by L. B. Dunbar
“I’m not a child,” he snaps, shifting to face me. Defensive 101. “I’m over it.”
Clearly, he isn’t, but I don’t want to discuss the blatant denial with him. I just want to hold him. Zack needs to know not everyone will walk away and not everyone will take advantage of him. Most of all, I want him to know I don’t judge him for something outside his control.
“I still want to hold you.” I stare up at him, willing him to look me in the eye before he walks away. If it’s that easy to run, then he isn’t the man I think he is. He’s just preached poetic about abandonment, but he needs to understand you can abandon people right in front of you. You can be physically present but not be a participant, and Zack needs to be present. With his sons. With me.
As he stares back at me, he must read my thoughts or see something in my expression that tells him not to walk away. He folds down to the chaise, and I extend my arm out for him, suggesting he curls into my chest. He wraps his body around mine like a drowning man clinging to a buoy. His leg slips over both of mine, and his arms circle my waist. His head tucks into my shoulder, and I stroke his hair until he grows heavy against me.
Pressing a kiss to his head, I consider how we’re all still children inside no matter how separate we feel from our parents. No matter how old we get. We’re still someone’s child, and the effects of that experience can haunt us, or comfort us, the rest of our lives.
15
[Zack]
River works the late afternoon shift, which ends near midnight. The boys and I spend the morning fishing and then the remainder of the day on final touches for the tree house. I really thought we were done the other day, but we had some trim pieces, and Mason wanted to check something with the roof.
“Looks good, man,” Mason says to me. “So does that smile.”
“What smile?” I ask, glancing from the tree fort to my friend.
“The one on your face since you’ve met River.”
“I’m not smiling,” I argue, biting my lower lip to fight the curl.
“It’s a nice feeling, isn’t it?”
“What is?”
“Falling in love.” Mason’s words surprise me. I’d like to argue he doesn’t know the feeling, cite that he’s never been in love before, but I know that’s not true. As much as I always thought he loved Anna, and Ben recognized it too, Mason never admitted the truth until last summer after too much tequila.
I could argue that I’m not falling in love with River, but I know I’m doing something. Falling might be a good analogy for the sensation, but Ben wanted me to fly in love—whatever the hell that means.
“You know, my card from Ben said to fly in love. Have any idea what he meant?”
“I think it’s cheating if I try to help you solve the Ben-letter mystery.” Mason chuckles like he does know what Ben intended. “But I will say, falling sounds negative. We fall from grace. We trip; we fall. It’s a downward effect. Flying sounds like . . .” Mason looks overhead. “Like soaring above the clouds or floating through the sky. It’s upward. It’s high.” He waves his hand through the air.
“Are you high?” I question, narrowing my eyes at him.
“No.” He snorts. “You asked me a question. I answered. Don’t be a dick.”
I turn in the direction of my boys, waiting to hear them reply. Thankfully, they’re too busy making up adventures in the tree fort.
“Too bad the tree house is here, and you live there.” Mason waves a hand toward the great, wide yonder. Detroit is on the other side of the state, more than three hours away.
“Yeah, it’s not like I can tell the boys to go to River’s and play for a bit.”
Mason nods. “Be sad to leave this behind, especially when you want to play with her, too.”
I’m not playing her. “You heard her. The tree house will remain, and she’ll guard over it for them.”
“Until she meets a man, has her own kids, and lets them play in that fort instead.”
My head swivels to where Oliver looks through the telescope out at the lake and Trevor points at something above it. Will River marry again? She mentioned how she held out hope that one day she’d be a mother. She’s only thirty-eight. That isn’t too old. Suddenly, I imagine a little girl running around this backyard with gold-colored hair like her mother and blue eyes that match the sky. In a long, flowing dress, she giggles as she swings on the addition to the fort.
“You okay?” Mason startles me, clapping me on the shoulder, and I realize I’m rubbing at my chest.
“I’m good.”
