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I wasn’t kidding about needing an extra pair of hands.
A big pile of logs were stacked up in a small clearing around the back of the cabin village.
I’d spent the better part of a week chopping most of those logs down to size. And the firewood needed to be in steady supply, as the cabin village was self-sustaining. Indoor heating in the cabin was provided off the grid through fireplaces and stoves.
It made this village the perfect place to get back to nature. A way for people to fully get away from the electric buzz of big city living.
But, living life so close to nature, was not something Case seemed particularly enthused about.
I watched as he hefted the axe over his head, his feet unsteady beneath him,as he threw the blade down onto the upturned log.
And completely missed.
“Damn it!” Case let loose a few more curse words., as he shook his axe in frustration, as though it were a defective tool. Case looked over at me. “How do you do this everyday?”
“Practice.” I replied succinctly, making a show of bringing my own axe down to split the log in two with a single satisfying thwack.
“Yeah, I get that, practice,” Case groused, and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed him move to grab a different log, replacing the one he’d missed.
“You know,” I began, as I grabbed another log from the stack, “you’re supposed to split the logs apart first, before you set them aside.”
“Ha ha!” Case said, as he rolled his eyes at me. “I know that. But I figure if you actually want this done sometime this evening,” Case continued as he indicated the sky overhead, “then I should probably spend my time chopping the easier ones.”
I held back a smirk, pausing to face him. Case steadied his feet, as though he were a kicker getting ready to attempt a field goal. With a shout, Case lifted his axe and brought it down, splitting the wide log only about half way through.
“Are you kidding me!?” Case groaned as he tossed his axe to the ground. “I give up! And I thought the battling ropes at the gym were tough,” Case said ruefully.
I chuckled, setting my own axe aside before making my way over. “Your stance is all wrong,” I said, gesturing for Case to pick up his axe. “Let me show you.”
Case eyed me for a second, before answering. “I know how to swing an axe,” he said in all seriousness.
I scoffed. “You clearly don’t,” I answered, indicating the many half-chopped logs scattered around him.
“I don’t need you to...” Case started, but I pulled him to me, tucking his body in front of me, like we were posing for a high school prom photo.
Case’s protest died on his lips when I held him close, adjusting his waist to rebalance him. And, with a tap of my boot, I nudged his feet a little further apart.
Keeping my hands on his waist, I tilted my head to the side to speak into his ear. I kept my voice low as I instructed him. “The power doesn’t come from the overhead swing,” I grasped his hips in my palms, the heat of his body warming me as we stood almost flush, my front to his back. “The swing has it’s own kinetic energy. Your body simply needs to let gravity take the axe down to where you need it to be.”
I heard Case’s breathing quicken, while I fought the urge to trace my hands onto his firm behind. At this distance, his ass was almost — but not quite — pressed against my now hardening member.
“Um hmm.” Case’s voice was low and rough. I took half a step back so as to gently nudge him around to face me. And Case didn’t resist my touch.
What I saw in Case’s incredibly blue eyes, was a need that matched my own. “You want to try again?” I asked, letting my head tilt to the side as he and I drew close. My lips hovered just a hairs-breadth away from his, but never once did I break our gaze.
I pulled his waist impossibly close, my voice barely above a whisper. “Tell me to stop, and I will.”