Into the Cold
Chapter 14

Slightly tipsy, having never been a big drinker, she put down her empty mug. For a long time the two of them sat in the soft lantern light, sipping from their cups until Amelia finally broke the silence.

“I have an idea I’d like to pose to you,” she said, the amber liquor running warm and thick through her body.

“Shoot,” Caleb sighed leaning back in his chair.

“Well,” Amelia continued, topping off their drinks, “we really don’t know much about each other.”

“Uh huh,” he agreed with a nod.

“I thought we could each ask a question, which the other answers and take turns,” she explained. “It could help us understand each other a little better, since we are going to be stuck together for a while.”

“I’ll go first,” Caleb said quickly. “How long have you been engaged?”

“Two years,” Amelia replied, sipping from her cup.

“Why so long?” Caleb asked, drinking from his own cup.

“Hey,” Amelia chastised, “it’s my turn.”

“You’re right,” Caleb said, nodding. “You go.”

“How long were you married?” she asked.

Caleb took a deep drink before answering.

“Three years,” he said, staring blankly into his cup.

“Dale and I just never got around to setting a date,” Amelia said offhandedly.

“Huh?” Caleb asked looking up at her.

“You asked why Dale and I have been engaged so long,” Amelia explained, drinking more. “We’ve just never set a date.”

“Okay,” Caleb said. “Your turn again?”

“What happened?” Amelia asked. “With your marriage. I mean, I saw the divorce papers, but why did you split up?”

“Since you’ve looked in my trunk, you know I was a state trooper,” Caleb sighed, staring at the floor. “My partner was killed about seven years ago, and I took it really hard. I mean, he took a bullet that was meant for me.

“Anyway, I went through a really bad patch,” he continued, “and after a while Lizzy, my ex-wife, said she’d had enough. She told me to get help or she was going to leave. I wasn’t in a place to realize that I needed help, I thought it was everyone else who had a problem. When I did nothing, she divorced me and took our daughter to Wisconsin to be with her family.”

“I’m so sorry,” Amelia said, reaching out her hand and covering his.

“After she was gone I realized she’d been right, I did need help, but I didn’t want to be around people anymore, so I packed up and bought the hunting rights for twenty miles of this mountain range,” Caleb explained, waving his hand around his head, indicating the cabin. “This became my therapy, the hard work, the tough lifestyle. Since moving out here I’ve done really well.”

Without a word, Caleb placed his free hand on top of hers and began to gently stroke the top with his thumb.

“So,” Amelia said, her eyes riveted on him, “You just packed up and moved to the middle of nowhere? How did you survive?”

“I grew up in Alaska,” Caleb explained, withdrawing the hand Amelia had been holding, but leaving his other on top of hers and refilled both their cups. “My family lived off the land, only supplementing our pantry with fruits and vegetables from the local grocery store for special occasions. I took down my first caribou when I was eight, so it wasn’t hard to make the decision.

“The first year was the roughest, I think,” he added, “living out of a tent while I cut the lumber for this place and built the furniture. Having no one to talk to, knowing every night I went to sleep I could wake up with a bear or wolf chewing on me.”

“Wow,” Amelia breathed, enthralled by his tale.

“Okay,” Caleb said, adding more liquor to their almost empty cups, “my turn. You owe me two questions. First, where did you grow up?”

Amelia smiled.

“I grew up in Houston,” she said, leaning back in her seat. “My dad owned an oil company, my mom died when I was just a little girl. Cancer.

“Well, I went to a private prep school and after graduation I went to A&M,” she said wondering why her cup was empty. “I got my master’s in environmental science.

“The plan was to work at our company making sure our drilling impact in any area was minimal,” she continued, sadness marring her face, “but when I got back to Houston, I found out my dad was really sick. He’d been hiding it from me for a long time.

“Dale was his lawyer, so we ended up spending a lot of time together, dealing with business and the like,” she said, a wistful look on her face. “After a while, we realized that our relationship had changed from business to being in love.”

“So,” Caleb said, slightly confused and more than a little tipsy, “if Dale was your dad’s lawyer, he must be older than you. How much older?” Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ FindNøvᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“Ten years,” Amelia admitted.

“Wow,” Caleb said, shaking his head, his eyes wide in amazement.

“Hey,” Amelia said, slapping his hand playfully, loving the way the lantern light played across the green of Caleb’s eyes.

“I’m not judging,” Caleb said laughing and holding up his free hand. “I guess some women just like the wrinkly feeling of older men.”

“Dale is not wrinkly!” Amelia protested, her words slightly slurred. “He may have a few creases, yes, but he is still tall and strong. He’s a decent and wonderful man.”

“Good for you,” Caleb replied, his own words slurring as well. “If that’s what you like.”

Amelia was beginning to feel light-headed.

“Wow,” she breathed, pulling at the front of her shirt, trying to cool off, “this stuff is strong.”

