16
We’ve been on the road for a little over four hours, another three or four to go before we reach Maine. While I’m used to driving long distance, what I’m not used to is having Sierra in the car with me. I’m hyper-aware of her presence, her sweet, floral scent filling the car and invading every one of my senses. She’s a distraction I can’t afford to have. I have a job to do, and one slip of my attention could be the difference between life and death. I’ve checked the rear-view in excess of a thousand times, scanning the road behind me for any signs that we’re being followed. I’m paranoid, but I’d rather be that than blind to the dangers.
Why I suggested I take her to my house in Maine where it would be just the two of us, I have no idea. A lapse of judgement? A moment of weakness on my part? But when I came up with the idea earlier, it was anything but selfish, my intentions were pure. I did it because I saw the turmoil in her teary eyes, her need for an escape, and I was able to provide her with the means.
I’m not going to lie and say I don’t relish the idea of having her all to myself, but if her brother ever knew the extent of the thoughts I have in my head regarding his little sister, I’d have a bullet in my skull quicker than I could blink.
I won’t touch her, I made that promise to Gage before we left, I just chose to not finish my sentence…
I won’t touch her, unless she wants me to.
I would never take advantage of her, or anyone. I respect and care for her too much to do anything like that, especially considering what she’s been through. I would never give her reason to fear me and I would sooner put a bullet between my eyes than bring her harm. She’s still healing, still dealing with the trauma she went through just weeks ago, and I’m going to do anything I possibly can to help her through it.
My house in Maine is secluded. Surrounded by a dense forest where privacy is not an issue. It’s situated in Casco Bay, an inlet of the Gulf where a cluster of some two-hundred or so islands make up the southern coast of Maine. It overlooks the ocean. It’s calm, tranquil… the perfect setting for her try to begin to heal.
I glance to my right to find her sleeping, her eyes rolling behind her shut eyelids while her head rests against the window. Her lips part slightly with every breath, her chest rising and falling steadily.
I could watch her sleep for hours and never tire of the sight. I watched over her in the hospital more times than she knew. I’d sneak in long after she fell asleep and leave before she woke. It was as if I’d never been there.
The woman makes me crazy.
Remembering that I’m currently driving, my attention snaps to the road as I straddle the central line with a car coming the opposite way.
I veer back to the right, as the oncoming car’s horn blares as it passes.
My heart pounds. Fuck, I almost killed us just from a few seconds of letting my concentration slip.
What did I say?She’s a distraction, a dangerous one at that. One I’m positive is going to be the end of me sooner or later.
Sierra stirs beside me, yawning and stretching out her arms. “How long was I out?” Her voice is thick with sleep.
“About two hours.” I don’t blame her, she needed it. After her breakdown in her bedroom earlier she must be exhausted.
The sun is beginning to set and dark clouds roll in, drawing the day to a close.
Beside me, her stomach lets out a loud growl and without a word, I’m pulling off the interstate.
“What’re you doing?” she asks.
“Getting you fed. We can carry on once you’ve got some food inside you.”
“Really, we don’t have to, I’m fi—”
“Sierra,” I cut her off, “I swore to your brother I’d take care of you. Now, are you going to be a good girl and let me?”
“Yes, Dad,” she replies with a smirk and a roll of her eyes.
My fists tighten around the steering wheel. She’s testing me, and I’m determined not to let her win.
We soon come across a small diner, and once inside, the soft sound of music plays from a jukebox in the opposite side of the diner fills the space. Only a few other tables are occupied as we slide into ours. I position myself facing the door, scoping my surroundings as I usually do, noting the fire exit to the right of me, next to a staff only door.
Sierra sits facing me, glossing over the menu in front of her, her beautiful raven black hair falling over her face like a curtain.
“Hey, there!” an older blonde waitress greets as she reaches our table. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Just a soda, please,” I reply.
Sierra smiles. “Same here, thank you.”
“No problem. Take your time looking over the menu,” the lady says before heading towards the counter.
I pull out my phone, my stomach lurches when I see a reply to my message earlier.
Ray: This is a welcome surprise. Yes, it would be wonderful to see you. It’s been too long, Al.
My heart settles at those words. One step closer.
A gust of wind must catch the door because it slams shut, and Sierra jumps out of her skin.
“You alright?” I ask her.
She nods. “Yeah, just a little jumpy, I guess. I can’t stand loud noises…”
“Good thing where we’re going is quiet.”
