by Andrian, V.
There I go again. Imagination running wild once more.
At the river I pour cold water on my face and neck. I find a spot behind some rocks to do my business and then throw some dirt over it to cover the smell. Survival skills 101. Once I brush my teeth and use my little cup to rinse, I’m ready to go back. The new plan is to wait for Damon to wake up and ask him to help me—
I freeze. Right there, a few feet away on my side of the river is a bear. A big-ass brown bear that’s casually drinking water, not minding me at all. Has it seen me? Smelled me? Noticed me at all? Do I have time to turn and run or should I just drop down and play dead? Does that shit even work with a bear?
Before I can think of anything else, two arms wrap around me from behind. Normally I’d scream but I think I’m too scared to even think of screaming. A small whimper however does escape my lips until I realize it’s Damon.
“Don’t move,” he breathes in my ear. His one arm is wrapped low around my belly below my navel and the other is just under my breasts. My whole body is pressed firmly against his and I feel his heart beating and his chest moving as he breathes.
I do as he says. I don’t move and I actually try to also keep my breathing to a minimum. The bear lifts its head and – oh, yep! – it has seen us. It has definitely seen us and now it’s coming slowly towards us, sniffing the air as it does. I press further into Damon and his hold on me tightens. Does he have a way to defend us? I don’t think I’ve seen anything other than the axe around the cabin and I doubt he has it with him. Oh my God, we’re going to die.
“Damon—”
“Ssh.” His mouth presses against the shell of my ear and I shudder. Really, body? Now? “Just watch. No matter what, don’t move.”
How could I? How could I move when he’s the only thing that’s keeping me from fainting?
The bear sniffs around, taking steps towards us and stopping. A little further forward and stops again. It sniffs the air, the ground, the trees. It grunts low and I whimper again in response. There’s no possible way for me to get any closer to Damon but I do and his hold tightens even more. Does he do it to comfort me or keep me still? Or maybe both?
The bear gets so close that I can feel the warmth emanating from its fur. Damon’s hand moves from my lower waist and he turns his palm slowly towards the beast. Oh my God, what is he doing? The bear’s muzzle gets closer and then it’s pressing against Damon’s palm. My mouth drops open but no sound comes out. The bear is smelling him and… nuzzling his hand? Is it a pet bear or something?
I think I about die when the bear’s attention turns to me and it presses its nose to my belly. It sniffs me and its exhalations feel like they’re burning my skin they’re so hot. But that’s all it does. Just smells me. It turns its head to the side and opens its mouth in a big, loud yawn. I press my lips together and close my eyes tight. Please, please let it go away soon. I’m too young to die of heart attack.
Finally I hear its paws thudding away lightly. I don’t open my eyes until all I can hear is the birds chirping and, when I do, the bear is nowhere to be seen. Damon’s arms are still wrapped around me, his face right next to my ear. I’m breathing in short gasps and it takes me a while to realize I’m alive and not bear-chow.
I let out a small whimper and spin around, circling my arms around Damon’s neck and pulling him down to me. “Oh my God!” I breathe, unable to get my voice to sound any louder. “Oh my God!” It’s all I seem to be able to say.
Damon’s arms are still around me and he holds me to him. I think the way I’m holding him – bent a little low to accommodate my height as I press my face into the crook of his neck – might be uncomfortable for him but he doesn’t protest. He just holds me back and then his hands smooth softly over my back.
I don’t know how long it takes me to calm down but he still hasn’t moved. I think we could have become a hefty meal to other wild animals during the time I’m holding him there but I really don’t care. He makes me feel safe and that’s the only thing I need right now. And he smells safe too. Clean, earthy, fresh. Of course there’s no sign of cologne or deodorant out here but even if there was he wouldn’t need it. He smells so good the cologne making industries should ask him for a sample.
