Wife's Bitter Revenge Against Neglectful CEO Husband-Chapter 128: Thunder and Lightning

Tears of relief rolled down my face, and Alec kissed them away as my hands roamed his back, urging him to give me more.

I hurt. I ached for more. I wanted him. I wanted a sexual cleansing of all the grief, the shame, the fear of rejection, and of being the catalyst for endangering people I love.

Alec’s hands wiped away all the cold bad and replaced it with the heated memories of love and passion. And I thanked him with lips and hands. It amazed me how easily we flowed back into that rhythm of loving that had me moaning and calling out Alec’s name, begging him for more until I found redemption for my sins through Alec’s loving touch, and I worshipped the man.

By the time we had sated our needs, I was ready to sleep, so ready to sleep. So warm. So eager to resume my life, but not necessarily to leave the cabin, at least not right away. This was a good place to reconnect with Alec and clean up old business.

"I love you," I whispered to my sleeping Alec.

The rain held off while Alec and I hiked up to the overlook. It was one of my favorite places to start the day. We had breakfast of protein bars and coffee from a thermos.

"It’s beautiful here," Alec said.

"It is. I spent my entire life in the city until our camping trip. When I walked away, I gravitated toward the tranquility that you showed me."

"City girl goes country?"

"Something like that."

Thunder rolled somewhere far off, but I knew from the feel of the air that it was headed our way.

"We should go," I said. "Unless I miss my guess, there’s a storm coming."

"All right."

We were still a couple of miles from the cabin when the first wet drop landed on my face. I picked up the pace as we descended the incline as quickly as it was safe. Once the foliage underfoot became wet, the trip would be more treacherous until the terrain leveled out.

Alec stayed by me, clearing brambles and helping me over downed trees. I didn’t need his help. I’d made this journey many times alone. I knew this part of the woods better than Alec.

Part of me resented Alec’s chivalry as a commentary on my competency. But then I remember all the times when I froze or lacked the ability to control the situation. I had no right to be angry with Alec. He was raised as a man who should take care of his woman, and he’d seen me when I needed to be taken care of too many times.

Then again, I remembered taking pride in caring for both Alec and King. So, I should accept Alec’s help graciously and look for opportunities to return the favor.

But the first priority was to find shelter.

The terrain flattened out. We proceeded at a jog. The path was more defined here with fewer obstacles.

The rain poured down. Thunder and lightning added an ominous overtone that ramped up to terrifying when lightning struck a tree not fifteen feet away. The tree split, and sparks rained down. Thankfully, the rain put out the sparks before they bloomed into a full-blown forest fire.

I kept running, thinking about our options. Another mile, and we would be at the cabin, which was ten to fifteen minutes away. Or there was a shallow cave about five minutes to our left. It would be a dry place where we could hole up and wait out the storm, but it wasn’t a viable solution for a long-term stay if the storm didn’t move on quickly.

I’d rather take a chance and go home where there was heat. Even if the electricity went out, which it often did during storms, I had a fireplace and dry firewood to sustain us.

The lightning struck again. This time, it struck the ground near Alec. He jumped and landed on a rock the size of a skull. His ankle twisted. Alec went down, but he rolled and came back to his feet in one fluid motion. Only he was no longer running. He hobbled a few steps before stopping short under a sapling with a full canopy overhead.

I dashed to Alec’s side, putting an arm around him as he rested an arm around my shoulders. The sore foot tapped the ground. Alec sucked in a pained breath. He held the foot up and divided his weight between his good foot and me.

"You’re not okay." It was a statement, not a question.

"I’ll be fine. Give me a minute."

The cave was looking a whole lot better, especially when the rainfall became a solid sheet of water blowing in our faces. The thunder and lightning landed one on top of the other as if we were facing the retribution of an angry mythical god.

This was too much.

"Can you walk?" I asked.

"We might be better off waiting it out here."

"This way."

I took as much of Alec’s weight as I could manage. The rain made it difficult to see, but I didn’t need to see much to make it to the cave. I prayed we were the only living creatures to take shelter there.

The cave was exactly as I remembered it. There was a sharp overhang over the entrance. The entrance was wide enough for the two of us to walk through together. The interior was maybe five feet by ten. It was mostly dry and out of the lightning, which was better, if not ideal.

I helped Alec to sit, then eased his boot off. The ankle was swollen and discolored.

"I don’t think it’s broken," Alec said. "I’ll be fine. Feels better with the boot off."

"Sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"If you hadn’t come here to see me, you wouldn’t be hurt."

"It was my choice. Besides, you didn’t hurt me. I could have twisted an ankle at the gym or walking the stairs to the apartment. At least here, I have you to help me."

"Not likely. You’re one of the most athletic people I know."

"Athletic people roll ankles, too. Ask Jake or Min."

I sat down at an angle from Alec and rested his injured foot on my thigh while I dug in my backpack for the first aid kit that I always brought with me. The kit was small, but it did include an ice pack and a bandage. I also found a couple of over-the-counter pain relievers.

"No thanks." Alec waved off the pills.

"They will help with the swelling."

"I don’t like to take meds. I’ll be fine without them."

"Would you let me suffer? Take the pills."

Alec took the pills, and I felt like I’d won a battle.

The rain pounded outside the cave. An occasional gust would blow in a curtain of water, but then we would be left alone.

I made conversation to fill the silence. "Your mom and dad are so different. How did they end up together?"

"Mom was a college student. Dad was a bus driver. Every morning, he picked her up at the bus stop and dropped her off at the campus. He noticed her right away, but for the longest time, he didn’t even have the courage to speak to the petite Asian girl with the dimples and a quiet demeanor. Then, one day, she dropped her books as she exited the bus. It gave him the excuse he needed to say hello.

"Mom didn’t warm up as quickly. It took her an entire semester before she would respond with more than a nod, then one day, a gang of kids boarded the bus and started causing trouble. Dad was doing his best to keep them under control while driving the bus, but you know how it is. Gang mentality can lead even the best of kids down the wrong path.

"Most of the riders exited the bus at the next stop, but not Mom. She takes education seriously. Damn near beat my ass raw more than once for skipping school before I learned my lesson. She stayed on the bus, and since she was the only rider left, she became the target of the gang. Only dad wasn’t having it.

"Dad stopped the bus in the middle of the street and stormed down the isle to the kids who had upped their game from taunting the girl Dad was crushing on to playing with her hair and touching her. He tossed the first one, then another kid, out the open bus door before three kids pinned him and started beating the crap out of him.

"Only Mom wasn’t some helpless teenager. Angie inherited The Red Dragon from my grandparents. Mom grew up learning how to defend herself and others from professionals. The petite little girl saved the big bad bus driver from the clutches of evil.

"From that day on, Mom and Dad developed a special bond that eventually grew into love."

"Only the love didn’t last?" I asked.