Chapter 9
Have You Ever Seen the Rain
Duke
I think I have sunshine in my passenger seat.
Glancing over at her for what feels like the thousandth time in the last hour, I’m struck speechless by how relaxed and beautiful she is. I picked on her pink sweatshirt and socks but it’s so completely her, I can’t imagine her any other way.
Her excited exclamations at any sort of farm animals makes me chuckle. I’ve been looking at these smelly beasts my entire life, but something about seeing them through her eyes makes them seem charming and interesting.
Pulling up to the warehouse, I lean over a little. “You can wait in the truck or come with me. We have to pick up some supplies for the bar.” Before I even finish what I’m saying, she’s jumped out of the truck and slammed the door. “Okay, with it is.”
Climbing out myself, I meet her at the front. Walking toward the warehouse, Smith comes out to meet me. I notice Caroline trailing me a few steps and look over my shoulder at her curiously. She’s cautious but I don’t think that’s why she’s trailing me. It’s almost like it was an automatic response.
Reaching back, I grab her hand and pull her up to stand next to me. I release hers and reach out to shake Smith’s.
“Duke, good to see you, man. I got your order ready to go.” He looks between us with open curiosity.
“Thanks, Smith. This is Caroline. We had some other stops to make so I brought her along.” I see her side eye me, but I don’t look at her.
“Nice to meet you, Caroline.” He shakes her hand, lingering a little in her space. I close the gap between her and I, possessively. I have no idea why I felt the need to do it. Smith is a good man, but I can’t help myself. “Come on, I’ll get your stuff.”
We follow him into the warehouse, my hand wrapped around Caroline’s to keep her next to me.
I don’t know why she’s trying to walk behind me, but I would rather be in her wake than the other way around.
She deserves to lead me. She smiles shyly at me, her smaller hand feeling right in my palm.
Smith pushes a cart full of boxes my way before handing me a clipboard.
“Just sign off and it’s all yours.”
I scribble my name at the bottom, hand the clipboard back, and push the cart out.
Seeing her fall back, I stop walking once we’re outside and alone. “Caroline, why are you walking behind me?”
“What?” She seems startled. “I was just…walking.” She almost flinches and my gut tightens. I recognize that look. The look of a woman who is expecting an explosion. My mother used to wear the same face.
“When you walk with me, you walk beside me or in front of me. If anyone should be following anybody, I will follow you. It’s a far better view, I promise.” She hangs her head just slightly, but I can see her blush.
Resuming my walk to the truck, she walks beside me. Satisfied, I load the boxes in the bed and secure the tarp over them.
Climbing back in the cab, I shift into reverse, not looking at her. “Lunch?”
“That would be nice.” I study her momentarily, noting the way her hands are knotted in her lap. I drive for a few miles until I reach a turnoff and park, killing the engine.
She looks over at me with that look on her face again. Fear. I am so furious—furious someone, probably some man, made her feel afraid this way, and furious that she’s now looking at me fearfully.
I take a few calming breaths. “Caroline, you don’t—won’t—ever have to be afraid of me. Ever.”
“I-I’m not.” She watches me, wide eyed.
“Someone made you afraid. You don’t have to tell me who or what happened, but I need you to know, sitting beside me, you are safe. Safe from me and anyone else.”
Tears well up in her eyes, and I almost fall apart on the spot.
I can see the hurt, the pain, she’s trying so hard not to let come to the surface.
Sliding across the seat, I pull her into my arms, pressing her head against my chest. Her tears turn to sobs, wetting the front of my shirt.
I just hold her against me tightly, keeping her safe like I promised until her sobs turn to sniffles.
She presses her face harder against my chest, wrapping her arms around my middle, breathing hard, inhaling against me. She begins to calm down, little-by-little. When she tries to pull back, I let her go.
I move back to my seat, and she reaches out and grabs my hand, squeezing my fingers. She whispers almost inaudibly, “Thank you.”
I start the truck, put it in gear, and continue driving toward town to take this sad little bit of sunshine to lunch.
I turn into a spot behind Comfort Cravings and see her studying it, trying to figure out where we are.
“Come on, sweetheart. All they sell is mac and cheese.” I catch another of her bright smiles. I took a chance that this would please her. I’m beginning to worry I have a new goal in life, and it revolves around the smile on her face.
