Trapped with the Woodsman Read online

  “Lose something?” I asked.

  “Just making sure the area is clean before we head out.” He met my eyes. “That is part of the job, right?”

  I almost laughed. He never bothered to take care of his share of the work when it came to keeping our area neat and orderly. There were times when he even left his lunch trash all over whatever table he decided to use. I didn’t point that out, though. I was more interested in the way he kept looking around. He was definitely looking for something.

  Without thinking, I slid my hand into the pocket and touched the note, wondering.

  He gave up on whatever it was he was trying to find and shifted his attention to me. “Come on.” He gave me the saddest attempt at a polite smile I’d ever seen and gestured for the door. “I’ll walk you out. We’re locking up soon.”

  I didn’t point out to him that I knew my way out – and that I knew what time the visitor’s center shut down. I just wanted to be away from him.

  He shadowed me through the short hallway and out into the main area.

  Roman looked up at me from across the room with a smile. That smile faded as he caught sight of the man at my back.

  Stilwell muttered something under his breath, then said, “Stay out of trouble, okay, Lexi?”

  My mouth fell open when he said that – Lexi – but when I turned to look at him, he was already pushing back through the employee door.

  Curious, I tightened my fingers around the scrap of paper, then pulled it out and tucked it into one of my Velcro pockets where it would be more secure.

  I’d look at it again when I wasn’t likely to see Stilwell.

  It was probably nothing, but then again, if it was nothing, what did it matter if I wasted a few minutes trying to figure it out?

  It wasn’t like I’d be hurting anybody, right? If it was what Stilwell had been looking for, I might possibly inconvenience him, and some small, petty part of me delighted in the thought.

  I took a deep breath, reminding myself it was probably nothing more than trash.

  Twenty-Nine

  Roman

  Lexi groaned as she slid out of the booth.

  I gave her a sympathetic look. I’d spent enough time working myself to exhaustion to know how much she must be aching. The hike through the mountains had left me tired, but I’d felt much worse. I’d been on missions where I had to move twice as fast, carrying almost double the weight, all the while getting by on just a few hours of sleep, grabbed here and there.

  She caught sight of my expression and grimaced. “Sorry. I’m just aching all over. I know I’ve been mostly off my feet for the week, but that shouldn’t make me this sore all because I spent the day hiking.”

  She reached out and caught my hand. The gesture caught me by surprise, but I schooled my features, so it wouldn’t show.

  “You maybe want to come over to my place?” she asked, her voice a study in practiced calm.

  We’d just pushed out through the doors of the pub where we’d chosen to eat. Now, outside in the cool air, I turned to look at her, not quite able to hide my surprise this time.

  The lights coming from the pub were bright enough that I could see the pink flush spreading up her cheeks.

  “I’ll be honest, Lexi…if I come home with you, it’s going to result in me spending a good hour between your thighs. You up to that?”

  Her mouth parted, and her pupils expanded until just a thin rim of gray showed. “Yes,” she whispered, her voice husky. “I’m definitely up for that.”

  I wanted to kiss her right there but held back as a couple with kids walked by, all of them in varying stages of exhaustion. Forcing myself to step back, I said, “Let’s get a move on then.”

  I followed Lexi to her place, a cute house tucked away from the road. A heavy growth of trees provided privacy, keeping the building out of sight until after the bend in the drive.

  Her porch light was on, as well as one light from inside the house. Everything around us was quiet.

  “Nice place,” I told her as I joined her on the sidewalk.

  “Thanks.” She glanced at me. “I’ve only been here about a year. Lived in an apartment for a few months after college while trying to find a place.”

  We walked silently to the door, and when she tugged her keys from her pocket, I held out my hand.

  She hesitated only a moment before turning them over, the house key already separated from the rest.

  “I’ll need to disarm the system.”

  I glanced at her as I fit the key to the lock. “Ever had problems out here?”

