We joked and laughed our way down the next stretch of the trail, and it did become a happy place. Aaron finally set me down at the end of it, not because he was tired from carrying me, but only because my arms were getting kind of sore from holding on.
Later on during the hike, our conversation turned more serious. He asked me about my family, and I told him what had happened to my parents. He said he was so sorry, and the sincerity in his eyes told me that he really meant it. I asked him about his own family, and he said that he had six brothers and three sisters-in-law living alongside him in their family's cabin settlement.
"And do your parents live nearby?"
He shook his head. "No, our parents have been gone for a long, long time."
We continued talking, some of it serious, some of it not, and by the time we'd nearly completed the loop back to my cabin, I felt as if I'd known Aaron for years. He asked if I had a boyfriend back in Detroit, and I shrugged, trying to keep a straight face.
"Would you be disappointed if I said I did?"
He sputtered in an exaggerated sort of way, but he was smiling. "Well, maybe. Maybe just a little after spending nearly two hours with a girl who's making my heart skip a beat at a rate of about a thousand times a minute."
I brought us both to a stop, looking at him. "Are you being serious right now?"
His sober expression told me that he was.
"Completely. I think I started falling for you the moment I laid eyes on you. You were just so beautiful...and strong."
I cocked an eyebrow at him. "'Strong?' Because I had the strength to stand up while answering the door at my own cabin?"
He looked away for just a second for some reason. "Well, yes. I could see strength in your eyes."
"And it doesn't bother you that I'm -- bigger?"
"Bother me? I actually find curvier figures most attractive."
"Really?"
"Really." He gave me a quick up-and-down, a little glint in his eyes. "Really, really."
Grinning, I set off striding down the trail again. "Well, good, because I actually find tall, muscular men with broad shoulders most attractive. Oh, and by the way, Aaron, I'm single. Oh, and also by the way, you should probably get your heart-skipping-a-beat condition checked out. It sounds serious."
It took Aaron at least three seconds to catch up to me, despite his much longer legs. I asked him if he'd gotten hung up dealing with any bears.
A few minutes later, after he'd picked me a bouquet of lavender coneflowers, we stood sipping bottles of water on my front porch, watching two deer frolic through the woods just beyond the dirt driveway.
I turned to Aaron. "Aren't they just so -- " I didn't finish the thought, surprised to find his expression troubled somehow. "What's wrong?"
He met my eyes, his dark brows drawing together. "I need to tell you something, and it's pretty serious. You might want to sit down."
CHAPTER THREE
"What is it?"
He took my hand, his touch making my skin tingle, and guided me to sit down with him on the porch steps. "I don't want to alarm you, but even though we just met, I care about you, and I'm concerned for your safety. There are some things about these wilds I want you to be aware of."
I took a sip of water, my mouth suddenly dry. "Like what?"
"Well, even though the Taggert brothers are now locked up, there are still criminal-minded men in these wilds. And not immediately near you, and not a whole lot of them, but enough in a ten-mile radius to cause me some concern. Some of them are half-crazed 'mountain man' types who live completely off the grid. I don't even think Sergeant Laine is aware of most of them. But my family and I...we see and hear a lot in these woods. And part of the reason Emily and I came out today was not just to make sure you were okay after yesterday, but to warn you about the potential for possible future danger."
"But I'm going to bring my gun with me every day now."
"And that's good, but many of these men have guns of their own, and most of them are experienced trackers. They could sneak up on you easily, and overtake you before you even got off a shot."
I realized he was right, and my heart sank. "I was looking forward to hiking every day while I'm here, though. I love it here, and all the fresh air and beauty are really just helping me get my head back together after my parents, I guess."
Aaron squeezed my hand. "And that's good. And you can still continue to hike every day. But just promise me one thing."
"What is it?"
"Promise me you'll let me go with you every day. Me, or at least one of my family members, if you ever get sick of me."
I smiled a little, studying the angle of his strong jaw, the light golden color of his skin, and his dark, nearly black, eyelashes. "I can guarantee you that won't happen. And yes, I promise."
