The Wild Read online

  I set her on the ledge of the small crevasse and grin at her. “What do you think?”

  “It feels good,” she exclaims as she lies back on the cool stone floor. “Soooo good.”

  I laugh and climb in next to her. There’s bat shit everywhere but neither of us care. It’s cold and refreshing this hot day. She grabs my hand and threads our fingers together.

  “It’s kind of small but I love it.” Her gaze darkens. “Mostly I can’t see all the wreckage.”

  “I like it too.” I lean forward and kiss her forehead. “I’m going to build us a house up against this crevasse.”

  She beams at me and I vow right then I’m going to make her smile like this more every day. “Thank you.”

  My heart clenches in my chest. “It’s my job to take care of you.”

  Her palm touches my cheek and she gets that dreamy look in her eyes again. “I want to take care of you too.”

  The spell is broken as shame creeps up my spine. “Let’s get back.” My tone is gruff as I pull my hand from her grip.

  “Can we go swimming today?”

  I regard her over my shoulder as I scoot out of the cave. “I don’t think it’s safe yet for you.”

  She frowns. “I want to wash my hair.”

  The very idea of bathing with her in the river has my hair standing on end. But it is my duty to make sure she bathes. I can’t keep her at arm’s length forever.

  “Fine, but you’re not walking back.” I flash her a smile. “Piggy back?”

  Her bright grin is back and it’s a motherfucking salve to my bleeding heart.

  I shed my T-shirt and jeans but leave my boxers on. My gaze remains on the ground as I see her clothes drop on top of my pile. With a bar of soap in her hand and a bottle of shampoo in the other, she hobbles into the icy water.

  “Shit! It’s cold!” she complains.

  Laughing, I turn to watch her ease her way into the water. From behind, she doesn’t even look like my Devon. She’s only wearing a skimpy pair of pink panties. No shirt. Nothing. Her ass is too round, too fucking womanly. I’m glad she’ll die a damn virgin. She’ll be safe from dipshit college boys forever.

  “Oh!” she cries out as she slips.

  I lunge for her and hook her around the waist before she goes floating down the river. Ignoring the blood rushing down my body, I dip into the water with her in my arms.

  “Do your washing. I’m not about to lose you too,” I grumble.

  She lets out a sigh but sets to soaping her body down while I hold her shampoo bottle. Her skin is slippery but I don’t let her go. I find a place for us to sit. With her wedged between my legs and my arms gripped around her, she’s not going anywhere. She wiggles and soon her pink panties are in her grip. My gaze is fixated on them as she scrubs them with the soap. When she finishes, she twists them around her wrist so they don’t float away.

  “Do you want to wash?” Her words are breathy and soft.

  “Not if I have to let you go.”

  I wince at how those words could be misconstrued. She twists in my arms and settles on her knees in front of me. The water laps at her breasts, a distracting sound that I desperately try not to focus on.

  “I’ll do it for you.”

  My grip tightens around her. I close my eyes as she runs the bar of soap over my chest. When she moves her soapy palm down my abdomen and her fingertips brush against the waistband of my boxers, I growl.

  “Devon.” It’s a warning.

  She plays innocent and sets to washing my shoulders. When she finishes, we trade the soap for the shampoo.

  “I have to get my hair wet,” she murmurs. Her legs wrap around my waist so she can hold on and she floats back in the water.

  For one moment, I’m mesmerized. I can’t tear my gaze from her nipples that stick out of the water as she wets her hair. And what really fucks with my head is the fact she’s naked with her legs spread wide open right against my cock. As if I called it to action, I grow embarrassingly hard against her soft body.

  “Devon, hurry,” I snap through gritted teeth.

  “Okay,” she breathes as she scrubs at her hair.

  I close my eyes and try to think about anything to make my erection go away. I’m surprised God hasn’t struck me down right here in the river.

  “Let me wash yours,” she says, causing me to jerk my eyes open.

