Tessa Henderson never grew tired of the way the morning sunlight streamed in through the windows of her cabin on Bear Mountain. Even after a year, when she and her husband Lucas decided to finally leave the city behind and spend the rest of their lives in peaceful seclusion, she still loved waking up to the gentle dappling of sunlight at the end of her and Lucas’s bed. First, it would play through the leaves of the trees that shaded their cozy cabin, the light shifting as the wind poured over the branches. As the morning went on and the sun rose above the tree line, the sun would flood in on brilliant golden beams.

Tossing the earth-toned blanket from her body, Tessa rose from the bed to open a window and let the pleasant, warm air fill the room. The subtle scent of lavender mixed with the clean, fresh morning breeze. This was her favorite time of year, when the last frost of winter became a distant memory and the sunlight grew warmer by the day, the plants and trees coming out of their long hibernation- spring was almost here. She pulled at the hem of a thin, white t-shirt that showed off her full breasts and barely covered her pair of black lace panties. This was her favorite outfit to sleep in.

Tessa looked at the bed with longing, wishing that Lucas was still in it. Something about these warm, sunny mornings made her want to waste the hours away in bed with her husband, but he rose even earlier than she did. More and more, Tessa found herself waking up alone in bed, her arm moving longingly over the sheets where Lucas would lay.

A thud sounded through the cabin, snapping Tessa out of her morning daydream and alerting her that Lucas was home. Checking her phone on the nightstand, she saw that it wasn’t even eight yet.

“Baby, is that you?” asked Tessa, calling through the open bedroom door.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Lucas said, his gruff, manly voice carrying through the home.

Tessa smiled, happy that he was back. She moved with slinky steps towards the living room, her long chocolate-colored hair mussed from sleep. Entering the kitchen, she saw Lucas, his large, muscular body bare from the waist up, and his tanned, sculpted torso glistening with sweat from his morning’s work. His sandy blond hair hit his strong, defined jaw and his light blue jeans hung from his hips, showing off the full span of his strong, tight abs.

Upon seeing Tessa, his green eyes widened slightly and Tessa watched as his gaze tracked along the curves of her body.

“Where were you?” Tessa asked, crossing one slim ankle over the other as she leaned against the door frame.

“Nowhere,” he said, as he poured himself a tall glass of water at the sink, his tone suggesting that he didn’t want to discuss the matter.

But Tessa did. She knew that Lucas had always been an early riser, but throughout their marriage, there was a reason. He used to rise early to work on one of his wrought-iron sculptures. .

“Nowhere?”

“Just into town to get some supplies- nothing you need to worry about.”

He took a long draw from the glass of water, the soft-pointed triangle of his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down with each swallow.

“I just don’t know why you need to go so early.”

“To get it done, that’s why.”

Lucas set the glass in the basin of the stainless-steel sink.

“What difference does it even make?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” said Tessa, winding a delicate finger through her hair and coiling it, a playful smile spreading across her face. “I thought we could spend the morning together.”

Lucas leaned against the counter, taking another look at Tessa.

“Oh yeah?” he asked, getting the hint. “What’d you have in mind?”

“I think you know.”

With that, Tessa turned around and slinked back into the bedroom, pulling her shirt off and tossing it out into the living room, her nipples hard and taut. As she sat down on the bed, she heard Lucas’s heavy footfalls follow her into the bedroom, and within seconds, his tall, broad-shouldered frame was darkening the doorway.

Even after a decade-and-a-half of marriage, Tessa still found Lucas to be the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on. His sandy hair was wild and unruly, his green eyes were brilliant and always seemed to be narrowed in mischief, his nose was strong and slim, and his jaw was wide and square, set just below a set of sensual, full lips. A passionate, talented artist, he always had his pick of bohemian girls who invariably fell under his spell, and Tessa still couldn’t believe that she was the one he actually chose to wed.

She looked at him with ravenous eyes as he stepped out of his heavy, brown boots.

“Come here,” said Tessa, curling a finger towards him, her face half-obscured by a thick tress of hair.

Lucas stepped towards her, nothing on his body but his jeans. When he closed the distance, Tessa placed her hands on his tight skin smooth and taut over his muscles. She began kissing his stomach, taking sweet pleasure in the feeling of his abs against her soft lips. Moving down, she paid special attention to his hip bones; she’d always loved the way they jutted out. Tessa inhaled while kissing him, taking in his rich, manly musk. As she continued, she moved her hands down and around, slipping her fingers underneath the waistband of his jeans and dragging the backs of her nails against his skin. She looked up at him with smiling eyes, building the anticipation for what was to come next.

He moved one hand to the back of her head, running his fingers through her hair, the backs of his nails dragging against her skin, sending shivers along the length of her back. Tessa worked open the brushed gold button of his jeans, unfastening  it and exposing the skin just above Lucas’s cock. She moved her lips down, kissing this newly visible skin as she pulled his jeans by the waist, moving her head back and away from his cock as it sprang free.

Tessa couldn’t help but smile every time she saw Lucas’s cock. It was long and thick, smooth and delicious. She found herself often thinking of the first time they fucked that night long ago in the back of his car, a black Porsche Roadster that he inherited from an uncle and still drove to this day. She still remembered the feeling of him sliding into her after what seemed like hours of foreplay, the length of his cock entering her fully, forcing a long sigh from her lungs. And what she remembers most was thinking how perfectly he fit into her, as though his cock was made just for her.

She never grew bored of it and now was no exception.

Taking a long, hungry look at Lucas’s prick, Tessa began by stroking him along the base of his shaft with her fingertips. She wanted to take all of him into her mouth right then, to let his length slide down her tongue and into her throat, but Tessa had long ago learned the value of making a man wait. Wrapping her fingers around his shaft, she tightened her grip, gently squeezing his balls as she stared up at him. Watching his face tighten, Tessa knew that he was ready for her to begin. And as she felt her mouth water as she looked down the length of his organ, she knew that she was ready, too.

She began by kissing the head of his prick with gentle presses, her lips glossy and wet. Tessa focused on just his head at first, kissing along the ridge of his prick, paying special attention to his most sensitive areas as she continued to squeeze his balls. A quick grunt emerged from Lucas’s throat, and Tessa took this as a sign that she was on the right track. After years of learning just how to make this particular cock cum, she knew that she’d better be.

Tessa kissed him along his substantial length, now moving her hand up to the head of his organ, caressing him as she kissed the taut skin of his erection, stopping only at his balls to suck and lick them before moving back up. After repeating this a few times, she knew that she was ready to taste him- to really taste him.

Moving her lips back up to the tip, she opened wide, the corners of her lips pulled upwards in a smile of anticipation, and took him into her warm, wet mouth.

Lucas groaned with pleasure as his cock slid into her, Tessa flicking his length with her tongue as she took him deeper and deeper into her mouth. She stopped before she took his length fully down her throat, wrapping her lips into a tight seal around his shaft. Then, she began sliding her lips along his cock, gently lashing him with her tongue as she sucked, flashing her big, blue eyes up at him with a sensual gaze as she worked.

Gradually, her pace quickened, the soft sounds of her sucking and licking mingling with the birdsong that floated in through the open window. Tessa made sure to lick his head hard when she was about to slide her mouth along his length, pressing her soft, wet tongue against the head of his cock and the skin just below. Moving one hand along his side, she could feel his body shudder with pleasure and as she sucked, his breath quickened.

Then, she relaxed her throat, allowing his entire length to slide into her. She moved slowly, savoring every inch of his perfect cock, her lips creeping down him, stretched over his girth. When Tessa reached the base of his cock she let it simply rest in her throat and brought her gaze up to his eyes once again, letting him look down with his narrowed, green eyes at the sight of his woman taking him as deeply as she could. Then, his hands still kitted into her hair, he gently moved her head back; she could tell that he was on the verge of cumming. His cock dropped out of her mouth as he moved her back, bouncing slightly as the massive, thick member dipped down from gravity. She knew now that it was time to fuck him.

Lucas stepped out of his jeans, and Tessa moved onto the bed, pulling her panties down to her ankles and kicking them off. Now, other than a small strip of trimmed black her above her sex, she was completely bare. Lucas then moved over her, propping himself up with his thick, ropy arms. The span of his broad, strong shoulders casted a shadow over Tessa as she crossed her legs coquettishly, eagerly anticipating him to spread them and enter her.

He held himself above her for a moment and as he did, Tessa felt something off, something different. She watched Lucas move his hands along her body, over the flat, creamy skin of her stomach and down between her legs, slipping his fingers between her thighs and gently spreading her legs apart. And again, as he did, Tessa sensed something strange. She looked up at Lucas and saw that he was looking at the wall above their bed, rather than down at her.

Lucas had always been a stoic sort, his calm and strong masculinity was a trait of his that Tessa was both attracted to and frustrated by, so tender kisses and outpourings of emotion during sex were never something that she expected from him. But at this moment he seemed different, as though his mind were someplace else, and he was preparing himself to simply go through the motions of making love. But she couldn’t say for sure what was going through his mind.

Before she had a chance to consider it further, Lucas slid his cock into her and Tessa’s mind was instantly flooded with the blissful oblivion of pure pleasure, her limbs becoming warm and goosebumps breaking out across her skin. Lucas moved slowly, moving his prick into her, first just with his head, then sheathing himself halfway down his shaft before finally sinking himself deeply and fully into her, enveloping the entire length of his cock with deep, full plunges.

Tessa sighed as he fucked her, dragging her nails along his back, spreading her legs open as fully as she could in order to accommodate his large, burly body. But as soon as the initial wave of pleasure rolled through her body, she couldn’t help but notice once again the way Lucas seemed distant. He appeared to be enjoying himself, she could see that clearly, but it was as though his mind were someplace else. She found her own thoughts drifting back to her concern for where he had been this morning, and why he was out so late. And not simply out late the previous night, but so many other nights.

Pushing these thoughts out of her head, she shifted her focus to Lucas as he moved on top of her, his face in a tight expression of manly pleasure. She spotted the first trickles of perspiration on his brow, and as she looked down at the curves of her own body, she saw that her own skin was beginning to glisten with sweat from the heat of their lovemaking. He lowered his body down until his skin was pressed against hers; Tessa responded by wrapping her arms around his back, feeling his muscles flex against her touch as he thrust into her over and over. She began to feel the orgasm well inside of her, though she still couldn’t shake the idea that there was something simply off about Lucas.

But before she could consider the question further, Lucas lifted himself off her, and grabbing the soft flesh of her hips with his rough, strong hands, he flipped her over, and with a pull on her thighs, moved Tessa into the doggy position. Placing one hand on her shoulder, he slid himself into her once more and began pounding her with powerful thrusts of his hips.

The force of his cock moving in and out of her brought Tessa’s orgasm closer- tantalizingly close. She loved the feel of his hands on her body and savored how rough he could be with her.

And as if he could sense her thoughts, Lucas brought his hand against Tessa’s ass, slapping his open palm against the ample flesh of her ass and producing a loud, cracking impact that sounded through the room, cutting through the couple’s low moans. The sweet mixture of pain and pleasure rushed through Tessa, pushing her even closer to orgasm.

But again, the invading thoughts returned and she found herself wondering if Lucas was fucking her in this position so that he didn’t have to look at her face, so that he could pretend that she was someone else. Right in the middle of their lovemaking she found these anxious thoughts racing through her, taking her out of the passion she so desperately wanted to enjoy. She cursed herself for her paranoia, but as much as she wanted to simply focus on the feeling of her husband inside of her, she found it harder and harder.

“Slap my ass again, baby,” she said, needing to feel the throb of pain, needing to have these thoughts blotted out.

She was beyond thankful when Lucas’s hand cracked against her ass again. Not only did it fill her with a feeling of sensual delight, it served to jostle the invasive thoughts out of her mind, the physical pain bringing her back to the moment. He continued to fuck her, his cock sliding in and out of her, each thrust and slap of his hand upon her ass bringing her closer and closer to the orgasm that she craved.

