Shield's Submissive (8 page)

“What time is it?”

His eyes continued to roam down the length of her body. “A little after nine a.m. How would you feel about a little hike this morning after breakfast? The skies are clear and temperature seems pleasant enough.”

“Sounds good. Do you have someplace in mind?”

After discussing their options, they decided on a trek to Emerald Lake. This time of year, the trail would be quiet and serene. It was just long enough to get their systems going without being too taxing for a relaxing weekend. Knowing they had to head out before too long since unpredictable afternoon showers were common up in the mountains, she jumped out of bed and said she would be ready in just a few minutes.

Mark set the cup of coffee on the night stand and pulled her into his arms. Tucking her head into his shoulder, he embraced her. “I haven’t given you a proper morning greeting yet.” His head slowly lowered, and their lips touched. Unlike the explosive kisses the night before, this one was sweet and lingering. “Good morning, bright eyes.”

She weaved slightly on her feet. “Wow, a girl could definitely get used to a greeting like that each day.”

She stayed there until Mark turned her towards the bathroom and tapped her butt.

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Trina Lane

49

“Go. I’ll be downstairs. What would you like for breakfast?”

“Umm… I’m usually not a huge breakfast person, so coffee and toast would be fine with me.”

Mark shook his head in recrimination. “You need to keep your strength up this weekend. I’ll whip up something with lots of protein.”

She rolled her eyes and headed into the bathroom.

* * * *

She trotted down the steps dressed in old jeans and a green pocket T-shirt and her well-worn hiking boots. Mark stood at the stove folding over two omelettes that smelled delicious when she walked in. She sidled up to the coffeemaker and filled an empty mug sitting next to it. She sat at the counter as he shifted the omelettes onto plates.

“Here we are.
Bon appétit
.”

He set a pair of utensils and napkins in front of her, then joined her at the counter. She had just cut into her omelette when her chair was dragged down closer to him. She looked over in question.

He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. “I like sitting close to you.”

Erica took a bite of her food and closed her eyes as the blissful taste exploded over her tongue. “Oh my God. This is so good. What did you put in here?”

“Just a little of this and little of that.”

She continued to eat with relish and every so often let out a soft little groan. She glanced over when she heard a soft chuckle and saw his look of amusement as he slowly drank his coffee. When she was finished, he picked up her plate, but she stopped him with a hand on his wrist.

“Oh no. You cooked last night and this morning. I’m doing the dishes. It’s only fair.”

Sliding out of her chair, she ran her hands up his hard chest to his wide shoulders. “Why don’t you get ready while I take care of things down here?”

He took one of her hands in his and guided it down to press against the hard bulge beneath his jeans. “Believe me. I’m ready.”

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Trina Lane

50

She stroked him through the rough material then reached down to cup his balls and give them a gentle squeeze. “Yes, you are, but no time for play right now. Go get dressed then we can leave. Besides, good things come to boys who wait.”

She heard him mumble something about hating to wait as he walked up the stairs.

* * * *

They reached the trailhead shortly after eleven. It was still mid-spring and the park wasn’t yet congested. Erica stopped shortly after entering the tree line and, closing her eyes, inhaled deeply and let the scents of the forest surround her. She loved the smell of the clean mountain air and evergreen trees. She caught up with Mark who waited a few yards away.

He looked down at her and took her hand as they walked side by side.

The trail to Emerald Lake passed a series of alpine lakes. The first, named Nymph, was a short walk of only about twenty minutes from the start. Instead of stopping there, they continued on to the next one another twenty minutes up before resting. Called Dream Lake, it embodied the high alpine spirit of their surroundings. She gazed out at the lake and enjoyed the sunshine on her face.

“You like it here, don’t you?”

“I love it here. My parents used to bring my brother and me here every summer when we were growing up. We’d pitch our tents in one of the campgrounds, wake up with the sun and hike the trails. Then we’d go back, start our campfire and roast marshmallows before collapsing into our sleeping bags. My mom would cook dinner over the fire, and my brother and I would run around the campground, scavenging over rocks and climbing trees. This place was like a second home to me.”

