I can handle a lot of things in the wilderness but my period is one that kills me. We’ve been here for two months. Each time I get my cycle, I am miserable to the point I want to die. Sure, I have a small supply of tampons but I’m bloated and uncomfortable and bitchy as hell. Plus, it’s almost August and unbearably hot during the day. I spend more time in the cave than anywhere else during shark week.
My hormones are also out of control.
I sit up on my elbows and watch Dad work on our new home. He’s downed twenty-six trees. I’ve watched him over the weeks bulk up from the manual labor and I can’t stop staring at him. He walks around shirtless with his jeans low on his hips revealing muscles that seem to point right to his cock and it drives me mental.
Ever since the night we fought, I’ve tried hard to go back to the way things were. Dad has tried even harder. But we’re strained. It’s in the back of both our minds, I know this without doubt, but we both ignore it. And at night, we cuddle like two related people shouldn’t.
I crave him.
Badly.
More so than chocolate or any other thing I no longer have access to.
I don’t want any of it.
I want him.
I want to run my fingers through his thick beard and kiss his perfect lips.
Shame causes my skin to heat up and I grab my water bottle in irritation. My belly growls and I wonder if I should scavenge for some berries. They are plentiful and I’m trying to figure out a way to preserve them for the winter. Dad has built some traps to save his ammunition. We’ve feasted on squirrels and rabbit. Aside from the forbidden tension between us, life is kind of nice. Sometimes late at night we talk about how much we miss Mom and Drew and Buddy, but mostly we just hold each other and find solace in the only other person on this earth we have left.
“I think I’ll make the door face east. Once we get the cabin erected, I’m going to start cutting off metal from the RV to use for the roof,” he says as he hefts his ax in a log. He lifts his muscular arm to swipe sweat from his brow. His bicep bulges and his abs flex.
Oh, God.
My entire body feels as though it’s buzzing with electricity. I have no way to expel the energy.
“Sounds good,” I tell him absently. My gaze falls to his butt when he bends over to pick the ax back up. The boys in my old neighborhood never looked this good. Strong. Muscular. Sweaty.
I’m going to combust.
I peel off my tank and lie back on the cool stone. It works wonders to cool me off.
“Put your shirt back on,” Dad says, his voice close.
I shield my eyes from the sun to find him standing right in front of the cave opening. His gaze shamelessly rakes down my bare chest.
“I’m hot,” I pout.
His jaw clenches and he tears his gaze away. “I need you to check the traps near camp. Skin anything we catch. I’m going to work on clearing the brush for the foundation a little more. Soon I can start on the frame.”
I sit up on my elbows again. My breasts are swollen since I’m on my period and I’m happy they’re a little bigger than usual. His gaze falls on them again. When he licks his lips before turning away, my heart flutters in my chest.
“Shirt. On. Now.”
Rolling my eyes, I pull the shirt back on before climbing out of the cave. I stomp back to camp. I’ve only made it a few hundred yards away when I realize I forgot my knife. With a huff, I turn on my heel and head back. Dad is nowhere to be found. When I approach the cave, he’s lying inside with his legs dangling out. His jeans have been pushed down his muscular thighs. My jaw drops to see that he’s fisting his thick cock. I’m enthralled by the way his veins on his tanned forearm bulge with each time he jerks at it.
It’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.
He fists it harder and harder until he groans in pleasure. When my name is whispered from his lips, I freeze fearing I’ve been caught watching. Then I become mesmerized at the thick ropy cum that shoots up his bare hardened abs. He starts to sit up and I run.
This must be hell.
Hot and miserable.
Teased with what you’ll never be able to have.
Anytime Dad sends me away to run errands for him, I always sneak back to see if he touches himself. Often, he goes back to work. Sometimes, though, he yanks his cock out and whacks off until his release is spent. I feel dirty watching him but I can’t help it. He’s my addiction. We’re well into September now and our warm days are behind us. The nights are too cold. We spend far too much time snuggled together for body heat.
“We can always add on,” Dad says, his hands on his narrow hips.
