Page 22 of Ordinary Secrets (Secrets Trilogy #1)

22

TREY

I wanted to make things “official” with Arella because I thought it’d be a good reason for her to introduce me to her grandparents.

I was wrong.

It’s been over a week, and every time I mention the possibility of us paying her family a visit, she says things like “It’s too early for that” or “They’re traveling right now.”

I call bullshit. I think there’s a family secret she’s afraid I’ll uncover, and it’ll be the exact answers I’m looking for—answers that Victor won’t stop hounding me about. He calls every other day to check in—or should I say to give me shit for being “worthless.” He thinks I’m going too slow.

Sadly, he’s right. I’m not utilizing my time well enough. If I keep going days between seeing Arella, it’ll take me forever to finish this. That’s why, for the last week and a half, I’ve made it a point to see her every single day, even if it’s only for an hour. Either I drop by for breakfast in the morning before she heads to work or she meets up with me at the Soul House whenever she gets off.

So far, it’s been working. I can feel her trust in me growing with each lingering hug, each prolonged kiss, and each time she lets me touch her somewhere new. I haven’t seen her naked yet, and although I crave to, I don’t push her. The last thing I want is to ruin all the progress I’ve made just because I wanna get my dick wet.

Yeah, this is the slowest I’ve ever gone with a woman. And yeah, the blue balls every night is torture. But in the end, when she trusts me enough to tell me everything about herself, it’ll be worth it.

I’ve got two things with me when I arrive at Arella’s apartment on Sunday evening: a backpack full of goodies and an extra helmet. I’m in the middle of admiring the beautiful sunset when she steps out, looking like a fucking snack. It takes everything in me not to drag her back inside and lick every inch of her delicious skin.

Instead, I take her in by the waist and spin her around before I plant my mouth over hers. Once I’ve had my fill of her lips, I hand her the extra helmet. Her helmet. The one I purchased today in her size, just for this. I help her strap it on, and she looks so adorable in it that I kiss her again.

When I let her go, I hand her the backpack.

She slides her arms through the straps. “It’s heavy. What’s in here?”

“Stuff.”

“For what?”

I mount my bike, then gesture for her to hop on. “Stargazing.”

“Oh!” A bright smile spreads across her face. “Where?”

“Uh, I haven’t figured that part out yet. I thought we’d ride away from the city until we find a place that’s secluded enough.”

She perks up. “I know a place.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, it’s about an hour and a half away though.”

“Perfect. Let’s go.”

The sun is almost gone by the time Arella tells me to park my bike on the side of a gravel road. When she said this place was secluded, she wasn’t lying. I haven’t seen another car in a while.

In my head, the low hum of other people’s emotions is gone. A place like this is hard to find in California. I’m impressed.

I cut my Harley’s engine, and the air goes still. Crickets chirp around us.

“I usually park my car right here,” Arella says as she dismounts the motorcycle.

“Where is here , exactly?” I lift my helmet off, then a light breeze blows through my hair.

“You’ll see.”

We hang our helmets on the handlebars, then I steal the backpack from Arella so she doesn’t have to carry it. From the side pocket, I pluck out a flashlight—another thing I bought today because I’d probably scare Arella off if I whipped out a fireball.

With my Ordinary torch in one hand and my girl in the other, I let her lead me down the ditch, then back up through some trees.

We hike through the woods for a while. It’s a beautiful night. The air feels warm against my skin, and I can already see some stars above. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

Eventually, Arella leads me to a trail... sort of. It’s more like a path of dirt, barely wide enough for one person. Our hands let go, and I offer her the flashlight, then follow her up the steep hill.

I duck under a tree branch. “This seems like a place where you’d take someone to kill ’em.”

“Relax. I’ve only ever killed two people here. The third one got away.”

A dry stick cracks beneath my feet as I stop to gape at her.

Giggling, she turns around and grabs my arm. “I’m kidding. Now, come on! We’re almost there.”

A few minutes later, we’re out of the woods and the ground levels out into a grassy meadow. In the middle of it, slightly to the left, is a lone oak tree. The breeze is a little stronger up here, and it smells of ripe nature.

I follow Arella to the oak, then we stop under all of its long branches. Dark green leaves stretch out in all directions like an umbrella protecting us from whatever may fall from the darkening sky.

Arella opens her arms out wide and does a spin. “Welcome to my thinking spot .”

“I like it.” My backpack drops to the grass with a thump. “How did you find this place?”