Then, finally, it came. Pleasure ripped through her body, her limbs going soft as the overwhelmingly intense feeling of the sort of ecstasy that only her lover could bring forth cascaded through her. The orgasm was so strong that she felt as though her body was almost going to come apart at the joints. Lucas, now in a steady pace of deep, full thrusts, came hard, shooting his cum deep inside of her. His pace slowed and as Tessa’s orgasm faded, her face now pressed into the soft pillow in front of her, her moans muffled as she felt her own hot breath against her face.

After a time, Lucas finished, and so did she. Tessa allowed her body to collapse onto the bed, her limbs hot and weak from orgasm. Lucas slid out of her and she took sweet pleasure at the feeling of his hot cum inside of her. They both stayed in these positions for a moment, Tessa flat against the bed, Lucas on his knees, leaning against the wall next to the bed, both of them regaining their breath.

Then Tessa rolled over, her eyes on the magnificent body of her husband, his burly torso slick with sweat, his skin darkened slightly from the rush of blood through his body. A sly smile crept across her face, and at that moment, she wanted nothing more than for him to collapse beside her and to wrap her arms around his body.

But instead, he stepped off of the bed, and without saying a word, left the room, snatching his pants from the floor with a quick swipe as he departed.

Not knowing what to do, or to say, Tessa curled up onto the bed, pulling a pillow close to her body, the glimmer of her wedding ring on the nightstand as it caught the morning sunlight visible in the corner of her eye.

Tessa left the bed soon after, making her way to the bathroom and turning on the shower. She looked out the window into the thick forest that lay beyond their stretch of property, the gentle upward curve of Bear Mountain leading to a rising sun that shined brightly in a cloudless, azure sky. She watched as a bird she recognized as a black-capped chickadee perched on a nearby branch, the branch dipping slightly under the weight of the animal. Opening the window as the bathroom filled with hot steam, she listened to the bird chirping out a chiming, pleasant melody.

The bathroom was small and cozy, like every other room in the cabin, with thick walls of dark, rich wood, facilities of sleek, modern stainless-steel. There was a large basin tub where Tessa loved to spend lazy evenings with a book and glass of cabernet, letting the evening breeze and steady pulsing of cicadas lull her into a state of tranquility.

But there was no such calm to be found today. As she put her hand in front of the stream of water to confirm it was hot enough before stepping inside, the events of the last half hour ran through Tessa’s mind. She knew that something was going on with Lucas. For as long as she had been pretending otherwise, Tessa knew that the time had come for her to accept the fact that Lucas was doing things out late at night that he was keeping from her.

He always told her that he was simply out with friends that he met in the nearby town of Branlen, a cheerful, quaint hamlet where they purchased groceries and went out for drinks whenever they felt the need to be around civilization, but that didn’t make her feel any better. Lucas had brought a few of these friends to the house one evening and the two men that he introduced her to were both sleazy men wearing ratty denim clothes and the smirks of troublemakers; they were men that anyone with the slightest bit of intuition could sense were up to no good, and Tessa worried that they were getting Lucas involved their shady goings-on, whatever they were.

As she let the hot water wash the sweat and scent of sex from her body, she decided that the time for turning a blind eye was over, and that as soon as she got dressed, she’d speak to Lucas. She would demand that he tell her what was going on, what was new in his life that was causing him to act so distant towards her. And as she considered what he might be hiding, the thought of cheating, causing a sick, tight feeling to take hold in the root of her stomach and spread throughout her body. It made her heart race and skin go cold, despite the heat of the water.

They got married when they were only 22 and since then, they’d been each other’s everything. Tessa wondered if he could possibly be cheating after all this time. She tried to dismiss the idea, but it stuck in her head like a splinter, radiating with psychic pain every time she poked at it.

Soaping up the curves of her body, she considered what to do. She knew that she had to ask him to explain what was going on- there was no getting around that. But what if he denied it? What if he wasn’t up to anything? Tessa tossed these thoughts out of her mind; there was simply no way that Lucas’s change in behavior was in her imagination.

Tessa finished washing up and stepped out of the shower. She grabbed one of the fluffy white towels from the brushed-metal hook on the door and, after drying herself off, stepped out of the bathroom. The towel wrapped around her body just above her breasts, she stepped in front of the mirror, wiped away the thin patina of steam that had accumulated on the surface, and looked at the reflection that stared back at her.

Even now, getting on into her late thirties, Tessa knew that she was still a beautiful woman. She had thick, dark brown hair that fell to her shoulders in full tresses, shimmering blue eyes that sparkled like frozen water catching the setting sun, and perfect Cupid's bow lips. Her skin was fair and clear, and her neck was long and graceful.

But as the years went on, the sense that her looks were fading by the day was a feeling she couldn’t shake. Crow’s feet were forming in the corners of her eyes, her bright complexion seemed to be fading, and, looking down, she noted ruefully that her breasts weren’t exactly those of a 22 year old. But she took good care of herself, eating right and exercising, and her body was still more than capable of turning heads, even if it was not as many as when she was fresh out of art school.

There was only one head she was interested in turning, however, and he was growing more distant by the day.

Shucking off the towel and tossing it onto the back of the vanity mirror, Tessa let the morning air wick away the last bits of water on her body. Listening to Lucas rummage through the kitchen, Tessa pulled a pair of matching black underwear out of her drawer and put them on before finishing her outfit with a simple, form-fitting white V-neck t-shirt and a pair of tight, black jeans. Stepping into a pair of black low-top sneakers, she took one last breath before heading into the kitchen.

Lucas’s back was towards her as she entered, a box of sugary cereal in his hand that he was eating straight out of the package. This struck Tessa as strange- junky food like that was something the two of them never typically kept in the home.

“Hey, baby?” asked Tessa, as she stepped through the sunny living room and towards where Lucas stood through the doorway to the kitchen.

“Yeah?” he grunted, not turning around, his bare back still sheened with sweat.

“Can we talk?”

He shoved down another handful of cereal.

“About what?” he asked, through loud crunching.

Tessa finished walking into the kitchen, made her way to the clean, white counter that Lucas stood in front of, and leaned against it.

“I need to know where you’ve been going at night. And where you’ve been leaving to so early,” she said, having trouble forming the words, fearing the conflict that might arise as a result of them.

“I told you,” he said, still not looking up. “I’m out with friends.”

“I know that, but what are you out doing?”

Lucas shoved down one more handful of cereal, chewed it, and set the box on the countertop, the cartoon bear on the front of it giving Tessa a broad smile that almost appeared to be mocking her. He  placed his hands on the edge of the countertop, his jaw grinding as Tessa watched the muscles and bones work through the skin of his face.

“Why do you need to know my business?” he asked.

“Because you’re staying out later and later, you’re going out in the mornings without telling me where, and you’re hanging out with this these…these weirdos that you’d never normally be around?”

He turned to her, his face tight and his green eyes narrow.

“Again, what business is it of yours?”

“What business is it of mine?” she asked, feeling more indignant by the second at his stonewalling. “How about that I’m your wife?”

“That doesn’t mean you need to know where I am at every exact second of the day,” he said, his voice shifting from dispassionate to angered.

“I don’t need to know where you are every second of the day, but when you’re staying out late, not telling me where you are, I start to wonder, you know? And, on top of everything, you’re acting…I don’t know, different.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” he demanded.

“And look at that,” she said, pointing at the lawn beyond the kitchen window  to Lucas’s latest sculpture- a tall, human-shaped figure of bent and shaped wrought-iron. “You haven’t touched your work in months. I thought that the whole point of getting out of the city was so we could have time and peace to focus on our art.”

“Don’t worry about how I spent my time,” he said, his voice rising.

Tessa stepped back and extended her hand as if gesturing to something on display.

“And this!” she said. “You’re angry and impatient all the time. You barely talk to me anymore and when we make love, it’s like you’re not even there!”

“It’s all in your head,” he said.

“Don’t tell me I’m imagining it or that I’m crazy or something. I know what I see.”

Tessa watched as the red flush of anger spread across Lucas’s face.

“You don’t know a goddamn thing,” he said, his voice rising as he stepped towards Tessa.

He shook his head and Tessa noticed with shock that he was clenching and unclenching his right fist.

“You’ve got some fucking nerve to accuse me of whatever the hell you’re accusing me of, telling me my friends are ‘weirdos,’ that I’m acting ‘different,’ that I have to check in with you like you’re my goddamn mother!”

He closed the distance between himself and Tessa, until his six-three frame was looming over her.

“This is the end of this conversation,” he said. “And I don’t want to hear another goddamn word about the subject.”

Then, at that moment, Tessa felt something that she’d never before felt in the presence of her husband: fear.

Tessa stood her ground, trying to appear calm and undisturbed, but inside she felt as scared as a child.

Lucas looked her over one last time, glowering at her with hot, angry eyes. Then, he turned and began stomping out of the kitchen, his bare feet slapping against the linoleum floor. Part of Tessa wanted to let the conversation end there, to not risk having it blow up into something more. But another part of her, one that was desperate for answers, one that wanted to know more than anything what had gotten into her husband, began to well in her.

“No!” she exclaimed, her voice high and shrill, stopping Lucas in his tracks.

“What?” he asked, not turning around.

“I said ‘no,’” she said, her voice quivering slightly. “I’m your wife. And you don’t get to dismiss this conversation just because you don’t feel like it. That’s not how this works.”

Lucas said nothing as he turned around to face her, his expression red with anger, with impatience, with frustration. Tessa didn’t know how he was going to react; for the first time in the 15 years of her marriage, she felt scared and unsafe around her own husband. Then, with slow, measured steps, he walked towards the small, two-seat wooden table near the bay windows that looked out onto the front yard. He picked up the glass vase that held two purple flowers, tossed it in his hand as if measuring it for heft, and with a quick jutting of his arm, threw it against the wall on the far side of the room, the vase exploding in a crash of glass, water, and flowers.

Tessa watched this unfolding in horror, shocked that her husband would do such a thing. Any feeling of protestation was now gone; she couldn’t think of a word to say.

Lucas, feeling that his point was made, strode out of the kitchen and into the bedroom. Noisily rummaging through the room, he emerged seconds later, now wearing a black t-shirt with his jeans and a pair of heavy boots, his stomping sounding through the home. He then stormed out the front door, followed soon after by the revving of his motorcycle. Tessa watched him as he peeled off down the winding road in front of their home, leaving her in stunned silence.

Tessa picked up the broken pieces of glass with careful fingers, tossing the shards into a plastic grocery bag from their recycling. She had felt a strange mixture of emotions swirl through her since Lucas sped off. She was fearful, certainly but above all, she wanted to get to the bottom of what was happening with her husband. Months of slow, building tension in the household had finally exploded; it was as if him throwing the vase in a fit of anger was just the thing she needed to see to be able to accept that things might never be the same between her and Lucas. But, either way, she needed to know what was going on with the man she loved, the man she thought she knew so well.

Once the kitchen was finally clean, she considered what her next step would be. After some deliberation, she decided that the only course of action was to find out just what Lucas was doing, and just who he’d been doing it with. Tessa decided that she’d wait until the evening arrived before setting out on her new mission, and she decided to spend the rest of the daylight working on her latest art project.

Taking one last look over the kitchen to make certain that no stray shards remained, Tessa set off for the small studio reserved for work. The room was as sunny and cheerful as always, the many windows of the room looking out onto the long, green stretch of the backyard, the trees beyond swaying in the gentle morning breeze.

Tessa stepped in front of her latest piece, a still-life done in the hyperrealism style that she had been perfecting over the last decade. The painting of the bowl of wax fruit on the table beyond was starting to come together in a way that she was mostly happy with, the fruit on the canvas drawn with such clarity and detail that it almost seemed to be real, and that was exactly what she was hoping for.

Her photorealistic style had found many admirers over the last few years, with buyers  everywhere from the Upper East Side to Shibuya who were eager to pay hand-over-fist for her latest work. As she looked over the painting, paying special attention to a draping pineapple leaf, she couldn’t help but wonder if Lucas’s relative lack of success was factoring into his change in behavior. He still had patrons, but his drive had seemed to peter out over the last few years, and the sales of his work reflected it. He just didn’t seem to have the same hungry ambition that she fell in love with so many years ago.

