by Lauren Wood
They headed out to the trial and Mac led the way, using the markers she had left the day before. It was about 2 and a half miles and Derrick saw one of the most beautiful sites in the world he had ever seen. The waterfall was amazing, but seeing Mac next to the site was even more wonderful. He saw a huge smile on her face, and could see the peace in her eyes as she viewed this site.
Derrick had always loved the outdoors too, and had wanted for the longest time to live in a cabin away from the world. If he could he would find a location where he could just block himself off from the world. But he looked at Mac and wondered if she would go with him. Really she lit up the area. Even when she had been quiet when he first picked her up on the side of the road Derrick felt better with her by him. She hadn’t held on tightly but enough that he felt the touch of another person. He liked her touch, and had to wonder what a more intimate touch from her would feel like.
Was it the beauty of the area? The loneliness that covered his life, or maybe it was just Mac, there was something about her. He looked at her and knew that she was special. It had been forever since he had any of the thoughts he had when he was around her. He felt like there might actually be some kind of future for him in this world, if Mac was with him. He didn’t even know her well, but he could tell she was unique.
“This is really beautiful isn’t it?” Mac turned to Derrick and asked.
“Yes you are, and so is the waterfall.” Derrick stated.
Mac looked at him, wondering if he was just messing with her, was she just hearing what she wished to hear, or had he actually said that? Mac looked back at the water, and had an idea. “Hey you want to go to the bottom, maybe there is a nice little spot where we can sit and enjoy the day.”
“Let’s go.” Derrick said pointing to the trial and letting her lead the way. “Let me know if you want some water by the way.”
“Sure let me get a little sip really quick.” Mac said, as she waited for him to hand her the drink.
Taking a sip, she felt the wetness of the water, it tasted great. She hadn’t realized she had been quite so thirsty, or maybe it was nerves.
Derrick watched her as she led the way once they started down the trail again. She was fantastic. A bit of a tomboy, now that he saw her outside, but when they were in the cabin, and when he first met her, he would never guess her to be like this. Hell he would never had guessed she grew up in the woods. He smiled; she was the type of girl he had always fantasized about. One who wasn’t afraid to get down and dirty, but cleaned up like a model.
The trail to the bottom twisted and turned quite a bit, and there were a few spots where the trail was dangerously narrow. But Mac kept leading the way, sometimes she would stop to check out the different ways they could go, and see which looked safer.
Finally, they got to the bottom and the pool the waterfall landed in was amazingly blue. It was clear and they could see the bottom of the pool. Before he knew what was going on she had snuck up beside him and pushed him into the water.
“What the?” Was all he got out before he was in the water. He laughed hard, and told her. “You have a choice, you can come in the easy way or we can do it the hard way!”
Mac looked at his face, and laughed. “You would have to catch me first, and I’m out here, not in the water where I might move slower!” She stuck her tongue out as to say come and get me.
Before she realized it he was on top of her. “What? How did you move so quickly?”
He held her above him, she didn’t struggle, and she knew it wasn’t worth it. He was a monster compared to her. The fact that he had caught her before she could even move had shocked her. But in his arms she felt no fear, only security, she knew that Derrick would not hurt her. She laid back into his arms a bit more.
Derrick looked down into her face and eyes. He saw the peace that he felt over her body and his as well. It seemed natural to him to have her in his arms. She was light , so light in his arms. He looked at her lips, he wanted nothing more to kiss them.
Mac could see the telltale look in his eyes, or so she hoped. Because her next move would all depend on if she had read them right or not. She leaned up and kissed him lightly on his lips. It was just a small little kiss, but she hoped it let him know everything he needed to know.
Derrick felt her lips lightly touch his and felt the kiss, it was over before he wanted it to end. He lowered his mouth to hers, and took her over. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, not invading it but exploring it lightly. He didn’t try to overpower her at all, but he wanted her to feel his passion.
Mac could feel it, there was a connection between them, not just her imagination. The kiss he gave her left no doubt. It was a sweet probing of her mouth on his part, and she did the same, pushing her tongue to meet his. Their tongues danced for a few minutes, and they both pulled back.
Derrick looked down at her, afraid but excited. He really was burned by his ex, and she popped up quickly in his mind to torture him. “Really you think she would ever want you? I didn’t and you threw yourself at me for a while. You thought I wanted you, maybe you are just thinking she wants you right now.” Her voice sounded off in his mind.
Mac could see the conflict of emotions going over his face. She touched the side of her face with her fingertips. It worked she grabbed his attention. Instead of saying anything though, she put her mouth on his again, and kissed him intensely. She didn’t want sex, no she just wanted to let him know that he was something special to her. As she pulled her mouth from his, she could see the fire in his eyes.
“I don’t know what I can offer you, I’m broken, and I don’t know how long it will take to fix myself.” Derrick said looking down at her, he had walked into the water, but was still holding her close. He didn’t want to lose the contact of her skin on his, it felt so nice, so odd after so long without a person.
