I sat on a picnic bench, swinging my legs, watching him work.
“You gonna get up off that sweet ass and help me out?” he demanded with a grin.
“I’ll make dinner,” I offered with a shrug.
He tried to hide his apprehension but didn’t succeed.
“What?” I demanded.
“Uh, babe, you burn macaroni and cheese.” He replied, biting back a smile as my eyes narrowed. “I didn’t even think that was possible,” he added with a stifled chuckle.
“Fine, then you can cook,” I snapped.
“I’ve got my hands full with you, don’t I?” He grinned, seeming absurdly pleased.
“You don’t have to have your hands full of anything,” I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Christ, what crawled up your ass?” he chortled. He moved close, his large hands moving to my hips. “Why don’t you tell me what’s got you so pissed off all of a sudden?” his large body moved in between my legs, effectively caging me in.
I looked everywhere but at him as I felt him stare intently at me. He wasn’t going to let this go.
“Well?” he prompted.
“There’s so many things I can’t do! I can’t even cook macaroni! That was the only time I’ve tried to cook it and I couldn’t even do it without cooking the noodles to mush.”
He took my chin, forcing me to look at him as his expression warmed. “You want to cook for me?” he asked with a smile.
“Well…yeah,” I shrugged, my face flaming.
He leaned in, kissing me softly. “I’ll eat your mushy macaroni anytime, darlin’” he winked.
I wrinkled my nose but bit back a smile in response.
“There’s a few things you can’t do,” he allowed with a shrug. “There are so many things you’re amazing at. You know that. So you can’t cook?” he shrugged.
“I still can’t drive,” I mumbled.
“I’ll give you another lesson when we get home,” he agreed.
I scoffed. “You practically had a heart attack with the last one!”
“I’ll get better; we both will,” he replied and I knew he meant more than just the driving lesson.
“Yeah,” I murmured, taking in how close he was. I pulled on his shirt to draw him closer.
I saw him visibly swallow as his eyes darkened. His phone rang then, breaking the sexual tension between us. “Yeah?” he asked gruffly, his eyes still locked on mine. “Oh, yeah?” he asked, a smile breaking out across his face. “That’s awesome. I’ll let her know. Yeah.” He listened for a moment, his hand high on my thigh. “Good to hear, man. Will do, later.” He shut his phone off as I cocked my head to the side, curious. “That was Sal; Mad’s doing great.”
“Oh good,” I breathed a sigh of relief, looking up at the trees and wilderness around us.
“Did you camp much as a kid?” I thought to ask.
He snorted, delivering me a quick kiss before he moved back over to the stove to continue making dinner. “My parents never took us anywhere. I’ve always loved the outdoors,” he explained. “I feel like I can really breathe out here.”
I thought back on the house where he’d grown up and understood why he’d feel that way.
“Yeah, I can see that,” I agreed softly. “You gonna teach this city girl some new tricks?” I teased.
He turned to me, his eyes heated. “Hell, yes,” he answered without hesitation.
******
“I have to pee,” I whispered, for what felt like the tenth time that night.
“No, you don’t,” Axel muttered through the darkness of our tent.
We’d had a campfire dinner and some beers; I’d even peed in the woods for the first time with moderate success. Axel stood with his back to me, giving me crap the entire time about making sure I didn’t fall over or let anything bite me on the ass.
Then we turned in.
At first I liked the tent and snuggling close to Axel, especially the snuggling part. But the moment we said goodnight and I realized there wasn’t a bathroom nearby I felt like I had to pee. I’d already gotten up once to try, dragging Axel with me.
“I do,” I insisted.
“You don’t; it’s just in your head, babe, would you relax?” he mumbled, rolling over and pulling me close. We’d opened up two sleeping bags, one for the bottom and one serving as a quilt.
I let the silence wash over us for a little while, taking in the night sounds of the wilderness in a way I’d never experienced. It was beautiful, peaceful even. My mind just couldn’t seem to rest.
“What’s the plan here anyway?” I whispered after a time.
“The plan is to sleep and not go piss in the woods again,” he grumbled.
I socked him lightly in the shoulder. “You know what I mean. I keep thinking about my father. He’s been quiet. Too quiet.” I shared my anxiety through the darkness.
He sighed and rolled to his back, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I know. I have a plan. I just need you to trust me and let things play out for now. Do you think you can do that?”
“Why can’t you tell me the plan?” I asked with a knitted brow.
He sighed, feigning patience. “Because it’s not ready,” he answered simply.
What the heck did that mean?
“What the heck does that mean?” I voiced my question aloud.
Axel shifted beside me, pulling me close as his mouth moved to my neck. “Trust me.”
Even though I wanted to know what he was thinking, I trusted him implicitly. Something, I realized I’d never felt for another person in my life.
“You’re the best friend I’ve ever had,” I told him, feeling extraordinarily brave in the darkness.
He kissed me. “Oh, baby, we’re a lot more than friends.”
“Of course we are. But I never had true friends. People I could trust. I trust you with everything, even my life. You and Mad mean more to me than anyone else has in my entire life,” I told him seriously, needing him to understand.
He pulled me close, as his breathing changed to something deeper. Something more ragged. What I’d said had touched something deep. I knew that.
His lips found mind in a desperate kiss, much different from the light fooling around we’d done earlier. I felt his hardness against my belly and answered with a soft moan. His hand lifted my shirt up and off, his mouth latching on to my nipple with vigor.
I surged into his mouth, wanting more, wanting everything. My hands caressed his bare chest before wandering lower. I stroked him over his boxers thinking not for the first time that he must be larger than normal. Surely this wasn’t typical, was it? I certainly didn’t have anything else to compare him to.
“Christ,” he bit out as my hand explored the expanse of his hardness. He felt so smooth and yet hard, like velvet wrapped over steel.
His hands removed my pajama pants and underwear as we continued to explore each other’s bodies.
His hand moved to my core, cupping lightly before his fingers honed in on their destination. In mere moments, he had me gasping and calling his name.
I was still recovering when I heard him rustling around in his discarded jeans and I realized he was putting on a condom.