“Sounds like you have some wonderful memories. Is that why you moved to Denver after school?”

“I guess, in part. I wanted to stay close to my family and didn’t have that connection back in Chicago.”

“Isn’t that where you’re from, though? Where’s your family now?”

She tried to stop the tears from gathering in her eyes but knew he had seen the pain that would always linger in her soul. “They’re gone. A drunk driver crossed the median and hit SHIELD’S SUBMISSIVE

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them head-on when I was in college. Both my parents and younger brother were in the car.

My parents died instantly, but my brother Tom, he…he was airlifted to the hospital. They initially told me he was just in a coma but, after a few hours, determined that there was no brainstem activity. He was declared brain dead.” Tears tracked down her cheeks and her eyes were focused skyward. “I had to tell them to take him off the machines.”

He pulled her into his arms, his heart splintering at the thought of her dealing with such a tragedy when only a young girl. She’d been in college, supposed to be having the time of her life, spreading her wings and discovering who she wanted to become. He so wanted to comfort and express his condolences but sensed she would perceive them as empty platitudes so he just stayed quiet and held her.

“He was so young, just a senior in high school. I always looked out for him, tried to protect him even when he didn’t want or really need me to.”

A sweet longing smile graced her lips, and he saw a little sparkle in her eyes.

“We had this deal. I would give him sage advice and he would appear to listen and follow my guidance then do exactly as he wanted. He was a tough and smart kid. Played varsity hockey, was on the honour role and had hundreds of friends. He even had a scholarship to play in college the next year. The accident happened when they were on the way back from one of his games.” She sat up and started picking at spines of pine needles that covered the ground. “They asked me to donate his organs. I knew that by doing so he could save others, that even though he is no longer here with me, his sacrifice meant other families could be whole again. In some way, it made saying goodbye a little less hard.”

“Do you have other friends and family?”

“No other relatives. Both my parents were only children and my grandparents died when I was young. There are a couple friends of my parents I keep in touch with occasionally.”

She pulled away from him and gently wiped the tears that had escaped down her cheeks.

“Thank you. I’ve never felt comfortable telling anyone else that story. I’m always afraid to see the pity in their eyes.”

He took her hand and started walking back up the trail.

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“Tell me about your family,” she said. “I’ve spilled my guts. It’s only fair that you do as well.”

“My mom and dad are both history professors specialising in Celtic tribes at University of Colorado in Denver. They’re currently on sabbatical exploring Great Britain. Last postcard I received was from Scotland two weeks ago. I have two older brothers who are twins.

Dave’s a financial analyst in Wyoming, and Jared is a lieutenant in the Air Force, currently stationed in Colorado Springs. They’re thirty-five.”

“Do you have any nieces or nephews?”

Mark smiled. “Yeah…one niece and two nephews. The boys are twins like Dave and Jared. They all belong to Dave.”

“You sound very fond of them.”

“They’re great kids. The boys remind me of the three of us growing up. Always into good fun and trouble, and Ashleigh is a little princess. She takes after her mom.”

“So who taught you about cars?”

“My uncle. Dad isn’t so mechanically inclined, but my uncle was a semi-professional drag racer. When we were young, he would let us hang out in the garage and watch him work on the engines. Then when we got old enough, he taught us how to tune and drive the track ourselves. Dave doesn’t do much with cars anymore, but Jared still tinkers. He’s got a cherry ’72 Barracuda with a modified 426 Hemi.”

He was so caught up talking about his family he didn’t even realise they’d reached their destination. They could see Hallett Peak still capped with snow. The trail to the summit wouldn’t be open for another couple months, at least. Mark stopped on the trail and led her over to a big rock along the shore.

“Why don’t we take a seat on that rock and enjoy the scenery? I brought a couple granola bars, and we can relax for a while.”

