Chapter 10 #2
“He’s never been left alone overnight before.” What would Mom think about this? But he was a year older now. I strode over the walkway, through the landscaping rock and under the tall trees, the intense sun washing the color from everything.
“Really? And he’s sixteen?” Casey unlocked his car with his key fob and then opened the trunk. “My parents left me at that age on weekends when they’d go wine tasting in Sonoma.” He chuckled. “But I was a shit and had parties.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Did he think his remark made me feel better? I stuffed my duffel and the liquor bag into his trunk, next to his designer fucking suitcase with wheels, and closed it.
“Yeah, but Wes isn’t like that. He won’t fuck this up.” Casey climbed into the car as I did the same with our sandwich bag. “He knows if he pulls something, he’ll never have a night alone again.” With a snicker, he started the engine.
“Damn right. I’d pull his Xbox from his room too.” With a smirk, I fastened my seatbelt. I’d turn into the older brother from hell.
“Well, we’re on our way.” Leaning over the center console, he kissed my cheek and gave me a warm grin. “You can distribute the sandwiches when we get on the freeway, and I put water bottles in the cup holders.”
“Oh, good thinking.” I’d forgotten drinks. Fuck. I glanced at the cupholders between us. He was probably so used to packing and traveling with the team, I bet he never forgot his damn underwear.
Along the drive, we listened to music and sometimes sang along with it and talked.
I’d handed out sandwiches and chips. We’d been on Highway Seventeen going north for some time now.
We’d passed the last saguaro cactus an hour ago, and scrub and pinyon pine surrounded us as we climbed a mesa.
I was certain our destination was Flagstaff.
Fluffy clouds dotted the sky ahead. Would we finally see some rain?
Casey slowed the car and turned off onto Highway 179, the exit for the Village of Oak Creek and Sedona. “I guess you know where we’re going now?” He glanced at me with a cheeky grin.
“Uh…” I peered at him. Which place would he have picked? Shit, Wes would have directed him. “Sedona?” Warmth poured through my chest.
“Yep.” After grabbing my hand, he rested them both on the center console. “But you don’t know where we’re staying or where I have dinner reservations tonight.”
“Uh…” When had he planned this? “No, I don’t.” I thought through the clothing I’d brought. I had a shirt with a collar, and I packed some nice jeans. “How nice of a place is it?”
He kissed my knuckles. “It’s nice.” He peeked at me and then focused on the winding road. “Remember what I told you. I want you to forget everything and let me do this for you. Don’t question it.”
“Yeah, okay.” Easier said than done. I wasn’t used to people taking me on extravagant trips. I spied the start of the Sedona red rocks, a mostly flat-topped mountain layered in reds and oranges. This place was magical. “Casey? Thank you.” I kissed his cheek.
As his grin widened, he said, “You deserve it, babe.”
I swallowed hard as my eyes stung. He called me babe…
After winding through the town of quirky shops with monolithic mountains and rock formations rising behind them, and then past Tlaquepaque, a replica of a Mexican village, Casey took a side street off the main road.
My gaze caught on a sign rising from a flower bed, reading, L’Auberge.
What the hell was this place? It had a French name.
Therefore, it had to be expensive, right? I clutched the handle of my door.
He took the car down a tree-lined drive with little log cabins hugging the edges of a creek.
I pointed at it. “Is that Oak Creek?” When I was here last with Mom and Wes, we’d swum in the creek. It seemed like a lifetime ago.
“It is.” He pulled under a two-story portico attached to a building with plank wood siding and river rock accents. “We’re here.” With a broad smile, he shut the engine off.
“Okay, but where are we?” I scanned the area, thick with trees, a lawn and flowers everywhere. The place looked fancy, and it seemed as if someone had dropped us onto a French countryside estate.
“We’re at the L’Auberge hotel. There was a cancellation, so I grabbed a room for tonight.” Studying me, he cocked his head. “There’s an excellent restaurant, and we can have drinks by the creek.”
“Yeah, okay.” I stared at him. Would I look out of place here? I was a fucking mechanic from a poor family. The best hotel I’d ever stayed in was a Motel 6.
“What’s wrong?” His gaze searched my face. “Ryker, you deserve this.” He kissed the back of my hand. “Let’s go check into our room.”
“Okay.” With a nod, I stepped from the car, a pleasant summer breeze blowing my hair off my face. The gurgling of the creek hung in the air, along with the chirping of birds. I could do this. I could enjoy myself and not feel like an outsider.
