With the three men back in their pack territory for the night, the woods went quiet.
Ayla and Alexander moved carefully, speaking in whispers as they made the cave livable.
A narrow vent in the ceiling pulled smoke upward, so when they fed a small fire with sticks and twigs, the air stayed clear—and their hiding place stayed secret.
Later, they searched the space by firelight.
The cave was mostly smooth stone and shadow, but moonlight still found them, spilling in just enough to soften the dark.
As the night progressed, Ayla and Alexander decided to make the most of their situation.
If they were going to be in the cave all night, so their pursuers thought they had run far away, they might as well see what else it offered.
To no surprise, there wasn't much there.
They were surrounded by a continuous, smooth wall.
What was nice was the moonlight that seemed to find its way inside, even though the entrance was curved around and not straight in.
The beams and fire that danced revealed the somewhat even ground that covered the cave floor.
While Dominic, Raphael, and Phoenix were discussing the newest developments, Ayla and Alexander had been adjusting to their home for the night.
Alexander wouldn't let her sleep on bare rock.
He slipped out only long enough to gather branches and soft grasses, then returned and built a rough nest near the warmth of the fire.
He had no intentions of letting Ayla lie on the hard, dusty floor.
Not wanting to leave her side for long, he only left the cave long enough to find supplies to accomplish his goals.
He was quite pleased with himself as he looked at the nest that nature provided at his feet.
Ayla looked at him, slightly puzzled.
"What did you do this for?" she asked.
To him, it was clear what he had done and why.
"Of course," he said. "I'm not letting you sleep on the floor."
Surely, she couldn't argue with him wanting to help her.
She tipped her chin up. "And you? Are you sleeping there too?"
Alexander hesitated, then shook his head.
"You take it. I'll stay close by the entrance."
Ayla didn't look convinced.
"You're too kind for a man who chased me into the woods."
"I'm not playing you," he said quietly. "I meant it when I said I'd protect you."
The words from her question ran through his head again.
"Wait, I don't plan on… how about before I answer, you clarify that question. It can be taken a lot of ways, and I don't want to upset you," and he stopped talking.
Just as he did, he let go of her hand and backed up.
She meant, did he intend to sleep on the bed with her?
Now her mind started to wander south, and she was not thinking clearly.
Damnit, Alexander!
"I'm sorry, I only originally meant to ask if you had any intent on sleeping in the bed you made with me, that was all," she said.
Her eyes were no longer able to look at his, as they found their way to her damp white shoes close to the fire.
His eyebrow rose as his chin gave a slight tilt.
He listened to her words carefully because he didn't want to make a mistake when answering.
"Originally?"
Ayla's head flew up, allowing her face to find his.
"I…well. That…"
She was visibly flustered, and he liked it.
Maybe he wasn't going to be the one who had to control themselves after all.
Her cheeks were filling with a floral color that resembled peonies, as she was trying to keep her composure and think at the same time.
Just then, Alexander grabbed her hand to see what she would do.
To his surprise, she didn't back away.
Ayla had a rush of thoughts running through her head.
What was his game?
"You can have the bed, if that's what you can call it", he smiled.
Alexander went to step away as he was going to watch the entrance of the cave, but that wasn't the entrance that she wanted him at.
He started to step away to keep watch, but Ayla caught his hand.
Something hot and unfamiliar coiled low in her belly—need, fear, hope, all twisted together.
"What are you playing at"?
"Nothing, I promise."
It was clear that Ayla was still waiting for his plan to trap her to come to fruition.
Her fears were nothing compared to the instincts that were surfacing in that moment.
They moved together in the firelight and shadow, trading whispered promises and stolen warmth—two strangers clinging to the same fragile miracle: that the world hadn't found them yet.
Before she knew what she was doing, her instincts had completely taken over.
Their hands began to move over each other's bodies as if they had known each other for a lifetime.
That told him everything he needed to know.
Her eyes were so intriguing to him, the way they seemed to almost glow in the low light of the cave.
She wouldn't look at him in his eyes for long, but in the moment that she let go, she did, and he could have sworn he saw what looked like golden amber with red flecks in it.
He couldn't be certain what he saw, if it was real.
All he wanted was to be able to look into her eyes, long enough to truly see them and her.