“Yeah,” Caleb nodded refilling their cups once more.

“Where were we?” Amelia asked, trying to remember what they had been talking about.

“You were telling me about Mr. Wrinkly Bits,” Caleb chuckled.

“Stop,” Amelia said, lazily punching him in the arm.

“Okay, whose turn is it?” Caleb asked.

“I don’t know,” Amelia said, “you go.”

Caleb looked at her for a long time, his mind undressing her slowly, lingering on her breasts. Unable to think of a question that wasn’t lecherous.

“Pass,” he said, lifting his cup to his mouth wishing it was Amelia’s lips instead of the wooden mug.

“Okay,” Amelia said, reaching for the bottle, her fingers caressing the smooth neck wondering if Caleb was circumcised or not. “I want to know… Do you get lonely out here?”

“Sometimes,” Caleb sighed, never having thought about it before. “Sometimes I miss having someone to talk to.”

“What about sex?” Amelia asked, stunned by her own question.

“What about it?” Caleb said, his head lulling slightly to one side as his hand caressed up Amelia’s arm.

“Do you miss it?” she pushed, feeling the goosebumps rise all over her body.

“Well, yeah,” Caleb said. “What about you? Does Mr. Wrinkly satisfy?”

“Don’t call him that,” Amelia said standing up indignantly, swaying slightly. “Dale is a wonderful man.”

Catching her by the wrist, Caleb stood and pulled her towards him with such force that she ended up pressed against him as the stumble against the wall.

“He may be a good man,” he slurred, his lips hovering mere millimetres from hers. “But does he satisfy you?”

“Not recently,” Amelia breathed, closing the minuscule distance between them.

Caleb’s kiss was deep and demanding, his arms encircling her in a crushing embrace. Amelia returned his kiss, her own arms snaking around his neck. She felt him shudder as she wove her fingers through his hair, grabbing handfuls of it.

Caleb began to frantically pull at buttons and zippers, wanting desperately to feel Amelia’s naked body again. Turning he pinned her to the wall, savoring the feel of her body against him.

“Oh God,” he groaned, trying desperately to get her top off.

Amelia dug her nails deeply into Caleb’s back, hearing his moans of pain and pleasure. He gave up on being patient with the buttons and pulled the shirt the rest of the way open. Buttons popped off, scattering around the room.

“My God,” Caleb breathed, looking at her beautiful full breasts. Then he was kissing her again, his hands massaging them, rough thumbs circling each nipple, feeling them harden.

Amelia laid her head on Caleb’s shoulder, wave after wave of pleasure coursing through her body. How long had it been since she and Dale had made love, weeks? Months? She couldn’t remember. Caleb felt wonderful against her body, his solidness holding her against the wall.

She could feel his arousal against her stomach as she felt herself getting moist in her most intimate places. Oh God she wanted him! With a grunt of effort, she pulled herself clumsily up and wrapped her legs around his waist.

With a growl of lust Caleb’s hands left her breasts and cupped her under each buttock, enjoying the soft roundness of them.

Barely able to control his need, he carried Amelia to his bed and laid her down on it, her legs still around him. He almost peaked when she started writhing against him, whimpering and moaning out her desire.

With quick work Caleb disentangled himself from her legs and removed the rest of her clothes; his own soon following. As he climbed back on top of her, ready to plunge into her welcoming body he stopped, looking longingly down at her.

“What’s wrong?” Amelia panted, need aching between her legs.

“Nothing,” he breathed, sliding easily into her moist opening.

It had been so long since he’d felt the delicious warmth of the female body, he couldn’t believe he’d gone so long without it. Caleb was hard pressed to remember when he’d last had sex, with the exclusion of masturbation.

Amelia wrapped her legs around him, pulling him tightly to her, reveling in how tight and strong his body was. Her mind tried to compare Caleb with Dale, but she forced the thought away not wanting to think about him.

Caleb’s thrusts grew in intensity, he animalistic growls growing in volume the closer he got to climax.

Amelia came, digging her nails deeply into Caleb’s back as stars exploded behind her eyes. Caleb grabbed under her shoulders seeking leverage for a final deep thrust that brought his own release.

In the heat of his own passion, Caleb didn’t hear her whimper of pain as he pulled against her, his need overriding everything else.

Harder and harder he dragged at her, the feeling of relief overwhelming him as he finally came, his body shuddering as he slumped against Amelia, his breathing ragged.

Panting, he stayed like that, sweat rolling over his skin quickly sapping the heat of his passion away, leaving him chilled and shivering.

Rolling to his side, Caleb gathered Amelia to him, nuzzling his face in her hair.

She listened to Caleb as his breathing slowed, turning into soft snores in her ear. Tears rolled down her cheeks, the pain in her shoulder rippling through her body.

She tried to keep her pain silent, but Caleb heard her sniffles and sobs as tried to .

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