Broken – A Mountain Man’s Romance

Blurb

I had chosen the mountains for a reason.

I was convinced that any human connection was a black hole.

Yet, this girl made me want to take that leap all over again and I couldn’t figure out why.

Carrie is a college student, looking for adventure in the North Carolina mountains. She thinks she has everything planned out and is excited about her trip, though little does she know that she has no idea what this trip will entail.

Johnathan lives alone in the mountainside. He is a loner, who has written off humanity, but when his path ends up crossing with a woman who needs his help, he will have to force himself to rekindle a sense of decency, at least for the woman, if not for anyone else.

However, things take an unexpected turn when the two starts to enjoy each other’s company and that company eventually heats up.

Can Carrie help Johnathan break through his trust issues to regain his life and carry on within normal society?

OR Is this simply a fling for two people brought together by unlikely circumstances?

Chapter 1

Carrie

I couldn’t believe that the day was finally here! I had planned this trip for so long, it seemed to take forever for time to finally catch up to my bustling excitement. I sauntered around the house, quickly making my last round, to ensure I hadn’t forgotten anything.

Kasandra, my roommate, who was also my best friend, sat on the couch and scoffed at me, each time I passed her. I didn’t know what she was so concerned with, since she had the weekend to herself. I was sure she was going to have her boyfriend over and they were going to perform unmentionable acts all over the apartment, while I was using my hiatus from school to get back to nature.

Yet, being that she was the opposite of me in this regard, I guessed I shouldn’t be so surprised.

Kasandra wore her emotions on her face and everyone knew exactly what she was thinking, without her having to say a word.

At times, especially growing up, this trait got her into a lot of trouble, while I was roped in most of the time, simply because I was guilty by association.

Now that we were adults, though, this talent was useful.

I, on the other hand, was quiet, resourceful and a pacifist. I would do anything to avoid a fight, while Kasandra had accepted she couldn’t hide her emotions. Therefore, she seemed to always be ready for a fight.

Right now, however, her glare of disapproval was lessened slightly by her strained, cheerful tone, “So, why are you excited about this trip again? Please tell me you’re going to do more than hike.”

“Nope,” I insisted as I reached for the last few things I felt I would need on my journey. “I’m going to be spending the week in the mountains, enjoying the clean, fresh air. I want to clear my head before classes start again.”

“Why don’t you just go to the spa, like a normal person?”

I laughed, knowing that strangely enough, Kasandra was trying to be nice, even though it didn’t sound like it.

“Because, it’s not the same,” I insisted, hoping she didn’t see through my carefully constructed plan.

“Yeah, that’s my point, it’s a lot more fun, relaxing…and safer. If you want to work up a sweat, go in a sauna.”

“Kas, are you worried about me?” I retorted in a joking tone, which made my friend scowl as she shook her head, though her expression still gave her away quite apparently.

“No, it’s just a stupid idea,” she answered, somewhat defensively.

“I know you think so,” I replied, refusing to let her ruin my excitement.

“I mean, why a mountain? Why that mountain?” She insisted, getting into questions that I didn’t want to answer.

I sighed, again refusing to allow her to douse the passion I had regarding this trip, “I respect that it isn’t your thing but please respect that it’s mine.”

“Just be careful, is all,” she hissed, “I know that it’s your thing and whatever. That’s not the stupid part.”

“Well, if you’re so worried about it, why don’t you come with me?”

I knew she wasn’t going to, but to keep the conversation fluid and away from the secret truth behind my trip, I needed to ask her, so she didn’t get suspicious.

If I had it my way, she would never figure out the true reason I went on this trip. If she did, I would likely never hear the end of it and that was the last thing I needed.

Again, Kasandra scoffed, “I’m not that worried about you,” she retorted with a snide laugh.

However, I brushed off the warning, considering where it was coming from. After all, Kasandra was a city girl and could never understand the intrigue and the beauty of nature.

She simply thought it was gross and dirty; which was why this ended up being the perfect place for my trip. If it was anywhere else, besides hiking or otherwise dirty outdoors, she might actually want to come along, and I couldn’t have that.

I needed to this myself. There was no other way for me to find the peace that I sought.

I rolled my eyes, “Goodbye,” I grumbled as I grabbed my pack. “I’ll be back in a week,” I insisted, slinging the pack over my shoulder.

I left before Kasandra could succeed in putting any doubt in my head about taking this trip. After all, I had to meet my guide at the foothills of the mountain range and after waiting so long to go on this trip, I didn’t want to be late.

“Seriously, though!” I heard Kasandra scream from behind the closed door, “Be careful! Don’t get eaten by wolves!”

“Bye!” I called again, trying to stifle my amusement as I rolled my eyes. I shook my head and started the trek downstairs.

This is gonna be great! I assured myself confidently, pushing forward, toward my car, ready to start my adventure.

The ride to the foothills of the mountain seemed to take forever but eventually, I found myself gazing up at a majestic scene of wildlife and reverent nature. The air was already thinner. I could feel it withering as I inhaled it, already, but I was prepared for this.

Despite what everyone who was closest to me either genuinely seemed to think, or preferred to believe, this wasn’t my first time in the mountains.

Granted, the last time was a while ago, but I certainly didn’t think that disqualified my experience.

I had survived the first time, and I liked to think that I had garnered intelligence with age, so I should be fine this time as well.

After all, it wasn’t like I was dumb enough to go up there all alone. I had hired a guide and I had no intention of doing anything dangerous. I was taking this trip to enjoy nature and let go of the stress my life had placed upon me in the last year. I wasn’t intending to be consumed by it.

Sure, perhaps my idea to trek the mountain alone, with only a guide wasn’t the best plan but I didn’t have anyone else to go with and I wasn’t going to forgo this opportunity because I was afraid of a little adventure.

Everyone who knew me was as certain of that as I was, so despite Kasandra’s attempts to get me to do something else to relax, no one else had wasted much time trying to talk me out of it.

However, when I saw the man I would soon learn was my guide pull up next to my car in a beat-up truck, looking less than savory, I hoped to God the first impression was inaccurate.

While I didn’t have anything against pickup trucks, or anyone in particular, the strange feeling that plagued me the moment the truck pulled up had me instantly regretting my decision.

I should’ve gone for the more expensive guide… I thought immediately, though I still hoped this wasn’t as bad a decision as it now appeared to be.

It wasn’t that this guide was cheap; he was simply the cheapest. At the time, I had also thought I was getting a good deal, instead of a cheap deal, since this was a little bit of a downtime for the mountain. It was usually hot, so people didn’t like to hike, and it was right at the cusp of the changeover, when the leaves started their fall foliage display, so I thought I might simply be getting a discounted rate.

However, as I gazed upon the man I was supposed to be spending the next week with, I couldn’t help but think I was going to receive a discounted experience too.

The man who hopped out of the truck was tall, lanky, and unshaven. His hair looked as though it had never met a brush and his shirt was stained. His jeans were torn at the bottom and his boots looked far too worn out to be acceptable for the hiking trip.

He looked more like someone I would see living in the mountains, instead of a guide, who was supposed to be well-respected people within the mountain community.

Although, I was determined not to let anything spoil this trip for me, so when he walked toward me, I spoke first in the friendliest voice I could muster.

“Hi! Are you Mitch?”

“Yep,” the man replied, barely looking at me as he dug in the back of his mud-stained, rusty truck bed, pulling up a raggedy pack that didn’t look near full enough for a week’s hike.

Still, there was a possibility he was a minimalist; it sure would explain his attire and first impression; one of the few explanations that wouldn’t want to make me take off in the other direction.

“You Katy?” Mitch looked at me strangely as he turned around and slipped the pack over his shoulder.

“Um…Carrie,” I corrected in a gentle voice, trying not to come across as a bitch, considering the amount of time we about to be spending together. However, I couldn’t quite help but narrow my eyes at the empty beer bottles that were rolling around in the back of the truck, disturbed by the man grabbing the pack.

“Oh…Carrie. Right,” he responded as his eyes obviously tracing over my body in a strange, slightly revolting manner. “Oh…Don’t you worry about that…” Mitch added as he finally returned his gaze to my eyes and saw that I was looking at the remnants of booze, “Just the remainders of a good memory…From over the weekend. I’ve gotta clean this old girl out…”

As though trying to sound endearing toward his truck, in a very odd way, he gave the side a loud smack, which caused the body to rattle.

It was a solid truck, from the look of it, so the force of his thrusting made me slightly nervous.

I tried not to show him that I noticed but I could hardly keep my upper lip from curling in disgust.

“You look mighty pretty for going on a week-long hike,” he answered in a redneck kind of condescending tone.

“I like to be prepared,” I answered, feeling a shiver run down my spine, “So, when should we get going?”

“I guess there’s no time like the present,” he replied, showing me a grin that was obviously missing teeth.

I swallowed hard and again, reconsidered being alone in the woods with this man. Although, I eventually decided that it was probably better to be with someone, as creepy as he seemed, then alone.

Besides, I had already paid him, and he still showed up. I decided that had to count for something. Even if he was dirty and disgusting, he had to have work ethic and honor to some degree. He didn’t take the money and run, so that had to prove something to me. I wasn’t sure what yet, but I was hoping after hiking with him, I would find out…and it would be positive.

So, I shook my head in agreement, trying to also shake off the bad feeling that was gnawing at the pit of my stomach.

I waited for Mitch to lead the way, figuring that if I followed him, it would be safer, and I could keep an eye on him.

To my surprise, the first few days yielded nothing to fear and I was starting to settle into my own, achieving the idea of becoming one with nature. We were deep into the mountains by now and although the tour guide still seemed weird, backwoods, and a little overbearing, I had decided that he wasn’t dangerous. Besides, I wasn’t there for him. I had hired him. I was in the mountains for the experience and to let go of my stress. I had some issues that I needed to come to terms with and I had decided a while ago that I wasn’t going to let anyone get in the way of me finding my peace. Therefore, there was no way in hell I was about to allow this creepy guy to take that away from me, so I resolved to ignore him as best as I could and focus on the majesty that surrounded me.

The trails we walked along were rocky and rough, but the terrain was fun and challenging. I didn’t feel threatened by it, especially because the weather was predominately in our favor.

It was hot at times, but Mitch was good about stopping to get water and ensuring that we were both hydrated.

As the air thinned further, I started to feel more tired and we tended to stop to catch our breath and drink our water more often.

Of course, there were plenty of other factors that attributed to this as well. While I couldn’t and didn’t want to know Mitch well enough to speak for him, I knew that the muscles in my legs had shredded a while ago. Now, it was all I could do to keep pace with Mitch’s long strides as we crossed the stone-laden path that coiled up the mountainside.

Along the way, we passed many small towns, carved right into the side of the mountain, almost like posing as a work of art. Each town had a breathtaking view and I found myself contemplating, more than once, what it would be like to leave my life behind to disappeared into a carved oasis.

Of course, I knew that was out of the question for me but being that the townsfolk were the only people I had to talk to, considering I didn’t talk much to Mitch, made me feel a connection to them as I grasped for every strand of intrigue this trip held.

While I knew that it probably wasn’t great, I was happy it wasn’t just me who Mitch seemed to be awkward around. When we were in the town, Mitch tried and failed to talk to every woman he came within eyeshot of and didn’t seem to be too well liked by anyone.

Searching for a bright side to all of this, at least the townsfolk seemed to know who he was and, aside from rolling their eyes when they found out he was my tour guide, no one expressed that I should tread lightly.

Still, I couldn’t help but think this was strange. After all, if the guide came up here a lot, it would make sense that he had at least one friend.

Although, with each town we passed through, the reactions were the same. There didn’t seem to be one person who was pleased to see Mitch, although everyone was hospitable to me.

This experience was echoed for the first few days, until a few nights into the trip, it started to get late. So, we decided it would be a good idea to start to set up camp for the night.

This always seemed like the strange part for me. Perhaps it was because I was truly alone, in the dark with a man I didn’t trust. Sleeping was difficult, so I was perpetually exhausted. On this evening, we had maneuvered through a long day of tough terrain. I was extremely tired because of it and hoped that finally, tonight, I would be able to get some sleep.

However, as soon as we stopped and started to gather what was needed for a successful campsite, I started to get an extremely odd feeling from the guide.

Mitch had acted slightly strange all day, but he was always strange, so I had learned to ignore him.

However, today, I noticed that I was exceptionally tired. Even though the day was long, and the terrain wasn’t easy, I took pride in keeping myself in shape. So, when I failed to put up my simple tent without stopping to take a sip of water, I thought that my fatigue was particularly strange.

Feeling my mouth almost immediately dry out, I downed a large swig from my water bottle and immediately felt my stomach curdle in protest. I made a face, glaring at the water bottle but was unsuccessful in figuring out why it made me feel sick.

“Are you okay?” Mitch called from his side of the campground, almost as though on cue, which I tried not to find strange.

“Yeah, I’m fine…” I offered dismissively, putting my water bottle down on the ground and groaning softly. I shook my head to clear out the fog but was completely unsuccessful. In fact, the shake of my head immediately caused me to feel dizzy.

Coupled with my upset stomach, I was happy that I was sitting down.

I closed my eyes for a moment, drawing in a deep breath, until I noticed a douse in light in front of me.

Finding it strange, I opened my eyes and looked up, almost falling off the log I was sitting on. Mitch was now hovering around me, almost expectantly. It startled me, and I made no secret of expressing my discontent with his closeness.

“Is there something wrong?” I demanded, pulling myself up from the ground and heading back over to my tent.

“No…I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” he retorted, almost as though he was insulted.

“I’m fine, Mitch. I already told you I was fine,” I hissed, going back to putting up my tent.

“So, you don’t talk much,” he offered in a manner that led me to question whether he expected me to answer.

Despite my exhaustion, I returned to pitching my tent, trying to give him the hint that I wanted him to leave me the hell alone.

However, he simply stood there, staring at me. I could feel his eyes piercing my back and the thought of having an altercation with him only made me feel more tired,

So, eventually, I turned around and gave him a grin, “No. I don’t. I’ve always been more of the silent observer.”

“Oh? Yeah, I get that,” he answered as he swayed back and forth, fists punched uncomfortably in his pockets as his lanky structure coiled up into an elongated ‘S’ shape.

“So, you go to school, right? College?”

“Yeah, I do,” I answered, “I’m studying to become a paralegal.”

“Cool,” he replied, though he seemed distracted by his own thoughts.

“So, do you have a boyfriend?”

The last question caused my stomach to drop uncomfortably.

“Um…Yeah,” I answered, deciding that less information I gave about the fictional boyfriend would be more convincing.

“Oh?” Mitch answered, stepping toward me in a manner that made me feel even more uncomfortable. “Why didn’t he come with you on this trip? Are you guys on the outs or something?”

“No,” I replied, trying to sound convincing, “he…he just doesn’t like the mountains…Or hiking. He thinks its…boring.”

I knew that my voice was cracking as I stepped away from him, hoping that he eventually would change his mind about what he was obviously hinting around, before it was too late.

Although, each of my movements seemed increasingly sluggish and with the thinner air, it was becoming increasingly arduous to breath.

“So, what he doesn’t know, won’t hurt him, right? Don’t you want to do it on a mountain?” Mitch insisted, now becoming seriously direct.

“No,” I insisted, trying not to let my fear translate through my voice, “I’m sorry but I would rather keep our relationship professional.”

By now, I could feel my heart pounding as my whole body shook with terror. I wondered how long it would take me to make it back to civilization but was certain this was the longest portion of the trek with no towns for miles.

I swallowed hard as my eyes searched for something I could use as a weapon.

Yet, my sluggish brain seemed utterly useless, unable to focus on anything, other than my fear.

“Why?” Mitch demanded, now raising his voice significantly as his expression became alight with ire. “What? Am I not good enough for you?”

“Mitch, I said no! I hired you to guide me up the mountain. That’s it!” I exclaimed, trying to turn around and run but getting caught up in the tent.

“Why don’t you just give it a try?” He insisted, stepping closer to me with a hastiness that even my slowed disposition was able to notice.

“No!” I screamed, fighting my way through the tent, trying to get away from him.

However, when I tried to go around the side, Mitch quickened his pace and grabbed me. Although I tried to dodge his grasp, I felt his fingers clasp around my wrist as he yanked me close to him.

Spinning me around, he pinned me up against a nearby tree.

I tried to fight him off, but he grabbed my other wrist and shoved my arms up across my chest.

When I realized that his iron grip, which was surprisingly strong, had rendered my upper body useless, he glared into my eyes as a sinister grin formed on his lips.

“Relax, Carrie. Enjoy it,” he offered in a low, yet threatening voice.

“No!” I exclaimed, one more time as I focused on throwing all my strength into a kick that caught him right in the groin.

The instant I felt his grip loosen, I wriggled my wrists out of his grasp and turned to the side, so that I could run away from him.

“You bitch!” I heard him call as the rustling behind me turned into running.

Without looking back, I darted into the woods. Instantly, the run caused me to feel sick to my stomach but hearing a dog barking, I held out hope that I might be closer to help than I thought. Even though I didn’t see any sign of human life, the sound of the dog, at least, what I hoped was a dog, helped me press on through my waning resolve.

Behind me, I heard twigs cracking and limbs breaking. Hard, angry breaths and groans followed close behind and I knew that Mitch was still cashing me.

“Come back here!” Mitch called at one point, which made me realize exactly how close he really was.

I screamed and propelled myself forward. Now, I was even more desperate to find someone. I didn’t dare look back, but it seemed that with every step I took, Mitch’s long stride covered double the distance.

Again, the dog barked, and I used the sound as motivation, hoping that I would find someone who would help me.

After all, if it wasn’t a dog, I didn’t have anything to lose anyway and would much rather take my chances with a wolf or coyote then with my psycho tour guide.

However, just as I was thinking that, I felt a hand swat through my hair, barely missing it.

I screamed and tried to dart away from him but ended up feeling myself be shoved forward. I tried to use the momentum to my advantage but no sooner did I realize what had happed, I felt my foot catch on the underbrush below. I tried to catch myself but fell forward in a slow, painful moment that I couldn’t escape. As leaves and rocks bombarded me, I heard a crack in my ankle. Yet, I didn’t even have time to feel the pain before my head slammed against a large rock.

While I didn’t pass out, I immediately felt swelling in my sinuses and an ache in my head that was disorienting.

Momentarily, the intensity of my fall caused me to forget everything else but being on the ground and worrying about having broken something.