I walk around our cabin that doesn’t have a roof yet. I love that it’s pressed against the side of the mountain and we can keep our cave. “Seems plenty big enough to me. My favorite part is the porch.”
He winks at me and saunters into the structure. “I’m going to make us matching chairs and a little table so we can sit out here and eat breakfast each morning.”
“I can’t wait.”
His gaze stalls on my lips so I lick them. I find myself desperate to drive him as crazy as he makes me.
“Get back to work,” he barks out and gives me a playful swat on my bottom.
I roll my eyes at him despite the fire raging within me and set to scraping the bark off the inside of the cabin walls. I’m distracted though when he starts cutting wood he plans to use on the roof. Muscles upon muscles. Dad never had those before. I mean, he was cut and lean but I never knew he could look like this.
“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” he teases.
Heat flashes across my skin. Is he flirting with me?
“You look sweaty. Maybe we should go swim and I’ll wash you.” I quirk up an eyebrow in challenge.
“Bad girl,” he mutters before going back to his project.
I grin because I feel like I won this round.
Today is moving day. It’s freezing and I’m tired but our cabin is ready. I’m dying to get out of the tent. And yet here I am, curled under the blankets dreading all the hard work ahead of us today.
“Pip,” Dad chirps as he unzips the tent and sits on his knees beside me. His grin is infectious. “I have a surprise for you.”
I sit up and rub sleep out of my eyes. “Show me.”
His laugh is warm and rich. It heats me from the inside out. “Come on, pretty girl.”
I melt under his flirtatious compliment and accept his outstretched hand. Once I’m dressed, we walk hand in hand to our new home. As soon as it comes into view, my heart swells. We built it together. Dad did all the heavy lifting but he let me help a lot. I’m proud of it.
Tears well in my eyes. It’s constructed with pride. Dad didn’t cut any corners. The porch is a lovely touch and our table and chairs are perfect. The roof had given him hell but he made it work. It’s pitched with logs but he used the metal from the RV to fashion a roof that should remain leak free. The extra pieces of metal, he lined the inside of our cabin for insulation against the cold. Together, we’d taken apart one of the bench seats in the RV and made a couch for our living space. The cabin is spacious. There’s a bedroom, a living room, and a small kitchen area. It’s perfect.
“Close your eyes,” he murmurs as he tugs me closer to our home.
I close them and let him guide me up the steps onto the porch. He pushes open the fancy door he made and we step inside. It’s warmer than the chilly air outside and I smile. I’m scooped into his arms and I squeal. When he tosses me, I cry out and then gasp when I land on a soft surface.
A bed.
He told me the mattress was ruined inside the RV, yet here it is with my favorite quilt spread over the top.
I burst into tears.
“Shhh,” he coos and sits beside me on the bed. I’m pulled into his warm arms. “I thought you’d like it, sweetheart.”
I sob but look up at him. “I love it, Dad.”
His brown eyes light up and he leans forward. When his lips brush against mine, I nearly melt. He pulls away and smiles. “Happy birthday, Devon.”
I blink at him in confusion. “It’s my birthday?”
“I’ve kept up with the calendar. You’re seventeen now.”
“I feel forty,” I joke.
He strokes my hair out of my face and regards me with a tender expression. “You’ve grown into a beautiful woman.”
Heat coils in my belly like a snake. “Thank you.” I blush under his intense stare. Eventually, he breaks our gaze and stands.
“Let’s move in. I’m ready to start preparing for winter and settling in.”
“Me too.”
Since it’s cold outside, we curl up on the sofa and enjoy our new space. Our first night at our home and my birthday.
“The legal drinking age is twenty-one but I’m pretty sure I’ll have burned through all the alcohol leftover before then. If you have any chance of crossing this off your life bucket list, we better do it soon. And what better time than your birthday?”
He pours some liquor into a coffee mug that survived the crash. I pull it up to my nose and crinkle it up in disgust.
“Ew. How do you drink this?”
“It’ll put hair on your chest, that’s for damn sure.”
I laugh and shake my head. “I’m not sure if I want hair on my chest. I kind of like it the way it is.”
