Page 13
Story: Her Protector on Route 14
I glance up and give him a playful look, then motion him closer. “Only if you promise not to judge my angles.”
He steps in, so close he blocks the sun—casting me in his shadow like the rest of the world’s been temporarily put on pause. I scroll through the latest shots, pretending to focus, until his hand brushes mine.
The contact is barely there, but it sends a current straight through me.
“If you didn’t already do this for a career, it’s exactly what I’d tell you to do,” he murmurs. “You said you capture memories like this.”
“I do,” I whisper.
He shakes his head and taps my finger. “No, you create art, Holly. It’s astounding.”
My eyes dip into the photo. The saloon, the horses parading with small passengers, the saloon girls all dressed up and the glint of the sun glowing in the corner and altering the color give it a sepia tint that I didn’t expect.
“Well…it came out even better than I thought,” I whisper, I turn to the next one, it’s one of Tanner, backlit by the low sun, leaning against the railing while trying to get me to pet horses. “And this one.”
“Is just for you,” he says, low in my ear. “I don’t want to be in a magazine or online.”
Something intimate and hot slips along my veins as I turn to meet his eyes. “If it’s one of the best, how am I supposed to resist?”
“Are you saying I need to pay you to keep it private?” He asks.
I really want to ask him to kiss me for it, but instead, I say we should go back to the saloon, that we both need a cool drink and some food. He arches an eyebrow at that, but he indulges me, then insists on a ghost tour so I have the ‘full’ experience.
Which results in us both laughing when we spot the tricks the tour guide is using, then turn it into a game of who can spot the trick first. It’s stupid, silly, but it keeps Tanner close and talking to me which – selfish or not – is exactly what I want.
And yet—every brush of his fingers against my skin, every low whisper in my ear as he points something out, the way he never drifts more than an inch from my side—it all hits me with the same intensity as that kiss.
Twice, I turn to say something just as he does, and we end up nose to nose, breath mingling, eyes locked, tension sparking like static in the narrow space between us.
By the time dinner rolls around, I feel like I’m buzzing under my skin, like my whole body’s wired, straining for contact, aching for release.
Touching him, kissing him, justbeingwith him in any way I can—that feels like the only way to ground myself.
I know it’s only been a week since we met, but we’ve spent all but two days together.
Most people ease into dating. A couple of short outings, a dinner here and there. Maybe two dates a week, four hours at most. Tanner and I have already blown past that. We’ve shared a two-day road trip, spent full days side by side, only breaking to sleep.
That has to mean something.
It’s all I can think about as I slip into a cream-colored dress that drapes off my shoulders. Soft. Romantic. A little risky. He invited me down for drinks in the hotel lounge, and tonight, I’m going to bring up the kiss.
He hasn’t pulled back like I thought he would. If he didn’t want more, he wouldn’t have insisted on continuing the trip. He wouldn’t still wear the cowboy hat I gave him. He wouldn’t point out photo spots like he wants to help me capture everything. He wouldn’t keep finding excuses to stay close.
Would he?
I take a slow breath, trying to quiet the buzz in my chest, and head down to the lounge. He’s already there, sipping a beer at the bar, alone and saying nothing. I bite my bottom lip and rub my arm as I walk toward him, then slide onto the stool beside him without a word.
And he leans away, just slightly.
“That seat’s taken. I’m not interested, I don’t need—”
“Anyone or anything?” I finish, arching a brow.
He turns and sees me, a flicker of surprise softening into a small smile. “Damn. Am I really that predictable?”
“If you want me to leave—” I start, trying to keep my voice even.
But he cuts me off gently. “You’re the one taking the seat, Holly,” he says, before nodding to the bartender. “Whatever she wants is on my tab.”
He steps in, so close he blocks the sun—casting me in his shadow like the rest of the world’s been temporarily put on pause. I scroll through the latest shots, pretending to focus, until his hand brushes mine.
The contact is barely there, but it sends a current straight through me.
“If you didn’t already do this for a career, it’s exactly what I’d tell you to do,” he murmurs. “You said you capture memories like this.”
“I do,” I whisper.
He shakes his head and taps my finger. “No, you create art, Holly. It’s astounding.”
My eyes dip into the photo. The saloon, the horses parading with small passengers, the saloon girls all dressed up and the glint of the sun glowing in the corner and altering the color give it a sepia tint that I didn’t expect.
“Well…it came out even better than I thought,” I whisper, I turn to the next one, it’s one of Tanner, backlit by the low sun, leaning against the railing while trying to get me to pet horses. “And this one.”
“Is just for you,” he says, low in my ear. “I don’t want to be in a magazine or online.”
Something intimate and hot slips along my veins as I turn to meet his eyes. “If it’s one of the best, how am I supposed to resist?”
“Are you saying I need to pay you to keep it private?” He asks.
I really want to ask him to kiss me for it, but instead, I say we should go back to the saloon, that we both need a cool drink and some food. He arches an eyebrow at that, but he indulges me, then insists on a ghost tour so I have the ‘full’ experience.
Which results in us both laughing when we spot the tricks the tour guide is using, then turn it into a game of who can spot the trick first. It’s stupid, silly, but it keeps Tanner close and talking to me which – selfish or not – is exactly what I want.
And yet—every brush of his fingers against my skin, every low whisper in my ear as he points something out, the way he never drifts more than an inch from my side—it all hits me with the same intensity as that kiss.
Twice, I turn to say something just as he does, and we end up nose to nose, breath mingling, eyes locked, tension sparking like static in the narrow space between us.
By the time dinner rolls around, I feel like I’m buzzing under my skin, like my whole body’s wired, straining for contact, aching for release.
Touching him, kissing him, justbeingwith him in any way I can—that feels like the only way to ground myself.
I know it’s only been a week since we met, but we’ve spent all but two days together.
Most people ease into dating. A couple of short outings, a dinner here and there. Maybe two dates a week, four hours at most. Tanner and I have already blown past that. We’ve shared a two-day road trip, spent full days side by side, only breaking to sleep.
That has to mean something.
It’s all I can think about as I slip into a cream-colored dress that drapes off my shoulders. Soft. Romantic. A little risky. He invited me down for drinks in the hotel lounge, and tonight, I’m going to bring up the kiss.
He hasn’t pulled back like I thought he would. If he didn’t want more, he wouldn’t have insisted on continuing the trip. He wouldn’t still wear the cowboy hat I gave him. He wouldn’t point out photo spots like he wants to help me capture everything. He wouldn’t keep finding excuses to stay close.
Would he?
I take a slow breath, trying to quiet the buzz in my chest, and head down to the lounge. He’s already there, sipping a beer at the bar, alone and saying nothing. I bite my bottom lip and rub my arm as I walk toward him, then slide onto the stool beside him without a word.
And he leans away, just slightly.
“That seat’s taken. I’m not interested, I don’t need—”
“Anyone or anything?” I finish, arching a brow.
He turns and sees me, a flicker of surprise softening into a small smile. “Damn. Am I really that predictable?”
“If you want me to leave—” I start, trying to keep my voice even.
But he cuts me off gently. “You’re the one taking the seat, Holly,” he says, before nodding to the bartender. “Whatever she wants is on my tab.”