by Skyler Andra
“Wouldn’t it be easier to travel by night,” I suggested.
Rane nixed that idea fast. “During the day, even on the quiet roads we’ve frequented, it would be far simpler for a cop to get too curious about us and pull us over for a look.”
I threw up my hands. “I haven’t seen a hotel for a few hours.”
“There was a camping site a few miles back,” Rane indicated. “Wait here while I go back to store for sleeping bags.”
“Okay,” I said, not overly thrilled about sleeping in the car again.
Twenty minutes later, Rane parked the car in the camping grounds, checking in for the night under fake names at the ranger’s station. At our campsite, we zipped the sleeping bags together into one enormous bed and lay in them. Soon I was looking up at the most brilliant night sky I had ever seen. At the phantom river of the Milky Way, the movement of a satellite across the sky, and the millions of blinking stars. Where I lived, the light pollution was bad enough that I barely saw more than half a dozen stars in the sky. Now there were too many to count, and every time I glanced up, I had to catch my breath.
I didn’t realize that Rane was looking at me until he chuckled.
“What is it?” I asked.
“You,” he said, running a finger along my cheek. “You have no idea how beautiful you are when you’re like this, do you?”
“Why don’t you tell me?” I had intended it to come out snarky and flirtatious, but instead there was something almost hopeful in my voice. I cringed because showing that kind of vulnerability to a guy I barely knew was usually bad news.
But Rane took it in stride. “Your eyes reflect the stars. You’re watching with a pure joy that I’ve seen very little of in the world, and when I see you like that, you’re just irresistible.”
“Am I?”
“I’m having a hard time resisting you.”
“Then don’t.”
Before he could do anything, I rolled on top of him, both of us still stuffed into the sleeping bag. He was naked except for a pair of boxers, and I wasn’t much better in my panties and T-shirt. His body moved underneath me, his breath caught as he registered where I was and how I felt. His hands came up to my hips, and he let me feel his growing erection and how very willing and able he was to give me what I wanted.
I leaned down to kiss him, and I would be lying if there wasn’t some escapism in it for me by doing it under the night sky. There was no denying that I was incredibly attracted to Rane. Each time I closed my eyes I felt his hands on me from last night, when he had made me shout my pleasure so loudly that it had echoed off the walls of the room. However, it was more than that. Right now, if I was having sex with Rane, I wasn’t thinking about so many of the questions that I couldn’t answer on my own. I would rather kiss Rane than think, and if he guessed at my motivations, he didn’t say anything
He kissed me in return, and although it was a ghost of the passion and fire we had shared the night before, there was something more patient and restrained about him just now. Slow and gentle, this time as he kissed me, it was as if he were exploring me rather than conquering me, learning every bit of my mouth before moving to taste my throat and the warm skin behind my ear. His teeth brushed against my warm skin again, but this time he didn’t bite. My eyes drifted shut, enjoying what he did to me. I straddled his hips, his erection pressed against my bare belly. After a few moments, I took off my shirt and pressed against him. I wanted to touch him as much as he could, wanted to feel how strong he was against my skin. Tonight I desired to revel in our differences, how the coarse hair sprinkled over his body scratched my soft skin, how it was so terribly clear how very strong he was.
With my body pressing down on his, I was adrift in a sea of sensations. I kept telling myself to stop being such a lazy lover, to kiss him in return or to at least stroke him as he brushed me. Instead, I simply enjoyed his touch, only rousing myself to make a protest when his touch on my thighs sent shivers through my body.
“Let me do something for you,” I said.
Rane chuckled a little and god, even that sound began to turn me on. This close to him, I felt it through his body too. “Do you think you’re not doing something for me?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You’re letting me do what I want. Showing me how very good it feels for you. That’s amazing.”
I think I made another protest, but then he ran his fingernails gently down my back. Goosebumps rose up in the wake of his touch, and I groaned, melting against him like ice cream on a hot summer’s day. He kept me on the edge of being overstimulated, kissing me as if the world was going to end, but it was all so soothing that I was willing to take just about everything as it came.
