A scuffling sound from behind me drags me out of my miserable, drunken reminiscing. I didn’t need to turn around to see if anyone was behind me, I already knew who was there. The unique, aromatic combination of leather and smoke, with a sharp tinge of copper, was always a dead giveaway.
“Ye didn’t tell me we had an unexpected visitor.” I didn’t miss or acknowledge the note of irritation in his steely, rhythmic voice. Since he was a young child, he had picked up on our father's lilting Scottish accent more than I did. Along with the Scottish Gaelic my father frequently spoke in, the wicked bastard knowing full well my mother struggled to understand it. She spoke fluent Irish Gaelic, and lovingly taught both of us, resulting in my brother and I being able to speak and read both of the ancient languages.
“She’s leaving soon anyway. Got lost in the woods and needed some caring for is all.” I stated, trying to sound bored and not slur my words worse than I already was. Reac
“Yes, it's me. I'm ok, really.” I blurt out, wanting more than anything to sob and jump up and down with relief. Inhaling a deep breath trying to calm myself, I halt at the edge of the woods, not taking a chance of losing signal by continuing inside.“What happened? Where are you?” Randy urges. I can hear the suppressed strain in his voice of him struggling to keep his nerves and emotions under control. I know he’s trying to keep me calm and collected. He always did in scary situations.“I planned on hiking to Sergeant's Peak before becoming lost. I don't know exactly where I'm at. I got turned around during a freak rainstorm, ran for my life, then tripped and tumbled down a steep hillside…”“Thank everything good and great that you are ok!” Randy exclaims in relief.“Kyra called me in hysterics saying you were supposed to be back by morning after you never showed or called. We've been contacting the park rangers and police just for them to tell us to fill out a missing persons report
“Roland!” The cloaked figure ahead of me roars, striding towards us. I notice after watching him take a few steps towards the boogie man and me, there's a stagger to his determined gait. His body sways stiffly from side to side. It's the behavior of a person who is severely intoxicated and is attempting to hide it. Even with me being in such a hazardous situation, I cannot help the resulting dramatic eye-roll upon witnessing this man's failure to hide how stinking drunk he is.I'm all too familiar with that out-of-sync, stumbling saunter like the back of my hand. No thanks to Randy coming home night after night, promising me as he swayed, that he only had three beers. Hilariously failing to look me straight in the eye with that stupid, slackened smile plastered on his face. I clearly remember the effort it took him to force himself to not drunkenly stumble around or fall flat on his face. “Stop this foolish nonsense at once! She doesn’t understand. You’re frightening her!” The enc
Shoving a heavy fleece hoodie into the metal framed hiking backpack, its the last item to go in. I'm wearing a dark evergreen colored button-down flannel shirt with a plain black cotton t-shirt underneath, a black canvas insulated vest, indigo blue skinny jeans, and dark brown suede leather hiking boots.The weather today, as of five minutes ago when I checked at least, is supposed to have a high in the low to mid-sixties, which is unseasonably mild for October in Maine. I tend to get cold easily, being rather lean and petite, barely reaching five feet and three inches. As a former semi-professional ballet dancer, I have a long, lithe body shape.I run through my mental checklist of supplies one last time for a long overdue hike in Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert Island, I’m leaving for today.Camera, check.Cellphone, check.Go pro camera and wireless portable cameras, check.Tripod and hiking poles, checkInfrared, thermal and night vision lenses and scopes, check.Wireless microp
On a warm summer night two years ago in June, I had come home earlier than expected from a trip to the mall with Kyra. Quietly opening my bedroom door, hearing slapping sounds of skin on skin from within, I balked at the sight of Randy fucking Katie Connelly in the ass on my bed.I remember every single moment of that horrible night. The sinking sensation inside my chest as my heart shattered into a million pieces. The bile rose to my throat and my stomach dropped to the floor. Standing there in shock with my arms slack at my sides, motionless, gaping as the two of them scrambled off of the bed and away from each other after catching sight of me in the doorway.The image of Randy’s stunned face right before my fist connected with his nose. The punch broke his nose with a loud crack, spraying blood all over his face and chest. I didn’t notice the damage I had done to his nose while so distraught and screaming at him.“How could you fucking do this to me?!” I shrieked over and over in h
Reading the message from Randy promising to stop drinking was almost enough for me to text back. Sitting on the couch, staring at the black glass screen of my powered-off phone, I shrieked and chucked the phone across the room. Kyra, witnessing my outburst, quickly comes over to sit beside me, handing me a fresh cup of hot coffee.“Talk to me hun.” My best friend consoles, patting my knee.“He said he would quit drinking.” I sighed, dropping my head in my hand.“Gee, that’s so thoughtful of him. How many times did you and I both try talking to him because his drinking was getting out of control?”“Too many to count…”“Exactly. But now he’s ready to admit it’s a problem when faced with potentially losing you? What about all the arguments and fights you guys had over it on top of the horrible things he would say to you when he was drunk?” Kyra points out, rubbing my back. “I don’t doubt he’s sorry, Leslie. But he made the choice of letting Katie walk through that door before drinking a
