“We’re on the California side of the lake, right?” I asked.
“Yep. The cabin is in California too.”
I stopped to watch a chipmunk grab up a crumb of something from the trail. The tiny critter stared up at me for a second and then scurried off with its treasure. “Then, I can now say that I’ve had sex in California.”
He dropped his arm around my shoulder. “That sounds like a challenge.”
“It does?”
“I think we should make a vow to have sex at least once in every one of the fifty states.”
I stopped and looked at him. “Let’s do it. I could even make a scrapbook about it. Well, maybe not, but it would be fun to try.”
We continued down the path. The deeper we walked into the valley, the taller the sides of the mountains surrounding us grew. We’d passed only one other couple on the trail. Luke had been right about fall being in between tourist seasons. We nearly had the entire place to ourselves.
“Were you born in Nevada?” Luke asked.
I smiled. “Not too sure how my birth came up during an idea to have sex in fifty states but—” I thought about his question. “To be honest, I’m not certain. My mom never really talked about it much. I’m pretty sure I was born in Nevada. My mom had left Dreygon’s compound for awhile, but I don’t think she ever traveled too far. She never had any money. What about you?”
“Seth and I were born in Reno, but Gage was born in California. That’s where my dad had his first job. Gage used to tell Seth and me that that was the reason he was so much cooler than us.”
The bay came into view. The shallow water near the beach was a crystal clear blue. But farther out, the water took on amazing jewel tones. “I can see why they call it Emerald Bay.” A massive house made of stone and wood, and with turrets and windows to rival any medieval castle, sat nestled amongst the cedars and pines. “I take it this is the Vikingsholm?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool inside, but I think you have to come during the busy season to get a tour. Back in the early part of the twentieth century, a rich couple bought this land and that little island out there. They had the house built like architecture they’d seen in Sweden, or something like that.”
We walked along the front facade. Every stone was set perfectly in place, and the dark wood windows gave it the aura of a house built centuries ago.
“It’s an amazing place. And to live here on Emerald Bay— can’t imagine how awesome that would be. Still, it would have been cooler if it had actually been built by Vikings.”
“Why is that?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, there’s just always a certain romantic mystique about Vikings.”
“What is it with girls and their obsession with Vikings…and pirates? Something tells me they weren’t the nicest guys.”
“I’m sure if faced down with the real thing, they’d be a disappointment. And I don’t want to imagine how they would smell.” I stood up on a stump and gazed at the incredible stretch of beach, ribbons of ivory sand flanked on either side by rich shades of green that only nature could produce. “Part of the lure comes from the idea of these big, steel shouldered men who feared nothing and left on long journeys and adventures.” I walked up to Luke. “Then they’d return after months at sea, hungry for their women.” I ran my fingers along his forearm. “It’s that level of desire that can only be achieved by months of wanting something, dreaming of something—” I lifted my mouth for a kiss, but I merely teased him with a brush of my lips. “— a need that burns so deeply, it can only be satisfied with wild, unconstrained, nearly ravaging sex.” I pressed my body against his. “It’s mercy at the hands of a lover so dangerous and daunting that he scares you as much as he thrills you.”
“Holy shit, is that what those romance novels do to women? Talk about high expectations. It’s a wonder that any of us men ever get laid with those types of scenarios to aspire to.”
I pressed my finger against his mouth. “Shh, you’re killing the Viking vision for me.” I walked out toward the beach. Luke followed.
“You do realize that most of those long journeys included murdering and raping and lots of smashing of bones and heads?”
I kicked a pinecone along the sand. “Not my Vikings. They only engaged in some mild pillaging and other manly things that did not include harming people.”
Three boats were anchored in the bay. Several older couples, who looked to be enjoying retirement, sat having a picnic on the beach. One of the women fed the crusts of her sandwich to three very eager geese. Another boat had anchored off the tiny island, and the people were hiking up its craggy surface to the stone ruin on top.
Luke noticed the direction I was looking. “I remember my mom telling me that that small stone house was a tearoom the rich couple had built for parties.”
The hikers were halfway to their destination. “Tea party on the top of a remote island, some people really live the dream.”
Luke took my hand and we walked toward the water. “So, let me get this straight. You want the uninhibited savagery that goes with crazy, mind-blowing sex. Just not the savagery that goes with a proper bout of marauding.”
“Exactly.”
“I think I can deliver that, only I’m not planning any long journeys at the moment. In fact, given our current situation, if I were, I’d be taking my sweet little wench along with me.”
I slipped off my boots and socks and picked them up in my hands. The sand was coarse, almost like gravel that had been smoothed only slightly by the gentle current. It hurt my feet, but I was determined to get them wet. The clear water felt glacial as it lapped over my skin, and instantly, my toes ached from the bitter cold. “So much for testing the waters.” I sat down to dry off my feet and pull my boots back on.
Luke sat down next to me, but he was deep in thought.
I smiled. “Are you still thinking about this Viking thing?”
