Chapter 20

Jeni

I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my whole life. As I lay there shivering, listening to the men outside banging on the door, it crossed my mind that I could actually die. If they found their way in somehow Dash and I would be facing homicidal maniacs.

It had happened to people before. It happened to my mom. She didn’t have to die that day; it was horrible people doing horrible things to one another and she got stuck in the crossfire. Dash and I could’ve just as easily faced the same fate. It gave me a real perspective on how terrifying this kind of situation was and for the first time since I came to the cabin, I longed to go home, back to the safety of my one-bedroom apartment and my life. My heart leaped out to Dash. I now fully understood his paranoia; this was very scary shit.

I didn’t want to leave Dash, but I also didn’t want to stay secluded from the world, hiding away, just waiting for some madman to blast my life to bits. Luckily, this time the men left, however, the question hanging over us was, why had they come in the first place?

When Dash gave me the go-ahead to come out from under the bed, I looked at him feeling sad and overwhelmed.

“What the hell was that?” I asked, still shaking from the ordeal.

He just stared at me for a moment, the weight of the situation heavy on his shoulders. There was something he was reluctant to tell me.

“You should sit down,” he suggested motioning his hand to the couch.

I hobbled over and took a seat. He sat beside me and took my hand in his. His strong, rough hands, were cold and stiff. He’d been very frightened, more so than his expression showed. Although I didn’t understand what was happening and why he was being pursued, my heart broke for him. I could walk away from this. He couldn’t.

“I’m sorry you were here to witness that. You need to go where you can be safe; it’s not okay for you to be here any longer. The plows have started to clear the roads and the weather report says the second storm front will be moving in late tomorrow. You have time to get off the mountain now.”

“No… I” I didn’t know why I was protesting. I wanted to get away from the danger and yet... I couldn’t bear the thought of actually leaving him.

“I’ve loved this time with you,” he said. “You’ve given me more happiness in these last few days than I’ve had in over a year. Thank you for trusting me and for sharing yourself with me in such an open and loving way. If this was a perfect world, both of us would be going down the mountain today, but it’s not a perfect world and so you have to go. It’s the only way I can truly protect you.”

“And what about you? How can I be sure you’ll be safe alone up here? You’ll be alone in the storm and what if those men come back?” I was crazed; my mind was scattered in a million pieces and it was hard to form a coherent thought.

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I’m not afraid of a little wind and snow. Men with guns don’t frighten me—I have a plan to deal with them, but I need to make sure you’re safe first.” He was so convincing I almost believed him, but in my heart, I knew he was just as frightened as I was. “How will I know that you’re safe?” I threw it back at him, angry, sad, hurt… confused.

“I’ve been up here a long time, I can take care of myself. However, I’m sure you want to know why those men were here.”

“Yeah, why would people come to a remote cabin, with guns in the middle of a snowstorm?” All I could think was that they wanted to kill him.

“I’m not sure exactly why they were here, but I haven’t done anything wrong. There are evil people in the world. Greedy people who will stop at nothing to win. I can’t tell you the specifics of the situation for your safety. But, I have two children I haven’t seen in a year, they killed my wife and will stop at nothing to kill me. We didn’t deserve this and neither do you.” At that moment his phone dinged a strange ring.

I jumped out of my skin. “What’s that?”

“It’s the delivery truck, they’re here. It’s time to go.” His words caught in his throat and it looked like he was about to cry.

Suddenly, tears welled up in my eyes. This couldn’t all be ending so quickly, this wasn’t… it couldn’t be happening.

“Your things are in a bag by the door, all washed and ready to go. Your ankle seems better. It will be hard to get down the stairs to the platform, just go slow. I wish I could carry you, but I can’t risk being seen. Maybe you can wave to the men to help you down.”

He was being so cold and calculating.

He was back to the dark brooding man I’d met when I came to the cabin; the stoic mountain man who had little of anything kind to say. Now he was just kicking me out.

“No Dash, not yet. I’m not ready.” I couldn’t leave him.

