Edge of Desire

Chapter 14

Preston

We’d been here a month and each day I fell harder and harder for her. Sunshine was the first thing I thought of when Avery came to mind. She reminded me of the shimmering yellow rays on a beautiful day. Seeing her swathed around me that one morning was the most erotic thing I’d ever witnessed in my life. Her golden-streaked caramel-colored hair fanned across my body while her arms surrounded me as if she were protecting me from anything that got in her way. My heart had never felt this grateful for anyone. Her actions spoke volumes and the way she had tenderly touched me was the most emotional experience of my life. Her fingertips had been so soft; it was as though she explored my body with reverence, if such a thing were even possible. The whole scene replayed in my head repeatedly and it wouldn’t stop.

“Preston? Are you in there?”

We were out hiking again. We’d gone into town and purchased better hiking shoes and had taken advantage of the nice weather. She’d asked me something, but I was lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t heard her. Stopping, I turned around and said, “What?”

“I asked you if you were hungry or thirsty yet?”

“Damn. I can be totally insensitive about these things. Yes, let’s find a place to take a break and have a bite to eat.”

“Why do you say you’re insensitive?”

“Because I’m used to going for hours, sometimes days, without stopping to eat.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Days?”

I didn’t want to linger on that, so I grabbed her hand again and steered her to an outcropping of rocks that looked like an excellent place to stop.

“Let’s sit here. This is ideal.”

I took off the pack which contained the food. I’d also thrown in a few bottles of Gatorade, so I pulled those out and handed her one. She unscrewed the cap and guzzled one down. There was something about the way she drank that was over-the-top sexy. My mouth hung open as I stared at her.

“What?”

I shook my head and said, “You look terribly sexy when you drink like that.”

“Really? I always thought I looked like a man. At least that’s what my mom told me. ‘Avery, stop drinking like that. It’s not very ladylike.’ I would get that all the time from her. But sometimes when you’re really thirsty, you just can’t help it.”

“Avery, do me a huge favor, will you?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Don’t ever stop drinking like that.”

She howled out a laugh. I loved it when she laughed like that, and I joined in.

“My mom surely would not approve.”

“Honey, I don’t give a damn about your mother’s approval.”

We sat and ate our lunch. The snowcapped mountains in the distance were the perfect backdrop to our little picnic. I’d put in a couple of chocolate chip cookies for dessert, so I pulled them out and handed her one. She bit into one and some crumbs tumbled onto her chin. She let out a little giggle, but I grabbed her hand, preventing her from wiping them away. Instead, I bent my head and nibbled them off with my lips.

When I lifted my head, she had a heated look in her eyes. Her not blue/not green eyes had morphed into a deep passion blue as she slid the bottom right half of her lip between her teeth. After I could no longer hold myself back, I tugged her against me and kissed her. I meant for it to be a brief kiss, but it wasn’t. There would never again be any more brief kisses with Avery. She had consumed every last bit of me. And it was getting worse by the minute.

“Avery, Avery, Avery. What am I going to do with you?”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“On you and what you’re willing to do.”

Just like that, she laid it out on the table. I looked at her for a minute and then spoke.

“I want it all with you. But I can’t, until it’s the absolute right thing to do. I won’t hurt you in any way. Not if I can help it.”

“Don’t I have a say in this?”

“Always. But where you and I and this are concerned, I already know what you want and that you’re willing already. And I think, or at least I hope you know I want you more than words can even say. But when we eventually go there, I want everything to be perfect.”

She smiled at me then. “It’s all good, Preston.”

“Everything about you is all good.” I kissed her hand. “You’re the first girl I’ve ever ...” I let my voice trail off because I had suddenly become a bit embarrassed over what I had been about to tell her.

She wasn’t about to let me drop it though. “I’m the first girl you’ve ever what?”

My eyes couldn’t connect with hers at first. They ricocheted all over the place until they finally settled home. Her not blue/not green eyes always seemed to comfort me. “You’re the first girl I’ve ever wanted it to be right with. I never cared about it much with any of the others. I wasn’t a jackass if that’s what you’re thinking. But with you, I’m more concerned about your heart and your feelings than I’ve ever thought possible. I don’t want it to be just about the sex. I’m probably sounding like an idiot by now.”

She threw her arms around me and hugged me close to her. “That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. Thank you.”

To get a reaction like that from her every day would be my goal for the rest of my life.

