Page 9 of Run with Me

“I’m so sorry, Anna. I know you want to visit. I just wish it weren’t on that side oftown.”

The wave of cheering, stomping hooves, screaming, and clapping finally reached us, and the podium shook and swayed a little. My gaze darted to the ledge, where I’d left the basket of tomatoes. I pushed away from John and leapt for the container as it was sliding toward the edge of thestep.

“Anna, don’t!” I heard behindme.

One of the passing bulls kicked its hind legs so high that it lifted him over a dozen feet in the air, until it was looking me right in the eye. I grabbed the basket and rolled to the left, but the strength of the stampede had forced a few spectators off balance, who bumped into each other and ultimately pushed me to the side and off the unstable podium. I rolled to the ledge, trying to grasp at the edges, but the momentum took meover.

No, no, no….

I quickly tucked the basket underneath my body and curled into a ball by the wall. I shut my eyes and breathed through my shirt as the dust spun, the earth shook, and my ears buzzed with the constant hum of the cheering crowd above me and stomping hooves merely a footaway.

A strong force grabbed me and pulled me aside, into a nook between two buildings.

“Didn’t I say you were too close to the rail?” John’s breaths were deep and heavy, as if he’d been running from the bulls since the gates opened. His forehead was smeared with dirt and sweat, and I could only imagine how awfully dirty I must have looked. Dirty, sweaty, and sexy, perhaps, because that’s how John appeared.

I felt blood rush through my veins. Excitement and desire blossomed in my chest, and I found it more difficult to remember that half-ton bulls were passing us a few feet to the right. And it was all because John was holding me in his arms, securely pinned against the wall. The near commotion was beginning to settle. A few of the slower cattle passed, and our mouths connected again as if we’d been starved for years. There was nothing innocent or tender about this kiss. It was hard and desperate, demanding and giving. It was the only way we could catch up from the week we spent apart. We kissed until the hum lowered to the sound of falling dust and the bulls had made it to their destination at the other end of the city. Feeling John’s hard erection against my thigh and the ample weight of my swelling breasts, I knew exactly where this was leading, and I couldn’t wait until I could once again feel John’s weight over my body. We hadn’t made love yet, as we’d promised to wait until we were married, but we fooled around enough to make the temptation utterly irresistible. I wasn’t sure that I could wait for him much longer.

“We’ll continue this tonight?” he asked. “I’ll come by after midnight.”

“I’ll leave the back dooropen.”

“Don’t. I’ll knock quietly. I don’t want your door open in this town, ever.”

“I know. I’m just kidding. I promise to lock up and besafe.”

The days of unlocked doors and no robberies were long gone. Now that I lived alone at the parish house, I had to be extra careful. After my parents died, the parish hired me as a secretary, and I then volunteered for the children’s ministry, which John had set up. It wasn’t an easy job, because dealing with crooks and thieves while teaching about faith and honesty took a skill of its own. The kids were good until they fell prey to the cartel — usually by the age of sixteen. After that, it was over. We were losing a few more good souls each year, and we didn’t know how to stopit.

My job included this rent-free accommodation, and since I didn’t want to be a burden on John’s family, this was where I now lived. My mother’s wish had always been to see her child stand on her own two feet, and so that’s what I haddone.

It wasn’t until later that I realized my mother had truly feared for our lives. As soon as I found out that Alejandro Cortez left it up to his son to “buy” my land for nothing, I knew that donating it to the state and creating a national preserve was the right choice. The little chapel my parents rested in was the only structure that could stand on the land. Surrounded by fields of tiny wild sunflowers, it was the perfect resting place for my parents. No one could ever touch them again.

“Anna…” he warned. I loved the sound of his lowered voice. I found it extremelysexy.

“I promise to keep it locked, John.”

“Come on, let’s get cleaned up before dinner. Do we shower at your place ormine?”

“Mine is closer. And your mom will flip if she sees us covered in dirt at the fiesta. But I need to sneak you in. Father Francis gets anxious when you come around.”

“That’s because he knows what I want fromyou.”

“What isthat?”

“Everything.” He sealed his request with his lips, and I wanted so much more than his giving mouth. The more time we spent together, the more difficult it became to resist his charms.

I showered first, changed into fresh clothes, and waited for John in the kitchen. Ever since I moved out of his house, he’d kept a few spare shirts at my place. The first few nights by myself were rough, but John had dutifully stayed at my side until I felt comfortable on my own. His house wasn’t far – a few minutes jog at the most, if I took the back fields. By the time John finished his shower and we left my home, the sun was getting low. A coyote’s howl echoed in the distant desert, and I felt shivers run over myarms.

“Should we have taken the fields?” I asked. Walking through the back roads, our chances of running into Ben were minimal. Out here, where I could see the motel and the Bistro to the left across the street, we knew we could run into trouble. Part of me wanted to see Ben. I wanted to know what had happened to Xavier.

“Maybe,” he said, looking over at the Bistro, where Ben was leaning against the railing.

“Hola, chiquita! Where are you going, my beautiful?”

John stilled.

“Ignore him, John.”

We continued our walk, this time with a little more hurry. I could feel John’s muscles bunch up as I held onto hishand.

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