Tucker:

I don’t remember what it feels like to introduce a girlfriend to my parents for the first time, or even what it’s like to have parents for that matter. I’m sure I did; hell, everyone came from somewhere. But I know I’m nervous as shit bringing her around the crew.

She’s so soft and warm, but smarter than most. She treats everyone with compassion, as if they are just like her.

I know for a fact they are not just like her.

I saw the look on her face when she got back from the jail. I never want to see her look scared and broken like that again. Moss is a good leader, but he’s over the top. He likes getting people riled up, and, like a rabid dog, he will happily bite the hand that feeds him, infecting them with his toxic personality. I see it in his relationship with Luna on a daily basis.

I shouldn’t have made her go down there alone to get him, but it’s what she wanted. I might trust Moss with my life, but I definitely don’t trust him with hers. I can tell how seriously she’s taking this story, though, and I wouldn’t do anything to get in the way of that.

I’m already an inconvenience enough to her life. I can’t get in the way of her career.

We pull into the campground, and everyone is just lounging around aimlessly. The smell of cloves and patchouli about burn my sinuses out of my skull, meaning everyone got themselves cleaned up, showered, and shaved for her arrival.

The men jump up, surrounding the four-wheeler, circling us, staring.

“Why are you guys acting like such creeps?” I ask. “You’re acting like you’ve never seen a girl before. Get the hell out of here.”

“It’s ok,” she giggles. “I feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.”

“I guess that’s better than Barbara in Night of the Living Dead. Cuz that’s the vibe I’m getting right now.”

“Well please, you guys don’t have to eat my brains,” she teases. “I brought snacks! Where’s my backpack?” I help her with her helmet, and I pull Dolly out of the little carrier and let her run loose. She bounces from person to person, smelling their hands and letting them pet her.

“I gave it to Mitch,” Forrest says.

“Who’s Mitch?” she asks.

“He’s the guy who keeps track of our stuff. He makes sure we stay honest and that everyone gets equal,” Forrest tells her.

“That sounds smart,” she says, and I can tell she’s making mental notes. “I’m sure it’s a lot easier not to have to worry about rationing stuff out.”

“There she is,” Mitch booms from the other side of the campground in his typical jovial fashion. I am actually kind of excited for her to meet the old guy, the voice of reason around here, and the man I can most relate to. “Our heroine. Thanks for fronting us the cash to get Moss out. We should be able to pay you back in no time at all.”

“As long as he shows up for court like he’s supposed to, I’ll get it back,” she says naively. Everyone around starts laughing, and she shakes her head. “He’s not going to court is he?”

“We’ll pay you back, love,” Mitch assures her. “Here’s your backpack by the way.”

“Actually, since you folks are so nice as to let me come spend some time with you and learn your stories, I brought you presents. A peace offering. I know this story thing isn’t ideal for you all, but I wanted to show you I’m not some uppity bitch who’s just here to make a quick buck.”

She pulls open the bagful of snacks and everyone’s eyes light up like kids who just dumped their trick or treat haul.

“Are those gummy bears?” Forrest shrieks. It’s hilarious seeing my big burly band of brothers getting so worked up over junk food. It’s almost like they’re a bunch of prisoners who just got commissary.

“Here’s for the grown-ups,” she says, handing Mitch a couple bottles of whiskey. “I figured you guys might appreciate these.”

“This is a good woman, Tucker,” Mitch laughs. “Don’t fuck it up.”

“Tucker!” Luna’s shrill voice squeals from behind a tree. She’s wearing nothing but a string bikini and flip-flops, her breasts barely contained by that thin strip of fabric. She comes over and wraps her arms around me in a big bear hug. “What took you so long? I was worried sick.”

“Where’s your man?” I ask her, peeling her off of me. “I need to talk to him.”

“He’s meditating,” she says. “He can’t talk right now.”

Meditating is Moss’s codeword for plotting. Planning. Hiding out and cutting everyone off while he lets his rage manifest into his next elaborate scheme. Usually when Moss gets back from a day of ‘meditation’, something dramatic happens. Maybe he actually does just need some time to himself out in the woods, though. A few days in prison really did do a number on him.

“What do you need to know, sweetie?” she asks. “You know I always help you. You’re my baby bird with the broken wing.”

Her behavior is off-putting to say the least, but I’d already been warned that she doesn’t play well with new girls. I just didn’t get a chance to tell Molly.

