Chapter 29
I’m nervous. More nervous than I have any right to be.
I see Cal every day. We’re together more often than not, planning and arguing and working. Spending time with him isn’t a big deal.
Or at least it shouldn’t be.
But tell that to the flutters of anxiety and anticipation that’ve coursed through me since I woke up this morning. I keep bumping into things. I’ve dropped my phone three times. Even Doodle didn’t want his usual cuddles because I was fidgeting too much for him to get comfortable on my lap.
It’s ridiculous. We’re going to look at the sky for an hour. Cal asked me to take a break with him because he’s worried about me. It’s not romantic. We both know it can’t be.
So why is my heart pounding like I’m getting ready to flee from a rushing stampede when night rolls around?
Why do I let out a little squeak when there’s a knock on my front door, even though I’m expecting him?
Why did I wear this damn pink dress when I’ll be hiking to wherever Cal’s stargazing spot is and probably sitting in the dirt?
I know why.
And he’ll know it too, the second he sees me.
Which makes it even more embarrassing.
People have crushes all the time. I was into my coworker at the hotel for a year, but I handled it professionally. I should be able to do this without feeling like I’m going to vibrate out of my skin from nerves.
Releasing a heavy exhale, I head to the front door and face my fate.
It’ll be fine. Maybe a little awkward, but I’ll survive.
My jaw drops when the door swings open and I see Cal.
Fuck, he looks good.
He’s traded his dusty wranglers for a darker wash jean, and a flannel that’s even tighter across his broad chest and arms than usual. He’s not wearing his hat, and his dark, silky waves look shinier.
“H-Hey! You’re right on time. Is that a cowboy thing, punctuality? Because I swear you don’t have a watch, but you’re always where you say you’ll be right on the dot.” I’m babbling in a feeble attempt to disguise my reaction to his appearance.
“Am I? I hadn’t noticed.” His deep voice paired with his general overwhelming presence has my skin prickling. “Are you cold?” he asks with a frown.
“Huh?”
“It’s a chilly night and you’ve got goosebumps.” He glances at my bare arms. “I’ve got some blankets, but you might want a jacket for the walk.”
“Oh. Good call. Maybe I should get changed. I don’t know why I’m wearing this…
” I let out a sheepish laugh as I gesture down to the soft pink cotton dress with a shimmering gold constellation pattern.
I’ve had it for years, and almost wore it to Gretchen’s birthday party, but she insisted we theme our outfits to our specific astrological signs.
Cal’s gaze drags up and down my body, catching on the neckline of my dress for a moment. I don’t think I’m imagining the hint of heat in his bright blue eyes as he meets my gaze, and it makes something dangerous flare inside me.
“It’s perfect.” The husky tone in his voice makes me flush. “Very appropriate for stargazing,” he adds, voice more teasing.
He’s being nice. He’s trying to be casual. We can spend time together without making things weird.
I grab a jacket, even though my skin feels overheated now, and Cal nods. “Shall we?”
“Let’s do this.” I try to sound cheerful, but it comes out too breathy.
Cal’s truck is parked in the driveway, and I hop in, intrigued where we’re going if he needs to drive us there.
We head up the main road, passing the stable and the side road that leads to his and August’s cabin, then pull down a drive which leads to the cluster of mountain cabins which are next on our list for refurbishment.
I frown at him as he parks in front of the cabin closest to the tree line. “Was this a ploy to get me to decide on paint colors? Because I already told you, I need to wait and see what will look best with the new bedding.”
Cal snorts and shakes his head. “Nope.”
“Then why are we out here?”
He opens the truck door and steps out. “Get out of the car, and you’ll find out.”
With a scowl at his sassy tone, I follow his lead, curious as he heads to the side of the cabin where there’s a path I’ve never noticed before.
He strides off down it, into the trees, and thankfully, with the full moon, there’s enough light for me to see the path.
The gentle buzz of insects and the rustling of leaves in the breeze are the only things breaking the silence.
