Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Holt
The next week is the best I’ve ever had. I’m still in shock that Maple and I cohabitate so well together. Even though she still insists on sleeping on the floor, I join her every night now, feeling like we’re having a summer camp sleepover. I feel like a kid again, and not even my aching back in the morning can stop me from whistling a tune as I get ready for work. We’re in a rhythm that I didn’t think would ever be possible for me.
If anything, living together is helpful. My keys, wallet, and leash for Mookie somehow always make their way to the tiny table inside the back door. Usually, I spend a good ten minutes every morning fumbling for all three items before I find them in the oddest places. Maple never complains about my scattered thoughts or throws my flaws in my face to humiliate me. She just quietly helps me in the background.
With her in mind, I had a talk with Debbie on Monday. She came up with a work-around for Megan that I approved of. We moved Megan to a different position that keeps her in the higher-level-care residential area, and essentially, away from me. The human resources director also had a chat with her, informing her to take the transfer or be fired. Megan went quietly to her new role.
“You forgot to chart Anthony’s session,” Debbie reminds me, corralling me to the computer where I need to finish my notes on my last patient. She hands me glasses and gives me the mom-glare until I actually sit down and start typing.
“What would I do without you, Deb?”
She snorts and takes a moment to lean her bulk against the desk. She doesn’t rest often, so it’s nice to see her take a moment to relax at the end of the day. “It’d be chaos around here. And then you’d hire someone else to straighten things out and you’d be fine. You’re not an idiot, Holt.”
I lift my head, surprised. She usually takes every opportunity to tease me. “Is that…a compliment ?”
“Oh, shut up,” she grouses, rummaging through the drawers of the desk until she pulls out a chocolate bar triumphantly. She keeps my glasses handy, I hide chocolate bars for her. We’re a well-oiled team. “You and Maple better get out of here if you plan to hike. Supposed to rain tonight.”
I save the report and close out the computer. “I just checked and it’s not supposed to hit until after midnight. But I’m heading out anyway. Much as I love you, I’d rather be staring at Maple’s butt in a pair of leggings as she hikes up the mountain.”
Debbie talks through a mouth full of chocolate. “And I’d rather not have to babysit your ass. Get out of here, would you?”
I pat her on the shoulder, truly not sure what I’d do without her, and head for Gracie’s condo, knowing that’s where I’ll find Maple. She’s already coming out the door, laptop bag on her shoulder when I arrive. Her face lights up when she sees me, and I have a feeling my face mirrors hers.
“You ready?”
“Question is, are you ready? Last time we hiked you looked a little…”
Maple’s lower lip sticks out. “What? A little fatigued, but beautifully glowing with a sheen of sexy perspiration?”
I grin and kiss her pouty little mouth. “Yes, exactly that.”
We hurry home and get changed, harnessing Mookie, checking we have enough water, and head out to the mountain just west of the cabin. The trail is clearly marked thanks to tourists and locals alike who flock here for some exercise in the gorgeous outdoors. Thanks to the summer heat that’s particularly steamy today, I’m quick to pull off my T-shirt and tuck the hem in the back waistband of my shorts.
With each twist and turn we get a different view of Anchor Lake below. Main Street with all the shops and tourists bicycling through. Then the lake with brightly colored inner tubes and canoes cutting through the pristine water. Plenty of folks are laid out on towels, soaking in the late afternoon rays before heading back to their vacation rentals to either get ready for dinner in town or to grill their own dinner.
“Doing okay back there?” I ask over my shoulder. Maple’s breathing has been steady, albeit a bit labored.
“I’m good!” comes her quick reply. “Although I think I’ll have to run through some quick yoga positions to loosen up when we get back. My quads are on fire.”
“I’ll do it with you,” I offer, already looking forward to getting bendy with her when yoga used to hold very little appeal. “Good news. The top is just ahead.”
We take a good ten minutes to rehydrate and take in the view when we reach the pinnacle. I would have taken longer, but the billowing dark clouds to our west have me nervous. Summer storms out here can be vicious. Lightning, wind, and pounding rain aren’t out of the question. Add in a muddy trail that might lead to slipping, and I don’t want Maple anywhere near this mountain when the storm comes in.
“I think we better head back. I don’t want you getting rained on.” I reach down and pull Maple from the flat rock we used as a resting place.
“I don’t mind. Hiking in the rain might be kind of fun.”
I smile at Maple, loving her attitude. “Have I told you I love you?”
She shoots me a wink and sashays back to the trailhead. There seems to be a bit more sway to her hips than normal. “You may have mentioned it.” She turns and begins to move down the mountain.
I love this part of the hike, when I can simply stare at her backside and appreciate how beautiful she is when surrounded by nature. She’s always stunning, but here in a natural habitat, she shines. I blame her heart-shaped ass for distracting me from the weather happening around us. A single raindrop hits my forehead and I blink, looking around as if I’ve been in a daze. Shit. The dark storm clouds are almost on top of us, and according to my estimation, we’re only about halfway down the trail.