It wasn’t until he rolled me to my side, reaching for the soft place between my thighs, that another thought intruded. “Wait.”
He stopped instantly, pulling his hand back and putting a little space between us. By the bright light of the moon, I noted the concerned look in his face.
“What, what is it?” he asked. “Too fast?”
“No, not at all,” I replied. “Condoms. We never picked up any.”
He tilted an eyebrow at me. “Want to try magicking some up?”
“How?” I playfully pushed his chest.
“It’s hardly my party trick,” he said, squeezing me to him. “Mine involves getting a raging brawl going no matter how polite the party was a few minutes ago.”
I glared at him. “No. I’m not. I can’t. That’s not a thing I can do. I’m not going to turn around and say something like, ‘oh, there’s a condom in your bag, front pocket’ and have it be true.”
With a raised eyebrow, Rane reached for his bag, but I stopped him.
“No. Please.”
“What’s the matter, Locke?”
“It’s just…I don’t want it to be…I don’t have powers.”
For a moment, I thought that he was just going to ignore me and check anyway. I had seen him buy that bag earlier. I knew that there wouldn’t be a condom in it. But what if there was? Then the reality of me possessing the power of cupid came one step closer to being real. Something I still couldn’t admit to myself.
Rane studied me for a moment, but finally, he nodded. “It’s important that you take your time with these things, but eventually, you’ll have to face the reality of all of this.”
“I don’t have to…”
“Eventually means eventually,” he said, giving me a soft kiss on the forehead. Unlike the other kisses we had shared, this sweet one made me shiver a little bit. “You still have some time. If you like, I can pick up condoms in the morning.”
Why was there something so romantic about his proposition to collect condoms? I’d had so few men in my life take any kind of responsibility even for the fun we were going to have, let alone anything serious. Whether I liked it or not, Rane was a partner in this, and he struck me as the kind of man who would insist on doing his fair share.
“Sorry,” I said a little stiffly. “For the fun being canceled for the night, I mean.”
“What makes you think that?” There was something silky and soft and dangerous in his voice, and I stared at him.
“Hey, no.” I shook my head. “We’re not doing it without a condom, I don’t care how sweet you’re being.”
Rane laughed, shaking his head. “You really don’t trust men, do you?”
“Do you know what I did for a living?”
“No? Mads probably does. He was the one who tracked you down so fast.”
“I was a phone sex operator,” I admitted. “You know, grunting, moaning, and sighing into a phone, telling guys that they were the biggest and best around. Hearing how they treated their wives and girlfriends who wouldn’t go for whatever kinky shit they wanted that day. No, I would say that not trusting most guys is a pretty damned good survival instinct.”
An exasperated look claimed Rane’s face. “I probably can’t argue with you there. So what about trusting
me?”
I swallowed hard. I already trusted him so much that it should have set off every warning bell in my head. However, I wasn’t going to tell him that.
“Jury’s still out,” I hedged, and he laughed at me.
“I’ll take that,” he said, kissing my cheek. “That’s better than a flat no. But no, I wasn’t going to suggest barebacking, not that the idea hasn’t slipped across my mind once or twice where you’re concerned. I was going to say that the fun doesn’t have to stop for you at least.”
I swallowed hard. “But what about you?”
He sighed. “I meant what I said last night, Locke. You giving yourself up to me, letting me do everything I want…that’s what I want.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him to stop being so corny and to roll over and go to bed. There was something deep about what he was saying, something that was taking us firmly out of the place where I could pretend this was casual. I wasn’t sure what he wanted, but from the serious look in his eyes, I guessed that I wasn’t ready for it.
“What do you have in mind?” I asked.
“Hmm.”
I blinked when he unzipped the sleeping bags partially, exposing us to the brisk air.
“Rane!” I pulled the material back to cover me.
