The Bodyguard's Temptress

Chapter 16

Knox

Damnit. If her best friend hadn't interrupted us, I would've tasted the sweetness of her tongue by now. Who am I kidding? We would probably be fucking right now. My sexual frustration is damn near driving me insane. I'm so hard, I could probably chop down a tree with just my dick.

Brandon trails behind me into the woods behind my cabin, our footsteps crunching on fallen leaves. I carry an axe over my shoulder, along with a bag of supplies. The pain in my injured hand, which has only been healing for a few days, throbs relentlessly. That's why I brought Brandon along. When the pain gets unbearable, he'll have to take over.

We stop where a group of taller, dying trees stand, their skeletal branches reaching towards the grey sky like twisted fingers. They've been here way longer than I have, but each year, I plant new trees to maintain the ecosystem and ensure I can always get firewood if needed.

I steady the axe in my good hand, taking a deep breath. I swing hard, the blade biting into the wood with a resounding thud. Despite putting most of the work on my good hand, pain shoots through my injured one, making me wince.

"Shit," I hiss, my voice rough with pain and frustration. 

"Are you okay?" Brandon asks, worry clouding his features. 

I grit my teeth. "Just overexerted myself, that's all."

Andre would revel in the fact that his little 'punishment' is slowing me down. Worse, it's stopping me from taking care of his daughter the way I need to. Maybe that was his goal. First, weaken me, and then have his own daughter kidnapped so he could have a reason to kill me. 

That son of a bitch actually thinks he's clever.

Snapping me from my thoughts, Brandon steps forward, determination in his blue eyes. "I-I can do it," he volunteers, reaching for the axe.

I hand it over, watching as he grasps the handle with both gloved hands. Depending on if he can actually cut down a tree or not remains questionable. We might have to make do with just one and hope it lasts until we can get more. 

"Damn, it's heavier than I thought," Brandon comments with a nervous laugh. "You could really kill someone with this thing."

"Yeah, you could. Try not to kill yourself," I grumble, settling down on a large rock.

"What kind of trees are these?" Brandon inquires, his voice tinged with curiosity as he glances back at me. 

"Oak."

I don't know why that matters. He's going to struggle no matter what. 

"Alright, don't judge me. I've never done this before," he warns, gripping the axe with uncertainty. I watch as he weakly swings it, barely making a dent in the wood.

"Harder," I command gruffly. "And chop at an angle. We'll be here all day if you do it like that."

 I can already see sweat beading on his forehead. My little temptress was right, but I'm going to need him to get his shit together. It will probably start showing soon—the first snow of winter. In case there's a snowstorm and we're snowed in, we need enough firewood to not freeze our asses off. There's plenty of food and I could always hunt if needed. I just want to make sure Natasha is as comfortable as possible since we're in hiding for now. 

"Natasha must be pissed you told her she couldn't come. She doesn't like being left out," Brandon says, trying to make conversation.

 I answer sternly, fixing my gaze on the tree, "She's safer inside."

I can actually breathe knowing she's in the cabin safe and sound. That's why I asked her to bake cookies; I know it will help her relax, maybe even put a smile on her face. And I wasn't just saying I wanted some just to distract her, I meant it.