Page 17
Story: Road Trip with Her Bodyguard
Dane looks over with a strange expression. “I hope you don’t mind the cabin we’re going to,” he says quietly. “It’s not fancy. There isn’t even a dishwasher.”
I hold up my hands, turning them to examine the backs, then the palms. “Well, would you look at that! Not broken. Perfectly capable of washing dishes.”
Dane chuckles, reaching over to squeeze my knee. I’ve noticed he’s been doing that more and more lately, which makes me wonder: this is the last long day of driving. What are we going to do when we’re holed up in a cabin with nowhere to go?
I definitely know whatIwant to do – fully explore this heat between us.
I slip on some sunglasses and scrunch down in my seat as we drive through Rustic Junction. Parts of the town look like something straight out of a movie set in the Old West. We pass one sign for kiddie horse rides, and another for an upcoming gun fight show.
At the edge of town, Dane turns onto a side road, then drives uphill for a bit. “Well… Here it is.”
The cabin is much larger than I expected. And newer. It’s…charming. Which, trust me, is not a word I’ve ever used about a building.
“Dad and I built this ten years ago, since the first one was falling apart,” he explains. “Grandpa and Dad built it decades ago. It’s the storage shed now.”
I get out of the car and stare open-mouthed at the beautiful wooden beam and brick cottage with a porch that wraps around two sides of it.
Dane grabs the bags, and when we go inside, my jaw drops again. “It’s beautiful,” I sputter. Although the space is very simply furnished, everything is clean and comfortable. It’s the kind of place I could easily hunker down with tea and good books for at least a week.
The large room covers the kitchen, dining area, and living room. Two open doors reveal the relatively small bathroom and the lone bedroom. How long are we going to be stuck in this space together? No idea.
Honestly, I wouldn’t quite characterize it as “being stuck”. And yet…
I spin toward Dane. “I’m so sorry that you’re missing out on so much work because of this. I hope Dad is paying you well for just dropping everything and?—”
“Baby.” His thick arms wrap around me, pulling me closer than usual. “I don’t give a damn about the job anymore, or your father asking mine for a favor, or anything but keeping you safe. Okay?”
A deep shudder rolls through me as he strokes my back. “Okay. Thank you. I think it’s just beginning to hit me that this might’ve been a truly dangerous situation, not just my father overreacting.”
“Doesn’t matter.” His heart thumps under my ear, then his voice is even deeper as he speaks. “When it comes to you, I’m not taking any chances at all.” He chuckles, squeezing me gently. “That’s why I ordered frozen food for tonight. We don’t even have to cook.”
Dane heats up dinner while I learn where everything is in the kitchen and familiarize myself with the cabin. Well, he keeps calling it a cabin. To me, it’s more like a cottage.
After dinner, I stare out the window across the valley as the mountain and forest grow dark. “We’re in the middle of nowhere, aren’t we?” I murmur.
“Yup.” Dane puts the last dish away, then takes my hands. “You saw the locked gate. There’s barbed wire perimeter fencing all the way around the property, and it’s a good twenty-two acres. Plus,” he chuckles, “Dad put up a few ‘Beware of Bears’signs. I’m not sure if they’ve ever actually been spotted around here, but it’s a great deterrent.”
His expression becomes more serious as he walks us to the couch. Dane sits first, then pulls me so I’m sitting with my legs lying over his lap.
“Jorie.” His gruff voice is even lower than usual. “I know things are moving ridiculously fast between us. And I would never hold you to any decision you made today, but…” His deep eyes meet mine. “Would you consider staying a bit longer once this kidnapping threat stuff is over?”
My heart starts to sing. “Yes. For sure.”
He looks hesitant. “The thing is, my job and my house are about an hour east of here. I couldn’t be driving seventeen hours to Los Altos Hills that often…”
“I’d move here in a heartbeat, if that’s what you’re asking.” My fingers slip into the back of his hair. “I’ve been looking for apartments for a while. I was all set to move out last year, but then Mom guilt tripped me into staying a bit longer ‘for her sake’.”
“You said you wanted to be a masseuse. There are certainly plenty of people who could use a massage here in Colorado. With schools and universities everywhere, I bet you could find a good program somewhere within an hour of my house.” His palm rubs slow circles around my back. “Which would obviously beourhouse as soon as you move in.”
I choke back a laugh. “Is it totally ridiculous that we’re thinking about stuff like this already?”
“Maybe. But do we care? I mean, you’re a wild woman now. You’ve sent a decoy onto a helicopter. You’ve been on a road trip with a stranger. You’ve fallen in love with grits.”
“I wouldn’tquitesay that.” Time stops as I see something new in Dane’s gorgeous eyes. He’s falling in love with me as much as I’m falling in love with him.
It doesn’t matter that it’s only been a couple of days. Maybe it’s the thousands of miles and the endless restaurants and pit stops. Maybe it’s from sharing our life stories in rambling loops for days. I feel so close to him. Not just physically, although my heart is pounding a strange quirky rhythm from sitting so close to him that I’m breathing in his masculine scent.
