Chapter 20

Everlee

Life with Wild Man has its perks.

For instance, I've been meaning to start a diet to shed some of the extra weight around my middle. I've always wanted to be the type of woman who could sit in a bikini and not have that little roll in my stomach that pushes out past the bottoms of the bathing suit. Unfortunately, I'm not one of the types who can eat anything and still pull that off. I have to work hard at the gym and count calories. I hate counting calories. I love food too much.

Living with Wild Man in the wilderness, I still don't count calories, but I don't need to because the food we eat doesn't contain many. I've finally accomplished that flat stomach, and I didn't even have to work for it.

I look down at my midriff and rub my hand over it, snickering in glee to myself. The lack of rope doesn't escape my notice. It's been several days since I was released from that cursed thing. I've been half expecting Wild Man to leash me again, but so far he hasn't.

Another benefit of living in the wild with no rules and societal expectations, you don't have to worry about what anyone will think of you. I'm a people pleaser, and I like to be liked. Not because I want to be noticed—I actually don't like to be the center of attention—but because I want people to be happy when they see me. I like for everyone to be happy, and when that doesn't happen, it stresses me out. It's exhausting to try to please everyone. Out here, I only have one person I need to keep happy, and it takes almost nothing to achieve that goal.

Wild Man is a simple man.

He eats. He hunts. He cares for me and fucks me. He sleeps. All with a few variations of other things thrown in between those top things.

He also makes me happy.

I never thought I could be happy in a place like this with a man like Wild Man, but I am.

I miss my old life. My family and friends the most, but also modern conveniences like a toilet and toilet paper, fresh brewed coffee, a soft bed, electronics. Clothes should be one of the top things on my list, but surprisingly, I've gotten used to walking around naked. It's kind of freeing not having material constantly rubbing against my body. I'm not saying I would shun clothes if they were presented before me, but not having that option isn't as irritating as it used to be.

I'm pulled from my ruminations when Teeja, who's trotting ahead of Wild Man and me a few feet away gives a small yelp at Drefan, the rambunctious one of the siblings.

Teeja and his family have visited us several times since I was first introduced to them. I love having them around. The wolf family has become my entertainment over the last couple of weeks. The way Teeja is with Vena and their pups kind of reminds me of the way Wild Man is with me.

Protective and willing to do anything to keep them safe.

It's strange to compare a man to an animal, but it's also not so strange. Wild Man grew up in the wild surrounded by wild animals. It's not so unusual for him to have picked up on some of the wild life's mannerisms. Like marking my urine with his own to mask my scent. While it won't keep humans away, it would animals.

Teeja stops in front of us. He lets out a low growl and the hair along his spine stands up. His head jerks to our right, but I don't see what's alerting him. He gives a deep snarl before he yelps in the direction of Vena and their pups. Then the six of them take off in the opposite direction.

Wild Man, who's been next to me, steps in front of me, his back ramrod straight with tension. His hand tightens around the spear he's holding as he faces the direction where Teeja sensed danger.

I grab his arm and peek around his body, curious to know what's out there.

Without looking at me, Wild Man hisses, "Stay."

I'd bristle at the command if my nerves weren't currently being frayed. There are any number of predators that it could be. Some Wild Man could handle, some I'm afraid he couldn't.

What comes through a thick briar of bushes is the last thing I expect.

An old man, probably in his late sixties, dressed in tattered jeans and a green and black plaid shirt, topped with a ratty straw hat.

I'm even more surprised when I see the tension leave Wild Man's shoulders. I would have thought the opposite would happen.

This man could equal my escape.

He could also be more dangerous than an animal. He looks like a stiff wind could blow him over, but looks can be deceiving.

The man's hair that's sticking out of his hat is completely gray. He's tall and nearly skin and bones. It's a good thing Wild Man doesn't view him as a threat because he could easily break him like a twig. He has straps over his shoulders from what looks like some kind of pack he's wearing on his back.

"Boy," the man says in a smoker's roughened voice. The hint of a smile can be seen through his thick unkempt beard.

When Wild Man starts walking toward him, I cling to his back. He stops and looks over his shoulder at me. "No threat," he says. "Ben safe."

I still don't let him go. I peek around his arm before lifting my eyes back to Wild Man.

"I'm naked," I say, keeping my voice low.

He looks at me like he doesn't understand the problem with me being unclothed in front of another man.

It's sort of funny if you think about it. Only in the wild would an alpha and possessive man like Wild Man be okay with other men seeing his woman naked. If he grew up in civilization, he'd be spitting mad and raging.