“Don’t worry, darling,” he said. “I’ll have you warmed up in no time.” This time, honey dripped off his words, and I felt a pulse of heat at the idea of arousal overcoming whatever training he’d had to scrub his accent out of his words.
Rane lay back down on the sleeping bag and pulled me over, getting me to straddle his hips again. I admired his thick cock right in front of me, tempted to reach out and stroke him, to draw my hand along that silken shaft. But he reached out first, running warm hands down my body, cupping my breasts and gently twisting my nipples just enough to make me gasp.
“Lean back a little,” he instructed. “And look up, all the way.”
A little puzzled, I did as he asked. I looked up at the perfect star-strewn sky, taking in the black and the indigo and the impossible scatter of stars high above. I was still looking up when Rane’s fingertips found my clit, sliding along my wet folds and working my flesh firmly.
“Rane!” I panted.
“Keep looking up,” he ordered. “You’ll like this, I think. If this is the first time you’ve really seen the sky, I want to make this an experience that you don’t ever, ever forget.”
There wasn’t much chance of that, I would have said, but then he was pressing against my flesh in just the perfect way, and I moaned. When I would have closed my eyes out of pleasure, he told me to look up again, and then I couldn’t look away. I felt as if I were swimming in the stars, a bit like I had been when he introduced me to his patron god. Sailing through the great and empty distances between them as if they were only yards apart. They were cold and terribly hot at once, and my body started to shake as Rane drew me closer and closer to the climax I had been craving.
I was only peripherally aware of my body, of how my fingernails were dug into his hips, how I was shifting against him, desperate for more. I knew that I was shaking with the waves of pleasure that he was giving me, but all I could do was marvel at the stars above us, how gorgeous they were and how far away and perfect. My climax caught me by surprise, shaking me to my very core. The pleasure welled up all at once, making me wail, and this time there was no need to worry about who might be around to hear. We both knew that the campsite was empty except for us, and my voice rang out harsh and needy.
My gaze upon the stars didn’t falter. Atop Rane, I didn’t realize that my body had gone to jelly until he caught me. I had been in the process of sliding off of his lap, and he brought me gently down to the sleeping bag. Some kind of satisfied noise flew out my mouth. His laugh sounded distant and faint. I was aware of him settling down next to me, one arm thrown over my belly. Lightly, he kissed my mouth, my cheek, and my shoulder, and once in a while, I detected the teeth behind it as well. Somehow I even sensed him wondering whether he had given me what I wanted, whether it had been good for me, so I turned my head to smile at him. Was this my cupid powers in action?
“That was beyond amazing,” I told him. “Like I was sailing through the stars.”
Rane smiled at that, touching my face gently. “Good. I wanted to feel that way, Locke.”
I laughed at his tender words, nuzzling his hand a little. “So is that a trick that you use on all the girls you end up camping with?”
He gave me a serious and meaningful look that forced me to stare at his chest. For some reason, there was something almost too intimate about he when he looked that way.
“Please,” he whispered. “Try to have a little bit of faith in me, Locke. I will earn it however you see fit, but a little faith will help. No. I have never done that with another woman. I thought it fitting in the moment.”
Rawness curled in my gut. I almost wanted to ask him if he had done it with a man instead, but something told me that he would not take the joke in the spirit that it was meant. Deflecting was in my nature when I got scared of something that made me feel vulnerable. But I couldn’t deny the feelings that were welling up in me.
“I’m glad,” I said, barely more than a whisper, and he leaned in to kiss me in earnest.
There was something a little desperate about the kiss, as if he wanted more than anything to prove himself to me, but there was really nothing that he could do. I wanted to reassure him, but what in the hell could I say? I was beyond lost in all of this. Instead, I kissed him, and I hoped it was enough.
