Chapter 9
“I don’t think now is the time, Nariko. Let’s call it a night. I’ll bring your brother inside, and we can talk about this tomorrow.” He walks towards the old cabin with a tin roof and old creaky steps.
“Put me down, Oklahoma.” I wiggle in his hold.
And he tightens it.
“I said to put me down!” I jump out of his arms, catching myself on a nearby chair. My feet scream at me in protest, the cuts stinging and burning from being bothered with pressure.
“Nariko. Let me help you. Please, you shouldn’t be on your feet.”
I hold up my hand to stop him. “Don’t. I’m fine. You know, if you are going to keep doing this, then I don’t know why I’m here.”
“I’m only trying to protect you.”
“That isn’t your call to make.” I close the distance between us, our chests bumping against one another, enough for me to smell the smoke lingering on him from the fire.
He smells so good.
He looks so good.
The way his shirt stretches over his chest and arms has my body yearning to know what he looks like without it.
Everything about him calls to me.
“I know you aren’t human.” I tilt my head to the left, waiting for him to argue with me. “Or, I know you aren’t fully human. I don’t know what you’re so afraid of. You can’t be afraid of me. This…this…” I become frustrated, waving my arms between us.
“This hot and cold, this push and pull you’re doing, is driving me insane.
I’ve known you all of a few days, and I feel like I’ll die if I don’t know everything about you, if I’m not near you, if I don’t…
” My breath breaks when I reach out to feel him, my palm landing over his pec.
“Touch you. Ever since I’ve met you, I’ve had a need for you.
I don’t understand it, Oklahoma, but something tells me you do. ”
He looks to the left, away from me. I become greedy, my gaze lingering on the strong muscles of his neck, the tendons protruding, his jaw tensing with frustration.
I don’t know how, but I feel his anger.
He steps away from me, walks around the fire, then bends down, slinging my brother over his shoulder.
“What are you doing?”
“Dolphins say hi,” Ruka mumbles, wiping his mouth on Oklahoma’s shirt. “Dolphins.”
I slap a hand over my mouth to hide a laugh.
“Tell them I said hey,” Oklahoma snorts.
“No. You tell them. I’m…I’m…” Ruka snores again, the deep grating chainsaw noise that makes my eye twitch.
Oklahoma raises his brows at me, asking me a silent question.
“He’s always been an odd sleeper. A little talkative. And don’t think this gets you out of telling me the truth.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it. Come on, let’s get you to bed.” Oklahoma pats my brother’s back and takes him inside, his boots thudding against the wooden porch.
I’m left alone, a chill wrapping around me. I cross my arms, running my hands up and down to gain some warm friction.
Standing here by myself, I’m in awe of the acres in front of me. A howl from coyotes warns the night. Stars glisten in the sky, the wide-open fields leaving nothing to the imagination.
I’m at home here.
Even with the nose-curling scent of cow and horse manure.
A cluck has me holding my breath, and I slow-spin to the right to see Kevin, the mean fucking chicken that chased me around the fire earlier.
I back away slowly, holding out my hands. “I’m a friend. I come in peace.” I lift two fingers up, a gesture of peace. Kevin spreads his wings, clucking and chirping, taking a step forward with his little flappy feet.
Kevin charges at me, his wings still spread, his neck stretching out as he screams. I turn to run and slam right into a chest.
“Kevin! Enough. Stop terrorizing my guests. Go see Marvin. I don’t want to see or hear you until morning.” Oklahoma shoos Kevin away, forcing the evil beast to back away from me.
He clucks one more time for good measure. I swear, he gives me a dirty look with his beady black eyes.
“Your chicken is a dick.”
“He’s a rooster,” Oklahoma corrects me with a toothy grin. “But he is a menace. It’s why I rescued him. The family that had him had a farm in California. Unfortunately, his home burned down. The entire farm was eaten by a wildfire. Only a few animals survived, including Kevin.”
“The family was starting over and asked me if I could take the animals. So I loaded up the truck and trailer and drove to California. Kevin was not happy to see me at first,” Oklahoma chuckles, picking up his hat from the chair he set it on earlier.
“But then, I saved two donkeys, a mule, a horse, two peacocks, and a pig. Kevin followed the pig, Marvin, into the trailer.”
“You have a pig named Marvin and a chicken—”
“—Rooster.”
“Named Kevin?”
“They are two peas in a pod. As long as Marvin is around, Kevin will be okay. He doesn’t like people much.”
“Is that why he listens to you? Because you aren’t like most people?”