Public transportation buses always have a funky smell. I can’t be the only one who notices this. Glancing around, the pinched expression on the other passengers' faces supported my observation. Especially the elderly man who is sitting beside me at the back of the bus. Actually, he looks down right sour at the moment.“Beautiful morning isn’t it?” I remarked casually, holding my hand out in invitation to shake his. "My name is Leslie. Leslie Sherman.”Hesitating for a moment, the elderly man eyed me warily. He’s tall, thin and has a slight beer gut. Wearing gold-rimmed glasses that are held up by his long-beaked nose, he glances at me with bright moss-green eyes. “Edward.” He responds dryly with a quick shake of my hand.“So where are you headed to?” I wondered, fidgeting with the bottom hem of my canvas and sherpa-lined vest. “I’m hiking today at Acadia National Park.”“Hmph, I can tell.” The man remarks with a snort as if I’ve offended him in some way.Scrunching my face at his gruf
The elderly man, Edward, sitting beside me on the bus interrupts me from my thoughts by quickly clearing his throat and answering my initial question.“I’m getting off at Northeast Harbor stop to spend a few days with my sister, Patty.” He mentions like it’s a death sentence with a scowl.“Oh? You don’t sound too thrilled about visiting your sister?” I replied in a careful tone. Maybe that’s why he’s so grouchy.“No, I’m not thrilled about it at all. She’s dying and only has a few days at most.”Not expecting that bit of information or his annoyed tone, I offered my condolences. “Oh my, I’m so sorry to hear that, Edward.”“Ha! Don’t be!” He snorts with a chuckle. “She’s a miserable, cranky old bat, and I’m the last sibling out of four who is still alive, which unfortunately means I’m the one responsible for handling her affairs.”His admission is odd and saddens me in a sense. I wonder if his entire family is so rough around the edges, or maybe he’s jaded by his sister for a good reas
The immediate events that transpired after Randy dropped to his knees in front of me in the spare room were dreamlike at first but quickly turned into a horrific nightmare. It all happened so fast, without any rational thoughts or reasoning to stop either of us.Circling his arms around my waist, Randy buries his face into my chest after confessing he would never stop fighting for me, hugging me tightly. I stood there motionless at first with my arms slack at my sides, so overwhelmed and numb from the shock of last night. I faintly hear the front door of the apartment open and close, indicating Kyra had left, leaving Randy and I alone with one another.Not entirely aware of my own reaction, my arms rose and enfolded around his shoulders with my hand cradling the back of his head on my chest. This feels so right, and I hate that it does. Our bodies pressed together, his warmth and strong arms holding me tight, never wanting him to let me go. Internally, my emotions battle each other wi
“Roland!” The cloaked figure ahead of me roars, striding towards us. I notice after watching him take a few steps towards the boogie man and me, there's a stagger to his determined gait. His body sways stiffly from side to side. It's the behavior of a person who is severely intoxicated and is attempting to hide it. Even with me being in such a hazardous situation, I cannot help the resulting dramatic eye-roll upon witnessing this man's failure to hide how stinking drunk he is.I'm all too familiar with that out-of-sync, stumbling saunter like the back of my hand. No thanks to Randy coming home night after night, promising me as he swayed, that he only had three beers. Hilariously failing to look me straight in the eye with that stupid, slackened smile plastered on his face. I clearly remember the effort it took him to force himself to not drunkenly stumble around or fall flat on his face. “Stop this foolish nonsense at once! She doesn’t understand. You’re frightening her!” The enc
“Yes, it's me. I'm ok, really.” I blurt out, wanting more than anything to sob and jump up and down with relief. Inhaling a deep breath trying to calm myself, I halt at the edge of the woods, not taking a chance of losing signal by continuing inside.“What happened? Where are you?” Randy urges. I can hear the suppressed strain in his voice of him struggling to keep his nerves and emotions under control. I know he’s trying to keep me calm and collected. He always did in scary situations.“I planned on hiking to Sergeant's Peak before becoming lost. I don't know exactly where I'm at. I got turned around during a freak rainstorm, ran for my life, then tripped and tumbled down a steep hillside…”“Thank everything good and great that you are ok!” Randy exclaims in relief.“Kyra called me in hysterics saying you were supposed to be back by morning after you never showed or called. We've been contacting the park rangers and police just for them to tell us to fill out a missing persons report
A scuffling sound from behind me drags me out of my miserable, drunken reminiscing. I didn’t need to turn around to see if anyone was behind me, I already knew who was there. The unique, aromatic combination of leather and smoke, with a sharp tinge of copper, was always a dead giveaway.“Ye didn’t tell me we had an unexpected visitor.” I didn’t miss or acknowledge the note of irritation in his steely, rhythmic voice. Since he was a young child, he had picked up on our father's lilting Scottish accent more than I did. Along with the Scottish Gaelic my father frequently spoke in, the wicked bastard knowing full well my mother struggled to understand it. She spoke fluent Irish Gaelic, and lovingly taught both of us, resulting in my brother and I being able to speak and read both of the ancient languages.“She’s leaving soon anyway. Got lost in the woods and needed some caring for is all.” I stated, trying to sound bored and not slur my words worse than I already was. Reac
