Chapter 7 #2
He raised a brow at her, trying to keep the smirk off his face. She was cute when she started acting like a brat. Though Ravage knew her far too well and knew she could take it to the extreme sometimes.
“Come on, Kaere. Get out of the truck.”
“I don’t want to go wherever you’re trying to lead me.”
“You don’t want to go, or you don’t want to go with me?” Ravage countered. He waited a moment, and he spoke again when she said nothing. “Indulge me. Fifteen minutes, and I’ll take you home if you don’t like it.”
With a sigh, she slid out of the truck, ignoring his hand, and he stepped back. Closing the door behind them, he led her to the short path they would have to take through the trees to get where they were going.
There was a rustling in the trees, and he heard Karter quicken her pace before she latched onto his bicep.
He wanted to tease her about it. Remind her he was her least favorite person right now and pick on her for fearing a noise.
He would have, had it not been for the fact that he was trying to push past where they stood at the moment.
So, instead, he enjoyed the feel of her small, soft hands on him.
It only took them a few minutes, and when the trees opened into a clearing, Karter stopped walking, forcing Ravage to stop as well since she was still holding onto his arm. He looked down at her as she looked around.
The path had been well-lit, and when they stepped into the clearing, there were lights scattered about, but it didn’t take away from the ambiance. After surveying their surroundings, she turned to look up at him.
“We’re going in a hot-air balloon?”
Ravage scratched his beard. “That depends. Are you still tired?”
Karter gave him a sheepish look before ducking her head, and he barely contained his chuckle. “No.”
He led the way over to the attendant by the balloon they would go up in.
Typically, three to seven balloons would be in the clearing, with people preparing to go up in them.
However, Ravage had booked a time when there wouldn’t be anyone else and paid the proprietor who conducted business there to keep it that way.
For the next several minutes, they listened as the attendant gave them instructions. They would not fly the balloon themselves. It would be anchored to the ground, with them significantly above it. However, he went over with them what to do in the very slight chance that the attachments broke.
Picking Karter up, he placed her over the edge of the basket before getting in himself. Again, she clung to his arm as they rose into the night sky. A small generator in the basket’s corner powered the lights around the perimeter.
Once they reached as high as they would go, he looked out over the trees. He had to admit it was a nice view.
When the silence between them stretched for several minutes, he felt her squeeze his arm before speaking.
“How did you know I wanted to ride in a hot-air balloon?”
“I listen when you talk. Even when you think I’m not,” he told her, which was the truth. Though she had said it in passing to Sora when the four of them were having dinner at her parents’ house a few months ago, he’d still paid attention.
“Why have you been messing with me?” she questioned quietly.
Ravage didn’t answer immediately, deciding to consider his words carefully. He didn’t like that she kept referring to it as that. It made it seem as if she thought he was playing some game, and that was far from what it was.
“I thought you said it didn’t matter because you were over it.” He wanted to see if she would stick to that or tell him the truth.
“Just tell me why.”
“You know why,” he countered, because even if she was being stubborn, refusing to see it. Deep down, she knew what he was doing.
“No...I don’t,” she replied.
“Stop it, Karter,” he demanded, turning to look at her, and her hand fell from his arm. “Don’t you think you’ve lied enough to me tonight?”
He watched as realization dawned on her. “That’s what you were doing? Counting how many times I lied to you.” Ravage then watched as her eyes widened at realizing she had just admitted to lying to him. “Okay, so I told a couple of white lies. No big deal.”
“Why did you need to lie to me over trivial things?” She remained silent at his question.
Ravage shook his head. Now was not the time to talk to her about lying to him. Though it may not have seemed like a big deal to others, it was to him. He didn’t lie to her. So, he didn’t want her lying to him either.
“In the storage room, I wasn’t playing with you. I didn’t kiss you because I didn’t want you to go out with Tim. I kissed you for no other selfish reason than the fact that I couldn’t control myself any longer.” Ravage pulled her flush against his body, causing her to gasp.
Looking down at her, he could see the wheels turning in her head and almost hear the silent conversation she was having with herself.
He didn’t want that. Her being in her head would do nothing but cause her to overthink, and from what she’d thought he was doing over the past week, he knew it wouldn’t be rational.
He leaned in, mere inches from her lips.
“I’m going to kiss you. If you don’t want this, me...then push me away. Because if you let me kiss you, Kaere, there’s no going back.” He paused, searching her eyes. “Ever.”
With that, he leaned in, slanting his lips over hers and leading her in a slow kiss. Her hands came up to his chest, and Ravage waited to see if she would push him away. Instead, she curled her fingers into the fabric of his shirt and tried to pull him closer, which was impossible.
This kiss wasn’t the hurried, out-of-control kiss he’d given her in the storage room. This was different. He was staking his claim, backing up his words to show her he meant each one.
When they pulled apart, he gazed down into those big brown eyes. She released his shirt, wrapping her arms around him and placing her head against his chest.
“I’m sorry for thinking you were being cruel and messing with me,” she said after a few minutes. “I’m also sorry for being childish earlier when you tried to get me out of the car and for lying to you.”
“It’s fine, Kaere,” he told her, kissing her head. “But don’t lie to me because I don’t lie to you.”
She nodded against his chest. “Most importantly, though, I’m sorry you might die when you tell my dad.”
Ravage laughed, and he heard her giggle as well.
“You’re worth it,” he assured her, tilting her head and giving her a soft kiss. “But he didn’t kill me when I told him I would pursue you with or without his blessing. I don’t think he will now that you’ve stopped being stubborn.”
She rolled her eyes at him, no doubt about to tell him she wasn’t stubborn. However, Ravage took her lips with his again, swallowing anything she had to say as they enjoyed the soft breeze that blew around them from the trees.