Chapter 6 - Russell

My chest rises and falls with heavier breaths than average. For a moment back there, I almost told her everything - the horrors I witnessed during my military tours, what happened to my best friend and the others - the guilt that still eats me up inside after all these years.

My hands tremble slightly, and I can feel the newly bandaged cut on my finger throbbing dully as if mirroring the phantom aches of wounds long healed over.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I force myself to take a slow, steadying breath. I can't let myself go down that path again; I can't risk dragging someone else into my darkness.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Lyla's concerned voice cuts through the fog of memories threatening to overwhelm me. My eyes snap open to find her studying me with worry across her delicate features.

She looks almost ethereal in this dim cabin light - an oasis of light piercing through the inky shadows I've cloaked myself in for far too long.

"I'm fine," I reply gruffly, blinking hard to banish the fanciful notion, "If you weren't here, I'd probably just be hitting my bunk about now anyway."

She arches an exquisitely shaped brow, "Isn't it a little early to be turning in?"

"Out here, I rise with the sun and sleep after supper," I explain with a negligent shrug. "But you're welcome to stay up and keep yourself occupied if you'd like. Not like there's much for entertainment around these parts."

Lyla hums thoughtfully at that, gaze drifting around the sparse living quarters as if searching for potential amusements. Her lips purse adorably, and I hastily look away before my eyes can linger too long.

Dammit, I need to rein in this inappropriate train of thought before it goes any further. She's just a younger girl who got herself turned around in the woods - a stranger owing me no allegiance who'll be on her way again soon enough. No point in overcomplicating matters by entertaining any other kinds of notions.

"You know, I am feeling pretty wiped myself," Lyla admits with a slight yawn. "I'll probably just hit the sack when you do. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow with you teaching me all your wild woodland ways."

I give a stern nod, "Are you sure about that? It isn't going to be a walk in the park out there. I won't be going easy on you."

She meets my gaze steadily. "I'm sure. Maybe the survival skills will be useful for me someday out in the real world."

For a beat, confusion clouds my thoughts - until the stark reminder hits me like a sucker punch. She's just here temporarily. Another day or two at most before she moves on, continuing her journey without a sideways glance back at this isolated life.

The realization is like a bucket of ice water dowsing any stray embers of warmth I might have allowed to flicker. This is precisely why I can't afford to get attached, to let myself slip back into...complications.

Abruptly rising from the table, I give a curt nod.

"Alright then. We'd better turn in and rest up while we can."

Lyla watches me, clearly picking up on the shift in my demeanor, even if she can't decipher the reason behind it. For once, she doesn't argue or needle me further - simply mirroring my action and pushing back from the table as well.

"I can at least wash the dishes," Lyla offers, starting to gather the used plates and utensils.

"Just leave 'em," I wave her off. "Ain't got any running water hooked up in here."

She pauses, frowning at me incredulously. "You're serious? Then how do you shower and stuff?"

A rusty chuckle escapes my lips for the first time since she arrived. But I quickly clamp my mouth shut, reverting to my usual taciturn manner.

"You saw me taking a bath in that lake earlier, didn't you?"

Lyla's eyes widen slightly as realization visibly dawns.

"Oh...right. That's why you were, uh..." She trails off awkwardly, clearly having said too much.

An unexpected flare of heat tingles across the back of my neck as I remember her glimpsing me naked earlier. At the time, I hadn't even considered the possibility of someone stumbling across me like that—just my dumb luck.

"Uh, yeah. That," I mutter gruffly, shifting my weight and suddenly struggling not to squirm under her gaze like a damn schoolboy. "Anyway, we should...probably just get some sleep."

Lyla gives a jerky nod of agreement, seeming equally flustered despite her usually unflappable demeanor.

"Right, of course. Big day of...wilderness lessons tomorrow and all."

Clearing my throat, I gesture towards the doorway leading to the tiny bedroom. "Ladies first."

She hurries ahead towards the bedroom, but I can't entirely stop my eyes from lingering on the sway of her curvy figure as she moves.

Unconsciously, my fist clenches at my side as an unwelcome flare of heat stirs low in my belly and makes my cock throb.

It's been years - too many to count - since I've felt any physical urges like this. Sure, I've kissed a woman or two back in the day, but I always shied away from taking things further. I never felt sure about it.

So why now? Why is the mere shape of this stranger setting me aflame in ways I haven't experienced since...hell, I can't even remember when.

We reach the bedroom doorway, and Lyla turns to face me.

"Wait." The word slips out unbidden, stopping her in her tracks. I clear my throat roughly. "I changed my mind. You take the other bedroom—I'll sleep on this one."

To my surprise, she immediately shakes her head in protest.

"Don't be ridiculous. It’s your house, and we can always sleep in the same bed. Isn’t yours a bigger one?"

My jaw tightens at the innocent suggestion, and my mind kicks into overdrive with vivid imaginings I have no business entertaining right now.

"That ain't a good idea."

"Why not?" She defiantly props her hands on her hips. “Are you scared I'll try something while you're sleeping?"

The flirtatious words are clearly meant in jest, but they still manage to spike my pulse in a most distracting way.

"Trust me," I say gruffly, "that ain't the problem here."