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“I think I know why there’s only one trailer. It’s a rental. Someone came here to get married, probably said their vows right at the edge of that cliff, and then the turn happened and they ran. They’d have been safer staying here. There’s so much dust, nothing’s been touched in a long time.”

“I hope they made it.” He helps her clear the bed and stuff the clothes into a closet.

“I think I’ll choose to believe they did. Feel up to a swim so we can clean up?”

He could almost believe she’s got nothing else planned for how innocent the question is if he didn’t know better.

* * *

When they get to the lake and she casually strips in front of him, every newly revealed patch of soft skin has him distracted. By the time she’s naked at the water’s edge, he’s still got his pants on.

She makes a show of folding her clothes, not shy in the least. Every curve and dip on display, tempting him to give in.

He groans, finally shoving his pants off and following her into the water like a man beholden to a siren.

It’s cold, yet he barely notices until the dog breaks the spell by cannon balling into the lake with a splash three times her size.

Cherry swims in circles around them, showing off, and then busies herself near the shore, trying to catch fish.

“I guess she can swim,” Kara laughs.

“Thank god she didn’t sink like a rock. Maybe she’ll catch us dinner.”

It’s a moment of levity that’s quickly chased away when Kara presses herself against him, one leg over his hip, putting her dangerously close. “You know, when we swam together at the motel, I wished I could do this.”

He’s lost all ability to speak. Can’t form a coherent thought. He half forgets he’s supposed to resist and nearly pushes up into her where she’s teasing the tip of him.

“We’re here now,” he says desperately.

“Are you giving in?”

“No. But you can.”

She doesn’t answer, so he leaves the round of her ass to stroke a finger into the heat between her legs, dipping inside just enough to let her feel him. The angle is odd, but she curses his name anyway, rolling her forehead against his in frustration.

The hold on his sanity is rapidly fading, but she hasn’t given in, and he won’t either.

“You wanna call it?” she tries again, her words ragged.

“Not yet. You?”

“Fuck. No. I mean I do, but no. Not yet.”

They share a stare, each one silently begging the other to cave before he slowly pulls his finger free.

She laughs, ducking her head. “We’re ridiculous. I could be coming right now, what the hell is wrong with me?”

“You’re too competitive for your own damn good.”

“Says the man who thought this up.”

“Yeah, yeah. Later,” he promises. “You’ll be coming later. Count on it.”

* * *

She’s doing little things around this trailer that she hasn’t in any of the others. Moving things around, fluffing throw blankets, and dusting off the window blinds. Nesting.

They find scissors in a drawer and snip the mats off Cherry’s tail, mindful not to nick the skin. She’s patient for a dog that wanted to eat them not long ago. Stands still while they fuss over her and then curls up on a pillow Kara puts on the floor, circling like a cat before plopping down.

Kara’s steadfast denial that they keep the dog is beginning to fade.

“It’s nice here, right? You like it?” Wade asks cautiously, testing the waters.

“It might be my favorite one so far.” She slides him a heated glance. “Are we still playing that game? Because I’m not sure I can hold out this time.”

He joins her in bed, bouncing it the smallest bit. “Let’s call it a draw?”

“Fair enough.”

When she removes her pants and straddles his lap, sucking his lower lip between her own and grinding down against him, it’s easy to forget that he wanted to talk about anything else.

She’s missing her underwear tonight. He smiles into the kiss when he feels her warm on his thigh.

Lifts the shirt over her head and lets her drag his boxers off his legs, happy that she’s taking the lead to show him exactly what she wants.

Quickly, she turns away from him, rising up on her knees until he’s lined up just right, letting gravity join them together.

A roll of her hips in a testing stroke has him ready to snap.

This whole day has been endless foreplay, and this’ll be over before it begins if they’re not careful.

Then she stops, uncurling her legs from underneath her.

She leans back against his chest and spreads open wide like that butterfly she’s so fond of.

Now he knows exactly why she wanted this.

Both of his hands are free to touch her.

He cups a heavy breast and works a hand down to where they’re joined while she throbs against his fingertips. She’s motionless except for the occasional twitch of her hips, leaving him steady but still for her to clench around while he focuses on pleasing her.

If he thought he’d be the only one to come faster than ever, he was wrong.

She’s splintering and squeezing only a few minutes later while her orgasm rips through her, legs shaking where they’ve tangled with his after she lost her ability to keep them bent.

He follows her through it until she’s too overstimulated to handle more and nudges his hand away.

“We’re definitely doing that one again,” he says.

He needs more friction to get there, too.

She must notice because a moment later she’s moving forward onto her knees, leaving her ass in the air and pressing the side of her face to the mattress.

She is sated and tired but offering herself to him anyway, and he wastes no time in slipping back inside, pumping into her quickly, and delighting in the little noises she makes when he hits a spot along the front wall.

His cock throbs and trembles, his body curling over hers as he comes, filling her again and again until she’s gone flat against the bed and he’s splayed out over her, catching his breath.

He drops a kiss behind her ear, nuzzling his cheek to hers. She’s his girl. She loves him. Nothing has ever felt more right.

* * *

“Cherry seems to like it here.”

Kara’s voice cues the dog to leave her pillow and jump on the bed with them the next morning.

“Stop! Don’t make it weird!” Wade yells, scrambling to tuck his feet under the covers when Cherry licks his toes.

Kara’s already losing it next to him, laughing so hard the bed shakes until the dog settles on the comforter and they go silent.

“You ever worry about getting scurvy?”

He raises a curious brow at her question. “Like pirates used to?”

“It could happen. There’s no citrus out here and very little processed food left that we can eat. If we live off what we can hunt or grow without also planting a fruit tree or finding one, then bam, scurvy.”

“Nope. Can’t say I ever worried about that. How long do you think it takes?”

“Before we succumb to the scurvy?”

“Yeah.”

“Um…could be a week or could be five years?”

“Guess we gotta find a fruit tree then.”

“Haven’t seen any.”

“I got an idea. We find a farm store and some seeds and grow us some scurvy repellent.”

She tilts her head to face him. “Where would we plant it? There’s that spot right before the trail opens to the park. Level ground there.”

“That’s a good place. Maybe more than one? Some in the forest by the lake, too?”

“Not a bad idea.”

Somewhere along the way, it occurs to him that they’re quite literally talking about putting down roots. She’s not really worried about dying from scurvy. She steered this conversation here and simply waited for his light bulb to switch on.

“Takes a while for fruit trees to grow,” she says softly, rubbing her thumb across his knuckles.

“I heard it’s bad luck to plant one and then leave it,” he replies, playing along.

“Makes sense.”

Do it now, ask her. If ever there was a moment to finally confess what he truly wants, it’s this one.

He sits up, arranging the blankets over his lap and taking a few deep breaths to prepare. She follows suit, pulling on his shirt to cover herself and facing him cross-legged, waiting for him to say what’s so obviously on the tip of his tongue.

“Can I ask you something?”

She nods.

“Stay out here with me? Long term. Forever. We never have to go back. Not that we ever planned on going back unless I remember something important. Just think about it, okay? We could be happy here. A trip back is dangerous, and those memories about Cole have been lost to me for years now, Kara. They aren’t magically appearing any time soon.

It’s not that I don’t wanna see him again, of course I do, but I’d choose you even if I did remember him.

This is one of those things that I kinda need us to say out loud instead of assuming. ”

Her eyes shine and her lips form a thin line, but instead of acceptance or relief, all he sees is someone trying not to cry.

“Wade…I have to tell you something.”