  She’s clean and too damn pretty with the river water dripping from her dark lashes. I let out a groan but lean back to wet my hair. Once I sit back up, she squirts some shampoo in my hair and begins scrubbing. It feels good to be tended to. For so long Sabrina denied me something as simple as affection. Devon’s soft touches soothe my battered soul.

  “Rinse,” she orders.

  I smile and lean back. Her breasts press against me as she leans forward to help me get the soap out. It’s easy to confuse who we are in this moment. With the sun baking down on us and the water rushing by, it’s easy to pretend we’re just a man and a woman in the wilderness.

  She’s sixteen.

  And your daughter.

  I sober up quickly and stand up with her in my arms. My dick is still rock hard. I’m sure she can feel it but neither of us speak of it. I carry my naked child to the river banks.

  “Tonight we need to talk,” I snap as I deposit her on her ass.

  She yelps and stares up at me in confusion. “Am I in trouble, Daddy?”

  I look up at the clear blue sky and pray to God for strength. This whole ordeal is too hard on my psyche. I’m cracking. Just like the hole in the side of the mountain. I’m widening and splitting right down the middle until the only thing that fits is she and I.

  And that can’t fucking happen.

  Ever.

  She watches me over the fire, fear dancing in her eyes. We’ve yet to discuss things but I’m waiting to get a little braver. And with one of the bottles of Jack I found on one of my scavenging hunts, the liquid courage is beginning to surge through me. I take another long pull on my bottle. She bites on her plump bottom lip and flashes me another worried look. Her hands busy themselves with braiding her long golden blonde hair.

  She’s so fucking pretty.

  I close my eyes and shake my head.

  Focus.

  “That night should have never have happened. I need to apologize.” My words are hoarse as I rip off the proverbial Band-Aid.

  “Dad…”

  “No,” I snap. “We’re discussing this.” I scrub at my face and pin her with a hard glare. “I’m your father. Not your boyfriend.” My words are mean and harsh and I instantly wish I could retract them.

  Her full lips part open and tears well in her eyes. “I didn’t say that,” she whispers.

  “But you’re thinking it. Whatever romantic notion is running through your head ends tonight. Are we clear?”

  She swallows and nods. “I just…”

  “No.”

  “But…”

  “No.”

  “Dad…”

  “Jesus Christ, Devon. I said fucking no. Do I need to whip your ass to get that through your thick goddamned skull?”

  She jerks her head my way and glares at me. “I hate you.”

  “Go to bed,” I snarl. “Get over your fucking self and go the fuck to sleep.”

  Tears streak down her cheeks and she all but runs to the tent. I stay back and drink myself stupid. Hours ago I should have gone in and apologized to her but I don’t trust myself. Lines are blurred and fuck if it isn’t confusing for me too.

  When I finally stumble back to the tent, she’s crying softly. Guilt surges up through me. I kick off my boots, undress down to my boxers, and fall into bed beside her. Her back is turned to me. It breaks my heart that I’ve done this to her. Crushed my sweet happy girl.

  “Come here,” I order.

  “No. I hate you.”

  “Come here!” I bellow. “I’m fucking sorry, okay?”

  I reach for her and she elbows me. Undeterred, I hook my ar
m around her waist and haul her to me. It’s fucking cold and she’ll freeze without my body heat. She struggles against my hold. When she turns toward me and slaps the shit out of me, I lose it. I grab her by the throat and pin her down.

  “Calm the fuck down,” I growl.

  I can’t see her in the dark but I can bet she’s glaring at me. Leaning forward, I kiss her forehead except it’s not her forehead, it’s her lips. Fat, swollen lips. I kiss them again. Her body relaxes and my grip on her throat falls away.

  I want to taste her.

  The thought disgusts me but I want it nonetheless.

  “You confuse me,” she whispers, her breath hot against mine.

  My palm slides up to cradle her soft face. “I don’t know what’s happening to us. Everything is tearing apart. I just want us to be the way we used to be.”

  I press one more kiss to her mouth before falling on my back. I pull her over to me and lock her in my grip. She’s no longer trying to get away. We mold together like every night.

  “I’m sorry, Pip.”

