How The Allies of Old began: (Novella) BORN Chapter Nineteen "Tit For Tat- Pun Intended"

Painting in Acrylic by @therealpaul

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9

Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12

Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15

Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18

For those of you who missed the post of the release, I briefly explained how the series began as an idea for a Young Adult novel, and that I had in fact written what amounts to a novella taking place the summer before REBORN begins, and I decided to release it here on steemit.

BORN

Chapter Nineteen

The next morning Anna woke up with a start. She'd had a disturbing dream where she was running from something…she couldn’t remember what but she thought it was probably shadow men. Austin stirred and turned over to face her.

"Morning," he smiled.

She smiled weakly back, remnants of the dream still hanging on.

He peered at her. "What is it?"

"Had a bad dream."

He put his arms around her and she snuggled into them. This was a definite benefit to the whole relationship thing, she decided, large arms for comfort. She hadn't realized how much she'd been missing that kind of human contact. Her dad wasn't around much to do it these days.

"Coffee?" he asked, and she nodded. He climbed out of the sleeping bag and looked at her. "On second thought…" He started to climb back in, but she shooed him away.

"Morning breath, go make coffee."

He mock pouted then grinned and climbed out of the tent.

I'm his girlfriend, she thought suddenly, and shook her head in wonder. She pulled herself off the mattress, yawned and stretched. Amazingly she didn't seem to be suffering from a hangover. She shuffled out of the tent with her toiletries bag and made her way to the porta potty. Fortunately it had a small sink and it had been cleaned recently otherwise brushing her teeth would have been a chore.

When she came back she found Austin standing by his small camp stove looking damn cute all rumpled from sleep and she was suddenly struck by the urge to make him take off his shirt. She cocked her head to the side and he arched a brow.

"You looking at something, friend?" His lip curved.

She smiled impishly, "Actually I want to look at something..."

His eyebrows went in the air. “What?”

"Would you take off your shirt?"

"Take off my shirt?" he repeated, brows still raised.

"Yeah, I wanna see your chest."

His face broke into a grin. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours," he waggled his eyebrows and she gave him a stern look.

"What? That's only fair."

"Not the same thing."

"Come on you're wearing a...." he looked at her chest and his mouth seemed to dry up. "No, you're not. When did that happen?"

"I can't sleep with one on."

"You weren't wearing one all night and I didn't cop a feel? I am seriously slackin'." He shook his head in mock regret.

She folded her arms across her chest. "So you won't take off your shirt for me?"

He laughed again and pulled it up over his shoulders and off. For some reason just the act of him removing it was pretty sexy. "Happy?" He asked.

She let her eyes roam over the broad expanse of bared skin in appreciation. Not an ounce of fat on his body, muscles bulging in all the right places. His skin was very lightly tanned and she knew from the past that by the end of summer he would be bronze. They had a phrase for his physique--eye candy.

He was watching her reaction and she grinned at him. "Not bad, not bad at all."

"Not bad? I’ve heard better compliments from my mother.”

She laughed, “Okay, how about sexy as hell?”

He grinned, “Better, much better.”

She grinned back and was suddenly struck with another urge....why not? She walked over to him and placed her hands on his pecs, then slid them down over his abdomen then back up and over his biceps. When she looked up he was wearing a bemused expression and she flushed. “What?”

He leaned down and whispered, "My turn," then swallowed her into his embrace and ran his hands over her butt and up her back, sliding them down the sides of her breasts. A shiver coursed through her body as he tilted her head up and kissed her. There was something about the feel of his warm skin against her that made it more intimate. She wanted to pull her own shirt off and feel what it was like to be skin to skin, an urge she wisely suppressed.

She pulled back from his embrace and brightly said,

"Coffee?", then grabbed a cup and busied herself with the menial task, trying to get her hormones under control.

She heard the girls’ voices coming from the neighboring camp and was a little relieved. She had a feeling that spending too much time alone with him would result in her doing something far sooner than she should. She glanced around and as secluded as this site was, they were still outdoors where anyone could show up. And I wanted to take off my shirt? She started giggling at the image of her standing half naked with him in the midst of all those people.

Austin cocked a brow, "What's funny?"

She laughed even harder and it took a few seconds for her to gasp out, "I forgot where we were for a moment.”

His brows came together, “And why is that so funny?”

She shook her head still giggling then grabbed her coffee and headed around the picnic table before replying, "I considered taking off my shirt.”

His eyes narrowed, "You're lying.”

"Nope."

"You don't have the guts."

"Ohh, now you're going to play the chicken card?"

"Yup, I'm playing the chicken card."

"What, you mean right here?"

He narrowed his eyes. "No, there are people."

"Oh but you called me a chicken, so I think I better prove you wrong," she made a show of pulling up her shirt, knowing full well he’d stop her.

He didn't disappoint, pulling her into his arms and pinning her hands behind her back. He walked her backwards until they were ducking through the opening of his tent, then let go and folded his arms...

Buy Your copy of The Allies of Old: Reborn HERE-

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=linnet+mclaughlin

Have you filled your witness votes?
Check out these passionate and competent souls:@ocd-witness, @pharesim, @teamsteem, @steemgigs, @ausbitbank, @roelandp, @dragosroua; then go to https://steemit.com/~witnesses

If you don't see their name on the list, simply write it in the empty box at the bottom of the page- but make sure you haven't already voted or it may unvote your selection!