He forced back a grin. “Not going to lie. It has me intrigued. I mean, I hate to think one day I’d come home from the drudgery of a long work day only to find that some seven foot giant named Sven, dressed in animal skins and smelling like the salt of the sea, has swept my sultry maiden off for a more exciting sex life.”
I laughed and something about the sound of it seemed to make the three mallard ducks swimming past decide to head in the other direction. “Jeez, my cackle just sent those poor ducks running for cover.” I wrapped my arm around Luke’s. “You don’t have to worry. You already are my dangerous man.”
“Good to know.” He stood and offered me his hand. “Up for some exploration?”
I placed my hand in his, and he yanked me to my feet. We walked away from the beach in front of the Vikingsholm and traveled along the shore where the sand became dotted with grasses and rocks. Large granite boulders that reminded me of the rocks behind the compound, created a somewhat treacherous, but nonetheless climbable, footpath along the water and into a thicket of pine trees growing along the shore. Twice I had to grab Luke’s arm to keep from sliding into a crevice. “If I break my ankle, keep in mind that you’ll have to carry me up that steep trail back to the car,” I said.
“You’re light enough.”
I used my arms to balance as if traveling a high wire instead of a sculpture of hastily arranged boulders. “I guarantee that halfway up the hill, with me on your back, it would start to feel as if you were dragging one of these massive stones up the trail.” He hopped down off the rocks and then turned around. I placed my hands on his shoulders, and he took hold of my waist and lowered me to flat ground. It was littered with pine needles and slippery green algae grew in patches, but it was far easier to traverse than the granite.
Luke took my hand and led me through the trees. The fragrance of pine hung thick in the air. Several chipmunks flashed their colorful backs as they climbed a trunk t
o watch the intruders from a higher branch. The dense shade of the fragrant canopy blocked the sunlight, and the temperature dropped dramatically. A fleeting chill rolled through me.
Luke pointed ahead to a break in the branches where a column of light poured in through the void. We walked beneath the opening, and I lifted my face to the warmth. “Now this is perfection in nature.”
“I’ll say.” Luke was gazing at me as he answered.
I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Thank you for bringing me here. It really took my mind off of everything.”
“That was my plan.” He smoothed my hair back away from my face. “You know how you mentioned earlier that this would be a perfect place to get married?”
My face heated. “I was just saying that in general. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Oh, too bad,” he said with genuine disappointment. “Because I was thinking the same thing. There isn’t anyone else out there for me, Angel.” He shook his head. “Sometimes it scares the shit out of me, thinking how crazy I am about you. Once everything is cleared up back home—”
I squirmed out of his arms. “If it gets cleared up.” I walked over and picked up a pinecone. I rolled it around on my palm. A sticky, pungent substance dripped onto my thumb. I rubbed it between my fingers, but it stuck to my skin like tar. The subject of our future was always so fraught with complication that it was hard to accept sometimes. Luke walked up behind me, and I lifted my sticky thumb. I forced a smile. “I guess I’ll be taking a little pine home with me now. It seems permanent. Kind of like my grandfather.”
He took hold of my wrist and touched my fingers. Even that small gesture sent warmth through my body. He rubbed my thumb between his thumb and forefinger, and the sap rolled up into sticky crumbs and fell off. “See, I took care of that. And I’ll do the same with your grandfather.”
He was so confident when he spoke of it, and I’d put all of my trust in him. He was my knight. He’d freed me from my tower, and I was sure he’d eventually free me from my grandfather. Our love was stronger than anything Dreygon could throw our way, but there was one cold, ugly fact that hung over my head that even Luke could do nothing about.
“Luke, promise me that if I start to have the same problems as my mother—”
He opened his mouth to speak, but I raised my hand to stop him.
“Promise me that if I start to lose my grip on reality like my mom, and now my grandfather, promise that you’ll leave. I don’t ever want you to see me like that. It was so scary watching my mom’s personality disintegrate into a complete stranger. If that happens, you have to promise that you’ll leave.”
“You can’t ask that of me, Angel. I won’t leave you for that, but I think you’re worrying about nothing.”
“Am I? It can be inherited. I know this frightening fact because I’ve got nothing to do all day except read shit on the internet, and all of it points to me heading down the same path as my mom. And while you might be able to stop Dreygon one day, you won’t be able to keep me from my genes.”
“First of all, you need to stop reading stuff online. And secondly—” He paused as if something heavy weighed on his mind. “Secondly, don’t underestimate my powers. We brave Vikings, pirates, knights, princes and whatever else that dreamy mind of yours wants to conjure, can do amazing things.” He pulled me closer and kissed me long and deep, stealing my breath with each stroke of his tongue. My head spun from it.
His pale gray eyes glistened, and a faint smile tilted his mouth. “I think you’re in need of some tender ravaging. It’ll take your mind off things.”
“Tender ravaging? Interesting concept. Exactly how is that done?”
“Well, milady, I will show you.” He glanced around. “Ah ha.” He took my hand and pulled me along behind him to a tree with a trunk the width of a small car. It was in a location that was, at that moment, receiving a generous amount of sunlight. He motioned for me to stand in front of the tree. I walked up the small incline that had been formed by a massive complex of tree roots beneath the hard packed soil.