“Okay.” He nods. “As Thing One and Thing Two are busy, think we can chat a bit about that second property at Lake Liberty.”
“Yeah,” I mutter, glancing back at my boys lost in their wonderland and missing a little girl who doesn’t exist but needs to join their adventure. “Yeah, let’s talk business.”
+ + +
Me: I know it will be late, but do you think I could still see you tonight? Signed, pirate captain.
River: Pirate captain? Is this a demand or a request?
Me: Negotiation. I know where there might be buried treasure.
River: Will we need a map?
Me: Giving out clues. This is my treasure hunt.
River: Oh, I like this. What clues do you have for me?
Me: Only one – Midnight at the ship.
When midnight arrives, I’m crammed inside the tree fort that looks large and spacious from the outside, if you aren’t six foot three. My ass hits one wall while my feet rest against the other. I’ve been sitting here for roughly twenty minutes, setting everything up first and then taking time to recall memory after memory of playing in the fort my father built.
Noah and I spent hours on that first platform when we were young, and then we hid on it when our parents occasionally fought. My brother would make up games for us to play to distract us. Only one night, we couldn’t avoid the noise coming from the house. Something shattered, and Noah jumped from the platform, bypassing the ladder. I followed after him in time to find my mother holding her cheek on the kitchen floor.
He didn’t mean it, she kept saying despite the fear in her eyes. Noah went off somewhere screaming at our father. I later learned his explanation was the same. He’d never meant to hit her. He had never done it before. He didn’t have the chance to do it again. He was arrested months later.
Tipping my head back, I swallow around the memory and close my eyes, listening to the rustle of leaves overhead and the lake rolling against the shore at the base of the cliff. Inside my mind, I’m still that child making up games and decide my suggestion that River meet me in this new tree house seems silly.
Then her head pops through the small opening. “Hey.” Her voice is light. Her smile is bright. Her eyes twinkle. “What’s all this?” She finishes climbing through the hatch and crawls over to me. There isn’t space for her to stand but enough area for her to sit next to me. I’ve spread out a sleeping bag to prevent our backsides from numbing against the hard wood and set out candles Anna had.
“They’re battery operated as I didn’t want to risk real flames in a freshly built fort and in a tree.”
“Very responsible of you,” River teases.
She thinks I’m a tight-ass at times. After my father was arrested, I was uptight, working hard to prove myself in all matters. My father might have been a criminal, but I was still smart, still athletic. I went to college and law school and graduated with honors. I owe Ben and friends for most of that motivation. They allowed me to push myself and then pulled me back, forcing me to enjoy those four years at the university, not just let them pass with my nose in pre-law texts. I was a self-made man after that and I didn’t waste a dime, or barter it, or gamble it. My watch was one of the most frivolous purchases I’d ever made. After that, every nice thing I had I bought only when I could afford it. Thankfully, my profession was lucrative, but I didn’t take my paycheck for granted. I worked hard to earn it.
“You okay?�
�� River interrupts my thoughts.
“Yeah, I’ve been a little distracted today, but I’m better now.” I slip an arm around her and tuck her into my side, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She makes things even better for me, and I wish I could bottle her up like an elixir to drink on occasion. These weeks could have been spent wallowing in Ben’s loss and cursing under my breath at my boys, but I’ve actually enjoyed my time here.
You make time for love.
“So, buried treasure?” River questions, placing her hand on my belly. “Did you find it yet?”
“It just magically appeared,” I flirt. “But there are many pieces in the treasure chest.”
“Oh really.” She laughs and, God, I love the sound of it. That trill alone is worth more than gold or diamonds or a fifteen-hundred-dollar watch. She has other parts worth even more.
Cupping her jaw, I turn her chin, so she looks up at me and I lower to her lips, kissing her first in slow measured sips before opening wider and taking her tongue with mine. She shifts beside me and the kiss deepens. Tongues move in unison as our lips meld together. She’s wearing a linen dress so lightweight and thin, I can feel her ripe breasts through the fabric pressing against my arm.
