I cock my head, “I sure hope you’re not thinking about going to the falls at this time.”
“Stop.” She rolls her eyes, releasing a breath, “It’s fine.”
“It is not fine,” My arms cross over my chest, “We’ve had reports of wolves. You’re not going to the falls now.”
“I am.” She replies stubbornly.
It wasn’t so bad when she was venturing out there during the day, which was less dangerous. But why she is choosing to do it before sunrise is beyond me.
“Go back to bed,” I order, “You can do whatever the hell you like when the sun is up.”
A loud laugh bursts from her, but it’s far from amused. “And just who do you think you’re talking to? I’m not your employee; you don’t tell me what to do.”
“No, you’re my wife.”
Her eyes roll so hard I wonder if she’s able to see inside her own head, “Yeah…no. I’ll catch you later.”
She starts walking again, shaking her head as she goes. I can hear her mumbling to herself, a couple of my dogs coming away from their posts to inspect the new arrival. She pauses to pat one of them on the head but then continues, following the path through the pastures.
I assume the twelve month time requirement means my wife does in fact need to remainalive,so I divert and head to the barn where I have several ATVs parked. Plucking the keys to one from the hook, I throw my leg over and get it started, the rumble of the engine loud in the quiet of the morning. I twist the throttle, the tires spinning on the gritty earth beneath me, and peel out of the barn, taking the same trail she just walked down until I spot her almost at the tree line.
Fine. She wants to go swimming at this ridiculous time, then she’ll need a chaperone.
I speed by her and then twist the handles, turning into her path and come to a stop.
“What are you doing?” She skids to a halt.
“You’re not going out there alone.”
“I do this every day,” Niamh huffs.
“In the daylight. Now get on.”
“No.”
“And here I thought you might havesomesurvival instinct.”
Her glare turns downright molten. “Fuck you.”
“Get on the back, sweetheart.”
She wets her lips, and a smirk turns up her mouth as she dips her chin toward her chest, the challenge lighting up something inside of her. A part of me rises up to meet it, and a giddy kind of feeling blooms deep in my gut. Oh, how it’s been a long time since someone wanted toplay.
“No.”
I watch as she starts walking again, going around where I block her and heads toward the trees.
Leaving the engine running, I hop off and eat up the space between us, my arm coming around her waist to stop her. I pull her back to my chest, tightening my hold as I curl my body over hers.
“Get off me!” She yells, clawing at the arm that holds her.
“I won’t allow my wife to just go wandering off into the trees in the dark. Do you even have a gun on you? What if something attacks you, hm? You reckon you can defend yourself against a pack of wolves? What about a bear?”
Her body feels so damn warm pressed to the front of mine, almost too good. I lean down closer, feeling her body, how it shivers for me. Her ass presses into my lap, back to my stomach, and at this angle, my mouth is close to the curve of her neck, soft skin tempting me to take a taste. “Get on the fucking ATV.”
Neither of us moves, her breaths come out in heavy, quick pants while I keep her caged against me, my hand flattening against her stomach, just below her ribs.
“You need to let me go,” She whispers, turning her head into mine until our breaths mingle.
