Page 10 of Only Everything
Tauren’s knees drew back, fitting along my sides. It took everything I had to keep my control as she rocked under me faster. I picked up my speed, thrusting into her harder. Letting my length plunge so deep into her it nearly caused her to cry out. Had my hand not been ready, someone might have heard, but I did stay prepared. I couldn’t risk anyone discovering the truth. Not yet.
“This feels so good. You feel good in me. Reid, kiss me more. Don’tstop kissing me.”
“Never. I’ll never stop. You’re mine now, Taur, and I’m yours.”
Our mouths had met, and I could still hear my confessions pouring free. Ones of dreams. Hopes.Love. We’d spent hours on her birthday talking, fucking, making out. Repeating it all over, again and again. And that was every night after until I left for basic training. I never suspected our plan was consummated just to make me leave. But that had been exactly what happened. Tauren had no intention of ever moving away with me. Hell, she replaced me with a fucking cop. The one person who could condemn me to a life without her. If that didn’t show her betrayal, I wasn’t sure what did.
Emmett’s role had kept me away at first, but his status had no hold on me anymore. My new plans were cemented in blood and a promise. Tauren gave me her word that it would always be us. She was going to stay true to that vow, even if I had to remind her what it would cost to break it.
My lids opened, and I picked up the phone, illuminating the screen. I took in the time, hating that there was no missed call or text message. Maybe Emmett never planned to call, just like she never planned to leave with me. But he said he would give me a time on when to meet today, I just needed to hold on until then. I needed…I…needed—Stop.
If I didn’t pull myself together, nothing I planned would work anyway. I had hours to sober up. I had questions and demands I needed to write down so that I didn’t forget anything important. Emmett would call. He said he would. He had his own questions concerningTaur. And he had seemed…suspicious. I’d blow his paranoia wide open with the truth. I’d make him leave her. If that didn’t work, he had to go to work at some point. I’d take her, and then she’d be mine. She wouldn’t have a choice.
Tauren once asked what I’d risk to be with her. It’d been so clear, even back then.
Onlyeverything…
I’d risk it all, right down to our lives.
And that’s exactly what I planned to do.
CHAPTER 4
TAUREN
“Come on.A little more. It won’t be much longer.”
“Longer? Emmett, we haven’t even made it to the actual trail that leads to the rock wall or whatever. Then you want to climb up to some lookout? We’ve been walking for over an hour. We should have gone to the other site. This…”
I gestured to emphasize my point, watching as the looming trees seemed to thicken as we headed in deeper. With the darkening clouds barely giving light through the canopy, I felt trapped. The backpack I wore suddenly seemed to weigh a hundred pounds, making it hard to keep going.
“This is too much.”
“Too much? Come on, Tauren, you can do this.”
My nose scrunched through my look. “You do remember who you’re talking to, right?”
He laughed, slowing to hold my hand. “I know you can do this. You’ve been through a lot in life. What’s atrail and some rock climbing?”
All I could do was look up at him with my unenthused half-ass grin. His blond hair was wet with sweat, and even his shirt was sticking to him. Before I could mention that, he pointed.
“Look! Right there. That must be the trail.”
I followed the direction of his finger. “Where?”
“There. That opening between the two trees.”
“You mean…the opening between the trees…? Emmett, it looks like that between every tree.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Tauren. It’s clearly marking the trail. It’s in how they’re leaning.”
“Leaning?” I cocked my head, trying to comprehend what he was even talking about. Leaning? Was this a hiking thing I knew nothing about? Or a bullshit thing, which I happened to be an expert in.
“It shouldn’t be much longer now. The trail is only about two miles around, and then we’ll go up from there.”
I jerked to a stop, but Emmett was already slowing to turn back to me.
“There’s no way.”
