AllFreeNovel
Share Us
No wonder I didn’t enjoy sex before. It was more of an obligation then and it took like a minute. No woman gets there in a minute. With Jake, it’s mutual respect, desires, and pleasure.
Daniel never tried with me. When I asked him to help me have an orgasm, he told me my pleasure wasn’t his responsibility, and if I couldn’t get it while we were having sex, then it was on me.
In some ways, I now understand what he meant. He’s still a jerk but taking control and finding that peak of existence with Jake on my own terms is special.
I’m definitely feeling fine. Mighty fine.
Giggling, I snuggle further into Jake’s arms, and without waking, he pulls me in closer as he keeps his body wrapped around mine like he’s protecting me even in his sleep.
Yup. I’m fucking fine.
CHAPTERTWELVE
JAKE
FollowingMaitlyn out of the cave entrance, I can’t help but stare at her ass and remember how fantastic it felt in my hands.
I lift myself through the small opening and crawl toward the decimated landscape. The lush trees are no more. They’re nothing but black, scarred toothpicks. It looks like a wasteland, and the silence is deafening. Nature is mourning as nothing is present for miles except Maitlyn, Kraine, and me.
We take in the surroundings, and I’m still amazed at what fire can do. Maitlyn is almost in tears, but she’s keeping herself together. I remember seeing it for the first time and how gutting it is. Like someone rips the wonder away, like when you heard the truth about the tooth fairy. It’s never some magical being. It’s not necessarily a lie, but the truth’s always a shock.
In the distance, there’s smoke, but it’s not choking us, and the fire has nothing left to burn here. It’s well in front of us with no chance of coming back.
Knowing the ins and outs of the fire, my guys should be on the leading edge. Sometimes, they’re on the backside, but with nothing left to burn, we have some time to take it easy, unlike yesterday.
“You ready for a hike?”
Maitlyn moans causing me to chuckle.
“Come on. We can pace ourselves today.” I kiss her forehead and pat her ass, which surprises her enough to blush. After everything we did, she can still have something to blush about. I crave what else I can do to her to cause such a delectable reaction.
We hike for a few hours in silence, as anything else feels disrespectful for everything lost due to the fire.
Maitlyn holds my hand. I assume it’s because of the uneven terrain and she’s not wearing the best shoes, but when she doesn’t let go, my chest puffs up a little at her wanting to touch me and still feel connected.
Finding a spot to stop for lunch, I warm a can of beans on a small rock pile using my Sterno. I couldn’t use it in the cave as it wouldn’t have been wise to use the oxygen or risk carbon monoxide, but now I can make sure Maitlyn eats something a little heartier. I add in some jerky, and we share a cup of coffee. Nothing like the Smokey Bean coffee shop in Black Timber Peak, but it’s okay for an instant and clears away the cobwebs in my head.
But I’m seeing clearly with this sunshine beside me.
Maitlyn gives me the sweetest smile as she eats, but when she looks around, I can see her heart breaking at the devastation. I want to pull her into my arms, but I realize I need to think about what I want after this.
We didn’t clarify anything, and I should know what I want first before I ask Maitlyn. It’ll make the conversation more productive.
The silence isn’t uncomfortable between us. It’s peaceful and relaxing. I don’t have to put on a show or anything. I can just be. And when I think about what I want after this, it doesn’t stop at getting her out of here. It’s showing her around Black Timber Peak and seeing how amazing living in the mountains can be, and then I want to find a way to keep her here with me.
And if she doesn’t want to stay… I will go where she is.
The surprise slams into me like a freight train. There’s no resistance to the thoughts. It feels right, and now I want this more than anything. It’s time to move on and make a life for myself, for me and her.
Notching my head from side to side to get them to pop to release some tension, I roll my neck, hoping it will make me more alert. I’m exhausted because I didn’t sleep long. Kraine was growling again early this morning in the cave, and I couldn’t get him to stop.
“You okay?” Maitlyn places her hand on my thigh, and I love how comfortable she is with touching me, like it comforts her as well.
Lifting my arm, I rub my hand down her back. “Yeah, I’m just a little tired. Someone gave me quite the work out last night” I kiss her temple.
Kraine starts growling, stiffening on all fours before us and faces off into the decimation. He’s been doing this since the cave, so I reach for my knife just in case. I don’t want to scare Maitlyn with my gun, if I don’t have to.
“Kraine? I don’t understand it, but he’s been on edge the whole time we’ve been in Black Timber Peak.”
