The Second Son - Jack Avery

Chapter Seven: Sing

For as long as I'd lived in Renity, I'd never actually visited the mountains that bordered us. I'd always thought they were constantly covered in snow and too formidable to ever cross. I was completely surprised to discover just how beautiful they were. There wasn't any snow at our current elevation and we'd been traveling through pleasant mountain passes lined with trees and lush valleys. As we went deeper into the mountains, we made it to one of the main rivers that fortunately flowed toward Melodis and we were able to take a break from all our walking.

The river had a strong current that propelled our boat forward without much help from us. Jack sat in the stern, manning the rudder and keeping us on course. I was sitting near the back with him, but I kept enough distance between us to keep my brothers from growing suspicious. Not that they were paying much attention anyway.

Zach was sprawled out with his legs dangling over the edge of the boat, occasionally catching his foot in the water. He looked relaxed and comfortable despite the awkward position he was laying in. Jonah watched him with narrowed eyes, but even he seemed to be more at ease than he had been a few weeks ago. He sat in the bow of the boat. Eventually, he looked away from Zach and instead stared at the tree-lined shore we passed.

I was also watching the beautiful mountains around us. But then I felt something pulling at my hair. I turned back to see Jack smirking at me. He'd grabbed onto the end of my hair and twirled it around his fingers. I glanced at Zach and Jonah, but they were both too zoned out to notice us at the back of the boat. Subtly, I scooted back so I was a little closer to Jack.

His hand was on my back now and his fingers glided up my spine. I shivered at his touch and my mind immediately conjured images of all the other times he'd touched me. We'd been traveling for almost two weeks now and I'd explored a lot with him. I was now used to having him touch me and pleasure me. He'd fingered me several times and it had become routine for us to sneak away at night while Zach and Jonah slept.

In all the time we'd spent together, we still managed to maintain some boundaries. I was hung up on the fact that I was getting married soon and I didn't feel right completely crossing the line. So, Jack and I always managed to mostly keep our clothes on when we were together. I felt somewhat justified in what we did since he'd never actually seen me naked. We had also been heavily focused on me.

Jack said that eventually he'd let me make him feel good, but so far he hadn't initiated that. After all the pleasure he'd given me, I was aching to return the favor. I wanted to hear him moan because of what I was doing. I wanted to be the one to bring him over the edge. But since I barely knew what I was doing, I hadn't taken any steps to do so. I was waiting for Jack to tell me he wanted it. And I needed him to tell me how he wanted it.

Having Jack's hand on me now felt so natural and comfortable. I almost forgot it was there. But I was startled back to reality when Zach started quietly mumbling the words to a song. I leaned forward so Jack's hand left my back.

Zach had an arm draped over his eyes and he continued humming and quietly singing. His foot bounced in time with the song and his voice grew louder. I didn't recognize the song, but it sounded a lot like the songs sailors would sing when they were on shore leave.

"Come all you young fellows who follow the sea. Way hey, blow the man down," he sang. I wrinkled my brow.

"What the hell are you singing?" Jonah asked in a clipped tone.

Zach smiled to himself and began singing louder.

"And pray pay attention and listen to me. Gimme some time to blow the man down!"

"What does that even mean?" Jonah demanded. I was smiling now as I watched Jonah grow more and more frustrated by Zach's song. Behind me, I could hear Jack laughing as well. Zach kept singing and he raised his voice above the sound of Jonah's questions. "What does it mean to 'blow the man down?'"