Chapter 11
When Seth finally found Marshall an hour later, he was so frustrated with his brother that he wanted to smack him. “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
“I’ve been looking Heather. I can’t find her anywhere.” Marshall replied, wondering why his brother looked so serious. “Do you know where she went?”
Seth looked at his brother, noticing that the lines had disappeared from his face and that he looked more relaxed than he had in a long time. “She said she needed some space so I sent her back to Homestead House with the supply crew.”
“What?” Marshall asked, unable to believe his ears. A sudden fear creeping in that the night before hadn’t meant as much to her as it had to him. “I need to talk to her.”
“I think we should talk first. I need to tell you some things about Simone.” Seth said.
“Simone doesn’t matter anymore, I’m done with her. I’m done with the whole thing, I’d rather talk to you about that spokesperson job you’ve been bugging me about, but I have to find Heather.” Marshall said, “How long ago did they leave?”
Seth was so relieved to hear Marshall’s words, he pulled the paper about Simone out of his pocket and handed it to him. “This is what I wanted to talk to you about, but I guess it doesn’t matter that much anymore.”
Marshall looked at the picture, then turned the page over, then after a few minutes said, “I can’t believe I was so stupid. We have to do something about this. Call someone or something.” Marshall said, the shock at how close he’d come to making an even bigger mistake than he’d thought he was making giving him goosebumps.
“Well, the important thing is that you figured it out.” Seth said, slapping his brother on the back. Then he remembered Heather, “Heather thinks that you’re still hooked on Simone, that’s why she went with the supply team. You were gone so long, she just assumed.”
“I have to catch her. I can’t leave things that way.” Marshall said, suddenly desperate to see Heather, to make sure that she knew that whatever life brought him in the next months even years, he wanted her there with him, needed her there.
“You might be able to catch them if you hurry. It’s only been about a half an hour since I heard them leave.” Seth said, handing him the keys to his four-wheeler. “Take my machine it’s faster, Lauren and I will watch Chloe until you get back.”
They’d just stopped for lunch when the sound of a four-wheeler approaching cut through the quiet of the forest. There was a lot of speculation about who would be moving so fast over the dangerous trail, and Heather pretended to play along, but she wasn’t really all that interested. She’d waited for Marshall for another hour before deciding that she needed to get away, Tyler wouldn’t miss her and Seth had mentioned the supply trip so she decided to tag along. Anything was better than hanging around the village waiting for him to come tell her that the night before had been a mistake.
A night away from the village and Marshall was exactly what she needed to get her head straight. What they’d shared had been wonderful, more wonderful than she ever could have imagined, and she wasn’t the least bit sorry she’d done it. But that didn’t mean that Marshall’s rejection hurt any less, part of her had been prepared for it, and for that she was thankful, sometimes it paid not to trust completely.
As they waited for their guest to appear, lunch disappeared and the group began to pack up to get on the trail, everyone moving slowly to give the crazy person on the four-wheeler time to get to them before they had to leave. Money had actually changed hands and no one was willing to leave it a mystery, but Heather didn’t really care so she wandered into the woods looking for signs of animal life like Lauren and Seth had taught her.
She heard the four-wheeler come to a stop in the clearing where they’d had lunch, then a bunch of laughter and someone whooping like they’d won the lottery. She shook her head and wandered away a little farther, sure that she had some time before they managed to get themselves back on the trial, but then she heard someone shouting her name. Stopping she listened again and suddenly panicked that something had happened to Tyler and began running back to the clearing.
Before she’d gone far, she smacked into a hard chest and landed on her butt. When she looked up, it was to find Marshall standing over her, panting like he’d just run the marathon. “Oh, Heather, I’m sorry.” He said, holding out his hand to help her to her feet.
She looked at his hand, then scrambled to her feet on her own. “What are you doing here? Was that you driving like a maniac, you could have killed yourself? Have you lost your mind?” Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest she thought it might explode.
“I came after you. Seth said you thought that I was still with Simone, so I followed you.” Marshall said, still panting. “I’m not with Simone anymore, the truth is I never really was. Nothing ever happened between us and nothing is ever going to.”
“You were gone so long, and you left this morning without a word, just walked out. What was I supposed to think?” Heather asked, hope budding in her chest, slowing her heart and warming her from the inside out.
“I didn’t think, I mean I just wanted to get the phone call over with after she called your phone. I’m sorry Heather, I should have done it differently.” Marshall said, finally daring to take a few steps closer to her.
“What about the play and the theatre? What about your dream to become famous?” Heather asked, not quite believing him.
“I’m giving that all up. I don’t care about being famous anymore. Something wonderful happened to me last night and when I woke up this morning, I knew that it was time to change my life. When I found out that Simone had called your phone I guess I panicked, I should have told you then how I felt but I wasn’t completely sure until I talked to her.” Marshall said, pulling her over to a fallen log and sitting her down.
“Have you talked to Seth?” Heather asked, still not trusting what she was hearing.
“I talked to him before I left, but the thing is, I’d made my decision before he told me what a colossal idiot I am.” Heather opened her mouth to ask another question, the question that had been bothering her all day, but Marshall held up his hand.
