Off the Grid Page 7

  “We should get that,” he rasped.

  “As soon as the world stops spinning.”

  He laughed. “I rocked your world, huh?”

  “Don’t flatter yourself, Finch. It was the lack of oxygen that did me in.”

  “Liar.”

  She giggled. He hugged her and stood her upright, slapping her ass.

  “Oh.” She jumped. “You keep tempting me with a good time and the laundry won’t get done.”

  Her dark gaze smoldered with the promise of passion.

  “I’ll stop because I need the rest of the day to even scratch the surface of what I want to do with you.”

  The energy between them ramped up as their hands brushed while they rinsed out their clothing, ran them through the wringer, and hung them on a line. The sight of her small, lacy, pink panties had him thinking wicked thoughts. When the last article of clothing was hung, he scooped her up bridal style.

  She squealed. “No. I’m too heavy.”

  “You’re just right,” he said. There was no pretense as they moved into the house and up the stairs to his loft. As soon as he lowered her, she scrambled onto the bed. He followed her, crawling on the bed and on top of her curvaceous frame. He pinned her in with an arm on either side of her head and attacked her neck, sucking the skin into her mouth. He needed to leave behind evidence of his presence. She made him feel possessive.

  “I want to see you.”

  She nodded her head and he slowly stripped her down, revealing her lush body, concave belly, and firm breasts. He palmed her breasts and sucked a fat brown nipple into his mouth, rolling the other turgid peak between his fingers.

  “Oh, yes.”

  He took as much as he could into his mouth, hollowing his cheeks. She rocked her hips against him, brushing her wet pussy against his waist. The sticky trail she left behind made his dick jump.

  “So responsive and wet.” He kissed his way down her body, sucking her skin into his mouth, leaving a path of hickeys in his wake. “I like the way my marks look on you. Do you?”

  Lifting up on her elbows, she looked down and moaned, “Yes.”

  He bit down on her hip and trailed his tongue down the crease between her thigh and her pelvis as he inhaled her feminine musk.

  Her core was covered with a neatly trimmed patch of dark hair that glistened with her juices. His tongue wanted to taste, but he planned on wringing every bit of pleasure possible out of her, so he avoided the place he wanted most. He switched to the opposite side, nipping at her inner thigh.

  She whimpered, “Thorn. Don’t tease.”

  “You ready for me, baby?”

  “Why don’t you come and see?” She spreads her lips, revealing her pink flesh, and he groaned.

  “You got me hard as hell, woman. When did you get so bold?”

  “After I grew up and decided to go for what I want most.”

  He ran his thumb over her clit. “Am I what you want?”

  “Yes,” she breathed.

  Her words moved him. “You sure about that? I’m not in this for a quick roll in the hay.”

  “I’m positive.”

  He gently pinched her clit with his fingers and stroked her swollen bundle of nerves with his tongue. She parted her thighs wider and speared her fingers into his hair. Her scent was divine, and her taste was ambrosia.

  He continued to stroke and suck as she rolled her hips and pushed his head deeper between her thighs. Her walls flexed around his tongue and he shook his head from side to side as she trembled. Her come flooded his mouth and he sipped her honeyed whiskey down. He placed a kiss on her pubic bone and shed his clothes as she lay dazed in the center of his bed.

  He eased two fingers into her tight sheath, circling her clit. “Does that feel good, baby?”

  “Oh God. Yes.” She gifted him with a fresh coat of cream and pinched her nipples as she undulated beneath him. Her glazed eyes met his and he licked his lips and sped up as he stretched her. She threw her head back and fucked his fingers with a wild abandon that made him leak pre-come. Her lips parted and her pussy clutched his fingers tight as she vibrated.

  “Are you ready for me now, Lilac?”

  She slow blinked. “Yes, I want to feel you inside of me.”

  “Reach into the nightstand and give me a condom.”

  Reaching over, she grabbed a silver foiled ring and ripped the top off, then crooked her finger.