  “Not since I moved in here, but back when I was living in the apartment, there were two attempts at a break-in. It made me kind of paranoid.”

  I liked the fact that she’d taken measures to protect herself. I felt oddly protective of her, an instinct that was getting stronger with every passing hour we spent together.

  Once we were inside, I waited by the door as she moved over to the wall and punched a code into the small white panel there.

  It beeped, and Lexi turned to me. I moved over to her, hanging the keys on a decorative hook clearly designed for just that purpose.

  She backed up a step and braced her hands against the counter behind her, lifting her chin to stare up at me. The light filtered into the room from another, leaving us mostly in shadow. I trailed my fingers along her upper arm then spread my hand open and placed it on her neck. Under my palm, I could feel the delicate arch of her neck and just barely, the rapid flutter of her pulse.

  She closed her hand over my wrist and tugged as she eased away from me. “I need a shower, like really bad. Mind giving me a few minutes?”

  I almost asked if I could join her but decided I might be rushing it. “Fine with me.”

  “Thanks.” She angled her head toward the other room. “Down the hall past the living room, I’ve got a guest bathroom, if you want to use it.”

  After I was alone, I decided to do just that. I had one last pair of clean but wrinkled clothes in my pack, and I went to go grab it. By the time I was back inside the house, I could hear water running from somewhere.

  That was all it took for me to start picturing Lexi, naked, standing with her face lifted to the shower nozzle as water rained down on her elegant, excellent body. Now, I wished I had asked if I could join her. By the time I was in the guest bathroom, my cock was already aching like a bad tooth. I climbed under the spray, adjusting it so that it was just tepid, letting the temperature cool blood that had already started to heat. It wasn’t making much of a difference. Sliding my hand down my belly, I closed it over my cock and stroked, thinking once again of Lexi…naked and wet.

  My dick jerked in my hand, hungry and ready for a lot more than just a little self service. But if I took care of myself now, I could spend hours playing with Lexi later.

  I stroked myself more roughly, bracing my feet wide apart as I pumped my fist up and down. The head, swollen and distended, disappeared then reappeared as I found my rhythm.

  My breath came harder, faster.

  Closing my eyes, I imagined it wasn’t my fist, but Lexi, on her knees in front of me and sucking me deep into her throat.

  My balls drew tight in warning.

  A moment later, cum spurted from me to splash down and mingle with the water swirling around my feet. I continued to stroke until I’d emptied myself, although my cock made it clear that this was only a stopgap. The demanding thing wouldn’t be happy until it was inside Lexi, in her mouth or snug tight in her sweet pussy.

  With a groan, I shoved off the tiled wall at my back and reached for the bottle of shampoo sitting on the built-in shelf.

  As I washed, I began to think about Lexi and all the dirty things I wanted to do to her.

  After bundling up my things and shoving everything but my clean shirt into the pack, I left the bathroom. I put the pack by the front door, leaning against the wall. I dropped my shirt on the back of the couch and followed the faint sounds coming from the other par
t of the house.

  I found Lexi’s bedroom easily. The lights were on, and the covers on the big bed had been turned down. I stared for a long moment, thinking about Lexi doing that, drawing down the comforter and linens, leaving the bed so it looked like it was just waiting for us. Why in the hell was that such a sexy idea? I didn’t know, but it was.

  Lexi wasn’t in the room, or the bed, and that was the one problem I found with the situation. On the wall at my right, I could see a door. It was partially open, and I moved over, glancing through the gap visible between the door and its frame.

  I saw a mirror. And in it, I saw Lexi. She had her foot up on the counter, stroking her hands down, then up. Slowly, I nudged the door open all the way, still staring at her reflection.

  She lifted her eyes and met mine in the mirror.

  I moved to stand behind her just as she lowered her foot to the ground. She smelled amazing – lavender mixed with something else. Pushing her damp hair out of the way, I pressed my face to the curve of her neck and found the scent was stronger there.

