are we going?” I ask him shyly, looking at the fields rolling by.
“It’s called Bear Forest,” he growls in reply. “Ever heard of it?” I shake my head. “It’s about two hours away. It’s a beautiful nature reserve. I went there when I was a kid, and there are some fantastic hiking trails. I want to show it to you. It’ll be a chance for us to relax and get away from your mom or anyone else who might recognize us.”
I nod with understanding. Discretion is key after all.
“I wish we didn’t have to care what anyone else thinks,” I say in a soft voice. “I wish we could just be open about it.”
Trent growls, putting his hand on my knee, the touch of his skin on mine sending butterflies through my entire body.
“Me too, baby,” he answers. “But no one will understand this. Folks will have all sorts of vindictive gossip. A neighborhood man and the teen virgin next door? They’d have a field day, and unfortunately, I'm not interested in hearing it. I’m only interested in you,” he rasps before glancing at me. I smile, wishing I could be alone with him all day, every day, for the rest of my life.
The two hour drive goes by in a flash, the truck cabin warm and comfortable. And before I know it, we’re pulling up into the beginning of a forest, where a small clearing starts the trail. I pull a small little backpack up onto my back as we start hiking into the forest, drawing Trent’s curiosity.
“What you got in there?” he asks.
“Oh, just some of my home made chocolate nut bars,” I say teasingly.
“Can I have one?” he asks, and I laugh in return.
“You need to earn it, big guy,” comes my teasing reply, and he smacks my butt in retaliation, making me jump and giggle. As we continue down the trail, the alpha male takes my hand. It feels so right, holding his hand out in the open even if there’s no one to see except a bunch of trees and assorted wild life.
“You’re right,” I say after some time of comfortable silence, in which only the chirping of the birds interrupts our thoughts. “It’s beautiful here.”
Trent nods appreciatively and pulls me closer. This is actually the first time I’ve gone hiking, and I'm insanely happy to be in this man’s easy company. I feel safe and looked after, like he can show me the whole world. I look around, taking the forest in. But suddenly, there’s a flash of orange which causes me to stop in my tracks, staring intently into the heavy foliage.
“What’s the matter?” asks Trent.
“I don’t know. I thought I saw something,” I say slowly. Trent looks in the direction I’m looking, and shrugs. “There’s nothing there, baby. Let’s go,” he says, and we continue on the path, but I’m not convinced. I thought I saw -
“Let’s take a break,” he says. “I think I’ve earned one of those chocolate nut bars of yours!” the man grunts as he throws himself onto a soft bed of moss at the foot of a large tree.
A smile crosses my face, brown eyes dancing.
“I think you have too,” comes my answer. And thinking no more of the orange flash, I take my little backpack off, before getting comfortable next to Trent.
With pride, I watch Trent devour three of my chocolate nut bars in one go, giggling at the way he keeps his eyes closed and moans with pleasure at each bite. Licking his fingers, he shakes his head at me incredulously.
“Holy shit, Janie,” he groans. “These are delicious!”
It makes me giggle, feeling proud of myself.
“Thank you,” I say modestly. “It’s my secret recipe.”
The big man shakes his head.
“Well, you definitely need to make a living a doing this. You can’t keep this talent under wraps because it’d be a shame,” he adds, still smacking his lips. Then he grows quiet, one hand on my knee, his blue eyes looking into mine. They’ve darkened into indigo, just like the last time when he was aroused. My breath stops in my throat as he starts caressing my thigh.
“Janie,” Trent rumbles, but if there was more to his sentence, I don’t know what it is. Because the alpha leans in and kisses me, his perfectly-molded lips gentle on mine. “I’ve never met anyone like you before,” he whispers against my mouth. His hand is in the back of my neck, and he presses me into him as he