Molly doesn’t seem to care though; she just marches up to Luna and offers her hand. “So you must be the queen bee around here,” she says.

Luna eyes her suspiciously. She takes her hand limply, showing her complete disinterest.

“I actually brought something for you, too, but I don’t know if you want me to give it to you in front of the guys. It’s girl stuff,” Molly whispers. “I know it’s probably a pain in the ass to try and get downtown, especially that time of the month.”

“Dammit, Molly,” Luna laughs. “I wanted to hate you, but that’s really one of the nicest things you could’ve done. But just for the record, I can’t be bought!”

“I’ll make sure to note that,” Molly says. “And I completely understand why you might not like me. But I promise I will do nothing but respect you guys and your space and land.” It seems to appease Luna for the time being, and she scurries off to Mitch to get her goods.

“How did you know?” I ask her.

“I didn’t,” she shrugs. “But I had a feeling there were at least a few females hanging out around here. I mean look at you guys. Look at you,” she says, blushing.

“What do you want to do now, Molly?” I ask her, putting my arm around her shoulder. “What’s your process?”

“My process is, I’m going to let everyone enjoy their goodies, and you’re going to walk me home.”

“Just like that?”

“Things like this take time. I gotta warm everybody up first. Come on, I’m in the mood for a hike.” She jumps on my shoulders and wraps her legs around my waist, pressing her lips into my neck.

“I gotta carry you down that hill again?” I tease, searching for her lips.

“I’ll make it worth your while,” she purrs into my ear. “You’re staying at my place tonight, right?”

“If I have to,” I joke, hooking my arms under her knees. The way she giggles when I tickle her thighs hits me right in the dick.

“Put me down, goofy, I’m just kidding,” she says. “Do you know where Wader’s Rock is?”

“I do.” It was where I was hanging out all day before I found her. The place where I was dreaming about building us a nice sturdy hunting camp. “Why?”

“I was trying to go there when you found me the other day. I was hoping you’d take me,” she says, sliding down my back. “Let’s get out of here, no?”

Molly:

The guys seemed so distracted by my peace offering that they really didn’t even give a second thought to us sneaking off. That’s fine by me. I want them to feel comfortable around me, act like themselves, I want to be a fly on the wall.

Of course that’s nearly impossible when Tucker is a Venus flytrap, waiting around to snap me up at any second. It’s cute the way he hovers over me, but it’s going to be hard for me to flip that switch from personal to professional when I’m so especially partial to this hottie holding my hand and leading me through the narrow footpaths of the forest.

We let Dolly run ahead and he takes his time pointing out different signs of wildlife, tracks, rubs, even different types of poop. The man knows his shit, quite literally. Birds are singing in the trees and he can identify them by their song, at least that’s what he’s leading me to believe. I have no way of calling him if it’s bullshit; all I know is blue jays are blue and owls go hoo. As much as I love spending time in nature, it’s only recently that I’ve discovered that side of me. Having Tucker as a guide into the wild, in more ways than one, is making for the perfect day.

“How did you learn all this stuff?” I ask him. For a man who has no recollection of his real last name or last known whereabouts, he sure remembers a lot of really minor and oddly specific details.

“I guess it’s just in me.” He shrugs. “It’s who I am.”

It’s so hard to keep my mouth shut, but if I’m going to let myself fall for this man, I can’t settle for the vague. “You know who you are?”

“Molly, don’t be cruel.”

“I’m not being cruel. I’m being concerned. I care about you, Tucker. I want to get you help. I can tell from being around the Vagrants for an hour that you’re not like those guys.”

He reaches into his backpack and pulls out a notebook.

“Here,” he says, handing it to me. I start flipping through the pages. They’re drawings, blueprints almost, complex designs for houses, office buildings, hotels.

“What is this?” I stammer.

“I don’t know. I come down to the rocks and draw this stuff sometimes.”

“You think this is who you were? Who you are?”

“I’m working on it,” he says. “This is my cross to bear. There’s a whole lot more to it than figuring out who I was. I have an opportunity to figure out who I want to be. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I think that’s more important.”

“Let me help you then, Tucker. I won’t say one more word about your past unless you bring it up yourself. I want to help you figure out who you want to be. I want to do it with you,” I insist. The way the afternoon sun is shining through the trees accentuates every mark on his face, every freckle on his arm, the variation of color of his hair. He looks like a perfect man in this light, in the woods. Perfect and complete.

