Page 46 of Shielding Maya

She settled back on the rug, leaned on her left hand and looked positively gorgeous. He poured them each a cup of hard cider. Then he pulled some bread from a tin his mom had given him and some dried fruit. He arranged them on a plate, opened the lid to another tin and pulled out a pot of honey and set it in the middle of the plate.

Settling on the rug across from her, he set the plate down and handed her a cup of cider. "I made this with my dad and a few others a couple of weeks ago."

She sipped the cider and her brows rose high. "This is good."

She sipped again and he chuckled. "It'll kick you if you aren't careful. So take it slow, baby."

He saw her breath hitch and he cocked his head to the side.

Her cheeks glowed pink. "I like that. When you call me baby. You did it earlier today and all I could think was that I wanted to hear that again and again."

He nodded. "You got it. I was thinking of nicknaming you Helen."

Her shoulders slumped, "Who’s that, another old girlfriend?"

He laughed. "Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in history. She started the war that brought down a whole empire. This morning when you stood before me naked, I thought you must be Helen of Troy reincarnated. You are incredibly beautiful Maya."

He leaned in and kissed her lips. They were soft and tasted of cider.

He dipped his finger in the honey pot and swiped a thin layer on her bottom lip. He stared into her deep brown eyes and her lips curved up into a sweet, soft smile. He leaned in and kissed her lips. The sweetness of honey, mixed with the cider, and her scent, had his senses whirling. She was intoxicating.

He sat back and licked his lips. She grinned and reached for a piece of bread. "What's your life like up here?"

He glanced around the cabin. "Everything in here is handmade. By either myself or my father. My mom made the quilt on the bed, the placemats for the table, and the curtains. The rug you're sitting on was killed and tanned by me. We work every day up here. Some things have gotten easier as we've brought up the water and electricity. No more walking to the stream to get fresh water. That's been a time saver. But, we live rather simply. I suppose that seems rather backwards to you."

She shook her head. "I live in a beautiful house right now. But, it isn't mine. It's Tate and Lara's. We're allowed rooms and food and equipment as long as we work for GHOST. My parents had their own house even though they both worked for GHOST. Dad had the house first and when they got together, he and mom moved to the base of the mountain. We were always close to GHOST headquarters and mom always kept the room she had there. If they came back late from missions, they'd stay there and come home in the morning. Sometimes as kids we were in the compound and in Mom's room. So, it was easier than waking us up and bringing us home. But, I served in the military and was in a FOB in Afghanistan and that was nothing near as nice as this."

"What's an FOB?"

She chuckled. "It's a Forward Operating Base. We were miles away from base and it was a place to hunker down. We took over an old school and had a roof and rooms and a kitchen. But, it wasn't nice like this. It wasn't homey or made with love. It was necessity and for survival."

"I had no idea."

"Though, I will say, I do love my bathroom down below. A hot shower does wonders after a long day. Not to mention, shower sex. And, I've never had shower sex, but I hear the others whisper about it."

He whistled low. "Baby, you're making me want to start work on a shower right now."

She laughed. The fire reflected in her dark eyes, and it made her cheeks glow.

She took a deep breath. "We didn't use protection this morning."

He cocked his head to the side. "As in?"

She sat straighter, crossed her legs in front of her and stared into his eyes. "When we had sex. You didn't use a condom."

"I don't have any."

"What do you use up here if you don't want to get pregnant?"

"We pull out."

"You didn't pull out either."

They stared for a long time, neither saying anything. The thoughts swirled through his mind at her words. "No."

"Is that the only protection you have up here?"

"Yes."

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