by Brook Wilder
I started to slide back and forth, instantly loving the friction forming between us. With a slight adjustment, I found that I could tease my clit along his length and the throbbing that had already been unbearable seemed to take on a mind of its own. I moaned aloud, my cries growing louder and louder with each stroke. Emmett was also enjoying himself, judging by his own moans and the fact that he was growing harder beneath me.
As I stroked, he sat up and pawed at my bra, slipping his fingers into the fabric of the cups. His finger found my nipple poking out through the cup, and started roughly rubbing the nub. It felt amazing, but I definitely wanted more. I unhooked my bra and let my breasts fall freely. Emmett, pleased at the sight, let out an animalistic grunt and began attacking both breasts and nipples with his hands. The sensations were almost too much to handle, and I knew that an earth shattering orgasm was imminent.
Emmett had a sly look on his face like he intended to deny me my pleasure. I was too far gone, though, and before he had any chance to act, I tipped over the edge into delirious pleasure. I screamed as pulsing waves rippled through me and my head started to spin. For a singular moment, I forgot everything. Who I was, where I was, and everything that had happened to me up to this point didn't seem to matter anymore. Stars appeared before my eyes and I took in big gulps of air, slowly returning to earth.
I realized I had thrown my head backward in my delirium and I slowly brought my gaze back down to Emmett's face. His eyes burned into me, and his expression left nothing to the imagination. He was definitely hungry and seeing my pleasure had only added more fuel to the fire. He grabbed my hips and pulled me off of him. His boxers were gone in a flash and I followed suit, throwing my underwear on top of his on the floor.
He looked at me and I gazed back, realizing a sudden barrier had sprung up between us. I could tell he wanted to be inside me, his eyes were practically screaming that, but what was stopping him? The answer suddenly hit me as I gazed downward. He didn't have a condom.
"It's alright," I said as I crawled toward him on the bed. "I'm not worried."
He grunted in reply, flipping me so I was face down on the mattress. His hands found my hips and picked them up, gently guiding himself into me. The rawness of him felt amazing, though the nuances of his skin were soon lost to the wetness that was starting to gush out of me. He thrust harder, our bodies slamming together with forceful slaps, and I decided to work my hands underneath my body. My fingers found their way to my clit, and I began rubbing in a tempo matching Emmett's thrusts.
It felt heavenly, like a small fire building in my depths. Emmett had always been good at figuring out the precise ways of pushing my buttons, but I knew my body far more intimately. I was quickly approaching another orgasm, and though it seemed impossible, this one threatened to be bigger than I could ever imagine. Throughout all of this, we had both started to vocalize our pleasure and a small, still, rational part of my mind was relieved that we were the only people in this abandoned hotel. If anyone heard us right now, they might think I was getting murdered in here given how loud I was screaming.
"I'm going to..." Emmett started.
"Good!" I breathed back.
I suddenly felt him pull out with a final, loud yell, and I felt a stream of warmth hit my back. His sudden departure, plus my own handiwork, was enough to send me toppling over once more. It was like an earthquake, its spasming waves rippling out from a point deep within me. I released myself to the pleasure, letting it crest and dip until I was spent.
As I came back to reality once more, I realized that both Emmett and I were breathing very hard. I still hadn't moved from my spot on the bed, and I realized that my hands were growing numb from being pinned beneath me. I pushed myself up and turned to see Emmett leaning against the backboard of the bed with a dazed expression.
"You're phenomenal," he said as a grin grew on his face, "as usual."
I chuckled as I crawled toward him. I gave him a small kiss on the cheek before sitting down close to him.
"I love you, Emmett," I whispered. "I'm sorry we fought."
"I'm sorry too, Liv," he said. "I love you more than you can know."
All of the anger I had felt before was gone, used up by our love making. I only felt the wonderful post-sex afterglow and wished I could spend the rest of my life feeling this way. Instead of springing up to redress, Emmett and I just sat and cuddled for a moment before a sharp knock at the door interrupted our reverie. I held my breath, afraid that somehow the Martyrs had found us. Emmett and I both sat still as a gruff voice called out from the other side of the door.
Chapter 30
“Can I come back into the room now?” I heard Charles ask in a slightly annoyed tone. Blood rushed to my face in embarrassment. How long had he been standing out there listening?
“Just a sec,” Emmett called as we both scrambled into our clothing and neatened up the bed. I ducked into the bathroom to freshen up as Emmett opened the door to let Charles in. The two chatted briefly while I examined myself in the mirror. Part of me wanted to take a shower, but instead, I wet a washcloth and ran it over my body.
“Well, it seems like you two have made up,” I heard him say as I smoothed down my hair. He didn't seem angry about being locked out of the room, so that was a good sign.
“For now, at least,” Emmett said sarcastically. Part of me wanted to be angry, but I also knew that what he said was at least partially true. Maybe it was the stress or maybe it was just our dynamic, but Emmett and I did seem to be bickering over every little thing lately.