Tessa was still shaken up from her fight with Lucas, but she needed to pass the time somehow, and she knew that art was the best way for her to burn off any built-up energy or tension. Besides, it was either that or pace around the house until the sun set. Getting her equipment together, she set to work.

And just as she intended, the hours flew by, with the morning shifting into afternoon, then finally into evening. Tessa only took breaks for a quick snack or to use the restroom. Eventually, after nearly a day’s worth of work, she felt a little less stressed out about the fight with Lucas, her fear being replaced more and more by a desire to get to the bottom of what was going on with her husband. And as she predicted, Lucas hadn’t come back home.

Setting her painting tools on the long, L-shaped desk in the workroom, she took one last look at her painting and a feeling of satisfaction spread through her. She cleaned up in the wash basin, put her things back in order, and shut the lights off in the workroom.

As soon as she flicked the switch, a feeling of determination took hold; she was ready to get to the bottom of things. Grabbing her keys, she stepped out into the cool evening air, the lights along their front walkway were small pools of illumination against the pitch black of the forest that surrounded them. Tessa was happy that they decided to move out into the woods because-she could focus on her work here in a way that she never could with the constant noise of the city streets outside of their old apartment in Brooklyn.  The darkness, however, was something she never grew used to. She always relied on Lucas to feel safe, but now that things between them were strained,  standing in the still, quiet air of the woods, the silver sliver of moon above bright that only source of light beyond those of her home, she had an acute sense of just how dark the woods were.

Her keys in hand, she made a fist around them, letting one stick out from between her middle and ring finger. She knew how silly it was to think this would provide a defense against whoever, or whatever, was lurking in the darkness beyond the property lights, but it made her feel a little bit better.

She walked along the path towards the gravel driveway where the car was parked. But just as she approached the black Roadster, a rustling sounded from the woods on the other side of the driveway.

Tessa stopped in her tracks, standing stone still next to the car as she listened to the noise. It was a gentle noise at first, like a small critter running through foliage, but over the course of the next few seconds, it grew in volume and intensity. Tessa realized quickly that it wasn’t just one animal causing the sound, but many. And they were all growing closer by the second.

Then, the stomping of heavy footfalls could be heard. These, too, grew closer and louder by the second. She caught the glint of a pair of yellow eyes in the darkness, then another, then another. The snorting of breath cut through the air, hot puffs of exhalation forming and dissipating in the night.

Tessa’s heart raced as the animals moved closer, and as they stepped out of the darkness and into the small pools of light, she saw that these weren’t just any animals- they were a large pack of black bears, their eyes all on Tessa as she stood frozen.

Her body locked up as the animals stared at her impassively, looking her over as if they didn’t know what to make of her…or if they hadn’t yet decided what to do with her. As they all emerged from the shadows, Tessa saw that there were six in total, the two largest in the middle and flanked at both sides by the smaller members of the pack, their fur nearly as dark and black as the shadowed night behind them. 

Tessa’s fight-or-flight instinct seemed to have short-circuited and all she could do was stare at the animals as they stood in a row on the other side of the car. Though she was gripped with fear, she knew that there was nothing she could do. If she ran, they’d chase her down; if she fought, she’d be dead in seconds. So, instead, she chose to stay still, hoping that they’d see she wasn’t a threat.

After a moment, the largest bear broke from the pack, and moved on all four paws around the car, its muscles shifting as it walked, its smooth, coal-black fur catching the moonlight as it approached Tessa. It closed the distance between them quickly, coming to a stop only a few feet from her. Tessa looked into the deep, brown eyes of the animal, which was close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from its massive body. She knew that if it wanted to kill her, it could do so in a split-second. Tessa’s body was perfectly still, aside from her right hand, which shook rapidly, the keys jingling as they dangled from her fist.

The bear looked at her hand before turning his gaze back to her. Then, it walked around Tessa in a slow, lazy circle, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end as it moved directly behind her. It completed its loop around her, the gravel crunching under its massive paws. It took one last, appraising look at Tessa before, to her surprise, it turned and walked back to the rest of the pack. Lifting his head up in a quick, nodding motion, it gestured to the other bears before walking back into the woods, disappearing into the shadowed foliage. The other bears followed, and in seconds, Tessa was once again alone, rustling branches the only evidence of the bear’s former presence.

Tessa, finally able to move, stumbled over to the car, her heart pounding in her chest. She leaned forward against the car, catching her breath and letting the adrenaline finish rushing through her body.

The experience left her shaken, but what she considered most disturbing of all, was when the bear looked at her, something about its eyes didn’t seem like the cold, empty eyes of a beast. It seemed…human.

Tessa sped down the narrow, gravel road that led to Branlen, the encounter with the bear pack still racing through her mind. She knew that she should’ve been dead; any other pack of bears would’ve attacked her within seconds if she had approached them that closely. But this pack was different. She couldn’t shake the face of the bear that approached her from her thoughts. It was just a bear, but the way it looked at her, it was almost as if it was taking a closer look out of its own sense of curiosity, to see what she looked like up close.

She did her best to shake these thoughts from her mind as she made her way towards the town. Not knowing exactly how to begin her mission of finding out where Lucas was, or what he was doing, she figured Hannagan’s, the dive bar where they most often went for drinks, was the best place to start. The small town appeared down the road, a dome of light in the distance marking it as a beacon of civilization in the woods. She felt the road change from gravel to paved asphalt, a sure sign that she was nearly there.

After a time, she arrived at Hannagan’s, which was a squat, gray building decorated with neon signs, motorcycles and cars parked haphazardly out front. She scanned the vehicles for Lucas’s bike, but couldn’t spot it. Figuring that he likely was here at some point, she pulled into a spot and got out of the car.

Throwing open the door to the bar, she was greeted with rock music playing loudly over the speakers and the sort of raucous commotion that’d she’d grown to expect from the small-town clientele that was currently packed into the place. Sidling through the crowd, she slipped into an empty barstool. Within seconds, the owner Henry, a tall, heavy-set man with a head of silver hair and a beard tied in a small braid at his chin, came over to Tessa with a smile on his face.

“Hey, Tess,” he said, leaning against the bar with both hands.

“Hey, Henry,” she replied.

“No Lukey tonight?” he asked, looking around Tessa, as though he might find Lucas hiding behind her.

“No,” said Tessa, disappointed that Henry evidently hadn’t seen Lucas. “I was actually hoping that you’d seen him.”

“Nope, I haven’t seen him in a few days, actually. What can I get ya?”

“Just a Bud,” she said.

Within seconds, he produced an ice-cold bottle of beer and set it on the bar in front of her, popping the top open with a hiss. Tessa took a slow drink, the cool beer was delicious and just the thing for her frazzled nerves.

“Boy’s nowhere to be found?” asked Henry.

“He, uh, left on his bike earlier today,” she said, not wanting to share the exact details of her situation. “I hadn’t heard from him and saw he left his damn phone at home.”

Henry shook his head.

“Dumbass,” he said.

“No kidding,” said Tessa. “I figured he probably stopped by here at some point.”

“That’s a safe bet,” said Henry. “You know what, I did just get here; Julianne’s been here all day. Let me see if she’s seen hide or hair of that young man.”

“Thanks, Henry,” Tessa said, taking another sip of her beer.

Henry nodded and stepped away and within seconds he was replaced by Julianne, a skinny, black-haired girl with arms covered in colorful, elaborate tattoos. She wore a skin-tight t-shirt that showed off her taut, toned stomach.

“Hey, baby!” she said, her gaunt, yet pretty face breaking out into a wide smile as she leaned across the bar to give Tessa a hug.

“Hey, Jules!” said Tessa.

A sly smile crossed Julianne’s face as she slipped two shot glasses out from behind the bar and filled them with Goldschlager, the golden flakes of the liquor catching the dim light of the bar as they fluttered in the liquid. She pushed a glass over to Tessa and with a cheer, the two threw back their shots, the sweet, cinnamon drink burning Tessa’s throat as she swallowed it.

“So, you’re looking for your man?” asked Julianne, her hands on her hips.

“Yeah,” she said, before filling Julianne in on the rest of the fabricated details.

“Oh, shoot, I’m always leaving my phone at home,” she said before furrowing her brow in thought. “Well, he was in here, but that was hours ago. He met with…umm, Kevin and Mike.”

Tessa let out an involuntary shudder at hearing the names of two of Lucas’s newest, and scuzziest, friends.

“They were here? Where’d they go after that?”

“Hmm, let me think,” said Julianne, cocking her hips to the side. “They got good and tore up here, then they said they were...hmm, oh, that’s right- they said they were going to Dusty’s place down on Whitehall Lane. You know, the big farm?”

Tessa knew what she was talking about- she and Lucas had been to a few parties there over the years. And from that experience, she knew the shindigs there could get pretty out of hand.

“I’m surprised he didn’t come back to get you if that’s where he went. I’d never let my man run off to a party like that without me watching him like a damn hawk; too many drugs, and too much temptation, if you know what I mean.”

Tessa knew exactly what she meant. She finished her beer, determined to go find Lucas and get things settled between them before they got out of hand.

“You want another?” asked Julianne, pointing towards the beer with a finger looped with a gaudy, silver ring.

“Nah, I’m gonna go find Luke and make sure he doesn’t get up to anything he shouldn’t,” she said with a smile.

“Oh, good idea. Later, Tess.”

Tessa pushed herself away from the bar and rose to leave, but before she left, a question popped into her mind.

“Hey, Jules,” said Tessa.

“Yeah?”

“This is kind of a weird question, but have you ever seen any bears around this area? Like, big black bears?”

“Black bears?” asked Julianne, her face in a quizzical expression. “Not that I know of.”

Henry, overhearing the conversation, stepped in.

“There used to be bears around these parts, but since civilization moved in, we haven’t seen them for, oh, decades. Not since I was a kid. Why?”

“Oh, just had some critter go through my trash the other day,” said Tessa. “Though it might’ve been a bear.”

“Nah,” said Henry. “If it were a bear, you’d know it.”

Tessa said her goodbyes and headed out, ready to settle things with Lucas.

Tessa could hear the house long before she saw it. Driving the Roadster down the winding road out of town towards to Dusty’s farm, a steady thumping of bass vibrating the windows and windshield of the car. Moments later, Tessa made the final turn, revealing a massive, white farmhouse on a seemingly endless stretch of land, a lake shimmering with moonlight visible in the distance. In front of the house were dozens of cars parked at erratic angles, throngs of people around them and packed onto the front lawn. Rolling down the window, the sounds of electronic music filled the car, the raucous noise of the party-goers as they whooped and hollered was audible through the music.

Pulling into a spot near the road, Tessa exited the car and walked towards the party, the music growing to a nearly deafening volume the closer she drew to the house. The partiers, all with drinks in their hands from beers in red plastic to handles of cheap whiskey, stared at her with narrowed eyes as she approached, as though she were an unwelcome guest. And as she scanned the crowd, she recognized not a single face- a fact that struck her as odd, considering the town of Branlen was only a few thousand people.

Something else struck Tessa’s attention: most of the crowd seemed to have the same weary, worn face, as if they’d been up for days partying. But before she could ponder the curiosity, the nearby flicking of a lighter provided the answer to her question. Looking at the direction of the flame, she saw a group of four especially trashy-looking men and women gathered into a small circle, all passing around a small pipe. Tessa figured that it was pot, but as she smelled the air, she detected a strange, astringent scent.

Soon after, she realized what it was- meth.

Ignoring the eyes of the reed-limbed men in oversized jeans and dirty, white undershirts, she made her way into the house, the music now loud enough to drown out her thoughts. She didn’t know where she was heading exactly, or what she was going to do if she was able to find Lucas; she only knew that she needed to see him, to get closure on their fight.

“Hey, baby,” said a man wearing expensive, gaudy clothing, and beady black eyes that peered out at Tessa from behind matted, red hair. “You want a smoke?”

Tessa’s first reaction was to tell the man to fuck off, but as she looked over his outfit and saw that he had money, she realized that he might know who was who around here.