"In my world, it's not normal to walk around naked," I tell him. "You could actually go to jail if you did it in public. Only in someone's home are they allowed to go without clothes."

I'm not sure if he truly understands or not, but after a moment, his chin jerks up.

He looks back at the man. "Shirt."

The man seems momentarily surprised as his eyes flicker from Wild Man to me. He slips a pack that looks too big for him to carry on his frail shoulders from his back and shrugs off the flannel shirt before he tosses it to Wild Man, leaving him in a black t-shirt.

I try to keep myself hidden when Wild Man turns around to face me. My cheeks warm because I know the old man must have at least gotten a peek.

When Wild Man slips the shirt up my arms, it smells like tobacco and earth. It feels weird to have the material covering me. Thankfully, the man is tall, so the tail of the shirt goes to mid-thigh.

Once I've finished buttoning up the shirt, Wild Man turns back to the man.

"I see you found a lady," the man says, interest lighting his eyes. Wild Man doesn't say anything to that.

I step to Wild Man's side to get a better look at the old man.

"I'm Ben."

I don't know why, but I'm nervous. Besides Wild Man, this is the first person I've seen in weeks.

"Everlee."

Ben smiles. "Nice to meet ya."

I don't say it back. I'm not convinced yet that this meeting will be a good one. It's apparent the two know each other, but the question is how? And why is he here now? Wild Man seems to be comfortable around him, so that's something.

"Come," Wild Man says, grabbing my hand and turning us toward the tree hut.

Ben follows. I can feel his eyes on the back of my head and it makes me want to rub my neck. For Wild Man to have his back turned to the man must mean he really trusts him.

When we make it home, Wild Man lets my hand go, and I stand off to the side, feeling weird having someone else in our private space. Teeja and his family have been here a few times, but this is different.

Ben takes a seat on the opposite side of where Wild Man and I usually sit, like he's done this a dozen times. I watch the man with wary eyes as he sets the pack beside him on the ground.

Wild Man brings him a bowl and he trades it for the pack. Then he comes to me, grabs my hand, and brings me to our usual seat where he pulls me down on his lap. I make sure the shirt fully covers me.

With his arm wrapped around my waist, his hand laying possessively over my stomach, Wild Man says, "My woman."

Ben looks up from his bowl of meat, his bushy brows raising. "I see she got you talkin', so that's good."

Wild Man grunts.

"How do you know each other?" I ask.

"Oh, boy here and I go way back." He pops a chunk of meat into his mouth and doesn't wait to finish chewing before he continues. "Gotta be ten years now."

I lift my brows, surprised at his answer.

"I bring him supplies when I'm in the area."

"How did the two of you meet?"

Ben's chuckle is rusty. "Purely by accident and divine intervention. I was out trekking in these parts and stumbled across a coyote. He was a mean sumbitch. Saw my life flash 'fore my eyes. Right before the animal attacked, this hulkin' man comes running out of nowhere, naked with his dick swingin' in the breeze, and took that coyote down. Slit his throat from ear to ear." He grins, the teeth he flashes behind his thick beard are surprisingly bright white.

"Wow."

"Yup. I was grateful to the boy for savin' my life. I tried talkin' to him, but I couldn't get nary a word from him. He just tied a rope around the coyote's neck and started dragging him away. I followed 'cause I was curious about him, and he didn't seem to mind. Took me here, cooked that coyote, and shared it with me."

I look at Wild Man. He's not paying attention to either of us as he starts digging into the pack. He pulls out a toothbrush and tosses it into the pile of junk he's accumulated over the years. I'll be digging that out later. Then he pulls out a tube of toothpaste. Before he can toss that, I snatch it from his hand. He pauses his exploration of the pack to glance at me.

"Toothpaste is your friend," I tell him.

He's been keeping his teeth relatively clean by the mint leaves, but this will do a much better job.

He goes back to digging in the pack, and I look back at Ben.

"How often do you come?"

"I figured prolly once a month or so." He spits a piece of gristle into the fire. "'Bout the time he would be needin' more. I'm a bit late this time cause my gout was givin' me hell." His weathered hand rubs over one of his knees. "I left here that first day leavin' everything I had. Owed it to him for what he did. Told him I'd be back, but I don't think he understood. He was a might surprised when I did come back with more supplies."

"Did you ever try to get him to leave with you?" I ask curiously.

"I asked, but again, he just ignored me."

"Did you tell the authorities or anyone else about him?"