  I wanted to eat her up.

  Slowly, I raised my head and met her eyes once more. Gripping her hips in my hands, I tugged her back, moving her so that she stood farther out from the sink. Then I nudged her down until she had her elbows braced on the counter’s surface.

  “Watch yourself,” I told her before going to my knees behind her. I cupped the firm curves of her ass and pushed until I had her open in front of me. The tight pucker of her ass, running down to the pink folds of her pussy. She was already wet, and that made me wonder what she’d been thinking about in the shower.

  I might have asked, but that would mean waiting even longer to taste her again.

  She gasped as I leaned in and found her with my mouth. The angle was different, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was the fact that she was all but melting against my face, pushing her hips back against me greedily.

  The muscles in her butt and thighs quivered. I could feel the tiny quakes as I fucked my tongue into her cunt.

  She cried this time, the sound broken and sweet.

  My cock pulsed in demand, but I ignored it.

  Working her until she was practically coming apart in my hands, I toyed, teased, and traced the sensitive swollen flesh of her pussy.

  As I felt her start to tighten, her orgasm pushing in on her, I stood up. I already had my jeans open by the time I was on my feet. Arrowing the head of my cock to her core, I flexed my hips and pushed inside. I gripped her hip with one hand. I pushed the other into the wet silk of her hair and tugged, arching her spine up.

  I stared at the mirror, watching her eyes go wide, her mouth forming a soft, soundless o of pleasure.

  The grip I had on her hair forced her spine into an arch, lifting her breasts until they were on display in the most erotic way. Her nipples were tight, puckered. All but waiting for my teeth and tongue.

  They’d have to wait though. I wasn’t about to break contact with her pussy just then. Not for anything.

  She twisted her hips, rocking up onto her toes with each thrust.

  “I like watching while I fuck you,” I said, the words coming out of me in a guttural tone.

  Her cheeks flushed.

  “Do you enjoy it too, Lexi?”

  She went to nod, but the grip I had on her hair wouldn’t let her.

  I slowed my thrusts and asked again, “Do you enjoy it?”

  “Yes.” It was both a whimper and moan, one of the sexiest sounds I’d ever heard.

  “Good.” I began to move faster, thrusting deep into the slippery wet well of her pussy.

  She braced her right hand onto the surface of the sink and began to drive herself back against me, working herself up and down on my prick. I dropped my gaze, staring at where we joined. The sight of my dick, all slick with her honey, was a punch and I slowed my strokes once more.

  She mewled and moved faster, my name falling from her lips. “Roman, please…”

  “Fuck yourself on my dick, Lexi.” A groan shuddered around me as her muscles flexed and tightened, gripping me even more tightly. “Shit, that’s a sexy sight, baby. Don’t stop.”

  She didn’t.

  In fact, she began to rock against me more desperately. The slick moisture from her cunt slid down, coating my balls. The wet, raw sounds of greedy sex filled the air.

  My control splintered the next time her pussy flexed around me, and I yanked her back against me, pivoting us both away from the sink. Bending my knees into hers, I urged her to the ground until she was kneeling in front of me on her knees and elbows.

  I caught her hair again and pulled, hard.

  She cried out, the sound one of stark, utter need.

  Her back arched in response to my grip on her hair, and I began to fuck her harder, holding nothing back.

  A sharp, high noise filled the room. She keened low and wordless and began to come.

  But I didn’t stop.

  Couldn’t stop.

  Her body started to wilt against the floor, and I grabbed both of her hips to keep her up and open for me.

  My own orgasm raged closer, just out of reach, taunting me.

  Swearing, I pulled out of her and rose, tugging her up with me. I boosted her up into my arms and carried her into the bedroom.

  The bed was a tall one, and when I laid her down and pushed up her thighs, it opened her for me.