  “Me too, Dad.”

  * * *

  * * *

  I can handle a lot of things in the wilderness but my period is one that kills me. We’ve been here for two months. Each time I get my cycle, I am miserable to the point I want to die. Sure, I have a small supply of tampons but I’m bloated and uncomfortable and bitchy as hell. Plus, it’s almost August and unbearably hot during the day. I spend more time in the cave than anywhere else during shark week.

  My hormones are also out of control.

  I sit up on my elbows and watch Dad work on our new home. He’s downed twenty-six trees. I’ve watched him over the weeks bulk up from the manual labor and I can’t stop staring at him. He walks around shirtless with his jeans low on his hips revealing muscles that seem to point right to his cock and it drives me mental.

  Ever since the night we fought, I’ve tried hard to go back to the way things were. Dad has tried even harder. But we’re strained. It’s in the back of both our minds, I know this without doubt, but we both ignore it. And at night, we cuddle like two related people shouldn’t.

  I crave him.

  Badly.

  More so than chocolate or any other thing I no longer have access to.

  I don’t want any of it.

  I want him.

  I want to run my fingers through his thick beard and kiss his perfect lips.

  Shame causes my skin to heat up and I grab my water bottle in irritation. My belly growls and I wonder if I should scavenge for some berries. They are plentiful and I’m trying to figure out a way to preserve them for the winter. Dad has built some traps to save his ammunition. We’ve feasted on squirrels and rabbit. Aside from the forbidden tension between us, life is kind of nice. Sometimes late at night we talk about how much we miss Mom and Drew and Buddy, but mostly we just hold each other and find solace in the only other person on this earth we have left.

  “I think I’ll make the door face east. Once we get the cabin erected, I’m going to start cutting off metal from the RV to use for the roof,” he says as he hefts his ax in a log. He lifts his muscular arm to swipe sweat from his brow. His bicep bulges and his abs flex.

  Oh, God.

  My entire body feels as though it’s buzzing with electricity. I have no way to expel the energy.

  “Sounds good,” I tell him absently. My gaze falls to his butt when he bends over to pick the ax back up. The boys in my old neighborhood never looked this good. Strong. Muscular. Sweaty.

  I’m going to combust.

  I peel off my tank and lie back on the cool stone. It works wonders to cool me off.

  “Put your shirt back on,” Dad says, his voice close.

  I shield my eyes from the sun to find him standing right in front of the cave opening. His gaze shamelessly rakes down my bare chest.

  “I’m hot,” I pout.

  His jaw clenches and he tears his gaze away. “I need you to check the traps near camp. Skin anything we catch. I’m going to work on clearing the brush for the foundation a little more. Soon I can start on the frame.”

  I sit up on my elbows again. My breasts are swollen since I’m on my period and I’m happy they’re a little bigger than usual. His gaze falls on them again. When he licks his lips before turning away, my heart flutters in my chest.

  “Shirt. On. Now.”

  Rolling my eyes, I pull the shirt back on before climbing out of the cave. I stomp back to camp. I’ve only made it a few hundred yards away when I realize I forgot my knife. With a huff, I turn on my heel and head back. Dad is nowhere to be found. When I approach the cave, he’s lying inside with his legs dangling out. His jeans have been pushed down his muscular thighs. My jaw drops to see that he’s fisting his thick cock. I’m enthralled by the way his veins on his tanned forearm bulge with each time he jerks at it.

  It’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.

  He fists it harder and harder until he groans in pleasure. When my name is whispered from his lips, I freeze fearing I’ve been caught watching. Then I become mesmerized at the thick ropy cum that shoots up his bare hardened abs. He starts to sit up and I run.

  This must be hell.

  Hot and miserable.

  Teased with what you’ll never be able to have.

  Anytime Dad sends me away to run errands for him, I always sneak back to see if he touches himself. Often, he goes back to work. Sometimes, though, he yanks his cock out and whacks off until his release is spent. I feel dirty watching him but I can’t help it. He’s my addiction. We’re well into September now and our warm days are behind us. The nights are too cold. We spend far too much time snuggled together for body heat.