Oklahoma hums, taking my hand in his. Watching his palm swallow mine has me entranced. Everything about him is powerful and intimidating.
The night is cool, and yet my body is warm; the need to be closer to him is nearly sending me to my knees. This craving gains strength and momentum every time I’m with Oklahoma, like if I don’t have all of him soon, I might die.
I hope it’s a quick death. Longing for someone can be slow and painful, an ache that might never have a cure.
“Come with me,” he says. “And hold on.” He yanks me to his side. “Hold on tight.”
“Where are we—” The question disappears in the breeze, the world around me twisting and turning into a blur. The wind dances through my hair, the speed causing tears to drip from my eyes. It only takes seconds before my feet are on solid ground again.
I’m in awe.
I stand on the roof of the cabin, looking out at the beautiful view. Horses and cattle are in the distance, small shadows that are grazing under the moonlight. From up here, I can see a pen that’s sectioned off.
“What’s that for?”
“Training and breaking the horses. Preparing them to ride. I’ve retired from the rodeo life now that I have the rescue, and I didn’t feel comfortable continuing after Cal died.
Now, I train horses, offer riding lessons, sell, breed, etc.
The rescue keeps me plenty occupied.” He sits down on the metal roof, looping his finger in one of my belt loops to tug me down.
“I’m sorry about your friend. How did he die?”
“We were a steer-wrestling team, but we also had separate events. He was an amazing bull rider, but the last ride got him. The bull wouldn’t stop going after him and stomped on him too many times. I’m not close to many people. I’ve kept myself isolated for good reason.”
“I’m so sorry.” I’m not sure what else to say. I can’t imagine having to witness such a gruesome death.
“It’s alright. It was a hard loss, but I managed. Loss is something I should get used to. It never gets easier, no matter how much time passes.”
I sit next to him, the coolness of the metal causing me to gasp. He picks me up, reminding me of his strength. He settles me between his legs, and he wraps his arms around me.
“Better? You were cold.” His breath teases the shell of my ear.
“Much better.” My finger skims down his muscular arm, the hair light from the sun and tickling my fingers.
We sit there in silence. I’m not sure how long for. Time doesn’t seem to pass when I’m with Oklahoma. Everything stands still. Nothing else matters besides us—besides him.
He gathers my hair and moves it to my other shoulder. I smile to myself, remembering how he did that earlier. He loves to expose my neck.
It’s impossible, but I think the cowboy I’m falling for is a vampire.
His lips gliding against my skin causes me to shiver. An image of him sinking his fangs into my neck has heat pooling between my legs. The act of feeding him is erotic. Knowing it’s me who gives him what he needs has my body responding in ways it never has before.
He can’t be a vampire. They don’t exist.
Oklahoma grumbles something under his breath, his face buried into my neck as he inhales.
Sniffing me again.
My eyes flutter shut, getting lost in the sensation of him being so close.
His hold tightens on the back of my neck, five sharp points digging into my skin.
Claws.
“Your heart rate changed. Are you scared, Sugar?” he drawls, kissing my jugular vein.
I arch my back, pleasure awakening in my nerve-endings. I clutch his legs for support, my body betraying me in ways I don’t understand.
“No, I’m not scared,” I admit, licking my lips when they become dry.
“You should be,” he growls, dragging his lips to my jaw. “I’m the one thing you should be terrified of.”
“Why? Are you going to kill me?”
“Kill you? No, never. You’re the safest with me.”
“Then why should I be afraid of you?”
The truth is right there. All he needs to do is admit it.
He is a vampire. Somehow, someway, he is the creature people dress up as on Halloween or the scary stories people tell one another.
“Can we have tonight? Tomorrow, I’ll tell you everything. Tonight, I only want to talk to you, be close to you, then tomorrow, I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”
I spin around in his arms, staring into bright crimson eyes that enamor me. They remind me of rubies, polished and glimmering with promises of another world.
“Tomorrow, then.” I scoot out from between his legs and lie down next to him.
He does the same, mirroring me, then takes his hat off and places it on his stomach. We’re left looking up at the stars. There isn’t a cloud in the sky. It’s one thing I love about storms. The skies always seem clearer after bringing havoc.
“To the right, in a few pastures that you can’t see from here, are a herd of wild mustangs I rescued. I’ll need to move them to another pasture soon, but I leave them be. They are used to the wild, and I want them to have that space.”
“What made you start rescuing animals? What made you decide, “Oklahoma Rescues: Bringing Love To Where Storms Are” was what you needed to do?” I paint the air with my palm as if I’m creating a rainbow.