?”

  “Don’t ask… just don’t.”

  Shaking my head, I grab the present and clear away the first wrapping attempt. “How about you put that wagon over there together, and I’ll wrap these?”

  “Have I told you how much I love you?”

  I grin at him. “Nope, not at all.”

  Smirking at me, he leaves the room to get some tools. I hope he knows where they are. I hear a door close and a grunt as something falls, but I ignore it. He will figure it out.

  He finally returns a few minutes later, carrying a box full of tools.

  He sets them down and walks back over to me, holding out his hand for me to stand up.

  I place my hand in his and let him help me to my feet. He twirls me around, and I giggle. I step back so that I’m able to look up at him and not just at his chest.

  He leans down and both of his hands come up to gently cup my face. His thumbs rub my cheeks, pulling our faces closer together. I’m silent as he looks me in the eyes, not knowing what to expect next. He smiles, and I bite my lip.

  Raising an eyebrow, he brings a hand to my chin and tugs at it until I release my lip.

  “I love you, Abbey Cartwright.” He leans down and places a chaste kiss on my lips.

  “I love you, too, Luke Roberts, even when you’re an ass.”

  “You know how to ruin a moment, you know that?”

  “That’s why you love me.”

  He chuckles and lets me go, and we each return to our respective tasks. Luke dives head first into building the wagon while I wrap the presents.

  I finish placing the last bow and turn around to watch Luke, who is almost done putting the wagon together.

  He looks over at me. “You know these things are a hell of a lot harder to put together than they look. Houses might be easier to assemble than this damn thing.”

  I can’t help but laugh at him, and he glowers at me. “Oh, I know. I was going to leave it for Will to put together.”

  “I’m doing a better job.”

  “Alright, Mr. Cocky, just finish it up.”

  He finishes putting the handle on and makes some dramatic hand motions to present it. “Ta-da!”

  I clap, and then start loading the gifts into the wagon.

  “I don’t see mine in there.”

  “Are you really going to pout about this? It’s not going to go in there, and I don’t expect mine to be in there, either. Trust me, you would have no idea what to do with it if I gave it to you then anyway. Be patient. Now, let’s get this thing in the car.”

&nbs
p; “Will it even fit?”

  “We’ll make it fit. You might be riding on the roof, but it will happen.”

  We wheel the wagon out and get it into the car. When he goes to set the seat up and close the door, I make a beeline for the door to see if I can find the gift he got me. I make it just inside the guest room door when I’m picked up from behind and pulled against his body.

  “Oh no you don’t. Did you really think I wouldn’t catch you?”

  “It was worth a shot.”

  “Did you think you would find it?”

  “It’s my damn cabin, and I know where everything is.”

  “Not everything; that’s why you’re searching for something.”

  I turn around to face him. A smirk forms on my lips. “What happens when you go to sleep?”

  “Oh, I’m going to make sure you are asleep before I even think about falling asleep.”

  “I don’t think that’s a battle you are ready to fight.”

  “And why not?”

  “I’ve pulled doubles before at a hospital with only three hours of sleep in between. That’s not eight hour shifts either, I worked twelve hour shifts.”

  “Is that a challenge?”

  “Maybe for another night,” I grin.” We both need sleep for tomorrow.”

  I glance at a clock and realize it’s almost eleven-thirty.

  “Speaking of which, we need to go to bed to be up and out of here on time in the morning.”

  “Did you eat?”

  “Yeah, earlier. I’m going to shower, so if you’re hungry, find yourself something to eat. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Once I’m out of the shower and dressed, I walk out to the bedroom to find Luke asleep on the bed.

  He looks relaxed and peaceful. I can’t wait for tomorrow, and for him to figure out his present. I don’t know how exactly I’m going to give it to him and let him figure out where the keys go yet. That’ll take some time to figure out tomorrow.

  After turning off the lights, I crawl into bed with him, curling up beside him to absorb some of his warmth. A minute later, I feel an arm drape over my waist and pull me closer. I drift off to sleep, feeling completely at peace.

  I wake up the next morning before Luke, so I get up and fix some coffee. Walking back in the room to change, I find him slowly waking up.