  “We can always add on,” Dad says, his hands on his narrow hips.

  I walk around our cabin that doesn’t have a roof yet. I love that it’s pressed against the side of the mountain and we can keep our cave. “Seems plenty big enough to me. My favorite part is the porch.”

  He winks at me and saunters into the structure. “I’m going to make us matching chairs and a little table so we can sit out here and eat breakfast each morning.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  His gaze stalls on my lips so I lick them. I find myself desperate to drive him as crazy as he makes me.

  “Get back to work,” he barks out and gives me a playful swat on my bottom.

  I roll my eyes at him despite the fire raging within me and set to scraping the bark off the inside of the cabin walls. I’m distracted though when he starts cutting wood he plans to use on the roof. Muscles upon muscles. Dad never had those before. I mean, he was cut and lean but I never knew he could look like this.

  “Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” he teases.

  Heat flashes across my skin. Is he flirting with me?

  “You look sweaty. Maybe we should go swim and I’ll wash you.” I quirk up an eyebrow in challenge.

  “Bad girl,” he mutters before going back to his project.

  I grin because I feel like I won this round.

  Today is moving day. It’s freezing and I’m tired but our cabin is ready. I’m dying to get out of the tent. And yet here I am, curled under the blankets dreading all the hard work ahead of us today.

  “Pip,” Dad chirps as he unzips the tent and sits on his knees beside me. His grin is infectious. “I have a surprise for you.”

  I sit up and rub sleep out of my eyes. “Show me.”

  His laugh is warm and rich. It heats me from the inside out. “Come on, pretty girl.”

  I melt under his flirtatious compliment and accept his outstretched hand. Once I’m dressed, we walk hand in hand to our new home. As soon as it comes into view, my heart swells. We built it together. Dad did all the heavy lifting but he let me help a lot. I’m proud of it.

  Tears well in my eyes. It’s constructed with pride. Dad didn’t cut any corners. The porch is a lovely touch and our table and chairs are perfect. The roof had given him hell but he made it work. It’s
pitched with logs but he used the metal from the RV to fashion a roof that should remain leak free. The extra pieces of metal, he lined the inside of our cabin for insulation against the cold. Together, we’d taken apart one of the bench seats in the RV and made a couch for our living space. The cabin is spacious. There’s a bedroom, a living room, and a small kitchen area. It’s perfect.

  “Close your eyes,” he murmurs as he tugs me closer to our home.

  I close them and let him guide me up the steps onto the porch. He pushes open the fancy door he made and we step inside. It’s warmer than the chilly air outside and I smile. I’m scooped into his arms and I squeal. When he tosses me, I cry out and then gasp when I land on a soft surface.

  A bed.

  He told me the mattress was ruined inside the RV, yet here it is with my favorite quilt spread over the top.

  I burst into tears.

  “Shhh,” he coos and sits beside me on the bed. I’m pulled into his warm arms. “I thought you’d like it, sweetheart.”

  I sob but look up at him. “I love it, Dad.”

  His brown eyes light up and he leans forward. When his lips brush against mine, I nearly melt. He pulls away and smiles. “Happy birthday, Devon.”

  I blink at him in confusion. “It’s my birthday?”

  “I’ve kept up with the calendar. You’re seventeen now.”

  “I feel forty,” I joke.

  He strokes my hair out of my face and regards me with a tender expression. “You’ve grown into a beautiful woman.”

  Heat coils in my belly like a snake. “Thank you.” I blush under his intense stare. Eventually, he breaks our gaze and stands.

  “Let’s move in. I’m ready to start preparing for winter and settling in.”

  “Me too.”

  Since it’s cold outside, we curl up on the sofa and enjoy our new space. Our first night at our home and my birthday.

  “The legal drinking age is twenty-one but I’m pretty sure I’ll have burned through all the alcohol leftover before then. If you have any chance of crossing this off your life bucket list, we better do it soon. And what better time than your birthday?”