It’s not long though after I calm down that my body begins to react. My heartbeat accelerates when I realize his one hand is very close to my backside. His face is pressed in the crook of my neck too and I feel his breath fanning my skin. He is taking deep breaths as if he is smelling me too and it makes something inside me melt.
But it’s not the main thing that suddenly has me all hot and bothered. It’s the steel rod I feel pressing into my hip. Oh, wow. He is long. And thick. And so hard. There went my assumption that he wasn’t affected by me. Which of course is normal since I’m probably the only woman he’s been close to in seven years but it boosts my feminine ego.
“Thank you,” I whisper against his neck. I think he shudders in response but he pulls back just then and I’m left feeling cold.
He gives me a tight nod and looks away. His throat moves as he swallows. “That bear has been around for a while. I think he’s still young and has had little to no interaction with humans. And I’ve given him treats before so…”
I nod, feeling strangely awkward. “Well… um… thanks. For keeping me calm and… close.” Oh God, this needs to end now. “I should go back. I’m likely to attract more wild animals with the scent of fear I’m probably excreting so…” I gesture towards the general area of the cabin and then I all but run out of there. I know he’s following close behind but I need to calm my freaking hormones before I can operate normally around him. Because right now, all that’s in my mind is how he felt pressed against me. How he would feel moving inside me…
Oh God, stop! This is wrong! I’m getting him to make me the freaking map and then leaving. That’s what I should do.
As I reach the cabin and push the door open, I’m stopped dead in my tracks when I hear his deep voice calling me.
“Cassandra.”
My heart starts beating wildly again. He has never said my name before. And why would it be so important that he did? But it is. It feels like it’s of great importance. It feels as if he tied a rope around my body and pulled me closer to him.
I turn around to face him. He seems as awkward as me as he rubs a hand over his cheek, stirring the hair from his beard. “I’ll take you to the nearest town tomorrow but… Do you have a pair of scissors I could use? It’s hard to shave with the knife and it’s even harder when the hair is this long…” He gestures around his face and I’m stunned that he would ask something of me.
And then I laugh. “Sure,” I say smiling. “I can give you a haircut too if you’d like. And I have a few razors I can give you, if you don’t mind that they’re pink.”
He surprises me even further when he chuckles and his lips form a small smile. “No, I think I’ll be fine with the color. It’s not like there’s anyone around to doubt my masculinity.”
Oh, that turns my face into a heated mess. No, his masculinity can definitely not be doubted as evidenced by the hard length I felt before. Oh God, my eyes fleet to his groin involuntarily and now I’m seriously redder than a cherry.
I clear my throat and nod. “So, um… Whenever you want… I can help you with… the scissors.” Before I can embarrass myself more, I turn around and hide inside the cabin. He doesn’t follow me in and I’m partly grateful partly disappointed. I push both feelings aside and search my bag for my scissors. If I can do one thing for him before I go then it will have to be that.
Chapter Seven
“Stay still,” I order him softly. I have him sitting on the chair in front of the fireplace. The light from the window isn’t enough to be efficient but he insisted on doing it inside so the wind won’t scatter the hair and attract animals. “Are you sure you want me to do this?”
“Fuck, yeah,” he says emphatically and I realize it’s the first time I’ve seen him acting somet
hing other than calm or angry. “I couldn’t do it on my own and it’s a huge fucking problem when I’m working.”
“Okay then,” I say, snapping the scissors. “I’ve never done this before so I hope you won’t regret this.”
“Cassandra,” his says softly, causing goose bumps to break out over every inch of my skin, “it’s not like I’ll be ashamed to get out of the cabin if you cut it wrong. Just grab and cut anything you can.”
“Right. Here we go.”
I start by grabbing as much of his hair length as I can in one hand and taking it out in one careful sweep. The hair is left in my hand and I feel a thrill tightening my stomach. I want to cut his hair like it was in the picture. If he shaves the beard too, he’ll be just like it, I’m sure. Only I haven’t taken the full amount of his handsomeness in reality in consideration and I’m afraid what it could do to me.
