Page 24
Story: Road Trip with Her Bodyguard
I don’t recall ever sampling the local cuisine, or having an in-depth discussion on the virtues of gas station snacks, or going to a music festival.
My parents don’t really know how to live – not that I really do, either, but I’m pretty sure I know now how Idon’twant to live.
I sneak a sidelong glance at Dane. His rugged profile still makes my belly flutter. The man is seriously gorgeous. He’s also incredibly calm, never once yelling at another driver or becoming frustrated at traffic. I love the way his hand drapes casually on the steering wheel: it’s as if he could drive forever.
I wonder if he’s so chill because he gets his aggression out with a sledgehammer? That feels a lot healthier than the weird angst about money and status that my parents and all their friends seem to have.
My own friends are like that too, now that I think about it. They chase bands and follow all kinds of “influencers” on social media because they don’t have any goals of their own. Their families are even richer than mine, so they’ll never have to work a day in their lives.
Me, I want purpose. A reason to get up in the morning, and to have a positive impact on the world.
My biggest fears right now are that Dane will judge me by my messed-up family, and that his dad will never approve of me. It’s so strange: I feel I know him so well, but I’m still nervous to ask too many questions.
“Dane,” I ask softly, “Why did you take the job with my father if you’ve never met him? I mean, did you really owe him a favor on behalf of your dad?”
The deep chuckle that fills the car also fills me with a glimmer of hope. “Well, I’m well-schooled in the ways of being off grid, thanks to my psycho anti-tech dad. I thought I’d be better qualified than the average guy to hide you.”
I laugh with him. “You certainly are. I would never have thought of that trick with the decoy and the helicopter. That was brilliant.”
“Ha! I saw it in a movie,” he shrugs casually. Yet he’s smiling, as if pleased with himself.
When we get back to the cabin, we walk inside, then sit on the sofa in the living room, facing each other.
“Baby, you told off your father like a champ,” Dane says. “I’m so proud of you. So… Now that you have your entire life ahead of you, what do you want to do next?”
He looks at me expectantly, waiting for an answer. I know he doesn’t have any wild expectations. This wonderful man just wants me to be…whatever I want.
I can do anything.
This is a brand-new feeling. For a moment, I just breathe and allow it to wash over me.
“I think I’m going to lounge for a few days. Look up massage courses. Read. Take some walks in your beautiful forest. Would that be okay?”
“More than okay.”
“And then…maybe…well, you kind of mentioned we could perhaps?—”
“You’ll move in with me?” He whoops and grabs my hand as I laugh. “Oh, baby, I’ll make our home so perfect for you. Everything you could ever want. We can swing by Los Altos Hills sometime and pick up your things…”
“You’re not going to judge me by the insane actions of my family?”
“Never.” He chuckles. “You won’t judge me when you meet my dad, will you? He’s the proverbial weirdo mountain man, but he’s going to love you.”
Dane lifts my hand to his lips. “That said… I love you even more.”
I freeze. He’s totally serious, yet there’s a beautiful twinkle in his eyes. He’s excited and hopeful and… vulnerable? It’s as if my response will change his entire life. Mine, too.
I knew it was going to happen someday. It’s something I could feel in my bones. Yet this is so sudden and right and natural and…
“I love you, too.”
I gasp as he lifts me into the air and carries me to the bedroom. Dane hasn’t always behaved like a rough mountain man with me, but he does now, tearing my clothes off and practically hurling me onto the center of the bed.
I stare wide-eyed as his own clothes hit the floor and he lands on the bed between my legs. His eyebrow arches wickedly as he slowly shoves my thighs apart.
The second I nod, I gasp as his face dives between my thighs, licking and sucking at every inch of my skin as if he were starving. My fingers clench the blankets, trying to hold onto reality as he devours me.
This is definitely no time for me to be worried about what others will think of me. Honestly, at this point I couldn’t hold onto my restraint if I tried. Every cry, gasp and moan ripped from my throat sounds wild, feral.
My parents don’t really know how to live – not that I really do, either, but I’m pretty sure I know now how Idon’twant to live.
I sneak a sidelong glance at Dane. His rugged profile still makes my belly flutter. The man is seriously gorgeous. He’s also incredibly calm, never once yelling at another driver or becoming frustrated at traffic. I love the way his hand drapes casually on the steering wheel: it’s as if he could drive forever.
I wonder if he’s so chill because he gets his aggression out with a sledgehammer? That feels a lot healthier than the weird angst about money and status that my parents and all their friends seem to have.
My own friends are like that too, now that I think about it. They chase bands and follow all kinds of “influencers” on social media because they don’t have any goals of their own. Their families are even richer than mine, so they’ll never have to work a day in their lives.
Me, I want purpose. A reason to get up in the morning, and to have a positive impact on the world.
My biggest fears right now are that Dane will judge me by my messed-up family, and that his dad will never approve of me. It’s so strange: I feel I know him so well, but I’m still nervous to ask too many questions.
“Dane,” I ask softly, “Why did you take the job with my father if you’ve never met him? I mean, did you really owe him a favor on behalf of your dad?”
The deep chuckle that fills the car also fills me with a glimmer of hope. “Well, I’m well-schooled in the ways of being off grid, thanks to my psycho anti-tech dad. I thought I’d be better qualified than the average guy to hide you.”
I laugh with him. “You certainly are. I would never have thought of that trick with the decoy and the helicopter. That was brilliant.”
“Ha! I saw it in a movie,” he shrugs casually. Yet he’s smiling, as if pleased with himself.
When we get back to the cabin, we walk inside, then sit on the sofa in the living room, facing each other.
“Baby, you told off your father like a champ,” Dane says. “I’m so proud of you. So… Now that you have your entire life ahead of you, what do you want to do next?”
He looks at me expectantly, waiting for an answer. I know he doesn’t have any wild expectations. This wonderful man just wants me to be…whatever I want.
I can do anything.
This is a brand-new feeling. For a moment, I just breathe and allow it to wash over me.
“I think I’m going to lounge for a few days. Look up massage courses. Read. Take some walks in your beautiful forest. Would that be okay?”
“More than okay.”
“And then…maybe…well, you kind of mentioned we could perhaps?—”
“You’ll move in with me?” He whoops and grabs my hand as I laugh. “Oh, baby, I’ll make our home so perfect for you. Everything you could ever want. We can swing by Los Altos Hills sometime and pick up your things…”
“You’re not going to judge me by the insane actions of my family?”
“Never.” He chuckles. “You won’t judge me when you meet my dad, will you? He’s the proverbial weirdo mountain man, but he’s going to love you.”
Dane lifts my hand to his lips. “That said… I love you even more.”
I freeze. He’s totally serious, yet there’s a beautiful twinkle in his eyes. He’s excited and hopeful and… vulnerable? It’s as if my response will change his entire life. Mine, too.
I knew it was going to happen someday. It’s something I could feel in my bones. Yet this is so sudden and right and natural and…
“I love you, too.”
I gasp as he lifts me into the air and carries me to the bedroom. Dane hasn’t always behaved like a rough mountain man with me, but he does now, tearing my clothes off and practically hurling me onto the center of the bed.
I stare wide-eyed as his own clothes hit the floor and he lands on the bed between my legs. His eyebrow arches wickedly as he slowly shoves my thighs apart.
The second I nod, I gasp as his face dives between my thighs, licking and sucking at every inch of my skin as if he were starving. My fingers clench the blankets, trying to hold onto reality as he devours me.
This is definitely no time for me to be worried about what others will think of me. Honestly, at this point I couldn’t hold onto my restraint if I tried. Every cry, gasp and moan ripped from my throat sounds wild, feral.