“Maple?” I call out over the increasing wind. “Think you can make a run for it?” Lightning crackles in the not-so-distance and her eyes go wide as she looks at me over her shoulder. Mookie whines, so I bend down and pick her up, wishing I brought the baby carrier to hold her to my chest.
“I’ll try!” Maple takes off, carefully picking her way over the rocks and dry dirt with much more speed than before. I follow, watching where my feet are going, but also keeping an eye on her.
The drops start coming faster and the thunderclaps are getting louder and closer, if the way the ground rumbles is any indication. Mookie starts to shake, huddling closer to my chest like I might be able to shield her from the rain and lightning all around. By the time the sky opens up, we’re at the bottom of the trail and sprinting full speed down the street to the cabin. Maple shrieks every time the clap of thunder shakes the very trees we’re running under. But then she follows it up with a peal of nervous laughter that has me smiling despite my worry.
We both push through the back door of the cabin, a dripping mess of labored breathing and hysterical laughter. Mookie is unimpressed with both of us. The second I set her down on the floor, she sprints for her bed in the living room, stopping several times to shake off the rain and spray it all over. I reach for the light switch and flip it, but nothing happens.
“Oh, shit.”
Maple spins, hair plastered to her face and back. I can’t see her expression in the dark. “What?”
“Electricity is out.” I shut the door and step closer. “Stay here while I get flashlights and towels.” I don’t wait for her answer. I know this cabin like the back of my hand and can navigate it in the dark. She probably could too, but I won’t risk her getting hurt.
I grab every towel in the linen closet outside the bathroom and stop for a flashlight in the kitchen. When I get back to Maple, I drape a towel over her shoulders and rub her arms up and down. Without the sun to warm the place and being soaking wet, it’s surprisingly cold. I give her the flashlight and take care of myself. Running a towel through my hair and over my body, I step out of my shorts to completely dry myself.
Maple snickers, shining the flashlight directly on my junk. I roll my eyes, but can’t deny the way knowing her gaze is on me affects my dick. Just thinking about her checking me out makes me semi-hard.
“Watch it, lady,” I growl, making a lunge for her. She shrieks and takes off running, leaving me in the dark. Mookie barks her indignation about being left out. I hear Maple fumbling around with her clothes and stripping out of her wet ones. I swipe the floor with the dry towels to clean up after Mookie. With that done, I go in search of a pair of clean, dry shorts and candles.
“The batteries ran out!” I hear Maple call from the living room.
“I think there are more above the washing machine!” I call back, hurrying to put on my shorts and snatch two scented candles from under the sink in the bathroom. I’ve never used them, and I assume they were here when I moved in.
“Hey!”
I rush out of the bedroom, thinking maybe Maple hurt herself, but I find her on her knees in the closet that hosts the stackable washer/dryer and cleaning supplies. She’s put on one of my T-shirts and a pair of loose sweats.
“You okay?”
She lifts her head, and I can just make out her brilliant smile. “I found Grandma’s old record player!” She pulls it out, inch by inch until it’s in the hallway.
I reach over her head and pull out double-A batteries to replenish the flashlight. Once that’s working, I check out the record player. “Hey, it’s one of those old-fashioned hand-crank ones.”
“We can play her records even with the power off!”
“I tell you what, I’ll carry that to the living room and start a fire, along with light some candles. You can see if you can get it working. Sound good?”
She nods and we carry out the plan. The living room looks downright cozy once I get the fire going in the dusty fireplace and the candles lit. Maple mutters under her breath the whole time I work, probably because there’s no guarantee that old record player even works anymore. I drag Mookie’s bed closer to the fire and make sure she’s okay after our dash down the mountain. By the time Maple cries out in triumph, Mookie’s eyes are drifting closed for a well-earned nap.
“I got it!”
I stand up to see the turntable spinning and Maple carefully dropping a record on top. She moves the stylus in place and suddenly crackling music comes out of the horn. She cheers. Seeing her happy is enough to have me forgetting all about the power being out or very little food for dinner. Elvis Presley’s iconic voice croons from the record player, slow and soothing as the flames dance all around us.
“Maple Thatcher, may I have this dance?” I ask, holding out my hand.
Maple slowly stands, her smile sultry and sweet. She takes my hand in hers and lifts her other hand to sink into the back of my hair. Her body presses tightly to mine, and once my arm comes around her waist, we begin to move about the living room. One love song leads into another and soon her cheek is resting on my chest. The thunder and lightning rage on outside, the two of us oblivious to anything but this moment and each other.
Her body is soft and warm against mine. Her breath fans my bare chest, rhythmic and peaceful. I’m as hard as that rock we sat on earlier at the top of Anchor Mountain, but I don’t make a move to do anything about it. I could stay here all night, just shifting back and forth with Maple in my arms. I love that she’s not concerned with when the power will be back on, or rummaging through the cabinets for something edible without modern appliances. She’s calm. Happy in the moment here with me.
“Elvis had it right,” I whisper in her ear. “I can’t help falling in love with you, Maple. I feel like fate has wanted us together since we were teens. And I know we’re just fake engaged at the moment, but there will be a day soon when it’s not fake anymore. I want forever with you.”
