Epilogue
EPILOGUE
Felix
“Do you think you got what you wanted while staying at the Ranch?”
Felix fought a smile as Misha glanced up at Sadie in surprise. Sadie however seemed very unsurprised when they both stated they were checking out at the same time from the resort, and just ahead of another storm no less. He’d already spoken with Laurent, and once they got back on the roads, Misha would follow him to the Ravalli County Airport. His buddy’s private plane would be waiting there, and their vehicles would be dealt with at a later date. So long as they stayed ahead of the storm they’d be out and flying to a new destination by nightfall.
She glanced back at him, her foot continuing to nudge the side of her bag. “I found more than I was looking for.”
Sadie grinned, and Felix was glad they got to see her once more before they headed out. Master Derek had already spoken to him at length, and he was pleasantly surprised with his experience in Montana.
“Just because you’ve found each other doesn’t mean that your invitation to the Ranch is over. Rawhide welcomes all members who wish to revisit. If ever the two of you decide to return to Montana, you know how to reach out to us.”
It was an invitation he hoped to carry out within the next year. His boss traveled a lot, so why couldn’t they have a little stopover in Montana sometime and take care of business again? He was absolutely positive Laurent would love introducing Penny to all the Dungeon had to offer. There were plenty of sex-safe clubs and locations out there, but nothing quite compared to Rawhide Ranch.
“Felix?”
He glanced at Misha again, shaking his head. He’d gotten distracted thinking too far into the future.
That hadn’t happened before. After Yvonne died, he was a very in-the-moment type of guy. Zoning out on the future wasn’t something he ever did, because he had everything he ever planned to.
That all changed with Misha. He wouldn’t ask a girl her age to marry him, not when she might realize traveling around with two men who are a decade older, and her eccentric best friend, might not be the life she was looking for. He’d give it at least a month before he threw her another curve ball.
Besides, she hadn’t accounted for how compact those spaces on the plane were. Privacy rarely existed between destinations.
He scooped up her bag, catching her hand. “Sorry, just thinking.”
Misha smiled, and he watched her wave goodbye to two identical girls. He hadn’t actually spoken with the twins during his visit, but he’d seen her chatting with them from time to time. One seemed fascinated with her, the other seemed to have her sights set elsewhere.
“Me too. Can you believe this is happening?”
“Ah, the novelty wears off when you do this all the time,” he admitted, and she jabbed him playfully with her elbow. “You’ll see. Ask me that again in about three weeks when we’ve made about six stops.”
She blinked as they walked. “Is it that often?”
“Sometimes more, sometimes less.”
“Where’s Gabriel?” she continued, glancing around. Felix tugged her along back toward the front of the resort, where Moses already had both of their cars pulled around. He shot them a polite smile, and she waved as Felix grabbed their bags to load into one car.
“Oh, he already said goodbye. I think there’s someone more important on his mind.”
She shot him a look, and he knew at some point she would be digging and asking questions about his friend. Gabriel didn’t interact with Misha too much, but he was leaving before his friend and eventually her curiosity would drive her to ask questions.
Maybe, if Gabriel could gain courage and speak his truth like Felix had, there would be something to tell.
When her luggage was packed away, he rounded his car and led her to her driver’s seat of the sports car. “Follow me. It’s not too bad of a drive. If there’s any turbulence, Laurent warned that we might be waiting a bit, and if the storm arrives before we can take off again, he’s already got arrangements on standby.”
She raised a brow but shooed him away before either of them tried to ask more questions. He noticed that she’d tucked her journal into her purse, and it had spilled out on the seat when she tossed it to the passenger’s side.
And all throughout the drive, all he could think of was her. When they finally pulled into the airstrip and got to where Laurent’s plane would land shortly, he had only had one minor heart attack watching her chaotic driving in the rearview mirror. Good thing she had no reason to be driving for a while.
As soon as they parked, she was out of the car and skipping over. There was no ice or snow to deal with here, so her boots didn’t slide as she rushed up and threw her arms around him. Her lips slammed into his as she pushed him back to the car.
He caught her waist, holding her to him. For the first time in almost two decades he was bringing someone with him on this journey, and he was more than excited for that person to be Misha.
When she finally pulled back for breath, her eyes were hooded and dark. The people working the airport left them alone since a private plane was scheduled and they were behind the barriers. “Do you think we have time for a quickie?”
He glanced toward the sky, unable to pick apart the plane that would be Laurent’s from this distance. But even if it landed, they wouldn’t take off immediately.
Reaching back, he opened one of the rear doors to his SUV. “I’m always waiting on him to finish up, Misha. Today let’s make him wait on us.”
The End