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“We’ve come across people up here before, through the ranch isn’t the only way to get up to these parts of the woods,” Rhett explains as we sit by the fire and I try to calm down. “Someone probably heard us and came to check it out. Not unusual.”
“He had a gun,” I whisper.
“People in these places carry guns.”
I shake my head. “Why wouldn’t he have just said that. He ran when I screamed. Something doesn’t feel right.”
“We’ll go check it out first light, make sure nobody is camping nearby. Unless you can think of another reason someone would follow you up here that you’re not tellin’ us about?” Enzo says, his eyes narrowing as he waits for my reaction.
There are so many things I could say right now, the truth being one of them.
But I don’t want to create drama if there doesn’t need to be any. I need to find out first if he’s out of prison, and if he is then I need to act quickly. He’s a dangerous man, and I’ve gone to great lengths to protect myself and Hudson from him. I thought this time we were finally free of him.
Has it been him all along?
“No,” I answer Enzo. “No, I don’t have any reason for someone to follow me.”
I don’t want to involve them.
The more people that get involved, the worse he’ll behave.
It’ll be dangerous.
I’m not going to do that to them, they’ve already had enough dramas starting the ranch without me adding to them.
“You sure?” Enzo probes, and I can see that he doesn’t believe me.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
He nods, sharply.
“You should get some sleep.”
“I’m not sure that’s something that’ll come easily.”
“I’ll move next to you,” he offers. “Nobody is goin’ to touch you while we’re here.”
I nod, because I’m not about to say no.
“Okay.”
We arrange our beds, and I give Faye a wide-eyed expression as I move away from her. She mouths ‘are you okay?’ and I nod, before settling in next to Enzo. Slowly, the camp falls quiet again, but I lie there, eyes wide open, terrified about what might happen during the night when everyone is asleep.
Enzo shifts beside me, and I know he’s awake.
I just need him.
I need him so bad.
I take a slow breath and then I roll, shuffling quietly until I reach his body. He flinches but doesn’t push me away as I lift the covers and carefully climb on top of him. I’m bold, but I can’t say I’ve ever been this bold. Knowing I can’t make a single sound, mostly because I literally don’t want everyone to know what I’m doing right now, I lean down and I brush my lips across his, lightly.
If we break out into a full blow make out session, someone is going to hear, without a doubt.
I kiss him again and go to pull away, but his hand goes up and curls around the back of my neck, pulling me back down so he can kiss me again.
Who am I to say no?
We kiss, softly, for a few minutes and it’s utter bliss.
So fucking good.
His hands run up and down my body, over my bottom, the dips in my hips, up my spine and over my shoulders. I’m wearing a very loose pair of cotton shorts and a top, he slides his hands beneath that top, in such a sensual way my entire body shivers. His fingers carefully pinch at my nipples, before gliding down to my pants.
There is no effort required, they push aside with ease.
He reaches between us, where I can feel his cock already hard and ready, and he jerks the top of his pajama pants down. He leans up so he can murmur into my ear, “You protected?”
I press my mouth to his ear, nipping at his lobe. “Yes, and clean.”
He doesn’t say anything more.
He guides his cock to my pussy, and slowly, I lower myself down on it.
It takes everything inside of me not to cry out, because god, it feels good. So fucking good. Mostly it’s the moment, the kissing, the hands roaming, the passion coming from this is something that I’ve not experienced. Not a word is being spoken, and yet I can feel it. It’s radiating off the both of us.
My skin prickles as I lower myself farther down, until finally he’s fully inside me. My hands are on his chest, and I can feel the way his muscles tense, like he’s working just as hard as I am not to voice how good this feels. I slowly begin to rock, as quietly as I can. It’s torture, mostly because it feels so damned good and the fact that I can’t speed up the pace without making too much noise makes it even more erotic.
His fingers bite into my hips, the only indication of his pleasure, and his breathing is labored and heavy. It’s so fucking hot. I try to keep my panting at bay, and I don’t let the desperate moans come out, even though I want them to because he feels so bloody good. I can’t keep this orgasm at bay much longer.
It’s building with a ferocity I’m not sure I’ll be able to smother.
I keep rocking, every single muscle in my body tense as the orgasm nears. I’m biting my bottom lip so hard it hurts, but it only adds to the pleasure. Enzo’s fingers dig into my flesh so hard I know I’ll be left with bruises, but I don’t care. I run my hands over his biceps, needing to feel his pleasure if I can’t hear it. They’re tense, so tense the muscles are like rocks beneath his skin.
I lean down, running my tongue over them.
God damn.
This man is everything.
As my release finally reaches the surface, I press my mouth over his and gasp as pleasure shoots through my body. His arm goes around my back, and he uses his hips to keep the motion going as I tremble above him. The most intense feeling running through my body. Like something dormant coming to life. He bites my lip as he too finds his own release, and his body shudders beneath me.
God damn.
Silent sex is so fucking erotic.
I exhale and drop down, pressing my entire body over his and nestling my head into his neck, breathing him in, loving the way his body slowly softens and his shudders die down. Eventually, we both lie there in silence, but he keeps his arm around me. Like he doesn’t want me to go even though it’s over. I decide I won’t go; I don’t even want to.
I slide off him and stay in his arm, turning to my side and resting my cheek against his bare chest.
He lets me stay there.
He lets me stay until my breathing becomes less frantic.
Until my eyes slowly close.
And until the world doesn’t seem so scary anymore.
