Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 119935 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119935 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
“I’m falling in love with you.” She blurted the words and felt an instant rush of regret. The vulnerability was simply too much.
He took another sip from the bottle in his hands, and set it down easy. Reaching out under the streams of blue and green lights that lit up the sky, he pulled her towards him. He lay her down on her side, and did the same facing her, placing his leg over hers, scissoring her. Cupping the back of her neck, he brought her forehead to his and closed his eyes as he entered her. Her muscles locked as he pushed every inch of his love within her at a sharp angle and rapid speed. His lips were slightly parted, and she could smell the berry scent of the cooler, mixed in with trace aromas of the cherry cigar he’d smoked before they’d left the house. She found comfort in that. Something special and warm. Masculine and strong.
He moved faster and faster, their sighs and moans tumbling over one another as they neared their mutual climaxes. Sounds of pleasure fell from his mouth. A guttural growl followed as he neared the brink of no return. She came quietly then, only the sticky wetness between her legs proof of her arrival. Her heart was full, hidden behind the cage of flesh that had been marked for death with the first breath she ever drew.
“A daffodil under the auroras grows in the snow,” he whispered.
Somehow, she understood his broken poesy. Jack’s gray eyes sheened, and she exploded within. He loves me back…
She smiled at him as ‘that look’ crossed his expression. Helpless. Hopeless. It’s far too late. She cradled his face and kissed him as he grunted, his sweaty, hard body slamming into hers.
“Kim! Uhhhh … uhhhh! God!”
The great, warm release. He shook so hard, the entire tent rocked and shimmied. She cradled his trembling form in her arms, holding him to her breasts as he throbbed inside her. In their cocoon it was humid. Sizzling. They found themselves in the trenches of desire and new beginnings…
Time passed. The wind grew stronger. The night air was soon filled with the aroma of a fresh fire Jack lit. They sat huddled together, their clothes back on, two blankets wrapped around their bodies under the enchanting night sky. She was warm, but her body still caught a chill every now and again.
“Thank you for tonight.” The fire crackled as she spoke, sending tiny sparks flying in the sky. Jack leaned forward and poked the sticks with a twig, waking up the fire. “Thank you for everything.”
“You’re welcome. I want to tell you something.” He kept his eyes on the flames, his brows rutted.
“Yeah? What is it you want to tell me?”
“For the past couple of years, I, uh, I’ve been seeing my son.”
“Seeing your son? You mean like going to the graveyard and seeing him, or—”
“No. No.” He shook his head, but he kept his eyes on those flames. He balled his fist and his nose twitched, as if the very thought of whatever he had on his mind was eating him alive. “I see him out of the corner of my eye some days. Smell his cigarettes. At first, I figured I was just under a lot of stress. Depressed. Missing him. But it’s been happening more frequently lately. It’s gotten out of hand.”
“So, you believe you’re seeing Chad’s spirit?”
“I don’t believe in ghosts.”
“Doesn’t matter what you believe in, Jack. It matters if they believe in you.” She slipped away from him and stood.
He remained seated, and when he turned towards her, his eyes seemed darker than usual. He slowly directed his attention back to the flames. Poked them again.
“Kim, this is your arena. You brought this stuff up to me before. You believe in crazy shit like this.”
“What does me bringing up Skinwalkers and things like that have to do with anything?”
“I don’t understand. What the hell am I supposed to do?” He threw up his hands. “I don’t have faith in what I cannot see!”
“Yes, you do. You told me you’re a Christian.”
“Yes, I believe in God, but that’s different.”
“No, it’s not.”
“It is. I can’t hear music only in my head and dance to it!” He pointed to his ear. “I can’t sing a song in front of thousands of people and make them believe I am sincere with the lyrics! You believe in what you cannot see. You have that gift! You have a vision, and then you make it materialize, and convince the world around you that you believe it! That you feel it, and you’re for real. You transform into other people, places, and things. You become a lion in the Serengeti. A famous blues singer from the 1920s. A mother of four in 1989 trying to make ends meet. For you, the sky is the limit. For me, the land is the beginning and the end. We are not the same.” He cleared his throat, then took a few deep breaths. “I looked you up online the other day…”