Hold Me Closer: A Rebel Walking Novel (7 page)

"You come out here."  I step back in challenge, letting the moon's glare shine over my body.  His eyes bore into me as I take another step back.  Right about now, I'm thankful for his decision to pull off on a road that is very seldom traveled.  There are good and bad things about having a bar out on the edge of town.

He steps out of the truck, pulls his jeans completely off and leans casually up against the door. 
Holy hell, this view is amazing. 

"I agree." 

"Haha.  Did I say that out loud?"  His body is ridiculous and so is my urge to run up to him.  I stand strong a few feet out from the truck.

"Yes, you did.  Now come here."  He turns into the truck and pulls out a condom and I watch as he begins to stroke himself before he rolls the latex into place.  My initial intentions of having him come out to me go out the window when I find myself taking the few steps to be able to touch him.

He pulls my face into his to begin the kiss that sparks the fire.  Our breaths become heavy as the kiss goes on and I lose all sense of everything when he reaches between my legs. 

His fingers become my undoing and I ride out an orgasm right before he bends me over to hold on to the running board.  The night air blows over places it's never touched and my hunger for him grows wild as I wait for him.  He enters me with one long, hard thrust and I reposition my grip to be able to enjoy what he has in store for me.  His grip on my hips is tight and his fingertips dig in harder as we continue.  I welcome the feel of him holding onto me like his life depends on it. 

We both ignite just as he moves his hands from my hips to my breasts—each one barely filling his hand.  His breath in my ear triggers chills that run through my body and he pulls me closer against his chest.  He continues to push into me a few more times until we're both completely ready to collapse.     

"You really should keep your hands to yourself while I'm driving.  Someone could get hurt."

"It worked perfectly.  I got exactly what I wanted."  He slides out of me and we both get dressed outside the truck.  I can promise you that I stumbled more than usual because my eyes were busy watching him as he moved.  His body is unlike anything I've ever seen before.     

Chapter Nine

Holden

I wake up to the sound of my phone making the specific sound that means Aiden is calling.  He never calls this early, so I rush to get my phone from my pocket on the floor.

"Hey
, man.  I'm on my way.  We need to talk."

"What's up?"

"Nah.  I'm almost there.  Meet me outside."  I literally pull my jeans on from last night and I'm out the door with my boots in hand.

He pulls into the yard like that asshole Cowboy always does.  If it was anyone else, I'd have their ass.  He's barely stopped before I'm climbing in.

"I had a very interesting call this morning.  We've been asked to start work on a special project that is highly confidential."

"Yeah?  I'm in."

"Not so fast.  I need you to know this will put you in a bad spot."

"Cowboy, cut the bullshit.  Tell me what you know."

"It's Lyndsey's brother."

"Yeah.  I already know he died on duty."

"No
, man.  He's alive.  He's on a special op mission and very much alive."  Chills run through me when I realize what this means. 

"So what's this got to do with us
?"

"We've been asked to kee
p his sister safe.  Some of the people he's working with have leaked information about him and he's concerned about her." 
Fuck
. 

"Why isn't the government issuing protection for her?"

"Apparently. he's former Marine and now works with a private special ops group.  He knows my father and called for help.  I think you need to take her to the cabin and keep her safe until I get shit dealt with here."

"What can I tell her?"

"None of it.  His assignment is a dead man walking mission and he doesn't want her to have to grieve twice if something happens."  

"This is total
bullshit.  She's broken thinking he's dead.  You
know
this is something she should know."

"My hope is one day he'll be able to come back to see her and this'll all be worth it."

"So that bastard that was in her house was looking for information about Kayde?"

"We're not sure
what
they're looking for.  I'm leaving you my truck to take just in case yours is compromised.  I've loaded you down with everything you need and I plan to stay in touch through text only."

"What made him call your dad?"

"My dad is a Marine and Kayde trusts him.  That's why the cabin is so secure.  My dad always wants a safe haven."

"So I just kidnap her and hold her hostage in a cabin
?  Days and days of just that hot ass and me?  I think I can manage that."

"And keep her safe.  That's it." 

I get the keys to my truck from my bedroom and notice that she's already out of bed.  This is going to get tricky.  I'll just convince her to go away with me for a long weekend.  Surely she'll think that's a nice gesture.  I'm just not sure how she'll take it when she finds out I knew her brother was alive and didn't tell her.

Lyndsey

I'm sore this morning, but it's a good kind of
sore—the kind that reminds you of memories from the night before.  He's gone when I wake up, so I start to get ready for work. 

I'm in the shower when I hear him enter.  It's weird to have him staring at me through the glass, but I let him admire me.

"Let me take you away for a long weekend."

"What?"

"I have a cabin that would be a perfect
getaway for a few days.  It's secluded and it'll just be the two of us."

"I can't just leave."

"Why not?"

"Because I run a business."  Turning off the water, I reach for my towel only to have him snatch it before I
can grab it.