“Everyone is broken in all honesty, in one way or another. Maybe not by someone else, but there could be a part of their past that haunts them through the years, and makes them feel they are unlovable even. But you have to realize that there may be someone who will help you feel better as you fix those broken parts of you.” Mac said.
“You are so beautiful, and such a good person. What if I’m not a nice guy when you get to know me? I don’t want to be hurt again, I can’t take it.”
“Love is always a gamble, you will never find it if you don’t give yourself to another person. You either throw the dice, or you hold them close and never find someone. Me? Well I’m willing to take a chance to find another person who will love me like I love them. If it’s you, this would be great. I think there is a good chance, and you know what? I’m very willing to take that chance. The ball is in your court though, I can’t force you into this. I learned my lesson if you love someone you can’t make them love you no matter what, if they don’t at the start.” Mac said, the whole time thinking of the past mistakes she had made, but willing to try it with Derrick.
Derrick looked at her. “You know I’ve not stayed in a place more than a month for the past 3 years. I don’t want to drag you around and never give you a home. A place where if we want we can grow a family, have memories that will last a lifetime, even have our grandchildren visit there one day.”
“So why can’t we find this? We just have to find a place where we feel is home. I can work, you can get a job. We start together, we help and support each other . That is after all what love is all about.” Mac said.
“Why not, why shouldn’t we try it. Like you said, it may work, but if we really want it we can make it last. We can have it all, everything and we can build it together.” Derrick stated. “Maybe we can even get married, I think I would like that a lot.”
Mac stopped and smiled. “Are you asking me to marry you right now?”
Derrick shrugged his shoulders as if to say why not?
Mac smiled and laughed. “Well one thing is I don’t even know your last name. I mean it can’t be anything to messed up that will make me sou
nd funny. You know if there is a guy out there who has a last name like Roni, well could you imagine that , my name would be Mac Roni.” All I need is the middle initial A and it would be perfect.” Mel laughed hard, so did Derrick.
“You really are something else. I swear you have made me feel so alive, and I barely know you. My last name is Jonas.”
“Oh are you related to the band members?” Mac joked.
“No sorry to say.”
“Okay so Mac Jonas, not bad at all. I could get used to that.” She pulled herself up on his shoulders and kissed him.
“So it’s acceptable to you?” Derrick laughed.
Mac gave him another kiss to show him how acceptable it was to her.
Derrick hugged her closely. “So let’s go find a place to get married. I’ll get you a ring in one of the towns around here, find the justice of the peace office and then it will be done!”
“Seriously, you want to do it now?” Mac asked, shocked, she had thought it was part joking on his side.
“No I’m serious I don’t want to let this go. You really do make me feel great. There is something about you that I want to keep around. We can wait until tomorrow, but I want to tell you I want to wait to make love to you until we are married. I want us to be husband and wife first, then we can do more.”
Mac looked at him, it was like he could see deep inside of her mind, and it was what she had always wanted. A guy who was more about being morally correct instead of one who didn’t want to make a commitment to get her body.
She smiled up to him. “I will be more than happy to be Mrs. Mac Jonas, it will make me very proud.”
Derrick kissed and hugged her. He looked around at the scenery. He had never really been in Pennsylvania, but he could see them finding a cabin in this area, having woods surrounding their property. Kids who could learn to play in the woods from their mother. He smiled, she really would and had already changed his life around. He couldn’t wait until they were husband and wife!
THE END
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MORE STEAMY ROMANCE BY LAUREN WOOD
ALIEN DEEP DESIRE
Chapter 1
“I don’t know what to tell you, Cassie. There just isn’t any funding for this kind of research. If you had something to back up your hypothesis, then maybe I might be able to make a stand for you with the committee.” Benjamin Hampton was telling his prize investment that the gravy train was ending. Cassie had always been a headache from the moment that she came to work for him. She was always demanding. She was the cause of his premature gray and how his wife didn’t want to touch him anymore. He was going to have to bite the bullet and use some Grecian formula to get back that lovin’ feeling.
“I can’t believe this. I’ve wasted 10 years of my life bending over backwards to please you people. I’ve given you nothing but my best. I ask for one little favor in return and I get shot down. You know that this is the answer that the human race is looking for. It could even be a problem solving measure for those worlds that on the cusp of losing everything that they hold dear.” “I want to slap him, but I know that he’s only doing what the committee has mandated. It’s not his fault and why I’m castrating the messenger is beyond me.” Cassie was the dictionary meaning of the word intellect. She had no interest in showing off her curves to anyone.
The world was vastly different from the one that they both remembered growing up. The first sighting of that alien vessel that had the secrets that would advance their technology had come in the year 2018. At first, they thought that is was a form of subterfuge to lull them into a false sense of security.
The aliens proved to be friendly and willing to share the wealth of their knowledge in return for a welcoming new world. They looked exactly like humans, but their eyes would change color with whatever mood they were in at the time. Green usually meant that they were satisfied and red was something to be avoided at all costs. There was one that they were even afraid of and they called him the conqueror.