"I will watch over you. It seems to me that you have some people trying to get their hands on you, and I have no intention of letting that happen".
She looked at him as her eyes moved down his body.
Danger be damned, she was going to have one good thing in her life.
His damp clothes clung to his fit figure, and the flush feeling that was once in her cheeks had now begun to move and was now trying to deep in her lower bits.
She didn't know what to do as she had never felt any of this before.
Nor had she ever been alone with a man in general.
Alexander went to step away as he was going to watch the entrance of the cave, but that wasn't the entrance that she wanted him at.
Before she knew what she was doing, her instincts were trying to take over.
A warmth growing inside of her that housed a hunger she had never known.
She grabbed his hand, clutching it hard.
Alexander turned to see the lust in her expression and desire written all over her body as she stood seductively.
He knew instantly that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
"We should be okay for a while. If I know those men won't be anywhere near us. There is no need to stand guard right now."
All of the adrenaline from the jump had settled deep within both of them, and it was time to burn it off.
A small growl left him, deep, unintentional as he followed her toward the space he had just made for her.
Slowly, he moved his body into hers.
With a smooth motion, he placed his hands so that his fingers embraced the back of her neck.
Gently, he made it so that his fingers interlaced with each other, leaving his thumbs behind to just barely touch her face, delivering small, gentle strokes to her cheek that sent chills down her spine.
Finally, their eyes locked, and they had to both be delusional, as they thought they saw the same thing flash in each other's eyes.
An unnatural glow reflected from each other's eyes as they refused to look away.
The fire, it had to be the reflection of the fire.
The amber glow gave them a sense of trust that hadn't been there for Ayla before.
A sense of familiarity that told her he wouldn't hurt her.
Together, they leaned into each other, pressing their bodies into one another.
They were meant to be in that moment with each other, and nothing else mattered.
Their lips pressed into each other's, and they couldn't resist their instincts any longer.
It ignited the throes of passions that would not stop for hours, making Ayla forget momentarily about the danger that lurked outside the walls around her.
Alexander pushed into the young female, making her step backward, until Ayla found herself against the wall of the cave.
She was trapped, but for once, she didn't mind.
It excited her to her core, making her hot and wet, and the kisses became deeper and more aggressive as they continued.
After a short time, damp clothes began flying, and it was as if they were never there to begin with in no time.
Her dark green dress was reluctant at first to move over her head, but it was no match for the strong man with her.
His hands, finding her breasts as the dress landed, the sensation overwhelmed her as he embraced them a little less than gracefully.
His dark shirt flew next to where her dress landed, as his jeans dropped to the ground seconds later.
She was now raking over his arms and chest, enamored by his muscles, taking in his form.
Alexander pulled Ayla close and broke free from her kiss to whisper in her ear, "Are you sure?" only for her to respond, "I've never been more sure of anything".
He gently picked her up as her arms wrapped around his neck.
Her legs naturally rose to find his waist, and her ankles found each other behind him.
He stepped forward as she kissed him passionately, and he took her to the bed he had made and lay her down with all the care in the world.
He wasn't sure of much, but he was sure of one thing: he didn't want to rush.
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, he knew she didn't trust anyone and that this was her first time trusting anyone, let alone a man.
Alexander wanted to take his time and appreciate her and the body that lay before him.
The kissing didn't stop, and neither did the exploration of his hands as he used them to make a map of every inch of her body, creating a mental map as he went along.
He refused to touch her in her most sensitive spot until he showed attention to every inch of her body for fear that the heat and moisture would suck him in and he wouldn't be able to stop himself.
Now that he had a perfectly etched map in his mind, his index finger faintly touched her skin as it rolled over her breasts and made its way down her abdomen.
Finally, his hand made its way between her legs.
She began to make small sounds as he explored the sensitive, moist folds between her legs.
The tiny noises that had once been masked by the passionate kisses couldn't be masked anymore.
She couldn't help herself as he played with her most pleasurable and sensitive spots.
At first, he just toyed with her, keeping himself controlled, and just around the entrance, teasing her clit.
Her body was now erupting with want and desire as he ventured further and further into her body with his wandering fingers, doing more than teasing her clit as he did so with his thumb, making her moan even louder.
