chapter 11
CALLUM
AS IT TURNS OUT, we weren’t just dropped off here and forgotten about. A police officer stops by and welcomes us to town and says that he’s aware of the situation and is here to help. What we didn’t see with our new IDs was a letter explaining who Taylor and Castiel are meant to be while we are here. Basically the farmhouse is used as a vacation home, although I don’t know who would want to come here on vacation, and the son of the owners lives on the land next door. He comes daily to feed, water, and check on all the animals, although we are welcome to help if we like. So basically we don’t need to do anything except enjoy farm life and keep a low profile. I look at Trinny, at how beautiful she is, and know there’s no way in hell she’s not going to be noticed. Still, the chances of us being found here are slim to none, and we just need to get by until then. The cops even rented us a truck under our fake names so we can get around town.
“My lady,” I say as I open the passenger door for Trinny. The door makes a creaking sound, which makes her laugh. “Are you ready to go exploring?”
“I am,” she returns.
When I slide into my own seat, I turn to her and ask, “So, what did Google say?”
“What do you mean what did Google say?” she says, confusion flashing in her eyes.
“Didn’t you say you were going to search and see what the highlights of this town are? Any tourist attractions or natural wonders?”
“Oh yeah.” She winces, buckling her seat belt. “There’s no internet here, so I couldn’t do that.” She reaches down into her handbag. “But I did find this.”
She slides out an ancient-looking map and opens it up.
I blink slowly a few times. “So we have no GPS, or an idea where to go. We just have . . . a map?”
She nods and murmurs, “Yeah,” then turns to me with the cutest smile playing on her lips, a mischievous glint in her eye. “You up for an adventure?”
“Always,” I reply, smiling to myself. “But I had no idea that you, Your Honor, would be.”
“Not in the courtroom anymore, my law clerk,” she replies, glancing out over the open land. “It’s not exactly a vacation, or an ideal destination, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make the most of it. You never know when a day could be your last.”
She looks out the window, silently watching the road as I pull out and turn right, no destination in mind, just to see what we can and explore what we have. I wonder if she’s thinking about her parents now. “You know, I’m a good listener. So if you ever wanted to talk about something . . .”
“I knew you were good at talking from the moment I met you,” she murmurs, turning her head back to me. “But I think you’re right. You are also a good listener.” She’s quiet for a few moments, and then says, “I guess I’m a safe person. I only take calculated risks, and I don’t do anything spontaneous and adventurous like what we’re doing right now.” She stills and expels a deep sigh. “But I almost died. I should take some risks, don’t you think? I mean what if I had died? I haven’t experienced life nearly as much as I should have, or could have. I work, and that’s about it. Take an annual trip alone. That is my existence.”
“There’s nothing wrong with working hard, Trinny,” I say to her gently. “You love what you do; I see that every day. You make hard decisions, you take on that pressure, and you handle it with fairness, grace, and determination. If you want to explore more, go for it. And if you want a partner in crime, you now have one.”
I feel her gaze on my profile, and then she says her sweetest words yet, as she reaches over and rests her hand on my thigh. “And what if the first risk I want to take is with you?”
I give her my eyes, before returning them to the road. “Then I’d say it’s just another good decision under your belt.”
She removes her hand and turns the music up on the radio. “About a Girl” by Nirvana plays, and she sings along to the lyrics.
I smile to myself and press down on the gas.
“I’M GLAD YOU THOUGHT to bring water,” Trinny tells me as we sit on a large rock, looking at the view of a creek we found. The town might not have much, but it’s kind of nice being somewhere new with no technology and good company. Maybe it’s just good because of the company.
“Wouldn’t want you to die of dehydration on our first solo outing,” I tease, watching as she sips from the bottle. “Maybe we could even consider this our first date.”
She stops drinking, closes the lid, and licks a drop of liquid from her lips. “First date?”
I grin and gently touch her shoulder with mine. “Yeah. It’s what all the young people are doing.”
“You calling me old, Cas?”
I cup her face with my hand and bring my lips closer to hers. “You look younger than me, Taylor.”
I close the space between us and taste the lips I haven’t been able to look away from since I saw them. She closes her eyes first, so I do the same and fall into her, wanting to give her a first kiss she will never forget. My hands move to her slight waist, my tongue touching hers, tentatively at first, then deeper, hungrier.
Bolder.
She tastes like summer, water, and mint, and not only am I hard right now but I also have fucking butterflies in my stomach. Not that I’d ever admit that out loud. She makes a moaning sound against my lips that has me hardening to the point of pain, so much so that I pull back and shift in my seat, the rough rock underneath me not my friend right now. We don’t look away from each other’s eyes, and I couldn’t if I tried—those blue pools hold me captive.
She lifts her fingers up to touch her lips. Then, once again, she surprises me. “I think we’re going to have to do that again.”
Her eyes flash with want, and she moves forward and takes control, kissing me, not as sweet this time, harder, rougher. Her fingers tangle in my hair, tugging lightly, and I don’t know if it’s the sun or her lips that are giving me that dizzy feeling. We’re two people who have every reason to stay away from each other, but we’ve been thrown into a place where we can’t, and I don’t want to. I never wanted to.
She’s my boss.
She’s older than me.
She has walls as fucking high as the Great Wall of China. . . .
But she’s mine.
At least in this moment she is.
And right now is all that matters.
I end the kiss again, but this time only to jump down from the rock, then lift her in my arms and carry her down. She wraps her legs around me, and I grab her hat, forgotten on the rock, and walk with her to the truck. She feels so light in my arms, yet every part of me that her skin touches feels so sensitive. I don’t know how this happened, and I don’t know what’s going to happen, but like the conversation we had just before, life is about taking risks.
And I’d risk anything to be with Trinity.
I open the back door of the truck and sit her down in it, pushing her back against the warm, beat-up leather, and continue to kiss her. I bite down gently on her lower lip, then playfully suck it into my mouth. Her hands wrap around my neck, pulling me down onto her, her thighs parting to make room for me to settle in the middle of them. I know she can feel how hard I am because my dick is pressed against her thighs, straining against the denim of my jeans. Every time she moves, the friction makes my breath catch. When her fingers leave my nape and move to pull off my T-shirt, I let her. She stares at my body, from my eyes to my belt, and I’m suddenly very thankful that I take good care of myself. She runs her index finger down the center of my abdomen muscles and sighs dreamily.
“Maybe younger men are the way to go after all,” she murmurs, then brings her lips to my chest and starts to trail kisses down my stomach. When her fingers start undoing my belt, all I can think is fuck.
Is this a dream?
Is she really undoing my jeans and taking out my dick right now? My dick that looks even bigger in her tiny hands?
Oh fuck.
She licks the head, then sucks as much as she can into her mouth, and I can’t look away from it.
I can’t wait to get my mouth on her little pussy, because I know it’s going to be fucking perfect.