Her body becomes stiff as she clings to me.
“Don’t be scared.” I run my fingers through her hair. “I’m here, and the bath is over.”
“It’s not that. I just… I want this,” she says with fervor and a hint of fear. “I’ve never been afraid of losing someone before. Now that I have you, I don’t think I could live without you. I want us to be like this always.”
Apparently I haven’t done a good job of shielding her from the danger we’re facing. Because she feels it. It’s looming over both of us now.
“What’d I tell you, Rosie?”
“Nothing could keep you from me?” she whispers by my ear.
“And you’ll always follow me.” I smile while reminding her of the promises we’ve made to each other.
I just hope like hell we can keep them.
Preston drives into me from behind, and I brace my hands on the counter as I bite my lip to stifle my moans.
“Don’t do that, baby,” Preston huffs, out of breath from fucking me. “Don’t be quiet.”
Sinking his fingers into my hip with one hand, he grabs my braid with the other and tugs my head back as he thrusts. Hard.
I have no choice but to moan. And groan. And whimper because he shows no mercy.
The hand that’s on my hip slides around to my front. Since Preston knows my body now, all he has to do is expertly rub my clit a few times before I’m coming on his cock. He pumps through my orgasm, and when my knees get weak, he holds me up while his body goes stiff.
Groaning, he shoves his cock deep as he fills me with his cum. I like it when he does that—roots himself inside me, his ragged breathing hot by my ear.
He stays still for a moment, petting my hair and kissing the back of my neck.
Slowly, he pulls out, and I can feel his warm cum dripping from me. It rolls down my inner thighs, making me all sticky.
Since we’re both fully clothed, all I have to do is tug my sweatpants up while Preston tucks himself back into his boxer briefs and zips his jeans.
We hadn’t planned on having sex this morning, but a quickie in the kitchen sounded like a good idea, and I wasn’t going to turn it down.
Turns out, I love sex. A lot.
Anytime, anywhere.
Honestly, I’m partial to the mattress because of the squeaky sounds. Even that bathtub was fun with the splashing and sloshing of the water.
However, the old creaky floorboards beneath our feet provide a nice soundtrack, too.
This noisy cabin is the best.
I want every day to be like it has been for the past thirty-six hours. We’ve only been here for a day and a half, but I’ve become attached to Preston’s constant presence.
For most of yesterday, the weather alternated between sleet and snow, so we were stuck inside with our little radio and the squeaky mattress.
It was the best day of my life.
Well, except for the whole me-feeling-like-shit thing. Withdrawals are no joke. I’ve been queasy, and I’m not sleeping well either. My bones hurt. I almost feel itchy, inside and out. It’s probably a good thing Preston got rid of the pills. Because if they were anywhere near me, I’d take one just to make this aching go away.
Preston says I should be better by next week. Just have to get through it. And it helps that he’s always around to take care of me—pushing me to drink water, keeping a cool rag on my forehead, and making love to me when I need a distraction.
But today, he’s embracing being a man of the wilderness. Since the storm has passed and the sun is back out, Preston wants to get our food the old-fashioned way.
“Do you really have to go fishing?” I ask, knowing I’m going to miss him like crazy, even if it is only a few hours.
He cups my face, pinches my chin, and places a kiss on my lips. “If you want something other than soup and crackers, I’ll have to catch our lunch.”
“Canned stuff is fine. I don’t mind.” I go over to the pantry and pick up a can of green beans. “Look, I’ll eat my vegetables.”
“You need protein.” Preston grabs his fishing pole on the way to the back door. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with me? You could sit back a ways from the creek.”
Tempting. He looks cute in his flannel, his beanie, and the tall black rubber boots he found in a closet. Fishing boots. The kind of boots you wear when you’re going to be wading in rushing water.
Sighing, I shake my head. “I’ll just stay here and try to take a nap. If you’re still not back when I wake up, I’ll wash our clothes or something.”
“Let’s hope the fish are biting, and I’ll be back soon. Don’t leave and get lost.”
“I won’t go past the clothesline,” I promise.
This morning after breakfast, we went for a brief hike, and something I learned about myself?
I have no sense of direction. Once the house is out of sight, it’s just trees in every direction, and there’s no way for me to tell how to get back.
I walk over to Preston for one more kiss.
Scooping an arm around me, he pulls me in, and smashes his mouth to mine like we’re going to be apart for weeks, not hours. I love it. I love him.
With dread in my stomach, I watch him walk out the back door, down the steps of the deck, and into the trees.
“He’ll be back before you know it,” I whisper to myself, reverting back to my old habit of conversing with myself. “Nothing can keep him away. Nothing.”
Flexing my aching fingers and ignoring the pain in my body, I go over to the pantry to get another bottle of water.
After gulping until my stomach protests and threatens to spew it back up, I shuffle over to the bed and lie down. The mattress squeaks when my weight makes it dip, and I miss Preston even more. Curling up on my side, I wrap the blanket around me and pretend it’s him.
It’s probably not healthy to be this attached to someone so fast.
I don’t have to be a psychologist to figure that out.
But I don’t want to fight it. I want to embrace what we have. I just want to be thankful for it. Enjoy it.
That’s my last thought before I drift off.
My dream starts off good for once. Preston and I are outside, somewhere in the woods surrounding the cabin. He’s smiling and my heart is full.
Our peace is short-lived.
All of the sudden, the ground falls away under his feet. His face is terror-stricken as he plummets below the ground. Screaming, I run forward. When I look over the drop, I see a river below. Preston’s submerged in it, and he’s desperately trying to keep his head above water as he holds onto a branch stuck in the mud.
Do I go in after him?
Horrifying thoughts rapidly come to me. I could stay up here, safe. I’ll survive, but he won’t. Or I can jump—be with him while risking my own death.
It isn’t much of a choice.
I promised I’d follow him anywhere.
Before I can stop myself, I’m crawling forward. Grass, dirt, and twigs scrape at me as I tip over the ledge.
Then I fall.
My eyes snap open. I’m breathing hard and soaked in sweat, but I’m safe. I’m not falling or drowning, and Preston is probably having a great time fishing.
Sitting up, I let the blanket fall away from my shoulders and glance at the clock.