“Before you ask, no I don’t usually fall in love this fast and just to make this completely clear to you, I wasn’t ever in love with Simone. I see that now.” Marshall said, the words pouring out of his mouth before he could stop them.
“Falling in love?” Heather croaked, not sure if she was ready for that.
“That’s right, I’m falling in love with you Heather, like it or not that’s what life has just thrown at you.” Marshall said, with a big grin on his face, then unable to help himself, he kissed her until they toppled off the log onto the spongy ground, but neither noticed.
Simone slammed the phone down, deep down she’d known that something was wrong the last time she called Marshall and it hadn’t helped that she’d lost her temper. But now the entire scam had fallen apart, Marshall had backed out, telling her that the whole thing had been a mistake. She’d used every trick in the book to get him to change his mind and then he’d hung up on her. But there was no way she was going to go down without a fight, she’d long ago learned that it was always best to have a backup plan and she had one.
Marco wouldn’t like it, but she wasn’t leaving Anchorage without a big chunk of Marshall’s money. He owed it to her for wasting her time and she was going to see that he paid up. Everything had begun going wrong when that brat had showed up, but she’d figured out how to turn that around and use the kid to get what Marshall owed her. It wouldn’t be that difficult to snatch the little monster when Marshall wasn’t looking, he barely paid any attention to her anyway.
“Marco, get in here. There’s been a change of plans.” She shouted at the top of her lungs, beginning to feel better. In a few days, they’d be on their way to South America and the life of luxury she’d always dreamed of.
By the time they reached Homestead House it was dinner time, but neither Marshall nor Heather was the least bit interested in food. When the rest of the group on the supply run had finally found them in the woods, there had been a lot of teasing and Heather had been embarrassed but Marshall had taken the worst of it deflecting the teasing from Heather. Red faced they’d gotten back on their four-wheelers to finish the trip, wishing that they could just stay right where they were, but knowing that the supplies were necessary for the rest of the camping trip.
Before he let her get on her four-wheeler, Marshall pulled her into his arms and whispered, “When we get there I’m taking you right to my room.” Then kissed her, ignoring the cat calls and whooping from the group.
But as soon as they pulled into the yard everyone came pouring to greet them and get news of how the trip was going. They were swept into the house and into the dining room for dinner before they could slip away, and it was hours before they could finally slip away.
“You two look tired.” The house mother said, looking from one to the other. “Maybe you should call it a night.”
When Marshall jumped on the offer, “I am kind of tired and it will be nice to sleep in my own bed.” She tried not to laugh, thinking that another of the Montgomery brothers would be planning a wedding soon.
She’d shot Heather a questioning glance, then pushed them out of the dining room doors when Heather only gave her a huge smile. “Well, get out of here then.”
Heather knew that she’d have to talk to her friend before they left, but right then all she wanted was to be alone with Marshall. She’d been thinking about it for hours, nearly wrecked her four-wheeler when those thoughts had gotten too out of control. Marshall too had been distracted by thoughts of Heather the entire trip and the minute the door to his room had closed behind them, he backed her up against it and kissed her.
As soon as Marshall’s mouth came down on hers, Heather was frantic for more. It felt like the night before had been a long time ago and the trip back had only added to her desire. Watching him had only made her remember all the wonderful things he’d done to her body and she’d been in a constant state of arousal for what felt like hours. She’d never felt this kind of passion and although it scared her to feel this deeply, a part of her knew that this was the real thing.
When his hands began to roam over her body, she began to tingle all over, but especially between her legs, where the moisture was already beginning to form. Clinging to him while he kissed her and explored her generous curves, her hands refused to remain still and found their way to the button of his pants, this time able to slip the button free on the first try.
Marshall moaned when she found his throbbing erection and began to stroke him. His moans only fueled the fire in her blood, so she dropped to her knees and removed his shoes, then his pants. Feeling a confidence that she’d never felt before, she took him in her hands again and looked up at him, then took him into her mouth, loving the strangled cry of pleasure that came from deep in his throat.
Reaching up between his legs, she stroked him, her mouth sucking and teasing until he said, “Heather as wonder as that feels, I can’t take much more.” Then pulled her to her feet and captured her mouth with his, this kiss more frantic than the last.
In only seconds, he’d unbuttoned her pants and slid his hand inside, growling when he found the moisture between her legs. Breaking the kiss, he sank to his knees and removed her shoes, then slowly slid her pants down her legs, kissing her skin as it became exposed. Sitting back on his heels, he stripped off his shirt, then looked up at her and he began to run his hands up and down the inside of her legs.
The desire in his eyes left her breathless, his gentle caress sending waves of pleasure and anticipation washing over her. “Take off your shirt, love. I want to see all of you.” He said, making her knees buckle.
Marshall steadied her when he felt her sway, but didn’t get up off the floor, instead moved his hands higher and higher. When Heather had finally managed to remove the rest of her clothes she grabbed his shoulders to steady herself and he gently pushed her legs apart, making her gasp when the cold air met her heated flesh. Suddenly feeling very exposed with Marshall’s head just inches away from her, she tried to close her legs, but he pushed them open again.