He grinned. "Good. And although I do want to see you every day, I swear I wasn't using the threat of the wild mountain men as some sort of a cheap ploy. There really are some crazed mountain men in these parts, some of them who've completely lost all abilities of personal grooming. Two-foot-long beards, and toenails twice as long. I truly hope you never encounter them. Absolutely hideous."
I laughed, twining my fingers with his, leaning into him a little closer, willing him to kiss me. I didn't have to wait longer than a second.
He leaned in, expression suddenly serious, and brushed his lips against mine. Butterflies erupted in a riot in my stomach. He kissed me again, his mouth firm, warm, and lingering, his arms pulling me closer. I placed a hand against his chest, enjoying the feel of its muscular hardness under my fingers, but soon irritated by the sound of my phone going off in my pocket.
Aaron broke the kiss. "Do you want to see who it is?"
"Sorry. Guess I should check."
It was Sergeant Laine, asking for my driver's license number for the police report. He'd forgotten to take it down the day before.
After I'd located my license in the cabin, read off the numbers to him, and got off the phone, I went back out to the porch, disappointed to see Aaron standing a few feet beyond the steps, as if ready to leave.
"Are you going?"
He gave me a half-grin. "I figure I should probably leave you with enough afternoon sunlight to paint."
I mentally kicked myself for mentioning earlier that afternoon light was best for my work, and that I hoped to get in a few good hours that day.
"And I do want you to get to it, because I'm anxious to see your picture of that big black bear once it's complete. But I'll meet you back here for another hike tomorrow at one?"
I smiled. "It's a date."
Grinning, he climbed the two porch steps and brushed my lips with one final kiss before turning and striding off down the trail. I stood watching him, my mouth tingling, until he disappeared behind some tall evergreens.
I painted the rest of the afternoon, finishing the bear's body and working on the trail beneath his feet. I added some detail to the lavender coneflowers he held in his mouth, every so often glancing at the Mason jar full of them on the table, half of them received during my encounter with the bear, and half of them the ones Aaron had picked for me on our hike.
When the sun went down that evening, I put my paints away with regret, realizing that besides dinner and sleep, I didn't have much else to keep me occupied until the next day when I would see Aaron again. After dinner, I tried to read a book but couldn't really get into it and put it away only a few pages in. I did the dinner dishes and watched a few deer stepping though the woods outside the kitchen window, their tan fur pale and grayish in the waning light. Eventually, I fell asleep, waking several times in the night, recalling how Aaron's mouth had felt on mine. Wondering how long we might have kissed if Sergeant Laine hadn't called. Wondering what else might have happened.
Morning came cool and cloudy the next day. After finishing breakfast and a painting session, and taking a shower, I dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans, hoping Aaron and I wouldn't be rained out for our hike. An hour or
so later, rain began coming down in sheets, its silvery-crystal beauty completely lost on me. I wondered if Aaron would mind having a cup of coffee instead of hiking with me.
But at a quarter to one, the rain slowed to a sprinkle. And at one on the dot, right when Aaron arrived, it stopped completely, the clouds parting to reveal a little sun. Fat raindrops on the leaves of elms around the cabin glistened in the warm light.
Aaron greeted me with a kiss so sweet and tender, I actually curled my toes. When he pulled away, his deep green eyes were twinkling.
"I stopped the rain for you just by sheer force of will. Well, that, and a little bribe to the rain gods. I told them that if they'd part the clouds for just one hour, I'd allow them to take a glimpse of your radiant face while we hike."
I buried my face in Aaron's broad chest, laughing. "Well, thank you. I'm glad you did."
Holding me close, he stroked my hair for a few moments. "Your laugh is quickly becoming one of the most beautiful sounds in the world to me. I want to always make you laugh. I want to try to make you happy."
I lifted my face to look at him. "You are making me happy. And even though we just met, I really missed you. I really looked forward to seeing you again."