I want him. He clearly wants me. We’re safe now. There’s absolutely no reason not to give into these feelings.
I hold up my hands, turning them to examine the backs, then the palms. “Well, would you look at that! Not broken. Perfectly capable of washing dishes.”
Dane chuckles, reaching over to squeeze my knee. I’ve noticed he’s been doing that more and more lately, which makes me wonder: this is the last long day of driving. What are we going to do when we’re holed up in a cabin with nowhere to go?
I definitely know whatIwant to do – fully explore this heat between us.
I slip on some sunglasses and scrunch down in my seat as we drive through Rustic Junction. Parts of the town look like something straight out of a movie set in the Old West. We pass one sign for kiddie horse rides, and another for an upcoming gun fight show.
At the edge of town, Dane turns onto a side road, then drives uphill for a bit. “Well… Here it is.”
The cabin is much larger than I expected. And newer. It’s…charming. Which, trust me, is not a word I’ve ever used about a building.
“Dad and I built this ten years ago, since the first one was falling apart,” he explains. “Grandpa and Dad built it decades ago. It’s the storage shed now.”
I get out of the car and stare open-mouthed at the beautiful wooden beam and brick cottage with a porch that wraps around two sides of it.
Dane grabs the bags, and when we go inside, my jaw drops again. “It’s beautiful,” I sputter. Although the space is very simply furnished, everything is clean and comfortable. It’s the kind of place I could easily hunker down with tea and good books for at least a week.
The large room covers the kitchen, dining area, and living room. Two open doors reveal the relatively small bathroom and the lone bedroom. How long are we going to be stuck in this space together? No idea.
Honestly, I wouldn’t quite characterize it as “being stuck”. And yet…
I spin toward Dane. “I’m so sorry that you’re missing out on so much work because of this. I hope Dad is paying you well for just dropping everything and?—”
“Baby.” His thick arms wrap around me, pulling me closer than usual. “I don’t give a damn about the job anymore, or your father asking mine for a favor, or anything but keeping you safe. Okay?”
A deep shudder rolls through me as he strokes my back. “Okay. Thank you. I think it’s just beginning to hit me that this might’ve been a truly dangerous situation, not just my father overreacting.”
“Doesn’t matter.” His heart thumps under my ear, then his voice is even deeper as he speaks. “When it comes to you, I’m not taking any chances at all.” He chuckles, squeezing me gently. “That’s why I ordered frozen food for tonight. We don’t even have to cook.”
Dane heats up dinner while I learn where everything is in the kitchen and familiarize myself with the cabin. Well, he keeps calling it a cabin. To me, it’s more like a cottage.
After dinner, I stare out the window across the valley as the mountain and forest grow dark. “We’re in the middle of nowhere, aren’t we?” I murmur.
“Yup.” Dane puts the last dish away, then takes my hands. “You saw the locked gate. There’s barbed wire perimeter fencing all the way around the property, and it’s a good twenty-two acres. Plus,” he chuckles, “Dad put up a few ‘Beware of Bears’signs. I’m not sure if they’ve ever actually been spotted around here, but it’s a great deterrent.”
His expression becomes more serious as he walks us to the couch. Dane sits first, then pulls me so I’m sitting with my legs lying over his lap.
“Jorie.” His gruff voice is even lower than usual. “I know things are moving ridiculously fast between us. And I would never hold you to any decision you made today, but…” His deep eyes meet mine. “Would you consider staying a bit longer once this kidnapping threat stuff is over?”
My heart starts to sing. “Yes. For sure.”
He looks hesitant. “The thing is, my job and my house are about an hour east of here. I couldn’t be driving seventeen hours to Los Altos Hills that often…”
“I’d move here in a heartbeat, if that’s what you’re asking.” My fingers slip into the back of his hair. “I’ve been looking for apartments for a while. I was all set to move out last year, but then Mom guilt tripped me into staying a bit longer ‘for her sake’.”
“You said you wanted to be a masseuse. There are certainly plenty of people who could use a massage here in Colorado. With schools and universities everywhere, I bet you could find a good program somewhere within an hour of my house.” His palm rubs slow circles around my back. “Which would obviously beourhouse as soon as you move in.”
I choke back a laugh. “Is it totally ridiculous that we’re thinking about stuff like this already?”
“Maybe. But do we care? I mean, you’re a wild woman now. You’ve sent a decoy onto a helicopter. You’ve been on a road trip with a stranger. You’ve fallen in love with grits.”
“I wouldn’tquitesay that.” Time stops as I see something new in Dane’s gorgeous eyes. He’s falling in love with me as much as I’m falling in love with him.
It doesn’t matter that it’s only been a couple of days. Maybe it’s the thousands of miles and the endless restaurants and pit stops. Maybe it’s from sharing our life stories in rambling loops for days. I feel so close to him. Not just physically, although my heart is pounding a strange quirky rhythm from sitting so close to him that I’m breathing in his masculine scent.
I want him. He clearly wants me. We’re safe now. There’s absolutely no reason not to give into these feelings.