When we’ve walked for what has to have been twenty minutes, with no sign of whatever our destination is, I can’t take the quiet any longer.
“Are you going to murder me?”
He chuckles and keeps walking. “It’s not much further.”
I speed up my steps to close the distance between us. “If you’re going to murder me, this is a terrible way to do it. You’d want to take me to a remote location off ranch property. August knows that we’re looking at the stars tonight; he mentioned it earlier.”
Cal stops his steady march, turning back to look at me. I skid to a halt before I collide with him, and my breath hitches at the sight of his strong features limned in moonlight.
There’s a long moment of silence as he stares at me, his gaze inscrutable.
“Who says August isn’t in on the plan?”
A far too loud laugh bursts out of me, echoing into the night.
Cal keeps his expression serious.
My heart beats faster, not because I think he’s serious, but because my traitorous brain is telling me to reach out and touch him. To close the small distance between us and feel his arms wrapped around me again.
“You should reconsider. If I die, Doodle will rain vengeance down upon my killers with the fire of a thousand blazing suns.”
He tries his best to keep his face stern, but he can’t stop the chuckle that falls from his lips. “True. Guess I’ll have to stick with stargazing then. Come on, it really isn’t far, I promise.”
“It had better not be,” I grumble. “Otherwise, you’re going to need to carry me back to the truck when we’re done.”
“Deal.”
We walk for another couple of minutes, and true to his word, there’s light up ahead.
My heart skips a beat when the path ends and I see our destination. In the center of a small clearing, there’s a picnic blanket laid out on the grass. Small solar-powered lanterns illuminate the space with an ethereal glow.
“Cal, what is this?” I ask, the nerves that were dampened by our trek fluttering back to life with a vengeance.
“What does it look like? It’s a spot for us to look at the stars.” The way he huffs his reply seems forced. Like he’s trying not to acknowledge the effort he put into this.
On the far side of the clearing, there’s a small shed, which Cal heads to, unlocking the door with a key from his pocket and stepping inside. He rustles around and then returns with a picnic basket and a bundle of cozy-looking blankets.
I gape at him when he opens the basket and proceeds to take out little pyrex containers. “You have snacks?”
He blinks at me from where he’s kneeling on the blanket to set out the food. “Of course I do. With your track record of missing dinner lately, I was worried you’d be too hungry to focus on the sky.”
Affection swells inside me, and I know it’s showing on my stunned face, but I can’t stop it.
Cal clears his throat and gestures at the blanket. “Well, go on then. Eat something, and when you’re done, we can turn off the lanterns and look at the stars.”
“So bossy.” I grin at him as I sit on the other side of the blanket and grab half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. “Ooo, how fancy. Did you make this all yourself?”
He rolls his eyes. “Shut up and eat.”
I laugh and do as he says, not realizing how hungry I was until I take a bite. He watches me smugly as I eagerly scarf down a bit of everything he brought, which consists of PB&J, cut veggies, potato chips, a random assortment of cheese and crackers, and a brownie.
It’s the sweetest damn thing a guy has done for me, and this isn’t even a date.
When we’re done eating, I wrap one of the blankets around my shoulders and smile at the cow man beside me. “Thank you. I was starving.”
“It’s no trouble.” He sounds dismissive, but I catch the hint of a pleased smile.
There’s a warm pulse in my low belly, far too close to arousal. Clapping my hands together, I force the feeling down and plaster on my best friendly smile. “Alright, so how do we do this? Do we just stare up at the sky until we’re bored?”
He snorts. “Something like that.” He turns off the lanterns, and darkness wraps around us.
I crane my head up toward the sky. “Whoa, you can see everything out here!”
“Now you know why I brought you here.” A moment passes. “Might be more comfortable to look if you’re lying down,” he murmurs.
I’m thankful for the darkness, because I’m positive I’m turning bright red as I do as he suggests.
He looks down at me for a moment, and my pulse quickens, thinking that maybe he’s going to lean over and kiss me.
Wondering what it would be like to have all of his bulk draped over me, pinning me to the blanket.