“So, we’re finding Knox,” I said as I exited the bathroom.
Charles was sitting in a chair and I joined Emmett on the bed. Charles handed me a beer from the six-pack on the table, which I assumed he procured on his ‘walk’.
“We are,” Emmett replied, “but I have no clue where the hell he is.”
“Yeah, I’d say the trailer if I hadn’t watched it burn to the ground,” Charles said. “Is it possible he went there anyway? It’s certainly the last place I’d expect him to be.”
“Maybe, but I doubt it,” Emmett said. “We’d made a deal when we dragged that hunk of metal out there that if anyone found it, we’d never go back to that spot. I’m willing to be that Knox is sticking to that promise. I certainly would.”
“Alright, so he’s not there, and I assume he’s not at his apartment, or wherever he actually lives,” I said. “Is there anywhere else he might go?”
“I really can’t think of anything,” Emmett said. “We both were the type to just fly off to random places, specifically so no one would find us.”
“Hmmm,” Charles said. “How about this? Where would you hide, Emmett? Pretend like you’re in Knox’s shoes, where would you go?”
“I mean, I’d probably go to Lizzy. Maybe not directly to her, but near her at least.”
“Does Knox have any connections like that?” I asked. “Ex-girlfriends? Ex-wives?”
“Not that I know of,” Emmett said. “He’s had plenty of ex-girlfriends, but none that were important enough to him.”
“Is there anything about him that might give us a clue?” I asked. “Any particular places he liked to go to?”
“He was always a loner type,” Emmett said. “Except for me, of course. I imagine he’s somewhere where there isn’t anyone else for at least a couple of miles.”
“That’s a start,” Charles said.
“Without the trailer, I’m guessing he’d be camping somewhere,” Emmett continued. “He’s definitely not the high maintenance type, so it’s probably just him, a sleeping bag, and the stars.”
“Is there anywhere you two would go camping together when you were younger?”
Emmett sat there silently thinking, his face knit together in a scowl of concentration. After a moment, his face brightened like he’d had a sudden epiphany. He sprang up and darted to the dresser where he’d flung his jacket.
“I know exactly where he is,” Emmett said. “There’s a flat
stretch of desert by the highway not too far from here where we’d stop to camp and escape before we’d found the trailer. The site itself was close enough to the road that we wouldn't get lost, but far enough out of town that hardly anyone ever bothered us there.”
“Awesome,” I said as I watched him stride toward the door. “I guess we’re going right now?”
“A good a time as any,” Charles said as he hoisted himself out of his seat. "Who knows where Knox will be by morning? If I were him, I'd keep on the move."
Emmett opened the door and turned to see Charles and I standing behind him with expectant looks on our faces. I watched as his mind worked through a couple of different thoughts, and I could tell his first impulse was to tell us to stay behind. I knew that wasn't going to happen, though, and I had opened my mouth to tell Emmett off when Charles interrupted me.
“Emmett,” Charles he quietly. “Remember what happened last time you went out on your own.”
“Liv can ride with me,” Emmett said after a moment of deliberation. “And you’re welcome to come to, so long as you’re alright to ride.”
“I’ve never felt more alive!” Charles said. His still washed out face said otherwise, but I kept my mouth shut. “Even if my arm is sore, it beats the hell out of hanging out in that dingy room not knowing if anything's happened to the two of you.”
“Sounds good, brother,” Emmett said.
We then headed outside toward the bikes. It was a cool evening with a clear sky sprinkled with what looked like a thousand stars. It was a perfect evening for a manhunt in the desert. Emmett and Charles started their bikes, and the noise seemed to be amplified a dozen times over by the stillness of the surrounding evening. I wondered briefly how the Palms stayed in business, considering the fact that I was certain we were the only people renting a room tonight. I shook the thought out of my head and climbed onto the back of Emmett's bike.
“Just follow me,” he shouted to Charles. “If we lose each other or something goes south, just head back here.”
“Where are we going?” I asked Emmett as we pulled out of the parking lot.
“Honestly, I can't really say for certain,” he said. “I know the direction we need to head, but after that, I’ll just have to trust this hunch.”
As we sped off into the night, I wondered if gut feelings were enough to find Knox. I hoped they were because they were all we had right now.
Chapter 31
It was two hours later and we still hadn’t found Knox. We’d driven past the stretch of desert Emmett had thought he would be twice now, but we didn’t find any evidence that anyone had been camping there. Charles was fading by the minute and I was starting to get grumpy myself when I spotted a building in the distance. As we drew closer, the building revealed itself to be a bar called the Cactus Lounge, and a run down one at that. I motioned for Emmett to pull into the parking lot, and he nodded.
“Are you sure you want to stop here?” he asked as we climbed off our bikes. “I’ve been here before, and it makes the Hole look high class.”
