Chapter Eighteen #2
“I thought this town would be too small for that,” he mused, gaze running across the tents.
“It probably would be, if a human trafficking gang hadn’t set up shop here,” Wilder said.
“A what?” he exclaimed, hand clamping over his mouth at how loud he was being.
Wilder’s lips quirked for a second, and then his attention turned elsewhere, his brows furrowing.
“And here I thought I might have to go in there to look for you,” Wilder said.
Emmett snapped his gaze back toward the camp, heart stuttering in his chest when he saw two boys, one more lanky than the other, appearing from the shadows. His chest tightened at the sight of them. They shouldn’t be living on the streets.
“We heard you from miles away,” one snarked, his crooked grin flashing in the dark.
“This is Dash and Alvis,” Wilder said, tugging Emmett closer against him. “They’ve been keeping watch over the gym lately.”
Emmett looked up at Wilder with narrowed eyes. “Because of me?”
Wilder’s wide smile had him rolling his eyes.
“No, but I want them to keep an eye on you, too. I can’t always be there when you decide to step out into traffic.”
He cursed under his breath and tried to pull away from Wilder. The arm around him tightened, and he ended up closer against Wilder’s side instead, Wilder’s fingers hooking into his belt loops to trap him there.
“What do you boys say?”
Emmett followed Wilder’s gaze to Alvis, the boy watching them intently for a heartbeat or two.
Alvis nodded. “We’ll watch him for you.”
“Good man.”
Wilder pulled a few bills out of his wallet and held them up, arching a brow at Dash.
“Yeah, yeah. Food first,” Dash muttered, a gleam entering his eyes just before he snatched the money out of Wilder’s hand and took off running.
Wilder’s low huff of laughter made the tension in Emmett’s shoulders melt away.
Alvis shook his head, gaze following Dash as he skipped between tents. He turned back toward Wilder and Emmett and gave them each a nod before disappearing into the maze of tents.
Wilder used the arm he had around Emmett to turn him around and led him the few steps back to the bike.
“The last thing I want is more people watching me,” he muttered, glaring up at Wilder.
“Better get used to it.”
“What does that even mean?”
The smug curve of Wilder’s lips didn’t help quell the storm brewing in his chest.
“Come on,” Wilder said, his smile lighting up those enchanting eyes and making Emmett’s heart stutter. “There’s something else I want to show you.”
Wilder grabbed one of the helmets and handed it to Emmett, who put it on while grumbling under his breath.
A cold breeze touched them, making him shiver and tuck his hands into his armpits while he waited for Wilder to mount.
He crawled onto the bike behind Wilder, wrapping his arms around the man and pressing close, expecting Wilder to pull out onto the road, but instead he grabbed one of Emmett’s hands, tugging a glove onto it.
Wilder put that hand back against his abdomen, taking Emmett’s other hand.
He could barely see around Wilder’s wide shoulders, but he wasn’t surprised to find that Wilder’s hands were now without gloves. He knew better than to try and give them back. Out of the two of them, Wilder was definitely the most stubborn.
He held on tight as the bike moved forward, resting his head against the back of Wilder’s shoulder.
He closed his eyes, taking in the vibrations of the motorcycle under them, the hard muscles of Wilder’s back, the ease with which Wilder maneuvered them through the traffic trickling through the dark streets.
There was still a small flare of sun across the sky, and he felt as if they were driving toward it. He’d always loved those pink and orange tones lighting up the sky. It gave it an almost ethereal look. Why that reminded him of Wilder, he didn’t know.
They turned into a wooded area, and even though he’d normally get creeped out by the darkness surrounding them, all he felt was safe pressed against Wilder’s broad back.
They weren’t exactly on a road, just a light path that led deeper into the forest. Wilder had slowed down the bike, and Emmett pulled back, keeping his arms firmly around Wilder as he looked around at the tall trees surrounding them, blanketing them in darkness with their wide crowns.
The bike came to a stop, and he put his hands on Wilder’s shoulders to push himself up and hoisted his right leg over the bike, stepping back onto the ground.
Wilder turned off the engine, and silence fell over them.
He tugged off Wilder’s gloves and pulled his helmet off.
He handed them to Wilder, who left both on the seat along with his own helmet.
“This isn’t creepy at all,” Emmett noted, brows raised at Wilder, whose lips spread in a wry smile.
Wilder took his hand and tugged. His feet moved on their own accord, following Wilder down a small path in the thick brush.
It took him a moment to realize that the only things he could hear were the crunch of their footsteps, wind rustling the leaves on branches, and the low hum of noise from animals.
They stepped into a clearing that revealed a small lake. It was a beautiful sight with the last few rays of sun in the distance, bathing the trees in a soft light reflected in the surface of the lake.
“This is where I go when I need to be alone.”
Warmth spread through him, and as he ran his gaze over Wilder’s face, he realized just how much this meant to Wilder. How much it meant to have Wilder share it with him.
With Wilder’s arms around him, Emmett leaned his head against his chest and breathed in.
Wilder smelled like leather, woods, and that hint of danger he was coming to associate with him, but he felt like safety.
Wilder felt inevitable in a way that should’ve terrified him.
Yet, as they stood there, watching the stillness of the water together, breathing in the fresh smell of trees and grass, he’d never felt more at ease in his life.