Our arms touch when he lies down beside me, the blanket not wide enough to leave a space between us. All my awareness goes to where my skin meets the flannel of his shirt. Where our fingertips accidentally brush when he shifts to get more comfortable.
After what feels like an eternity of tense silence, Cal lets out a low sigh. “This is nice. Haven’t had a chance to look at the stars in a while.”
“I don’t know if I’ve ever looked at the stars like this. Maybe I did with Dawn back when I was little, but the memory is gone.”
Cal’s fingers brush against mine again. “I bet you did. She loved the stars.”
Grief swirls in a confusing mixture with my awareness of Cal’s body next to mine. I swallow against it and try to steer the conversation somewhere less heavy. “Stars are important to minotaurs, right?”
“Hmm, I suppose so.”
I think that’s all he’s going to say, worrying that I brought up an uncomfortable subject, but eventually Cal continues.
“We came from them, but it’s so far in the past that it’s hard to know what part of that draw to them is innate and how much is a sense of obligation.
Don’t know if that makes any sense or not. ”
“I think so. I’ve got to admit, it’s pretty wild to think about how minotaurs didn’t always exist on this planet. That we still don’t even know how to explain how you all got here, or why. Who’s to say that there won’t be another event like that where we’re shifted to another planet?”
“It’s hard to wrap your head around, I’ll give you that. I tend not to worry about it much because what’s the point if we have no control over it? But then I get out here and…there’s this sense, in my gut. Like…Nevermind, it’s silly.”
I nudge him with my elbow. “Come on, don’t be shy. I won’t tell anyone.”
He chuckles, then lets out a long, thoughtful sigh.
“I get this feeling when I think about the stars and other planets. Not a longing for a world I know nothing about. Sure, there’s a sense of loss, and wishing that I knew about our origins, but that’s not what I mean.
It’s…a gut feeling that in all the vastness of the universe, I’m where I’m meant to be.
That fate, or whatever you want to call it, has put me and my ancestors here because this is where we belong. ”
My hand finds his as emotion swells inside me, and our fingers interlace. “That’s not silly at all. It’s beautiful.”
“I didn’t always feel this way. Before I came to Roan Ridge, I was lost. I’d look at the stars and wish I was anywhere but on this planet.
Wonder what my life would be like if my ancestors never appeared on Earth.
” He lets out a low laugh. “I wouldn’t even exist if that were the case, but when you’re young, you don’t really think that sort of thing through. ”
“No, definitely not.” I should leave it at that, but words spill from my lips. “Well, I, for one, am very glad that out of all the places in the universe you could’ve ended up, you’re here.”
Cal’s thumb strokes across the back of my hand. “I’m glad you ended up here, too.”
Neither of us speaks as we gaze up at the sky. His thumb traces small circles against my skin, desire rising in me with every passing moment. It expands inside me until I’m lightheaded. Until I can’t remember why it’s a bad idea for him to touch me more.
“Fuck.” Cal’s curse as he releases my hand is barely more than a whisper, but it has me rolling onto my side to look at him in concern.
“What’s wrong?”
His eyes shine in the moonlight as he turns onto his side. “This was a bad idea.”
My stomach flips at his rough tone. “W-why?”
My tongue darts out to wet my lips, and Cal’s gaze drops to my mouth. “You know why. Don’t make me say it.”
“Cal…”
He shifts closer. I follow suit until I’m pressed against him. My breath catches as his rigid cock rests against my belly.
“Belle…”
My pulse pounds in my ears as my lips move closer to his. My logical mind screams at me that we shouldn’t do this, but my body begs me to keep going.
Cal’s eyes widen, and a moment later he lets out a much louder curse. “Ow, shit, what the hell?”
An angry crow fills the clearing.
Cal scrambles up, lunging toward a dark, feathered shape.
“Doodle, what the hell are you doing here?” I snag the bird as he evades Cal, and tuck him against my chest with a glare.
He clucks at me, unrepentant.
You’ve got to be kidding me. Did he come here to literally cockblock us?