“Sure,” she said, moving next to the man, the scent of overabundant body spray filling her nose.

“That’s what I like to hear, missy,” he said, his voice an urban drawl. “What’s your name?”

“T-, uh, Charlene,” she said, forcing a coy smile onto her lips.

“Charleeene,” he said, drawing out the vowels as if trying the name on for size. “I’m Reynaldo.”

“Nice to meet you, Renaldo,” said Tessa, taking his boney hand and shaking it, a thin sheen of sweat on his palm.

“No, no, no,” he said, slipping his hand out of Tessa’s and waving it back and forth while shaking his head. “Not ‘Renaldo,’ ‘Rey-naldo.’ Big difference.”

“Sure, uh, Ray-naldo,” said Tessa, taking the cigarette Reynaldo offered and slipping it between her lips.

“Now, pretty lady,” he said, lighting her cigarette, the sickly-sweet taste of menthol rushing into Tessa’s lungs as she took the lighting drag. “I gotta say, you don’t exactly look like you fit in here.”

“And why is that?” she asked, taking another drag and trying to mask her disgust at the taste of the cigarette.

“Don’t get me wrong,” he said. “But you’re a little older than the, ah, usual types we get around here.”

Tessa was mildly offended but thought better of indulging the urge to slap this young man across his face. Instead, she looked around the packed, dimly-lit house, and sure enough, he was right- nearly everyone there looked no older than 25.

“I love older ladies, personally,” he said. “So that ain’t even a thing for me.”

“Great to hear,” said Tessa, taking another drag.

“And the other, well, let’s just said you got some really clear skin.”

Tessa was confused at first, but scanned the party once more. With Reynaldo’s comment in mind, she looked over the faces of the party-goers; they all seemed to have the same blotchy, red skin, with complexions so bad she could barely make out their features through their sores. If she hadn’t already figured out that this was some kind of meth party, she would’ve known now.

Then, the question rushed into her mind: Why would Lucas be here?

She decided to take a stab in the dark.

“You don’t happen to know anyone named Lucas Henderson, would you?”

Reynaldo’s mouse-like eyes widened, his youthful features lighting up with recognition.

“You mean Mister Henderson? Why you asking about him?”

Tessa was taken aback by this question. Namely, that he seemed to know right away who Lucas was. And also, that this kid didn’t seem to be the type to typically use formalities like “mister.”

“I have important business with him,” said Tessa, unsure of what else to say, and not wanting to give Reynaldo the real reason for wanting to talk to Lucas.

“Are you dealing?” he asked, now seemingly unsure of how to talk to Tessa. “No, wait- you’re not a fucking cop, are you?”

“No, not a cop. I promise.”

Reynaldo took a quick, jerking drag of his cigarette as he looked at Tessa with a side-eye.

“Let’s say I believe you; why should I let you talk with Mister Henderson? I mean, I could get you up there with him. But he doesn’t just talk to anyone.”

“Trust me. I’m someone who he’ll want to talk to.”

Reynaldo considered it.

“OK, fine. I’ll get you in with him.”

“That easy?” asked Tessa.

“Yeah,” he said. “I like your face.”

Tessa shuddered internally at Reynaldo’s leer as he walked passed her, gesturing for her to follow him. They moved through the party, Tessa staying close behind Reynaldo, but no too close. The two eventually made their way to a flight of stairs, the pounding of the bass decreasing as they traveled up. Once they reached the top, Reynaldo pointed to the door at the end of the long hallway.

“Mister Henderson should be in there. Just, uh, don’t tell him I sent you.”

With that, Reynaldo dashed back down the stairs, leaving Tessa alone in the hallway with a handful of kids who seemed to be all passed out, slumped unconscious against the wall. She spotted a crack of light at the bottom of the door and as she stepped towards it, she found herself wondering if Lucas was in there, or if this was some trick that she didn’t understand.

Tessa looked over the passed-out partiers in the hallway, noting that just like the ones downstairs and out front, they all seemed to be no older than their early twenties, with many still in their teens. All seemed to be either strung-out or high on meth, and as Tessa stepped around their limp, splayed-out limbs, she began to realize that if Lucas was here, it either meant that he was a user himself, or, even worse, that he had something to do with what was going on here. Either way, Tessa felt herself growing queasy at the possibilities.

Finally reaching the door, Tessa wrapped her hand around the handle and prepared to open it. But before she did, she heard murmuring on the other side. She leaned in and pressed her ear against the flimsy wood of the bedroom door, plugging up her other ear to listen more carefully.

“You like that, baby?” asked a female voice.

“I think he does,” spoke a voice belonging to a different girl.

“Mmm,” said another voice on the other side, a man’s voice. “Yeah, just like that.”

Tessa instantly recognized the man’s voice as Lucas. She’d heard that voice every day for the last 16 years; there was no way it could be anyone but him. Taking a deep breath, she twisted the handle and pushed the door open. And she couldn’t believe what she saw on the other side.

It was Lucas, alright. He was sitting on the end of the bed in the middle of the room, his pants down at his ankles, his shirt off, exposing his sculpted chest. At on the floor, at his knees were a pair of girls. They were young women, one a blonde, the other a redhead, neither of which appeared to be out of her teens. The redhead had Lucas’s cock deep within her mouth, her eyes wide as Tessa opened the door. The blonde was at a different sort of work, her tongue mid-lick on Lucas’s balls as Tessa stepped in.

“What the hell?” shouted Lucas.

He pushed the two girls away, his cock leaving the mouth of the redhead with a loud, sucking “pop.” The girls, both nude, slim, and long-limbed, let out a pair of shrieks as they darted to the other end of the room, covering themselves up with their skinny arms.

In the room, Tessa noticed money here and there, stacked into neat piles of hundred-dollar bills sitting among small baggies of white drugs. Her stomach sank to her feet as she realized what was going on.

“Please tell me that I’m not seeing this,” said Tessa, standing frozen at the door.

“You need to leave, right now,” said Lucas, his voice stern and demanding.

“I’m not leaving until you tell me what all of…this is!” she shouted, gesturing to the girls, the drugs, the money.

“It’s what you think it is,” he said.

“Luke, baby, who is this lady?” asked the redhead, her voice sweet and somewhat fearful.

“Shut the hell up!” he said, holding up a finger at the girl, who responded by doing as he asked, her pretty face an expression of concern and confusion.

“I can’t believe this,” said Tessa. “I can’t believe that you’d do this, that you’d live this life and hide it from me.”

“Well, believe it,” said Lucas, rising and pulling up his pants.

“Is this your wife?” asked the blonde. “She’s…so old.”

“I said, shut the hell up!” yelled Lucas, the blonde silencing just as quickly as the redhead.

“I don’t ever want to see you again,” said Tessa, her heart feeling like it was being sliced in half by a dull knife. “Don’t come to the house ever again.”

“Wait a minute,” said Lucas. “Don’t you leave. Don’t you run out! You do and you’ll regret it!”

Tears in her eyes, she turned and ran down the hallway, out of the house and to the car. She wanted to do nothing but curl into a ball and weep, but more than that, she wanted to leave, to put as much distance between her and Lucas as possible.

She’d save her tears for the drive back. 

When Tessa awoke the next morning, she, by instinct, moved her arm over to the other side of the bed. But touching nothing but air, the reality of her situation came into brutal clarity. The images of last night- the party, the drugs, seeing Lucas in the middle of being pleasured by two girls whose ages combined probably weren’t much more than Tessa’s- flooded her mind. She felt sick, she felt weak, and she felt lost. She lay in bed for a time, not wanting to move, as though she could pretend that reality wasn’t what it was simply by refusing to interact with it.

Eventually, however, she made the decision to not be a weak woman, lost without her man. Placing both feet on the ground, she stepped out of bed. The bedroom was just as sunny and cheerful as it had been the previous morning, but now she was alone. Her first stop was the bathroom, to take a long, hot shower, as though she could wash away the memories of last night. As she soaked, she realized that at the very least, she could wash away the grime that the air at that horrible party seemed to be full of.

Stepping out and wrapping a towel around her body, she thought about just what her husband had gotten himself into. Tessa had considered that he was having an affair, and had considered that he had picked up a substance abuse problem- what other reasons could a husband have for acting the way he did, after all- but what he was into was something that she wasn’t prepared for at all. She couldn’t tell for certain by what she saw over the course of that horrible minute, but it appeared that Lucas was involved in the meth business- not simply using it, but dealing it. There were hundreds of young adults, kids, just about, at that party last night, and judging by the amount of drugs in that room, it wasn’t hard to believe that he was responsible for supplying the whole thing. She wondered how the artist she fell in love with so many years ago could fall so low as to get involved with something like this.

Tessa threw on some simple clothes, making sure to put what she wore the previous night in a sealed bag for fear of that astringent, industrial smell of burning meth would infect the house. And as she tossed the plastic bag stuffed full of her clothes into the back of her closet, the image of the two girls came into her thoughts like an invader. She knew that the sight of her husband sitting at the edge of the bed, his cock deep in the mouth of another woman while yet another serviced him, would be burned into her memory for as long as she lived. She cursed Lucas for doing this to her, knowing that these two girls were likely just two of many others.

And their age stuck in Tessa’s mind like a pebble in a shoe. She knew that she was still beautiful, that she was still an object of desire for men. But she also knew that however attractive she might be now, it wasn’t going to last forever. When she married Lucas, she had hoped that he would be the man that she would grow old with, that he would still be at her side when her looks faded, that she wouldn’t have to worry about finding someone knew, that that part of her life was taken care of. But it wasn’t to be. And now, just a few years short of 40, she found her world turned upside down. Not only was she left to pick up the pieces, but she now had to wonder whether or not she would ever again find someone to love. 

After finishing her morning routine, she stepped into the kitchen. She wasn’t hungry in the slightest, but she knew how easy it would be to ignore her appetite and let the stress take over her body. She was determined not to let that happen. Pouring herself a tall glass of orange juice and a small bowl of granola, she ate and drank, forcing down each swallow as she stared listlessly out of the window. As she watched the gentle rustling of the leaves in the trees, she even felt something approaching calm and peace.

But the rumbling of a motorcycle up the path to their home broke that feeling right in half.

Tessa’s stomach dropped when she heard the sound of what couldn’t be anything other than Lucas’s bike approach the house. Looking down, she saw that her hands were shaking as the noise grew louder. Soon, Lucas appeared on the path leading to the home, racing towards the house. Lucas drove the bike right onto the lawn, letting it drop out from under him and onto its side when he reached the house.

“Tessa!” he shouted as the engine died. “You get out here right now!”

Tessa ducked away from the window, watching Lucas run up to the door and attempt to open it. She thanked herself for having the presence of mind to lock the deadbolts last night, though she knew this wouldn’t stop him if he was truly determined.

“Get out here right now!” he yelled, his face twisted in rage.

She stayed still, fear creeping over her body. Opening the kitchen junk drawer, she removed the mace that she kept in there, feeling disbelief at the fact that she might have to use it on her own husband. Steeling herself, she walked to the front door and opened it, looking into Lucas’s eyes as she did so.

“There you are,” he said, his voice edged with anger. “What the hell did you think you were doing last night? Huh?”

Tessa said nothing.

“Coming to Dusty’s place like that. You have no idea what kind of people were there!”

She still said nothing.

“And I don’t know what you think you saw, but it wasn’t what it looked like,” he said, his body tight and tense as a bowstring pulled taut.

Now Tessa was angry that he would think she was so stupid. But she said nothing.

“You better say something,” he said, his hands clenching and unclenching as he stood on the lawn.

She didn’t know what to do. She was trying to stay strong, to look tough, but she knew that she wasn’t prepared to handle this confrontation. It wouldn’t take much for her to break into wracking sobs. Tessa wished that she’d just stayed inside and hoped that he might leave.

“I said 'say something!’” demanded Lucas.

“You need to leave and never come back,” said Tessa, her voice weak.

“What?” said Lucas. “You think you can tell me to leave my own damn house? You got another thing coming.”

He paced back and forth for a moment, as if deciding just what to do. Then, he turned to face Tessa, and began walking towards her.

