Take Me To The River: A Mountain Man Romance (Mountain Men of Whiskey River Book 1)
Take Me To The River: Chapter 19

Axel is visibly frustrated about the knock on the door. I’m guessing he doesn’t get many visitors out here. So, I’m not surprised, when he grabs his shotgun, before opening the door.

If someone is here, that means the road is open, so it could be anyone. He’s told me that his friends won’t bother him, unless they need help. Maybe, that’s the case, or Phoenix came to check on him and officially meet me?

He cracks the door open enough to see who it is and talk to them. From where I am in the kitchen, I can’t see anything, but I can hear it all.

Expecting Phoenix, I’m shocked by the voice I hear, and it almost knocks me flat on my ass.

‘Is Emelie here?’ That voice I’m not too thrilled to hear asks.

Of course, he would ruin a great day like today. I step behind Axel and look at Chris in disbelief.

‘Chris? What the hell are you doing here?’

When his eyes land on me the relief floods his face, while in the same moment tension fills my body.

‘This is your ex?’ Axel asks, ignoring Chris.

‘Yes.’ That’s all I have to say because I know Axel understands. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks, talking about our pasts. He knows Chris is the only ex I have, and he’s the one who left me alone in the woods.

Also, he’s aware I don’t want him here, and I don’t want to talk to him. He’ll stand up for me if needed and will be my shield.

‘Em, I was so worried about you! I’m her boyfriend,’ Chris says with disgust in his voice, as he looks at Axel.

‘Yeah, so worried you left her in woods and abandoned her, taking all the supplies with you? In case you missed it, that’s a breakup, loud and clear.’ Axel says, still not moving from the door.

He’s blocking me from Chris, protecting me from any harm. A move I appreciate more than he knows. He’s dealing with Chris in a way that lets me know I don’t have to, if I don’t want, too. But I’m going to have my say and put this and put him, behind us.

Chris looks at me and starts with, ‘I’m so sorry. But I was mad at you, and when I went back, you weren’t there. Emelie, I want to work this out,’ he says, only I don’t believe a single word.

‘I wasn’t there, because I tried to walk back to the parking area and got lost. Thankfully, Axel here found me and gave me shelter, or I’d be dead. There’s no working it out. You cheated on me, and then left me in the woods! How the hell do you think I’d ever trust you again?’ I yell, glaring at him.

My yelling doesn’t seem to faze him, and for some reason, that irritates me even more. It’s like he’s reading lines from a script and has no reaction to what I’m saying. That’s confirmed, when he speaks again.

‘I’m sorry, Em, for everything. I love you and want you to come home.’

Why doesn’t he have a reaction to what I was saying? He thinks saying I’m sorry, and everything can go back to normal. Well, he’s got another thing coming and couldn’t be more wrong.

We have had fights before, much smaller ones over things like who should do the dishes, or what to have for dinner, but his apologies were mechanical, and I wrote them off. At least, I thought he was making the effort. Now, I want to kick myself for being so stupid.

In the last few weeks, I’ve seen how I should be treated, and I’ve seen the life I want, and it’s the complete opposite of what I had with him. It’s everything that’s right here in this cabin, everything my mom and dad had.

Axel’s whole body stiffens, and he grows taller by several inches. If I didn’t know My Giant, it might scare me. It seems to scare Chris though, because he takes a large step backwards, as he finally looks at Axel, instead of me. I mean, really looks at Axel.

‘No,” I say. “I am home.’ Then, I cross my arms and enjoy the confusion that crosses Chris’s face.

Keeping Axel between us, but stepping to the side, so he can clearly see me in one of Axel’s shirts and nothing else will help convince him. The shirt goes almost to my knees and could very well be a dress. Everything is covered, but the meaning behind it is very obvious. It’s Axel’s mark on me, and any guy gets that meaning loud and clear, even Chris.

‘I’ll be by later this week to get my stuff, but I’m not going home with you.’ I place my hand on Axel’s arm, and his muscles relax under my touch.

Though I appreciate he let me handle it my way, Axel also understands my simple touch. I’m done with Chris, and now Axel will take it from here.

‘You heard her. Now get off my property, before I chock you full of lead.’ He pumps the shotgun and then slams the door in Chris’s face.

