Chapter 7
Halting in the bedroom doorway upon finding his wife shifting her attention between two pieces of clothing, one in each hand, Mark grinned vivaciously. "I like you in the deep red one, darlin'."
It was a nightgown in her hand, silk, and lace, spaghetti strapped and rested just at her mid-thigh. The colors were red in one hand and silver in the other. Cameria had gone back to the apartment to pack up her belongings for her while she was still in the hospital.
"Okay, red it is." She winked at him over her shoulder, dropping the red nightgown in the bag and felt Mark walk up behind her. "You've been so patient with me and I really appreciate it." His hands slid up her arms and massaged her shoulders soothingly, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. "You're distracting me, handsome…"
"I'm distracting you?" Mark sounded incredulous, wondering if the woman was out of her mind and then inwardly sniggered at his own joke. Yes, yes she was. "You could take them both… we'll be out there a few days." He suggested, gently pulling her back until she was leaning into him and inhaled sharply. This woman was not good for his mindset, at all. He wanted her, and his patience was for the first time in years, was being tested. "Fine," Mark grumbled, mentally coaching his erection away. "Get back to packing, darlin'." He moved to get his own things, letting out a slow, quiet breath.
"Good point, alright then."
Anciana dropped the silver one into the bag as well before moving to the bathroom to pack up toiletries. Just as she walked out, a flash of lightning outside made her nearly jump out of her skin. A storm was rolling in as she rushed over to the window and groaned, pressing her forehead against the window. The weather had said there was a SLIGHT chance of storms, but apparently, that had changed to from slight to definite.
"Damn it!" Mark turned the television on and flipped to the weather channel; they were under a severe thunderstorm warning. "So much for camping…"
Mark began laughing. "That's for this part of Texas, darlin', we're going south." Which, from the radar, was nice and sunny. Beautiful thing, a giant state; weather in one area could be very different from another. "Unless…" He hesitated, looking at her intently. "You'd rather not?"
The last time she had been out in the rain, he had run her over and she wound up in a coma for 3 months and now had amnesia for potentially the rest of her life. Mark didn't mind traveling in a storm; this was Texas for one and they got some bitch of storms. Two… he traveled a lot and was used to being out in crappy weather. Her, not so much.
"So, the storms won't be where we're going?" Anciana's spirit was picked back up again as she practically danced to her bag, zipping it up. "Well come on then, we better get on the road before the storm gets worse." Having amnesia meant she had NO recollection of the accident or what kind of weather it was outside. Cameria had told her it was raining, and the roads were slick, which had been the primary reason for Mark hitting her. "Hopefully there's a lake or something we can dip in that's relatively clean because of how hot it's been outside." Going south would make it hotter, no doubt.
"Mmm, there's a river, but where we'll be, it pools so the water is constantly moving slower. You'll be able to swim." He explained, point blank refusing to camp anywhere there wasn't water to dip into. Mark loved to swim; it was a great form of exercise and, given his size, helped with joint issues. "So, I hope you… well, darlin', to be honest, skinny dipping suits me just fine." Mark teased, loving the way her cheeks flushed.
"Stop that." Anciana chastised, wondering if her cheeks would ever return to their normal color around this man.
His chuckle made her flush harder as she continued packing and made sure to grab her bathing suit. It was a simple black bikini, new, thanks to Patricia. She'd gone out and bought one for Anciana since Mark had an inground pool with a canopy overtop to block the sun. Much like Mark, it helped with her sore joints and exercised her arms and legs. Since there was a watering hole, she packed shampoo and conditioner, having already shaved so luckily, she wouldn't have to do that during this trip. Her period had already passed too, so there was no need to worry about that either.
