“Do you want help up to your bunk?” Flint asked, his voice catching.
“If you’d like to.”
He scooped me up and placed me gently on my mattress before jumping up beside me, the mattress dipping. He then pressed soft kisses down my neck.
His rough clothing rubbed against my bare skin while his scent made my head swim. I splayed my hands across his chest, marveling at the strength flowing under his skin. I could feel it, like a river, a current, always there but varying in its intensity.
At times like this, when his heart raced with desire, it increased. The raw energy exploded around him, like a raging whitewater until it grew out, pulsing in a sphere around us. I gasped at its intensity.
As if knowing what I sensed, he leaned down and tilted my chin up. “You have no idea how much I want you.”
His lips locked against mine, and suddenly, his hands were everywhere. My fingers threaded through his hair as all coherent thought left me. His hands caressed, gripped, and pulled me tightly against him.
I gasped at the sensations rolling through me, like wave after wave of desire and energy balled into one. His mouth never left mine as his hands explored and roamed over every inch of my skin. I felt on fire, that I could be consumed right there.
It was only when Mica groaned from below that we stilled. Flint’s mouth tore from mine, his breathing ragged in the quiet room.
My eyes bulged as I realized what we’d been doing. I hastily pulled a sheet over me.
“Damn,” Flint breathed, putting a few inches of distance between us.
“Is she awake?” I whispered.
Flint glanced over the edge. Soft snores floated up again when he pulled back. “Doesn’t appear to be.”
My cheeks heated more as I realized what we’d been doing with Mica right beneath us.
Flint ran a hand up and down my back while taking deep, steadying breaths. “You have no idea what you do to me,” he said quietly.
I laughed humorlessly. “Oh, I think I do. It’s pretty much the same you do to me.”
He nipped my ear. “I should go.”
“Yeah.” We’d already pushed our luck by how much we’d done. As fun as it had been, I didn’t want to get caught. That would be mortifying.
“Goodnight,” he whispered, kissing me again.
“Night,” I murmured. And with that, he was gone.
I WOKE AT four in the morning, a thousand thoughts flying through my head.
Between what Flint and I had done last night and finding the new girl today, my mind wouldn’t stop, like a wash machine stuck on spin cycle. Even though I’d only slept a few hours, I didn’t feel tired.
How could so much be happening all at once? Flint and I seemed more like a couple every day, we were picking up the new girl today, and then . . .
It was possible answers lurked just around the corner. The answers I’d so desperately hoped to find for almost five months.
When the sun finally crested the horizon, I stood on the porch, ready to go. Normally, I would have grumbled at the early hour. However, since I was still buzzing, I itched to move.
Mica and Jacinda sleepily waved goodbye from the living room. Given Mica’s unremarkable expression, I guessed she’d slept through Flint’s and my extracurricular activities last night. My cheeks still flushed when I met her gaze. She may not have known what happened right above her, but I did.
Fresh morning air swirled around as I zipped my sweatshirt up. Di stood at my side, still wearing her pajamas: black yoga pants and a black T-shirt. Even at night, she wore black.
She stood, shivering, until Jasper and Flint finally emerged from their cabin. My eyes locked with Flint’s.
He smiled knowingly.
My heart beat erratically as I watched him walk down the steps. His lips tugged up when he caught me watching him.
Di gripped my arm before I could join them. “Are you sure you know what to do?”
“Yes. I won’t mess up.”
Her grip tightened. “You’re sure?”
I almost rolled my eyes. “I’m sure.”
Jasper, Flint and I climbed in the Suburban, all of us silent. Knowing Flint would be driving, I sat in the front. Jasper buckled into the backseat, the loud click echoing.
Cold air swirled around us. The temperature couldn’t be above forty. I zipped my sweatshirt all the way to my throat and pulled the hood over my head. A few strands of my hair escaped, tickling my face.
