Chapter 11: Take Me To The River: Chapter 11

I wake up on the couch alone. Though, I remember falling asleep on Axel, yet, he isn’t here. I’m covered with a blanket and tucked in. Under the blanket, I’m still in only my bra and underwear.

I don’t move right away, as I think of earlier today.

That kiss.

Wow.

That kiss was all consuming. I’ve never been kissed like that before, and I don’t think I’ll ever be again. The emotion and need in that kiss stole my breath every time his lips met mine.

This giant was so gentle and treated me like I was the most precious thing in the world.

What girl wouldn’t want to be pampered like that?

Then, I think back to his admission that girls told him he was too big, and even broke up with him for that. Are they blind? Crazy?

His size makes me feel so protected, and it’s not anything he can help. How dare they shame him for it. They are no better than the bullies I faced in school.

I have this need to prove them wrong and to show him it was their fault, not his. Nothing is wrong with him, and I’ll prove it. When I’m finished, he’ll know he’s perfect just the way he is.

With that mission in mind, I sit up, determined to find my protective giant. I don’t see him in the kitchen.

‘Sleep well, Little One?’ He asks from behind me.

I run my fingers through my hair, making sure it’s not a mess, though after what we did earlier, I’m sure there’s no hope for it.

I turn and lean over the back of the couch to find him at the dining room table.

‘Yeah, this sexy giant tired me out,’ I smile.

He looks down at his hands, and even from here, I can see the red tinge on his cheeks. I love that about him. He’s so strong and sure, but I can still make him blush.

I take a minute to look him over, and he’s put his jeans back on, but he kept his shirt off. Yeah, I can appreciate those muscles and those abs from here.

He glances over at me, as he continues to carve whatever is in his hands.

‘What are you doing there?’ I ask, nodding towards the table.

‘Finishing up a knife.’

I go over to look at it, and I can hear his sharp intake of breath.

Looking down, I realize I’m only in my panties and bra. I smile and pick up my clothes from the floor and slowly walk into his room. Hesitating, I set my clothes on the dresser.

I don’t want to put my jeans back on. I got used to walking around in his shirts. Since I don’t think we’re going back out again today, I open the drawer I’ve watched him take shirts out of and pick out a gray one.

Then, I remove my bra and pull on the shirt. Like all the others, this shirt goes down to my knees. It’s worn, soft, and smells like him.

I walk back out to the dining room a little unsure, hoping he won’t be mad, but when he sees me, he grins.

‘I really like you in my clothes, Little One.’ He holds out his hand for me.

Without a thought, I walk to him and put my hand in his. He pulls me onto his lap, my back to his chest, and rests his chin on my shoulder, as he continues carving the knife.

I’m seriously liking this new version of him. He seems more open to expressing his feelings and isn’t afraid to touch me. It’s like there was this wall up between us the last few days, and earlier, we just busted it down.

As I settle into him, we sit easily and peacefully like that for a few minutes, as he carves. Every so often, he pauses and kisses my shoulder or my neck, before starting back up. It’s a good half hour, before he sets everything down, wraps his arms around my waist, and rests his forehead on my shoulder.

I lay my arms over his and just hold him. He seems to need the comfort. When he lifts his head, he takes the towel from the table and finishes polishing up the knife.

‘It’s beautiful. You put so much detail into these, and it’s really stunning,’ I tell him.

He holds it out for me, “This one is for you, Little One. You need to carry it with you always.’

I pick it up, and while it isn’t light, it fits my hand almost perfectly.

‘Don’t walk out of the house without this. Even if I am with you, and especially if I am not. Promise me,’ he says.

His tone is serious, stern, and hard. It’s like the one’s my dad would use when he meant something and wasn’t playing around.

‘I promise, Axel. I’ll always keep it with me.’

‘You shouldn’t be going outside without me either, but just in case.’

I turn sideways in his lap to look at him and run a hand down the side of his face.

‘My protective giant. I promise I’ll keep it on me.’ I lean in and give him a chaste kiss.

‘Thank you, Axel. I really do love it.’

He nods and wraps his arms around me.

‘I’ll keep you safe.’ He whispers into my hair so quietly that I almost miss it.

Today, Axel is getting ready to go hunting. He thinks he can get another deer to process some more jerky, before the road opens.

Once I get dressed and head out to the living room, I find him going over his gun and other items on the dining room table.

Squaring my shoulders, I look right at him, ‘I want to go with you.’

