Chapter 15 #3
I swing my leg over and scream when I launch myself at him. I hit him in the chest so hard, he grunts and stumbles backwards.
“Woah, woah, woah,” he chants as he tries to right himself. His arms tighten around me when gravity finally wins.
I laugh when we fall to the ground. I’m safe, wrapped in his arms like he promised. His hat covers his eyes, and I move it back to its rightful place so I can see those dark sapphires look at me as if I’m responsible for his entire universe.
“You okay, Nariko?”
“Me? I’m fine. It’s you we need to be worried about.”
“Ah, I’m fine. Plus, I have this amazing ability to heal if anything bad happens.” Wrinkles form around his eyes from smiling, and his fangs shine under the last remaining sunlight as the sun sets.
Time has flown by. It feels like I just fought with Ruka, but we’ve been out on the ranch all day.
Never in my life would I ever think anyone or anything would be more beautiful than a storm.
I’m in love with the mysteries of weather, with the astonishment of seeing a tornado form, the way they spin, the way they grow; even the growl they create is a horrifying type of beauty that I love to listen to.
Then, there’s Oklahoma.
His soul is damaged. He is a wreckage left behind from a violent vortex. So beautiful yet so lost. Oklahoma is his own kind of storm, destroying himself out of guilt. I’ll chase him until the ends of the earth, so he never has to carry that guilt alone.
“What is it?” Oklahoma’s wrinkles fade with concern.
I shake my head, my hair falling over my shoulder as I lean down. “Nothing. Just realizing how much I love you is all.”
His gaze softens, staring at me as if he has finally found his home. “Is that so?”
Flattening my palms on his chest, I push myself to my feet. “Don’t let it go to your head or anything,” I tease.
Before I can blink, he’s on his feet and has me pushed against the side of the cabin.
“Oh, it’s too late for that. You’ve gone to my head and my heart, Sugar.
There’s no denying that.” Oakley takes my hand and places it on his chest, the slow beat of his vampiric heart thumping against my palm. “It only beats for you.”
There he goes. Making me swoon again.
“Come on,” he juts with his chin. “I didn’t bring you all the way out here just to look at me.”
“I don’t know. I don’t think there’s anything better than the view I have.”
If I’m not mistaken, he’s blushing. He bites his lips and turns away, staring down at his boots toeing the ground.
“We’ll see what you think afterwards.” Bending down, he snags the basket, tucks the blanket on top, grabs the handle, and wraps an arm around me, tugging me close to his body. “Ready, Sugar?”
I don’t have a chance to reply before he crouches and leaps into the air.
We land with a soft thud on the roof. It has the perfect slant so we don’t lose our balance.
He fluffs the red and black plaid blanket, laying it down.
He settles the picnic basket on the left corner to keep the wind from blowing the blanket away.
He sits, legs straight out in front of him, and like always, he holds out his hand for me to take. The moment our skin touches, and our fingers glide together, a spark travels through my veins, through my body, and to my heart.
I ease my way to the blanket, settling right beside him.
“Okay, so—” He rubs his hands together, dragging the basket closer to him.
“We don’t have to eat now, but I brought some leftover soup.
” He holds up an old thermos that has seen better days.
There are dents along the sides, and the silver is scratched from years of use.
“I have to say, this is my first ever picnic basket, so if it needs some work, let me know. I want to do better next time.”
I tuck my wild hair behind my ear as the wind tries to blow it in all directions. “Next time, huh? You think there will be a next time?”
He pulls out a few containers with grapes and strawberries, then another thermos with two mugs. “I brought some tea too. And you said you were from Hawaii, right?”
“I am,” I say with a hint of curiosity.
“Well, there’s this store in town that gets snacks from all over the world, and since we have been preoccupied,” he clears his throat.
“I had Westin and Jazz pick up all the snacks they had from Hawaii.” He scratches the side of his head.
“I’m nervous. I probably didn’t get the right things.
I just…I want you to have things from your home here.
I want all this—” he spreads his arms wide to show that everything here is mine too—“to be your home.”
I scoot closer to him, a small shiver draping over me like a blanket. “Oakley, it’s the people who make the home. Wherever you are, wherever my brother is, that’s home. Everything else, those are additions. You’re home.”
He takes off his hat and sets it upside down next to him. Gripping my chin between his thumb and index finger, he gives me a sweet, soft kiss. It’s so light it reminds me of droplets of rain falling slow and steady.
“So you don’t want crackseed?” he murmurs with a smile, knowing I’m going to want it.
I gasp. “No! You really have some? What flavor?”
“They only had honey lemon ginger.” He pulls out the bag and my mouth waters.
Excitement fills me. I bounce and snatch the bag from him. “My mom sends me this exact flavor in her care packages.” And now I remember I need to make a trip to check the mail because she said she sent a package. It might be there now, and she always sends my favorite snacks.
I rip the bag open and pop one into my mouth. My heart bursts with nostalgia and makes me miss my parents—makes me miss home.
“Have you ever had crackseed?”
“I haven’t.” He leans over and opens his mouth. “But I have a feeling I’m going to love it.”
I lean forward too, our noses inches away from one another. I take my time. I place the fruit between his lips, press my index finger against it, and apply pressure until it slips into his mouth.
His eyes flash scarlet, our gazes locked and unspoken want and need build between us. The air becomes hot and heavy to breathe, my chest rising and falling at a different rate.
“Mmm,” he hums in delight, but the low timbre resembles more of a growl.
“Delicious. I see why you like them so much. I’ll be sure to keep them stocked at the house.
Anything you want. Everything you need. I’ll be sure you always have it.
” He wipes a dash of sugar off my lip and sucks his finger into his mouth.
I pour myself a cup of tea from the thermos and take a welcoming sip to help distract me from my mate. “What else is in your endless bag of wonders?” I hide my smile with the rim of the cup.
“Let’s see.” He shoves his hand in the basket and pretends to feel around, then shouts, pretending his arm is getting pulled by something.
Even though I know it’s a joke, I scream, the hot tea splashing onto my jeans.
He lifts his hand free and wiggles his fingers. “Just kidding.”
I shove his shoulder, our laughs carrying through the darkening night.
“Okay, okay. I had to. I’m sorry.” He kisses my hand. “Did the tea burn you? Are you okay?”
Swoon.
“I’m fine. Nothing a little crackseed won’t fix.” I pop another into my mouth.
“So I suppose you don’t want these Japanese rice crackers, then?” He pulls out a bag of them from the basket. “More for me then.”
“You better not!” I squeal, tossing my cup to the side, then tackle him to the roof. There’s no escaping me.
We roll, and Oklahoma stops us before we end up falling to the ground. The bag of crackers is gone. I think they fell below, but I have him on top of me, his body heavy against mine.
I’ve never felt more secure or safe.
His eyes dart all over my face like he can’t tell where to look. “Are you okay?
Am I okay?
I’ve never been better.