“I found it by accident. Sometimes when Nathan?—”

“Pencil Dick.”

She laughs and rolls her eyes. “Yes, him. Sometimes when we got into a fight, I’d go for a drive. One night, I ended up here. I liked the atmosphere and the quiet. Later, I started coming back whenever our fights got really bad, because you know... he couldn’t find me here.”

With a hand splayed over the small of her back, I pull her toward me until her entire body is flush against mine. Tenderly, I place a little kiss on her forehead. I don’t know why. I just feel the need to comfort her.

“He hasn’t been coming around or contacting you at all, has he?”

She shakes her head.

“You’d tell me if he does, right?”

“You’d be the first to know.”

“Good.” I have a strong feeling that Nathan’s out of her life now. That night, after Arella convinced me not to call the cops, I needed insurance that he’d stay away. Taking pictures of him with the words i assault women written across his body was my way of gaining that insurance. I made it clear that if he ever as much as looked at her again, I would post the pictures everywhere for the world to see.

From the backpack, I yank out a violet blanket. I spread it out under the tree, then bring out the meats, cheeses, crackers, and water bottles. Then I sit and pat the empty space next to me.

Arella smiles down at me. “You’re adorable, you know that?”

“Hmm. Can’t say I’ve ever been called that before.”

“Well, it’s true.” She sits and helps me unwrap our snacks. “You come up with the most romantic things for us to do.”

“I wish I could take the credit, but this was another idea I stole from Professor Google.”

“What did you type in?”

“Um.” I clear my throat as I tell her the truth. “Romantic things to do with a pretty girl.”

“Really?” She laughs, and it sends a spark through my chest. I like hearing her laugh and seeing it too. Since I can’t sense her happiness, seeing it is important.

“Yeah, really.” I run my palm across the blanket. “This is for you, by the way. I bought it for you ’cause you’re always cold at my house. You can leave it there to keep you warm.”

Her bottom lip puckers out into a pout. “But I like wearing your hoodie.”

“Oh! That reminds me.” I dig toward the bottom of the backpack to find my black hoodie. The one Arella has been wearing every time she comes over. The one she looks irresistible in. “This is for you too.”

Her eyes widen as she accepts it. “To keep?”

“Yep. I figured since you like it so much, you should just wear it all the time.”

She lunges at me. Her kiss is quick—too quick. When she draws back, my hands instinctively reach for her. She comes willingly, and I get to kiss her for a little longer. I could probably kiss her all night.

Sometimes, it’s hard for me to let her go. A few nights ago, when she came to my place and we were up talking past two in the morning, I almost asked her to stay the night. The only reason I didn’t was because I had a feeling she wasn’t ready for that step yet, and I didn’t want to make her feel obligated to stay.

“Thank you, Trey,” she says when I finally release her lips. “I love them both. Your hoodie more, but I love the blanket too.”

It took me a while to decide on a good gift for her. I had already bought her this blanket when I realized that the perfect gift had been in my house the whole time. My goal was to give Arella something that would be meaningful to her. Based on her reaction, I’m gonna say I nailed it.

To Victor’s knowledge, I bought Arella an expensive bracelet. He thinks I gave it to her last week and that she loved it so much, she cried. I’m glad I went with my hoodie instead, because I doubt a stupid bracelet would have elicited such a happy reaction from her.

We talk easily while we munch on our cheese and crackers. With passion, Arella tells me about her dream bakery. Everything from the paint color on the walls to what kinds of sugary treats she wants to have on display. It doesn’t take long for me to get lost in the sound of her voice. It’s so soft and sweet. She could be talking about a bloody massacre, and it would still sound like a lullaby to me.

Eventually, we finish snacking and find other things to do with our mouths. Mine starts at her lips before it maneuvers down her neck and behind her ear. She lets out breathy moans as I travel down her chest.

Panting against her cleavage, I ask, “Can I take your shirt off?”

I expect her to say no like she has every time I ask. Instead, she surprises me by nodding and lifting her arms up. My heart thrashes against my ribs as I drag her little shirt over her head and toss it behind me.

I barely have time to admire her lacy white bra before she climbs on top of me, straddling my lap. I feel like her prisoner. She’s captured me, and I can’t escape. I don’t even want to.

My hands grip her plump ass as I jerk her body closer to me. With a grunt, I press my stiff cock against her inner thigh. She lets out a sexy moan that makes my arms go weak.