“Not at a chance in hell you’re gonna tell me what to do.”

But then, just as he seemed poised to do something terrible, a strange thing took place. Right at that moment, Tessa spotted the shaking of leaves in the distance at the edge of the lawn. Her eyes tracked to the spot as Lucas’s stayed fixed upon her. From within the dense, green leaves, emerged a massive, dark animal; it was a black bear. Tessa didn’t know how but she recognized it instantly as one of the bears that she saw last night, and not only that, but the one that approached her. Just as it did yesterday, the bear stared at her impassively. It stood still once it fully emerged from the forest, standing there for reasons Tessa didn’t understand.

But something about the bear’s presence filled her with a sense of safety. She felt as though it were watching out for her, a thought that she instantly recognized as silly, if not insane. What she felt, however, couldn’t be disputed.

Then, before Tessa could say anything, the bear made its presence known. It stood up on its back legs and let out a deafening, mighty roar- a roar so loud and powerful that it shook the branches of the nearby trees and sent the birds perched upon them into the clear, blue sky above.

“What the hell?” said Lucas, turning around and staggering at the sight of the black-furred beast.

Tessa took advantage of the distraction and ran back into the house, setting every lock on the door and rushing back into the kitchen.

“This isn’t over!” said Lucas, lifting his motorcycle back upright and hopping on top of it.

With that, he revved the engine and flew down the path, disappearing down the road, the bear watching him carefully as he left, as though to make sure he was gone. Tessa listened as the engine faded, the sound diminishing as Lucas drove away.

From the safety of the kitchen, she watched as the bear looked towards the house, then back towards the road. He looked to Tessa like some kind of guard at his post, making sure that no one approached without his knowing. Then, after a time, he disappeared back into the trees, leaving Tessa in the silence that there had been only a few minutes before.

Tessa spent the rest of the day inside. Between Lucas and the strange bear that seemed to be lurking on the property, in her home with the doors locked and her mace nearby was the only place he felt safe.

She couldn’t shake the image of the bear, how it didn’t seem to be some ordinary animal; it seemed as though it was behaving in an intelligent, planned way, like it knew that simply being there would be enough to intimidate Lucas into leaving. And Henry’s comments about how there hadn’t been bears in this area for decades further confused her. Just why were these strange animals making themselves so obvious to her?

Spending the rest of the day trying to work on her art, but distracted by what was going on in her life, the day slowly passed. Tessa had no idea if Lucas would return or if the sight of the bear was enough to keep him at bay. Either way, she knew that he wasn’t the type to just give up; it was only a matter of time before he returned.

The evening arrived and Tessa sat in the living room watching trashy television, reality shows picked out specifically so she wouldn’t have to think. Sitting with her legs draped under her on the couch, Tessa found herself looking at her wedding ring, spinning the band around her finger with her other hand. Taking her ring off was something that wasn’t entirely new to her- she did it every night before bed- but during the majority of the day, it was on her finger. As she gazed at the facets of the stone, she realized that even today, after all that happened the previous night, she had put it on without thinking about it.

So, taking a sip of wine, she worked the ring off of her finger and set it on the coffee table, trying on for size what it might be like to not wear this ring during times she normally would’ve, what it would be like to feel single. Tessa looked at the thin band of slightly paler flesh that wrapped around her finger under where the ring would normally be. Looking at it, she felt a sense of longing, of emptiness; she’d forgotten what it was like to be alone.

But before she could consider these thoughts further, the power to the house cut out abruptly, leaving Tessa in total darkness.

She began to panic as she fumbled around in the dark, wondering what happened, why the electricity cut out. Standing up, she walked with slow, careful steps around the living room, fearful of bumping into anything.

Then, the fear that there might be someone responsible for the cutting of the power gripped her.

That it might be Lucas.

Tessa fumbled in the dark, finally finding her phone and flicking the flashlight on, a bright, cone of light projecting from it. She waved the phone around as though it were a cross being used to ward off malevolent spirits, and, to her relief, found that the living room was empty.

Then, she spotted a figure outside. It was a dark outline against the bay windows of the kitchen, followed by a pair of shorter, skinnier men. Tessa felt her heart jump up into her chest, realizing that this meant the power being shut off wasn’t simply an accident. Now scared that she might be spotted, she flicked off the phone flashlight, the silver glow of the moonlight outside the only source of light, bathing the front lawn in an otherworldly, milky glow. With quiet steps, she moved to the kitchen and withdrew the slim, sharp knife that she used for cutting chicken and held it out in front of her. Tessa knew that if these three men wanted to do something terrible she’d be no match, but it made her feel better than nothing.

Her limbs felt tense and tight as she spotted the three figures, now further away from the house. Moving closer to the window, she watched as the figures, two small and scrawny, one tall and bulky, dash away from the house and into the woods beyond, a small amount of relief washing over her as they vanished into the darkness.

After standing still for several minutes in order to make sure they were gone, Tessa set the knife down, pushing it away from her as she did so, the thought of having to inflict such violence on someone repulsing her on a deep level.

Surrounded by darkness, she knew now that she was likely safe, but the possibility of the men returned was stark in her mind. Tessa debated whether or not to run to her car and drive into town, but even the idea of leaving the house to do that was too much for her. Turning her phone flashlight back on, she debated what to do next.

But before she could think too much about, Tessa spotted a now-familiar rustling in the tree line. But unlike earlier, when one bear emerged, it was now the same wide stretch of movement that she saw when the bears approached her last night.

Terrified, she watched as the pack of bears walked out of the woods, numbering ten in total, with one bear, just as before, larger than the rest. The larger bear walked forward, moving onto the lawn. And just as before, it rose on its hind legs. But unlike before, it didn’t roar. Instead, it waved one paw in a great swipe in front of its face.

Tessa felt insane for thinking this, but it almost seemed that the bear was trying to get her attention.

Then, the bears split up, surrounding the house and pointing their bodies away from the home. Tessa watched them take their positions, all of the bears evenly distributed around the house, as though forming a perimeter. Tessa felt as though she was in some kind of bizarre dream as she watched these bears exhibit behaviors that she could only describe as “human-like.” Once each of the bears assumed their position, they leaned down, poised and ready with the moonlight shining on the sleek, black fur of their backs. 

Tessa didn’t know what to do. She knew that their behavior could easily be interpreted as penning her in just as easily as it could be interpreted as protecting her. But something about the bears being there instilled in her a feeling of safety, as though she knew their presence was benevolent. Returning to her living room, she sat back onto the couch and before she could give the matter any further though, slipped into a deep, exhausted sleep.

Tessa looked over the massive, clean slice through the main power line that led from the solar panels on top of the house to the generator. Sure enough, it was cut clean through. And judging from how it was done, there was no way that an animal could’ve been responsible for it.

It was the next morning and when Tessa awoke her first act of the day was to run to the living room window to see if the bears were still there. But they had left, no sign of their presence remaining.

Returning inside to take a shower, she was in for another surprise, however. When she turned the water on, nothing but a weak dribble resulted. She moved through the house, checking every source of water, only to encounter the same result. She realized that not only had the men cut the power, they’d cut the water as well.

And her trip outside to look things over only confirmed this.

She headed back inside, and looked through her phone for the nearest electrician, paying close attention to the ever-draining battery display in the upper right-hand corner. Flipping through the results for “electrician,” she found that there was only one place within a fifty-mile radius. She pulled the listing up and looked it over.

“Atticus Swift – Brenlan’s #1 Electrician – Available For Emergencies”

This was followed by the number.

Tessa figured that if anything was an emergency, having the electricity cut by an angry, drug-dealing ex was it. She tapped the number and waited for an answer.

“Atticus Swift, electrician,” came the voice on the other end, a low, purring male voice.

“Oh, hi,” said Tessa, a little startled by the voice; she was expecting a kindly old man to answer, not what she had heard. “My name is Tessa Henderson. I live up a-ways up Bear Mountain.”

“Of course, Miss Henderson,” said Atticus. “How can I help you?”

“I had a little bit of an issue with my electricity last night,” she said.

She felt somewhat hesitant to tell him that someone cut the power, but she figured she might as well tell him the truth, figuring that lying to an electrician about something like that was probably just as pointless as lying to a dentist about how much candy you’re eating.

“Someone cut it,” she finished.

“Sorry to hear that,” said Atticus. “Well, the good news is that if it’s cut, it can be pretty easily fixed; not like the wiring went bust or anything. I’m gonna go out on a limb and assume you want this fixed as soon as possible?”

“Yes, please,” said Tessa.

“Well, lucky for you I just had a cancellation for around eleven. That work for you?”

Tessa looked at the time, seeing that she would only have to wait a couple of hours.

“That’s perfect,” she said.

“OK. Well, sit tight, don’t touch the wires, don’t open your fridge unless you need to, all that good stuff. I’ll be by around then.”

“Great, thank you so much.”

“Of course.

With that, Tessa hung up. And as she stood with the phone cradled in her hands, she couldn’t  shake just how attractive the voice of the man on the other end was. She set the phone down and shook her head, deciding to kill the time until he got there by taking a look at the water main.

Slipping on her sandals, she walked towards the massive, circular water pump in the backyard. Taking a look at the pipe, she saw that just like the electricity, it had been cut through cleanly. Fortunately, it was simply a matter of replacing the section of PVC pipe and turning the water back on, which she was able to do in ten or so minutes. She headed back to the house and flipped the water on, and after a few groans and strains from the pipes, water sprayed from the sink, cool and fresh.

Tessa nodded at her handiness, happy that Lucas had taught her how to deal with a broken pipe. But thinking of Lucas, aside from the distress that the subject brought her, she now chastised herself for realizing that it was almost definitely him who cut the power and water last night, likely him and a couple of his meth-dealing buddies.

She felt her cheeks grow hot with anger. Tessa understood now that not only was Lucas essentially living a double life, but now that she didn’t take him back, he was determined to make her life as difficult as possible. Stepping into the shower for a quick rinse, she wondered what she would do if he continued to harass her. She knew that there was no chance that she’d take him back, not after what he’d done to her. Tessa didn’t know what Lucas was capable of; She realized now that she was going to learn what it would be like to be on the receiving end of the hostile shades of those sentiments.

Frustration running through her, she stepped out of the shower. After drying herself off and throwing on some simple, light clothes, Tessa walked into her studio, put on a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, turned up her music up as loud as she could take it, the classic rock feeling as though it might shatter her eardrums. She set to work with her paints, knowing that working on her art was the only possible thing that could even begin to soothe her rattled nerves.

Tessa lost herself, painting with intensity and wild abandon, her brush strokes slashing across the canvas, yet leaving on the most precise and minute details. Stepping away from the canvas, she looked at the painting approvingly; it was nearly done and ready to sell.

But before she could get back into her work, she spotted a figure out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she saw a man standing just outside of one of the large windows. Tessa took in a sharp gasp, her paint dropping to the floor and splattering everywhere. Her first instinct was to call the police, but as soon as she came to her senses, she remembered that the electrician was due to come by. Checking her phone, she saw that it was fifteen after eleven already- the time had flown by.

She gestured for the electrician to meet her at the front door, and though she couldn’t make out his features through the window, she saw that he gave her a thumbs-up of acknowledgment.

Her face hot with embarrassment, Tessa walked with short, quick steps to the front door. Throwing it open, she gasped at what she revealed.

It was the electrician, alright, but this man was far from the skinny, small-town handyman she was expecting. The first trait Tessa noticed was his height: he was tall, a good few inches over Lucas, who was himself a taller-than-average man. His face was strikingly handsome, with soulful, sensual hazel eyes, a nose with a straight, strong bridge, sandy-blond hair that was tousled and wet-looking, and a wide, red mouth turned upwards in a roguish smile. His jaw was wide, and his face was slim, his bone structure more what she’d expect from a New York model than an upstate electrician. He was dressed in a simple, white shirt that hung from his square-shouldered, strapping torso, with a pair of loose blue jeans on below, and a stylish pair of brown Red Wings on his feet. If she didn’t know better, she’d almost guess he was one of those hipster guys she’d seen all the time in Brooklyn who liked to dress in blue-collar styles, but she could tell right away he was the real deal- a man who actually knew how to use his hands.