I am determined he isn’t going to leave me behind. Mostly, because I don’t want to be alone, but also, because I want to learn to hunt. I want to see this man in action doing what he does best.

Something tells me, watching this man hunt, will be sexy as hell too, and there’s no way I’m going to miss out on that.

He looks at me and cocks an eyebrow at me.

‘Do you know how to hunt?’

‘No, but you can teach me.’ I stare him down, but it doesn’t seem to work.

He gives me a small laugh. ‘No, Little One.’

Time to pull out the big guns. I plan to do anything I can to get him to agree, even if it means playing on his emotions.

‘You’re going to leave me here all alone?’ I say softly as if the thought of being alone scares me. I look down at my feet to hide any emotion on my face that I don’t want him to see.

Though, the thought of him leaving me here alone does kind of scare me. Anything could happen to him out there, or to me here. I think we are better together, and I plan to convince him of that.

He lets out a soft curse under his breath and looks out of the window, and then hesitantly, looks back at me.

‘Fine, but you do as I say and don’t leave my side for even a minute. Deal?’

‘Deal,’ I say, clapping my hands and smiling at him. I pick up the knife he gave me and tuck it into my pocket, showing I can listen.

He takes a deep breath and shakes his head, running his eyes over me. I’m back in my jeans, but I’m wearing one of his shirts, and I tied it on the back, so it fits me better.

‘Wait here.’

He disappears into one of the guest rooms and comes back with a camouflage jacket. It’s large, like his jacket, but thicker than mine.

“Here,” he hands it to me. “Wear this. It will be warmer than the one you have on.’

I notice he also has another shotgun in his hand.

After I put it on, I hold up the collar and smell it. Just like everything else in this cabin, it smells like him. When I catch him watching me, I shrug, a little embarrassed, but not really.

‘It smells like you.’ Is all I say.

That earns me one of those sexy half smiles, before he starts packing everything up and explaining to me what it is. He fills up two canteens of water and hands one to me. I sling it over my shoulder and follow him out of the door.

We step outside, and he stops and looks at me.

‘Have you ever shot a rifle?’

‘No.’ I cringe. ‘I’ve shot a handgun because my dad wanted to make sure I knew how to use one.’

He pulls the gun out and shows me how to hold it, and we get in a few practice shots. I’m a bit better at this than I thought. By the fourth shot, I hit the target he gave me, and I do it three more times before he’s satisfied, and we head out on foot.

He shows me how to track animals, what to look for, and tells me about the plants we find.

‘I like going out after a storm because the animals are all out looking for food, the ground is soft, and it makes spotting their tracks a bit easier.’ He says, showing me some tracks in the mud.

‘The downside is all the mud. But if dirt doesn’t bother you, then this is the time to go out.’

He chuckles, as he points to the mud caked on my boots.

‘A little mud doesn’t scare me,’ I tell him.

‘Good,’ he says all serious.

The muddy tracks make it easy to follow, and it isn’t long before we come out of the forest into a meadow, and there’s a handful of deer.

He motions for me to get down behind a fallen log and be quiet.

‘Can I shoot?’ I whisper.

He hesitates only a moment before he nods and hands me my rifle. I know the amount of trust he’s putting in me. If I miss, the deer will scatter, and we won’t be able to catch them again.

It could mean we go home with nothing, or we are tracking other animals for hours. So, I really appreciate the trust he’s giving me.

We both get into position and take aim.

Axel lies beside me, almost on top of me, as if he’s trying to protect me from the rest of the world, but he supports his weight. I like he’s protecting me from anything that might try to take advantage of my focus being elsewhere.

He helps me line up the shot, whispering in my ear what I need to do.

Taking a steadying breath, I line the shot up, like he taught me, and then wait for the perfect shot on the biggest buck in the herd. Fortunately, I don’t have to wait long, before the buck turns, and I pull the trigger. He goes down where he stands, and the others scatter back towards the trees on the opposite end of the field.

‘Did you see that? I got him!’ I jump up and squeal.

Axel laughs. Full on laughs.

I leap into his arms and hug him.

‘You did good, Little One. A natural hunter,’ he says proudly.

‘Thank you for trusting me to take that shot. I know what it would have meant if I had missed.’

He sets me back down on my feet and stares into my eyes, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

‘You have put so much trust in me these last few days. What kind of man would I be, if I didn’t do the same?’

You would be my ex, I think to myself. But he’s proven over and over, that he’s nothing like Chris.

‘That’s what makes you, My Giant.’