“Is your ankle holding up alright?” he asks me as we hit a steep downhill climb.

“It feels great, I swear,” I tell him.

“Well, we’re almost there. You should take your shoes off.”

“Why?”

“You’ll know when you feel it.” He smiles at me. “It’s something I know I’ve been craving my whole existence.”

He holds my hand in his as we wander through the thick field of grass, the soft sandy trail, and soon, the top of the rock formation Cheryl and I were supposed to be hiking to the other day.

It takes my breath away. He’s right. My feet planted flat onto this great boulder left behind from when this land would’ve been under the sea feels like a connection to something deeper than I’ve ever felt. His fingers entwined with mine makes my heart flutter as we stand here in the sunshine on top of this giant rock. I close my eyes and let the warmth wash over my body, let the breeze tickle my skin.

There’s a reason why Cheryl and I didn’t make it here together the other day, or even why I didn’t make it here alone. This moment was meant to be for the two of us. Me and Tucker. Or whoever this man is standing next to me. I don’t care who he is. Sometimes things just feel right.

The giant boulder overlooks a huge culvert below, and waterfalls roll over the ledges, keeping the basin full.

“This rock is actually not exactly what it looks like,” he explains to me. “Come on,” he says, leading me by my hand towards the edge. My stomach grows queasy as I look down over the side. I’ve never been afraid of heights before, but I’ve also never been faced with being up so high before unless it was in an airplane. Dolly comes running past us and I scream as she throws herself over the ledge.

“It’s ok,” he says as I stand there shaking. “Look!”

He points down, and literally two feet below where we are standing is another ledge. I shake my head at him as he steps down. We walk around the ledge to a cave cut in the side of the rock. The light pours through the big opening, and he leads me inside. There’s a sleeping bag on the ground.

“This is where I come to think about stuff,” he says, motioning for me to sit on the ground next to him. “I was kind of shocked when you asked me to bring you here.”

“This is the perfect place to think about stuff,” I sigh, the cool damp air waking up my senses.

“Is that so? Well what are you thinking about, Miss Molly?” he asks, putting his arm around me. His touch is always so calculated, always comes at the perfect time. I’m sure by the way I’m leaning into his chest, running my hand down his thigh, he knows exactly what I’m thinking about.

He pulls the hairbands out of my pigtails, running his big strong hands through my mess of dirty blonde curls, massaging my scalp. He presses his nose to my head as he plays with my hair. It’s one of my favorite feelings in the world. I’m surprised I’m not purring like a kitten in his lap.

“I love the way you smell,” he whispers. He slides the strap of my sundress down my shoulder and puts his mouth to the pit of my neck, his beard grazing my sensitive skin, sending shivers down my spine as he kisses up and down my neck. “I love the way you taste.” He runs his fingers over my collarbone, down my sternum until he’s cupping my breast in his hand, rolling my nipple between his fingers.

“I love the way you sound when I touch you in the places you don’t share with anyone but me.” He’s absolutely right. Inadvertently, moans escape my lips, echoing from the walls of the cave as he plays with my nipples and nibbles on my neck. He pulls my dress the rest of the way over my head, and pulls me onto his lap, leaving me sitting there in nothing but my soaked panties, wrapped in his arms.

“I love how you trust me to make you feel good. How you let me use this beautiful body however I want,” he growls in my ear, trailing his fingers down my stomach, playing with the waistband of my black boy shorts.

I squirm on his lap, ready for him, feeling his pants tighten as his big beautiful dick responds to the rocking of my hips.

“That needy pussy of yours,” he says, kissing my earlobe. “I love that too. I love how you’re always ready to take my dick inside you.

“I love playing with you, Molly. You’re a dirty, nasty girl with a heart of gold and I’m the luckiest guy in the world that I have the privilege to be with you.

“You and me. We’re cut from the same cloth. I knew it the second I saw you, and every second I spend with you makes me hungry for more. I want to do whatever it takes to be the man you need me to be, Molly. If that means turning my back on the clan, I’ll do it. I’ll go get a job at a gas station or something. I’ll work twenty-three hours a day to support you if it means I get to spend that one hour I have left over with you.”

“It doesn’t have to be so hard, Tucker,” I want to scream at him. I saw the drawings. He doesn’t belong in a gas station. Or amongst these criminals. Tucker is a smart man with a skill set that doesn’t just come naturally. At some point in his life, he learned to draw those things. If he just did a little digging, I’m positive these things would come to the surface. I can’t tell him, though. I’m going to have to show him, and I’m already coming up with an idea of how I’m going to do it.

