Page 23 of Hotwife
“Don’t call her, don’t bother her if you see her again. Don’t even think about her. You got all that?” Desmond commanded in a low, dark tone.
Kenneth nodded. “Yes, sir.” He gave a nod and paused as he turned on his heel to flee. “Just curious,” he added bravely. “Military man?”
“Marines,” was Desmond’s only response, and Kenneth nodded.
“Thanks for your service, bro. I won’t cause any more trouble. Bye, Ruby.” With that, he disappeared in the throes of people walking the busy street.
“Marine, huh?” I asked as Des snatched back the coffees. Somehow my over-eager one night stand recognized a military air about my accomplice and I didn’t.
“Ruby, huh?” He repeated, tone light, but anger coated his words. Was he angry at me?
“He must have been confused,” I stalled, unsure of what to say.
“Confused. Right.” Des unzipped the hatch and placed the drinks carefully inside, before mounting his bike again.
I wordlessly followed suit. It was hard enough to get a read on this guy without having a tinted black helmet completely blocking all of his facial expressions. So I gave up, hoping he wouldn’t press me for any info on the awkward encounter. We shot out onto the street.
This time, Des took the highway.
eight
Miles of pavement slowly gave way to rougher roads then finally only dirt. Des pulled off to the side of a bleak and tree-lined road and hopped off. He grabbed a thick pack out of the back compartment and nodded towards a narrow gap between a row of trees.
“I take it we’re hiking?” I asked.
Not even a grunt. Des brushed past me, stomping into the forest.
“Alrighty then,” I muttered to myself, taking a few big gulps of coffee before following behind. Great, now we were fighting.
The trail alternated between carved and worn dirt paths and steep juts upward that were tangled with roots. At many points, anyone may have assumed the trail ended at a sharp incline or root covered dirt wall, but Desmond wasn’t deterred. He blazed forward, only acknowledging me at points where he had to help me up or steady me. His hands gripped my hips and lingered a fraction longer than necessary. I found myself feeling butterflies at the sight of any tilt or rugged patch of trail. After over thirty minutes of silence, I leaned on a tree, trying to hide my heavy breathing. “Hey, you may be a marine, but I’m not, Des,” I panted.
Stopping, he glanced up the trail and then back to me. Pulling a water bottle from his pack, he sauntered over. Breathing completely normal, like this mountain was nothing but a walk in the park for him. Meanwhile, I was fighting for my life and resisting the urge to ask how much farther.
“Not too much further now,” he answered my thought as I took a heavy drink of water.
“You going to talk to me or keep ignoring me?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as my breathing stabilized.
Des tightened a strap on his backpack, not responding, before grunting and motioning me to follow.
“Okay, I guess we’re full-on caveman today. This is really fun for me. Thanks so much for bringing me along, Des. I definitely don’t have the urge to jump into a shark tank now.”
I thought for sure my irreverence would pull a response out of my ornery hiking buddy, but nothing other than the sound of birds chirping chanted for the next half mile.
You’re in trouble next time I see you.
Rang through my head. Was this my punishment? His silence and some sort of death hike? Maybe I was supposed to be contemplating my sexual deviance.
Finally, we reached a clearing in the trees. Desmond inhaled deeply as we stepped out onto a massive overlook made of solid rock. The surface was flat, smooth, and surrounded by trees.
“Come look,” he said, a smile lifting his lips slightly. Smiling was a good sign, I guessed.
“No, you’re going to push me over the edge,” I said, crossing my arms.
He leveled me with a raised eyebrow, extending his hand. “Yes, so far I’ve saved you from losing your toes, drowning, a shark attack, and being abducted by a strange man on the street, all to push you off a mountain. You caught me.”
A grin tugged at my cheeks, and I rolled my eyes, taking his hand. We walked carefully to the edge while I watched my feet each step. I didn’t know how high we were, but it felt high.
“Look,” he whispered.