Chapter 12
Birds twittering and something scratching nearby woke me up. Sunlight blared down on me and I blocked my eyes with a hand. Everything was warm except for the chilly tip of my nose. It felt early, the air still gray. Try sleeping with all those distractions. I definitely was not one for caravan mode.
Where the hell was I? I sat up, rubbing the crusty sleep from my eyes.
“Morning, sexy,” a male said behind me and I spun around.
Rane. Looking illegally handsome for someone up so early.
I snuggled back under the cover of the sleeping bag, admiring him do his thing on his radio. Temptation kicked in, and I planned on getting another hour of asleep, when Rane unzipped the sleeping bag and ripped it off me.
“Jerk,” I said, kicking at him, but missing.
“We’ve got to get moving,” he said, grabbing my ankle, and rubbing it. God that felt good. If he didn’t stop that, we were headed for another episode under the covers, except him receiving the pleasure this time.
“I’m just going to the men’s,” he said, getting up and stuffing the radio in the car.
“Awwww,” I said, pouting that he’d left me high and dry.
At least ten minutes past, and I was dressed, our sleeping bags packed, and Rane still wasn’t back. I paced the cap site, checking the trees nearby by. Nothing. My chest pounded with rapid heartbeats. Had the men in dark suits caught up to us and apprehended him?
Stomach wringing, I stalked after him, brushing branches out of my way. Leaves crunched beneath my feet. I stepped over a rotting log. Fifty feet in, something rustled to my left, and I froze.
Rane moved inside my line of sight, pacing a short distance away, with his back to me.
My chest thumped with relief. I almost called out to him, hoping he’d come and hold me. Until I noticed the phone up to his ear.
Who was he calling? Did he even get reception out here?
“Yes, Locke’s coming along quietly,” he murmured. “Things have been progressing smoothly, but I still don’t think it’s a good idea to try to make contact. No, it’s better if…. Listen, trust me. I’ll get her there.”
There was something about Rane’s voice that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Cool and professional. But more than that, the way he talked about me made me sound like a package to be moved around.
Hastily, I shut my eyes, getting the idea that this was not
a conversation he’d want me listening to. Why was he talking about me? Who to? I rubbed my forehead before opening my eyes again. Before Rane turned around and saw me, I jumped behind the nearest tree, a thick old hardwood that would conceal me no problems. Ears pricked, I dug my nails into the tree, straining to hear better.
For a while, Rane only talked about logistics, mentioning something about wishing that Yusuf was still around, and also about how the police might be involved.
“What do you mean you still don’t know who broke into her apartment,” Rane asked, and a little while later he sighed.
Hearing that wasn’t very comforting, when we didn’t know who we were up against or how to stop them. But at least this meant that this conversation wasn’t just some ploy to move me along faster.
“Locke?” he said. “She’s…she’s not what you would expect. I don’t know what’s happening or…no, she doesn’t know anything. It might be a matter of getting her to Seattle and just. Keeping her there, any way we can. For the common good, so to speak.”
I shivered at how cold Rane’s voice sounded. Was this really the man who had taken such tender care of me last night, who had listened to everything I had told him and asked me to trust him over and over again?
You’re damn right it is, and you should have known better.
Urgency swelled inside me wanting to know who was he talking to. Someone from the pantheon in Seattle? Earlier he’d said he didn’t get along with them or hang out with them. Yet here he was having a good old conversation with them. Didn’t he think I’d be getting suspicious by now? He’d been gone at least ten minutes.
Rane’s harsh voice grated in my ears. I guess it was really no less than I deserved when we hardly knew each other and he’d been sent to do a job. I knew how people betrayed the ones they were meant to be loyal to at the drop of a hat. Dating a few dirt bags and working in phone sex had taught me that. Loyal and straightforward were rare qualities in the men I’d encountered. And right now, at the very best, Rane wasn’t either of those things, which made my heart slump. Had he slept with me to make me come along with him more easily? I hoped not. With all my might I hung on to the opposite thought like grim death, because otherwise, I was really going to look like an idiot.