Although, the moment of twilight was short lived, being replaced by intense panic, when I felt hands grab my shoulder and throw me onto my back.

When I realized what was still happening around me, Mitch was straddling me and holding a syringe in his hand.

When I realized this, I freaked out, trying to kick and punch him, all to no avail. I tried to sit up, but he grabbed my hair and slammed my head back onto the ground.

I felt dazed again, but fought through it, now far too fearful of what he was planning to do to me to care about my injuries.

With the coursing horror flooding through me, a million thoughts ran through my mind at once; but the only truly cognizant thoughts were the ones that told me that he was planning to kill me and if he killed me, my injuries wouldn’t matter, so they were secondary.

Right now, I had to save my life.

As he released my hair, I screamed and blocked my face, but he threw my arms out of his way, with one hand and shoved my head to the side.

“No…Please…” I begged, feeling hot tears welling up in my eyes when I realized I couldn’t break myself free of his grasp. “Let me go…Please let me go.”

The guide chuckled as he brought the syringe out again and yanked the cap off with his teeth.

I gave one last flail, which he dodged effectively, before injecting the syringe into my neck.

I screamed and fought, yet my movements and my attempts to yell were soon rendered completely useless. The tranquilizer that he used to subdue me didn’t completely knock me out but it’s fast-acting nature paralyzed my whole body.

Becoming complacent and unable to move, all I could do was cry and with what little voice I had left, beg him to let me go.

“You should have just let me have you,” he insisted as his beady eyes pierced into mine. “But that’s okay, I like it rough…” He cackled, pausing to glare directly at me. His expression was sickeningly amused and disturbing.

Sweat poured down his pale face and his black hair stuck to his forehead, from running. His smile was wide and deranged, with the missing teeth only addition to the cartoonish sneer.

“Please…” I called, feeling myself now drift in and out of consciousness. “I don’t want to die…”

The man snorted with genuine humor if he hissed, “Well, if you had been a good girl and allowed me to do what I wanted, maybe that wouldn’t be necessary.”

“Oh God! Please…Please don’t…Please, leave me alone…I won’t tell anyone…” I screamed, even though my voice was hoarse, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to put thoughts, much less words together.

However, instead of reacting to my bequest, he simply continued to straddle me, thrusting himself against me with intent, wearing the creepy, oversized smile.

Then, when he realized his plan was succeeding, instead of taking any pity on me, he simply glared deep into my eyes, slid back, and reached to unzip his pants.

Chapter 2

Johnathan

Goddammit, Jake! Shut the fuck up! I thought, glaring at the dog, barking his gigantic head off and scratching at the door.

Instead of cursing at the dog, however, I just screamed in a commanding voice, “Stop it! Jake, no!”

However, the dog didn’t oblige, which is strange for him. In fact, the dog’s fit was also strange. Normally, he was extremely quiet. He didn’t have to be loud. His size was intimidating enough.

Still, strange, or not, I was knowingly plagued by a bout of depression, through which, the dog’s behavior only aggravated me more.

I looked at the picture I kept in the old, beat-up wallet I no longer needed, save for the reminder of the normal life I could no longer have.

I had no idea why I kept the damn picture. All it ever did was cause me more pain and misery.

Still, though, I kept it. It reminded me of a better time; a time where I was far more ignorant and had the stupid notion that I would end up having a good life.

Yet, the girl in the photo was the one I should’ve stayed clear of. She was a heathen, who I blamed for nearly everything wrong with me and my now worthless existence.

I figured I was too much of a coward to take my own life and more than that, the dog would be left alone, which I couldn’t have. So, I stayed up here, away from anyone who even reminded me of the bitch that tore out my heart and stomped on it.

Again, Jake’s bark ripped me out of my thoughts.

“Shut up, Jake!” I screamed, balling my fists to keep from throwing something in the dog’s direction. I was tired of hearing him. He was consistent and with each bark, I was growing more aggravated.

For a moment, though, he tried to comply. Jake groaned and turned around, hanging his head while his tail tucked under his legs.

However, the silence didn’t last long, as he apparently heard something else in the distance that caught ahold of his attention far more than my scolding.

Rejuvenated, Jake let out a shrill howl before barking again.

This time, as I heard the dog’s nails dace expectantly across the wooden floor, I stood up and eased my way toward the door. Part of me was trying to intimidate the dog but by now, part of me was curious what had gotten the dog so riled up.

“What is it, Jake?” I asked the dog in a calmer tone and he yelped out another intense bark, staring from me to the door in response.

I listened carefully, trying to hear or sense anything that would make him react this way.

A moment later, I heard what sounded like a woman’s scream.

The sound alarmed me momentarily, but I was inclined to believe it was simply drunk teenagers roaming the hills again, since that happened every once in a while.

Yet, when Jake groaned as I turned away, now standing on his hind legs and pressing his massive body against the door, I was unable to convince myself the noise I heard was simply due to anyone’s drunken fun.

I heard the scream again, this time sounding far more desperate, with Jake nearly breaking the door down to get outside.

I rolled my eyes, knowing that I had to go out there, even though I had zero interest in seeing what was going on. I opened the door and Jake barreled outside, strides full and fast before I had a chance to stop him.

“Dammit!” I grumbled, taking off in the direction of the dog.

I hated having to run after the dog, especially in my current state, but something told me that there was a good reason.

I could hear him barking but due to his speed and the darkness, I only had that and the rustling of trees to rely on to find him.

As the dog ran, the screams grew closer, but they weren’t as frequent. It appeared as if they were being muffled, or the person yelling was growing tired.

However, after a few moments, both Jake and I were alerted to a scream of sheer terror, followed by the pitch of someone begging.

Even though I couldn’t hear what was being said, I knew this wasn’t some drunk chick at this point and I quickened my pace, as Jake’s snarls and barks became more insistent.

Eventually, I came upon the sounds of rustling that weren’t the dog, followed by the woman’s now much fainter screams.

Even through the darkness, I could see that there was a man on top of a woman, pinning her to the ground and trying his best to take advantage of her as she attempted to fight him off.

The man seemed to be taking an intense amount of sadistic pleasure in the woman’s inability to get away, taunting her as she grew weaker.

“Hey, asshole!” I called, sensing Jake next to me, now, ready to attack. “Get the fuck away from her!”

I heard Jake’s snarls and even though I could only see the distorted silhouette of the dog, I knew he was baring his teeth menacingly.

The man looked up briefly, but called back, “Mind your own damn business,” before returning to attacking the poor woman, as if I was simply going to leave him.

Now, his ignorance was starting to piss me the fuck off.

Jake and I immediately moved forward. I grabbed the man’s arm and yanked him back. He tried to hit me, using the force with which I pulled him back, but I was easily able to dodge it.

However, perceiving danger, Jake leapt at the man, grabbing his outstretched arm, and shaking it back and forth with warning.

The man screamed out and I pulled the now nearly unconscious woman away from her attacker.

Jake allowed the man to break free from his grasp but growled at him as the man staggered to his feet and forced himself to run in the opposite direction, disappearing into the woods.

Briefly, I thought about going after him and the way that the massive dog beside me was poised, I could tell Jake was ready for the moment I gave the word.

However, after considering the option for a moment, I ultimately decided against it.

Instead, I turned my attention to the woman, who had by now, passed out completely.

I knelt next to her, being sure to give her space in case she woke up and carefully checked her vitals.

Jake circled us, with his eyes glued to the woods, as though he was waiting for the man to return.

From what I could tell in the darkness, the woman was bleeding from the head, but I couldn’t tell anything else.

“Shit,” I muttered, removing my shirt, and pressing it against the wound, hoping to stop the bleeding.

I looked around, but found no source of light, so I decided that I didn’t have much of a choice, other than to move her.

In the time it took for me to do all this and come to my conclusion, the man hadn’t yet come back, but I had a feeling that he was stupid enough to try me again and this time, I didn’t think he would be using his fists.

So, I scooped her up and started the trek back to my cabin.

“Jake, come,” I commanded as I headed out of the small clearing. Instantly, the dog listened, leaping back toward me before breaking out in front.

I watched him as he crossed back and forth a little bit ahead of me, ensuring that we weren’t heading toward any danger.

As we moved, I thought about taking her directly to the ranger’s station, but I knew that would take a long time and I wasn’t sure if she would make it.

I could feel the blood pulsing, soaking my shirt and knew that she needed to get to a safe area as soon as possible.

Therefore, it didn’t take me long to conclude that I had to take her back to my cabin. While I didn’t want to take her back, I felt as though I didn’t have much of a choice. I knew that regardless of my own fears and issues, I needed to keep her safe and taking her back to the cabin was the best way to accomplish that.

Considering, there’s a large possibility that she could blead to death before I got her anywhere else and there was a slightly less, yet still plausible possibility that the crazy guy could be coming after us, I wanted to be on familiar ground.

If he came back, I would be ready and regardless of what he planned, I wasn’t going to be using my fucking fists this time either.

Even as we neared the cabin, Jake continued his perimeter check while I focused on getting her inside as quick as possible.

Carrying her took three times longer than running, which was even more aggravating, considering I was getting tired by now, as the adrenaline was wearing off.

It seemed to take forever, but eventually, I saw the light from my fire flickering in the distance and I couldn’t help but feel relieved.

In addition to the threat on her life and possibly my own, I also didn’t want this woman to wake up and think that some mountain man was trying to abduct her; especially after the ordeal she had already endured.

I thought that if I could get her back to the cabin and fixed up before she regained consciousness, I would be able to explain what had happened, assuring her that her modesty was in-tact and she needn’t worry.

Although, I still wasn’t exactly sure that this was going to end well for me, but my pride and sense of decency couldn’t allow me to do nothing, so I quickened my pace to reach the cabin.

All the way, though, I grumbled at this knowledge, wishing that I didn’t feel this way. I couldn’t say that I was exactly ashamed that there was a part of me that wanted to leave her and let her fend for herself.

It wasn’t like I had anyone but the dog to judge me and I fed him, so he’d get over it. Yet, ultimately, I knew I had to do it and that pissed me off, almost as much as the situation I found myself in.

I knew that if it ever got back to me that she was hurt or found by the man who had attacked her after I left her to fend for herself, I would never forgive myself.

It’s already a long, shitty list, but I would rather not add to it.

So, I continued my trek to the cabin, wishing things were different.

When I finally saw the clearing through the woods, I grumbled as Jake ran ahead, now happy to be home. I thought about it, but I didn’t call him back. I knew he was as pleased as I was to be home.

After all, at heart, Jake was a lazy hermit, just like his owner. He enjoyed the freedom of the mountains and the seclusion but rarely ventured out to take advantage of it.

When I was able to finally get back to the house, I finagled my way in the tiny door, which I had thankfully left unlocked.

I sighed out of relief when I was able to place the woman down on the bed. She wasn’t heavy, by any means but I was exhausted and still depressed. Therefore, all I wanted to do was go to sleep.

However, I knew that wasn’t going to happen any time soon, as I looked her over, trying to figure out which injury needed the most immediate attention.

She didn’t look too beat up, but she certainly wasn’t having a good day. I realized soon enough that her ankle was hurt, but didn’t appear to be broken, so I decided to focus on her head wound first.

I found gauze and tended the wound as best as I could, given my limited medical knowledge, fueled solely by the basic instinct to try to stop the bleeding. I knew that it needed to be cleaned and did this as best as I could, before packing the wound and wrapping it. The gash was deep. I hoped it wouldn’t end up requiring stitches, because while I could do it, I didn’t want to. So, I was going to hope that the bleeding would stop and take it from there.

Once her head seemed to be all right, or as best as I could make it, with the knowledge that I had, I moved on to her ankle. Without her being awake to tell me exactly how much pain she was in, or what it felt like, I was guessing, basing everything off the amount of swelling. I didn’t feel any broken bones, but the swelling was pretty bad, so I was certain I wouldn’t really be able to tell until the ankle had a chance to rest.

So, I searched the cabin for items that would make a decent, makeshift splint.

After carefully pulling the leg of her pants up past the swelling, I secured the splint and again, hoped for the best.

Once the splint was in place, I propped pillows underneath her foot to give it some height and I covered the woman with a blanket.

It took me about an hour to tend to her wounds and ensure she was as comfortable as possible, all against my better judgement, before I felt I was finished.

When I felt it was safe to turn my back to her for more than a few seconds, I went to the closet and grabbed a fresh shirt. In all the commotion, I had forgotten that I had used my other shirt to stop the bleeding and because of it, was marred with a hundred scrapes on my upper-body from running through the woods shirtless.

When I was dressed in something at least somewhat reputable, I dug around to find the shirt and realized that it was completely unable to be saved.

“Dammit,” I muttered, throwing the shirt into the fire. I didn’t want the blood to attract animals, after all, so this seemed like the best way to get rid of it.

I watched the flames roar up, licking the shirt for a moment, before consuming it, almost entirely.

The shirt created a lot of smoke that made the house smell funny, but eventually, it dissipated, leaving only remnants of the fabric behind.

Before finally settling into my chair to go to sleep, I checked on the woman one last time.

Her head wound seemed to be doing okay and the swelling in her ankle also appeared to be shrinking.

I was happy to see that, of course, but having her here, in my cabin, created a shitstorm for me.

I knew that the thoughts I was having presently were only the beginning.

What made it even worse, was that as I observed the sleeping woman, I felt a twinge of something that I hadn’t thought I was capable of.

I felt, attracted to her. She had beautiful blond hair, clear skin and a gorgeous physique, so the thought that she was beautiful, didn’t bother me all that much.

What bothered me, was from the moment I saw her in the light, after I had done all I could to make sure she was going to be okay, I wanted her.

I didn’t even know this woman’s name, but I already felt a connection to her.

I tried to think of a million reasons why; perhaps I knew her or maybe she looked like an ex-girlfriend, but for as much as I wracked my brain, I couldn’t figure it out.

Oh well, I thought, I guess I’m just going to have to wait until she wakes up…

Chapter 3

Carrie

Upon waking up, the first thing I noticed was that my head ached. The second thing I noticed was that my ankle was pulsing with sharp, annoying pain. It felt as though it was inflamed and when I tried to move it, something stopped it.

I panicked.

I had no idea why I was afraid, or what had happened to put me in this position, but I knew that the last thing I remembered was being terrified.

Don’t open your eyes… I thought to myself as I tried to clarify the reason. My heart was thumping hard in my chest and my head was aching.

Carefully, trying to act as though I was still asleep, I tried to move my arms. There didn’t seem to be anything inhibiting them. I tried to move my other leg. It too wasn’t barred in any way.

I took a deep breath and opened one eye. I braved a look at myself, to find that I was in a bed.

With a bout of fear overcoming me, I quickly shut my eyes again, though I still couldn’t figure out what it was that was making me so scared.

It was obvious that something wasn’t right. I knew that there was a reason I should be cautious, but I still couldn’t pinpoint what it was. I couldn’t remember what happened, but I was certain that I wasn’t where I was supposed to be.

Yet, something told me that was probably a good thing.

I tried to remember what had happened the night, or even a few days before waking up here but thinking hurt my head more, so I gave up.

I was still so tired…

I yawned and settled deeper into what I presumed was a pillow, clearing my mind so that I could settle back into slumber.

While I didn’t particularly want to sleep, since part of me continued to warn that I was in danger, I was still so tired that I convinced myself that if I was in danger, I should probably pretend to be asleep anyway. My current position didn’t seem to be drawing any danger too me, and at least while I as sleeping, I wasn’t in pain.

I must have drifted off again eventually, because I went through a similar experience when I woke up again.

While I still couldn’t remember anything about what had happened or why I was here, my headache had receded slightly and the throbbing in my ankle had settled.

For the first time, I chanced a look around at my actual surroundings. Immediately, I noticed that there was a fire crackling in an old stone fireplace, which was the only source of heat and light.

I continued to glance around and quickly determined that I was in a one-room fishing cabin. It looked old but secure and strangely comforting.

However, I felt my heart skip a beat when my eyes focused on a rocking chair, sitting in the corner, facing the fire, with a silhouette of a man clearly visible.

“Who are you? What do you want?” I demanded, without thinking it through all that much, which seemed to stir the man, who was previously paying little attention to me.

“Oh,” he answered quickly, his head turning and his eyes settling on me, “You’re awake. Good.”

I couldn’t see his face, but his voice was completely unfamiliar.

“What happened? Why am I here?” I asked, losing my resolve slightly as I became aware of the fact that I might not want to know the answer to any of these questions.

“It’s okay,” he offered in a gruff, yet kind voice, “You’re safe. Nothing happened. I was able to get there in time,” he assured but didn’t go into detail.

Nevertheless, flashes of the horrible attack started to ebb their way into my consciousness. I remembered the guide, I remembered being chased, drugged, unable to move and finally…

I gulped and squeezed my eyes shut with the intention of forcing out the awful memories, horrified about what I finally remembered.

I suddenly felt sick to my stomach and trapped, so I tried to move.

“Stop, don’t…” The man insisted quickly, motioning toward my ankle, “You shouldn’t put any weight on it.”

The sound of his voice, rather than his actual warning was what brought me to a halt as my eyes drew down to my ankle. For the first time, I noticed that a makeshift splint masterfully secured it.

I wasn’t quite sure what to think at that point. In a way, I was pleased to see that this man had taken such good care of me. Yet, I was distrustful. This man didn’t have to do anything for me. He didn’t have to save me, and he certainly didn’t have to patch me up like he did.

Considering recent events, even though I couldn’t recall it all with certainty, I was sure that I never wanted to be put in that situation again. Therefore, I knew I needed to be more cautious, which led me to wonder if the man had his own secret agenda.

It seemed strange to me that he just happened upon me, at the time of the attack and was a goodhearted enough individual to involve himself the way that he had.

I was usually someone who saw the best in people but right now, feeling utterly betrayed by my own instincts, it was hard for me to consider trusting anyone; even myself.

So, I quickly decided that I wasn’t going to be trusting this strange mountain man, until I had a good reason to.

“As soon as that heals, I’ll take you to a ranger’s office and get you some help. Okay? Unfortunately, it’s about a day’s walk and you need to give yourself some time to heal or you’ll never make it.”

I frowned, only half listening to the handsome, rugged stranger. The more I thought and the more he talked, the more overwhelmed and nervous I became. The more aware of my surroundings I became, the more the severity of the situation struck me and thus, the more fearful I was.

