Deep Woods

But despite all that, he didn’t want to do it if I wasn’t okay with it.

“You’d have to promise to always come home safe,” I told him.

“There’s nothing in the world that could stop me coming home to you,” he said seriously.

I slipped my hand into his and squeezed it. “Then yes.”

Rufus, deciding that he was being left out, pushed his way between us. We gave him simultaneous ear scratches and he pushed his head into our hands, hind leg beating the floor in ecstasy, tail whacking our legs.

After a few long phone calls with Kian, the details were hammered out. Cal would be on a generous retainer, in return for going on a job for a few days once a month or so. The team would be based in a small town in Colorado, where they could train and live in private.

Cal and I looked at each other. Colorado. Plenty of wilderness on our doorstep, but a fresh start after everything that had happened in Idaho. It sounded good. And I’d been thinking a lot about what Cal had said about his childhood home, on the very edge of a town: still in the wilds, but close enough for company. A balance.

So that’s what we’d done. We’d bought a plot of land right on the edge of the town. We could still walk into the center and it was connected to the roads by a private dirt track, so we could use a pickup if we were taking a long trip. But the cabin would be screened from the road by trees, and there would be nothing behind it but forest. I could go to med school in Boulder and there was even a local hospital where I could try to get a job when I was ready. The air was amazingly fresh and clear and after a few long trips into the forest, Cal reported that the hunting was good. I had a feeling we were going to be happy, here.

I climbed carefully down the ladder. Halfway down, Cal grabbed me by the waist and lifted me the rest of the way to the floor. Then he slid his arms fully around me and drew me to his chest. I pressed my cheek to his pec and we just rocked there quietly for a while. Through the glassless window frames, we could see the sun sinking behind the trees, lighting the forest up orange and gold.

Cal used one big finger to gently lift my chin and turn my head to look at him. I gazed up at that rugged face, at those cornflower blue eyes that looked down at me with such melting intensity, and that silver string inside me pulled so tight that my whole body sang.

He leaned down and I went up on tiptoes and somewhere in the middle, our lips met and I kissed my gentle giant.

The kiss was soft and warm, unhurried and tender. But as our lips moved, an undercurrent began, full of dark promise and raw, animal lust. I heard him growl, low in his throat, and his hands found my ass. I traced the muscles of his back and squeezed his shoulders and he slowed, teasing me. In a few minutes, we might need to distract Rufus with some dog treats and dive into the tent for a while. But for now, the kiss turned tender again. Gentle and loving.

A coyote howled. It would be night, soon, and we didn’t yet have windows or even a door. But I knew I’d sleep like a baby. I’d found that safety I’d always searched for, that feeling of being completely, devotedly, ferociously protected. And it came from being in his arms.

The End