He watched as she laid back on the flat rock to soak up the sun. Her hair glinted with red highlights in the sun. The light reflecting off the emerald green water for which the lake was named danced across her face. He had to catch his breath as he realised that he very much could fall in love with this woman. Hell if he was honest, he already was falling.

Despite all the conversations they’d shared, there was one thing he had not brought up yet.

He had to be completely honest and talk to her about being a Dom. He sensed some SHIELD’S SUBMISSIVE

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submissive tendencies in her despite her vocal demands during sex. How would she respond? Would she be interested in the scene? Deciding that right now he was going to just enjoy their time together and figure out how to approach that issue further down the road, he continued to absorb the scents and sounds of the surrounding mountains and the warming presence of the woman beside him.

The hunger had been building in him since seeing her naked in his bed that morning.

He didn’t want to hold back any longer. He had to taste her again. He needed to feel her close to him. More than anything, he wanted to give her more beautiful memories of this special place she’d shared with her family all those years ago. Leaning over, he kissed her.

Ever so gently, just a soft meeting of lips and breath. Erica sighed against him and threaded her hand through the hair on the nape of his neck. He’d never had a lover do that as much as she did and found he loved the slight tug. He deepened the kiss, caressing her bottom lip with his tongue and seeking entrance. She opened willingly and met his thrusts with her own. Pulling away, he looked down into her warm violet eyes.

“I love the way you taste. So sweet and hot. Every time I kiss you, it feels like I could drown in your responses.”

Stretched out beside her on the large rock, he caressed his hand down to the curve of her waist and pulled her closer to his body. He continued to stare into her expressive eyes.

They swirled with passion, intelligence, humour, and strength. All the things that made Erica such a unique person. He wondered what she saw in his gaze.

Can she tell? Will she accept my love?

Leaning back down, he kissed her again. He fed her his desire and demanded the hot response he knew burned inside her. It felt like flames shot through his body, incinerating his muscles and making his blood boil. His fingers wound into her long tresses. It seemed alive as it wrapped around his hands, capturing him as much as he captured her. He tipped back her head further and drank from the passion erupting through her body until she pulled away.

“What if someone sees us?”

“There’s nobody here but us. People come here to experience the beauty of God’s country. What could be more beautiful than two of his creatures taking pleasure in each other?”

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Trina Lane

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“Nice try.”

Mark reached for the backpack to replace their empty water bottles then looked over his shoulder with a smile.

“It was worth a shot, but I warn you, when we get home, you’re mine.”

Standing in front of him on the rock, she looked at him with a wicked intent in her eyes.

“What if I ensnare you first? I am a driven woman and go after what I want with determination.” She stroked her hand up his hard chest and circled his neck, spearing her fingers into his hair, and balancing on her toes. She leaned her hips into his to cradle his erection then whispered hotly in his ear. “And what I want most right now is you. Hot, hard and deep inside me.”

Mark pulled her in and rocked against her “Oh Jesus, Erica. We still have to get back down the mountain. Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it is to hike with a hard-on?”

Spinning out of his arms, she turned around and trotted backwards towards the trail.

“Well then, we’d better get moving. I’d hate to see you suffer…too much. Besides, some thunderheads are rolling in over the peaks.”

Mark looked up at the sky. “Damn, those are moving fast. We’d better get going.”

* * * *

The clouds burst right as they reached the parking lot of the trailhead. Running the last several metres, they jumped into Mark’s SUV. Both of them had been soaked in the short distance. They dried themselves off the best they could using an old sweatshirt Mark had in the backseat.

The rain was coming down in torrents, and it was almost impossible to see out the windshield. They decided to wait it out before heading down the curvy mountain road.

Spring storms in the mountains were usually intense but brief.

Sitting in the car, in an empty parking lot, in the middle of a serious storm with the windows steaming up, Erica was inspired to enact one of her fantasies. Leaning over, she caressed his cock through his jeans.