10. Braylon
TEN
brAYLON
I couldn’t sleep knowing Adan was in the room beside me. Having already seen him naked, there were no surprises in that department, but he was keeping a lot to himself, not revealing some deep dark secret. Maybe not dark. He said as much. But what he thought of as dark might not be how I defined it.
My phone said sunrise would be in thirty minutes. I contemplated getting up and making tea, but snuggled under the covers instead. A creak alerted me to a door opening. Not being familiar with the house, I couldn’t be certain which it was, but my aunt and uncle’s door hadn’t made a noise when they closed it during the week.
Hardly daring to breathe, I stayed still, thinking it might be Adan. I expected a knock on my door, but the house was silent, and I gingerly tossed off the covers and stood at the window.
The solar lights at the end of the garden illuminated a figure leaping over the gate and striding into the woods. Not being a woodsy guy, being surrounded by trees in the dark with someone else creeping about, investigating and following the person was the furthest thing from my mind.
But certain that it was Adan, I pulled on a dark sweater over my PJs and at the back door, slipped my feet into a pair of Aunt Ellie’s boots. Clutching my phone, I studied the gate but decided I couldn’t hurdle it and opened it, hoping it didn’t make a noise.
The phone flashlight was kind of weak, and I shivered as shadows lay ahead and beside the path. I dared not look back, fearing I’d be swallowed by the darkness. I kept to the path ‘cause no way was I venturing off. Besides, I caught a whiff of Adan’s cologne. Did he wear it to bed? Weird.
I was close to the clearing where I’d caught him before, and I tread slowly, hoping I didn’t step on a twig and alert him. But what was I doing? I was crazy for this guy, and yet I didn’t trust him, though I said I did. My actions said otherwise.
Light prickled into the forest, crawling along the ground and through the treetops. I squatted behind a bush, hoping an unknown hand wouldn’t clamp my shoulder. Peering between the leaves, I spotted Adan, stripping off his clothes. Oh, so he was just doing his naked thing again. No problemo.
But now I couldn’t sneak away, worried he’d hear me or see me. And when he returned to the house, he’d walk past me and I’d have to fess up I was a creepy stalker.
I glanced around for something to cover myself with. Maybe a deep hole I could fall into while telling myself not to follow people into the woods. Nothing good ever happened in the forest just as dawn broke.
But when I looked up, Adan had vanished and a… dog… oh gods, no, a wolf was in the clearing. Shit. Uncle Saul said there were few wolves in the area. Lucky me having stumbled on one of the few.
Wild animals didn’t like people, and I was definitely people. I gulped as the wolf looked straight at me. Gods, wild animals could scent prey and humans. I slapped a hand on my mouth to stifle a scream but grabbed a stick. It wouldn’t deter a wolf wanting to ravage my flesh with its fangs, but maybe… I don’t know… something. I had to defend myself.
I squinted in the dim light. Could it be a dog? I blinked and rubbed my eyes but now my vision was blurry. And when I looked again, the wolf was gone. My body went into shock, struck by uncontrollable shivering. My teeth chattered, and I wrapped my arms around myself. Adan was running toward me. He was an outdoorsy person, so he’d know how to get rid of a wolf.
I found my voice. “Adan, watch out, there’s a wolf.”
“What?” He pulled me to my feet and held me close. His heart was hammering, probably echoing mine, and he was clutching a feather.
“A wolf,” I blabbered. “There’s a wolf.” I pulled away and shoved my hand toward the place where the wolf had been. “Or maybe a big dog.”
He stroked my cheek and his touch banished the fear.
“I think I saw a wolf or a dog or something.”
“How about we go home, I’ll make tea and something to eat and we can talk about what you saw.”
We turned and beckoned me along the path. But I paused, wanting to know about the feather.
“I found it. It’s so beautiful, and I thought you might like it.”
I would never have noticed a feather on the forest floor, especially not in the early morning light.
“You must have keen eyesight.”
“Ahhh yes. I’ve been told that before.”
But I wanted to know more about him and his CFA. “Is this something you do every day?” It didn’t bother me. Or maybe it did because I’d followed him.
“I try to. I love the sense of freedom.”
As we walked, Adan draped a hand over my shoulder, and I thought about his qualities. He loved nature and running around without clothes, dogs adored him and he could “talk” to them, he was very protective, like a bodyguard, always thinking of me and herding me away from uncomfortable situations. And he liked bringing me trinkets, souvenirs from his naked wanderings, and unlike me, when he walked in the forest, he didn’t make a sound though a creaky door did give him away
“I understand why you’re at one with the forest. It’s almost as though you belong here.” How did he live in a city?
“You’re very perceptive.”
“Only with people I care about.”
Adan cupped my face. “I’m so pleased you said that because I care about you too. More than anyone else in the world.”
Heat rushed through my veins and my cheeks flushed. My heart, which had slowed when Adan grabbed me, speeded up again. He’d put into words what I’d been keeping prisoner inside me, not wanting to admit it to anyone, not even myself.
“I don’t know what to say.”
There was a flash of something on his face, but he covered it up and put on a smile.
He held up his hands. “I know. I know it’s too soon. I don’t expect anything other than friendship.”
“No.” I squeezed his cheeks. “That’s not what I want.” Adan’s face fell. “I want more. All of you.” Running my hands through my hair, I stepped away and twisted around so the trees and Adan blended together in one huge blur.
“But your secrets or one big secret troubles me.” I didn’t expect to know every tiny detail about him, but whatever he was hiding, it was something significant, and he suspected it would bother me or change my opinion of him.
“It’s a chicken-and-egg situation.”
“Are you telling me you want to be a farmer?” I peered around, expecting a hen being trailed by chicks, all of them devoted to Adan. “Or are you a chicken whisperer too?”
“Nah, birds are not my biggest fans.”
I’d add that to his list of qualities: birds were turned off by him, unlike dogs.
“There is something I want to reveal, and you almost stumbled upon my secret this morning.”
If it was his cock he was talking about, that was no secret. I was still in shock at his girth, wondering how it would fit inside me.
“But I’m thinking of an alternative so we can avoid a sticky situation.”
I was lost, having no clue what he was going on about.
“How do you feel about a tattoo? With my name on it?”
Shoot, I’d always felt sorry for people who got their boyfriend or husband’s name tattooed in a visible place ‘cause when they broke up, they had to cover it. Or add their new partner’s name.
But I’d fallen for Adan big time, and love or lust or perhaps a combination had me agreeing. Who was I? I always put a lot of thought into big decisions and this one was pretty huge.
“Let’s do it.”
Rosedale didn’t have a tattoo parlor, so we showered and after a bite to eat we headed back to Springfield. I researched tattoo places, thinking anyone who had a vacancy would be shit. But Adan texted Joey who recommended a place.
We weren’t original, both of us getting a heart with both our initials inside. Adan suggested that we add a wolf because it was the wolf who’d made me admit what was in my heart. Cool, I was giddy for Adan and longing for private time, so I agreed.
My hand was a little owie when we were done, and we snapped pics of our matching tats. I suggested we get a hotel room, but Adan said he had to show someone what we’d done.
More weird.
He sent the pics, and we waited.