Wait! What the hell was I talking about. The rest of my life? We’ve only known each other a couple of months.

I cupped her face with my hand and kissed her again. “How about we head back to the house. I would like to teach you how to fire a weapon this afternoon.”

“Okay.” She smiled at me.

I had an indoor range in the basement, for the winter months, but since it was summer, I set up targets outside. I had random stumps of various heights, tin cans, along with water-filled plastic jugs that I set on them. I also had sixteen-by-twelve-inch panels of tin used for roofing that I’d painted targets on that were attached to stakes. I hammered them into the ground. These are things I normally used, so I wanted her to try her hand at them. I’d let her stand closer so she could get the hang of it.

There was a whole arsenal here at the cabin for her to try, but I wanted her to use a large-caliber handgun, so I handed her a 45 Glock auto.

“This is a lot heavier than I thought it would be,” she remarked.

“Have you ever fired a gun?”

“Yeah, a twenty-two rifle when I was young.”

“This will handle a lot differently.” I demonstrated how to hold it with both hands and explained how the recoil would feel. I also taught her how to sight in the gun. After she fired off a few shots, I explained how to adjust her sights. She ended up having a good lesson. Her favorite was hitting the plastic jugs filled with water with the high-caliber rifle. Those suckers would literally explode, and she would get to laughing so hard, we’d both be cracking up.

“Oh my gosh. I didn’t realize how much fun target shooting would be.”

“While it’s fun, one thing to keep in mind. If you’re ever forced to use this weapon on another human being, you’d better be prepared for the consequences.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that if you end up having to kill someone, can you live with that?”

She didn’t even hesitate before responding. “If someone was trying to kill you or Justin or Caroline, I wouldn’t think twice about shooting them to protect my family. I may be shaken up afterwards, but I’d rather live with that than a dead family member.”

“I understand, but I had to ask you that. One other thing. If you pull this weapon on someone who is threatening you, shoot to kill. Don’t aim for the leg or something. Chances are they’d come back and shoot you instead. Do you understand?”

“I do.”

“There’s something else you need to know since we’re talking about safety. This house has a panic room. You know what that is, yeah?”

“Yeah, if it’s the kind you see in the movies.”

“I’m gonna show it to you now, but I need to get this cleaned up so it looks like we were never out here. Can you give me a hand?”

“Sure.”

“I need all the bullet casings picked up, okay? They look like these.” I held one up for her to see.

“On it.”

Thirty minutes later, we had everything tidied up and put away. I took her to the lower level of the house where there was a hidden trapdoor underneath the carpeting. We went down a flight of steps which ended at a steel door that had biometrics-recognition entry. I looked into the camera and placed my palm on the glass pad. It scanned my eyes and read my prints, and then the door slid open. Inside was a laptop with a satellite connection, two encrypted cell phones, nonperishable food items, and a refrigerator filled with drinks. The room also contained a bathroom, clothing, flashlights, and some other nonessential items. At the opposite end of the room was another door, which looked like the one we came through.

“Where does that go?” she asked.

“It leads to a tunnel that’ll get us out of here. The computer links to a satellite that can connect you to Pete or anyone else who’s safe and the phone is encrypted, so it’s safe too. The tunnel runs for about a mile and comes out away from the property where there is a motorcycle waiting to carry us away. The drill is if anyone hits this place, get down here ASAP, with or without me. Understand?”

“Yeah, but how will I get inside? That scanner thingy wouldn’t recognize me.”

“I’m going to change that so it will.”

“Do you think it’s possible they’ll come after us here?”

“I never rule anything out.”

“What if they do hit us and I make it down here and you don’t? I don’t know how to drive a motorcycle.”

“Call Pete and have him get someone out here. They’ll have a very difficult time getting through both of those doors, and by the time they do, you’ll be long gone.” I showed her where I stored the guns and supplies, such as water and food, along with a couple of backpacks. “If necessary, you can hide and live off the land for a couple of days until Pete can locate you. Just make sure you take that phone and call him.”

“But I don’t have Pete’s number.”

“Avery, are you trying to be a smartass?”

“No! I really don’t have his number.”

“Avery.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s programmed in the phone.”

“Right. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Um, Preston?”

“Yes?”

“This worries me. Scared is more like it.”

I pulled her into my arms and held her. “Don’t be. It’s all about taking extra precautions.”

“Boy, do you ever,” she said dryly.