Although, I wasn’t afraid of the man, even though I knew I probably should be. After all, up here in the mountains, he could do whatever he wanted with me and no one would know until it was far too late.

I had already been through one version of hell and somehow survived. It terrified me that I was potentially barreling straight for another, this time with a bum leg and a lingering exhaustion that was somewhat paralyzing.

My brain was still too fuzzy to comprehend why I was so tired, when all I really wanted to do was jump out of my skin.

I tried to focus on the man in front of me, answer him like a normal human being but I was lost for words.

I had so many questions, most of which, I was terrified to know the answer to, but I couldn’t form words anyway, considering my brain was still far too full. I was tired and felt sick to my stomach, besides the obvious disgust I felt toward my situation.

I wondered briefly if it would benefit me to throw up, but I figured that wouldn’t do much good. Likely, it would make me feel worse.

“Are you okay?” The man asked eventually, bringing me back from my thoughts.

“Yes,” I managed to croak, realizing for the first time how hoarse my voice sounded.

“You’re safe here,” the man assured, and while I wanted to believe him, I didn’t. I didn’t feel safe anywhere and part of me feared that I never would again.

I didn’t tell him that though. For the moment, he was being kind and I didn’t want to do anything to discourage that, at least until I could figure out a way to escape.

A pain shooting up my leg caused my resolve in that thought to dampen, but I tried not to become too discouraged.

The man didn’t seem bothered by my lack of response however. Instead, he got up and poured something into a mug that looked like it was carved from a tree. It was a small mug, which I was thankful for when he handed it to me. I figured, through my rattled, slightly irrational state that if he was giving me something that was going to hurt me, at least I wouldn’t take much.

After the events of the past few…hours, possibly days, I was happy with not only the option to choose my own fate but a quick vehicle through which the end would arrive.

I could fight him, or I could drink whatever this was. It wasn’t much of a choice, but it was something and so, I took it readily.

Downing the warm liquid, I was surprised to find it tasted like pine needles, with dark stalks following the tea-like substance that echoed this realization.

It didn’t taste good by any means and I made a face. It was earthy and tangy. I felt almost as though I was eating a pine tree air freshener.

When I locked eyes with the man, he didn’t react. He simply held out his hand for me to give him the mug back.

“This will help you sleep. It’s good for you,” he answered.

After getting over the initial taste of the tea, I felt a sense of warmth and a calming sensation surround me.

I didn’t want to settle in and succumb to sleep so quickly but the sensation that coursed through me lulled me into a stupor, at first. I felt my body, almost against my conscious will, turn over as much as my bum leg would allow, curl up and settle under the covers.

The bed I was lying in suddenly felt far more inviting. It surrounded me in a comforting manner, easing me into a slumber.

However, soon after closing my eyes, allowing myself to be carried away by the sleep that the tea had made a far more convincing option, my eyes snapped open and I felt renewed with energy.

In fact, in that moment, all the pain from my ordeal left me and I felt rejuvenated, as though I had slept for days.

The feeling was freeing and, to my surprise, amorous.

When I looked around for the man, whose name I realized I hadn’t even bothered to ask for, I was confused. I could’ve sworn he was sitting right there next to me but in the darkness of the cabin, I only felt a chill of emptiness when my good leg felt for him at the edge of the bed.

I must’ve slept longer than I thought… I concluded, wondering if the tea was more of a miracle than I had realized.

Eventually, my eyes adjusted to the darkness and I could see him, sitting in the chair I had first noticed him in, rocking back and forth by the now smoldering fire.

I wondered if he might be sleeping but a few slight movements caused me to think otherwise.

I felt a rush of excitement flooding through me at the sight of him. I was always attracted to the manly type, but this mysterious mountain man had an allure that was immediately and overwhelmingly tantalizing.

I wasn’t sure if it had to do with the fact that he likely saved my life, or simply that I had an innate need to relieve the stress of my ordeal, but it didn’t take me long to realize that I wanted this handsome stranger, more than I had ever wanted anyone.

I normally wasn’t like this, of course. Lust for lust’s sake was usually out of the question for me. It never appealed to me and I was usually extremely picky about my partners and the intimacies surrounding lovemaking. However, right here in this moment, all I wanted, was this man; whom I knew nothing about.

It was almost an animalistic drive that led me to get out of bed and saunter toward him.

I had made it halfway across the room before realizing that my ankle didn’t hurt at all. I stopped and momentarily contemplated the thought that the man was lying. Perhaps there wasn’t anything wrong with my ankle. Maybe he had only said that to keep me from leaving.

While that was a creepy thought, it didn’t bother me all that much, since in this moment, all I wanted to do was stay here with him.

When I looked back toward the man, he was now facing me. The shadow of the dying fire illuminated a portion of his face, revealing a grin.

Even in the dim light, the way his beam lit up his expression, causing it to be far less ominous, caused my stomach to churn with a bout of attraction.

“Well, I see someone is feeling better,” he insisted, but didn’t seem alarmed in the least. If he was trying to hide something from me, he didn’t act like it.

“Yeah,” I answered, the word tumbling out of my mouth in an unorthodox fashion that made me feel stupid.

Yet, the man didn’t seem to mind.

“That’s great! We can head out in the morning, then.”

“Oh,” I answered, once again with my words sabotaging my intent.

“I mean, you don’t have to leave,” he insisted with a chuckle, “But if you stay up here, I bet people will start wondering where you got to.”

“Yeah, no. I know,” I answered, trying to recover but only seemed to dig myself deeper into the bumbling mass of unintelligent rambling, “I want to go home. It’s not that. I just think that…” I stopped to lower my eyelids suggestively and simper in a sensual manner, “I just thought I should thank you, that’s all.”

“You’re welcome,” he responded, either seeming not to notice my advancement, or not reciprocating.

“I was just thinking…” I tried again, stepping toward him, trying to catch the small spillage of light, so that he could better see my expression. “You’re up here all alone…It’s my guess you haven’t had a woman in a very long time…”

I stopped, hoping that he would give me input, but he silently watched me. I saw his eyes scour my body intimately, but he made no other movement. I tried to gather some intel from his eyes, but for as intently as he was taking in the sight of me, there was no reaction inherent within his gaze.

My heart was beating, and my body was throbbing. I hadn’t wanted anything before like I wanted this man right now. Something told me that rejection would hurt far worse than it should from a man I barely knew. However, if he rejected me, I wasn’t sure what I would do.

There was no cold shower that could mitigate the intensity of this yearning. At this point, it didn’t even seem like a conscious choice. I wanted to feel him inside of me. I needed him, not just a man, this man.

“You are the reason I’m not completely scarred for life, so, I thought maybe I could thank you.”

“That isn’t necessary. I didn’t do anything expecting you to feel indebted to me,” he replied, though his eyes continued to slowly run up and down my body, taking in each curve with far more appreciation now.

I was certain that he was interested, which helped my sense of nervousness and only exaggerated my need.

“I know that. That’s exactly why you deserve it. You don’t expect anything from me. You are a good person.”

“You don’t know that. I could be an even worse creep than the guy I took you away from.”

“You saved me from him,” I reminded, “You didn’t take me anywhere I didn’t want to go, and you didn’t do anything I didn’t want you to do.”

“Well, that’s great, but remember, I live deep in the mountains, away from civilization, in a cabin, with my dog. Are you sure you want to give yourself to someone with such a strange living arrangement?”

“I know what I’m getting into,” I argued, drawing closer to him, now reaching out to touch him. I passed my hand down the side of his face, gingerly, and grinned.

The man returned my seductive gaze as his expression morphed into a devilish sneer, “I’m not so sure about that.”

“Well, if you want, you can think of it as simply a thank you for saving me,” I replied, feeling my blood pumping as my heart thumped harder, the closer I got to him. I wanted to feel his warmth against me and I wanted to immerse myself in the luscious intent, by having his body so close to mine.

While this normally wasn’t like me, I didn’t care. All I knew at that moment was that I wanted him. I needed him, almost as though my very life depended on it.

I had never felt such an electrifying, intense urge in all my life. It was like an unknown force was guiding us together and neither of us had any say; not that I didn’t want him.

I wanted him more than I had ever wanted anyone.

All the thoughts and fears I had previously, dissipated when I was close to him. Past lovers, my past as a whole; the good and the bad, seemed to separate from my memory as though it was dropped into a chasm, which was steadily being refilled by lustful thoughts and animalistic urges.

He snickered but gave no response. He simply kept his deep, intense emerald eyes trained on mine, refusing to release me from his grasp.

My body yearned for him, thrusting forward, toward him, with a passionate, almost unstoppable fervor.

I watched as he turned toward me, his body open, welcoming me in, but he made no other advancement.

So, I sauntered toward him, undressing as I moved, until I was completely naked. I watched his eyes scour over me, drawing a line from my gaze, down to my chest, lingering at my bosom, before easing its way down to the valley of my inner womanliness.

His grin widened, and I took this as a chance to make my move. I eased toward him in one final thrust, pressing my lips against his mouth.

He groaned, turning his head to the side, as his strong hand rose up to grab my hair. Twisting it seductively in his fist, he pulled me in closer to him, as his tongue toyed with mine.

Our breath intertwined as the taste of him intoxicated me. I groaned, as his other hand rose to my breast and cupped it gingerly. He gave it a playful squeeze before he grasped my wrist and brought it to his chest.

I hadn’t noticed until now, but it was bare. My palm pressed against his warm skin and my fingers weaved through the curly hair that was sprinkled over his pectorals.

Slowly, my hand drew down his body, yearning to feel his true essence inside me. My fingertips slowly eased over the rippling muscles in his abdomen, leading to his lean, V-shaped oasis.

He pulled me close to him and I could feel him, unbridled and already fully aroused, pulsing against me. My hand grasped him, sending a shuddering sensation of euphoria coursing through my body.

I moaned, but the depth of his tongue and the intimacy of his mouth absorbed most of the sound.

As I stroked him, I felt my pelvis thrust toward him excitedly.

With his other hand still teasing my breast, he tugged them toward his chest and stroked the nipple against his visceral body, causing it to harden, which intensified their sensitivity.

Once he had ensured that the two buds were properly hardened, he broke free of my mouth and absorbed one nipple, then the other, ensuring that he paid equal attention to each. His tongue swirled around the swollen blossom, before flicking it and suckling on it, causing my body to quake with excitement.

“Oh!” I moaned, sliding down his chiseled chest, toward the pulsing, inviting member in my hand.

Once crouched between his legs, I consumed him, causing the man to groan and tilt his head back with pleasure.

My mouth stroked him, delving deeper with every movement, until I was able to take it completely into my mouth.

With each motion, I felt my body become more inclined to take him in the natural way. Yet, he seemed to be enjoying my foreplay, so I tried to keep it going for as long as possible.

After all, I was trying to thank him.

Each time I pulsed, he moaned, and his breath cut short. At one point, I felt his hands grasp tightly onto the arms of the rocking chair, so intensely, it creaked and shook, while he yelled out.

Soon after, he directed me back up and took my waist between his hands when I stood. He positioned me over him before nodding with intent, beaming widely.

I grinned as I grasped his shoulders and eased myself over his hardened, quaking member.

“Oh…Yes…” I thought, feeling my body quiver with need. I stroked overtop of it, allowing him to hit all the right spots, while my womanliness continued to moisten the apex between my legs. I groaned, feeling the stroke of his essence one more time, before thrusting myself on top of him.

Easing down his shaft, the tightness was welcomed, as I could feel every subtlety of his arousal.

Johnathan groaned as his hands spread against the small and middle of my back, before sliding down, around my nether regions, allowing him to get a firm hold on me.

I straddled his legs as he guided me up and down, helping to alleviate some of the effort and helping to speed up our motions.

He quivered inside of me as we moved as one, causing me to feel yell out in amazing torment.

My whole body felt fully exposed and intensely sensitive to his touch.

As our excitement continued to reach a climaxing level, I felt my body take a far more active role in pursuing an intense and mutual pinnacle.

Both Johnathan and I were breathing heavy, while I whined, unable to scream, due to the tenacious and powerful movement. However, neither one of us seemed to care, since we were quickly reaching toward our goal.

I was heaving, thrusting, feeling more empowered than I had ever felt before.

Johnathan was guiding me, while pushing up, delving deeper and deeper into me with every fast-paced blow.

My heart was beating so fast, from excitement and exertion that I feared it might explode. Yet, at that moment, there was nothing that could pull us away from the rising incentive that was rapidly approaching.

“Oh God…Johnathan…” I moaned, shutting my eyes tightly, as a barrage of fireworks seemed to explode behind my eyelids. “Yes…Yes…Keep going…Don’t stop…” I begged, feeling chills of passion rippling up and down my body, while his hands continued to hold me, guide me, until with one final prod, I he buried himself deep inside of me and groaned as I felt his love erupt.

The feel of his essence injecting inside of me inspired my own finality, which came after a few more powerful strokes.

After prowling at the edge of the euphoric sea, I was submerged entirely with one final, exasperating plunge.

I felt my nails dig into his shoulders as I pressed down, willing him to fill me as much as possible, while my ecstasy caused my body to quake all around him.

Meanwhile, I was transported to a sightless, soundless oasis, filled with nothing but a rush of positive, intoxicating emotion. I felt transported, possibly to another world, where nothing else mattered but this moment.

I felt completely free.

I wanted to stay in this moment forever, but eventually, I returned to my body and I felt the rush of emotions start to dissipate, flooding me, while my womanly cavern still erupted in pulses of the aftershock…

Within an instant, my eyes popped open and I heard the tail end of my obnoxious gasp. I looked around the cabin, placing my hand on my beating heart and trying to ignore the moistness between my legs.

I swallowed hard, with my womanliness still quivering from the intensity of the need I experienced. I tried to figure out exactly what happened and why I had such an intense reaction. I had no words to accurately express what my mind had concocted, apparently all on its own.

Part of me was embarrassed and horrified by the memory of the dream, but there was still another part of me that was extremely disappointed that it didn’t happen.

Chapter 4

Johnathan

The woman continued to moan in her sleep after drinking the tea. I couldn’t tell if she was moaning in pain or if she was consumed in a wet dream, which was slightly bothersome to me.

Goddammit, I thought, if I can’t tell the difference, I definitely need to get laid.

With that, my mind wandered through dirty thoughts of the woman and how nice it would feel to be inside of her.

I thought about her moaning my name and her caress, the way her breasts would feel in my hand and the pure erotic allure of getting off, as well as getting someone else off. I hadn’t been with a woman in such a long time. So, although, I did feel like a dick for not stopping these thoughts, I didn’t blame myself or condemn myself for it. I was a man after all and this is the first woman I had spent any time with in years.

Not to mention, the woman who was currently inhabiting my bed was pretty damn gorgeous.

Her golden hair flowed out all around her as she slept in gentle, slumber, her petite hands curled under her small chin, while her ripped shirt revealed the cleavage to her obviously endowed breasts.

Though she was small, both in size and stature, her womanly attributes were alluring without being overbearing. She was proportionate, with slight exaggeration in every place that mattered.

In addition to the act of sex, I also found myself wondering what she was like normally. I thought about her personality and wondered if she would be someone I would like to date, and a person who would like to date me.

However, this was what bothered me. More than the act of sex, it was the passion behind the romance that bothered me.

The fact that I was even thinking about that was both intriguing and hurtful.

Any man, or woman, for that matter, could think about having a good fuck with a person they are attracted to but to take it past the physical pleasure, into the realm of any deeper meaning, was something I wasn’t sure I could do. More than that, though, it wasn’t something I was sure I wanted to do.

I felt as though I was committing an unforgivable act of betrayal, but I wasn’t quite sure why I felt that way, or to whom I was committing the act of betrayal.

If she deserved it, I wouldn’t be here, I thought with ire, trying to ward of the memories that were still fresh, running deep and stinging often. But if she doesn’t, then don’t I deserve another chance?

Still, for my own sanity, it didn’t take me long to decide that I shouldn’t be contemplating the idea of wanting to be the reason behind her moans.

“Fuck…” I muttered, shaking my head as more vivid imagery clouded my memory. As the seduction of my thoughts grew into something more tempting, I tried to pull myself away from what I knew would be a pit of desire filled with quicksand.

The woman might be different but the risk of enduring another failure, to the extent of the last, which I barely survived made me feel stupid for even the natural reactions I was feeling.

I shouldn’t be feeling anything for this woman, or for any woman ever again.

I had cast myself away from people or a reason. There was no point in even opening myself up, even for a moment of normalcy, because I was sure that would only lead to a dead-end, filled with despair.

Eventually, Jake’s bark shifted me from my thoughts.

While I was thankful for the destruction, I wondered if the reason for the dog’s alerting outburst was due to an intruder.

This time, I grabbed my gun and I took Jake out with me, while the woman continued to sleep soundly; obviously unbothered by Jake’s bark.

The evening was cold but clear. Since the light of the fire had nearly doused completely inside, in addition to the light shining off the moon, it wasn’t hard to see the perimeter of the small clearing.

I wanted to ensure that asshole hadn’t come back to catch us unaware.

While I didn’t think that was likely, I wasn’t going to be taking any chances, at least so long as the woman was under my care. I might not want anything from her and her presence might be more aggravating and painful than being alone, but I’d be damned if I was going to let anything happen to her.

Jake sniffed around the perimeter quietly, checking carefully for any sign of anything being out of place but came up empty. I listened carefully, trying to figure out if anything out of the ordinary was going on but I didn’t hear anything.

When Jake was finished with his rounds, I could tell he was slightly confused as well, but he had also come up empty.

I took one last look around, peering with intimidation, gun at the ready, but found nothing.

The night was still. Not even the branches of the trees, or the leaves moved without provocation.

Everything seemed to be normal.

I had lived here a long time, so I was familiar with what my little patch of land was supposed to look like at every second of the day. For this time, there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary going on.

While I was relieved, I couldn’t help but think that something was going on, which presently alluded us, but between the dog and myself, I didn’t think that was likely.

So, after sweeping my eyes all around the area one more time, I eventually allowed Jake and myself to return inside.

Since the dog seemed satisfied too, I tried to let my guard down, but I still placed the gun well-within reach and locked the cabin door.

The lock was admittedly a piece of shit, but I figured if someone did try to break in, every second counted. Even if I could only use that time to aim and fire, at least I would be able to do something.

When I turned back around, I made sure the woman had remained undisturbed.

