Into the Woods

Chapter 2

Waking up to the familiar smell of coffee makes me smile, and I roll over to face Jack. He pulls me close and kisses my forehead.

"Good morning, Love. Are you ready to get up, or do you want to cuddle for a bit?" He already knows the answer before he even asks it.

"Cuddle."

He grins at my answer, and I roll onto my other side and push back into him. He wraps his arm around me as a satisfying hum escapes from his lips. I love how we fit perfectly together. In my man's arms is my favorite place to be. As we lay here, Jack's hands roam my body.

Our morning ritual gives me a wonderful sense of happiness to start my day. I close my eyes as Jack lightly tickles my skin with his soft touch. He enjoys the way my body responds to him. Now and then, his hands make their way to my breasts, and he gives them a gentle squeeze before he continues tickling me. These morning touches don't always lead to sex, but they give us that intimate moment together before facing the world.

Jack and I are high school sweethearts. We met at our school's wrestling match. I was a new student who had just moved into the school district while Jack was born and raised in this quaint small town. It was my first time cheering at the match, and he was a student spectator. He approached me after the game and asked for my phone number. His handsome features took me back. His greenish blue eyes and smoothed straight chestnut hair immediately caught my eye. While he was a senior and part of the popular crowd, I was an unknown mystery girl he took a chance on, and we've been together ever since. We even attended the same college, where I studied education, and Jack was a marketing major and married the summer after I graduated.

About half an hour later, the aroma of the coffee beckons us from our cozy, warm bed. Jack rolls out first, and I follow him into the kitchen with the bare necessities: a stove, refrigerator, and sink. Shelves line the right wall, where you will find canned goods and the food we all brought to share. A wooden microwave stand houses a small microwave and coffee maker. The coffee pot sits on its perch, waiting for the next addict to partake in its desired elixir. Jack pours each of us a cup, and we head out to join the group by the morning fire.

The West's two-bedroom and one-bath hunting cabin was built by Chris' uncle and his partner when there was nothing but untouched woodland in this secluded part of the Promise Land. After his uncle's partner passed away, he gave it to the West family to share after his death. Double-sized bunk beds in each of the bedrooms provide for eight bodies. The living area is adorned with an eclectic array of mismatched furniture, two futon couches that open into full-sized beds, a long table with metal folding chairs around it, and a TV with piles of DVDs to choose from if you're snowed in or in the mood for a movie on a cold, rainy day.

"It's about damn time!" Jim gives us a smirk. "We were all wondering if you two would ever join us."

"Hey, I can't help how hard it is to let my sexy wife out of my arms. I mean, look at her." Jack's reply has everyone looking at me, and I feel the heat warming my cheeks.

"He's not wrong." Dom smiles as Julie hits him alongside his head on her way back from refilling her coffee cup. "Ouch! Woman, you know that you're the only sexy wife for me."

Julie kisses Dom, where she had just smacked him a moment ago.

"Oh, I know." She smirks and sits back down by the fire.

The dynamics of this group make our time together full of teasing and laughter. Besides coming to the cabin with them, we also vacation with them for a week on a warm Caribbean island every January to escape the winter's freezing temperatures.

"I'm going to get breakfast started. Our tee time is in two hours," Chad announces as he disappears into the kitchen.

"Need some help?" Deanna offers, but Chad waves her off.