Gripping the wooden knob of the awl hard enough to make the joints in my hands ache, I release a frustrated growl and launch it across the workshop in the basement. Bouncing off a stone wall, it lands with a banging clatter, near the other two I've already hurled in that direction. Slumping down in the wood, swiveling work chair, I scrub my hand over my face and pinch my brow, closing my eyes and wishing this damn headache would let up.My other arm hangs slack over the armrest as I slouch further down into the chair, completely uninterested and unable to focus on finishing these orders. Straining and failing to keep my thoughts off of the breathtaking, alluring woman who I treated worse than a mangy dog and hastily walked out on, behaving as if I couldn't get away from her fast enough not even an hour ago. There was zero provocation from her to spur my awful behavior.That's what I tried convincing myself of at first anyway in a cowardly attempt to stave off the
I knew it was still raining earlier today and at one point was willing to take my chances with navigating the weather and nightfall, as opposed to spending another second in this creepy hellhole. Witnessing the weather happening before me right now doesn't have a name as far as I know. It can't be described as rain, pouring, torrential downpours, or even relating this to a monsoon is being too nice. Standing inside the doorway, gaping with my arms slack at my sides, the tiny scraps of hope I desperately clutched onto have washed away in the white squall of water pounding the flooded earth from the sky. I've lived in Maine my entire life and have never witnessed precipitation that is so extreme and violent. The unforgiving, frigid nor'easter blizzards that blow in off the Atlantic during winter pales in comparison to this drowning monstrosity. Sinking to my knees, I slid the backpack off my shoulders, digging through it for an extra hoodie and the waterproof, flannel-lined hooded ponc
I waited for what felt like eons for a response from Walker. For anything from him. My heart dropped to the floor, however watching him stare at me as that damn mask of cold indifference he normally wore slid down over his face. He stood abruptly and headed for the door, unaware of or not caring that he had stomped on and ruptured my bleeding heart, thumping away rapidly out in the open on the floor in front of me.With his back to me, Walker snatches his shirt off the back of the leather wingback chair, and pauses, not bothering to turn around and look at me.“I’ll be working downstairs and would like to remain undisturbed unless there's something you may desperately require.” He states coolly and strides out of the room, shutting the door hastily behind him.There’s a flurry of thoughts and emotions racing through me. I’m shaking from my head to my toes with volcanic anger and confused hurt. Trying to stop my bottom lip from quivering, I give up and allow it, along with the cascade o
After a relaxing, passive cuddle session full of kissing, lazy caressing, discovering each other's bodies and more fooling around, Walker was beyond reluctant to climb out of bed and get dressed. I felt the same about him leaving the bed as well. Tugging his trousers back on, and facing me, he glimpses at me and smiles. The beauty of that devastating smile is yin and yang compared to his usual, brooding demeanor. "Feel free to stay here and rest for as long as you like, or you can explore the manor if you prefer. Just please avoid the East wing; it's closed off and locked due to disuse and renovations. I have a few tasks I need to complete and package in the shop below, or they won't be finished on time."Standing next to me at the side of the bed, he smirks and reaches behind his back, his eyes shining with mischief. He pulls out something from his waistband: my pistol, which is usually secured in the leather holster I keep tucked inside my pants or purse.Laying in bed on my side, e
I've never been so aroused and terrified at the same time in all of my life. His large, powerful hand around my throat was terrifying. The one that was thoroughly working between my legs at the same time, launched me up and over the moon. Repeatedly. The two emotions combined however gave rise to levels of pleasure I didn't know existed. The possessive manhandling I’m receiving is something I've never experienced and am oddly loving and wanting more of. It's unmistakable that Walker is the head conductor of his sexual interactions.During our previous episode moments ago, Walker grabbed, pulled, moved and instructed me on where and however he wanted me.“Lye back.” He whispered, nipping at my earlobe and before I fully had a chance to respond, both of his hands were grabbing my hips, tugging me to the very edge of the counter. Then he dropped to his knees in front of me, pulling my legs over his shoulders and kissed a heated trail from my navel down to my throbbing bundle of nerves b
What am I doing? What is she doing? I’ve never had relations with another woman besides my Annabelle. She was my one and only. My Anam Chara, as spoken in the old language.Leslie, who bears a striking resemblance to Annabelle yet is nothing like her, is trying to seduce me, and by God, it’s working. She’s absolutely gorgeous, and it’s been so long since I’ve felt the softness and warmth of a woman. I know she wants to leave as soon as possible, which is understandable. Perhaps, however, I can allow myself to give in just this once…I want to feel something—anything other than anger, hate, and despair. A dark part of me is curious about how far I could push her and what she might be willing to do. I don't believe her initial intention was to exchange her body for her gun; it seems more like she was trying to manipulate me. However, it’s clear that the wine has loosened both her mind and her inhibitions.The words that just came out of her luscious mouth practically drove me to yank he