He dipped his head, delivering another toe-curling kiss to my mouth. "I feel exactly the same, and maybe even more strongly. I haven't felt this way in a very, very long time."
His sober expression changed to one of amusement.
"And naturally, I'm getting a little jealous and possessive. Several of the rain gods have their eyes on you, but I've told them it'll take more than a little water to part me from you. They'll have to hurl a hundred lightning bolts at me. And even then I'd just deflect them back with my nun-chucks. Which –’’He groaned, throwing his head back. "I've forgotten at home again. Of course. Despite many notes to myself."
We soon set off on our hike, hand in hand, both of us in boots, clomping our way over the soggy ground. We talked about my art, and his woodworking, and we discovered we both shared a love of reading. I asked him who his favorite author was.
"Any who doesn't take their work too seriously. I enjoy a little wink every now and again."
Just then, some little particle of something got stuck in my eye, and I came to a stop, blinking.
Aaron stopped as well, his face a mask of concern. But the corners of his mouth twitched.
"Oh my sweet, silly darling. I didn't mean an actual, literal wink. Although you could not possibly look any cuter right now."
I gave him a playful slug to the stomach, my fist connecting with what felt like a wall of granite.
I wiped my eye, dislodging whatever particle had gotten stuck, suddenly a little breathless for some reason.
"You, um...you do a lot of sit-ups, Aaron?"
His eyes twinkled.
"Just a program of calisthenics carefully designed to ensure that I always have the strength to ferry beautiful girls through the woods on my back. Want a lift?"
He turned, and I hopped on, giggling.
"The strength to ferry beautiful girls? Girls, as in, girls plural?"
He began striding down the trail, his steps slow and powerful. "No, actually just one particular one. Just one particular one who's capturing more and more of my heart each additional moment I spend with her."
I rested my head against his muscled back, enjoying the timber of his deep, rich voice rumbling in his chest. As well as the feel of his big hands, his fingers strong and long, holding me at the knees to support me. I asked him a bunch of questions, wanting him to continue talking, and he did, the weight of him carrying me seeming not to make him out of breath in the least.
But presently, I asked him to stop walking, and I hopped down, spotting a wiggling ball of gray fur at the bottom of some wild raspberry bushes at the side of the trail.
I stepped closer, a hand rising to my chest. "Oh, look, it's a bunny. He's stuck." I turned to Aaron. "I just can't stand to see animals suffer. Do you think there's any way we can help him? "
Aaron said we could sure try and knelt down beside the struggling rabbit, who looked at us with wide, unblinking eyes. I watched while Aaron teased away a thorny vine that was wrapped around one of the rabbit's trembling legs. Within a minute, it was free, and it hopped away, sailing over a cluster of rocks at least ten times its height.
Aaron stood, and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, grinning.
"My hero. Thank you."
He smiled. "I love that you have a heart for animals. Earlier, I said that your face is radiant, and it is; it's more beautiful than any sunrise I've ever seen. But now I'm seeing that your heart is equally beautiful...and that makes my own heart feel as if it could beat right out of my chest."
He bent his head and kissed me while a low rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.
I looked up at the darkening sky, sighing. "Why does something always have to interrupt us?"
Aaron gave me a half-smile, a few raindrops beginning to pelt his dark brown hair. "I was thinking the same thing myself. You ready to head back?"
I nodded. "Yes. The second you admit this is all your fault -- you made the rain gods mad!"
Chuckling, Aaron accepted full responsibility, and we set off back to the cabin, fingers entwined, his thumb making slow circles on the back of my hand. Thunder rumbled again, and rain began to pour. But it didn't do much to cool the slightly dizzying heat that was rising to my face as a result of Aaron's touch.
When we made it back to the cabin, drenched, we discovered that the power was out.
I sighed, clicking the knob that should have turned on one of the lamps. "Bill the caretaker told me this might happen every so often. The wiring is really old and touchy about the weather, I guess." I sighed again. "Well, I guess we'll just have to light some candles."
