Into the Woods

Chapter 2

I wake up to the familiar smell of coffee and 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.

It's our morning ritual, and I love it. 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 a school wrestling match. I was a cheerleader, and he was a student spectator. Jack approached me after the match and asked for my phone number. I was 15, and he was 17; we've been together ever since. We even attended the same college where I studied education, and Jack was a marketing major. We were 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. The coffee pot sits on its perch, waiting for the next addict to partake its desired elixir. Jack pours each of us a cup, and we head out to join the group by the morning fire.

The West family owns a cabin in the Poconos in Promise Land, Pennsylvania. We take an annual men's golfing trip with the Wests and two other couples. Dom and Julie Black, and Charlene and Jim Hunter.

The West's cabin nestles into a densely wooded area. It's a small, quaint, two-bedroom, one-bath cabin. The two bedrooms both have double bed-sized bunk beds. The living room is full of an eclectic array of mismatched furniture. Two futon couches open up into full-sized beds, there's 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.

The kitchen has the bare necessities, stove, refrigerator, and sink. Shelves line the right wall where you will find canned goods and the food we all brought to share. There's a wooden microwave stand that houses a small microwave and coffee maker. It's a hunter's cabin, and we all love the rustic feel of it.

"It's about damn time!" Jim gives us a smirk. "We were all wondering if you two were ever going to 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. I feel heat rising onto 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 one 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.

We all laugh at Dom's expense.

I love the dynamics of this group. 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.