Our breaths are heavy as I pepper kisses along her collarbone. When she arches her head back, I take the hint. I nip, suck, and bite at every inch of her neck until I’m ready to go back to her lips.

When our mouths meet again, it feels like coming home. This is where my lips are supposed to be. Kissing her forehead is great, her neck is like heaven, and I love kissing her everywhere else, but this... This right here. This is where it’s at.

With a finger, I pull the strap of her bra down her shoulder. When she doesn’t stop me, I leave home to trail kisses down her chest. I suck a little bit of her cleavage into my mouth and wait for her to tell me no . Hope sparks inside me when she doesn’t.

“Babe?” I say like a plea.

“Mm?” she moans.

“Stop me.”

She shakes her head as she whispers, “I don’t want to.”

At that, my cock hardens so much, it’s painful. Within a flash, I’ve got her breast out and her nipple in my mouth. She gasps as she arches her head back and grips my hair. While I suck on one nipple, I roll the other between my fingertips. It drives her insane. I know not because I sense it but because she writhes on top of me.

Before tonight, I thought the reason I always have great sex is because I can feel the woman’s pleasure on top of my own. It never occurred to me that someday, I’d be going to second base with a woman I can’t sense at all. If someone had asked me if I thought it’d be as good, I would have said no .

And I would have been wrong.

All I’ve done is touch and kiss Arella, and now I’m sucking on her breasts for the first time, and it already feels better than sex with any woman I’ve ever been with.

My fingertips graze against the button of her jeans for only a second before she grabs my wrist. I take that as a sign that I’ve reached her limit. Instead of tearing her pants off the way I want to, I fist her hair, yank her head back, and return to sucking on her neck.

It takes a lot of willpower, but eventually, I find Arella’s shirt in the grass and help her put it back on. With a hand behind my head, I lie back on the blanket and motion for her to join me. Naturally, she rests her head over my shoulder, and I pull her close until there isn’t a sliver of space between us.

For a long time, neither of us says anything. I appreciate the way we can be with each other and not have to fill the silence. Usually, quietness irks me because I hate being alone with my thoughts, but whenever I’m with Arella, my thoughts aren’t that hard to handle. They aren’t dark or depressing or what Liz calls self-degrading. When I’m with Arella, my thoughts are about her, which are light and cheerful.

I listen to the sounds of her easy breaths as I stare up at the black sky, where a few stars are shining. Would my parents have liked Arella? I bet they would have, only because there’s nothing about her not to like. She’s kind, beautiful, and she’s got a great sense of humor. Her immunity is just the cherry on top of all that.

Suddenly, it hits me how special this moment is. For the first time ever, I’m alone in my head—and someone is right here! To be truly alone, I typically have to travel to my secluded cabin in Colorado. When Elliott died, I hid there for a month.

When I finally came back, I explained to a furious Liz that I had disappeared because I’d needed to clear my head. Getting everyone else out of it is the only way to do that. Yeah, it’s lonely, but until now, I’ve never had another choice. Never did I imagine that it’d be possible to have a clear head minus the loneliness. Arella has made that possible. Here she is, cuddled in my arms, and the only emotions I feel are my own. It’s amazing!

Now I’m more in awe of her than ever. She’s so fucking special, and she doesn’t even know it. Leaning down, I plant a hard kiss against her temple, but it’s not nearly enough to fully express how much I enjoy being here with her. I wish I could tell her with words, but I don’t know how. Not that I could explain it to her anyway. I’d have to tell her that I have an ability she doesn’t know exists.

I kiss her temple again, harder this time, because I want to show her how grateful I am for her. I hope she can feel my gratitude through my lips.

“What’re you thinking about?” she asks softly as she continues caressing little figure eights over my abs.

It takes me a second to gather myself with all the overwhelming fluttery thoughts I’m having. “You. I think my parents would have liked you.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. They probably would have loved to hang out here with us, too. When I was little, my parents took me hiking a lot. Our favorite spot was near this small town a few hours south of LA. We’d hike to this big rock, and they’d bring snacks like I brought for you tonight. The three of us would lay out on a blanket under the stars, just talking.”

“That sounds wonderful. My grandparents never took me hiking. They like to do more indoor things.”

“Like meet your new boyfriend? That’s indoors.”

She chuckles, and I’m not fond of how it comes out with a hint of annoyance. With a deep sigh, she pushes herself up and sits with her legs in a pretzel.

“What?” I say and follow suit. My body feels a little cold where hers used to be.

“Nothing. I just feel like you’re obsessed with meeting my grandparents. That’s the third time you’ve brought it up this week.”