I noticed that she was still in the bed, but I also decided that I hadn’t seen her move, at all, in a while.

Oh fuck. I thought as I inched to her side, nor really wanting to check on her, fearing the worst, but preying that she was still alive.

While I walked closer to her, I tried to gauge her breathing, but couldn’t see her move, since she was on her stomach.

I crouched down to her level, but I didn’t dare touch her. I wasn’t sure why I didn’t want to touch her, considering if she was dead, she was in my house and therefore, I was as good as convicted anyway.

However, instead of trying to shake her awake, or employ an easier method of checking her vitality, I put my hand under her nose.

At first, I still couldn’t tell if the shallow breaths I thought I felt were a figment of my imagination, or proof of life, but eventually, I heard another familiar moan. At the same time, she rolled back over on her back and continued to breathe normally.

Jesus, Christ… I heaved a sigh of relief before I returned to my chair and tried to fall asleep again myself.

I was certain that Jake would alert me again if he heard anything out of the ordinary and I was a light sleeper, so I knew there wasn’t much that could happen that wouldn’t allow me to have a little time to react.

Plus, in this small, cramped cabin, sleep seemed to be the only way I could escape the thoughts and visions that continued to plague my mind.

The wild goose chase had helped momentarily but so long as I was trapped in the same cabin as her, I would continue to wonder what it would be like to be with her and thus, I would only become more depressed.

If for whatever reason, that or another threat did make itself known, I would have to be sharp, which mean that I had to keep as much space as I could between my new houseguest and myself.

My sanity and possibly our lives depended on it.

Chapter 5

Carrie

When I woke up again, after falling asleep after realizing the dream was merely a wild hair of my own imagination, it was, again the first thing I thought about. I was still slightly embarrassed, even though I knew it was normal. It wasn’t the first time I had a dream like that, though it was never so intense.

It’s not like he knows about it… I thought, trying to assure myself, but was only faced with the realization that I could’ve talked in my sleep. A mortified shiver quaked down my back but ultimately, I realized there wasn’t much I could do.

It had happened, and I wouldn’t for a second believe he didn’t have something similar, or even more physical plague him at an inconvenient moment.

So, instead of dwelling in how self-conscious I was about the dream, I focused on what it could’ve meant.

Dream interpretation was more Kasandra’s thing, but right now she wasn’t here, and I was hoping there was an actual reason for the way I was feeling.

Maybe it means that I’m supposed to get to know this man? I thought, not thinking so much sexually, though I had to admit, I still wouldn’t mind it, but get to know him as a person.

After all, he had saved me, and I hadn’t even found out his name.

When I sat up and looked around the cabin, I watched him chuck firewood into the fireplace for a moment before I cleared my throat.

He stopped short, his shoulders bristled, and it took a moment for him to turn around.

When he did, it appeared that he was trying his best not to sound strained, though it was obvious that he was uncomfortable.

“Hi, how are you feeling?”

The question caught me off guard, since strangely, the dream was a more pressing distraction than my physical afflictions but when he reminded me, I felt my ankle pulse with a light amount of pain. Otherwise, I was okay.

“Actually, believe it or not, I feel pretty good,” I answered, giving him a grin that he didn’t return.

Nervous, I felt the friendly expression crinkle back into something far less welcoming, matching his reaction.

“That’s good,” he replied, shaking his head once before returning to his firewood duty.

“I…I’m sorry for how I treated you before. I was a little…harsh when I should’ve been thanking you profusely for saving my ass,” I insisted, trying again to garner some information from him.

“Don’t worry about it,” the man insisted, seeming to be purposefully reserved. He didn’t look back at me as he spoke and even moved closer to the other side of the cabin when I spoke to him, as though he was trying to keep his distance. “You’ve been through Hell. I can’t imagine the shit that must be going through your mind. And, to wake up here…” He shook his head again, seeming genuine in what he was saying but kept by how he spoke and what his reactions looked like.

I was confused at this and I wondered if I had said or done anything that had caused him to feel particularly uncomfortable.

However, I didn’t want to bring it up, because I was sure that wouldn’t help anything. So, instead, I tried to garner information in a more blatant fashion.

“Well, thank you. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you there.”

“Don’t mention it,” he huffed, chancing a look in my direction, and speaking with an unnecessary amount of seriousness, “Seriously. Don’t. It’s no big deal.”

Afterward, he looked away again, giving me the impression that he didn’t want to speak anymore.

Even though I wanted to know more about him and I was determined to get something useful out of this conversation, I didn’t push him for further information for a while.

He finished with the firewood and went into the closet, bringing out a First Aid bag.

When he came into my field of vision, I was finally able to focus on him.

The man before me was tall and striking, though his massive amount of hair dulled that appearance slightly. His beard was so long, it covered his chest and his hair was shoulder length. The brown hair was curly and straggly, but it didn’t look dirty. In fact, the hair seemed to suit him, making him look older than the early thirties, I estimated his actual age to be. His skin was tan, thoroughly baked by the intense sun and the mountain elements, but the weathered look only added to his allure. His eyes, however, were a piercing emerald, which stood out starkly from the rest of his face. While morose and serious, his eyes were the only part of him that looked his age. Despite their expression, dimmed by whatever issues had made him live out here in the first place, the youthful light refused to be doused.

This realization made me feel slightly more comfortable with him.

His clothes were torn, but not completely dirty. His jeans were worn, and his shirt looked like it was meant to fit a man without such a defining muscular build, which made me wonder exactly how long he had been here.

Still, despite the disheveled appearance, the roughness of his appearance intrigued me.

I found that I was instantly attracted to him, though I tried to blame it on the dream. Surely, my mind was playing tricks on me.

“I need to check your head, is that okay?” He asked, nearing me with caution, almost as though he feared I was going to bite him. His voice was gruff and hardened, as though he wasn’t used to speaking so much, but he didn’t sound nearly as angry as he had before.

“Yes…I mean, you don’t have to, but thank you,” I replied, trying to figure out exactly what this guy’s angle was. Obviously, he was out here alone, but since he seemed to be doing his best to take care of me, I wasn’t afraid of him. I couldn’t justify why he would be putting all this effort into helping me heal if he was another psycho with ill intentions.

Since you aren’t a psycho, you wouldn’t know that. I thought to myself but was drawn away from my thoughts by the sound of him snickering.

“You wouldn’t say that if you saw it,” he answered snidely.

I felt my stomach topple over, thinking of all the terrible things that could’ve happened.

Was I horribly mangled? Did the man who attack me hack my brains out with a rock? Do I still have a skull?

Maybe that’s why he doesn’t want to talk to me. Maybe I’m too ugly to look at…

While I was still out of it enough to have all of these strange thoughts, I thankfully, was not crazy enough to actually say anything I was thinking.

Instead, I mumbled, “Is it really that bad?”

The man stopped to study my face, which I could tell was drained of all its color, but he seemed slightly amused at this.

“Oh, it’s not that bad. You still have a head…”

The man sat the First Aid kit on the table next to the bed and opened the box. He pulled out a small mirror and handed it to me.

“See? It’s just deep,” his voice seemed moderately more understanding, for only a minute before he observed me looking at myself and rolled his eyes. “Women…” he muttered.

I didn’t take offense to it though, because I was too busy looking at the changes in my face.

He was right. All and all, it wasn’t that bad, but I did have some bruising, a busted lip, and a lot of dried blood in my hair.

The crimson stains were stark against my blond hair and made me feel slightly ill.

“Thanks,” I answered, when I didn’t feel like studying myself anymore.

The man took the mirror back and replaced it in the case, before carefully starting to remove the gauze that was around my head.

“When you feel better, you can take a shower,” he offered, this time in a kinder tone. “There’s a bathroom over there, but I wouldn’t recommend it right now, considering I don’t want you to start bleeding again…or hurting your ankle any worse than it is.”

I nodded but felt slightly lightheaded as the pressure of the bandage released.

Again, I felt slightly sick. I swayed slightly, and I felt the man’s hand settle sternly on my shoulder, pausing until I was able to stabilize myself.

I swallowed hard, realizing how raw my throat felt. I winced.

“I’m going to keep going now, okay? You might feel weird, especially if it starts to bleed again, but don’t worry, I’ll pack that fucker good.”

I chuckled nervously, “Thanks.”

When he didn’t respond, but I felt him meddling with the back of my head again, I closed my eyes and focused on being anywhere but here. I thought that would help me, if I started to feel sick, but unfortunately, when I closed my eyes, I saw the crazy guide’s face, glowering at me with those eyes.

I still didn’t remember much about the man or exactly what had happened, but I remembered those eyes. They were like glaciers, piercing into my soul. They were dead, cold, and cruel.

I hoped I never encountered eyes like that again.

“Are you cold?” The man’s voice broke through the memory, as my eyes popped opened and I looked at him. “Whoa!” He called, backing away, “You realize that your head is open, right? If I fuck this up, your brains could fall out or something! Just speak. What’s wrong?”

“Sorry,” I answered, returning my head to the position which he had put it in so that he could patch up my gash. “How does it look?”

“It looks…like you got your head bashed in with a rock,” he answered in a deadpan, slightly aggravated tone.

“Is it still bleeding?”

“No,” he replied in a gruff tone, “But honestly, it would look better if it was. I think I see your skull.”

“Ewww…” I answered, instantly feeling the color that had managed to return to my face drain out of it again.

“Nope, just gauze…” He replied, and I felt him pick something out of the back of my head, weaving it through my hair.

It didn’t matter. The damage was already done. I felt like I was going to be sick.

“Please don’t throw up,” he answered, “I wish I had some anesthetic…”

“It’s okay,” I answered, “It doesn’t hurt that bad.”

“It wouldn’t be for you,” he retorted in a gruff manner that made me wonder if he was attempting dry humor, or if he was simply being an ass.

“Oh…” I answered, not quite sure how else to respond.

“So, when you shook, why was that?” He asked, more pointedly this time. “Are you cold?”

“No. I just…” for an extremely brief moment, I contemplated explaining how I felt and that I continued to see the man’s eyes, but before I spoke, I thought better of it. “It was nothing. Just a chill.”

“Okay. Don’t zone out on me and if you feel anything, please tell me. I am not a doctor. I can’t tell you if what I’m doing will make your head fall off. I don’t think it will, but you never know.”

“Yeah, heads are funny like that,” I replied, trying to match his dry…whatever it was, but he didn’t respond, which I found kind of strange.

Maybe he isn’t joking… I thought, which made me feel slightly uncomfortable, though I resisted the urge to shiver.

For the next few minutes, he worked on cleaning and rebandaging my head in silence.

I endured it for as long as I possibly could but eventually, I decided that it would be a good time to start a conversation, if only to get me out of my own mind.

“So, what’s your name? My name is Carrie,” I offered, trying to sound as friendly.

“My name is Johnathan,” he retorted, almost angrily.

“Oh, well, do you like to be called Johnathan, or John? Or Johnny?” I grinned, trying to show that I was attempting to playfully tease him, but he leaned his head around to my face, specifically to glare at me.

“Do I look like a Johnny to you?” He insisted and, in that moment, unless it was a rendition of The Shining, no. He didn’t.

Holy shit…I jumped out of the pan and into the flames! This guy’s just as crazy as the guide. I thought but tried to remain calm. If this guy was teetering on the edge of his own sanity, I wanted to keep him from figuring out that’s what I thought about him.

“Um…Johnathan it is, I guess,” I answered, trying to keep a sense of positivity and lightheartedness to my conversation.

Although, he didn’t reciprocate, he apparently finished with my wound and cleaned up the First Aid kit.

Afterward, he went to the sink, washed his hands, and turned, grabbing something off the top of the fire. Carefully, he brought it over to the small, makeshift kitchen. He poured something into a bowl and delivered it over to me.

As he neared me, I could smell a roast, with broth, like a soup. I wasn’t sure what it was, but the prospect of food, even before he said anything to me, made my mouth water and my stomach growl.

At this point, I didn’t care much about what it was; it smelled delicious!

“Here, it’s soup. It’s got vegetables and meat, to help you heal. You’ve been here a day and haven’t had anything more than one cup of tea. The last thing you need is to be fighting dehydration, hunger, and trying to heal.”

I took the bowl from him readily and grinned, “Thank you.”

Taking food from him right now wasn’t any kind of concern, especially since I knew he was right. I was never going to get anywhere if I didn’t regain my strength.

Instead of sitting on the bed like I vaguely remembered him doing when we first met, he grabbed a stray chair, which was propped up against the wall and straddled it backwards as he sat, at a distance, away from me.

Again, I thought this was odd, but I tried to convince myself he was trying to give me room to eat; not treating me like I had The Plague.

I ate the soup, barely even tasting it. The parts that I did pause to enjoy were good, but I was far too hungry to care about taste.

He didn’t say anything while I ate, but he stared at me curiously. It was almost as though he was trying to gather information from me but didn’t want to ask.

“I’m sorry,” I answered when I was finished, gingerly placing the bowl next to me on a wooden nightstand. “I’m just so hungry…”

“I live in the woods. Do you think I give a fuck how you eat?”

The reaction was a bit harsher than intended for the context, which made me pause, but I didn’t say anything else. I had the feeling I was upsetting him, but I didn’t know why.

Maybe he simply didn’t like that I was here, or perhaps there was a different reason altogether but whatever it was, I still thought his actions were weird.

Nevertheless, I chuckled and pretended his rash reaction didn’t affect me.

“I guess you have a point.”

“How’s your ankle? I don’t want to move it if I don’t have to. The swelling looks better now.”

“It hurts a little,” I answered honestly, but nothing too bad.”

“Good,” he was quiet for a moment, before speaking abruptly, “So, what were you doing out there with that guy?”

“I…uh, hired him as a guide,” I answered, feeling my cheeks redden as I looked away from him. In hindsight, all the warnings seemed blatantly obvious, which made me feel extremely self-conscious when I answered Johnathan.

“Why didn’t you go with someone else? I mean, I get hiring a guide, but why wouldn’t you bring someone along?”

Even though I knew he was right, considering all the warnings had come true, I still felt myself getting slightly defensive. “Well, I don’t know…It was a last-minute thing…I didn’t have anyone to go with me. My circle is small…And, what does it matter anyway? I thought I could have more faith in people than apparently you and everyone else.”

“Yeah, well, I think what you did was fundamentally stupid,” he hissed, obviously without caring whether it hurt my feelings or not. “I mean, it’s one thing to have faith in humanity, but it’s another thing to go out into the mountains for this long, with someone you’ve never met before, especially being that you’re a woman. You should be a little smarter about your decisions.”

Now, I was downright insulted. What right did he have to tell me what to do?

“Wow!” I countered heatedly, unable to stop myself before I demanded, “What? Do you think I deserved what happened to me? Just because I did something you think I shouldn’t have, is that an excuse?”

“What?” Johnathan hissed, this time, physically reacting, pushing himself back in the chair. It was obvious that he was angry at the accusation. “Do I strike you as that kind of an asshole? Damn,” he shook his head and grumbled, “I don’t think you deserved it. If I thought you brought this on yourself, I sure as hell, wouldn’t have risked my ass saving yours. All I’m trying to say is that you were a fucking idiot to go off in the mountains alone with a guy you didn’t know.”

I returned a blank stare, mouth agape as I tried to contemplate all that he had said to me.

Pushing himself up from the chair, Johnathan huffed and turned his back to me, “I’m going to get some air. I’ll be back,” he hissed as he reached the door.

Without another word, he yanked the door open and slammed it shut behind him, leaving me and the dog alone in the cabin.

Chapter 6

Johnathan

What the fuck was that all about? I thought to myself, shaking my head as I stomped away from the cabin. She thinks I think she deserves it. Just like a woman.

Even though I was angry and slightly hurt by the accusation, I was more upset by the fact that she had done something that was undoubtedly proven to be stupid. She seemed to be an intelligent person, which made me wonder why she would even contemplate something like that, much less go through with it.

Why do I give a shit? I wondered after brooding for a few more paces. The thought caught me short, but it was at that moment I realized that Jake wasn’t with me.

Usually, the dog was a fixture at my side, but now, about a hundred yards away from the cabin, I was all alone.

Normally, he loved to go for a walk, so I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t right there by my side. He usually wasn’t the least bit affected by my outbursts, since he had seen me through the worst of my depression, so I was sure he wasn’t afraid of me.

So, curious, I stomped back over to the cabin and looked in the window.

Before I reached it, I heard Jake’s paws hitting the floor, before his playful bark erupted from inside the cabin.

When I looked through the window, I saw Carrie and Jake playing together. She was throwing a stick he had brought her, and he made a big deal about getting the stick in the small space.

After a few turns of her throwing the stick to him, he jumped up on the side of her and started to lick her face.

Carrie erupted in laughter, petting the dog, while trying to free her face from his playful kisses.

“Damn traitor,” I mumbled, though I couldn’t help but wonder if the dog was trying to tell me something.

He was usually a good judge of character, which made me feel even more guilty for what I had said to the woman.

Huffing, more out of frustration and confusion, still unsure of why I cared so much, I turned and started to walk by myself, before either of them noticed my leering.

I walked the familiar mountainside, hastily finding the place where Carrie was attacked. Taking a walk around the perimeter, I tried to piece together everything I had missed the night before. I wanted to make sure that I didn’t miss anything again and if there was something that I thought I might need, I wanted to know what it was.

On the ground, I found shattered pieces of glass and a needle. I figured that the asshole had used this against Carrie and the idea made my blood boil.

Stomping through the woods, now seething I walked beyond the small clearing, in the direction that the man had taken off in.

Along the way, I noticed signs of where the guide had run.

Not too far away, I found another clearing. In it, I found the remnants of a fire and two tents that looked to have been left behind.

I thought it was strange that one of the tents looked like it had gotten into a fight with something and inside, I found clothing and other belongings that looked to belong to a woman.

As soon as I opened the bag, a strangely familiar scent hit me. I scoffed at it and closed the bag.

Slinging it over my shoulder, I searched the abandoned campsite for anything else that might be of use to me.

In the other tent, which still looked to be intact, but equally abandoned, I found another bag. It wasn’t a hiking pack. It looked more like a medical bag that one might carry in a hiking pack.

The rest of the pack was gone, so I cautiously, approached the bag. Picking it up, I heard glass clanking against something that I couldn’t quite pick out. I narrowed my eyes as I tried to decide whether I really wanted to know what was in the bag.