“Afternoon, miss,” he said, his low, melodic voice the same one she’d heard on the phone a couple of hours ago.

“Oh my God,” she stammered. “I’m so sorry if you were waiting a while. I just lose track of time when I’m painting sometimes. Please, come in.”

“Not a problem at all,” he said, stepping over the threshold.

Tessa noted that if he was upset, he didn’t show it in the slightest.

“I’m Tessa Henderson,” Tessa said, still coming to grips with how handsome this man was. “Can I, um, get you something to drink?”

“Atticus Swift,” he said. “And a glass of water would be just fine, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, not at all,” said Tessa, rushing towards the kitchen.

“Are you a ‘shoes-on’ or ‘shoes-off’ kind of home?” he asked as Tessa filled a glass of water.

“Oh, on is fine. I’m not too fancy here.”

She returned to the living room and handed Atticus the glass of water.

“Thank you much,” he said, before taking a long, slow drink, his Adam’s Apple bobbing as he swallowed.

Tessa took the glass from Atticus, her eyes on his thick, ropy arms.

“Now, let me take a look at things, if you don’t mind,” he said with a smile.

“Oh, sure,” said Tessa. “Well, like I said, I think someone cut the electricity.”

Atticus’s brow furrowed.

“Well, that’s no good,” he said. “I don’t want to overstep my bounds, miss, but have you spoken to the police about this?”

“No, I haven’t gotten a chance yet.”

Atticus’s face flashed an expression of mild skepticism as he walked to the nearest light switch and flicked it a few times.

“You weren’t lying,” he said. “Totally out.”

He turned his expression back to Tessa, who felt like she might melt under his gaze. And as she looked into his eyes, she sensed something strange, something...familiar. It was almost as if she’d met him before, somewhere.

“Why don’t you take me out to where the line was cut? That’d be the best way to get to the bottom of this, I think,” he said.

“Sure, right this way,” said Tessa. “Just right outside.”

Atticus gave a smile and a nod, and headed back out the front door. Tessa’s eyes went straight to his ass as he walked, paying special attention to the way it flexed and tensed as he walked. She couldn’t understand what had come over her, but she couldn’t stop looking at him. And as she walked at his side, she felt a strange crackling of heat between them, as though the space between their bodies were charged with energy.

She led him in the direction of the electrical main.

“Sorry,” said Tessa, feeling the wet slickness of dew on her bare feet as she walked. “But I have to ask- have we met before?”

“Hm,” said Atticus, giving the matter some thought. “I don’t believe so.”

“You ever go to Hannigan’s?” asked Tessa.

“Yeah, I’ve been. Probably recognize me from there. The town isn’t all that big, you know? Bound to run into the same people.”

“Yeah,” said Tessa, not entirely convinced.

They approached the main, and Atticus let out a slow whistle as he looked over the clean slash through the main line.

“Yep, that definitely wasn’t an accident.”

“Oh, I know.”

“Well, I like I said on the phone- it’s a clean cut, and shouldn’t be too hard to fix.”

He turned back towards Tessa.

“You can go ahead and get back inside. I’m going to get my tools and get to work.”

“Sure,” said Tessa.

She started to walk off, but stopped and turned back around.

“I’m going to be in my studio again with my headphones on, so if you need me just come on in.”

“Will do,” he said, flashing another smile of pearl-colored teeth.

Tessa walked back into the house with quick steps, her eyes fixed forward. She couldn’t shake the strange mixture of feelings that was going through her mind. First, was her immediate attraction to this man. It was intense, gripping her like a massive hand; she couldn’t take her eyes off of Atticus’s lean, muscular body, his simple workman’s clothes hanging off of him in just the right way. And his face was so gorgeous and striking that it was almost difficult to look at.

And on top of everything, she just knew that she’d seen him before, that she’d met him somewhere, sometime. He hinted otherwise, but there was something familiar about him, and what’s more, the familiarity seemed recent, as though she’d met him within the last week. But the only place she’d been was that horrible party where she’d found Lucas and Atticus didn’t strike her as the type to be doing meth with dozens of teenagers.

She headed back into her studio, knowing that she needed to put all of this out of her mind- he was just the electrician, she thought. He’d fix the line and be out of here in an hour or so, and she’d never see him again. Tessa figured there was no sense in trying to puzzle out this particular mystery.

But still, his smile, and those arms.

She shook her head, flipped her music back on, cranked the volume, and snapped her headphones back onto her head. Taking her paint supplies back into her hand, she went to work, but not before flipping the room’s light switch so she’d know when the power as back on.

Turning towards the canvas, she started to paint.

After a time, the canvas in front of her was set aglow, and looking up, she saw that the overhead light was alight with a soft, orange warmth. Surprised that Atticus could be done so quickly, she looked at her phone. Just as before, time had flown by.

“That’s a hell of a pineapple,” said the voice from the door.

Spinning around on her feet, Tessa saw that Atticus was standing in the entryway to the studio, his sweat-glistened body leaned against the doorframe.

“Oh, thanks,” she said, taken aback by the way the slick moisture on his body highlighted every dip and curve of his arms, the muscles of his chest visible through his t-shirt.

“You’re a painter, I take it?”

“Yeah, still-lives, mostly.”

“Well,” he said, looking around the room. “They’re pretty damn impressive.”

“Thanks,” Tessa said, her face growing hot and red, feeling as though she were a schoolgirl who’d somehow gained the attention of the most handsome boy in class.

“As you can see, the main’s fixed; you shouldn’t have any more problems with the line, assuming it doesn’t get cut again, that is.”

“Thanks again,” said Tessa, taking off her headphones and setting down her equipment, her arms and shirt stained with paint. “Let me get you something to drink. It must be hot out there.”

“That’d be great,” he said.

Tessa led him back into the kitchen, the whirring of the refrigerator’s motor filling what was previously dead silence.

“I think I’ve got some ice tea, and I didn’t open the freezer…” she said, opening the freezer, a small gust of cool air rushing out. “There! Cubes are still kind of OK.”

Atticus let out a small laugh.

“Anything’s fine.”

Tessa poured them two glasses of ice tea, topping the drinks with freshly sliced lemon wedges. Handing the drink to Atticus, he held the glass up to his forehead, letting the cool drink cool his skin, a drop of condensation from the glass darting down the side and along his thick, tanned wrist.

Tessa walked over to the counter by the window, glass in hand.

“Listen,” said Atticus. “Like I said, it’s none of my business, but can I ask what happened to your electrical main?”

Tessa would’ve normally made something up, and not shared personal details with a stranger. But something about Atticus made her feel comfortable opening up, and telling him the truth.

“It’s…an ex. I mean, I think it’s an ex. I mean, I think I have an ex.”

Tessa’s face scrunched up as struggled to explain her situation.

“Sounds complicated,” Atticus said, leaning against the fridge.

“It is. I mean, I’m married. Technically.”

Atticus’s thick, sandy-blond eyebrows raised.

“It’s…a long story. But the relevant part is that my husband cut the main. At least, I’m pretty sure. I don’t know what’s going on, really.”

She crossed the arm holding the glass in front of her and brought the free one to her mouth, covering it, as she looked down. Saying the words out loud filled her with a helpless, scared feeling, as she realized that she was in the middle of a situation that she had no idea how to navigate.

Atticus walked over to her, seeing that Tessa was clearly in distress. Standing next to her against the counter, he placed a hand on her shoulder. As soon as his skin touched hers, a feeling of safety and calm washed over her, as though simply being near this man was enough to let her feel that everything was fine, and that she didn’t have anything to fear.

“Sounds like you’re in a tough spot,” he said, setting his drink down on the counter.

“Yeah, you could say that,” said Tessa.

As Tessa stood near Atticus, the feeling of warmth and safety only grew, mixing with the attraction that she already felt for him. She was confused by her feelings, but what she wanted was growing clearer by the moment.

She turned and faced Atticus, looking up into his beautiful hazel eyes as he looked down at her, his brow knitted in concern. Then, giving in to the nearly overwhelming sense of attraction that had been building in her since she first lay eyes on him, she reached up, pulled Atticus towards her, and kissed him deeply and slowly. She could tell by the way his body tightened and tensed that he was somewhat surprised by what Tessa was doing, but he soon loosened, and kissed her back, wrapping his strong arms around her slim, small body.

Tessa may have initiated the kiss, but Atticus took charge of the situation quickly. He leaned into Tessa, opening his mouth, his tongue slipping over and past her lips and meeting her own. He placed his hands on her hips, pulling her closer to him as he kissed her. Tessa took in a slow, deep breath through her nostrils, smelling his hot, sensual musk, the scent of a man who’d been working in the sun. Her fingertips moved along his arms as they kissed, the thin sheen of sweat on his body cool and wet against her skin. She wanted to drink him completely, to take in his manly essence, to envelop him into her.

Atticus began kissing Tessa on the on the side of her face, moving downward along her jaw, then down to her neck and behind her ear, the feeling of his lips on this delicate skin sending waves of gooseflesh along her limbs. The feelings inside Tessa were ones of passion that seemed strange, almost alien to her. She’d been with Lucas for years, and while she was still attracted to him, the passion seemed to have faded from their relationship as the years went on. But here, with Atticus, as he kissed her deeply and passionately, these feelings of almost animalistic lust were coming to the surface once again, seeming as though they might reach a boiling point at any moment.

Atticus, his hands still on Tessa’s hips, turned her body, placing her back against the countertop. Then, with a heave that seemed almost effortless, he lifted her onto the surface, her legs wrapping around him as she sat upon it. They continued to kiss and now their hands were exploring one another’s bodies, moving over and under each other’s clothing, to the places they both wanted to touch from the moment they first lay eyes upon one another. Tessa slipped her hands under Atticus’s shirt, confirming that his body was as hard and taut as it appeared to be. She felt herself grow wet as she snaked her hands along his body, feeling the hard divots of his tight abs and the solid contours of his pecs. It was a body that she wanted to feel, to hold, to have on top of her. And as she kissed and caressed him, Atticus moved his own hands below Tessa’s painted-stained shirt and simple, white bra, kneading her breasts softly, the feeling of his fingertips on her nipples driving her wild with lust.

Then, with a swift movement, he pulled her shirt off of her body and tossed it to the other side of the room before returning to kissing her. His hands moved down to the waistband of her pants, and after working the button free, he removed them with a slow, careful pull. Tessa was now bare aside from her white bra and simple, black, cotton panties. She felt slightly self-conscious, wishing she were wearing something sexier, but she realized with a sly smile that it didn’t really matter; she probably wouldn’t be wearing them for much longer.

Tessa slipped her hands up to the collar of Atticus’s shirt and pulled it off of his body. Though she was busy with kissing him, she knew she had to take a look at what she’d just revealed. Placing her hands on his shoulder, pushed him back slightly, her gaze dragging over his body. Sure enough, his torso was as sculpted and toned as she expected, its color a sun-kissed bronze.

“Get a good look?” he asked with a smile.

“Shut up,” she said with a wink before planting her lips back on his, opening her mouth wide, as though wanting to drink him down completely.

Whipping his shirt across the room, she next set to work on his pants, slipping the button out of the slit of his jeans and yanking them down with a hard jerk, taking his boxer-briefs down with them. She cast another side glance down as she continued to kiss him, noting with sly pleasure that his cock, by now rock-hard, was just as long and thick as she was hoping.

Atticus moved his hands up Tessa’s bare curves, moving up to her bra, reaching towards the back of it and unhooking the clasps. Pulling the bra off, her breasts tumbled free, her womanhood ample and full. She knew that though her body might be aging, she still had breasts that even girls in their early twenties would kill for, and judging by the way Atticus set upon them with his mouth, kissing and sucking on her pink nipples, Tessa figured that he agreed.

He stepped out of his jeans, which were now crumpled on the floor at his ankles, moving them over his boots, which he kicked off next. After he was completely disrobed, he slipped his fingers under the waistband of Tessa’s panties, pulling them down, her legs shimmying to assist him in sliding them off.