From all the rumors I've heard about the wild man in the woods, none of them could be confirmed. As far as everyone knew, no one had ever actually met the mysterious man and communicated with him. Everything was just speculation. A tale someone told years ago, but not one anyone could prove as true. Most people thought the rumors were just stories, but I always believed them.

"Nah." Ben shrugs, tossing another chunk of meat into his mouth. "Boy seemed alright out here by his self. Seemed like it was the place he wanted to be, and if he wanted to leave, he could have easily followed me. Who was I to bring people 'round he may not want to see?"

His answer is reasonable, but it's also sad. Wild Man was never given the opportunity to make the choice of living in civilization or alone in the wilderness. However, if an eyewitness, someone who actually met the wild man, had come forward, curious people would have flooded the area. Not to mention, the authorities would have probably gotten involved. I shudder to think about what would have happened to Wild Man if he were discovered.

"Fey."

Ben looks up from his bowl. "Wuz that?"

"His name," I reply.

His eyes slide to Wild Man. "Huh." He brings them back to me. "It's a strange one, ain't it?"

"I figured it's probably a variation of his name. He hasn't heard the name in so long, he probably remembers it wrong. Or maybe it's a nickname his parents gave him."

"S'pose so."

"Thank you for lending me your shirt."

"Don't mention it."

Finished with the meat, Ben sets the bowl down and picks up the jug of water. He chugs half the contents before he wipes his mouth with the back of his arm.

I continue to watch the curious man. When he first came upon us, I didn't know what to think of him. To a man like Wild Man, anyone could be a threat, and I've grown protective of my savage lover. But after sitting with Ben for just the little time I have, my worries have faded. Ben seems to really care about Wild Man. He was grateful to him for saving his life, but I get the feeling it's grown to something more over the years he's been coming out here. Something that resembles paternalism.

"Don't reckon he'll be needin' those anymore," he says with a chuckle.

I look down at what Wild Man just pulled from the pack. It's another nudie magazine. He briefly glances at it before he throws it into the smoldering fire pile. My cheeks heat when I glance back at Ben, who has a knowing smirk on his face.

So that's where he got the others from. I guess it makes sense for Ben to have brought them to Wild Man. Wild Man is a virile male in his prime with needs. Until recently, he had no sexual experiences to visualize. I bet those magazines came in real handy over the years.

"How did you come to be here with him?"

How much to tell him?

And more importantly, should I use this opportunity to try and get away?

Those two questions play around in my head on a loop as I think about my answer. Ultimately, the very last thing I want is for Wild Man to get hurt. My time spent with him may have started out painful, but I've grown to care for the man. More than I want to admit at the moment. Who knows, maybe it is Stockholm Syndrome, but it would devastate me if something were to happen to him. Just the thought sends a sharp pain to the center of my chest. And just as painful is the thought of leaving and never seeing him again. He's become a vital part of my life. When I think about the future now, I see him there.

If I were to leave now, I'd be stripping a part of myself and leaving it behind. And my father and brothers would hound me until I told them where I was. They'd no doubt come for Wild Man. A chill races up my spine to think about what they would do to him. My family can be irrational and down-right dangerous when it comes to protecting our family. Especially me, the only female in the bunch.

Since Wild Man removed the rope from my waist, I get the feeling that he now trusts me. Trusts that I won't leave him. He's not even concerned that I'll try to enlist Ben's help. It hurts me to contemplate breaking that trust.

Now I have to trust in myself and Wild Man that I'll eventually talk him into letting me go. Not permanently. I don't believe leaving him forever is an option for me now. He's become too important to me. But I refuse to believe I'll never see my family again. They're just as important. Besides, eventually, my family will find out where we are. I'd rather head them off and go to them before they come here. Maybe I can talk Wild Man into coming with me. Introduce him into society and slowly show him the world he's been missing.

It's strange to imagine Wild Man wearing clothes, eating with utensils at a table, him walking the streets or driving a car. But I think if given the chance, he would enjoy those things.

I pull my thoughts from those possibilities and look back at Ben.

"Like you, I happened to be walking in the woods when I came across Wild Man," I tell him. "Instead of leaving, I decided to stay."

"Wild Man?"

"It's what I call him. Seemed like it fit."

Ben eyes me like he doesn't believe me. I hold his stare with unblinking eyes. It doesn't matter if there's a lot more to the story than that, or that I've omitted the more gruesome details. The only thing that matters is that I won't be utilizing him to try to escape. That I'm here now of my own free will.

"Okay, girl. If you say so," he says.

I lift my arm and wrap it around Wild Man's shoulders, looking at Ben. "I do."