By now, I had pieced together who had abandoned the camp, so the chance that I was going to find something in the bag was going to make me angry was high.

However, I knew I was curious and that I probably wouldn’t stop thinking about it until I figured out what was inside.

So, I unzipped the bag and peered inside. Immediately, my eyes searched for the glass and found a medical bottle, with over three quarters of Diazepam. Apparently, this was the tranquilizer he used.

I ground my teeth, but continued my search, trying to think about this far more objectively than I how I was feeling.

The next thing I pulled out was the reason the bottle made the clanging sound; an unsheathed chef’s knife was also positioned carefully in the bag.

There was also a spool of rope, duct tape and a garbage bag.

The horrifying implications of what the guide planned to do with this bag were almost too hard to readily comprehend.

I drew in a deep breath, replaced the contents in the bag and left it where it was.

I sure as hell didn’t want to be caught with this murderous bag of shit.

When I walked out of the tent, I pressed forward, away from the cabin.

I made it about a hundred yards away from the tents when I realized that I was tracking the man. Without even being fully aware of my rash decision, I had continued following the man’s trail, seriously contemplating ending the bastard for good.

However, when I became conscious of what I was doing, I stopped myself, since I didn’t want to complicate anything.

After all, Carrie was safe, so there was no need to find the man. I huffed with rage, glowering into the woods, looking for some sign of the man, to give me a reason to hunt him down.

Although, I was sure he was already gone.

I hoped, for my sanity and for the guy’s lifespan that I never saw him or had a reason to find him again. For now, I was far more concerned with ensuring Carrie wasn’t alone for too long, especially after everything I had found. With or without Jake, I didn’t completely trust that danger wouldn’t find them both if I was out for too long.

Why is that? I thought, slightly distracted by the idea. I had no real reason for feeling such intense emotion when it came to Carrie.

Sure, I didn’t want her to get killed by the psycho guide, but the feelings I had acquired, in such a short span of time were far deeper than simply the preservation of human life.

After all, I didn’t care much about humans to begin with and yet, I cared about this woman.

Between getting so angry at her decision to go into the mountains alone with the guide and the urge I had to make the man pay for what he did to Carrie, I was getting far too involved. I knew that there was a difference between saving her and doing what was necessary to get her home and falling into the trap of making her situation personal.

On more than one occasion, I had not only thought about, but also acted upon the presumption that this was personal; that I had something to protect in Carrie.

I knew I shouldn’t have said anything to her, but that wouldn’t have changed how I felt. I would’ve still had unsubstantiated anger against the situation and if I hadn’t at least told her how I felt, I might have done something I regretted.

Yet, I still wanted a purpose for feeling anything toward this woman. I didn’t owe her anything and she certainly didn’t owe me anything. What was the connection, that I apparently deemed important?

I wasn’t sure and if I couldn’t figure out a good enough reason, I knew that I was going to have to lose these thoughts and urges as soon as possible, or I was doomed.

This was another reason, an active defiance against my feelings.

“I hope the bastard fell into a trap and got eaten alive by a mountain lion,” I thought aloud and turned back toward the cabin.

Even though I had settled on not going after the man, I still found myself focusing on certain aspects along the area surrounding the cabin. I was painfully alert and found distracting potential of an intruder every couple of yards.

Thankfully, I was good at deciphering between animal and human, but I didn’t stop before ensuring that the sound Jake heard the night before really wasn’t anything to worry about.

Chapter 7

Carrie

The large dog seemed to like me a lot. Even when his owner stomped out of the cabin, the dog chose to stay with me, which was comforting, in a way.

I was angry and upset over the argument that Johnathan and I had, and the dog seemed to know that.

I wanted to burst out in tears, first to let out the pent-up emotion that plagued me over exactly what had happened to me and second, because I was upset at the confrontation. However, I didn’t want to cry in front of the dog. While I wasn’t quite sure why that was, considering it was just a dog, I forced my emotion away, swallowing hard.

After Johnathan left, the dog picked his head up and stared at me with wide eyes. I grinned quietly at the dog before sighing.

Carefully, the massive dog picked himself up off the floor and sauntered over to me, before easily resting his head on the side of the bed.

He was so cute and strangely comforting.

I knew I probably shouldn’t touch the dog, but if he was going to attack me, I was sure he would have done it already.

Looking into the dog’s eyes, I couldn’t help but think that he seemed to understand that I was scared. His eyes were huge and for such a large animal, his eyes were gentle and kind.

Carefully, I reached out my hand, letting him smell me. He licked my hand carefully, before diving his snout under my hand, indicating he wanted me to pet him.

Cautiously, I stroked his head. His hair was soft and as I grew more comfortable with the dog, I felt some of my anxiety melt away.

I grinned, “Hi boy…What’s your name?”

At my excited tone, he started wagging his tail and raised up, revealing a tag.

Even though I was unsure of why I felt this way, I was surprised by seeing a collar and a tag, like a dog who lived in a suburban neighborhood, instead of deep in the mountains.

The bone tag was old and scratched but through the wear, I could make out the simple name: Jake.

“Hi, Jake,” I tried, which caused the dog’s tail to wag more, as he leapt up and licked my face. “Good boy!” I giggled, petting him as he nearly knocked me over, “Yes, who’s a good boy? You’re so friendly!”

Eventually, though, Jake settled back down, laying on the bed next to me, with his large, heavy head in my lap. I pet his head for a few minutes in silence before I started to talk to him again.

“So, what’s the deal with Johnathan? Does he hate me? Does he really think I’m as stupid as he claimed?”

Of course, the dog didn’t answer, but he did seem to be paying attention to me. His big eyes looked up at me, keeping my gaze.

There was something about the dog, as well as my current surroundings that was calming, almost welcoming.

I had never needed a lot and the preference I kept toward this dwelling proved that. Sure, it was a cabin. There was no denying the fact that there were no amenities in it, whatsoever. The fireplace truly seemed to be the only source of light and everything about the cabin was quaint. It was only one room, with everything but a bathroom. That was a small, closet-like space with a toilet, sink and shower crammed into what was obviously an addition.

However, despite the obvious lack of amenities, there was nothing that I found unsettling about the cabin. In fact, for a man, living in the middle of a mountain range with only his dog, the cabin was surprisingly well-kept. The floor was clean, the windows were washed and even the bathroom seemed to be tided on a regular basis.

There were some dorms at the college where I went that were far messier than this cabin.

While I found it strange, I would’ve found a disgusting residence far more unsettling.

I didn’t have much experience with serial killers, besides the psychological reference I was taught in my classes, I couldn’t believe that Johnathan quite fit the mold.

In fact, there was part of me that enjoyed the quiet space. I had thought that being in the mountains would give me peace, but it ended up being the most stressful experience of my life.

Yet, being right here, in the cabin with Jake, was surprisingly relaxing.

While I was angry with Johnathan, I wasn’t afraid of him.

Once I calmed down, I didn’t even blame him for reacting like he had. I figured that after everything he did, for me to accuse him of something like that wasn’t fair. I decided that when Johnathan returned, I would apologize for being so mean.

Intermittently, Jake and I would play, which was hilarious, watching him get over-excited when I would toss his stick as far as I could in the small area.

It was like watching a bear tearing through the cabin. Yet, he was careful not to lose control. No matter what I did, he was able to return the stick without hurting himself or anything in the cabin.

Eventually, though, I would get tired, as I guessed I was still healing quite a bit. When I did, the dog would climb up on the bed with me and lay down.

We may have napped for a little while, but for the most part, he just stayed by my side, comforting me.

When Johnathan returned, I could tell right away that he was much calmer.

As he entered, Jake pulled his head up off my lap to stare at him, as though he disapproved of him being gone for so long. Although, after the initial scowl, he placed his head back on my lap.

“Well, somebody found a friend,” Johnathan grinned, now trying to be more hospitable.

“Yes, he’s been very comforting,” I replied, affectionately stroking his large ear.

“Yeah, for the most part, he’s a big mush. He’s a good protector, but you’d never know it unless you’ve seen him in action.”

“Oh, I believe it. I grew up around dogs. I get it,” I answered.

“Sorry I was gone so long. I was doing a perimeter check…” His voice trailed off there, though I wasn’t quite sure why until I noticed that the pack he was carrying looked extremely familiar.

“Is that mine?” I asked, not sure if I really wanted to know the answer.

“Yeah, I think so,” he replied, dropping it next to the bed. When I looked up at him, his grin returned as he added, “At least you have a change of clothes now.”

“Thank you,” I replied, not quite sure what to think. Of course, I was happy to have my belongings back, but I couldn’t understand why he was at the campsite. “This included a pretty big perimeter,” I retorted.

“Yeah, I like to be thorough,” he replied in a cool tone, not even bothering to take the bait, though I was sure he recognized it.

“So, did you find anything else? In your perimeter check?”

“No,” he insisted, though his jaw tightened angrily, and I got the sense he was lying. Yet, from the darkness that swirled in his eyes, I wasn’t about to question him.

At this point, if he had killed the man who attacked me, I couldn’t say I would be particularly upset about it.

If he had, I supposed I wouldn’t have to worry about him coming after me again, but then again, that would also mean I was still trapped in the mountains with a murderer.

So, between the two, I knew when I felt better, I would prefer not to be trapped with a murderer, even if the other psycho was still running free.

“Well, thank you,” I offered, “For bringing my stuff back to me. I really appreciate it.”

He shook his head curtly, “I thought you might want it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to save your tent…”

Flashbacks of feeling trapped as I tried to go through it, attempting get away from the guide tore through my brain. I shook my head, to get the image out of my mind, but quickly covered my strange reaction with a comment, “No, I know. It’s fine. The bag is much more important.”

Jonathan stared at me, as though he was about to comment on my strange reaction but decided against it at the last moment. Instead, he didn’t respond. He just went about his business, so I started to go through my things, seeing exactly what was there.

In a way, looking at the clothes and the things that I had packed before my whole world was flipped upside down was odd.

It almost felt as though I wasn’t even looking at my belongings. It felt as though this belonged to someone else, who simply had the same style and size as I did.

For the first time since this whole ordeal happened, I finally realized the enormity of it. I thought about what happened and what could’ve happened, if Johnathan wasn’t there to help me.

I felt my breath quiver with fear, as I glared down at the brightly-colored, summer clothing that I wasn’t sure I would ever want to wear again.

I stared at the clothing, I guess for an obnoxiously long time, contemplating how long it would take for me to actually feel like myself again.

“That is yours, right?” Johnathan asked me, breaking the morbid, disturbing connection I was creating with the outfit in my hand.

“Yeah. It’s mine,” I answered, though my voice seemed far away.

At first, the man seemed as though he was contemplating going about his business, but the tone of voice that accompanied my response caused him to turn back around.

“Okay, what is it?” He asked, sitting down on the chair across from me.

“What do you mean?” I asked, even though I knew exactly what he was referring to.

“You’re looking at that shirt like it’s going to attack you. I don’t want to care, but I’m involved, so what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s…just…I never liked this shirt,” I lied.

“Oh, bullshit,” he insisted, which caused me to perk up a little, surprised by his harsh reaction, though I felt I should be used it by now. “You and I both know that the shirt triggered something. So, you should probably talk about it.”

“You don’t want to hear about it,” I replied, “It’s probably nothing.”

“You’re right. I don’t want to hear about it, but that’s because I’m a selfish dick. Right now, I’m asking you about it, so you should tell me, and I will try my best to give some advice.”

“Why should I tell you if you don’t want to talk about it?”

“Because, right now, by some strange twist of fate, I’m all you have, so speak.”

I made a face at him, narrowing my eyes slightly, “You don’t have a very good bedside manner.”

“You think I don’t know that?” He hissed, “Another thing I know, is that you’re trying to get off subject, so you don’t have to talk about whatever is bothering you and I’m not going to let you do that, so talk.”

I grinned, feeling slightly silly, having been caught. Even though he was rough and, as he said, kind of an asshole, I couldn’t help but be attracted to him.

He angered me…a lot and I couldn’t decide if he was crazy or just didn’t care about anything, like his attitude suggested, but below all of that, everything he seemed to do was for the right reason.

For instance, I knew that he had gone out of his way to find my pack for me. I wasn’t sure why he had done it, or if that was his plan when he walked out the door, but he didn’t have to do that.

He also didn’t have to help me, but he did.

Now, he didn’t have to force me to talk about what was bothering me, but apparently, he wasn’t going to let it go until I spoke up.

This man was so strange, but equally intriguing.

So, after a long moment of silence, I decided I would tell him and see if it made a difference, “It just seems…strange. I mean, it’s just a shirt, but looking at it makes me angry and sad.” I stared down at the shirt, trying to find the right words to explain my feelings. “Part of me, is angry and never wants to see it again, because it was with me when it happened, but part of me, feels like this isn’t even my shirt.”

Johnathan nodded, “That’s because it isn’t. Not really. Not anymore.”

My eyes cautiously, wandered over to meet his gaze, wondering if he was going to springboard his comment into some cruel joke, but to my surprise, he was staring right back with a serious expression.

Leaning in closer to me, Johnathan folded his hands in front of him and spoke slowly, as though he was contemplating what he as saying, before forming it into words.

“When people go through traumatic events, especially like what you went through, it changes them. People can say that it doesn’t but they’re full of shit. They either become stronger, or they succumb to it, but either way, they are never the person they were before it happened. So, it makes sense that you don’t feel like yourself. Unfortunately, you might never feel like yourself ever again…At least not the way you felt before last night.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like this was the first bad thing to ever happen in my life,” I admitted, as a thought crossed my mind about why I had come out here in the first place.

Johnathan shrugged, “Yeah, but when that other stuff happened, you had other people, other familiar things to hold on to. Now, you have a fucking shirt. That shirt didn’t protect you. It didn’t help you. Hell, you weren’t even wearing it when it happened, so it didn’t even go through the ordeal with you. It did nothing for you, but right now, that is all you have of your old life to hold on to.”

I contemplated what he said for a moment, internalizing the advice he was giving me, before I turned to him and asked, “So, what do I do?”

“That’s entirely up to you, Carrie. You can hold onto it, pull strength from who you were through it, or you can burn it,” he shrugged, “Not that I care what you do about it, but I would hold onto it for a little while, if I were you, because these are all the clothes you have left.” He sighed and then asked, as though we hadn’t shared any kind of a moment, “So, are you hungry, by any chance?”

At first, I was caught off guard by the abrupt change in subject, considering it felt as though we were garnishing something of a connection. He was genuinely trying to help me. His advice was solid, and it gave me the impression that he knew what I was talking about.

Obviously, he had something screwed up happen to him. I thought but was still impressed by the idea that he was able to put it into words. Most men either wouldn’t do that or were simply incapable of such a feat.

“Yes, I am pretty hungry, actually,” I eventually replied, once again realizing the sensation as soon as it was suggested to me. Despite the randomness, he did have a point. It was time to eat, so I guessed that was his way of staving off having such a meaningful conversation.

I was okay with that.

“Good. I’m glad you have an appetite,” with that, Johnathan turned toward the fire and took the same pot off the stove, pouring the contents into two bowls. “Sorry about the food. I make stuff in bulk and eat it until it’s gone. There’s really no great refrigeration system up here, without electricity.”

Just like that, my therapy session was over.

“Don’t worry about it,” I replied, as he handed me one of the bowls, “It tastes good and I’m starving.”

For a while, we ate in silence. I wanted to speak to him, especially since it seemed like he was far more open to the prospect of having a normal conversation. However, I wasn’t quite sure what to say.

So, instead of speaking, I focused on him, while trying to avoid being overly creepy or weird.

Whenever he wasn’t looking, I would study his face and his mannerisms. I could tell right away, that he hadn’t always lived up here. He knew how to live among people. He wasn’t socially awkward.

Actually, I found that he was fairly confident. Everything he did, he had a reason. I wasn’t sure why I knew this or thought this about him, but I was certain that I was right.

Through my spying, I also noticed that under the roughness of the man who lived in the mountains, there is something normal and traditionally attractive about him. He wore his mountain man look well but I guessed that underneath all of that hair and tattered clothing, there was a truly astonishingly striking man.

I thought about the dream and my cheeks reddened, not wanting to admit that the more time I spent with him, the more interested I became in knowing him.

“You were right, you know,” I finally spoke when, halfway through the meal, the silence was getting overwhelmed by my own, confused thoughts.

“About what, exactly?” Johnathan peered up from his bowl and locked eyes with me before the corner of his lip twitched up in a grin and his eyes sparkled with humor, “I’m right quite a lot. You’re gonna have to be more specific.”

I chuckled, more out of shock that he had made a joke, and shook my head, deciding to continue with the conversation I felt we needed to have.

“You were right about me coming out here all by myself. It was a stupid thing to do and guide or not, you’re right; being up here all alone with a man I didn’t know was really fucking stupid.”

Johnathan didn’t respond right away, but the look in his eye made me regret bringing it up again.

“I’m trying to apologize. I’m sorry for the way I reacted,” I answered, “I was just defensive, because I know it was stupid. I knew it was stupid when I was doing it and if I didn’t, my friends certainly told me enough times before I left.”

“But, you’re stubborn. You wanted to do it, so you were willing to take whatever risk you needed to take?” Johnathan hissed, sounding as though even my apology was upsetting him.

“Yeah, I guess,” I shrugged, “I just wanted a little adventure. I was bored with school and no one else wanted to go with me. I had to make my own way, or I would never go.”

“Well, you certainly got the adventure you were after, I guess,” Johnathan retorted, before taking my bowl away and bringing the dishes to the sink.

I was stunned to silence, completely unsure of exactly what I should say to him. I didn’t want to argue anymore but I was a little insulted.

So, I simply stopped talking. I could tell by the darkness surrounding the outside of the cabin that it was getting late, so I allowed the exhaustion that plagued me to consume me.

Hopefully tomorrow would be better.

Chapter 8

Johnathan

After I spoke, I immediately regretted it. However, I was far too stubborn myself to admit that. So, when Carrie simply took my silence as an opportunity to go to sleep, I let her without ever offering up my own apology.

I wasn’t sure why I had gotten so defensive. I was fine until she mentioned the stupid instance with the man in the woods. Instantly, my anger returned, but I wasn’t angry with Carrie.

I was furious with the situation. While, I understood that if she had never done what she did, I would have never met her, which for some strange reason, mattered to me. Yet, if she had never gone into the mountains with that man, I would’ve been okay with never meeting her, because she would’ve never had to go through that ordeal.