“Relax sweetheart, I’m going to show you just how wonderful love can be.” Marshall said, running his finger over her clit, then following it with his tongue.
Pleasure rushed through her, pleasure unlike anything she’d ever experienced as his tongue slid across her again and again, his hands firmly gripping her butt. Heather moaned and whimpered as Marshall took her closer and closer to the pinnacle, then backed her down again, growling when she cried out his name in both frustration and pleasure. Hearing her desperation, he slid one finger inside her, then deliberately took her over the edge, reveling in the power of the orgasm he’d given her.
When he finally stood and gathered her into his arms, she clung to him, her breathing heavy and labored from the force of her orgasm. He swept her off her feet and carried her to the bed, but set her down on her feet instead of in the bed. When he sat down on the bed and pulled her to him with her legs on either side of his, she felt the tip of his hard penis just at her opening and gasped, anticipation thundering through her.
His mouth clamped down on one of her hard nipples, while his hand teased the other one, kneading and massaging it until she threw her head back, moaning with pleasure. Lifting her as if she weighted nothing, he scooted them back on the bed, then drove himself into her, filling her while his mouth continued to tease and nip at her breasts. He gripped her hips firmly in his hands and lifted her up then brought her down on his swollen erection again and again.
Soon Heather took over, her pleasure guiding her movements, she sat up driving him into her deeper then began to rock her hips. Marshall reached down between them and began to stroke her swollen clit with his thumb and almost immediately the dam inside her burst, wave after wave of pleasure made her grind her hips into him and call out his name.
When Marshall lifted her up and began to drive himself into her, the pleasure returned only this time it was someplace deep inside her, a place she’d never know existed. Bracing her hands on either side of Marshall’s head, she let him guide their passion, each stroke of his powerful hips touching that place and making it grow until she felt like she was going to fly apart into a million pieces.
Marshall had gone past the point of stopping, Heather’s cries of pleasure only intensifying the depth of his pleasure. He ground himself into her as he tumbled over the edge, his orgasm so powerful he gripped Heather’s hips tightly afraid that he’d fly away if he didn’t. The feeling of Marshall’s muscles rippling inside her sent Heather tumbling after him into an orgasm unlike any she’d ever experienced, a pleasure so deep inside her she was sure that she was going to explode with it’s power.
When she finally collapsed on top of Marshall, her breath was coming in short pants, she was afraid she’d never be able to breathe normally again. Marshall was breathing equally hard and she wondered if she was smashing him, but when she tried to move, he put his arms around her and held her there.
“Don’t move yet. I want to feel you on top of me for just a few more minutes.” He panted.
Heather was content to lie there with Marshall’s hard body underneath her as her breathing returned to normal. When she did finally slide off of him, he immediately gathered her up into his arms and held her silently, unable to think of anything to express what he was feeling. They fell asleep in each other arms, the silence unbroken by words that couldn’t express the depth of what they’d just shared.
Simone shifted her weight again, every muscle in her body hurt but she just knew that today was the day. After spending days hanging around in the woods outside the village waiting for an opportunity to grab the kid, they’d finally taken them out of the village on a hike. This would be her opportunity to grab Chloe and she hoped that Marco wouldn’t screw it up.
Marco had been no help at all, completely out of his element in the woods he’d been more of a hindrance than help. Sometimes, she wondered what she was doing with him, but then she thought of the nights and knew why. Of course, since they’d been sleeping in the woods there’d been little of that.
But it would all be worth it when they were lying on the beach in South America, a drink in hand and nothing to do but relax. A rustling in the trees startled her out of her thoughts, frustrated she turned to the sound expecting to see Marco stumbling through the trees, but what she saw froze her in place. Doubting her eyes for a minute, she closed them and then opened them again, mouth hanging open when she realized what she saw was real.
Suddenly Alaska was a very real place to her, all the stories of wild animal encounters no longer so incredible to her. Scanning her memory, she remembered all the unwanted advice she’d gotten over the last months and stayed very still. The bear didn’t seem to know that she was there crouched under a tree, he simply continued to sniff the ground and wander down the trail. When he’d finally gone, she took a deep breath and sank onto the ground on her butt, shaking from the first animal encounter she’d ever had.
The stink of the bear was still in the air when she got up and followed the path the bear had taken, hoping that the bear would steer clear of their camp. Marco would freak out if he saw it, most likely blow their cover and alert the village to their presence. She’d been following Marshall and the group a little too closely and had almost been spotted, so she’d dove under the tree to hide.
The tree had provided enough cover that she wasn’t seen, but she had hung back, knowing that she’d gotten too close. When she got to a fork in the trail, she stopped and listened, knowing that she’d hear the kids long before she saw them. In only a minute she was rewarded by the sound of laughter and followed the sound toward the river. It wasn’t long before she saw the kids through the trees and realized that she couldn’t have planned it better.
This was her chance, she just knew it, at some point the kids would go off on their own, they always did and then she’d grab Chloe. Pressing the button on the two-way radio she was carrying, she signaled Marco that it was time, hoping that he’d be able to do what she needed him to do. Then she settled down to wait, knowing that her dreams were just moments away from being realized.