As a woman who has visited the hairdresser’s numerous times, I know in theory what to do to cut it evenly but it takes much more effort than in theory. I make slow work of his back hair before moving to one side and then the other. I intend to leave the top a little longer, just like it’s in the picture.
I love the feel of his hair between my fingers. Sadly, my crush hasn’t faded now that I met him. Which only means it will be harder for me to leave him. My heart actually clenches at the thought of simply walking away. It feels all wrong.
“So, when I leave,” I start casually, “you’ll be alone again.” A lump forms in my throat and I have to swallow several times to push it down. “Don’t you miss being with other people?”
It takes him some time to answer. “Yeah, I guess. It’s nice being alone though. I certainly don’t miss the noise of the traffic or the pollution covering the air. Besides, I wouldn’t have chosen this place if I didn’t like it.”
I like that he talks to me but I think he’s not being entirely honest. I’m not going to push him though. “Well, your hair is ready. Do you want me to do your beard next?”
“Um…” he fumbles with his beard and I hold my breath. Whether he tells me to shave him or not, I’m about to see his face more clearly now that the hair is out of the way. “Can you cut as much as you can? I’ll do the rest but I don’t actually have a mirror, so…”
“First,” I say with a small smile, “I have a mirror. When was the last time you heard a woman travelling without one?”
He chuckles. “True.”
“And second, I can do the shaving if you want. We don’t have shaving cream though and it might sting a little.”
“No, it’s okay. Just cut as much as you can.”
“Okay then,” I say and my heart starts beating wildly.
I walk around and stand right in front of him. He tilts his head back to meet my gaze and my lips tilt upwards the moment I see him. His eyes are now easily visible without being obstructed by the curtain of hair. He looks less like a caveman and more like a rock star. A sexy as hell rock star.
I clear my throat when I realize I’ve been staring at his face like a lovesick puppy and squat in front of him. He opens his legs to accommodate me and I have to force my eyes to remain on his face. “Now you need to stand still for a whole different reason. I will try to cut as close to your skin as possible so you’ll have less to shave so… Not a muscle.”
I work from left to right since I’m right-handed, to get over the hard side first and then move to the other one. The problem is that I feel his eyes on me the whole time and being this close to him has my body burning. If I put my knees on the floor, I’ll be in perfect position to unzip his pants and—
“I’m sorry,” he says, cutting my very inappropriate thoughts short.
“For what?” I try for nonchalant but I sound breathless. His eyes are fixed on mine and everything inside me tightens.
“For having you look for me. For leaving without telling anyone where I was going and eventually causing you to crash on your way to find me.”
I look away because I can’t look at him and form coherent thoughts. “I know you had your reasons. You don’t have to explain them to me. And it’s as you said it. No one was to blame for the plane crashing. It just happened.”
He stays silent and I keep trimming his beard. I see the change happening in front of my eyes and I still can’t believe how much better he looks. How handsome he really is. When I put the scissors down, I’m not surprised to realize my panties are wet and I’m in serious need of a cold shower.
“There,” I say groggily and have to clear my throat again. “Ready. Want to see?” I hold out the mirror for him and stand up.
“No,” he says gruffly and stands too. Without another word, he’s out the door and I’m left stunned yet again. Why? I thought we were bonding here. What had I done wrong?
I storm out of the cabin in search for him. I think I see him disappearing between the trees in the path leading to the river and run after him. I’m not fast enough though and by the time I reach the river bank he’s nowhere to be seen. I’m afraid to call out to him in fear of bumping into Brother Bear again. The only solution I have is to look for him.
I take an educated guess and figure he could have gone either up or down the river. I follow the stream backwards. It’s not an easy feat since the bank this way is full of fallen branches, rocks and boulders and I’m starting to wonder if I chose right heading upstream. I climb over a pretty tall boulder and stop.
