AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“How did you know this was here?” I whisper, glancing up and humming happily as a gentle breeze brings the sweet scents of pine and cypress through the trees.
“I don’t know,” he says hoarsely. “I had a feeling.” He pauses, taking it in. “An instinct.”
“It’s beautiful,” I whisper, smiling. “Perfect.”
He nods numbly. That’s when it hits me how tired he looks. Filthy, too, his clothes covered in blood and sweat.
“Come on,” I murmur, lacing my fingers with his and guiding him forward.
Pushing him gently so that he’s sitting in the cool, spongy moss covering the ground under the tree, I begin to unbutton his shirt.
I work swiftly as the gentle, serene sounds of nature buzz in the background. Time slows down in this magical place, soothing my bruised feelings and rampant thoughts. I can’t seem to remember any of the terrible things that happened in Goldenrod, only Noah.
I slip the shirt from his shoulders and run my hands over his arm, the smooth, silky skin, wiping away the chips of dried blood. When I glance up at him, I find him watching me from under hooded lids, his throat moving in a swallow.
But when he begins to move his mouth to mine, I place my hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
“Let me clean you first,” I whisper. “It’ll make you feel better.”
A vexed expression crosses his face, but I smile, and I jump to my feet. Dashing to the brook, I dunk his shirt in the cold water and return quickly. Kneeling next to him, I dab his wounds tenderly, wiping away the blood and dirt carefully.
When I look up, I find him watching me, his eyes still dark with unvoiced thoughts.
“You’re in a strange mood,” I murmur, moving the shirt over the long muscles cording his biceps. “You should be happy.”
“What do I have to be happy about?” Holding perfectly still, his voice is rough, his gaze moving up and down my body.
“Oh, maybe because we’re alive, and survived—”
“Take this off,” he barks suddenly, his hand pulling at my sleeve. “Now.”
Pulling back slightly at his rough, authoritative tone, I glance down at the tattered remains of the blue dress Elizabeth gifted me. Not only is it filthy, but it’s torn across the front, revealing the curve of my right breast. I resist pulling it closed and try to keep my voice steady when I look back up at him.
“Don’t you want to talk first?”
“No, the last thing I want to do is talk,” he hisses angrily before his face softens, his expression pleading with me. “I need you, Hetty. Now.”
Something in me revolts—he knows I don’t like to be told what to do—but when my eyes meet his, it all turns to ashes.
He looks so dejected. Traumatized. He does need this, I realize, and maybe I do, too.
Rising to my feet, I step back, pushing down one sleeve of my dress, then the other. It falls to the ground easily. Pooling at my feet, it looks like a pile of threadbare rags.
I’m not wearing anything underneath, and his face transforms as he takes me in. His mouth opens slightly, and his eyes dilate as he rises slowly to his feet.
“Now you.” I nod toward him.
In just a few short motions, he pulls off his pants. He looks beautiful standing naked in the sunlight. His arms and legs, large with long muscles and tendons, and his chest is covered in a light sprinkling of dark hair.
But it’s the sight of his erection, jutting out long and proud, that causes me to feel breathless. I bring my hand to my chest, suddenly overwhelmed by heat as my call starts purring in my chest.
“Oh!” I can’t help but breathe out a short, pleased laugh. Placing my hand on my chest, I can feel it moving with steady vibrations. It’s been so long since that’s happened. Only a couple days, actually, but it feels like forever.
I look up to find him watching me, not laughing. My eyes meet his, and my body begins pulsing with some sort of heady energy. His erection grows even larger, ready for me.
When it seems impossible to stay away from him a second longer, I rush across the small clearing, closing the space between us. He accepts me gratefully as I sink against him, my breasts crushed against the powerful wall of his chest.
Not since our time in my nest have I felt so safe. Secure. Which is crazy after everything I just witnessed.