Flint started the vehicle, and the engine purred to life, breaking the peaceful mountain quiet. Di leaned down to talk through Flint’s open window.
“Do you all remember what you need to do?”
“We’ll be fine, Di,” Flint said.
Di leaned to the side to see Jasper better. “And you’ll call Jet if anything happens?”
“Yep,” Jasper replied.
“Are you all sure you know what you’re doing?”
Jasper sighed. “Di, chill out, we’ll be okay.”
She continued to gaze at us. “Call Jet if anything happens. I’ll tell him to call you if I see anything change.”
Flint gripped the steering wheel. “You still don’t have any idea what time she’s arriving?”
Di bit her lip. “No, but the sun’s always bright when I see her, so it could be mid-morning, this afternoon, or even early evening. Just whatever you do, don’t leave Gunnison airport without her.”
Flint put the Suburban into drive. “We’ll be in touch.”
Di stepped back from the door, her arms crossed. “Let me know when you have her.”
Flint waved and with a spin of tires we were off. Cool air blew in through Flint’s window as we flew down the gravel driveway. I crossed my arms tightly over my chest.
“Cold?” Flint asked.
“A little.”
He rolled up his window, the electric hum filling the car. I let my hood fall back.
He reached over and tucked a long strand of hair behind my ear. “I had fun last night.”
I smiled, trying not to squirm. “Me too.”
“What’d you guys do?” Jasper asked.
“Oh.” I sat up straighter and cleared my throat. “We went to the barn and hung out in the pastures.”
“Uh-huh.” That one word said exactly how much Jasper believed that was all we did.
Once we reached the end of the driveway, Flint steered toward Little Raven. We drove languidly on the county road. It would take around two hours to get to Gunnison, and considering how early it was, Flint didn’t hurry.
When we reached the outskirts of Little Raven, Flint slowed. “Coffees?”
Jasper and I answered enthusiastically.
After finding a coffee house, a lone vibrant oasis in an otherwise sleepy town, we climbed back in the Suburban, lattes and mochas in tow. I wrapped my fingers around the wonderfully warm beverage.
As we left the small town, the Suburban hummed quietly. Flashes of trees and mountains zoomed past. I watched until Little Raven disappeared.
It was hard to believe that only three weeks ago, I’d arrived in this small town, full of hope at finding my family and lost home. How wrong I had been.
For all I knew, I didn’t have a family, possibly, I never had. The only family I had were the six strangers who picked me up. Under different circumstances, that might have brought a smile to my face, but given we were on our way to pick up another stranger—my thoughts twisted and turned with all the reasons for why that was.
I raised my arm, rested it against the door, and cupped my chin in my palm. Flint set my coffee in the console and squeezed my free hand.
The small gesture grasped my attention. Just the feel of him evoked that inevitable feeling of safety. The anxiety and sadness that had been growing in me abated. I squeezed him back.
He cocked his head. The early sun played off the natural highlights in his hair, turning his brownish locks into teasing specks of gold. I could tell he knew something was up.
�
�Are you okay?” he asked quietly.
I nodded, even though that wasn’t entirely true. I wanted to know what happened to us, needed to know, but then a wave of despair settled over me. We all knew it was possible we’d never have answers. It was possible I’d die not knowing who I was.
He squeezed again.
I settled for fingering his palm as the trees zoomed by. Another hour ticked by, and we reached Gunnison.
“Everyone clear on the plan?” Flint asked as we cruised through the streets. It was the first time any of us had spoken. I almost jumped.
“Yes,” I replied.
“Jasper?” Flint eyed him in the rearview mirror.
“Yeah,” he replied.
As we got to the western edge of town, where the airport sat, I wondered how many planes flew into it each day. I guessed there couldn’t be a lot. From the distance, the airport seemed tiny.
Flint pulled onto the road leading to the entrance. “Ready?”
I nodded curtly. “Yes.”
“Good.” His voice was brusque and businesslike, very similar to how Di’s could sound. He pulled up to the main entrance and stopped.