Grabbing her hand once we are out of the truck, I drag her inside, seeing her face light up as she takes in the silly, macaroni and cheese themed restaurant. It has bright yellow tables and orange walls with giant elbow noodles suspended from the ceiling and painted cheese splashes on the floor.
“Two please,” I tell the host, not releasing her hand. It feels natural to hold it; it fits perfectly in mine.
Seated across from her, I watch her eyes dart from place to place on the menu. I chuckle a little. She snaps her eyes to mine, surprised, I think, and smiles at me.
“How did you know this is my favorite?”
“Lucky guess.”
After eating as much macaroni and cheese as we can, we get in the truck to head back to Inspiration. I hope I gave her something she needed. A day away to get some space, and a little bit of fun.
I watch the sky quickly darken from light grey to black, a plains storm blowing in fast. An emergency alert over the radio warns of a severe thunderstorm warning right along the path we’re taking home. I try to drive as quickly, but safely, as I can, trying to get us home in one piece.
When the tarp comes loose from my boxes, I pull over.
“Be right back,” I tell her before jumping out in the rain that begins pounding against the truck.
Holding onto the rope, I try and wrangle it back into place.
I hear the door slam and find her beside me, grabbing the tarp, wrestling it with me.
I pull my hat off and set it on her head, shielding her face from the raindrops.
We get it back in place and jump back in the truck, both of us soaked to our skin.
Our eyes meet and she bursts out laughing which makes me laugh.
I begin unbuttoning my shirt, trying to get the wet fabric off me.
She stops laughing and watches me carefully as I peel it from my arms. I watch her watching me, my hat perched on her head, her breathing picking up.
I don’t put a lot of stock in ‘hat rules,’ especially at my age.
But something about my hat sitting low on her brow feels like I actually propositioned her.
Blood starts to flow toward my lap and I’m minutes away from embarrassing myself with a boner sitting in my truck. If she keeps looking at me like that, I won’t be able to stay on my side of the seat.
She takes my hat off and sits it on the bench between us, then pulls her bright pink sweatshirt off, leaving her sitting there in just a small tank top that leaves almost none of her glorious body to the imagination.
And now that I’ve seen it, I won’t be able to stop imagining it.
Her nipples are peaked under her shirt; she isn’t wearing a bra.
She’s audibly breathing now, her breaths coming rapidly.
The tension between us is so palpable, I could touch it.
I’m sporting a full erection now, and as she moves her eyes across the falcon tattooed across my pecs, down my abs and to my lap, her eyes widen before rising back to mine.
I don’t do or say anything. I don’t want to scare her or make her think I expect anything, but I want to taste her lips more than anything I have ever wanted.
A few more breaths later, still staring into my eyes, she launches herself at me, wrapping her body around mine, landing herself in my lap, right on my straining dick. I groan at the contact just before she presses her lips to mine. The rain bangs into the truck and lightning flashes all around us.
Grabbing the back of her neck, I pull her completely against me, thrusting my hips up so I can rub against the heat of her body.
I move my tongue into her mouth, kissing her deep.
I use my tongue like a weapon, tasting her, and imagining my mouth other places.
I memorize the taste of her, the feel of her tongue moving against mine. My dick is so hard, I can barely think.
Moving down her jaw, I nip, lick, and suck the delicate skin.
She grinds against me, the heat of her skin imprinting her onto my flesh.
My hands roam, slipping under the hem of her shirt to rub the soft skin of her back.
As we push against each other, the sky lightens and the rain slows until just a few drips remain here and there.
Her movements start to slow, and her kisses become lazier, sweeter.
I put a few gentle kisses on her lips, her neck, her collar bone.
She unwraps herself and moves back to her side of the truck.
I’m in such a worked-up state, my skin hurts.
Her lips are swollen from our kisses. She puts her seatbelt back on, all while still watching me.
I pick up my hat, settling it back on her head, this time truly wishing she knew what it means to put a man’s hat on her head. I clip my seatbelt on and put the truck in gear. She holds my hand over my shifter the rest of the drive.
Stopping at the curb in front of Lizzie’s, she removes the hat from her head, putting it gently on the seat between us. Grabbing her sweatshirt, she opens the door, sliding out. She looks at me, standing with the door open.
“Bye, Grumpy. Today was…fun,” she whispers, a faint, but happy smile on her face. She closes the door and disappears into the hotel.
I throw my head back against the headrest and groan.
Just as quickly as she came in, her storm blew back out. The perfect bubble we had on the side of the road was more than I could have imagined.
What the hell do I do now?