  “Before I take you inside of me I need you here.” She tapped her lip and stuck out her tongue.

  A jolt of electricity traveled down his spine. “You want to take my cock in your mouth?”

  “It’s my turn to taste.”

  “Might not be able to hold out if we do that. It’s been a while.”

  “I promise you, I can get it back up for you.”

  Jesus.

  He straddled her chest and eased into her hot mouth. “Oh fuck, Lilac.”

  “Mmmhmm.” She hummed her agreement, grasping his thighs as she took him down deep and pulled away. Her throat clung to his cock and he struggled to keep still as she did it again and again.

  “Gonna fuck your mouth if you keep that up.”

  She released him with a pop. “Then do it.”

  She took him again, gagging around his girth. His hips snapped forward and she hummed. Pulling her hair taut, he fucked her face. She hollowed her cheeks and bobbed her head, whimpering encouragement. The look of pure pleasure painted across her face damn near made him explode.

  He pulled out. “I want to come inside of you this first time.”

  She gave a quick pout but picked up the condom, removed it swiftly, and rolled it down his dick. He moved between her legs, gripped his base, and lined up with her dripping core.

  “Here we go, baby,” he whispered as he eased inside. “So tight.” He pulled out and pushed back in, filling her inch by inch as he worked his way in to the hilt. He paused to allow her to adjust as he gritted his teeth. She was a velvet glove. Gripping her hips, he tilted her up as he began to move. She matched him stroke for stroke as they rocked their way to an implosion that stole his breath and cracked the wall around his heart wide open. He collapsed on her, breathing hard as he buried his face in her neck.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  Her satisfied moan made him laugh. He rolled onto his side and pulled out, tying off the condom, then tossed it in the small wicker wastebasket. Satiated, his body grew heavy and his lids lowered. He rolled to his side, pulling her to him. Curled together, her warm weight lulled him to sleep.

  ****

  They made their way back downstairs in the early afternoon hours and parked on the couch.

  She rested between his legs, her back against his front, as they watched a movie playing on the laptop he placed on the table beside them.

  “When’s the last time you had a day like this?” she asked.

  “I couldn’t even tell you.”

  “Same here. I took a week off to settle my grandmother’s estate, and it was the first time I’d taken more than a day or two off in years.”

  “Once I realized what I wanted to do my entire focus shifted to creating a sustainable home and lifestyle. This year I really put the finishing tweaks on that. Now I can breathe and enjoy living a life of my own making.”

  “I admire you for that,” she said softly.

  He honed in on her discontent. “You like what you do, don’t you?”

  “I do. But I’ve been pigeon holed. I spent a lot of time believing my work would speak for itself. I put in the extra hours, reviewed the articles that were going out for errors, and consistently turned in writing of the highest caliber.”

  “So what happened?”

  Frowning, she looked away. He frowned. She was keeping something from him.

  “Lilac.”

  “I don’t want to speak ill of anyone.”

  “If it’s true what does it matter?” He placed a finger under her chin and turned her face up. “Hey. I don’t do secrets.”<
br />
  “It’s impossible to get ahead when your competition is making their way on their back.”

  “You’re talking about Alexa, aren’t you?” The news was disheartening. Not because she was sleeping with Peter, but the why.

  “Yes, I’m sorry. I know she’s your friend.”

  “I used to think so.” Friends don’t deal with you only when you were a convenience to them. He’d been a tool she used like so many before him. It was time to face that fact. It didn’t bother him when he had his arms wrapped around Lilac. “Is that how you got this job? He wanted to keep her away from me?”

  “It’s possible, but he never came out and said it. I went into his office and demanded he give me better pay, reports, and a raise or I’d walk.”

  “And he offered you this story?”

  “He said it was a trial run to see how I worked under pressure and on my feet because I had three days to prepare for this. I honestly think he expected me to chicken out. He had no clue about my background.”

