Slide

22

She watched Layla and the baby as she sat with her legs crossed near the mouth of the cave. Everyone was chatting, laughing, and taking care of each other like they had formed their own little village. Ember even forgot for a moment that they were being chased by a bloodthirsty General.

“How are you feeling?” Ember asked.

Layla lifted up her head, beaming as her son suckled at her nurturing breast.

“I couldn’t be any better,” she remarked. “If you told me I was going to have this baby in a cave, I would have slapped you across the face.”

Ember laughed, a deep, satisfying laugh as she pinned together a few more pieces of fabric.

“But I wouldn’t have had it any other way,” Layla confessed, gazing back down at her son. “I don’t know. Maybe it's the endorphins talking.”

Ember stood and placed the diapers next to Layla. She ruffled together a few more towels from the blanket that she could use to change the baby, as well as filling her canteen from the spring.

She touched Layla on the shoulder, rubbing it affectionately.

“Let me know if you two need anything,” she said.

Layla could not look away from the child. She nodded without meeting Ember’s eyes, and she understood. The sight of him was like something out of a poem, a novel, or a painting. How it came into reality was something no one could quite understand.

Ember waited at the mouth of the cave for Slide to return. The brush of the wind was light and sweet, and she closed her eyes, imagining they were on an adventure retreat together. All of the group members disappeared, and all that would be left would be both of them, their bodies, and the relentless elements.

Ember shot open her eyes to see the sun dipping below the horizon. It was a hot orange rusty color that cast itself over the trees, and she watched as the silhouette of Slide parted the branches.

The sheer sight of him made her stomach flutter with feverish butterflies. She noticed how her breathing increased, too, her skin growing sensitive in anticipation of his touch. She brought her fingers to her neck and began stroking herself, lightly moving from the nape of her neck and down to the cavern between her breasts.

He approached her holding four or five dead rabbits slung over his shoulder. He smiled at her, and she had to tense her muscles to stop herself from fainting.

“How's everything going here?” he asked.

Ember kept her fingertips trailing along her neckline, hoping he would notice.

“Everything is peachy,” she said softly.

Slide’s eyes lingered on hers, and she continued tracing her fingers along her chest. She’d rather they be his fingers, but she didn’t mind teasing him a bit.

He ripped himself from her glare and went into the cave, where he began cutting up the rabbits for dinner.

That night, everyone sat around the fire that Slide built just outside the cave, talking and consuming their food like it was merely a camping trip. Ember sat next to Slide the entire night, making sure that their legs touched now and then, sending him looks of desire as the red of the fire cast a gentle glow upon his sharp features.

Ember made sure the baby and Layla were settled while Slide sat out by the fire, watching the glowing coal die down into the graying dust. When everyone seemed to be asleep, or at least down for the night, Ember put on a jacket and went to sit with Slide.

The fire sparked lightly as she emerged, and his expression almost knocked her off her feet. The smile that grew on his face was one she had never seen on any man. It was like there was a secret they both knew that had yet to be expressed, but it encouraged their excitement for one another, nonetheless.

“Hi,” he whispered.

“Hi,” she replied.

Ember sat next to him, letting one leg drape over his. Soon enough, they were entangled in one another, warm and relaxed by the dying firelight.

“I’m afraid I have some bad news for you,” Ember whispered into his shoulder.

Slide frowned, holding her hand and continuously stroking her skin.

“Hmm?” he replied.

Ember sat up, her teasing tongue sliding between her lips. His eyes flicked down at it, looking animalistic as if he wanted to bite it.

“I used your blanket for baby Jack Ember,” she said. “So I’m afraid we are going to have to share mine tonight.”

Concern melted away upon Slide’s face, and he pulled her closer to him. Ember closed her eyes as she absorbed his scent, lost in his natural musk and forest-perfumed glory.

“How unfortunate,” he whispered.

Their mouths finally collided like fireworks set off into the sky. They both moaned, releasing their built-up passion and giving in to their carnal yearning for one another.

Ember pulled away, then took a glance behind her.

“We should go out into the forest,” she said. “So we don’t wake anyone.”

Slide almost ripped her arm out of her socket as he stood, nodding in agreement. She giggled as they ventured out into the darkness, completely ready to give up her body and soul to this man.

EMBER

Ember had never had s*x outside in her entire life, but the concept has thrilled her ever since she met Slide and had seduced him by the stream. She followed Slide as he led her slowly into the dark forest. Her whole body was energized with her desire for him.

When they made it far enough into the forest, he pushed her up against a tree by her waist. Ember gazed up at him, realizing how tall he was.

Ember wanted to throw her clothes off and let them burn. The flicker from the remaining firelight winked in the distance, and she made a mental note to keep an eye on it. Though, she wasn’t entirely sure how she could.

“Ember,” Slide whispered.

He was peering down at her, and her teeth pushed down into her lower lip. She wanted to moan loudly and express her passion for him without fear of being caught or ridiculed. However, she figured that it would have to wait for a more private setting.