He doesn’t turn around right away, keeping his back towards me long after the sounds of Chris leaving are gone. He didn’t drive up to the cabin, so I know he has a bit of a trek back down to the gate, but Chris isn’t stupid, he’ll be off the property soon.

‘Talk to me,’ I whisper.

Only then, does he turn around. We just stare at each other. No words are spoken, until he lunges for me, wrapping an arm behind my head and pulling me in for a kiss.

The kiss is desperate and understanding hits me. He was worried I’d choose to go home with Chris, but he’s relieved and grateful I chose him. I’ll always choose him, and I plan to prove it to him, as often as he needs.

‘Let’s eat dinner,’ I say. We stare at each other for a moment, before he nods and follows me to the kitchen.

He helps set the table with plates and water, as I get dinner. I serve both plates and then push my plate next to his.

Not saying a word, he just watches me walk over to him, and then straddle him. I wrap my arm around his neck and flatten my chest to his and kiss him.

His hands run up and down my back. We both need to reconnect, and I want to show him how much I want him, and show him without words, that I choose him. When I pull away from the kiss, I smirk and stand up. His eyes follow my every move.

‘Tonight, we’re eating dinner naked,’ I grab the hem of the shirt I’m wearing and whip it over my head, leaving me completely nude.

I stopped wearing a bra and panties under the shirt a long time ago. It didn’t make sense to wear them at least around the house.

‘You had nothing under that shirt, while you were standing at the door talking to another man?’ He growls, as his possessive side comes out, and I want him to let it roar.

‘What are you going to do about it?’ I taunt and raise my chin in defiance.

Standing up with heat in his eyes, he removes his pants, while never taking his eyes off of me. He doesn’t wear a shirt around the house, because he knows I like to look at him, so once he removes his pants, he’s naked as well. When he sits back down, he stretches his legs out and pats his lap.

‘Get back over here and sit down, Little One.’

I put a little extra sway in my step, as I walk over to him. When I’m in reach, he grabs my hips but waits for me to make the next move. I swing my leg over him and straddle him, resting my dripping core against his hard cock.

He reaches behind me, and a moment later, a fork with meat and gravy on it, is in front of me. I slowly take a bite, while his eyes are fixed on my lips. Then, I lick my lips clean and rest a hand on his chest.

‘Your turn.’ I smile at him.

He reaches behind me again and gets another fork of food and brings it to his mouth, but I stop him.

Then, I take the fork and slowly feed him myself. His eyes stay on me, but my eyes are on his mouth. Feeding him is a bit of a rush. He takes the fork from me and feeds me another bite, but before I can lick the gravy off my lips, he leans forward and licks it off himself.

As he sits back, he shifts his hips against me and pleasure shoots through my body. He teases me with every move to fill the fork with more food. After we have each had several bites, I decide to take the upper hand and shift, while feeding him his next bite.

Only this time, I move and slide his cock into me, a maneuver he wasn’t expecting. His eyes go wide, and if he hadn’t just swallowed the food I fed him, I’m sure he would have choked on it.

One arm wraps around my waist, as his other hand fills the fork and feeds me my next bite. His eyes watch every move my lips make. I place both of my hands on his shoulders and start moving my hips.

The fork clangs on the plate behind me, as he starts to moan. Both of his hands grip my hips, and I stop moving, as his eyes fly to me.

‘What’s wrong?’ He asks.

‘Your turn for the next bite of food.’ I try to turn behind me and fill the fork, but Axel knows the game.

In a flash, he has the chair sideways, so we can both reach the food on the table. I easily fill the fork for him and feed him. Once I set the fork down, he thrusts up into me, causing my head to fall back.

I’ll never tire of this man. How did I get so lucky to replace a man whose main goal in life is to make me feel good? Of course, it’s an added bonus that he excels at it in ways I didn’t think possible. Even when I set off to bring him pleasure, he replaces a way to turn the tides.

We continue dinner at a slow pace. Each feeding the other between slow thrusts, which keeps us on the brink. The moment the last bite is in my mouth, he angles his hips, and it only takes a few thrusts, before we are both coming and screaming the other’s name.

‘Best dinner I’ve ever had.’ He chuckles into my neck, as we both rest and catch our breaths.

‘I don’t think I’ll ever look at this table quite the same.’ I smile, nuzzling his neck.

‘Me either, Little One. Me either.’