  “Yeah you’re pretty much the ideal candidate for life off the grid. You have a great basic knowledge and you don’t mind learning or getting your hands dirty.” He mulled over the words as he spoke them. She was a reporter looking to advance who happened to seem perfect for him. Was she in on the swap? His mind clouded with paranoia.

  “Are you upset?” she asked softly.

  “Not at you.”

  Her body tensed as they lapsed into silence. Unable to focus on the movie, he felt a seed of doubt being planted. Peter had tried to get him to do a story plenty of times. Was this really about life off the grid or the local hermit? Peter had all but stalked him as he tried to get him to sit down for an interview. He’d offered a ridiculous amount of money for an exclusive interview about his life, which Thorn had promptly turned down. His personal life wasn’t for sale. Living off the grid, however, he’d talk about all day. Is this another clever way to get what he was looking for?

  Chapter Five

  Lilac

  She sensed Thorn pull back since the talk about Alexa. The blonde was a ghost haunting Lilac despite the distance. It added to her ire. How could one woman have so much reach? Back to gathering for the winter, they fished on the bank. She enjoyed being out and experiencing the sun, but their usual banter was stilted. Silence stretched between them. Why did he tell me he wanted something serious if he was still hung up on her?

  The sex was phenomenal, and they really connected … or she thought. Her stomach twisted itself into knots. They still had another two weeks to go. It was a long time to be miserable. She chose her words carefully as they cleaned their fish in the stream and strung them back up on their lines. With their bounty stored for the walk, they set out toward the forest.

  “You said you weren’t mad at me, so why do I feel like something is wrong?”

  “I’m not. I just find the coincidences suspicious.”

  “What are you talking about?” she asked.

  “You said it yourself. You are the perfect candidate to do this. You show up here, fit right into my life like a missing puzzle piece, and the next thing I know I’m spilling my guts. I don’t do that, Lilac. I’m an extremely private man. So I have to wonder, is that what Peter sent you to do? Gather information about me?”

  “I-I don’t even know how to answer that. I told you how it happened. We were fine a day ago.”

  “Do you know how long he was after me for a story? I can’t help but wonder if the real topic is even about life off the grid. Maybe this is all about the ex-Marine who came home and became a hermit.”

  “I never even asked you for extremely personal information. We talk like normal people do. Maybe what pours out happens because it’s time for that,” she said.

  “No, you don’t ask, because you’re smart. You know I’d clam up.”

  “This is utter bullshit and you know it.” She pointed at him.

  “Do I, Lilac? You come here with those big brown eyes, that smile, wit, and I’m suckered in. We instantly connect which never happens to me. No, I don’t believe it.”

  “How do you think I feel, Thorn? I’m just as invested as you are. I walked into this situation blind. I wasn’t expecting us to be attracted to one another. How could I predict that?”

  “Are you kidding? Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? You must know how sexy you are. Add that to your personality and what man could resist you? I know who I am and how people see me. I’m the reclusive, weird ex-Marine people in town whisper about. Were you supposed to swoop in and complete me? Maybe you’ll break me out of my tower and drag me out of the wilderness?”

  “I never even hinted at changing you. I like you how you are, or I did. Now that I’m seeing this side of you I’m not sure what to think. Do you really think so little of yourself you can’t imagine me being into you for no other reason than I think you’re amazing? You practically waxed poetic and managed to throw it into my face.”

  “Do you know what I received this morning, Lilac? An email from Alexa.”

  “Oh! Now the truth comes out. If you want to waste your time with someone who clearly doesn’t give a shit about your feelings that’s on you. Don’t expect me to stay here waiting for you to choose between us. Admit you’re not over her and stop projecting that mess onto me.”

  He took a step back as if she’d struck him. A hoarse cry flew from his lips. The rustle of leaves drew her attention to a flash of a black and tan shape slithering away.

  “Shit, that was a Copperhead. Did it bite you, or startle you?” she asked, shelving their argument as she went into Mama Bear mode.