Tessa took a look at Atticus’s cock, wanting nothing more than for it to be inside of her right at that second. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt such desire, such need for a man to be in her, to pleasure her.

Then, as if sensing exactly what she wanted, Atticus took his cock by the base, and with a slow, aimed motion, slid himself into her. Tessa let out a long sigh as he entered her, feeling each inch of him move into her, stimulating her in a fashion that was so intense that she could barely stand it. He held himself still, letting his cock rest buried within her for a moment, kissing her neck.

But Tessa wanted him to fuck her, and to fuck her now. Moving her hands to the firm, curved flesh of his smooth ass, she pressed against him, imploring him to push deeper into her, then to slide out, and do it all over again.

Tessa realized happily that Atticus was very good at picking up on hints. Sliding out of her, his cock stimulating her just as much on the way out as it did on the way in, Atticus began thrusting. Slowly at first, his throat emitting a soft grunt as he came to terms with how good his cock felt inside of her. Tessa’s hands remained on his ass, feeling the muscles beneath the taut skin flex and release as he thrusted, moving his cock in and out of her.

Gradually, he picked up the pace, thrusting harder and harder, his hips slapping against the soft skin of her inner thighs as he moved inside of her. Tessa closed her eyes, focusing on the feeling of him pounding her, feeling the pace of his thrusting build and build until he was hammering her at a pneumatic pace, her lower half feeling as though it was melting into cream as he fucked her. She moved her hands along his body, taking sweet pleasure at the feeling of his hard body underneath her touch, his torso seemingly created by the hand of a Greek sculptor. Tessa was in awe of his body, it was so perfect that she couldn’t even understand it; everything about Atticus physically was pure perfection.

She wrapped her hands around the wide span of his upper torso, resting her face on his brawny shoulders, taking in his musk as he continued to pound her. Tessa let her body relax, loosening her muscles and allowed no feeling other than the radiating waves of pleasure take hold, letting the world beyond melt away as Atticus buried himself into her, over and over.

Tessa felt an orgasm begin whipping into a froth deep within her. Atticus was fucking her at just the right pace, just the right intensity, for her to be lulled into the trance-like, almost hypnotized state that she knew would bring her to orgasm. She took in another slow draw of air through her nose, the scent of Atticus doing something to her, something that she didn’t understand. He smelled like pure man in his natural state, straight out of nature. She took another breath as he continued to fuck her, her legs nearly limp from the intensity of feelings that were coursing through her body like a rushing river.

Atticus’s grunts continued. Tessa had never had sex with him before, but she could easily sense that he was about to cum, and cum hard, his deep, full breaths signaling his orgasm’s arrival. And her own came closer and closer, ebbing and flowing like a steadily rising tide, pulling back, only to lap up further along the shore with the next wave. Next, her arms began to slacken and loosen, the power of his cock seemingly taking away her ability to keep her muscles flexed.

Tessa moaned more and more, her sounds of pleasure almost taking on a tone of pleading, as though begging him to fuck her, to not stop, to never stop, to pound her until her orgasm ripped through her.

Her orgasm arrived soon, followed by Atticus’s. Pleasure blasted through Tessa’s body like an unstoppable wave, her eyes rolling into the back of her head, her toes curling, her fingers digging into the thick skin of Atticus’s back. He grunted hard, emptying himself into her, driving his cock into her body as far as it would go. Tessa felt a brief, shrill scream escape her throat as Atticus unloaded himself into her, spraying his seed deep into her body.

Then, he slowed down, and Tessa’s orgasm ebbed gently. They held onto each other’s body for a moment, each taking slow, deep breaths.

Tessa couldn’t remember the last time she’d been fucked like that.

Tessa sat on the floor, her nude legs splayed in front of her. Not only did she not want to move, she didn’t think she could even if she had to.

“Well, that’s a first,” she said, Atticus sitting next to her.

“What, having sex?”

Tessa playfully slapped Atticus on the arm.

“No, jerk.”

“Having sex with the electrician, then?”

“Well, I guess that would be another first. But I was referring to cheating.”

“Ah. That’s what some might call a dubious honor.”

“I suppose so,” said Tessa, debating how much to tell about her situation with Lucas to this man who she still didn’t know.

“I’ve never been married myself, so I wouldn’t really know about those kinds of things.”

Tessa raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“You’ve never been married?”

“No, ma’am,” he said.

“That’s…surprising,” said Tessa.

“How do you mean?”

“Well, you’re about my age, right? Late thirties?”

“Yeah, thereabouts.”

“When I think of a man my age who hasn’t ever been married, a man like you isn’t who comes to mind.”

“Oh?” asked Atticus, raising an eyebrow. “And what kind of man does come to mind?”

“The kind of guy who still lives with his parents. And spends most of his free time jerking off and playing video games.”

“Who says I don’t live with my parents?” he asked, a sly smile on his face.

Tessa slapped him on the arm again.

“And who doesn’t love jerking off and playing video games?”

Tessa laughed.

“OK, I get it,” she said.

“Seriously, though, I’ve had my fair share of serious relationships that went on for years, but nothing that ended in getting hitched.”

“Hmm,” said Tessa. “Sounds like someone’s got high standards.”

“More that I’m the sort of guy who enjoys his freedom. Well, take our little rendezvous just now,” he said. “Not really the type of thing you can do when you’re tied down.”

“Didn’t stop me,” said Tessa.

Atticus let out a quick laugh.

“I suppose you’re right. Though I get the impression there’re some extenuating circumstances in your case.”

“You’d be right on that.”

“Anything you want to talk about?”

Tessa did want to talk about it. She wanted to blurt out the who situation with Lucas, to get it off of her chest, to hear someone else’s opinion on the matter. But, again, she decided against it.

“Like I said, I think I’ve got an ex.”

“Say no more,” said Atticus.

Reaching across the kitchen and grabbing his pants, Atticus checked his phone.

“Whew,” he said, looking at the time. “I think I need to get going.”

“Duty calls, huh?”

“Something like that.”

He got up and stepped into his pants. Moving around the kitchen, he picked up his clothes and put them on, one after the other.

“I suppose we should talk business?” asked Tessa, standing and fetching her own clothes.

“Huh? Oh yeah, I did fix your electricity.”

He furrowed his brow in thought.

“You know what? I think this one’s on me.”

Tessa raised an eyebrow.

“I hope you’re not thinking we have a quid-pro-quo arrangement going on.”

“Ha. No, not at all,” he said, pulling his shirt on, Tessa feeling a slight tinge of disappointment as he covered up his body. “It was an easy job and I think it’s the least I can do for someone who’s going through what looks to be a tough situation.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

He reached into his back pocket and slipped out a silver card case.

“On one condition: You need any help, be it electricity-related or otherwise, you give me a call.”

“Aren’t you a good Samaritan?” said Tessa, taking the bone-white card with his information on it from Atticus and looking it over.

“Just think of me as a friend,” he said with a smile.

Tessa smiled, noting that part of her wanted to think of him as more than that.

His boots on, he walked towards the door.

“Anyway, I should get moving. Pleasure doing business with you, ma’am,” he said.

“Likewise, sir,” Tessa responded.

Atticus gave her a slight nod and headed out, Tessa’s eyes on him as he walked out to his black truck, tossed his tools in the back and with a final wave, drove off. A strange sense of longing in her heart, she watched as truck disappeared down the curving, winding road of the forest.

Pulling his truck onto the main road of Branlen, Atticus Swift checked the schedule in the phone one last time, confirming that he was done for the day. Upon seeing that he was, he let out a sigh as he considered the workday that he had just finished. The memory of Tessa was as fresh in his mind as it could possibly be. Sleeping with a single woman while on a job wasn’t new to him, but this one was different. Ever since he had spotted her the other night while out with his brothers, he felt drawn to her. And when he learned that she was having troubles, troubles that put her safety at risk, he knew that it was time to enter her life in a more direct way.

Sure, his brothers and the other members of the pack objected, but he was their Alpha, and one of the benefits of that position was that he didn’t have to listen to siblings of a lower rank. But making unilateral calls like this came with a cost, and he knew he could only do so sparingly unless he wanted to risk a younger member of the pack challenging his leadership.

All of this weighed on Atticus’s mind as he turned onto the gravel road that led up to the compound where he, his brothers, and the other members of the pack lived. He drove away from Branlen, passing through the two-lane road that cut through the middle of a handful of buildings- mostly bars, grocery stores, and a movie theater that constituted the town center. He drove off onto a winding, unpaved path that led further up Bear Mountain. It was the opposite direction he traveled when making his call to Tessa’s, though he and the rest of the pack could easily make their way to her place by cutting through the woods rather than by car- one of the advantages of their powers.

Atticus was a shifter. A bear shifter, to be exact, born with the power to change into a black bear at will. He didn’t know where, exactly, his powers came from, only that they had been passed on from his parents, and their parents before, and so on. After the death of his parents by poachers when he was only a teen, he was made the alpha of his pack, forced to adapt to the responsibilities of leadership at a young age. The bulk of the pack was the Swift family, him and his brothers, but many of the dozen or so men of the group were men without families, born- or cursed- with the same power of bear shifting, They had found that being a member of the Swift pack was preferable to attempting to make on their own- a wise decision, in Atticus’s opinion.

The gravel crackled as he drove up the winding path, the sun flickering through the canopy of tall trees heavy with lush leaves. After a time, he reached a large, imposing gate made of solid steel, covered in no trespassing signs and topped with conspicuous security cameras. He pressed the control on the sun visor and the gate opened with a mechanical groan. Atticus continued driving up, putting more and more distance between him and civilization. Eventually, he reached the second security gate, which he passed through in the same fashion.

Then, after another fifteen minutes or so of driving, the first boxy shapes of the compound became visible through the trees, the beige-colored buildings surrounded by a tall, steel fence that wrapped around the several acres of the property. As he drove closer, and more of the compound became visible until it dominated the view. Finally reaching the last gate, he put the vehicle into park, jumped out of the truck, and opened the several locks that kept the gate shut. Hopping back into the car, he drove through.

The Swift Compound was a massive set of buildings constructed nearly ten years ago by the pack when they decided that keeping the secret of their nature was just too much work while living among civilization. The main building of the compound was a huge thing, a four-thousand-square-foot place built so solidly that it almost had the appearance of a fortress. It was where he and his brothers lived, and the handful of smaller houses scattered among the property is where the rest of the tribe took up residence. Several cars were parked here and there on the property, but Atticus didn’t spot any sign ofthe pack.

Atticus pressed another button on the visor, the leftmost of the three doors opening and revealing a sleek, modern garage. He drove the truck into the open space and killed the engine. After getting out and ascending the staircase leading from the garage, he stepped into the massive living room.

The main room of the compound was a tall-ceilinged space of neutral colors, simple yet expensive with well-made furniture and a large, gas-powered fireplace. The wall facing outside was entirely comprised of a huge window that looked out onto the greens and browns of nature beyond. Towards the top of the room, there was a second-floor balcony that looked out over the space, hallways entering from either side led to the rest of the first floor on one end and the dining room and kitchen on the other. The walls were decorated with simple, modern art and a subtle, musky scent wafted through the air. It was a clean and tastefully-appointed bachelor’s compound for him and his three brothers.

The air was still and quiet, and Atticus wondered where everyone was.

“Is that you, Atticus?” called out a deep, manly voice from the second floor, the sound carrying through the open space of the home.

“Clyde! Where are you?” called Atticus in response.

Clyde responded by appearing at on the second-floor balcony, his huge, muscular frame dominating the view, his typical wide smile on his face. Seeing Atticus on the first floor he turned toward the stairs and ran down, the footfalls of his enormous feet sounding through the living room. Upon reaching the first floor, he ran towards Atticus and wrapped him with his massive, beefy arms, lifting Atticus into the air.

“Good to see you, brother!” he said.

“You too,” said Atticus, his face muffled by Clyde’s chest. “But if you could put me down, I’d appreciate it.”

He complied, and Atticus took a step back and looked at his brother.