My life is good. My life is easy. I don’t think it would be so hard for him to just fall in with me. I can’t believe I’m even considering this, though. I’ve barely known him for a week, and yet everything in me wants him to be a part of my adventure through this world.

I turn to face him and I pull his shirt off over his head and let my hands explore those perfect chiseled abs, let my lips explore every muscle, feeling his chest rise and fall at my touch. I unbuckle his belt with passionate urgency while he runs his hands through my wild mane of hair.

I tilt my hips and slide his jeans down, slide his boxer briefs down, his shaft hard as ever, waiting for me, beads of precum oozing from the tip. I slide my panties down. He always takes the lead, but right now, I just want to show him how badly I want him.

Show him that life with me is good. Life with me is easy. And he deserves to be taken care of. I gasp as I slide down onto that thick throbbing rod of his, no words necessary. My body struggles to adapt to his girth, my walls contracting around him as his breathing gets faster. We’re talking with our eyes, I’m staring deep into his, watching them flicker with lust and need for me.

I rock my hips up and down slowly, my wetness seeping onto his lap. He meets my thrusts, driving his waist into my clit every time he bucks, and my toes curl. That brief moment of contact drives me closer and closer to the edge, only to be ripped away.

It’s a delightful tease, and I’m nearly limp in his arms. His hands are the only thing holding me upright as we do this dance of give and take. I don’t want it to ever end; I want to spend the rest of my life here in this cave, stone under my feet, my nails digging into his flesh, riding him to the verge of explosion.

“I’m so close, baby,” he whispers in my ear. “I want to feel you cum with me.”

I bring my fingers to my clit but he grabs my wrist, pinning it behind my back.

“Use my dick,” he growls. “Take it all the way.”

I take him as deep as I can, all the way to the root. My swollen clit throbs against his flesh and I grind my hips, moaning in desperation.

“That’s so good, girl,” he whispers. “You’re fucking gushing.”

I feel tremendous pressure on my g-spot from the rocking, and my legs begin to twitch. My walls contract, my clit tingles, and I can’t control my screams. I feel like I’m going to pass out, my body overwhelmed by the sensations. My mind is complete mush.

“Cum on my dick,” he commands. “Let it all out, baby.” I feel his cock twitch and swell inside me, and his familiar grunt rings through the cave as he coats my insides with his warm seed. He holds me on top of him, my walls still milking him, squeezing him. I am so far out of my mind, I don’t think I’ll ever snap out of this state, and I don’t want to. We kiss hard and long to seal the deal. Every nerve ending on my body is lit up, and just grazing his fingers over my skin sends me right back into that zone.

“Holy shit, Tucker,” I gasp. “You’re full of tricks. How did you learn to be such a good lover?”

“I think,” he smiles, “you make me this way. Hearing you scream is the most beautiful sound in the world to me. I want to do whatever I can to make that happen.” He buries his face in my neck, his beard tickling my shoulders, and he lets out a long sigh.

“I think I could stay here forever with you in this cave and die a happy girl,” I say.

“Probably sooner than later,” he jokes. “I don’t know about you, but I’m half near starving.”

I slide myself off of him and grab my backpack. “I didn’t forget about us.”

I fish out some beef jerky, a thermos of water and a bag of trail mix. “It’s not much, but if it lets us prolong this date a little longer, I’m not going to complain.”

“Oh, Molly, this can’t possibly be what you think a date is. I’m sure you’ve been on much nicer.”

“I get to spend time with someone I care about in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. What’s so wrong with that?”

He kisses my forehead as I sit down next to him on the sleeping bag.

Dolly hears the crinkling of plastic and comes running. She’s a complete fiend for beef jerky. She wags her nub of a tail and makes eyes at Tucker, begging for a piece. He chuckles and hands her a chunk and she takes off back to wherever she was running and playing.

“One of these days I am going to take you on a proper date,” he says.

We sit there in silence, looking out over the ledge, watching the waterfalls pour into the basin, enjoying the beauty of nature around us. I start to shiver and he wraps me in a big warm blanket that smells like sunshine and him. I set my alarm on my phone and we take a little nap, our bodies spooned up tight together on the floor of the cave.

When we head back down to my place, I only hope that this becomes the normal routine for the next few months as I work on this story.