~*~*~*~
“WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED last night?” Chev asks during our task the next day.
We’re given a list of things to hunt in the woods for, safe eating so Rhett said, and we’re all teamed off into groups with two men escorting us for safety, just in case whoever was out there before is still there now.
The guys got up early this morning, so early that when I woke Enzo was gone. They left and went looking for whoever I had seen last night. Dante stayed with us, but everyone else was gone for a few hours. They returned saying they had found a campfire a few miles in that was still hot, but nobody was there. They put it down to campers, probably some creepy ones, and left it at that.
I know a different story.
“There was a guy standing there, just staring at me. He had a gun. It was fucking terrifying,” I tell her.
She gasps, her eyes widening. “Seriously?”
“Yep.”
“What the hell was someone doing all the way up here?”
“I have no idea,” I lie.
But I do have an idea.
A strong sense of exactly who was up here.
“Well, we won’t be drinking and partying anymore. Rhett yelled at us and called us a group of hot mess moms. Which is absolutely true, but he also has no idea what it’s like being a mom and being let off the leash. We’re only human.”
I smile. “I like the term hot mess, it describes me perfectly.”
She laughs. “Oh girl, same.”
“See these berries,” Elias calls, snapping us from our conversation.
We gather around him and look the little red berries on the bush.
“These, while they look exactly like berries, are actually not. They’re incredibly poisonous if eaten and would probably kill you if you ate enough.”
Oh.
How wonderful.
I give Chev a side eye.
We’ve been separated from Faye and Alice, I guess they figured if we were apart, then we won’t get into trouble. The only problem is they’ve put Linda and Quincy in our group, and I’m not really okay with that because Linda has done nothing but glare at me and murmur little insults to Quincy this entire time.
“Linda,” I say. “Want to give one a munch to see if he’s right?”
Linda glares at me. “Some of us take this seriously, Juniper. I actually want to learn what’s safe and what’s not.”
“Rocks are a safe bet, if all else fails.”
Chev grins.
Elias gives me a look. “Enough of your big mouth, June. You’re walkin’ a thin line as it is.”
Madden nods, sharply.
Ouch.
Being told off by them kind of sucks.
Linda grins and Quincy giggles.
We keep walking, but I stay in my place until Linda goes to step past me. I put my foot out, and, as gracefully as a wet cat, she tumbles to the ground.
“Oh, shit,” I say. “Watch your footing, love. There are big rocks everywhere.”
“She tripped me,” Linda yells, getting to her feet. “I’ve had enough. Enough. I’m going to leave the worst review of this horrible place. If this is how you let people behave then I don’t know why you call it a retreat. It’s nothing but hell.”
“Fuck,” Elias barks. “That’s it. You two, back to camp, right fuckin’ now. Madden, keep this group going. These two are goin’ to start learnin’ to hold their tongues.”
I open my mouth, but the look on Elias’ face has me snapping it closed.
Quietly, we follow him back to camp where Rhett and Enzo are currently preparing lunch. They both look up when we get close, and my skin prickles as I stare at the gorgeous, shirtless man that I so delicately fucked last night. God, do I want more of him. I want so much more.
“Can’t deal with these two and their fuckin’ bickering a second longer, boss. They’re out of control. You can handle them now,” Elias says, before turning and walking off.
Rhett looks at the two of us, and Enzo’s eyes slowly move from Linda then back to me.
I swallow.
They look kind of pissed.
“You two have a real issue with one another, is there a reason for it?” Rhett asks, crossing his arms. “Because it’s gettin’ old now.”
“She’s a big-mouthed woman who is only here for her own personal pleasure and doesn’t even want to try and enjoy what the retreat has to offer. I thought this would be incredible, but it’s been nothing but hell. I have nothing good to say about this retreat.”
Linda crosses her arms and looks away.
“She can’t stand me because I fucked Enzo on the lake and because of that, she thinks I’m some sort of cheap whore who is here for whatever the hell she thinks I’m here for, and she has been nothing but snippy ever since. She’s jealous and clearly has a problem with me,” I mutter. “She never even tried to get to know me.”
Linda glares at me. “Why would I bother? You have no class. You’re a cheap, easy ...”
“Fuckin’ enough,” Enzo warns.
“I’m about done with this shit,” Rhett growls, his eyes narrowing. “You two are goin’ to sort your problems out, and you’re not fuckin’ leaving until you do.”
Great, now we’re being scolded like children.
“You two are going to sit on that fallen log by the river, you’re going to take a pen and paper, and you’re going to answer these five things, in depth, about the other person. One, if you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be and why? Two, what are you most afraid of in this world? Three, what makes you the happiest and why? Four, what about the other person makes you so angry? Five, list ten things you like about the other person, by talking to them.”
I blink.
Linda stares, eyes wide. “You can’t be serious?”
“I’m fuckin’ very serious. You do it, or you don’t eat tonight. This retreat isn’t just about having fun and relaxing, it’s about leavin’ a better person, and the two of you aren’t actin’ like good people. Enzo, get some paper and a pen. You have two hours before you’re going to present the answers to us.”
I open my mouth to argue, but the look Rhett gives me stops me in my tracks.
I know when to close my mouth, and right now is that moment.
Enzo leaves and comes back with a piece of paper and a pen each, then some book about berries and wild foods for us to lean on.
“Have fun, ladies,” Rhett grins.
Well fuck me.
This is going to be a barrel of fun.
Not.