Clyde was the brawn of the group, a role that he was happy to fill. An enormous man of nearly six-and-a-half feet of height, he was loaded with muscles. His hair was cut to a buzz and his handsome features always seemed to project warmth and friendliness. Atticus’s younger brother by several years, he always thought of Clyde as a Golden Retriever- loyal and kind.

“How was the vacation?” asked Atticus, referring to Clyde’s recent trip to the woods of the Pacific Northwest, were he spend the better part of the winter with a pack of Grizzly shifters.

“Not much of a vacation,” he said, looking away. “Lot of work.”

Atticus looked around the house.

“Where’s everyone else?” he asked.

“Out in the woods, on a pack hunt. I would be with them, but I just got back in not too long ago and, well, I didn’t really feel up to it.”

Atticus was about to press Clyde for more details, before he did, the movement of shapes in the window beyond was visible in the corner of his eye.

“Ah, that must be them,” said Clyde his attention drawn to the same place.

Atticus walked towards the enormous glass wall and looked down at the cleared grounds of the compound. Sure enough, the rest of the pack was moving from the southern entrance, the precession of nude, freshly-shifted men striding through the grounds, all with the same confident gait.

Sighing, Atticus wasn’t looking forward to the conversation he was going to have with them.

“How’s the girl?” asked Clyde, walking to Atticus’s side.

“You’ve heard?” asked Atticus, surprised.

“Only a little, that you’ve been having the pack look after some woman in town.”

“That’s right,” said Atticus.

“Why?” asked Clyde, giving Atticus a playful jab to the arm, which Atticus found still hurt quite a bit, even despite Clyde’s playful intentions. “You have a little crush?”

Atticus smirked and rolled his eyes, the events of the day flashing through his mind.

“Nothing so indulgent. You remember the meth dealers who’ve been taking up residence in the woods?”

“I do,” said Clyde. “Bringing more and more crime into the area.”

“Exactly. Besides that, they’re putting up more and more drug labs in the woods, setting up booby traps and destroying the woods around them with their chemicals.”

Clyde shook his head.

“We need to rid them from this area, if you ask me.”

“I agree,” said Atticus, his eyes still on the pack as they split up, his brothers making their way towards the house.

“So, what does the girl have to do with all of it?” asked Clyde.

Atticus heard the doors open on the floor below.

“We’ll talk all of this over in a minute. For now, I need a damn beer.”

“That does sound nice,” said Clyde.

The pair walked through the living room and down the hall leading to the kitchen, passing the dining room on their right, a room with a long, birch table and a view onto the woods just as spectacular as the living room.

Atticus made his way to the tall, stainless steel fridge and opened it, letting the cool air rush over his body for a moment before he withdrew a pair of Budweisers. He cracked the two caps and handed one to Clyde.

“Thank you,” said Clyde, taking a long draw. “But you’re not going to meet with Ian and Roland?”

“As much as I need to talk with them, I think I’ll give them a minute or two to throw on some clothes.”

Clyde made an expression of realization. The two of them then walked out onto the large patio that overlooked the property, took a seat and sipped their beers.

“I never get tired of this view,” said Atticus, looking out at the trees just outside of their compound, followed by the gentle, rolling curves of the hills beyond, the view building to a crescendo of faraway mountains painted with a glow of soft pinks and creamy whites from the dramatic sky of the setting sun.

“It’s quite a place to call home,” said Clyde. “Especially after where I just came back from.”

“Not as nice of a view?”

“The home of the pack was more…cave-like,” he said. “And it rained every damn day.”

“That’s the Pacific Northwest for you,” said Atticus. “It’s why I prefer our little slice of land.”

“Agreed,” said Clyde, taking a sip of his beer.

Before they could continue, Atticus heard his brothers enter the den. Soon after, the door to the patio opened, and turning in his seat, he was greeted with the sight of Ian and Roland, his other younger brothers.

“There’s our older brother,” said Ian, walking around the deck chairs where Clyde and Atticus sat, taking position leaning against the wooden railing in front of them, blocking their view.

Ian was the opposite of Clyde in just about every way. Where Clyde was tall and brawny, with an open and warm personality, and interests that tended to veer towards the physical, Ian was a slighter, leaner man with a sharp intellect and a mind more inclined towards the cerebral. He had the same sandy-blonde hair as the other brothers, his pin-straight, grown to shoulder length and tucked behind his ears. His features were just as handsome as the other men, though his were sharper and leaner, cheekbones pronounced and high, his hazel eyes narrow, giving him an expression of constant skepticism. Ian was wearing a tight, gray t-shirt that showed off his ropey, slim musculature, and a pair of jeans that fit his legs snugly. His feet were bare and pale.

Roland, on the other hand, was all business. His sandy-blond hair was slicked back and had a sheen that gave it the appearance of being polished. He had the same wide jaw and rugged, handsome features as Atticus, but his expression was fixed and serious. His shoulders were wide and square, and his solid, muscular physique marked him as a man who attended to his health and appearance with the same serious-minded focus that he applied to every other facet of his life, including the finances of the pack. He was in charge of making sure that their money was wisely invested, and that the maintenance of the compound was always attended to. He was dressed in a simple white button-up shirt and pair of black slacks, his feet in a pair of black, stylish slip-ons.

“And your younger one, too,” said Clyde, almost sounding hurt by his brothers not giving him the same warm welcome as Atticus.

“Of course,” said Roland as Clyde rose to his feet. “Welcome back.”

The brothers greeted one another briefly, followed by a quick hug between Ian and Clyde.

“I’m glad you’re both here,” said Atticus, resting his beer on his flat stomach. “We have matters to discuss.”

“I hope this doesn’t involve another slumber party at your crush’s house,” said Ian.

Atticus shot him a narrow-eyed look.

“No, Ian. This is about the meth operation in the area.”

“Go on,” said Roland, preparing to pay close attention.

“Well, as we already knew, Lucas Henderson is a high-up the Bear Mountain meth scene. And I actually had an appointment with Tessa Henderson this afternoon. Turns out that they’ve split for one reason or another.”

“No doubt she found out about her husband’s involvement with the drug scene,” said Roland, folding his hands in front of him.

“Or she walked in on him fucking one of the strung-out teenagers he can’t seem to keep away from,” said Ian.

“I’m thinking both,” said Atticus. “I talked to her about it, briefly, and she was cagey. Cagier than if she had just found out that he was cheating. I got the impression she was dealing with something that she wasn’t expecting in the slightest.”

“And the reason you were over there?” asked Ian, a sly smile crossing his red lips.

“An appointment, like I said. Lucas did cut the power to her place, after all.”

“Something tells me that wasn’t the only need of hers you were attending to,” said Ian.

“That’s enough,” said Atticus, shutting him down.

“Wait, what?” asked Clyde. “A girl? Does this mean you’re finally getting married?”

Atticus held up his hand, getting the brothers back on topic.

“It means that she’s likely to be a way to get closer to Lucas. Maybe with her on our side, we can finally get at him. And if we were able to do something about him, it might be just the thing to turn the tide on the meth gangs in the area. Not to mention that if he’s willing to sneak up to her place at night and cut her power and water, who knows what else he’d be willing to do. Especially since she now knows what kind of business he’s involved in.”

“True,” said Roland. “Meth doesn’t exactly lead to ‘cooler heads prevailing’ types of situations.”

“Did any of you see anything in the woods?” asked Atticus.

“That’s what we want to tell you about,” said Roland. “We found another abandoned trailer out there, not too far from town. No drugs. But the, ah, chefs left plenty of ingredients behind.”

“Chemicals just leaking into the ground,” said Ian.

“That’s terrible,” said Clyde. “Who would do something like that?”

“Assholes who don’t care about anything other than making money,” said Ian.

“They need to be eliminated, that’s for sure,” said Roland. “Even if we didn’t care about the harm they’re inflicting on the community, it’s only a matter of time before they wreck the environment in the area.”

“Not to mention, they do something to Tessa,” said Ian.

“Hey, you guys don’t have to sell me on this,” said Atticus.

“I say we just shift at night, go to that house on the other side of town and tear the place apart,” said Ian.

“That’d be a temporary solution at best,” said Roland.

“Right,” said Atticus. “Not considering how they outnumber us, unless we get the leadership to help, we know they’ll just reform and get right back to it.”

“You can say a lot about meth users,” said Roland. “But a lack of focus isn’t one of them.

“Fine,” said Ian. “What’s the next step, then?”

“Next step is we make sure that nothing happens to Tessa, just like we’ve been doing,” said Atticus. “Aside from it being the right thing to do, she might just be the key to getting this problem solved.”

“And maybe you can finally pick up a bride in the process,” said Ian.

Atticus shot him a dirty look.

The tradition of the black bear shifters was that the Alpha of the tribe, typically the oldest male, would be the first to find a bride. Once he was married, the rest of the men of the tribe would follow suit. Atticus, by preferring to stay single, had put something of a strain on the rest of the pack. Ever since his 35th year, the age when the Alpha of the pack was expected to wed, Atticus’s brothers had been putting a fair amount of pressure on him to settle down and find a mate. And now that his 40th birthday was drawing nearer and nearer, this pressure had been becoming less and less subtle.

“But for now,” said Atticus, “we just keep an eye on Tessa.”

“Fine,” said Ian, his body tensing, telegraphing to Atticus that while he would obey his Alpha, he didn’t care for sitting around.

Silence fell over the brothers as they watched the sun set over Bear Mountain. Atticus let himself slide further back into his chair, the subtle buzz from the beer weaving through his body. However, the phone ringing from where he left it on the kitchen counter snapped him out of his relaxed state. Setting his beer down on the wood floor of the deck, he trotted into the kitchen and picked up his phone. Looking at the display, he saw that it was a number that he didn’t recognize.

“Hello?”

“Hey, is this Atticus?” asked the voice on the other end. It was a woman’s voice- a familiar woman’s voice.

“It is. Who’s this.”

“It’s Tessa. Are you free to talk?”

Tessa drove her car down the road heading to the center of Branlen, her headlights cutting through the pitch darkness that surrounded her. She drove with more care down the sloping, winding road, as tough Lucas and his cronies might jump from the shadows at any moment.

She called Atticus on a whim. Tessa realized that she barely knew the man, but between the feeling of unease that being alone at her house instilled in her, and the fact that she felt strangely comfortable and safe around him, she knew that she wanted to spend more time with him. So, dialing his number, she asked him to meet her at Hannagan’s for a drink and was pleased- not to mention, relieved- when he agreed.

The soft glow of the town lights appeared down at the end of the road, and after a few more minutes of driving, Tessa was in the center of town. She drove the last bit of distance to Hannigan’s and scanned the parking lot as she drove in. The lot seemed bare and she couldn’t spot Atticus’s work truck- the only cars there were a handful of older-model trucks and sedans. She slid her car into an open spot and headed into the bar.

Hannagan’s was fairly dead, which wasn’t uncommon for a weekday night. Having her choice of places to sit, she slid into an open spot at the bar, Julianne arriving moments later with her usual smile on her face.

“Well, look who it is,” Julianne said, tossing a coaster onto the bar in front of Tessa.

“Hey, Jules,” said Tessa.

“Still no Lucas?” Julianne asked, pouring Tessa a pint of her usual.

“No,” she said, realizing that she was about to meet Atticus here and that wouldn’t be the best look. “I’m, ah, meeting the electrician who did some repair work today. It, uh, turns out he’s a pretty good artist and he’s going to give me some tips on getting more of my art sold.”

Julianne looked at her with a lowered-eyelid, skeptical expression.

“Hey, no judgements here, girl. I’m on husband number three, remember?” she said, holding up her left hand and pointing to the ring on it. “Henry told me some name he has for it.”

She turned to Henry, who was pouring a line of whiskey shots for a group of construction workers.

“Henry! What’s that thing you called people cheating on each other?” she yelled, Tessa’s face turning a deep shade of red. “That French thing.”

“Luh comedy humaine.”

“Yeah, that,” said Julianne. “Kinda means, people cheat, people break up; it’s just how people are, you know?”

“Oh, OK,” said Tessa. “I’m not doing any of that, though.”