“I might be able to set you up with a meeting with those that might be interested in your research. I wouldn’t hold your breath, but it is the only option on the table. I do see some real potential in your research, but you have yet to prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt. It goes a long way when you can give them something tangible to hold onto. This is the era of convenience and everything has to be right now.” He saw the reflection of his face and the wrinkles. He was most likely going to have to go under some procedure. He had heard of a cream that the aliens had just put on the market, but it would cost a pretty penny to get his hands on.
Cassie was a bit of a hothead, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at her 5’3 frame and 135 pound body. She didn’t exude any sort of attraction to the opposite sex. She avoided relationships and commitments like they were the plague. Being inexperienced at 25 was a little uncommon, but it wasn’t like she was advertising it.
Cassie pulled her lab coat tightly across her chest to hide the fact that she was endowed more than others. It wasn’t hard to see that Benjamin might’ve been married, but he wasn’t dead. “I don’t see how I have any other choice. If I don’t find some way to get the funding, then my mother is going to step in and I just know that means wedding bells in my future. She thinks that I would even consider a blind date down the aisle. I can’t say that his picture doesn’t make me curious, but I would have hoped by now that she knew that I would not bow to her insistence. Set me up a meeting with some think tank or group of Angel investors. I will have to get this company to sign over an affidavit saying that I can outsource my expertise.” “I never thought that I would have to go down this road. If I didn’t think that I was onto some kind of major breakthrough, then I probably wouldn’t even bother. I can feel it in my fingertips and the only thing that’s missing is the required funds and the best equipment to make it happen.”
“There is one that has been looking high and low for something to sink his teeth into. Nobody really wants anything to do with him and they have good reason. It’s a known fact that he can be belligerent and the world leaders are still trying to figure him out.” He wasn’t sure what she was going to say to this proposal, but it didn’t hurt to throw it out there and see if something stuck. “Jorgen has been seeking a scientist and maybe he will take you on with me vouching for you. I could reach out to those of his people and see if he’s willing to at least discuss the matter.”
It was the year 2025 and her recollection of Jorgen went back to when she was in middle school. “That man is a tyrant. I don’t even know if I could even stand to be around him.” “I have to do something and desperate times call for desperate measures. My mother can’t be trusted. She probably already has the wedding cake designed and the ring practically on my finger. The only way that I can get her off my back is to show her that I can think for myself. I don’t need a man to hold me down and make me feel subjugated. Cassie was peering at the results of her latest scan and noticed a couple of anomalies that this equipment was not capable of finding the answers.
“You say the word and I will make sure that you at least get a sit down meeting with Jorgen. They say that he’s going to be in the area sometime in the next couple of days. He usually likes to do it under the down low, as to not to attract too much attention from government authorities. It still amazes me that they leave him alone to conquer other worlds on the pretense that he doesn’t touch this one.” Benjamin was exuberant about the possibility that he could kill two birds with one stone. He couldn’t stand to be around Cassie any longer than necessary. He wanted to pawn off his headache onto a man that needed to be taken down off his pedestal.
“My father would be rolling around in his grave if he were around to see me stoop to this level of groveling. He always said that if research was
important enough that somebody would back it. I can only hope that I’m not some kind of disappointment to him. It hurts me to think that my mother was right all along. She claimed that I would never make it on my own and I’ve been struggling to prove her wrong every single day of my life.” Cassie was strong minded and would not knuckle down against the pressure of her mother’s constant verbal abuse. “There’s only one person that can get underneath my skin and that’s my mother. One look in my direction and I feel like I am five years old clutching onto her pant leg as she lambastes into one of the staff. She will always have that ability to strike fear into the heart of many including myself.”
“If it was up to me, I would gladly give you the funding, but everybody is tightening their belts. A lot of that money that was earmarked for research has gone to the government to make weapons of mass destruction. They want to be ready in case of the possibility of an Armageddon. There has been no sign that Jorgen or anybody else has designs on bringing this world to its knees. We actually have a settlement on Jupiter and we got the know how from the alien race known as the Sect. They have warned us that Jorgen can’t be trusted, but it remains to be seen that he’s a threat to us.” Benjamin was aghast. In his 50 years on this planet, he had never seen a government bow down in servitude to anyone without facing the consequences.
Jorgen had shown what he was made of by destroying a national landmark. Mount Rushmore had been obliterated and a reminder of his might was a sunken hole.
“I will be damned if my mother gets me underneath her thumb again. Living underneath her roof is the last place that I want to find myself. I would rather live in a cardboard box underneath the rail road panhandling for money.” She could say that, but she was also accustomed to the finer things in life including hot and cold running servants. “I want to believe in my heart that this is not the end and only the beginning. If I can show that this research can be used to give new life to planets that are on the edge of being uninhabitable, then my mother might look at me with a bit more respect.”