As if a bikini would help; all that did was make it worse by accenting the goods without properly displaying them. Mark was amused by this entire situation and quickly finished packing his stuff, heading downstairs and out to the connected garage to toss his bag into the cab, taking a deep breath. He stepped out the open bay door to inhale the scent of the storm, rather enjoying the rain lashing at his skin because it simmered his boiling blood. The wind whipped his hair about his head and he smirked, tipping his head back to enjoy it. A little bad weather was not going to interfere with this date of hers and that was an interesting thought. Anciana's idea of a 'date', and it would be their first, her first ever since she couldn't recall others, was a camping trip. His wife was proving to be as mentally captivating as she was physical. A few minutes later, Anciana joined her husband and had to admit, the sight of him in the storm was mouthwatering.
"I think we should stop and get some lunch on the way. Then we can set up camp and cook whatever you brought for us tonight." She suggested, gasping when he drew her into his arms and plundered her mouth with his, her bag dropping to the wet ground.
This kiss was different than the others, it held a sense of urgency, longing, and need. Anciana's head swam and her heart thundered in her chest at the way Mark kissed her, trying to return it with an equal amount of passion. Only when she needed oxygen to breathe did Mark relinquish her lips from his and her breath caught in her throat at the dark forest green orbs staring back at her.
Needless to say, Mark rather enjoyed thunderstorms more than the average person might. He simply stared down at her through the rain, blinking water out of his eyes after a long moment and then flashed her what most women would consider being a panty-dropping smile. Stooping down to grab her bag, Mark carried it back inside the garage and placed it alongside his in the back of the truck. Turning back towards her, he tossed his wet hair back over his shoulders, rather enjoying the cold water covering him because it was a nice contrast against the heat of the day.
"Lunch is good. We'll hit up a store when we're near the area, get what we'll need for the next few days. Sound good, darlin'?" He had no intention of leaving that campsite either, not until they were finished with their trip. Mark took in her swollen lips and flushed face, walking over to cup it between his hands. "You going to make it, Ciana?"
"I'm – uh – I'm not sure…" Though she was smiling and placed her hands over his, softly brushing her mouth against his. "I'm fine. You just kinda caught me off guard with that kiss. Not that I'm complaining because I'm not. It was…different, more passionate…"
Feral was actually the right word to describe that kiss, but Anciana didn't want to admit that. One thing she hadn't said since being brought to Houston was the L word. Anciana would not, could not, say those words to him unless she was absolutely sure she felt love for him. Right now, it was lust and like, getting to know each other again and the camping trip would be no different. No matter what, she would not sleep with him unless she was absolutely comfortable and ready.
"You are soaking wet, you know that, right?"
"Afraid I'm going to catch sick, darlin'?" Mark asked teasingly, smirking when she shook her head and stepped away from her, reaching down to pull his black t-shirt, which was indeed soaked, out of the waistband of his black jeans, peeling it off. He tossed it onto one of his workbenches, muscles rippling with each movement. Aware of her eyes on him, he didn't look back at her, figuring he had harassed her enough in the last few minutes. "I'll change real quick and we can head out."
Good god…this man had a beautiful body and it was even more so soaking wet. How the HELL was Anciana supposed to resist him? She didn't know if she could do it much longer, her libido was extremely active ever since she'd touched herself. It was more of an experiment to see if she still enjoyed sex and at least that part of her hadn't gone away. At the very least, he didn't peel the jeans off or Anciana would've tackled him to the garage floor.
"What am I doing to do?" She muttered under her breath after Mark walked inside the house to put on a fresh shirt and jeans.
Slipping into the passenger seat of the truck, Anciana waited for Mark to join her and they were off 10 minutes later on their journey.
If he had stripped those jeans off, she would've been in for one hell of a treat because Mark went commando, unless he was in the ring, working out, or in loose pants that might fall down. Being surrounded by people he wasn't inclined to treat to a view of his appendage, especially. As it was, he was behaving himself. Fresh blue jeans, a black beater, hair loose and in the process of drying. Mark navigated the storm expertly, knowing if she wanted to be a pain in his backside about driving in it, she had every right and reason too. But she wasn't even looking anxious… maybe hitting her had been the best thing in her life.
"Come here, darlin'," He raised his arm, watching as she considered him before unfastening and sliding across the seat, refastening and then leaning into him, letting his arm wrap around her. "Don't mind the weather?"