“We’ll wait at these doors after we park, and don’t forget this.” He handed me the suitcase from the back. It was empty, but the new girl would never know that.
I took a deep breath. “Okay.” I eyed Jasper. His bright, blue eyes glowed with excitement. I forced a smile. “See you in there.”
“Good luck,” Jasper called.
I stepped out and was about to close the door, when Flint reached over and caught my hand. “Remember, if it doesn’t work, just meet us at the entrance.”
I tried not to think about how whether or not our current plan worked depended entirely upon me.
“You’ll be fine.” He squeezed me again.
I somehow managed a tight smile. “See you soon.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
I closed the door, and they drove off. I knew I wouldn’t see them until I found the new girl, so I concentrated on what Di told me. She was supposed to be short, around my height, with brown hair and brown eyes. Di described her as “cute” and said she always appeared scared.
Okay, so I’d just have to find a small woman who resembled a rabbit cornered by a python. Easy, right? I chewed my lip as my nervousness grew. It reminded me of the times I’d felt this before, while I waited on highways and interstates, wondering who I’d ride with next. The unknowing, the what if’s, the . . .
I stopped short. Of all the times I felt this before.
Grinning, I entered the airport. I knew exactly how I’d find her.
Two hours later, I still ambled around. I hadn’t bothered connecting with Flint or Jasper. I knew they’d be waiting by the entrance, since our arranged meeting time wasn’t until seven in the evening if I never found her. I had quite a few hours to kill until then.
I once again retraced my steps when I reached the end of a hall and pulled out a granola bar to abate my hunger.
As I passed a few travelers, I murmured hellos to those I made eye contact with. Now that I was cleaned up and presentable looking, some readily greeted me in return. It wasn’t like it had been in my homeless days. Then, most people had avoided me like the plague.
An elderly gentleman stopped to ask me where the restroom was, and since I already passed it around three dozen times, I easily gave him directions. Other passengers filtered through the corridor after him, a flight recently arriving. The sparsely populated terminal suddenly had several dozen passengers milling about.
I turned and searched for her. What I saw at the end of the hall stopped me in my tracks.
It was her.
I knew it was her. It was so obvious. I had the ridiculous urge to run toward her and drag her back to Jasper and Flint, like a prized stag. I actually closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm my racing heart.
She appeared as Di had described: small and petite, with a short but stylish pixie cut of dark brown hair and large, luminous eyes. Cute was a good word to describe her. Terrified was another. She clutched a bag closely to her chest, as though she expected someone to pounce on her at any moment.
If she only knew.
I approached her slowly. When I stood a yard away, I stopped. She must have noticed because she turned and stared directly at me without saying a word. I smiled and hoped my hair wasn’t too wild. That could always make me appear a little insane.
“Hello,” I said.
Her wide eyes darted around. I thought she might run but instead, her tensed shoulders relaxed. “Hi.”
“Did you just get here too?” I made a point of swinging the empty suitcase I carried.
She eyed my luggage. “Yeah.”
“Me too.”
“You’re alone?” Her eyes darted around again.
“Yep, just me. I came here for a summer job. I’m from South Dakota.”
“Oh.” She frowned. “But it’s September.”
Crap. “Yeah, well it’s kind of a summer/fall job.”
She was silent for a moment, then shrugged. I breathed a sigh of relief and studied the cloud that surrounded her. A beautiful indigo aura, mixed with the same blue everyone else in our group had, swirled around her shoulders. It stood out like a topaz gem in a sea of black and white.
It had been so easy to find her. All morning, I’d been walking around with my eyesight permanently fixed in its altered state. When I saw her, I’d known right away that she was number eight.
“I’m Lena, by the way.” I waved my free hand while smiling. I could tell she still wasn’t sure what to think of me, but she hadn’t run yet so I took that as a good sign.
“I’m Amber.” She clutched her bag tighter.