The more she moaned, the more intense his hand motions became, and the more fingers he added, as he was feeling her warmth and moisture from within and out at the same time now.
His excitement rose more and more when she started squeezing in a pulsating motion around his fingers that traveled deep inside her.
Ayla was like a faucet as he continued, fully pleased with his efforts.
He was waiting for the right time to move further.
With the sudden pulsation and gush of warm liquid dripping down his hand, he knew it was finally time.
All he was waiting for was for her to have one more orgasm.
She was enjoying that part so much that he didn't want to change a thing, but his appetite was growing to feel her.
Alexander wanted her more than anything he had ever wanted in his life.
Slowly, when he couldn't take it anymore, he started to slide himself over between her legs, which were open and ready for him.
His passion hadn't stopped once since they started, but for this, he wanted to slow it down.
His lips left hers for what felt like the first time since they started as they made their way down her face, grazing her ear, followed by her neck.
He gave her sweet, tasteful kisses as a shiver went down her body.
"I want to ask you again, are you sure? You can't take this back once I take it. This is the only part of yourself that you can only give once. I want to make sure you want to give it to me".
She knew what he was talking about she but didn't know how to react.
"How do you know I've never been with anyone?" she asked sheepishly.
There were many ways he could think that, but he knew.
He would never tell her, but it was made clear once they started that he was right.
Without looking, he could tell. Alexander had always had a strong sense of smell, and it came in handy from time to time.
It wasn't strong, but he could pick up a slight hint of blood after his hand began to pleasure her.
That told him everything he needed to know.
"That wasn't a yes, but I just know. It isn't anything you did. Even if you had, it wouldn't matter to me," he smiled.
She nodded her head.
"Yes, I'm sure. I want you, currently I want you bad, so can you please shut up?" she laughed.
He looked at her like he wanted to ravage her, devour her, but instead, he held back and started kissing her again.
The hardest thing for him to do was control himself in that moment.
A few seconds later, his hips were drawing up to her, and she could feel him pressing against her.
She knew within a short amount of time he would be in her, and the heat radiating from her grew, and he could feel it.
"Oooohhhhh," Ayla moaned.
Alexander paused.
"You okay"?
"Don't stop. Keep going," Ayla assured him.
He knew some pain could be involved, but he wanted to minimize it, at first.
As things started to progress, through each thrust, he could feel the changes in her and knew when he could go not just faster, but harder, and deeper, until he was free to do as he pleased.
Her moans increased, and he let a few out himself.
"Damn, you're so wet and tight," he let out.
She laughed a little.
"Oh, don't do that. Fuck. Don't do that or I won't last".
With that, he kept going, faster, harder, as deep as he could, and she began letting out unsuppressed moans that urged him more and more until they both climaxed together.
After they finished, he discreetly wiped himself and his hand on his dark, damp shirt in an effort not to let Ayla see the remnants of her first time.
She had never felt happy before, not really, but she was positive that she was happy and would never leave that cave.
Even though she was lost in the feeling of being with Alexander, she couldn't help but feel like something was still missing.
On top of that, she knew that the men chasing her would eventually be back.
If all she had left of happiness was the time in that cave, she was going to enjoy the hell out of it.
Just when they were lost in the lust of each other's touch, Alexander thought he heard something outside the cave.
"Stay here. Don't make a sound."
He placed a finger over his lips and pulled his pants back up to scout the area.
After a few moments, he wasn't able to see or hear anything and made his way back to Ayla.
With everything appearing to check out, they were able to go back to enjoying themselves.
She used every minute they had hidden in that cave to her fullest advantage, too.
Dominic and his men were out there in the wild somewhere hunting her, and she knew it wouldn't be long before she would be running from them again.
She wasn't sure when, or if they would even get to leave the safety of the walls that surrounded them.
They might have already found her after what Alexander heard.
She felt safe that they hadn't, though, because there weren't any signs of them.
Afterward, Ayla lay stunned by how quickly happiness could feel real—and how quickly fear could follow it.
The men who hunted her would return.
They always did.
They hadn't eaten.
They hadn't slept.
And hiding didn't stop the clock—it only delayed the next chase.
Soon they'd have to move, together or not.
Ayla knew she couldn't stay sealed away with him in a cave forever—but for one night, she let herself want it anyway.