“Gosh, that was fun. It’s hard to think of other people going there having fun. It’s like I want to keep it as our own.”
“I get that,” Griz said. When he moved to live with Elowen, he imagined that area would become so familiar he might lose some of the specialness associated with it. He knew that’s how humans were. He lived close to the beach, but it was something he saw every day. It wasn’t unique anymore. Sure he could appreciate the sun and sand, but he didn’t really relish beach days.
“So when are you going back up there?” Squat asked.
“The next time I get a couple days break. I want to be there as much as possible. Of course, I have to eat up my vacation days, so I might end up out there sooner than I think.”
“Yeah. I’m sure with all our overnights and time out in the field you have a lot of days to churn through.”
He nodded. “I’m sure nights like tonight won’t be our last.”
The guys all chuckled. They were used to going where they needed to go and doing what they had to do. This would be just one more night in the load of nights they worked until dawn.
“I’m going to take a nap in a bit so I can stay up all night,” Griz said.
“We should all get some sleep,” Sharp said. “We’ll go for a run at three. Everyone, get some shuteye.”
Griz texted Elowen again, not expecting her to answer. He woke close to three to a few messages from Elowen. She’d sent a photo of the two cases of wine she’d picked up, and a note stating that she was driving home and would talk to him the next day.
After their run, they prepared for the evening activities, getting briefed on the mission, and filing all their paperwork. They ate dinner then headed into the conference room where they would be locked away until the mission finished. He couldn’t wait to hear from Elowen in the morning. Soon enough he would be done with the Navy and be able to spend every day with his love.
Chapter 25
A wreckon one of the two-lane roads delayed her arrival home. She would go shopping in the morning for food. When she arrived home, she carried the wine inside and decided to eat a sandwich outside on the porch. The night was clear, and the stars were shining.
Driving to the winery had stretched her nerves. She would be lying if she said she hadn’t wished Griz was there to help share the driving. She could do it on her own, but driving wasn’t much fun when there wasn’t anyone to talk to.
She stepped outside and took a few steps before she froze. The air felt weird. It wasn’t so much the feel, but the normal night sounds weren’t normal. She held still, waiting for the sounds to pick back up.
The small cabin where she lived had been her home for the last two years. Before that, she’d lived in a small camper close to this location. For the last three and a half years she’d been living here, coming out most evenings to sit and sip wine or eat dinner. The weather rarely kept her inside except in the deepest of cold nights. So she knewwhat the area should sound like at this time of year. This wasn’t normal.
An owl screeched as it hunted for its meal, but the rest of the forest didn’t come alive. It was like something evil was in the forest, waiting, watching and she felt like she was the target.
Instead of staying outside, she headed back in, making sure the doors were locked. Before she sat down to eat, she checked the windows then turned on the alarm. The open blinds felt like she was on display as she ate her sandwich.
She was about to get up and shut the blinds when she remembered she had a night vision scope someone had bought for her when she left her last job and they wished her well. She thought of the woman who’d bought her the scope. Anna, the receptionist who liked that Elowen worked construction. Anna wanted to be her first customer, but she got cancer and passed quickly. She’d never been able to come out for a visit. It bugged Elowen that she hadn’t insisted Anna come out and see how beautiful the place was, but Anna had been in the hospital and then hospice. Travel would have been difficult, if not impossible.
A twist of sadness ran through her as she searched for the scope then found it in a closet. She pulled it out and turned off all the lights so if there was anyone outside they wouldn’t see her.
She moved to the den where she could look out two sides of the house. Her hands shook as she lifted the scoop to her eye, staring out at the forest beyond. Slowly she moved from left to right, searching for movement.
The scope wasn’t expensive, but it did give her a view of the night which was more than she could see just looking out the window. The darkness had been turned green and black with splashes of white. But she didn’t see anything other than a few animals scurrying around.
If she’d been outside, the view would have been continuous, but she had to move to the other window. She scanned the next slice of forest, searching for anything that moved. She couldn’t see enough, so she headed outside.
The skin on the nape of her neck prickled and her breath caught. She didn’t see anything, but she felt the presence of another person.
Instead of waiting, Elowen stepped inside and locked the door. She hadn’t been scared inside in ages. This wasn’t like her, but there was something outside that scared the heck out of her.
Jenkins smiledto himself as he watched her come outside. What did she have in her hand? She lifted it to her eye but lowered it quickly. Was that a night vision scope? He ducked behind a tree and stood still until he heard her door click closed.
He dared to look around the tree. She wasn’t outside, and it looked like the curtains and blinds were closed. Had she known he was out here? He liked to think she could feel him. That would go a long way to them becoming a couple.
Having a connection with her before they even got together was a great sign. They could really become one. She would be his. He saw it now, so plain to see.
The panties he’d taken the other day were in his pocket. He shoved his hand in the pocket and rubbed the satin material between his fingers, thinking of all the ways they would be together.
He ripped his hand from his pocket, scratching the skin on the back of his hand. The zipper on his pants didn’t seem to want to budge, but he got them open and pulled out his dick before he came. Soon enough he wouldn’t bespilling his cum on the forest floor, he would be filling her with it.