“Treasure one,” I whisper against her mouth before restoring the kiss. Gently, I maneuver her over my lap.
“Treasure two and three,” I mutter, lifting both my hands to cover those swollen globes peeking at me through sheer material. She isn’t wearing a bra and she has no idea what that does for me. Her breasts are large and firm, filling my hands. With her center positioned over my quickly hardening dick, her mouth returns to mine. I continued to massage her breasts, squeezing the heaviness before pinching the already stiff nipples.
Breaking the kiss, I glance up at her hair and brush it back. “Treasure four.” The spun-gold color has a value all its own and curtains her face, tickling my shoulders as she undulates over me. I twirl several strands around my index finger before releasing them.
“Treasure five,” I murmur, slipping my other hand, still on an ample breast, to cover her heart. Underneath her skin, the organ beats rapidly, and I like that I’m the one causing it to race. She does the same to me.
“Treasure six,” I hiss, buck my hips and forcing my hard length against her soft center. I’m wearing sport shorts tonight, and the silky, track material easily slides over my shaft. There isn’t much barrier between us and if I have any say in this night, there won’t be any others in a matter of minutes.
“How many pieces are in this treasure chest?” she softly strains as she rocks back and forth over my hardness. Her hands cup the back of my neck as her lids lower.
“It seems endless, and I want to possess all of it.” Her eyes slowly open wider, and she bites the corner of her lower lip, forcing me to lean forward and take the soft puckered skin with my own. We kiss again and again, growing warmer in the confined space. Our desire grows hotter as well.
“Are we doing this here?” she says as if reading my thoughts.
“It’s our maiden journey. We need to break this ship in.” I smile against her mouth.
“Do I call you captain or sir?” I love how she’s playing along.
“Aye, to both, and I’ll call you lass as we swashbuckle our way across the shores, as we—"
“If you say rape and pillage, this role play is finished.” She good-naturedly laughs as she interrupts my enthusiasm.
“I was thinking more like plunder and pluck.” My mouth seeks hers once more.
“You mean fuck,” she whispers, low and seductive against my lips.
“Now, I like how you’re thinking.” Quickly, I scrunch up the sides of her flimsy dress and tug it over her head. It easily slips free without ties or buttons, and within seconds, she’s bare within my lap.
“You’re naked,” I gasp. She isn’t wearing underwear again.
“And in my own backyard. It’s a shock, I know.”
“Give me that sassy mouth, lass.” River purrs at the command, and I take her mouth hard, loving how she’s not laughing at our role play but falling in line with it. She’s wet, and the moisture dampens the front of my shorts. I wiggle at the waistband to lower them and kick them off. When River returns to my lap, her heat hits my throbbing dick, and we both groan. She kisses me again while slowly moving her soaked folds along my steel length.
“I need to be inside you,” I hiss, holding her hips and guiding her to rock faster.
“Yes,” she purrs as her clit catches on my tip. Fuck, I’m so close I could slip right in, but we need to be smart. I break the kiss and fumble for my shorts, removing a packet.
“You’re sure about this?” I hesitate.
“Don’t argue with me,” she teases as she shifts so I can cover myself.
Watching me roll on the condom and tug once at my dick, she tips a brow. “Treasure eight?”
I return her to her position, lining up the tip at her entrance. “This is treasure eight.” Without further foreplay, I slide into her, and her arm circles my neck. Her head tips back, and I moan against the column of her neck. She is a million pieces of treasure, and I want to own every last gem and jewel and chunk of gold. She’s everything and priceless.
We move as one. Her hips roll as mine jolt upward. Her breath catches as I surge forward. Our moves complement each other until the rhythm of our kissing no longer meets the beat of our bodies. River leans back, and I lick up her neck before lowering to a heavy breast, opening wide to swallow one swell. My tongue swirls around the peaked nipple before I clamp lightly on the nub. She squeaks, and I move to the other breast, giving it equal attention. Her thighs tighten their hold over mine, and her hips move faster.