Plus, I wouldn’t have to be sitting here, wondering why the hell I felt any of this. I still didn’t know why I cared or if I would continue to care.

A long time ago, I had become convinced that any human connection was a black hole, through which my life and everything about me would be sucked through if I ever fell for that temptation again. Yet, this girl, with one bat of her eyes, made me want to take that leap all over again and I couldn’t, for the life of me figure out why.

Later that night, once Carrie was long asleep, I could no longer deny the feelings I had for Carrie, or the loneliness that I had persuaded myself was necessary. I knew from the moment I met her that I liked Carrie and it seemed that the more I tried to deny my feelings, the more intense they became.

Now, they had started to manifest in a sense of jealousy that I didn’t want. Of course, I didn’t want to be an asshole to Carrie, but I knew it would be weirder if I showed her how overprotective I was of her.

I wondered whether it would be better for me to tell her about what else I had found in the woods, or if that was better kept my secret. Since I didn’t think it mattered, I didn’t want to tell her. I had gotten her out of the situation and explaining what I had found would only scare her.

She’s been through enough… I thought but argued that she was a grown woman and deserved to know the truth. The possible implications of her actions shouldn’t be hidden from her. She needs to know the kind of fucked up evil that is in this world.

I had no doubt in my mind that the man intended to kill her and leave her body in the mountains, somewhere she would never be discovered. The thought scared the shit out of me, and again, I wondered what the likelihood of him returning to finish the job would be.

However, I figured since I was going to try to keep her safe until she was back to civilization, it was unlikely that he was going to do anything. If he tried, I would kill him. Simple as that.

Yet, I knew that I wasn’t going to be around to protect her forever. The overall issue of what the man she had trusted was planning to do to her was still a valid threat. Though I thought it was unlikely that she would make the same mistake again, I couldn’t be sure and therefore, I felt that I needed to do everything I could to keep her from falling for the same type of trick.

I have to tell her. I can’t protect her from this. She needs to know. I insisted.

Still, I didn’t want to drive her away, despite the fact that I told myself that would be best. I knew that if I explained all of this to her, it would scare her and there was a possibility that she would think I was trying to prove my point, other than simply protect her.

Again, part of me couldn’t deny that might be best. She and I weren’t supposed to be together. We were from two different worlds. I had chosen absolute solitude and she had a life outside of these mountains.

Pushing her away might be the only way that I could protect us both from whatever strange sense of connection we seemed to have.

I was sure that she felt it too, which annoyed me. I didn’t want to have that affect on anyone, because I didn’t want anyone to have a similar effect on me.

Being out here all alone with my dog wasn’t the life I wanted, but it was the life I felt was best for my sanity. I knew that I could no longer handle reality. It had fucked me royally and I had no more use for it.

If you truly have no more use for humans and humanity, then why do you give a damn about what happens to this woman? I wondered, playing devil’s advocate to myself.

After a moment of contemplation, I countered the idea with the thought that maybe my feelings were so strong because I hadn’t been around people for so long.

Yet, even as I tried to convince myself of this, I knew it was something different. I knew that I was trying to bullshit myself into believing a lie, though I was willing enough to believe it.

I knew that something about Carrie was different. I had no idea how I knew that, or if it even made sense to think that way. After all, I wasn’t too naive to believe that wishful thinking was the true source of what I misperceived as intuition.

Of course, I wanted her to be the answer to my shitty life, but I had given up on finding that answer a long time ago. It bothered me that one instance could completely shake the resolve I thought was ironclad.

Could it be that I’m not as broken as I thought? I contemplated this but was fairly certain that wasn’t the case. What had happened to me had scarred me for life. My trust was shattered and that took a hell of a lot more than a hot body and a pretty face to piece back together. Don’t kid yourself. I decided, knowing that even if I was able to fool myself enough to be convincing, my re-entry into humanity was going to cost a lot more than I was willing to give.

Never again.

It wouldn’t be fair to her…or to anyone. I told myself, though I still felt the urge to continue trying to find some solace in my thoughts.

Since, regardless of what I decided or the outcome it yielded, this could be considered improvement.

It also could be considered a relapse. I countered negatively. Going and making the same damn mistake is proof that you’re crazy, not that you’re cured.

I tried to be a somewhat logical man and despite my present situation, I knew myself well. I knew when I was interested and when I was simply horny.

While Carrie definitely made me feel a connection to her that was almost painfully alluring, I also yearned to get to know her. I didn’t want a one-night stand, I wanted her.

Although, I still didn’t quite understand why; primarily because I didn’t know her at all. I had gotten her out of a bad situation, but we had argued in the two, somewhat normal conversations we had. Granted, I was an asshole on purpose in both situations, but that was only so I could shield myself from the truth of it all.

As I sat, staring deep into the fire as it blazed with unmerciful fury, I contemplated all of this.

I wanted to come to some explanation and I wanted to do it before I did something I would regret.

I briefly contemplated that this was some kind of fate, but quickly scoffed at the idea. Fate wasn’t in our favor. I could attest to that. If fate was on our side, people wouldn’t get knocked on their ass so many times before finally settling for something that resembled happiness.

Still, even though my convictions were strong, with one glance back at Carrie, sleeping soundlessly, with Jake warming her feet at the bottom of the bed, I wondered if there was something that I was supposed to be noticing.

After all, Jake seems to like her, but he always was something of a lady’s dog.

As I had told Carrie, he’s a big mush. There’s not a mean bone in that dog’s body, so long as you aren’t out to hurt anyone.

Of course, I tried to convince myself that Jake was simply trying to comfort Carrie. After all, I was sure he could sense that she was going through something traumatic, even if he didn’t quite understand.

Yet, if that was it, or if there was something more, a deeper connection there, between the dog and the woman, I couldn’t help but wonder if Jake has the right idea.

Perhaps, instead of worrying about keeping up the walls that were obviously not working so well for me, I should go with it.

The last time almost killed me, but it didn’t, so maybe this time wouldn’t either.

After hours of fending off what I knew, somewhere in the back of my mind was inevitable, I resolved to learning more about this woman. I would try a different approach; one that involved me being less of an asshole and more of the person I was once, a long time ago.

Considering we were stuck together, at least until Carrie’s ankle healed, I decided it was better to be hospitable than to have her resent me for something I could’ve prevented.

I finally decided if she was going to hate me, I would rather her hate me for something I did. At least then, I wouldn’t have anything to regret.

Chapter 9

Carrie

When I woke up, I felt disgusting. I wasn’t used to being so gross. Normally, I was an extremely clean person. So, having not taken so much as a whore bath for God knows how long was starting to weigh on me. I felt as though I smelled disgusting and each time I moved, I heard my hair crunching from the dried blood.

It made me sick and after laying there, in the darkness, I was sure I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep if I had to continue living in my own filth.

So, I carefully eased myself off the bed, careful not to wake anyone. Although, as soon as I moved, I heard Jake groan as his large head poked up to see what was going on.

“Go back to sleep,” I told the dog, “It’s okay.”

Yet, when I turned around, I saw a figure towering over me. I was so concerned with the dog, I didn’t even hear anyone coming up behind me.

My heart dropped as I had a flashback of the tour guide. I screamed and staggered back, but I was caught by large, sturdy hands and brought back up.

“What the hell? Carrie? What’s wrong?” Johnathan asked, sounding genuinely concerned. He made sure I was stable before releasing my arm.

“Nothing…I just wanted to go take a shower,” I complained, picking at my hair. “I feel gross.”

Even though he didn’t make a sound, I could almost sense him rolling his eyes at me.

“Really?” Johnathan finally retorted, “You couldn’t have wanted to do this last night, or waited until morning?”

“I’m sorry, I just woke up and,” I shivered from disgust, “I just feel like everything is caked on me and I want to get it off.”

I must have sounded desperate though, because when he spoke again, his voice was a lot more understanding.

“Okay…Okay, fine. Just…Sit down, will you?” As he spoke, he guided me back to the bed. “Let me get some light in here and I’ll help you.”

“Thank you,” I answered, relieved that he was going to do something about it instead of just telling me to go back to sleep.

Obviously still waking up, I watched his shadow slunk over to the large oven and prime the embers of the fire and add firewood so that the flames returned, giving some light to the room.

I waited patiently, even though it was difficult.

When he returned, though, Johnathan helped me over to the sink. He unbandaged my head and got me a chair to sit down on. Afterwards, he eased me back, so that he could carefully clean my hair.

“Thank you,” I replied again, as I watched his large hands methodically and carefully remove the crimson from my hair.

I wasn’t sure if he didn’t hear me, or simply didn’t feel like responding, but either way, he said nothing. Instead, he used some kind of soap on my hair, before washing it out, paying particular care not to touch the spot where the blood had originated.

“I can’t touch that yet,” he announced, pointing to the back of my hair. “I don’t want it to start bleeding all over again.”

“That’s okay,” I replied, but he was already back to work. I wondered if he had done that purposefully, to let me know that he wasn’t asking for my permission.

Still, I didn’t care. He could be a jerk all he wanted, so long as he helped me feel like myself and not like the Carrie in the movie who got covered in pig’s blood.

At least this was my own blood, I tried to tell myself as the sickening thought passed through my mind, but it ended up doing little to console me.

Blood was blood and it was gross.

After Johnathan had finished, he told me that if I wanted, I could take a shower to wash off my body.

Pointing me toward the bathroom, he warned, “Don’t get water in your cut. It’s starting to scab, and I don’t want anything to fuck it up. It’s actually looking good.”

The thought made me weak in the knees but instead of dwelling on that, I managed to shake my head. “Okay. Thanks.”

I hobbled over to the bathroom, with Johnathan guiding me. He made sure I was alright before quickly leaving the room.

The shower was simple and seemed to be more of an outdoor setup than indoor plumbing, but I supposed I should be grateful for at least this advancement.

I took the hose off the rung and pointed it down while I turned the nozzle. Water immediately shot out of the sprayer. It was freezing but thankfully, I didn’t have it pointed toward me.

The water seemed to take forever to warm up, even marginally, but when it did, I was thankful. I used the strange soap that had the scent of pine and washed myself off, careful to keep my injured ankle out of the water as well. Even though it wasn’t open, it still had a splint on it and I didn’t feel like going through the effort to take it off.

I was simply happy to not feel crusty anymore.

When I got out of the shower, I saw there was a towel hanging on the hook that I could’ve sworn wasn’t there before. I dried myself off as best as I could before putting the towel around my body and walking back out, into the main portion of the cabin.

I noticed that the bed was changed, with new sheets and I had comfortable clothes on the bed, laid out for me.

I looked around and saw Johnathan in his normal spot, sitting in his chair, rocking slowly back and forth, watching the fire.

He didn’t seem to notice that I was there, or made no attempt to enlighten me, so I cleared my throat.

“Thanks for putting my clothes out…and changing my sheets,” I called, but Johnathan didn’t turn around.

I looked over at the bed and a previously displaced Jake was now rolling around on the covers playfully, as though he was trying to get his scent back on the sheets.

Swinging out a little bit, to look around the chair, I saw that Johnathan’s head was cocked to the side and his eyes were closed.

I didn’t think he was sleeping for some reason, but I figured if he didn’t want to speak to me, he didn’t have to and so, I shrugged and walked back over to the bed.

After putting the clean pajamas on, I crawled back into the bed and was finally able to get a good night’s sleep.

The next morning, my senses woke me with the sounds and smells of breakfast.

At first, I was confused, wondering why there was a big hairy thing in my bed, and who was making breakfast.

Yet, when a shot of pain reverberated up my leg, I remembered what had happened and where I was, before opening my eyes. I moved slightly, and the massive dog inched closer to me, almost like a child, grumbling in his sleep.

I stifled a chuckle and hugged him, hoping that today was going to be better than the past few days. I couldn’t take much more arguing and craziness. I wasn’t used to all of this and while I no longer had a fear of Johnathan, I wanted to like him. I wanted to learn more about him.

I had no idea why I wanted him to let me in, but I was willing to believe that I had met him for a reason.

Obviously, this could’ve been the fact that he saved me, coupled with the dream that made me think this way, but knowing that didn’t dampen my resolve.

I wanted to get to know Johnathan and I wanted to figure out why he was up here, all alone.

While he was intensely guarded, I had no doubt in his sanity.

I didn’t think he was dangerous, because there was nothing that he had done that even hinted he wasn’t in control of himself. So, that ruled out that he was hiding from the law, but what else would make a man take up such a solitary life?

It wasn’t the fact that it was off the grid and in the mountains that made me so curious. There were plenty of people who enjoyed their privacy and would love to have such a place to get away.

What intrigued me, was that this wasn’t a getaway for Johnathan. This was a permanent residence and he didn’t share it with another living soul.

It must be such a lonely existence and to want that, something awful must have happened to him.

I wanted to know what that was, because for some reason, I believed that whatever happened, I could help him.

However, when I opened my eyes, my thoughts seemed silly, and overthought, as a far more jovial Johnathan greeted me.

“Good morning!” Johnathan exclaimed, placing a plate of eggs and bacon on the table next to her.

“Oh…Thank you!” I exclaimed, feeling my stomach rumble at the sight of the food.

“You’re welcome. You’re going to need your strength today, because I want you to try to walk around.”

I grinned, taking the plate onto my lap, “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

Instead of getting defensive, as I feared he might, he grinned, knowing that I was teasing him.

“Well, as much as I would like to sleep in my own bed at some point soon, no. I’m giving you a little tough love because I don’t want your muscles to get complacent. Trust me, you don’t want that either. If you’re ever going to make it down that mountain, you are going to have to start somewhere. Besides, I’m sure you don’t want to stay here a second more than you have to.”

“Actually, it’s not too bad,” I mused, hoping I didn’t sound as desperate as I felt I came across. I was only trying to be friendly, but it came out sounding kind of seductive, which wasn’t my intent. Immediately, I felt my cheeks redden with embarrassment. “I mean, I told you, I find it relaxing…The cabin and all that.”

Johnathan nodded, “Yeah, I get that. I feel the same way myself. I love it up here…Usually, there’s hardly anyone else around. It’s great.” Staring at me for a long moment, I was sure he was going to ask me a question, but it took him a while, I supposed, to figure out how he wanted to ask the question. “So, what is it that makes you want to be relaxed in a cabin, with no way to contact the outside world?”

“I could ask you the same thing? I’m not exactly here by choice.”

“So, you’re making the best out of a bad situation?” He asked, though not with any hint of being insulted. He genuinely seemed interested in my thought process.

“I guess. I mean, considering what happened…But I came up to the mountains in the first place to get away. I thought hiking would be the answer, but this is much better.” I grinned.

“Well, I can’t really take that as a compliment. I mean, the cabin is the better of two genuinely shitty options.”

I chuckled, “The mountain wasn’t supposed to be a shitty option. However, I still think this is nicer.”

“Wow. Maybe you hit your head a little harder than I thought,” he joked.

“No, seriously, Johnathan. I’ve always been a simple girl. I don’t need a lot and lately, there has been a lot to deal with.”

“What do you mean? What do you do, when you’re not…attempting to return to nature?”

“I am in college. I’m studying to be a paralegal,” I answered. “I go to NC state.”

“Damn,” Johnathan answered, “I guess you’re right. You do have an excuse to want to get away.”

“It’s not that I want to get away from anything. I can’t wait to get on with my life. I love helping people and I can’t wait to start doing what I’m going to school for…Schools not that bad. It’s just…a lot.” I simpered, “I needed a break from it all, just to recharge my batteries. While I really didn’t have anyone, who wanted to go with me, I wasn’t exactly begging anyone to come with me either. I was happy to go alone, because I thought it would help me relax.”

“What kind of high maintenance friends do you have?” He teased.

“One of the most high-maintenance…and she knows it too. She would tell you. She’s crazy, but we’ve been friends for years. If I took her along, I would have to hear her bitching about bugs, the sun, the grass, the stones, the sky and the mountain itself for a week. She isn’t an outdoors person.”

“And…no one else would go with you?”

“I wouldn’t want anyone else to go with me. My parents wouldn’t climb a mountain and my other friends, they’re school friends, you know? Not, go brave the wilderness friends.”

“There’s a difference?”

“Of course, there’s a difference,” I answered with a slight insinuation to my voice that he immediately picked up on.

“You realize, you’re talking to the guy who prefers the company of a dog, to any human beings, right?”

“Fair enough. So, you just hate everybody, huh?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” he retorted playfully, “People are stupid.”

I rolled my eyes, “So, do you think you’re better than everyone else, or what?”

“Oh, God no. I’m a dick. I wouldn’t want to be my friend either. I’m surprised poor Jake has stuck it out this long,” he insisted playfully.

“Jake loves you,” I insisted, glancing at the dog, who was now looking between us, hoping that someone would sacrifice a piece of bacon for him.

“He just loves me because I feed him,” Johnathan insisted.

“Sometimes, that’s all you need.”

“Yup, this pup is all I need,” Johnathan, insisted, giving up a piece of his bacon to an extremely happy Jake, as he pet the dogs massive head.

Jake swallowed the bacon in one bite and immediately started to scour both of our plates for another.

“That’s all you get,” Johnathan insisted, “Don’t look at her plate. She needs her strength. You’re fine.”

As though Jake understood what his owner was saying, he huffed in protest before flopping onto the floor and laying down, away from us.

“He’s never happy, that dog,” Johnathan laughed.

“But he’s so cute!” I exclaimed, wishing I had given up some of my bacon while I still had the chance.

“Ugh…He’s two-hundred pounds of pure muscle and fur… He’s not cute.”

“And that is why, I think he might like me better,” I retorted.

“Eh, he definitely likes you better,” he replied hastily, in a way that slightly lessened the effect of my joke. “But he’s stuck with me…Speaking of which, if you’re able to move around on it today, we’ll work on it a little more for the next few days, but I’m hoping you’ll be well enough to get back down the mountain in a little while. From what I can see of it right now, the sprain seems to be healing nicely. I’m more worried about re-injury than I am about you not being able to make it. I just want to make sure you don’t overdo it too soon.”

“Thanks,” I answered, feeling the spark of a connection starting to take shape again. I grinned at him.

However, this time, he didn’t respond in a positive manner. He swallowed hard and put his plate to the side. His expression wasn’t angry, but it scared me.

“What?” I asked, my face falling to match his morose expression. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah…I just…I feel like I have to tell you something,” Johnathan replied, putting his plate down on the ground and settling in to have a serious conversation.