His gaze darkens. “Just drink, Pip.”
The first swallow feels as though I’ve swallowed fire. It burns me from the inside out. I cough and glare at him. “Gross!” But then heat spreads through my chilled bones and I decide I like that warm feeling. “Fine. I’ll drink it but only because it warms me up.”
“I promise I’ll always keep you warm,” he murmurs. His pinky hooks with mine and we leave them conjoined.
We grow quiet as we drink and the sun sets, leaving us in the darkness. Each of us are lost in our own thoughts. Mine are of the dirty variety. I have no idea what he’s thinking. I can’t read him like I used to before this trip. A storm always brews in his eyes. As if he’s battling a war within myself. I wish he could find peace.
“I think that’s enough for one night,” he grunts, taking my now empty mug from me.
I whine but he simply chuckles at me. When I attempt to stand, I stumble. Lightning quick, he rises and steadies me with his hands on my hips. The jeans and hoodie feel like too much.
“Time for bed, Pip.”
I peel off my hoodie and shirt. It takes longer to remove my jeans. I climb under our mountain of covers now that we’ve taken them from both the tent and the RV.
“Are you coming to bed?” I ask as I stretch out. I don’t know how he wrangled the mattress all the way here by himself but I’m in heaven.
His belt jangles and my ears perk up as his clothes hit the cabin floor. When the mattress sinks with his weight, my heart rate spikes. I wrap my nearly naked body around his and let out a contented sigh.
“Did you have a good birthday?” he murmurs.
“It was the best. I wanted this one little thing though.” My voice is a whisper but I’m dead set on saying it. The liquor encourages me.
“What’s that?”
I tilt my head up and run my fingers through his wiry beard. Our hot breaths co-mingle, spicy from the alcohol. “A kiss.”
He laughs. “I kiss you all the time.”
I run my thumb over his bottom lip. “A real one.”
Dad doesn’t answer. Rejection makes me nauseous.
“I’ll never get to kiss a boy for the first time. I’ll never go to college. I’ll never have a normal life. I just thought—”
I’m silenced when his hot mouth presses to mine. Soft. So soft. My heart is pattering in my chest and it feels as though butterflies dance in my belly. His strong hand grips my jaw and he pulls down so that my mouth parts open. I let out a surprised moan when his warm tongue brushes against mine. It feels weird but I like it. He starts to pull away but I’m not done. I thread my fingers in his long brown hair that hangs in his eyes lately when we go too far between haircuts. I grip him and urge him to keep kissing me. With a groan, he gives in.
We kiss like this for what feels like hours.
I want his mouth all over me but I settle for it on mine for now.
His cock is hard against my thigh. I’m trying to summon up the courage to touch him through his boxers but keep falling short.
“Devon,” he rasps against my mouth. “That’s enough. You got your birthday wish. Time for bed.” Guilt laces his tone.
I don’t want him to feel guilty. It’s just the two of us. Nobody is judging us.
“Please,” I beg as I try to kiss him again.
He turns his head away as he rolls onto his back. “No. Bed. Now.”
I’m not afraid of his fatherly authoritative tone. Tapping into my bravery, I reach down and grip his erection through his boxers. I expect him to let me stroke him like he does himself.
“FUCK!” he snarls. “What the fuck, Devon?!”
He shoves me away from him and my pride is instantly crushed. Undeterred, I reach for him again. I shriek when he grabs my arm and drags me across his lap. His cock pokes painfully into my ribs as he rips my panties down my thighs.
“What—” My words give way to a scream when he spanks me. I try to scramble away, but he pins me in his strong grip.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
I sob and wiggle—anything to escape him spanking me. I haven’t been spanked since I was ten years old.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
He spanks me so hard that I know I’ll be bruised. Over and over again until I throw up all over our new floor. I’m tossed into the floor as he stands and stalks out of the cabin in nothing but his boxer shorts.
Confused and hurt, I crawl into the bed and bawl my eyes out until I pass out.
I’ve never felt so alone in my entire life.