Page 16 of Chasing the Fall

My eyes meet hers in the mirror.

“What are you doing, Bran?”

“Do you trust me?” She hesitates, then nods, a short, jerky movement of her head. “Good.” I squeeze her hand. “I’ll keep you safe.”

Eight

Bran

Sometimes things are betterin theory than in reality. As I pull the truck into a narrow driveway designed for Matchbox cars rather than big trucks, I eye the tiny cabin before me and realize this might be one of those things.

The place is fucking tiny. It can’t possibly be much bigger than Tally’s own apartment, and I desperately needed space there. Now, after a four hour drive where every passing minute held me hostage to Tally’s voice, Tally’s eyes, Tally’s scent…I’m not sure I have it in me to keep tiptoeing around her.

“What is this place?”

Tally’s voice pierces the dark, groggy from the nap she’d slid into once she stopped asking me where I was taking her.

“Safe house,” I mutter and open my door. “Come on, let’s get you inside and settled.”

She steps out of the truck and stands for a moment, taking in the dark bulk of the little house before her and the mass of dark trees standing sentinel behind and around it. The moon illuminates distant peaks and the rooflines of other, similar structures dotting the hills around us. “Okay.Whereis this place?”

I punch in the security code on the door and push it open. “It’s a vacation community in Tennessee. I bought the house as an investment a few years ago and rent it out through the tourist season. It doesn’t get a lot of traffic during the winter months, though.”

“Tennessee? Don’t you think that’s a little excessive?” She follows behind me.

I spear her with a pointed look as I close and lock the door behind her. “My job is to keep you safe. I’ll do whatever it takes to do that.”

“Mm.” She studies the space before us, taking in the simple, open room that houses the kitchen, an eating area, and a great room dominated by a river rock fireplace whose chimney climbs the wall to the vaulted ceiling. “It’s pretty.”

I grunt and open a door. “Bathroom.” I open another, the only other one in the small house. “Bedroom. Couch is a pull-out; I’ll sleep there.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’ll take the couch—”

“Tallulah.” I step closer to her, forcing her to tip her head back in order to meet my eyes. “If someone were to enter the cabin,I want the first thing they come in contact with to be me. You’ll take the bed.”

“I—“ Her lashes flutter against her cheeks as she lowers her gaze. Why have I never noticed how ridiculously long they are? Or how delicate the pale skin of her face is? “I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable,” she finishes.

I huff a grim laugh and turn away, discreetly arranging my junk to ease the tightness in my jeans once I’m far enough away from her. “I’ll be fine “ I mutter, opening up a chest and pulling out bedding and a pillow. “It’s late. Let’s get some sleep.”

She hovers, one hand cupping the elbow of her opposite arm.

“What is it?”

One shoulder lifts in a shrug. “I slept in the truck. I’m wired now. Can we…I don’t know. Talk or watch TV or something?”

Sighing, I drop the bedding on the end of the couch and scrub a hand over my face. “I’m kind of played out here, Tallulah.”

She tilts her head to the side. “Why are you calling me Tallulah again? I hate that name.”

Because you're more than a tally.

I don’t say the words out loud, instead reaching for her arm and drawing her into the kitchen. “Let me see your arm.”

She pulls her jacket off, revealing a form-fitting top. The arm is soaked through with blood. “The shirt, too.” She pulls the shirt off, hesitating around her wound, and I gently help pull it free, keeping my attention focused on the gash in her skin instead of the breasts spilling out over a plain black cotton bra.

“I need you up here.” Without waiting for her agreement, I lift her onto the counter so I have a better angle, and then dampen a dishtowel with warm water. “Here…work on cleaning it while I get some alcohol and bandages.”

She takes the cloth silently and begins wiping gingerly at the blood on her arm. I leave her, heading to the master bathroom to find what I need.

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