Page 89 of Little Bird
That’s so ridiculous that I start laughing again. Those boots have soles an inch thick. There’s no way they drown out any sound.
“Luckily for you, they also serve a separate purpose,” he says finally. “They provide warmth when you’re outside.”
“Gabe, speak English,” I say, annoyed. “What?”
He grabs my hand, turns me toward the stairs, and starts pushing me along. “I’m wearing extra jackets so I can give some to you when we get up to the ridge. Because I know you, and I know you never put on enough clothes.”
Especially when he’s shoving me down the stairs and out the door without giving me a chance to grab a jacket, I think. He’s making fun of me for the exact thing he’s currently forcing me to do.
But he’s also promising a trip to the ridge, and that means a sunset in the peace and quiet of the forest. Away from phone coverage and the threat of more texts, with my best friend. So I don’t argue with him.
Besides, he already said he’s got an extra jacket for me.
Just like he always does.
When we get to the ridge we find several new trees down, courtesy of the storm, and Gabe spends a moment walking around them, his face thoughtful as he measures and plans for them. My fingers twitch for my camera and several times, I almost bring out my phone to shoot pictures of him planning. This is exactly the sort of content I want for the campaign I’m putting together for them, and the light is perfect. The last rays from the sun are brushing the tops of the trees and landing on Gabe, all gold and pink, and he looks like an angel come down to walk the earth and look at the trees. His hair is blonder in the light and he almost looks like the boy I used to know.
Except for the height. And the muscles. And the raw sexual tension he carries with him like a shield these days.
When he turns to me, though, he’s wearing the face of my best friend and stepbrother, and I walk with him toward the tree where everyone seems to sit up here. We sink down, our faces to the setting sun and Gabe’s arm around me, and I let him pull me against his body. He gave me one of his jackets the moment we walked out the door, and I pull it around me to keep me warm and spend several seconds doing nothing but appreciating the fact that I have this man to lean on.
“Are you okay?” he asks softly.
I bite my lip. Gunner knows some of what’s going on but I haven’t said anything to Gabe, and honestly I’m not sure if I want to. Gabe is more mercurial than Gunner, his emotions so close to the surface, and something inside me doesn’t want to give him bad news. I don’t want to tell him about my mother or Johnny or the things they’ve done and said to me. And I really don’t want to tell him that I think they might be on their way up here.
I know he’ll jump right into hero mode, and I’d rather have him here, holding me, than off fighting dragons on my behalf.
“No,” I say softly. “But I will be.”
His arm gets tighter around me and I feel his lips drop to the top of my head. “You will be. Whatever it is, we’ll handle it. We’ll find a way. And I’ll keep you safe, no matter what. All in, right?”
My heart rises up out of my chest into my throat, and for a long moment I can’t find my voice, much less breathe. Because in a world where I’ve been passed over again and again, and constantly told that I’m not enough, Gabe’s casual statement is the balm to my soul.
And for just a second, I let myself feel like it will be okay, and like I might finally be safe.
“All in,” I finally whisper, meaning it with every ounce of my soul.
Gabe
I stare up at the girl in my lap, so fucking turned on, so lucky, so happy that I’m having trouble understanding any of it. This girl, this angel, actually came back to the house and came right to my bed rather than going to her own. Like this is where she belongs.
Like this is where she’s always wanted to be, and I’m the person she’s always wanted.
The realization has something inside me expanding so rapidly that I actually gasp like I’ve momentarily forgotten how to breathe.
Taryn immediately slows her motions and comes back to Earth.
“Are you okay?” she asks sharply.
No. Yes. Not anymore.
“God, don’t stop,” I groan, grabbing her hips and pushing her back and forth on my cock. She’s been in my lap fucking me for only seconds and I’m already hard enough for it to be painful. She’s hot and tight and so wet, and I’m out of my mind with need.
She smirks like she knows exactly what I’m thinking and bends over me, bracing her hands on either side of my head and leaning closer. “Don’t stop?” she asks, her voice sultry and beautiful. “You mean keep doing this?”
She draws herself slowly up off of me, and I gasp again as the cold air hits my wet cock. Her sudden absence feels like I’ve been abandoned in the darkest well, but when I reach out for her she takes my hands and holds them against the bed, clicking her tongue.
“Patience, boy,” she breathes.