“It’s time for you to go.” He stood up and grabbed my coat from a pile of things near the chair, and then walked over to me, helped me to my feet and slipped the coat on me like I was a four-year-old going to preschool.

“I can do it myself,” I said indignantly as I yanked the coat out of his arms and finished putting it on.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered with tears filling his eyes.

I was being a flat-out bitch, but I didn’t care. I was hurt and angry and my emotions were taking over. “Why now?” I pleaded.

“I need to know you’ll be safe,” he said softly. “Since you’re already upset, I should tell you, I found your email address on a business card in your purse. I’ve wired some money to your bank account using your email address. It isn’t payment for anything so please don’t think of it as anything other than a gift I truly want to share with you. I have plenty of money, more than I’ll ever use in a lifetime. I’m sorry I infringed on your privacy…

I felt like I was being socked in the face. I didn’t need his money, I needed him.

“I don’t need your money,” I barked.

“I’m sure you don’t,” he said softly, “Maybe you can gift some of it to the center you work for. Your business card says you’re a psychologist at a very well-known center for needy kids. A donation from you might help.” He was being so kind and all I wanted to do was rip his face off.

I was the devil.

“It would be weird if I just showed up with buckets of money to give them,” I said, a little less pissed off, but not much.

“Okay, we’ll make the donation from my company then, that way there won’t be any suspicion.” As soon as he said his company, he and I both knew I’d know who he was, and the mystery would blow wide open.

“But then…” I said softly.

“I trust you,” was all he said as he approached me. “You’ll know as soon as you’re gone who I am. Please, take the money. For the center and for you. I want to know I’ve given you even a fraction of what you’ve given me.” His head hung low and the real Dash was there, raw and unveiled before me.

“I think I’m falling in love with you,” I finally confessed.

“I know, I’m in love with you,” he said as he tilted my head to his and placed a soft kiss on my lips.

I couldn’t stand it. I lifted my bad leg up to wrap around his waist so I could be close to his body once more. I wanted to feel his hardness and be cradled in his big loving arms one last time.

His kiss parted my lips and I let him in again, to the place where we always spoke honestly in the language of love. Between my legs, I felt the familiar hardness of his erection and all I wanted was to have him inside me again.

He must have wanted the same thing as his kiss became more heated and passionate.

“We only have a few minutes,” he whispered with a hot breath in my ear.

“Okay,” I said eagerly as I shimmied my pants off and spread myself out for him.

I rubbed my hand along his stiffening shaft as I found the button to his jeans, whittled my fingers around the buttonhole until it was freed and unzipped his pants to reveal his beautiful cock to me one last time.

As we continued to kiss he backed me up against the wall near the front door, his fingers finding my dripping wet pussy ready and waiting for him. He rubbed his digits along my slit as my pussy slathered them with juice. A hot, needy breath escaped me as I pulsed against his touch. He found my clit and bobbed it up and down until stabbing bolts of desire were pricking me from every direction.

His first finger went into my warm center, followed by a second which angled and stretched within me to create space for his massive manhood which was pressed against my opening, warm and thick, begging admission.

“Are you ready?” he asked in a breathy tone.

“Please,” I begged as my arms wrapped around him tighter, “I love you.”

With that, he thrust inside of me hard, filling me up with exquisite pain and pleasure. His body weight pressed me harder up against the wall as he rutted against me, unable to control his own passions.

Moans of pleasure escaped me, and I didn’t care what I sounded like, I wanted him to know what he did to me, how he sent me over the edge every time we were together. His massive body dwarfing mine, he lifted my other leg off the ground sliding him deeper into me as he pulsed inside of me with tiny rocketing shocks.

Sweat beaded on his brow as his own guttural groans of ecstasy punctuated the air. His mouth seized mine and his tongue mirrored the movements of his cock, diving in and out of me. Just when I thought there was no way he could go farther into to me, he shifted my position on the wall and dove into the very depths of my soul.

His mouth moved to my sensitive neck as his cock jettisoned back and forth until I couldn’t take it anymore. My mind was whirling with delight. He was so hard, and I was filled with his very essence. My legs wrapped tightly around him, holding him steadfast as my hips bucked against him in sharp jolts as I came over and over again.

