By nightfall, we’d made it about two-thirds of the way through our journey, and we stopped to camp out. Driving off-road during the day was difficult enough as it was, and we all needed a chance to rest before we arrived at Doldastam. We’d known that we’d have to camp out, so we’d packed well for it.
It was in the low twenties, which made for a very chilly campout, so we hurried to set up our tents. A girl from the Trylle had asked to share a tent with me, and I’d obliged. Other soldiers had gotten fires going, but we set up our tent near the outskirt of the campsite, since I’d rather get sleep than stay up all night talking around a fire.
While she finished setting up the tent—a small white one, made of thick canvas that helped to keep the cold out and the heat in—I went back to the trucks to get thick animals hides to keep out the iciness of the ground.
When I went over to the truck, Ridley was already there, working beside Finn, helping to pass out hides and sleeping bags. Five others were already in line, waiting for their sleeping gear, and as I joined them, Ridley looked up at me, the dim lights from a nearby fire playing off the darkness in his eyes.
“We already have sleeping bags,” I said as I reached the front.
“Hey, Finn, can you handle this?” Ridley asked, glancing back at the two people waiting behind me. “I wanted to talk to Bryn for a minute.”
“Yeah, sure.” Finn shrugged. “I think most everyone has got their stuff already.”
“Great. Thanks.” Ridley smiled briefly at him, then turned his attention to me.
“What did you want to talk about?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Not here.” He turned, walking back between the covered trucks, so I followed him.
The majority of the vehicles were parked together at the edge of the campsite, creating an area that felt private and quiet, with large trucks blocking out the sound and most of the firelight.
“What’s going on?” I asked Ridley when I felt like we’d gone far enough. I stopped first, and he turned back to face me. The moon above us illuminated his face, and he looked around me, as if expecting a spy to be following at my heels.
“Ridley, what is it?” I demanded, starting to feel nervous, since he wasn’t saying anything.
He chewed his lip for a moment, staring down at me, and then, without warning, he rushed at me. His mouth pressed roughly against mine, cold and exhilarating against my warm flesh.
He pushed me back, and I began to stumble over my feet, but his arms were there, holding me up, carrying me until I felt my back pressing against the icy metal of the truck. His kisses were fierce and hungry, his teeth just barely scraping against my skin, sending delicious heat surging through my body.
But I matched his ferocity, wrapping my legs around him, burying my fingers in the tangles of his hair.
Almost instinctually, I began pulling off his jacket, desperate to get to the hot, hard contours of his body. Ridley moved his hands underneath my butt and thighs, gripping them firmly, as he carried me around the corner to the back of the truck.
Once he’d set me down, I started to scoot back, and he climbed up on top of me, his eager lips on mine. With quick desperation, his hands found their way under my layers of shirts, cold against my bare skin.
Ridley sat up, pulling away from me so he could hurriedly tear off his shirt. I don’t think I’d ever undressed so quickly, and when my sweatshirt got stuck going up over my head, Ridley was more than happy to help.
He pushed it back over my head, but in his haste to kiss me again, he’d left my arms tangled in it, trapped behind my back. His mouth traveled lower, trailing down my neck. His lips and the gentle scrape of his beard sent tingles all through me.
With one arm, he supported himself, and with the other, he unhooked the front clasp of my bra. My arms were still trapped behind me, but I’d stopped wiggling and trying to get free. I didn’t want to stop Ridley from touching me.
He wrapped an arm around me, lifting me up so my back arched slightly, and then his mouth was cold on my breast. I moaned desperately, wanting more of him.
With that, he released me, so he could pull off his jeans. I finally got my arms free from the sweatshirt and tossed aside my bra. Ridley had turned his attention to my pants, pulling them off in one rough, fast move.
He crawled over me, his body above mine, and I stared up into his eyes. I put my hand on his cheek, and he tilted his head, gently kissing my wrist. He lips moved down my arm, until they found their way to my mouth again, kissing me deeply.
Despite the cold, his body felt like fire against me. He felt strong and sure, holding me, completing me.
And then I pulled him to me, unable to wait any longer. I raised my pelvis up, pushing against him, and with a shaky breath, he finally slid inside me. I moaned again, unable to help it, and he silenced me with his mouth on mine.
Soon I was breathing into his shoulder, digging my fingers into his back to keep from screaming, and he moved deeper inside me until he exhaled deeply and relaxed on top of me.
FIFTY-SIX
covet