Damon’s here, several feet in front of me. And he’s naked, under a small waterfall in the cold stream. Naked. And hard. His erection is standing at attention and he has his hands braced on the rocks in front of him and his head thrown back right under the stream. Oh my God, this is the caveman version of a cold shower. And it has to be the hottest sight I’ve ever come across.
Oh, I should go. I should give him privacy. I should—
He wraps his hand around his hard cock and strokes it twice, hanging his head forward. His thumb sweeps over the tip before he pushes his hand back down to the base and back up again. I don’t know if it’s in my mind or not but I think I hear him groan and my heart about explodes with how fast it’s beating. I was wrong before. This is the hottest sight ever.
His hand starts moving in long, slow strokes up and down his shaft and I simply can’t take my eyes off of him. He’s basically under the frozen stream and he’s still hard. His whole body is tense and I can’t help but admire how perfectly hard and fit he is all over. This is the picture I want to keep of him if I’m never going to see him again. This Damon, his hair cut short, no long beard roughening him up, his face features hardened by lust and – yeah – his long, thick cock standing fully erect. He’s like a Greek statue.
My breath quickens along with his strokes and I think I’m getting off just by looking at him. I’ve never heard that women are capable of orgasming simply by watching something so erotic, so hot but I wouldn’t bet money against it happening. My eyes now are fixed on his hand that’s fisting his shaft. His movements turn jerkier and then it’s definitely him I hear groan loudly as hot semen explodes from his tip and coats his hand.
I slowly start to walk back to the cabin, trying to reign in my raging hormones. My mind is foggy with pure lust and the images of Damon getting off are playing again and again. I don’t see the fallen branch I had passed before. I step on it and feel my ankle twist and then hot pain shoots up my leg and I shout out in agony. Oh God, I think this time I did break it.
“Cassandra,” I hear being yelled from behind me.
“Damon,” I call out in response, rubbing my ankle that is rapidly swelling. “Here.”
I hear him rushing and then he’s kneeling beside me, fully clothed. His hair is wet and dripping and it looks so much darker this way.
“What happened?” he says urgently. “How?”
I hiss in a breath when he removes my hand and rubs his thumb over my swollen ankle. “I came after you. I didn’t see the branch and I fucking stepped on it.” I don’t mention how that happened only aft
er I saw him masturbating. “Stupid,” I add under my breath.
“Not stupid,” he says softly. “Just unlucky. Come on, let’s get you to bed.”
Oh, that is perceived so differently from my body than what I know he means and heat runs through me. For fuck’s sake! Me and my reactions. He wraps his arms around me and lifts me up to his chest and then we’re moving. I throw my head on his shoulder and sniff in a tear that’s trying to sneak out.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“For hurting your ankle?”
“No. For having you carry me again. I swear I’ve never had anyone do this for me before. It’s not like me to be so helpless. I feel awful.”
“Don’t,” he commands softly. “You’re not helpless. You’re hurt. And if I wasn’t here I’m sure you would have walked yourself back but now you don’t have to. I don’t mind carrying you.”
I put my palm on his chest and feel his heart beating firmly underneath. “Thank you.”
He doesn’t answer. He gets us back to the cabin and carefully lays me on the bed. My ankle is throbbing and burning. I’m not unaccustomed to pain but it sucks to feel it when you’re horny. And I still fucking am!
Damon puts a folded blanket under my foot to elevate it and goes to rummage through the cabinet. He comes back with some plant in his hands which he proceeds to carefully place over my ankle.
“What’s that?” I ask bemused.
“I don’t have ice for the swelling so I use herbs.”
My eyebrows fly up at that. “You know what herbs to use?”
A small smile tugs at one corner of his lips. “I came prepared out here, Cassandra.”
“So I see,” I say in awe.
I watch him as he sits on the edge of the bed and treats my injury with care. He finally puts back the splint and cloths. “This will help you keep it securely in place. You need to rest it a lot so I’m afraid you will have to wait before going back to civilization.”