“When was the last time you went there?” she asks, resting her chin on her palm, her warm toffee eyes holding mine.
“I was twelve. My parents used to take me there every summer. My dad and I would take a boat out onto the water and sail around the islands on the gulf while my mom stayed at home painting. She was an amazing artist.”
“Where are they now? Your parents?”
My eyes dip to the table. “Gone.”
Everything changed the day they died, my whole entire world slammed to a screeching halt, tilting on its axis.
Sierra’s soft hand slides into mine, linking our fingers together and something eases inside me. “I’m sorry. Is it going to be hard going back there? We don’t have to.”
I give her a tight-lipped smile. “I’ll be fine, princess. You’ll be there. Can’t imagine wanting anyone else there with me.”
She goes to speak, but is cut off when our waitress returns with our drinks and Sierra’s fingers unlink from mine, the loss of her touch instant.
“Here we are,” the lady says, setting down our drinks. “Have you kids decided on your food?”
“Um…” Sierra scans the menu. “Can I have the buttermilk chicken with french fries?”
“Sure, sweetheart. And what can I get for you?” The lady turns to me.
“I’ll have the same. Thank you.”
“Sure thing. Shouldn’t be too long.” She takes our menus and sees to another table.
“So, what did my brother say to you before we left?” Sierra asks, taking a sip from her drink.
“To protect you with my life and that he wants daily updates otherwise he’s sending out a search party.”
“Of course.” She rolls her eyes. “What else?”
“That if he finds out I touched you, he’ll have my head on a spike and feed me my own balls.” A direct quote.
She waves it away. “He wouldn’t dare.”
“He’s just trying to look out for you.”
“He’s trying to control. Alec, do you really think I’d be here with you if I didn’t think you’d have my best interests at heart? Gage knows you’d never put me in danger, he’s all talk.” She averts her eyes down to her food. “And FYI, I might want you to touch me.”
My dick jerks at the thought.
“Sierra,” I warn.
“What? You did on my birthday.”
The memory alone has me semi-hard in an instant. The feel of her skin against mine, the taste of her mouth, the feel of her warm pussy on my fingers… I shake the memory away. “That shouldn’t have happened.”
“As you’ve said before. But you and I both know neither one of us regrets it.”
She’s not wrong. As much as it shouldn’t have happened, I’m glad it did and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
We fall silent, and it’s not long before our food arrives. We make small talk about nothing in particular as we eat, really just as an excuse to cut through the silence, but the atmosphere has shifted since our brief talk of her birthday and our first kiss. An atmosphere that both of us are aware of.
That kiss has played on my mind a lot more than I will ever admit to. In my thirty-four years of life, never has a kiss felt that good—so good my body erupted in flames, setting my soul alight.
I don’t know what it is about her that has me so twisted up, so utterly consumed by her, but one thing I know for sure, whether her brother has my head or not, our kiss on her birthday definitely won’t be our last.
“Do you want me to drive for a while?” Si offers as we make our way out to the car forty minutes later after paying our bill.
I shake my head. “It’s all good, princess.”
“When do you suppose we’ll get there?”
“We’re just over halfway, so with minimal traffic and good weather, I’d say just before midnight.”
∞∞∞
Right on schedule, I pull into the driveway, the pebbles crunching beneath the tyres as I shift the car into park.
Sierra is sound asleep beside me. She looks so peaceful that I don’t want to disturb her, so I climb out of the car and go around to her side. I manage to manoeuvre her into my arms without waking her as I make my way up to the house.
It’s dark, not even the streetlamps help with visibility, but luckily, the solar-powered porch light my dad and I installed over two decades ago still works, despite how dim it is.
Once inside, I flip on the lights and make my way carefully up the stairs, heading to the master bedroom that overlooks the water at the back of the house. She won’t be able to see anything if she woke up, what with it being pitch dark outside, but in the morning, her view as the sun rises will be spectacular.
I remember the euphoria that came over me the first time I saw it when I was a boy, I want her to experience the beauty of it herself.
I place her onto the bed and slip off her shoes. The house has been well looked after since I’ve been here last, and I know exactly who to thank for that. I pull the fresh bed sheets over her body before brushing a strand of dark hair from her face.
My finger lightly traces over the scar that runs down the side of her face and a surge of anger rises up inside me. I can’t wait until the day I get my hands around the man’s neck that cut her face and give him one of his own, one across his throat.
I don’t make a habit of making promises, mostly because very few can be kept, but no one will ever touch her like that again—that I can promise.