She rolls her face against my chest and dusts her lips across my skin. “I want that too,” she whispers back.
We stay just like that until the record ends and the thump, thump, thump of the stylus forces us apart. Maple puts on a new record and cranks it some more, even though both of us are showing signs of being exhausted. I don’t want this evening with her to end just yet. I twirl her back into my arms, admiring the way her hair has gone much curlier from the downpour and air-drying while we danced.
“Do you have a wind-down yoga routine you can put us through before bed? I don’t want you sore in the morning.”
“I do.” She goes up on her tiptoes and kisses me before stepping back and making space for us in the living room. I drape a couple of the blankets across the floor as a makeshift yoga mat for us both.
She stands with her bare feet together and takes a deep cleansing breath like she always does before she starts her poses.
“Wait.”
She stills, glancing over at me. I shoot her a wink, wanting to give her everything she’s given me and more. She told me before that she doesn’t teach anymore because of what her ex did to her. He ruined that whole community for her and I want to obliterate every memory she has of him.
“Since the power’s out, it’s the perfect time to engage in naked yoga.”
At my suggestion, she barks out a laugh. “What does the power being out have to do with anything?”
I step out of my shorts and toss them over my shoulder. “Not much, but it sounds good, right?”
Her gaze drops down my body, taking in the full length of me in the flickering light from the candles and the fire. She must like what she sees because she immediately strips my T-shirt over her head and throws it in the direction of my shorts. Her breasts are spectacular, perfectly round and full, and nipples puckering for me already. She kicks off her sweats and we take each other in, exactly as nature intended us. Her gaze drops back down to my erection, already so hard and ready he’s bobbing in the air between us, like a red flag waving in front of a bull. Maple doesn’t charge toward it, though. Sadly.
The air slips right out of my lungs as she puts her hands in prayer position, spins, and folds forward. I groan, stepping forward before I even know my feet are moving. My hands skim her hips as I bring my pelvis to her backside. She tsks at me and I groan again, forcing myself to release her and step back. Like a whole inch. That’s surely enough space to do this yoga routine.
“When your hamstrings are screaming at you tomorrow morning, you’ll regret not doing the poses,” she says on a soft laugh.
“I promise you, I will have zero regrets tomorrow morning.” I’m done being patient. My hands grip her hips again and I decide that if she wants to do yoga, that’s fine. I have other things in mind though.
“Down dog, sweetheart,” I say gruffly. She shifts into the position. “Spread your legs wide.” She follows my command.
I drop to my knees and wedge between her legs to lick her seam. Maple yelps and her arms and legs begin to tremble. The taste of her blooms on my tongue and I’m suddenly ravenous. I hold her hips from below, spreading her open to my mouth with my thumbs, and dive in. I feel her limbs begin to give and I pop my mouth off her clit to bark more orders at her.
“Hold the position!”
She growls at me, not unlike Mookie when I don’t feed her fast enough in the morning, but she firms up her arms. I go back to grazing my teeth across her clit and then laving her flesh with my tongue. She jams her face into the side of her arm and groans loudly. I know she’s close and I know this has to be torture to hold the upside-down position. Then again, every time she thinks of yoga, she’ll think of me, not her dick of an ex.
Just when she can’t take anymore, I climb to my feet. Maple’s breathing harder than when she climbed the mountain. I let go of her entirely and run her through my limited knowledge of the poses.
“Step to your feet and reach up to the ceiling.”
She follows my instruction, chest heaving and eyes at half-mast. My fist grabs hold of my dick and strangles him, needing just a little more time to play with Maple before he can get in on things.
“Now standing bow and arrow.” That particular pose nearly killed me out by the lake. She giggled at my lack of flexibility and balance. We’ll see if she laughs now. She grabs her back foot and leans forward, getting into the pose easily.
I duck under her back leg and let it come to rest on my shoulder. Our pelvises are lined up and my eyes nearly roll back in my head at the feel of her heat against me.
“Lean all the way to the couch, sweetheart.”
She does, letting the couch hold her up with one hand as I notch myself at her entrance and inch my way inside. Her legs are trembling so badly, I’m not sure she’ll be able to hold this position, but I don’t think it’ll take long before both of us are tossed over that edge. Thankfully, I’ve lifted weights my whole life, thinking it was to carry patients, but it comes in handy for this too. I pull almost all the way out and Maple begs me to keep going.
I thrust back in twice with enough force to wrench a loud cry out of her and her standing leg gives out as she comes. Hard. I have a death grip on her torso, and with her one hand still propped on the couch, I’m able to thrust quick and fast into her, letting her ride out her orgasm as I find my own.
“Maple!” I groan out her name as all that lightning outside finds its way between us. Darkness blankets my vision and I see stars. I tremble as badly as her, and have to try with all my might to keep my legs steady. I won’t let her fall. Won’t let any harm come to her. Ever.
As soon as I can safely slide out of her, I do, gently lowering her leg to the ground. She sags and I pull her into my chest as I get us settled on her makeshift bed. It’s as she’s snuggling into my chest that I hear the words that make me drift into sleep with a smile on my face.
“Best. Night. Ever.”