“You’re counting?”

She ignores my question. “What’s up with you wanting to meet them so bad?”

“What’s up with you not wanting me to meet them?”

“Like I said before, I think it’s too early for that.”

“Did Nathan get to meet them?”

She nods.

“How long did he have to wait?”

“About six months.”

Six months? I don’t have time for that.

“And,” Arella continues, “I didn’t introduce him to my grandparents until I felt like he and I had really connected, like on a level deeper than just two people dating. I don’t think you and I are there yet.”

“Okay... How can we get there?” And fast... I’m running low on time, and Victor’s running out of patience—that is, if he had any at all.

She lets out a small laugh and shakes her head. “That’s not how it works, Trey. A deep relationship takes time.”

“How will I know when we’ve reached that point?”

“I think you’ll just know.”

Playfully, I narrow my eyes at her. “You’re giving me too much credit, babe. I’m clueless about this stuff, remember? You’re gonna have to give me more details. Like... what will it look like?”

“What does a deep relationship look like?” She shrugs and thinks. “I suppose the biggest factor is that we’ll be in love.”

“In love?” Just saying that word out loud makes my throat dry. Me? In love? Is that possible? Probably, but not with an Ordinary. I could pretend though. “What does being in love look like?”

“You’ve never been in love?”

“Don’t think so.” I have an idea of what it looks like from hanging around Marcus and Emmy. They’re always touchy-feely with each other, and they do everything together. Whenever one walks into the room, I sense the other’s happiness spike upward. I assume that means they’re in love.

“Love looks different between everyone, but I think the one thing that’s constant is what my grammy always tells me. She says that when you love someone, you put their happiness before your own.”

I think about that for a moment, racking my brain for anyone I’ve ever felt that way about. Sadly, I can’t think of anyone. Even sadder, no one has ever felt that way for me. At least, not romantically.

I know my parents loved me—before they were murdered.

Victor used to love me. Maybe he still does... in his own sick, twisted way. If he ever verbalized it now, I’d be certain he’s been replaced by a Shifter or a Mind Swapper.

I think I loved Elliott. Why else would I have taken his death so hard? I would have done anything to protect that child or to have saved him from the cancer.

Now that I think about it, I think I love Liz. I one hundred percent would put her happiness before mine, but I don’t think the way I feel about her is the same kind of love Arella’s talking about.

“How do you know the difference between regular love and romantic love? Like, I think I love Liz, but I don’t wanna make out with her. At the same time, I’d do anything to make that woman happy.”

Arella purses her lips together in thought. “My grandpa says that he knew he loved my grandma when, one day, he looked at her and couldn’t picture the rest of his life without her.”

“Hmm. If that’s the case, then I might love Liz romantically. I can’t imagine my life without her. Who will be there to yell at me for making dumb decisions?”

Arella bursts into a light chuckle. “Maybe if you stop making dumb decisions, she won’t have to yell at you.”

“That’s impossible. I’m a man. It’s what we do.” I’m glad that Arella didn’t take my loving Liz romantically comment seriously. I only said it to be funny.

“You don’t have to be romantically in love with someone to want them around for the rest of your life. You can feel that way about Liz and still love her as a friend.”

“Good, ’cause that’s exactly how I feel about her.”

Between a few fingers, Arella plucks a blade of grass and plays with it. Without looking up at me, she asks, “Do you ever think that Liz is secretly in love with you? Like, as more than a friend?”

Confidently, I shake my head. “Never.”

“How are you so sure?”

“Trust me, baby. I, of all people, am sure.” I can sense the way Liz feels about me, and it’s never anything close to the way Marcus and Emmy feel about each other. Unfortunately, I can’t tell Arella that.

“Then how can you say that you don’t know what a deep relationship looks like, when it’s exactly what you have with Liz?”

Good point. “I guess I didn’t think about my relationship with Liz being that deep until now.”

“How did you guys build such a strong connection?”

I know exactly how. Liz brings it up all the time. She even knows the exact date and calls it our friendiversary. It was the day our hands first touched. The day we shared about our pasts.

Would sharing about my past with Arella get her to share everything about herself with me? Possibly, and I’m willing to do that... I think. Maybe I don’t have to share every little detail, but I could tell her that my parents didn’t actually die in a house fire.

An idea pops into my head, and suddenly, I’m ready to leave.

I toss our stuff back into my backpack. “Let’s go, babe. I need to show you something.”