Suddenly realizing that there might be some definite positives to having to use candles, I headed over to the kitchen cupboards, my face flushing even a bit hotter than it already had been. I thought about how Aaron's muscular chest and stomach might look bare and in candlelight, glad the afternoon storm had made the cabin nearly as dark as night so he couldn't see what I was certain were my flaming pink cheeks.
He said he didn't mind candlelight at all. "Perfect for a gloomy afternoon like this."
I got a twelve-pack of long-burning emergency candles in little jars, and Aaron and I began lighting them and placing them at various places around the room. I set one on the coffee table in front of the couch, and then took two over to the nightstand beside my bed, hesitating. I knew if I placed the candles there, Aaron might realize that I hoped maybe some activity would occur there. But figuring that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, I went ahead and set the two candles on the nightstand.
I turned to Aaron, trying to stifle a nervous laugh, my pulse accelerating. "I have no idea why I just put those there. I guess just in case I want to read in bed later on or something; I don't know."
He set a candle on the kitchen counter, green eyes gleaming in the glow, came over to me, and wrapped me in his arms. "Maybe you'll let me read in bed with you."
I shrugged, his woodsy, masculine scent, combined with the feel of his strong arms around me, making me a bit lightheaded. "Maybe. You never know. Depends on whether we can find you any good reading material."
Giving in to a sudden, irresistible urge to tease him, I ducked out of his encircling arms and went over to a bookshelf adjacent to the kitchen. "Bill does have a few good titles in here." I ran a finger over the spines of a few. "Let's see. A Comprehensive Guide to Outdoor Living ... you might enjoy that. Oh, and Residential Pest Removal -- I bet you could have an interesting afternoon with this one. And, oh! Perfect!" I took a thick volume from the shelf and held it out in his direction. "War and Peace.” Tell you what, Aaron. You read this entire thing and then write me a fifty-page summary, and then we'll talk about you possibly joining me in my bed to read a different book."
His eyes glinting in the candlelight, he strolled
over to me, clearly fighting a smile. "Kyla, Kyla, Kyla." He parked himself in front of me, folding his burly arms across his chest. "Do you even know what happens when naughty girls tease?"
I smiled. "A good time is had by all?"
Aaron shook his head. "No. This."
With one smooth motion, turned me and gave my rear a swift, light swat.
"That's what happens."
The swat hadn't even hurt in the least, but my pulse accelerated with what I told myself was anger.
"Oh, you wouldn't dare do that again, Aaron -- you wouldn't dare." I paused, my breathing a little fast and shallow. "And definitely not even a little bit harder."
CHAPTER FOUR
Aaron folded his arms across his broad chest again. "Wouldn't I? Try me."
I grabbed a book from the shelf and tossed it in the air. "Read that."
Without saying a word, he took my upper body in one strong arm, tipping me forward, and gave my upturned rear three swift swats, his large hand just firm enough to sting a bit.
"Any other books you recommend I read?"
I turned my head to look at him, an ache building low in my belly. "All of them. All bibliography sections and glossaries included. Twice. Or else I won't even let you think about reading in my bed with me."
He gave me several more swats, his big hand harder, stinging my well-rounded bottom enough to make me gasp a few times, squirming. A flash of lightning illuminated the forest outside the cabin, mirroring the electricity coursing through my veins.
Aaron lifted me upright, his eyes glassy, and spoke, the sound a low rumble in his chest. "Any other reading material you'd like me to take a look at?"
I shook my head, rubbing one side of my tingling rear. "No. I just want you to kiss me."
Needing no further invitation, he moved his hands to the small of my back, pulled me close, and began kissing me, his mouth warm and hungry. I pressed myself against the hardness already straining against his jeans, the size of it sending a little shiver rippling through me. Soon, he slipped his hands down the back of my rain-soaked jeans and began caressing my bare bottom, making me moan, the ache low in my belly intensifying. Making a few low noises of pleasure himself, he slowly walked us backwards to the couch and sat down, pulling me on top of him.
Her Bear Protector Page 3