“Nice to meet you, Amber. Where are you from?”
She bit her lip. “Um, Lubbock, Texas.”
I grinned brightly. “Do you have any more bags?”
“No.”
“Do you have someone picking you up?”
She hung her head, her eyes on her toes. With a deft movement, she shook her head. “No.”
“So you’re driving yourself? Or taking a cab?”
She didn’t reply.
I walked closer until we stood eye-to-eye. “So what are you going to do here?” I made sure to keep my tone friendly.
Instead of answering, she shrugged and continued staring at her toes.
“So you don’t have anywhere you need to be?”
She looked up. Tears welled in her eyes, but instead of acknowledging them I grinned. “Because that’s great news. You could come with me!”
Her gaze widened, and she blinked back the tears. “What?”
I continued grinning, feeling like a real idiot, but keeping it up anyway. “I just accepted a job on a cattle ranch, and they’ve been looking for help, so if you need a job you could come with me.”
I knew it was a preposterous thing to offer a random stranger, but since I knew her background, I knew she didn’t have anywhere to go. We’d all agreed this tactic might work. But that might, was a big might. It could also backfire. Any second, she could scuttle away and then what?
“Oh,” she replied. She seemed about to run, and I felt a moment of panic, but then she mumbled, “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I . . . I have . . . somewhere to be.”
“Okay, but it’s a short term position, only for a few more weeks until the tourist season ends. Not to mention, you get to ride horses every day and help with the cattle. But if you have some place to be . . .”
Her head snapped up. “Horses?”
“Oh yeah, horses, cows, dogs and cats too. It’s a ranch, so there are a lot of animals.”
“Really?”
“Most definitely, tons of critters.”
“I like animals.”
I know. “Well, if you don’t have any immediate plans, you could always come with me. They’re still looking for more help. They need someone to help outdoors with the livestock.”
S
he paused, frowning, her eyes so big they reminded me of a doe. “Well, I don’t know. I’m kind of . . .”
“You’re kind of what?”
“Well . . . I’m looking for—”
“If you’re looking for work, it’s a great job, and like I said, it’s only short term, but if you need to be somewhere . . .” I added, just so I wouldn’t sound too desperate.
She shrugged. Tears welled in her eyes again. Before I could stop myself, I stepped to her side and put my hand on her shoulder.
“Hey, it’s okay, don’t cry.” Her shoulder tensed when I touched her, but she smiled when my hair tickled her cheek.
“Sorry.” I pushed it back. “It’s always getting in the way.”
“It’s pretty. I wish I had long hair.”
“It’s overrated. Not very practical.”
“I bet boys like it,” she said in that small voice again.
I cocked my head. “Yeah, some do.” I thought about Flint. “Especially some of the cowboys on the ranch. A few of them like it.”
“There are cowboys there?”
I let my hand fall from her shoulder. “Yeah, quite a few.” I watched, puzzled, as a new interest grew on her face.
“So there are real cowboys and lots of animals on this ranch, and this job’s only for a few weeks?”
“If that’s what works for you.”
She gazed at me and slowly, for the first time, smiled. Shiny white teeth emerged between her pert mouth. “If they don’t hire me, I can come back here?”
“Of course.”
“Um, I guess I could go.”
“Really?” I felt as stupid as I sounded. Had it really been that easy?
She smiled again. “Yeah, let’s go.”
I bit my lip in puzzlement as we began walking. “We just have to find Flint and Jasper.”
“Flint and Jasper?”
“Yeah, they’re two cowboys from the ranch. They’ll give us a ride.”
“Are they cute?”
“Ah, yes,” I replied hesitantly.
She grinned.
Unease settled in my stomach, but I ignored it and told myself to be grateful she was coming. We meandered toward the entrance where Flint and Jasper waited. Jasper stood leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, but Flint was pacing. The minute our eyes connected, he stopped.
The Complete Lost Children Series Page 18