  “He definitely found his target,” Thorn replied with a grimace.

  “Fuck. Okay. Well, the snake’s gone, so let’s go over there to the log. We need to let it bleed out for a few moments and inspect the wound. Where did it get you?”

  “Above my ankle.”

  She helped him hobble to the log, and knelt in front of him, untying his laces with nimble fingers. She eased his foot out of the hiking shoe and removed his sock. Copperheads were the creepers of the local snakes. They were so dangerous because their habit was to freeze if you came near them, and then strike once they felt threatened. It meant you had no time to avoid them or defuse the situation before it escalated.

  “Well there are no fangs in there?” She checked her watch. The first step in snake bite 101 was to let it bleed for about a minute. “How do you feel?”

  “Like I’ve been burned. Never expected it to feel quite like this.”

  “Normally I’d try to keep you still, but there’s no help coming for us quick enough out here. I’m going to make a makeshift splint and we’ll move out as fast as we can to get you back to the cabin.” Rising to her feet, she scanned the area. She spotted a few long, thick sticks four yards away. Perfect. A few moments later he had a splint and a lot less color. The area had begun to swell and turn a disturbing shade of blue. He took a shaky breath.

  “Thorn?”

  “Trying to calm myself down.”

  A clock began to tick down in her head. It was imperative she got him to the hospital as fast as possible. The sooner he received the anti-venom the better off it would be. Symptoms usually didn’t appear until ten to fifteen minutes after the bite. They were going on about ten minutes now.

  “Let’s get you standing in one, two, three.” She hefted him up and moved under his shoulder. “Rest your weight on me if you need to, okay? I’m sturdy and I can take it.”

  He smacked his lips. “I’m thirsty.”

  The poison was moving swiftly. They set out awkwardly at a brisk pace. Sweat poured off her forehead. Her legs, shoulders, and arms burned from bearing his weight. Grinding her teeth together, she pressed her mouth shut to keep herself from struggling.

  “How are we doing, Thorn? You have to keep talking to me, babe.”

  “Kind of dizzy.”

  “Oh, am I the one making you weak now?” she teased.

  He gave a weak
bark of laughter. “Don’t flatter yourself, Fehr. It’s just the venom working.” He tossed her words back at her without skipping a beat. It comforted her he was still able to think on his feet.

  He stumbled as they reached the cabin. “My leg’s going numb, Lilac.”

  “Stay here.” She propped him against the Jeep. “Where are your keys?”

  “In the front pocket of my pack.”

  She dug his keys out of his pack and unlocked the door. Climbing in, she cranked the Jeep and hopped out, running around to the passenger side. She opened the door and helped him climb in. Every moment that ticked by the blood cells around the affected area might be dying. Buckling him in, she slammed the door and returned to the driver’s side with her heart in her throat. A layer of sweat coated his skin, and his coloring was off. The paleness set alarm bells off in her head.

  “Stay with me, Thorn. I need you to direct me to the fastest route to the hospital.”

  “Okay,” he rasped.

  Fearful he’d pass out, she spoke. “What did you do in the military?”

  “What?”

  “In the Marines. I never asked you before, what was your MOS?”

  “Sniper.”

  “Fuck.”

  “More like fucked,” he rumbled.

  His words made her blood run cold. No wonder the man thought he needed a break from people.

  “I’m sorry. You took me by surprise. Did you like it?” The question was lame, but her attention was focused on maneuvering the winding road at the fastest speed she could without wrecking.

  “I was good at it. Too good. It scared the shit out of me what kind of monster I could be.”

  His honesty obliterated the contempt she held for him. “You are not the job you do.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. Knowing what you’re capable of is both a blessing and a curse. There’s so much blood on my hands, Li.”

  “I’m sorry, Thorn. I won’t even try to pretend I know how you feel. I can say this, though … since you’ve been back you’ve helped so many people.”