"Not really, though the lightning makes me jump a little." As if on cue, a flash of it streaked the sky and she nudged Mark a little with her small jump, smiling up at him apologetically. "I'm fine as long as I'm with you. I…know you won't let anything happen to me."
Anciana believed that especially with all the great care he'd given her since the accident. Mark kissed the top of her head and she snuggled against him more, stroking his chest through the thin beater he had on soothingly. However, she did look away when more lightning lit up the sky as the rain poured harder. It made her wonder how Mark managed to see through the heavy downpour and wanted to tell him to slow down or even stop and pull over until it slowed. However, she kept her mouth shut and put her full faith and trust into him to get them to the camping place in one piece.
The difference between now and Vegas were intentions. He had absolutely no intentions of winding up in a wreck or hitting anyone else today. That day…. not so much. When it did begin pouring harder, he simply slowed down and kept his dim lights on, never pulling his arm from her. He just ran his fingertips up and down a stretch of her arm, physically comforting her. Mark could feel her tensing every now and again; he was seriously considering pulling over when it began lightening up, enough for him to feel her relax ever so slightly.
"We'll be out of it soon enough, Ciana." He reassured her in a low, soft rumble.
"Thank god…"
Anciana breathed a huge sigh of relief once the sun began peeking through the clouds, a soft smile stretching across her lips as Mark continued driving. They stopped at a small diner for something to eat, taking it to go and then at a small convenience store once they arrived at the destination. It was beautiful and right on a gorgeous lake that looked to be crystal clear water. Mark parked the truck and she kissed him softly before sliding out, stretching her arms in the air. They had driven for a good 3 hours and she was somewhat achy from the drive, even though it was amazing to snuggle against Mark's warm body. The sun was still out, though it was slowly descending on the horizon – another hour and it would be dark.
"Do you need some help to set stuff up?" She asked, walking over to him while he dragged everything out of the bed.
Mark considered her, finally just nodding. Normally, he would have said no because he highly doubted this would be something Anciana would remember, providing she had ever gone camping in her life prior to him. As it was, he had infinite patience with her, lusting after her notwithstanding. He began directing her, the tent big enough to house them both with a bit of room to spare for moving around, trying not to laugh when she would get flustered. Setting up a tent this size was usually a two-person job, but over the years, he had grown accustomed to doing it himself.
By the time they were done, they were pushing dark, however, and the pleased look on Anciana's face was… well, it made him smile. Mark had shed his shirt, hair pulled back now, and he left her to put their things in the tent, minus food because of animals. That stuff would remain locked in the trunk, while he started unloading the firewood he had purchased up at that store. He turned, arms loaded and hesitated, watching as she stepped out of the tent and right into line with that setting sun, the fading lights catching her hair, both highlighting and hiding her.
Not only that, but the red nightgown she changed into also reflected off the setting sun. It bathed her in a golden glow, her blonde hair illuminated more than usual. Anciana had no makeup on either, going natural and the sun also reflected in her crystalline eyes. Since it was night and they were getting ready to make dinner, she wanted to be more comfortable than jean shorts and a tank top. It'd been a long time since she watched a sunset, to her short-term memory anyway. She didn't know if Vegas had them or if the city blocked them from view.
Anciana wondered if she'd ever get her memories back, half of her wanting them and the other half thankful for a clean slate. What if she was a bad person prior to being run over? Mark could've changed her life for the better by running her over and that was a very morbid thought. Then again, she also wanted the memories of their wedding and how they fell in love. There were so many blank spaces to fill in…she didn't know how to handle it or the current desire for this man she felt.
Mark could see the troubled thoughts in those beautiful blue eyes of hers, eyes that were quite familiar to him and he sighed inwardly, continuing with his task. There wasn't going to be anything major for supper tonight because of how late they had arrived and how long it had taken to set up. This hadn't exactly been a planned venture and the weather on their way here hadn't done them any favors either.