My pussy clung to his cock as I felt it rupture inside of me spilling his seed into the very core of my being. I wasn’t thinking about how long it’d been since I’d taken a birth control pill and I certainly wasn’t worrying that this was the last moment I’d ever see him. I was simply clamoring to get every inch of him inside of me and hold him there forever, connected… joined as one.

His voice cried out with the unleashing of his orgasm and I joined him, wailing with rapture. When we’d both reached our peak, we kissed one each other, letting our passions cool as I felt his cum and my orgasm drip down my legs. His body rocked back and forth a few more times before his cock slowly left me, and I felt empty and lost.

He gently pulled my pants back up and tucked his cock away, then squeezed me tightly in his arms. My body and mind were mush as he lifted me into his embrace.

“I will always love you,” he uttered as he opened the front door and carried me out.

“No!” I protested faintly, still overwhelmed by the intense lovemaking session. “Please, Dash, don’t do this.” I started to cry.

“I’m sorry love, I have to.” I could hear the emotion in his voice. “You are going to go on and live your life. Pretty soon, in a month or so, you’ll be able to climb again, well nothing too big… ever. Maybe bunny hills if you feel up to it, or better yet ant hills,” this made me laugh despite myself.

“I’m not climbing an ant hill,” I pouted, trying to take my mind of the horror unfolding before me.

Just then I heard the rumble of a large truck coming up the road below.

“I have to go,” Dash said, in a panic. “I love you.” He set me down on a hard surface covered in knee-deep snow.

“Please, Dash, don’t do this,” I wailed.

“Don’t forget me,” was all he said as he turned around and sprinted back up to the cabin.

“Please, Dash…” I tried to follow him, but with the deep snow and my bad ankle, I couldn’t do it, so I just watched him leave and cried.

By the time the truck had reached the slab, Dash was gone.

“Woah, what are doing here, Miss?” a burly man in a blue jumpsuit asked as he exited the truck.

“I got caught in the storm and the nice elderly man who lives in that house gave me shelter for the night,” I managed to get out between the sobs.

The delivery man was unexpectedly kind and gentle. A second man exited the driver’s seat and pulled out a huge box from the back of the vehicle.

“Well, don’t cry anymore, Ma’am,” the big man said, offering me a handkerchief.

I was surprised to see so many people had them, but it made me remember, I had Dash’s still in my pocket.

“Thank you, I have one,” I said, pulling his handkerchief out of my pants, which were also his.

I felt the soft fabric in my fingers and was glad he left me a few items of his to hold onto; they gave me a little comfort.

“Okay, well let’s get you into the truck before you freeze to death,” he offered, hoisting me up to the chassis and into the space between them on the bench seat as the driver was returning to his spot. “So, you say, it’s an old guy that lives up there? He’s the one who orders all this stuff?” The man seemed very confused by the idea of Dash being an old hermit.

“Yeah, nice guy, but he’s a recluse,” I confirmed for him.

“Hell, this crazy guy paid us a thousand dollars each to tell him the name on the packages we deliver,” he laughed to himself. “Name Sheldon L. Grill ring a bell to you?”

I laughed inward Dashell… Sheldon. It was a stretch, but it was almost Dash’s name backward. “Yeah, that’s the guy. Nice weird little old fella.”

“Yeah, what’s strange was, the guy totally thought that old man up there was Dashell Frye, the billionaire guy who got iced with his wife last year. Nasty accident: both went up in flames on Highway 69. Dude was like the first guy to find a cure for cancer too… such a tragedy. But me and Wynn are a grand richer so what do we care, eh, Wynn?” He looked over at his partner.

“What do we care?” Wynn responded, looking at me strangely. “And this is?”

“This chick here,” the delivery man looked at me and immediately backtracked. “Excuse me, this young lady was caught in the storm. We’re taking her down the mountain,” he said with confidence.

“Fine,” was Wynn’s only response.

And that was it… I left Dash forever. I felt numb.