  I bent and pressed a hot, open-mouthed kiss to her slick cunt, then stood and thrust inside once more. My elbows caught the crook of her knees, pushing her ass up and high. I gripped the snug curve and held her in place.

  She started to moan, and I looked up into her eyes, seeing the lambent heat as it took hold of her once more.

  Lexi curled her fists into the sheet beneath her, her neck arched, mouth open.

  I bent low over her and kissed her hungrily, greedy for so much more than just this.

  This, as good as it was, just wasn’t enough.

  And I didn’t know what possibly could be enough, not when it came to her.

  Lexi pushed a hand into my hair and held on as she opened her mouth for me. She wasn’t a passive lover. Her tongue came out and twined with mine, then dipped into my mouth as if she craved my taste as much as I craved hers.

  Her nails bit into my shoulders, and her tight nipples dragged across my chest, leaving trails of sensation.

  I felt it as she started to climax again. Every muscle in my body had gone taut, hard as a rock, just like my dick. I bit her lower lip then pulled away from her mouth to press my face into her neck. My lungs burned with the need for oxygen, my body using up every bit of reserves it possessed. I started to come only seconds after her pussy had started to spasm, milking me with every pulse of her body.

  She drained me, completely. As the climax ended, I stood there, bent over her, all the strength in my body gone.

  She curled her arms around my neck and sighed out my name.

  My heart clenched inside me.

  What in the hell was this woman doing to me?

  I rarely slept easily.

  Even before things had happened with my brother, too often when I laid down to rest for the night, my brain ran in circles instead of slowing down.

  But as I laid there, holding Lexi tucked up against my side, my brain started to go slow and hazy.

  Vaguely, I remembered thinking that I just might get a few decent hours of sleep.

  Then it was like somebody had just gone and turned off the lights in my head, and I was out.

  I was dreaming.

  I knew it the second I climbed out of bed and looked around.

  “Hey, brother.”

  I turned and saw Ryan standing in front of me. Where there should have been the back wall of Lexi’s room, there was just a heavy bank of white fog. Ryan stood with that fog at his back, and as I met his eyes, the fog started to wrap around him, slowly obscuring him from my vision.

  “You’re going to be okay,” Ryan said.

&nb
sp; I glanced back at the bed – or at least I tried. There was just more of the fog, circling around us like a barrier. The space around me was free of it while Ryan, just a few feet away, was practically lost to it.

  “You’re leaving,” I said. Oddly, I didn’t feel the deep, sharp pain at the thought of him being gone. There was an ache in my chest, yeah, but there was something else…acceptance.

  “Can’t stay forever.” Ryan crooked a grin at me. “Besides, and excuse the hokiness of the expression, but you know I’m always going to be a part of you. Nothing changes that.”

  Tears blurred my eyes, and I blinked.

  It was just a fraction of a second that my eyes were closed, but when I opened them to look for my brother, there was nothing but that fog around me.

  He was gone.

  I reached up with the back of my hand and dashed away a tear that had managed to break free.

  A soft sound came from behind me, and I turned. This time, through the now-clearing fog, I saw the bed…and Lexi.

  I went back to her and slid under the covers. Closing my eyes, I tucked my body up against hers.

  The next thing I knew it was morning.

  The bed shifted, and I cracked open one eye just in time to see Lexi sit up, her long, naked back to me.

  I reached out and stroked a finger down her spine, although my mind was more focused on that weird dream than anything else.

  She turned to look at me, then. The sight of her sleepy, sexy smile cleared my head, and I found myself smiling back at her.

  “Good morning,” she said softly, twisting around and moving closer. She pressed a kiss to my mouth, but before I could deepen it, she was already pulling back.

  “Come back here,” I said as she slid out of bed.

  She turned a laughing face toward me. “I’ve got to shower and eat. Since it looks like I still have my job, I have to get ready.”

  I groused under my breath, and she just grinned at me. “I had a good night too, thank you.”

  She disappeared into the bathroom before I could respond.