Free Water by Terra Harmony Page B

caresses moved higher.  I wanted him to continue so bad it hurt, but I hadn't done this in so long.  Was there a point of no return?  Do I want to cross that line tonight?  Yes.  No.
    He paused, lifting off of me, catching his breath.  "Not until you're ready."
    Goddamn valiant gentleman.
    He looked confused.  I swiped at one of his hands supporting his weight, then caught him at the lips, and rolled us.  He was on the bottom again; ceramic plates clanging together beneath us.  I kissed him long and hard, exploring his strawberry mouth with my tongue, until I felt his resistance melt into me.  Then I stopped.  If we were going to reign it in, it would be on my terms.
    I sat up, "You're right.  Besides, we need to spare the food."
    He squeezed his eyes shut, "You're killing me, Kaitlyn."
    I waited until he composed himself.  He took in a deep breath, exhaled, and I felt the tension dissipate.  He put both hands behind his head, "At least now I know your priorities."
    "Oh, please," I swung my leg off of him, popping a grape into my mouth for good measure, "as if you didn't already."
    He laughed, standing us both up.  "Come on, you need your sleep.  Tomorrow we begin training."
    "Should we bring in the leftovers?"
    "I'll send someone out for it."
    Two medics, a man and a woman, watched us enter through the sliding glass door in the living room.  They surveyed our soiled clothes, then asked, "We got a new shipment of food?"
    Micah gestured over his shoulder, "Out back – you get first dibs if you clean it up for us."
    "Well, second dibs, really." I corrected him.
    They didn't care, they were already jostling for position.  The woman elbowed the man in the stomach on their way through the door, "Out of my way – I think that was cheesecake!"

Chapter 10
    Miles to Run
     
    The next morning, I woke to the crude noise of blinds being drawn followed by the intrusion of the glaring morning sun.  I closed my eyes tighter, turned away from it, and muttered with a scratchy voice, "Coffee."
    Something hard landed on the pillow next to my head.  I cracked open my eyes.
    "Apple," Micah said.  "Wakes you up better than coffee."
    I groaned, but took a few bites anyway.  Might help to mask my morning breath.
    All too soon Micah started shuffling me out of bed.  "Up.  We have things to do, people to see, miles to run."
    My shoulders sank at the last part.  "Miles to run?  Today?"
    "Not just today, but right now."  Micah pulled together a running outfit for me.
    "What about breakfast?"  There was no way he would convince me an apple, with all its wondrous qualities, served as a full meal.
    "Not before we run off that cheesecake."
    Less than five minutes later I was huffing and puffing to keep up.  We ran along the outskirts of the compound and I was quickly finding out how large the Chakra really was.  Micah talked the whole time, changing the subject often while trying to find some motivation for me.  He talked about the breakfast waiting for us, he tried complimenting me, then bullying me, and he even tried a military cadence.  Finally, he started talking about The Seven, going more into detail about why I was there and what was expected of me.  He kept his voice low and always stayed a step ahead so I worked constantly to keep up.  I barely noticed his pace increasing.
    "So why ‘The Seven’ ?"  I panted.  "Was ‘The Six’ taken?"
    "Actually, we’re not quite sure," Micah replied.  "We believe our organization predates Christ, though documented history doesn't go back that far.  In fact, we used to be called ‘Haft’, which is Persian for seven.  This was back when the Persians were considered the most advanced culture around.  Since then, the majority of our organization has been made up of English speakers, hence the change in name."  He was barely breaking a sweat and his long-winded explanations didn’t interfere with his rhythmic breathing.  "Anyway, seven has a lot of significance, both