Casey grabbed his suitcase and my duffel from the trunk along with the bag of liquor. “A little help?” He ticked his head at me.
A valet in white pushed a cart toward us. “Help with your luggage, sir?” He arched a brow.
“Oh, sorry, I wasn’t talking to you, but sure.” Casey left the bags for the valet to load and stepped to me. “Come on, let’s check in. We have the entire afternoon, so we can explore the town, sit by the creek, whatever you want.”
“Yeah, whatever I want…” Was this real? Facing him, I cupped his cheeks. “Thank you, Casey, this is incredible.” I pressed a lingering kiss on his lips. I’d make the most of my time with this amazing man.
“You know, I’ve never stayed in a place like this.
” I stood at the long sliding glass doors of our hotel room with a warm canned beer in my hand, overlooking a balcony and the shimmering creek under the boughs of a grove of cottonwood trees.
Further down, a large deck sat with Adirondack chairs nestled at the creek’s edge.
We’d checked in, unpacked and now were settling in with a beer.
Didn’t they drink it warm in some parts of Europe?
Casey stepped to me from behind, wrapping his arms around my waist and nuzzling the back of my ear. “Which is why I wanted to bring you here.” He placed soft kisses on my neck and swayed us. “Tell me what you want to do first?” His swelling dick pressed into my ass through our shorts.
I sipped my beer. “I don’t know, maybe sit on that deck by the creek and finish our beers and then…” I turned in his hold, my gaze meeting his. “We could spend the whole time fucking around in that enormous bed, but I’d like to enjoy the cool weather.”
He nibbled my jawline and slanted his mouth over mine, his tongue slipping inside for a beat. “We could fool around by the creek, or in the creek.” He wagged his brows. “A little romp and a tug?”
“This is a nice place, Casey.” With a chuckle, I shook my head.
It didn’t matter where we were. He was always the same.
My gaze trailed over the room, the crisp white linens and light wood headboard and dressers.
The manufacturer had left it unpolished, like something you’d see in a swanky travel magazine.
Hell, we even had our own fireplace tucked into the wall under the television.
“Let’s sit on the deck. The shops will be open tomorrow, and we can visit them on the way out of town.” He left to grab a beer from the mini-fridge, though it would still be warm. “Come on.” He held his hand out.
“Should I change though?” I pulled on my t-shirt. Why had I even asked him? I knew what he’d say.
“No, you’re stunning just the way you are, Ryker.” He snicked his beer open and sipped it.
“I’m changing.” I strode to my bag, resting on a luggage stand, and rummaged through it for my button-down shirt. I had a pair of board shorts I’d planned to wear home tomorrow, but fuck it. After shucking my clothing off, I bent to step into my shorts.
Casey grabbed my hips from behind. “Hang on a minute.” Rubbing his palm across my ass cheek, he pressed his hardening cock into my crack. “Do you have any idea how crazy you make me?” He slid his hand to my junk and cupped it. “I could play with you all night.”
My cock tingled and plumped. God, it was tempting to hop into bed with him right now. But the creek…“We have other plans, remember?” I slid my shorts up my legs as he released me. “And we have all night to fool around.”
“Damn it, you’re right.” He picked up his beer from the dresser and drank some. “Let’s go.” Again, he stretched his hand to me.
I plopped into an Adirondack chair facing the creek, the water rushing over large boulders and pooling in the eddies at the sides. The leaves fluttered in the breeze, now cooling as the sun hung lower in the sky. “This is nice, Casey.” Damn, I really needed this.
A few other couples sat in their own sets of chairs along the deck, most of them drinking wine or Champagne.
“It sure is.” Casey shoved the round table between us to the back and then pushed his chair next to mine and sank into it.
“No need for a table between us.” With a smirk, he grabbed my hand.
“We’re eating at the restaurant here tonight.
I have a reservation for seven. It’ll be cold outside, so I got an inside table, but it’s along the windows. We can still see the creek.”
“It’ll be dark, so we won’t see the creek.” I chuckled and sipped a fresh beer. He’d tried to make everything so perfect. “But it’ll still be nice to see the trees.”
He squeezed my hand. “Are you feeling relaxed yet?” He tipped his beer can into his mouth.
“I am.” I breathed in deeply, letting myself sink further into the chair. I thought about the months ahead. Would we remain a couple after the summer? “What is your schedule like when the season starts?”
“The first week of August, we kick off training camp with a few days in Payson at a place called Tontozona. It ends with a scrimmage that’s open to the public.” He hooked a brow. “I’d like you to come and bring Wes.”