"Don't laugh," she cried. Letting out a huff, sheshifted from one foot to the other as she endured his laughter. "You knowwhat I mean. There are three little marks after the eight-foot mark."
Walking over to her, he held out his hand for the tapemeasure. “Give it here.”
Pointing to the increments, he somehow controlled hislaughter as he showed her how to read the tape.
That night they were both sweaty and exhausted when theycame inside. Any awkwardness he expected to exist between them that nightvanished under the sheer weight of her exhaustion. She was like a soft wind-uptoy that was on its last rotation of energy. The quickly made sandwich he laidout for her while she showered was devoured without a trace. By the time heexited the bathroom from his own shower, she was already facedown and snoringlightly in the loft above his bed.
For the next few days, this routine repeated itself.Although despite the long hard hours, he had to give her credit, she never oncecomplained. There were times, though, he wished she did. The silence thatsettled between them was like still dark waters, cautious and tricky. It waseasy to tell she was leery of him. If he asked her to hand him something, shewould say nothing, simply nod and hand him the item making sure their handsnever made contact. At night when she gathered her things for her shower, Jaxcould feel her cautious glances at his back. The only thing that tempered hisinsult at her skittish behavior was the memory of the light extinguishing fromher eyes when she told him about that bastard, Gary. The more he watched thegirl, the more Jax could feel that old familiar flint sparking in his chest,ready to ignite the forgotten tinder of his rage towards this Gary character.Being out here alone for so long, Jax had almost forgotten the feeling. Theincredible urge, the near excitement to cause another man severe bodily harm.But it came back easy enough as he mentally replayed the sickening words theman told her.
How did men like Gary make it as far in life as they did?How did they get past decent people undetected, unstopped? Men like Gary didn’tdeserve second chances or reformation, they deserved death. To be put down andout of everyone’s misery.
Casting her a quick glance, Jax watched Alessia as shestapled chicken wire to the frames he laid out. That morning they had sat atthe small kitchen table, both drinking their coffee in silence as the weakmorning light filtered through the kitchen windows. For once, the silencebetween them wasn’t tense with unspoken caution or suspicion. They were bothjust tired, slowly letting themselves prepare for the day. Today her long brownhair was in its customary ponytail that hung down her back, leading the eyes toher narrow waist. Without the massive layers of clothes on, Jax could see thatshe was a rather soft creature. Not overweight, but certainly not thin, she wassturdy but feminine. The type of female that reminded him of hot chocolate andthick sweaters in the winter. Very warm and soft.
Far too soft for a life camping by herself in the forest.
Grabbing one of her finished cage panels, he saw her openher mouth to speak. Moving slowly, he waited for her to say whatever it was shewas going to say. Her eyes caught his, he watched them widen as she suddenlybecame aware he was watching.
"I was… I was just going to ask you what you do forfun," nervously, she pushed back a strand of her hair that had fallenloose from her ponytail. "I mean when you're not working, of course."
He didn’t reply right away. Lifting the panel, he grabbedhis nail gun in nailed the panel into place along the wooden frame of the soonto be chicken coop with a loudkerchunk.
Honestly, Jax hated the question. It was one of the manyquestions he dreaded when he talked to the few people who knew of his livingsituation. That and of course, the question other men couldn't resist task,"what do you do for your other needs, the needs every man has?”Normally,the intrusive question was paired with the suggestive wink or a ridiculouseyebrow waggle.
What else could he do? He did what every other man didnowadays, he jumped on a dating app and found the closest available woman whowanted the same thing as him, something brief and physical.
“Better question,” he replied finally, hanging his nail gunback on the hook of his toolbelt as he grabbed another panel. “What didyouplan on doing for fun in your luxurious tent in the middle of the forest?”
Any mild curiosity she had for their conversation died athis not-so-subtle dig, shooting him a scorching glare she went back to work.
It was just too easy to rile her up to simply let it pass.
Eventually, after a few minutes, she replied. “Well, I liketo read and write,” her indignant tone made him smirk. “And I also have ablog.”
He gave her a considering look.
"Well, I mean, I do have to go all the way out to thehighway to get a signal on my phone to upload it, but I do try to post fairlyregularly." She added. "That was what I was doing the day you tackledme."
“You mean the day I saved you from being brained in yoursleep by a widow-maker so big a child could’ve seen it?” He shot back easily.
Hurt and anger flashed in her eyes at the reminder of hernear disaster before she refocused her attention back to stapling the wire. Shehated him, he was positive.
The pang of guilt echoed within him as the dark waters ofsilence churned even harder around them.
Chapter 7
He certainly wasn’t an easy man to get along with.
Alessia asked herself for what felt like the hundredth time,why she even bothered trying. It felt odd not to, though. Odd to simply goabout her business in this man's house, eating his food, and using hisresources and not even try to be amenable with him. Chopping the vegetables,Alessia glanced up and out the kitchen window in front of her and watched Jaxwalk across the front of the house carrying an arm full of cut wood. For nearlya week now, they had been working nonstop on various projects he had scatteredaround his property. The screened-in porch was finished along with the chickencoop, the mini greenhouse, and the beginning mount for a future wind turbine.It felt like by the time she did ever decide on what to do next and leave thisplace, it was going to practically be an up-and-running farm.
Scraping the chopped vegetables into a wooden bowl, she tookout a can of mushroom soup. Again, Jax passed by the windows with another armfull of wood, there was a slight sheen of sweat on his neck just above hisjacket collar. It had only been a couple of hours since he went out there, buthe was already doing enough to make him sweat. Thank the heavens that morningwhen they woke up, he told her she could rest today.
Pausing mid-sip of her coffee, her eyes had narrowed withsuspicion above the rim of her mug at his suggestion. Jax was a surly,misanthropic hermit who had little to no social skills nor the desire for any,there was no way he was being nice to her without a catch.
He let out a deep chuckle as he bent down and pulled on hissocks. He had a very handsome smile, she noted secretly. His long thick hairwas still loose from sleeping, creating a curtain around his face as he leaneddown.
"I don't plan on doing much today," sitting backup, he tossed his hair back and began gathering it in his hands as his hairbanddangled between his pressed lips.
Alessia found herself having to look away as he continued.