“So good, angel,” I stammer through the praise. She’s everything I knew she’d be and so much more. It’s been so long since I’ve had sex, but it’s never been like this, and I’m not talking about the fact we’re in a tree house. This magnetic thing between River and me is something special.
I feel like . . . I’m soaring above the clouds.
My eyes focus on where I’ve entered River, and she moves over me. Her breath is growing shallow. Her thrusting grows more erratic.
“Feel good?” I whisper.
“Incredible, sir.”
I bite her where her shoulder meets her neck, and she cries out. “I’m so close.”
In so many ways, I want her closer, closer than is humanly possible, and I wrap my arms around her waist, letting her take the lead as she’s found a rhythm to get off on my body. Get lost in our connection.
Slipping a hand forward, I wedge my thumb between us, circling her clit with the thick pad, and she gasps. Once. Twice. Third times the charm, and she breaks. Her thighs clench. Then she rises on her knees and falls back down, forcing me to the hilt. Her head lolls back, and her hair cascades along her spine.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” I grunt as she tightens around me. Slowly, her head lifts and her lids open, exposing those sapphire blue eyes.
“Treasure nine,” I hum as she focuses on me. I want her to always look at me like she is right now. Overwhelmed by the emotion in them, my body shivers, and I hastily pull her off me.
“Zack,” she whimpers.
“On your knees, lass.” It’s such a tight fit in this box of a house, but River turns and twists and angles her ass at me, and I scramble to my knees, spreading them wide to bring her before me. “Go down on your elbows.”
Fisting my fingers in her hair, she lowers her head to the blanket. Her elbows bend and then she stretches forward as if reaching for something to hold. I can’t wait and slam into her, spreading her ass cheeks before squeezing them together as I slide back to the edge.
“I want you everywhere,” I warn her, and she mewls in response. The sound spurs me onward, thrusting into her as her palms flatten on the floor, and her body shudders, sliding forward with the force of me delving into her heat. Sweat drips from my forehead. My chest is slick from the night’s warmth. She r
ocks back, chasing any attempts of my retreat.
“Don’t want me to leave your body?” I hiss at her ear.
“Don’t want you to leave me,” she moans to the padded sleeping bag.
My fist tightens, and I ride her faster, chasing her words.
I don’t want to leave her either.
16
[River]
“Angel,” he groans like a battle cry before he stills. His body cages mine as he goes off inside me, pulsing, pumping, teasing me with what he could give me.
I quickly dismiss the thought of a priceless treasure—a child of my own.
Zack collapses over me, heavily breathing and spent. His slick chest glides along my back, and perspiration rolls down my neck. It’s so warm in the little hut in my tree, and I start to giggle.
“I’m a mess,” I mutter. My hair is plastered to my face. My thighs are slick. Zack chuckles and presses a kiss on my shoulder blade.
“Come on,” he says, slapping my backside, and I yelp as he slips out of me.
What the hell? I’m not into the spanking thing, and I’m about to tell him this when I peer over my shoulder and see him smiling like I’ve never seen him smile. Dazzling. It’s the only word to describe those white teeth digging into his lower lip while his entire mouth curves upward.
“Put this back on for a second,” he says to me, holding out my dress. I can hardly move. There also isn’t space to stretch, nor is there enough airflow as we are tucked behind the walls. Zack places a hand on my back to help me upright, and I slip the linen dress over my sweaty body. He struggles back into his sports shorts.
“Scoot.” His cheerful voice is something I’ve never heard as he commands me to move so he can tug the sleeping bag out from underneath me. “Follow me.” He leads the way to the exit of the tree house, and I can’t help but laugh louder.
“Where are we going?”
“More adventure.” The smile on his face fills his voice, illuminates our dim surroundings, and warms my insides. He sounds so . . . happy.