Suddenly, the remainder of my breakfast was no longer appealing. I felt my stomach churn as I wondered what could possibly be so important, or so grave, that he would feel the need to be so serious about.

Since, the one thing I had learned about Johnathan was that unless he was angry, he didn’t take things overly serious. He would rather insult a problem or tell it to go to hell wit his dry sense of humor than actually address it, which I was starting to get used to. Instead, though, right now, he seemed almost too serious.

“Johnathan, you’re scaring me…” I offered, pulling back from him.

“Good. You should be scared,” he scowled, “Cause it scared the shit out of me and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.”

“What?” I asked, inching back toward him, although I felt my body shaking. I wasn’t sure what he was going to tell me and I feared that something would snap in him and I would be thrown back into a terrible situation, like I was at the campsite.

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Johnathan, it was more that I was having a hard time trusting anyone presently. It seemed like every time I moved, since the incident, I was afraid something was going to attack me.

I didn’t want to live this way and my only hope was that it would get better with time, but I doubted it and Johnathan’s expression wasn’t helping this idea.

“So,” he started skeptically, as though he still wasn’t sure if he wanted to tell me what he felt he needed to. Yet, after a pause, he continued, “You know when I told you I found your tent and your bag? I told you that I didn’t find anything else?”

“Yeah?” I prodded as my heart started to thump loud and hastily in my chest. Instantly, I felt sick and the words spilled out of me before I could stop them, “Did you find the guy? Did you kill him?”

“What?” Johnathan seemed to be removed from the seriousness of the situation for a moment, as he shook his head. “No! Why would you think…” His voice willingly cut off there and his head bobbed in a motion as though he had answered his own question and no longer needed further explanation. “Uh…No. I didn’t kill him, but that’s partially only because I didn’t find him. I did find his bag…”

“His hiking pack?”

“No. Probably a bag that he had in his hiking pack. It looked like a medical bag? Kind of…Anyway, I found a knife, rope, duct tape and the damn drug he used to knock you out with in the bag.” He spoke quickly now, as though he was trying to get it all out before he changed his mind about saying any of it. “The good news is, the drug he used won’t have any lasting effects. It’s basically generic Valium, so it won’t have any lasting effects, but the other stuff I found suggests that…”

“He was going to kill me,” I replied, saying the words aloud made my stomach curdle. Again, I felt sick.

“Jesus, I’m sorry, Carrie. I wasn’t going to tell you, but I felt that you had a right to know…” He insisted, gingerly grasping my shoulder in an attempt to be supportive.

However, I wasn’t listening to him. Even though I had known that was a possibility, even as the assault was happening, the pre-meditation that had gone into the attack and the obvious, ultimate intention made my head spin.

Those eyes returned, burning into my soul and now that I was certain of their true intention, I was certain that I would likely never be able to rest comfortably and securely again.

If the guide had intended to kill me after he had gotten what he wanted, he would definitely want to kill me now that he was interrupted.

Thoughts of how my life was in danger, as well as Johnathan’s life flooded my conscious, making me feel guilty as well as terrified.

I wasn’t sure what I had thought happened to him before but the thought of him coming back for me wasn’t high on the realm of my possibilities. However, now, I feared that it was the only logical conclusion.

I supposed I had hoped this was a random act and that he was never going to try it again, because it had failed. I knew that was a dumb idea, especially now, but it was hard for my brain to contemplate anything else. Now, those ideas seemed like fantasies, wishful thinking, though I knew the reality was far darker.

As all of this weighed down on me, I felt increasingly lightheaded as the black curtain started to close from the corners of my eyes. I heaved a breath, which was useless, as though I was punched in the stomach and was certain that I was about to pass out.

I tried to fight it, refusing to close my eyes, but as the blackness closed over my vision, my stomach churned uncomfortably.

I wondered if it was better to pass out or fight it and throw up. Either way, I figured I would be getting sick, so I instantly decided I didn’t want to be throwing up after I had succumbed to the darkness.

I swallowed hard and fought for breath.

Realizing the despair, I was in, Johnathan’s grasp tightened as he tried to keep me from falling over.

“Carrie!” He yelled, shaking me slightly so that was pulled away from the sense of overbearing fear. When I looked at him, he pressed his other hand on my other shoulder and glared at me. “Carrie, listen to me!” He screamed.

Eventually, my eyes settled on his and the dizziness started to dissipate, though my unsettled stomach continued to ebb and flow, still threatening to release its contents.

“Breathe, Carrie…Relax. Come back to me,” Johnathan’s voice was soothing and calm, now that he had stopped yelling. His panic had receded and therefore, I was able to focus on him as he requested, which slowly eased the sickness I felt.

He continued to speak softly to me, his eyes bearing into mine intently, driving out the crazed look of the guide that plagued me.

Finally, I was able to draw in a calming breath, then another. Slowly, I started to be able to calm myself.

“Relax, Carrie…” Johnathan told me once again, before his expression hardened in a far more serious, menacing manner. “Now, listen to me, Carrie, you are going to be okay. I am not going to let anyone hurt you. That asshole is long gone, but if he does come back, I swear to God, I’ll be ready for him. I’ll kill him, before you even know he’s here.”

“But…What if, what if he comes after me at home? After I leave?” I insisted.

“He won’t,” Johnathan insisted, his expression piercing. “I don’t want to scare you, but here’s the truth, if he tries to come after you again, he’s going to try to do so before you reach the ranger’s station. He’s either going to attack you here, or while we’re on the trip, so that is when you need to be the most aware of your surroundings. I will be with you the whole time and I know what to look for. I’ll know if he’s coming. Once you make it to the ranger’s station, you can report him, or you can leave it alone. Either way, once you’re there, he’s lost his shot. He’s not going to come after you again, because he isn’t sure if he’s already been made. You know his name, his face, and can direct people back to where he attacked you, which trust me, they will find evidence there…So, he’s at your mercy then. Going after you once you reach that ranger’s station is only adding time to a sentence. If you accuse him of hurting you and then you disappear, guess who their number one suspect is?”

I contemplated all of this and nodded, “That makes sense.”

“Also, this is his home turf. He knows this area. He doesn’t know where you live. Even if he finds out your address, he doesn’t know were to hide and where to go if things don’t go his way. Here, he feels comfortable. Where you live, he’s a caged rat. It’d be a suicide mission.”

Again, I shook my head with understanding, “That makes sense…”

“So, don’t worry about it.”

“Why did you go to get my stuff?” I asked, “And don’t tell me that it was a perimeter check…” I grinned weakly, as I finally felt the color start to return to my face.

“I don’t know,” Johnathan responded, “I was just wandering around and honestly, found myself back at the spot where you were attacked. I did briefly think about trying to find the bastard, which was how I ended up by your campsite, but when I realized he wasn’t there, but the crazy killer bag was, I thought it would be better if I came back…Just in case.”

“Thanks,” I answered.

“I don’t know what you’re thanking me for. If he caught up with you here, he could kill you and blame my ass. I was protecting myself,” he snickered.

“Thanks,” I retorted, this time a lot more sarcastically than the first time.

“Don’t mention it,” he insisted, before turning his attention toward my ankle. “I should probably check that. If it’s not too bad, I want you to walk, okay?”

I nodded, though for some reason, I was a little apprehensive. Perhaps it was because I hadn’t been on my feet in so long and I didn’t want to fail, or maybe it had more to do with the fact that I was still recovering from the news. I wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but I figured that getting up and walking around was the first step in regaining my life. So, I agreed.

Carefully, Johnathan removed the splint that he made, freeing my ankle for the first time.

Once it was released, he pushed my pant-leg up and easily felt around my ankle.

I grinned at the feel of his touch. I closed my eyes as I noticed that I was reacting in a sensual way to the way he was feeling my leg. His hands were rough, warm, and firm. I felt a fire start to rage in my midsection as my heart started to beat quickly.

“Oh, admit it, Johnathan...You just want me to stay longer because you like the company,” I teased, trying to gauge whether he felt the same way as I did

“Does this hurt?” He asked, trying to be objective, though a simper crossed his features.

“No,” I replied, trying to be serious, though the way he was stroking my leg, massaging it in a manner that caused every bit of feeling I had to come alive, made it hard to be objective.

Right now, even if my ankle should’ve hurt, I didn’t think the amount of euphoric attraction I felt toward him would allow a legitimate response.

With all the raging hormones and pleasant vibes reverberating through my body, I felt it was likely impossible for me to feel any kind of pain.

My heart was racing by this point. I felt a spark between us reverberating through my body, feeding a fire that was already raging. I knew already that this was a feeling that I wanted to explore, but this wasn’t like me at all. I didn’t normally do this. I was far more the girl who waited for the man to make the first move.

However, I didn’t want to lose this feeling, so, before he pulled his hand away, I reached out and grabbed it with my hand.

My mind was reeling. I had no idea what I was doing, but when his eyes rose to meet mine, I could tell that he was purposefully trying to keep his distance. It was then that I was sure he felt the same way I did.

My gaze fixed on him, focusing in serious, intense insinuation.

He didn’t pull his hand away, but he waited for me to make a move.

“Thank you,” I insisted, drawing closer to him, “Seriously, I don’t want to think about what would’ve happened if you weren’t there.”

He grunted slightly, as though unsure, but didn’t pull back.

Johnathan was hesitant, but I was sure that I wasn’t the only one to be experiencing such an intense current of emotions.

The sexual tension that flowed between us was nearly palpable.

I had never felt such a strong connection, with a person who I barely knew. It was a strange sensation, but one that I welcomed.

My eyes focused on his lips, hiding behind the beard and mustache and I wondered what it would be like to kiss him. I found myself wondering what he would taste like and how he would react.

After all, I didn’t want to scare the man, but as the seconds passed and the intensity of the look we exchanged became more intriguing, I was extremely tempted to find out exactly what would happen.

So, taking a leap of faith, or whatever it was that propelled me forward, eyes closed, lips puckered, I lightly connected my lips with his.

Lingering there, I felt his breath on my face and his taste, which was surprisingly intriguing.

His aura was intensely masculine and everything about him, including the essence of his tenderness.

I paused after I broke away, feeling my stomach topple over with attraction and wanting to continue, but I forced myself to stop to see what his reaction would be.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that he was staring at me. A look of confusion, yet intrigue was apparent in his eyes.

“Are you sure?” He insisted gruffly, his eyebrow raising and his eyes glowing with need and assurance. “I don’t want you to think…”

“All I’m thinking, is that I want you…” I replied, succumbing to the passions that seemed to overtake me.

I leaned in to kiss him again as his hand cupped my cheek and brought me closer to him.

His hand was warm and calloused, giving me the same stimulating sensation, I felt when he was touching my ankle. Yet, this was far more intrinsic, and natural, considering our current closeness.

When our lips met again, I felt the roughness of his facial hair as his mouth caressed mine.

At first, his movements were cautious, but eventually, his kisses increased in their passion. His tongue managed to slip its way past my teeth, dancing and swooning my desires, which increased the growing, lustful sensation my body was experiencing.

He was so warm, and gentle, though he took control. From then on, he progressed, though he was always careful not to come near any of my wounds.

When he pulled away from my lips, I pulled the nightgown I was wearing off, revealing the top half of me to him.

His eyes glowed with intrigue and allure as his gaze passed over my body, taking particular care to take in my breasts.

With strong, solid arms and protruding muscles, he hovered over my body. He was extremely close to me and I could feel the heat of his body against my own, even through his shirt. The heat that radiated off him caused me to feel a raging sign of intimacy forming between us.

Lifting himself up, he backed away, so that he too could remove his shirt.

I watched in awe as his chiseled muscles were etched perfectly into his abdomen and the taught, sinewy rope of muscle that wove throughout his chest was entrancing. The brown hair that curled over his chest wasn’t overly thick, but it was noticeable. I couldn’t wait to run my fingers through it.

I had never actually witnessed a man with such a perfect body. His stomach was flat, except for the washboard stomach, which tightened into the waistband of his jeans, which were positioned low, showing off a tantalizing patch of hair on either side.

Undoubtable, the hair traced a line straight down to a throbbing member that my body yearned to have inside it.

When he moved back down, hovering over me once again, his eyes looked playful and wild. His lip coiled up into a sneer, as he slowly drew his head down, peeling the blanket away from me completely, while his lips and teeth traced my stomach, his mouth reached my underwear.

He looked up at me again, one last time, before his teeth bore into the underwear, yanking it down, to reveal my womanliness to him.

He growled as his hand slipped the underwear the rest of the way off, before his kisses started to become naughty.

I felt the roughness of his beard rub against my own promising downy curls, before his hands carefully spread my legs apart.

I squirmed, feeling his hot breath against my blossoming flower, but his large hands easily kept my legs from moving.

The prospect that I was his and he was going to do whatever he wanted to me was interesting and alluring.

I had never had a man do this to me and I wondered how it would feel.

To show him that I was agreeable to what his body was proposing, I opened myself as wide as I could as I watched his shaggy head delve through the apex of my legs.

I screamed at first, as a shock cascaded through me when his mouth fondled me, but when I felt his tongue stroke up my sheath, I had to grab ahold of the bed to keep from leaping up.

I heard a muffled laugh that rumbled my profusely moistening femininity, before his large hands repositioned themselves on either side of my thighs.

Moving them slowly, he continued to tease me with his tongue, which made me squeeze my eyes shut and moan.

Almost immediately, I was completely breathless, yet regardless of the implications of the lack of air, I didn’t do anything that I thought might indicate I wanted him to stop.

“Oh God…Yes…” I groaned as my pelvis gyrated upwards, while Johnathan slipped his tongue into me, again causing me to scream.

I thrashed but this time, his hands pulled me toward him, so that he could enter deeper inside of me.

I felt him start to make a circular motion with his tongue as his thumbs massaged my pelvis.

I closed my eyes to better enjoy the feelings he was sparking in side of me and I found that my body was thrusting toward him more, trying its best to help him slide deeper and deeper.

Waves of erotic exhilaration past over me as I felt my natural lubrication intensify with each of his strokes.

My body quaked around him, continually inviting him deeper, but for as satisfying as it was, I yearned for all of him.

I knew that he could give me such a delirious sense of intimacy with his tongue, I couldn’t wait to have the feeling of his manhood inside of me.

Eventually, I was teased enough and while part of me didn’t want this feeling to end, my sensual essence felt tormented, being so close to him and yet, being unable to feel his true self ravaging my body.

“Johnathan…Please…” I begged, through groans that sometimes morphed into screams. “Please…”

After causing a little more sensual torture, he pulled back and immediately started to reveal himself to me.

I could tell that he was certain he was doing a good job, because there was a proud smirk on his face, when he lifted his eyes up to me.

Once he had rid himself of his pants, he carefully spread my thighs apart, so that he could ease his body between them.

His rough hands scaled up and down my legs, creating a friction that added a new feeling to my already overwhelmed senses.

I groaned, my pelvis propelling upwards, clearly inviting him closer.

In response, I felt his grip tighten as he eased his way toward me.

He was so close now that I could feel him, pumping against me with zeal. It caused my already overawed apex to tingle with delight, which soon turned into a tremor of passion that poured through my body, when he thrust himself against me.

Instinctively, my legs tried to shut, but his massive, muscular body stopped them nearly instantly, while his one hand continued to tease me.

His hand glided down my parted sheath, while his finger slid down the center of my womanliness, which was already plump from the baiting of his tongue.

Completely opened me to him now, I knew that I was wholly at his mercy.

As I realized this, I felt him move closer to me, easily sliding himself completely inside me.

“Oh my God!” I screamed, closing my eyes, and tilting myself, up as I felt him fill me entirely.

With my body being primed and ready, when he reared back, it was easy for him to return, gliding deeper inside me now, as the two of us started to naturally work in tandem.

I grasped his shoulders as he towered over me again and together we rocked back and forth, intimately. With each thrust, we picked up speed, moving faster and faster until finally, I felt him explode inside of me.

I yelled out, feeling the injection spread out inside of me. I welcomed the feeling and once he had settled, we continued to move in a similar manner, until I could hardly control myself.

I felt my whole-body quiver as I grabbed ahold of Johnathan, pressing myself against him, taking comfort in feeling his warmth against me, while my eyes shut tightly, and my breath caught in my throat.

My heart was racing, yet I felt as though I was suspended in time. When the moment of bliss was finally thrust upon me, all I could do was join in the rapture of the moment, feeling completely transfixed as everything I knew about an orgasm was completely transformed.

I wanted to scream, but I didn’t want to risk losing this magnificent sensation. My body felt completely alive and my soul seemed to be the entity that was shouting for joy.

The sensation I had in that moment was far better than the first time or any time after my first.

Although the euphoria I felt was so strong, it teetered on the brink of pain, I never wanted this moment to end.

However, when I returned to reality, the only thought that kept me from being disappointed was that this was quite possibly, only the beginning.

Chapter 10

Johnathan

When we had finished, we were both breathless and although we were exhausted from our intense lovemaking, neither one of us were tired.

For a long while, we lay on the bed, quietly enjoying the company of one another. I listened to Carrie breathe next to me and I felt her heartbeat against my chest.

Every once in a while, she would grin up at me or move to kiss me, and I would reciprocate. However, we didn’t say anything.

After the grin and the kiss, Carrie would settle back on my chest and we would return to the silence and security that we felt in this moment.

I hadn’t felt such a sense of security in a long time. It had even taken me a while to realize what it was I was feeling.

For such a long time, I had been on edge, having no idea how I would get by, from one day to the next. I was depressed and alone.

It was more than once that I had found myself staring down the barrel of my own gun, wondering if today was the day I had the balls to pull the trigger.

I never did. I always convinced myself that I had Jake to take care of and I didn’t want to imagine what might happen to him I ended it all.

I was a selfish asshole, but what I had to care about, I was loyal to.

The rest of the time, I would simply stare into the abyss of despair, lamenting that this was likely what I had to look forward to until the day I died.

I supposed I should be happy that I at least had a roof over my head and the ability to eat my full at every meal, but what good was a roof and sustenance when there was nothing else.

Enrichment of my life, I had thought died a long time ago. I had convinced myself that there was nothing left for me. I was alone, and I would remain alone forever.

I sure as hell didn’t like it this way, but I didn’t feel I had any other choice.

Years had hardened me, I thought, and nothing would cause me to waiver from the conviction of my self-imposed sentence.