“Normally, no,” I replied. “But I’m tired, Charles is looking worse for the wear, and it’s possible that someone in there might have seen Knox.”
“There’s nothing wrong with me that a cold beer can’t fix,” Charles said with a laugh. “Besides, there’s a good chance that Knox might actually be in here.”
“Alright,” Emmett said. “Let's at least rest for a minute, if nothing else.”
We walked in and upon seeing the interior of the Cactus Lounge, I was glad to have both Emmett and Charles by my side. There were a couple other men drinking, and they all looked as if they would stab you without a second thought. As for the decor, it was a classic dive bar with an ancient jukebox rattling away in the corner and a blue haze of cigarette smoke hanging in the air. The bar was a long stretch of gouged wood lined with stools that had definitely seen better days. We opted to sit at one of the booth tables and it wasn’t long before a harsh-voiced waitress took our orders.
“So you think we should ask one of them if they’ve seen Knox?” Emmett said, jerking his thumb toward a knot of redneck guys clustered around the pool table. I’d grown so used to be surrounded by bikers over the past couple of days, that it was odd to see a group of men that definitely weren’t members of the Martyrs. They were all close to middle age and mean looking.
“Yeah, but I don’t think I’d be the best one to do it,” I said hesitantly.
“Of course not,” Charles said as he stood. “I’ll go over there and make friends.”
“Are you sure?” Emmett asked.
“Why not? I’ve already been shot once today, what’s the worst that could happen?”
Charles winced as he stood, but sauntered over the pool table confidently. I could hear what he said, but he pointed over to us once as he talked. The men listened intently and seemed to answer his questions. As Charles walked back to us, the smile on his face told me he’d been successful.
“I know where Knox is,” he said as he sat down.
The conversation was put on pause, though, as our waitress had just deposited our drinks. While a cold beer had sounded lovely a minute ago, I found myself uninterested in my drink. Charles and Emmett didn’t share my sentiment, though, and I had to wait impatiently until they’d downed a few swigs.
“So?” I asked when it seemed like Charles had satisfied his thirst.
“You had the right idea, Emmett,” he said. “He’s out camping in the desert, but a good couple of miles up the road from where we thought. The tall guy over, Judd, there said that he’d seen him come through here earlier tonight to eat and that he’d passed him yesterday pulling off the highway at a seemingly random spot.
“How are we supposed to find him, then?” I asked.
“Judd says he saw Knox pull off near mile marker 67. That should at least get us close.”
“That’s a solid lead,” Emmett said. “They’re sure they saw Knox?”
“Yup, they’re positive,” Charles replied. “All I had to do was point at you. Hell, they’d originally thought that Knox had brought company with him this time.”
After we finished our beers and paid the waitress, we hopped back onto the bikes, letting Charles lead this time. After a few minutes, I saw mile marker 67 approaching. Once we reached the sign, Emmett and Charles slowed down and we started studying the shoulder and surrounding area for signs of Knox. Just when I was about to give up hope, Emmett spotted a couple of faint footprints next to impressions that looked a lot like motorcycle tire treads. We quietly followed the trail and it wasn’t long before we spotted a small camp fire with a shadowed figure hunching beside it.
“Knox,” Emmett said as we approached the campsite.
“Emmett,” he replied in a surprised voice, “What are you doing out here? And why did you bring those two?”
“A lot’s happened in the past couple of days,” Emmett said, “and we need your help.”
Over the next hour, Emmett, Charles and I filled Knox in on everything that had happened since he’d left the trailer. He looked at us in disbelief at first, but his eyes went wide when Charles showed him his arm.
“You really shot Tex?” Knox asked me in awe.
“I did, but just in the foot,” I replied sheepishly.
“Still, he deserved it,” Knox said approvingly. “I doubt anyone will let him live that down.”
We all fell quiet after that, and it seemed like Knox was trying to process all that we’d just told him. I didn’t blame him, it was definitely a wacky story. We were all sitting on the ground now, close to the fire and I was glad for the warmth it gave. As we waited for Knox to speak, I scooted closer to Emmett and held my hands out to the crackling fire.
“Does Wendell really think I’m dead?” he asked, finally breaking the silence.
“Yeah,” Emmett replied. “He apparently saw blood and your bike on the side of the road and jumped to conclusions. What actually happened, by the way?”
“It was the first night I was camping,” he said, “and I’d stupidly left the bike by the road because I was too tired to walk up to the site. I’m just thankful they didn’t take it with them.”
“What about the blood, though?” I asked.
“That was from a rabbit I’d manage to catch,” he said. “I cleaned it by the road so the coyotes would be drawn to where I was sleeping. Made a mess, so I guess I can see how Wendell thought I’d been hurt.”
“What do we do now?” I asked after a pause. We’d achieved the goal of finding Knox, but I couldn’t figure out the next step.