Luke peered up at me with a glint in his eyes. The sunlight warmed my face, and the scent of fragrant pine and fresh water wafted through the tangle of trees. It was a perfect picture of nature with the man I adored standing in the center of it.
I lifted my hands up above my head and turned my hip out. “Should I pose for a picture?”
He walked to the tree, reached up and took hold of both my wrists in one hand. He held my hands suspended above my head and used the trunk for support. “You could pose, but I don’t have my phone with me. Besides, pictures aren’t in my ravaging plans.” He held tightly to my wrists. His free hand slipped beneath the hem of my shirt, and he caressed my skin with slightly calloused fingertips.
I glanced around. The area was secluded enough, but it was still a state park. And anyone had access, anyone, that is, who wanted to tackle the pile of boulders leading there. “What if someone comes?” I asked.
“They’ll have to find their own tree.” He lifted my shirt and tugged my bra down below my nipples. They hardened in the cool breeze and beneath his hungry scrutiny.
“We can’t just—”
He lifted his mouth away from the swell of my breast and pressed it against my lips. “Shh, my beautiful wench. I can’t ravage you if you keep talking.” He kissed me lightly. “Now close your eyes and relax.”
“But you’re holding my hands above my head.”
“That’s the ravaging part of my plan.” He unzipped my jeans, and I struggled to free my wrists. He waved an admonishing finger at me and then trailed that same finger along the skin of my stomach to the top of my jeans. He pushed my pants down, and again, I wriggled in his grasp. His grip tightened. He lowered my jeans to my knees and my panties followed. While the air around us was crisp enough to produce a shiver, delicious, warm sunlight combed through the chill, stroking my nearly naked body.
Luke held my hands tightly and took a long moment to stare down at my exposed pussy. “God, you are beyond gorgeous, my irresistible—” His fingers pushed between the folds and found my throbbing clit. He kissed my neck. “My wet—” A moan rolled up from my throat as he ran his tongue along it. Then his fingers plunged inside of me and I sucked in a breath. “My wanton wench. I want to touch you like this all fucking day,” he whispered against my ear. His mouth covered mine. His fingers moved deeper, finding the spot inside of me that made my pussy clench around his hand. He smiled against my lips, knowing full well that he’d just found the sweet spot, the spot that made me more than his prisoner, the spot that he knew would make me beg for release. His warm breath fluttered over my mouth. “I want to spend every damn minute of the day with my mouth on you and my hands touching you. I want to bury my cock in you until you scream out my name.” Every suggestive word coupled with the rhythmic movement of his hand between my thighs brought me closer to the edge.
He held my wrists securely above my head, leaving me completely vulnerable and wanting more. My head lulled back as my eyes drifted shut. My arms and bound hands scraped lightly against the rough surface of the tree. A minty breeze blew across my exposed skin, but heat raged between my legs. I moved instinctively against his skilled fingers. I turned my face and pressed my mouth against my arm to stifle my cry as my pussy exploded with release.
As Luke freed my wrists, my knees collapsed, and he caught me before I dropped to the ground.
I draped my arms around his neck, feeling like a helpless rag doll in his embrace. He pulled my pants up with one hand as he held me against him with the other. I never liked feeling weak or vulnerable, but in his arms, it felt right and natural. It was a luxury I’d allowed myself. I was completely his to do with as he pleased, and he knew it.
I lost myself in his soapy scent and nestled my face against his neck. “That was well worth the treacherous climb ove
r those rocks.”
“Thought it would be.”
I peered up at him. “But I feel greedy. How can I repay you?”
“You’ll find a way.” He kissed my nose and lent me his hand to climb back down from the spot where he’d held me captive, a bout of captivity that wouldn’t soon be forgotten. My pussy still ached sweetly from it.
He walked me through the clearing. “I don’t know about you but I’m hungry.”
“I’m starved.”
“If you’re a good girl, I might even give you a piggy-back ride going up the trail.”
I wrapped my arm around his and squeezed it. “And if I’m a bad girl?”
He stopped and drew me to him, a wicked grin crossing his lips. “Bad earns you an entirely different set of consequences.”
***
The dying fire caused a significant drop in temperature in the cabin, and I pulled the covers up around us. With no road or town nearby, and only a cricket’s song and the occasional creaking of the cabin walls to disrupt the quiet, it was easy to imagine that we were completely alone in the mountains. We’d found the blanket covered floor in front of the fire more inviting than a bed shoved into a cramped room. And so, for the second night, we’d stretched out in front of the fireplace.
I turned and faced Luke. He slept soundly next to me. His long lashes cast shadows on his cheeks. Bright red embers lit the hearth and cast their glow out over our makeshift bed. I sat up and drew the blanket to my chin. Luke stirred next to me, but he was still asleep.
I felt so close to him, a man who I’d not even known long. I was convinced now more than ever that we were meant for each other. I knew Luke would do everything in his power to keep me safe, but there were too many things that went beyond that power. His courage had been unwavering, and he’d met every threat head on, and with success, but some things couldn’t be changed.