However, then, Carrie came into my life and now, I was laying naked with her in my bed, sharing a moment of quiet, that hadn’t ended in misery…At least not yet.

Unfortunately, I felt as though I was starting to care about Carrie a lot more than I should.

Although, as we were lying there, as normal people, lovers do, I didn’t care. I didn’t dwell on the future, or lament over the past. I was, for once, consumed by this moment and I didn’t want to do anything to ruin it.

I wished I could stay here forever, or even die before it was over.

I knew I didn’t deserve this, even for a moment but that didn’t mean that I wasn’t going to enjoy it, for as long as I could.

“Johnathan?” Carrie’s voice called, shaking me out of my thoughts.

Looking deeply into her eyes, I beamed, concluding that for once, I was happy.

“What are you thinking about?” She asked softly, her words catching me slightly off guard, though I knew this was a reasonable question.

“I am thinking, that I don’t want this moment to stop,” I answered honestly, choosing to skip the morbid factions of my thoughts.

“I feel the same way,” she replied, reaching up to kiss me tenderly.

Carefully grasping her close to me, I tilted my head and deepened the kiss, which she reciprocated instantly.

Once she realized what I was trying to accomplish, she eased her body up, focusing herself on me.

In an instant, I felt her breasts pressing heavily against my body as her arms snaked up, around my neck.

Our legs intertwined, as though a magnetic pulse was pulling us together. I felt a strong sense of instant attraction. Through a quick ripple of excitement, I was automatically ready to go again. I felt myself pulsing under her, searching for her.

As we continued to kiss, I closed my eyes and traced her body with my fingertips. The soft, alabaster skin beneath my touch was warm from arousal. While I moved, I mapped out her curves, felt the uniqueness of her unblemished body, and memorized the feel of her.

I felt her breasts, her butt, the small of her back and the nape of her neck, all in the pursuit of committing her essence to memory. I wanted to truly become one with this woman. I wanted to know her better than I knew myself.

I had only had this urge once before in my life; normally, I was more of a love them and leave them kind of guy, but there were two times that I felt such a mesmerizing pull.

The first, was a relationship that nearly killed me and now, there was Carrie.

I hated feeling this way but at the same time, I couldn’t imagine feeling any other way. Letting this moment pass seemed to be akin to letting everything in my life slip through my fingers, like sand. Yet, there was a part of me that insisted if I took advantage of this moment, it would likely be the end of me.

This woman will surely kill you. I told myself.

Yet, I ignored the warning, easing Carrie off me, so that she was lying flat on her stomach, across the bed.

“What are you doing?” Carrie whispered, though she didn’t seem to mind me taking control.

“I want to feel you…All of you,” I answered in a low, sensual growl, as my hands connected with her shoulder blades.

As I felt her groan with pleasure beneath me, I noted how perfectly her body fit into my grasp. Her taught, toned back was petite, but was able to easily accommodate for my massive grip.

I kneaded her back and shoulders, progressively going deeper as her moans of pleasure and acceptance grew more encouraging.

She was so petite, she almost felt fragile in my grasp, but the more intense the massage, the more she seemed to enjoy it.

Eventually, my hands started to move off her shoulders and cascade down her back. Leaning in, so close to her that I could feel the heat of her arousal radiating onto my skin, my lips followed the path of my hands as they trailed down her back.

“Oh my God, Johnathan…this feels so good. Thank you…” She insisted, easing herself up, into my grasp.

I grinned, invigorated to continue. The feel of her body, melding to the will of my hands was stimulating. I felt my heart beat faster as my hands traveled down the valley in the small of her back, only to reemerge as my touch took in the tight inviting feel of her ass.

She groaned as my hands guided themselves down to her legs, taking care to be gentle with the hurt ankle, before returning to the vast, moist oasis between her legs.

When my hand reached between her legs, scaling the inside of her thigh, Carrie moaned and parted her legs to let my touch do as it wished with her.

My hand eagerly grasped ahold of the downy-laden sheath, cupping it in my hand, before massaging it in a manner that caused Carrie to writhe with excitement.

“Oh God!” She moaned, thrusting her legs further apart, allowing my fingers to stroke the center of her desire, which was plump and sensitive to my advancement.

With every twitch of my finger, Carrie wriggled, her breath catching. The way her body reacted to me, even before I penetrated her was arousing.

It was strange to have her wanting me so obviously, but I was enjoying it.

Deep in the throes of passion, I was able to ignore all the negativity I was normally plagued with.

Carrie’s wet, inviting flower of femininity was ripe for the picking.

After our first round, I was impressed by her endurance. My fingertips slid over her clitoris, causing her to yell out. I grabbed her, holding her close to me as my fingers glided gently inside her, priming her for the rest of me.

Whining and writhing, Carrie’s enthusiasm was intensely alluring to me.

I felt myself swell with inspiring need. I couldn’t remember wanting anyone quite like I wanted her.

Carrie was so fresh and so innocent, that the second time was even more enlightening than the first.

Once I felt she was ready for me, I retracted my fingers and urged Carrie over on her back. Her eyes glistened with allure as I moved between her legs, easing myself her already moistened bodice.

She was gorgeous and for the first time and in a long time, I felt extremely lucky. While under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t even know how to handle this feeling, the amorous intent and the erotic nature of our current position made it easy to disregard thoughts.

Primed by raw, animalistic stimulation and emotion, I wanted her. That was it. There was no other need for thought. There was only action and right now, all my body was telling me to do was finish what I had started.

My blood pumped wildly in my body and the sensation of amatory suggestion was thick and heavy, consuming us completely.

The pulsing in my dick met the muse of my desires, thrusting against it with need and the embodiment of attraction.

I moaned as we touched, feeling a rush of sexual consciousness flood to the tip of my manhood.

My body was vibrating from the excitement she aroused within me.

I stroked myself against her, my body nearly gushing right there from even the small amount of contact.

I drew in a deep breath and positioned myself appropriately. I grinned down at her, feeling an overwhelming connection to her that I didn’t dare think too much about.

I wasn’t about to let anything ruin this moment.

After another stroke of teasing us both, I was finally ready to ease myself into her. Carrie quivered as I entered her. I reveled in the feel of her moist, warm womanliness surrounding me, consuming me.

I shuddered as a pulse of excitement rocketed through me. I forced myself to remain vigilant, not wanting this moment to end.

Carrie reacted in kind, grasping the bedsheets, and pushing her breasts toward me, as though she too was being ensnared by an excessive amount of arousal.

Neither of us wanted the climax to ruin the sensations that were coursing through us.

I eased back, slowly at first, before thrusting myself toward her again, watching her with intense pleasure as she groaned and threw her head back.

“Oh…Johnathan…” She called, and I wondered if this was actually happening.

However, as my thrusts grew more insistent, while my hands helped to guide her body, I was certain that the feelings that were growing inside of me now were definitely not that of a wet dream.

The intensity of our togetherness encapsulated me. I was transposed, into something that seemed otherworldly, exotic.

Our motions jived together quickly, as though this was some kind of predetermined destiny. Everything about us being together felt right.

I was enthralled and encouraged by her moans. The feeling of our ebbing and flowing the motion of me coursing in and out of her was magnificent.

My heart thudded wildly and all I could think about was the approaching climax.

I groaned and growled as our motions quickened. Carrie seemed to feed off me with inherent need and enthusiasm.

Our mutual sensual escalation seemed to be heightening at the same pace. That revelation alone was intensely invigorating.

The passion seemed to flow through both of us like an equally strong current, rendering everything else in the world completely useless.

Eventually, we were both breathing heavy, as our blood pumped with fervor through our veins; while it felt like every drop of fluid I had in my body was pumping to the core of my arousal, enlarging it, testing the bounds of Carrie’s tightness more with each amazing thrust.

Carrie screamed as I felt her need quake around me, escalating our mutual intoxication for one another.

Then, when I felt I couldn’t hold it in any longer, I allowed myself to release my love inside of Carrie. She used this as a springboard into her own illustrious oasis, while my head spun with a whirl of intense satisfaction.

Feeling the final release catapulted me into a sense of euphoria that I had never experienced before. Between the emotional attachment I had for this woman and the physical eruption of pleasure, in that moment, I became hopelessly, irrevocably enamored with Carrie.

I hoped to God that this feeling would last.

Once we were finished, I noticed that Carrie seemed restless.

“What’s the matter?” I asked, allowing humor to infiltrate my tone.

“Absolutely nothing,” she replied as a giggle escaped her.

“Then, what’s so funny?” I inquired.

“This is just so…strange and wonderful. I don’t want it to end, but I think I am too tired to go again.”

“Aww, come on…” I teased, “Why would you say that?”

Cassie laughed aloud now, snuggling into my chest.

“I want to do something,” she insisted after a moment of silence.

“What do you want to do? I think we’ve done a lot…” I answered in a heavily suggestive tone. “I’m exhausted.”

“Me too,” she admitted, “But I don’t want to sleep.” She shook her head and I reveled in the feel of her long, soft hair swaying over my bare chest. “Do you have any games?”

“Seriously?” I asked, trying to hide my laughter. “Do I look like the kind of person who has Pictionary just lying around? Or how about Twister…That should help your ankle,” I snorted a chuckle, though I could tell that she wasn’t exactly joking.

“I know you don’t have that…” Carrie answered, playfully insulted, “I’m not that much of an idiot. I was thinking, cards?”

“Oh, now you’re the one who’s being insulting.”

“What? Unless you’re one of those crazy men who plays chess with his dog, or himself, I thought a deck of cards would be a good suggestion. At least you could play Solitaire with the cards.”

“Wow, you’re just painting a lovely picture for me, aren’t you?” I insisted, easing myself out of her embrace and heading for the closet I probably hadn’t opened in years. I wasn’t even sure there was anything left in there that I could use, but I figured if there was anything, it would be in here.

“What do you have?” Carrie inquired as she watched me walk toward the cabinet.

“I’m…not sure?” I replied, opening the door, and peering inside.

Immediately, the dusky, musty smell hit me and nearly knocked me back. Standing corrected, I was sure I had never opened this closet, since I was the owner of the cabin. It certainly didn’t smell like it was utilized in at least a decade.

Seeing remnants of a life I would rather not think about, I sighed and shook my head, but pressed on, hoping that what I remembered would still be there.

I quickly searched through clothing and a few boxes that were half opened but didn’t find what I was looking for right away. Instead, I found a barrage of belongings to a life that was no longer here.

Pictures, keepsakes, and other mementos I didn’t even realize I had were piled high in the small area of the cabin that I had almost completely forgotten about.

It was strange to be searching through here, with the intent to find something other than a survival tool I had lost.

I was immediately struck by exactly long it had been since I looked for something that was normal.

I hadn’t done anything fun or even remotely behaved like a human in a long time.

However, right now, it seemed as though I was on a crash course back to reality.

I couldn’t help but think that my re-emergence into reality wasn’t half bad with Carrie by my side.

“Is everything okay?” I heard Carrie call from the bed, breaking me out of staring deep into a box of memories.

“Yeah…I’m fine,” I answered, shoving the box aside and reaching for another one.

“If it’s too much trouble, don’t worry about it, Johnathan. It was just a suggestion. Don’t go crazy.”

“Too late for that,” I insisted with a grin, poking my head out of the closet for a moment before going back to dig a little deeper.

The next box I grabbed seemed strangely familiar. I opened it and sure enough, I found exactly what I was looking for.

I dragged it out and placed it on the bed.

Carrie carefully went through it, eventually looking up at me with a strange expression.

“This cabin wasn’t always an escape for a crazy loner with no friends or family,” I admitted, sitting down on the other side of the box.

“Are these yours?” She asked, before she amended her statement, “I mean, did you bring them from wherever it was that you lived before?”

“Yes,” I insisted in a facetious tone, “I decided that I would try to teach Jake to play. He’s gotten really good at Scrabble. The dog can’t speak a lick of English, but damn, can he spell it.”

I laughed as she narrowed her eyes at me.

Playfully shoving my arm, she insisted, “I don’t know. This just seems like a weird thing for a fishing cabin to have, especially when you’re the one living in it.”

“Yeah, well, before it was mine, it was my grandfathers. My brother and I used to come up here to spend some time with him. At night, we’d play a game with him. He’d cheat, we’d get mad and the game would usually end before there was a true winner…You know, normal family game night.”

Cassie gigged, but her eyes were seriously set upon my gaze, “I’m happy that you’ve started talking about your family.”

“I mentioned I had a grandfather and a brother; only one of those is actually any kind of in site into my past. Everybody has a grandfather.”

“But you knew him?” She urged.

“Yeah, I knew him…Unfortunately, that’s about the only thing worth mentioning about my family. My grandfather isn’t here anymore…”

“And your brother?”

“He grew up to be an even bigger dick than I am.”

“That’s hard to believe,” Carrie teased, and I narrowed my eyes at her, feigning insult.

“Thanks,” I answered, “Real nice. Do you want to play a game or not?” I turned my attention back to the box and shuffled through it, trying to direct her away from the questions about my past.

“Sure! What’s your favorite game?” She insisted, peering into the box again, as though she didn’t know what she was doing.

I glared up at her, “Oh no. You’re the one who wanted to play a game. You pick.”

I was getting a little too chummy with this woman and despite my feelings for her, I couldn’t go spilling my guts to her. It wasn’t something I was ready, prepared, or possibly even able to do, so the point was mute.

She could ask all the crazy personal questions she wanted, there was no way I was going to be answering anything else.

She seemed to understand this from my tone, so she didn’t press the issue.

She ended up choosing the game Sorry!

I had forgotten we even owned that game. Though, I tried my best to pretend that I didn’t have any kind of memory attached to it.

However, once we opened it up, a flood of my past came rushing back. The cabin, in addition to everything in it was a reminder of a time that had long past. It was a time I knew would never be possible again and that bothered me.

Yet, thinking about it, for the first time in years, wasn’t as devastating as I thought it would be. I had spent a good amount of time running from my past; even going as far as locking memories away in a closet I almost forgot was there.

When those memories were unlocked, though, it wasn’t the punch in the gut that I feared it would be. Instead, it was comforting, to remember that I had a past, before it all went haywire.

Playing the game reminded me that I was normal, at one time.

Maybe I can be normal again? I thought, though I severely doubted it. I wasn’t the kind of person to be normal; at least, not anymore.

Although, playing the game with Carrie and allowing myself to let go, even for that small amount of time, was freeing. It made me feel revitalized and helped me find a sense of purpose, though I was certain it wouldn’t last.

The game was fun, and the company was even better.

When it was over, the two of us settled back in bed together, comforted by the feel of one another.

By this point, we were both tired. Even though it was still only early-evening, I could tell that Carrie had over-extended herself and therefore, I urged her to rest.

She cuddled up next to me and even as she was trying to argue against her exhaustion, she fell into an all-consuming slumber.

I knew the moment that she fell asleep, because of the small amount of weight that was pressed against me. Her soft breathing hit my chest and her arms searched for me, ensuring that I was as close to her as she could possibly get.

I could feel her in my arms, snuggled next to me, with her head on my shoulder and her hair all around me.

Each breath I took, awarded me a whiff of her sweet, alluring scent. I turned my head and watched her sleep for a while. I felt a sense of contentment that I didn’t think existed anymore; at least not for me.

At first, despite my exhaustion, I didn’t want to fall asleep, because that would mean an end to this day, which had turned out to be pretty damn awesome.

However, as time passed, and my thoughts lead deeper into the recesses of my own, dark and disturbed mind, I started to feel guilty for succumbing.

Although, it was a strange kind of guilt that still left me wishing there was more. I wasn’t sure what to do with this information though, since I really had no use for it.

I had always known that it wouldn’t last, hence not wanting to go to sleep. Yet, despite the growing gnawing guilt, I also felt intensely satisfied. I couldn’t remember the last time lovemaking hadn’t left me wishing there was more.

However, more than simply satisfying, this was amazing. Perhaps it was because I hadn’t had any in such a long time, but I had never remembered it being such an experience.

Every part of me felt alive. I felt refreshed and eager. It was almost as though Carrie had breathed new life into me.

For the first time, I was rejuvenated and excited about life. Possibilities that I never thought I would care enough to contemplate now seemed possible, even achievable.

However, I knew that one wonderful experience wasn’t enough evidence from which to base an entire life, but it was far more encouragement than I had in a long time and I was going to use it to the fullest.

I gazed down at Cassie, who was asleep next to me. She was wrapped up tightly, both in blankets and my embrace. I watched her chest rise and lower as the movement coincided with her breathing. She seemed entirely content. I hoped that somehow, this had provided her with the peace of mind she needed to enjoy a good night’s rest. I knew she needed it, after everything she had been through.

I closed my eyes, wishing that I could go to sleep.

However, as excited as I was to feel a certain sense of accomplishment, in having successfully given myself to Carrie, the sense of betrayal I felt had only worsened.

For as positive and excited as I was, the insults of my own mind plagued the moment, that was supposed to be peaceful.

I wasn’t sure if I thought going through with the act of lovemaking would help me put the past behind me, breaking the haze of shame that I felt, or if I simply hoped it would. However, I was severely disappointed that nothing of the sort had happened.

Although, for as excited as I was, the sense of treachery I felt I was committing made my stomach churn. I felt sick and disgusted with myself.

How could you do this? I thought, though I knew there was no one I had to answer anymore. Yet, old wounds are the hardest to heal, I suppose.

Trying to ignore the feelings that plagued me, I tried to force sleep upon myself, but that was an unsuccessful endeavor.

So, eventually, I wiggled myself out of the bed, deciding to go for a walk in an effort to clear my head.

When I got up, Jake’s head rose from underneath the covers at our feet, but when he realized that it was only me, he grumbled, huffed, and returned to sleep.

I left Jake there to guard Carrie and Jake didn’t seem to mind.

I quietly exited the cabin and drew in a deep breath of fresh air. I wished for my head to clear, at least minimally, with the breath, but instead, it resorted back to a hazed, worried annoyance as soon as I released the chilly air from my lungs.

I grumbled under my breath and walked out of the clearing, into the woods that have now become the most familiar home I had.

I was comfortable here, but there was a whole world out there that at one time, I wanted to explore.

For the past few years, I couldn’t care less about anything other than my privacy, but the vast mountain now, started to seem a little small.

Am I trying to give myself an excuse to run, or break free? I thought, quickly deciding that I wasn’t trying to get away from Carrie.