"What does that have to do with anything
?  Gus can run the bar."  I step out to face him.  How do you say no to a man wanting to take you away?  I've never had anyone ask to take me away and I can't imagine having him all to myself being a bad thing.

He holds the towel out for me and I watch his eyes travel over my breasts.

"So
, what all do you have planned at this cabin?"

"I can think of a few things I'd like to do."  His eyes haven't moved and I know exactly what he's thinking.

"Are we just going to have sex the entire time?"

"Nah.  I'll have to eat
, too."

"All of you guys are the same."  I wrap my towel around my hair and begin to tease him further by bending to get another towel for my body.

"I'm pretty sure we're not all
built
the same.  So, what do you say?  Are you coming to the cabin with me for a long weekend?"  He has no idea how true that statement is and how much I want to go away with him.

"Let me work it out with Gus and see if I can pull it off."

"I want to leave this morning."

"Why the rush?"

"I want to get there before dark and we have a six-hour drive."

"Well, we may have to leave tomorrow then."

"You can call him on the way."  His persistence is confusing me.  He doesn't seem like the type that would put this much effort into taking me somewhere.

"You're acting we
ird."  He closes in on me.  His eyes find mine and he pulls me in even closer. 

"I just want to spend a
few uninterrupted days with you and get to know you even more.  We've really hit it off so far, and I think if we had time to focus completely on each other, we'd have a great time."  I can't even argue with that.  He's been insanely perfect and we've moved so fast, but it doesn't feel rushed, if that makes sense.

"I'll go with you, but you have to take me to my house and the bar before we leave."

"You won’t need very many clothes, but we can stop by there quickly."  He pulls me in for a kiss with no warning.  This kiss is different than any of our others.  He's stiff and it just seems like he's using it to end this conversation.

Pushing back, I look at him and try to gauge his actions.  He reaches around me, smacks me on the naked ass, and walks out of the bathroom
, leaving me even more confused.

"Let's go."

I watch him throw a few things in
to a bag which seems crazy for someone with everything so perfectly organized in his house.  This unexpected trip seems out of character for him, but I really haven't known him that long.  I guess I pegged his personality completely wrong.  Being spontaneous can be fun and I could use a little excitement in my life.

He parks in my driveway and we both go inside.  The guys are working on the house, and he stops to talk to one of them.  It doesn't take me long to pack.  Most of the clothes I want are in the dryer and on the couch, so it's easy to toss them in the bag.  Trying to pack a few sexy items, I pull open the drawer where I keep it all.  After rummaging through the few items I have, I decide I don't really have any sexy lingerie that I want to wear with him.  The only piece I even like has memories with a major asshole and I'll never wear it again because of that.  Tossing it into the trash, I make my way into the bathroom to gather a few other things.

"Are you ready, Woman?"

I walk out just in time to see him looking into my trashcan at the red lace hanging over the edge.  "What are you doing throwing this away?"

"I'll never wear that, so I tossed it."  He leans over to pick it up and lets the strap hang from his index finger as he inspects it closely.

"You're right.  I like you better naked, anyway.  Let's go."  He drops the lace back into the trash and walks out of the room. 

Holden

She is taking her sweet time and I'm going stir crazy.  We need to get the hell out of here and I'm about to just throw her over my shoulder and shove her in the truck.  She finally decides to surface from her bedroom with a bag
.  Taking her bag, I start out the door, hoping she will follow. 

"What the hell has gotten into you, Holden?  You have me worried."

"Just trying to get us on the road.  I know you'll take forever at the bar, too, and I'm just ready to get to the cabin."

"Okay.  I'm coming.  It's just happening so quick
ly and I feel like I'm forgetting something."

"If you are, we can buy whatever it is."

I'm even more impatient at the bar.  I've just got this terrible feeling that I can't shake and I'd feel better if we were out of here.  I can't possibly be anymore obvious about wanting to be gone or she'll pick up on this.  I'm not prepared to share the real danger with her since it really can't be explained without telling her about her brother. 

I send a text to my brothers
, surprising them about me taking time off.  This is unlike me and it isn't shocking when I get a call immediately from Talon.

"So
, you're taking time off?  Where are you going?"

"It's a business trip, but I'll be out at the cabin.  Keep everyone out for
me; I'm going to need it for a week or so."

"Look at you.  So Ev
was
right about Lyns and you hitting it off."

"Yeah.  She's pretty cool.  Not sure yet
, though, we're just having fun for now."

"Those are the best kind.  Have fun
, brother.  I'll text if anything comes up."

I can't let on to either of my brothers that something is wrong.  They'll be there in a flash and I can't have that.  I need to keep them separated from this until I know that there isn't any apparent danger that we need to be concerned about. 

She finally gets everything in order and tells Gus about our trip.  I'm not surprised to hear him disagree with the idea of her leaving town with a guy she just met.  I stand quietly around the corner and listen to their conversation, waiting until I have to before I interrupt to do damage control if it becomes necessary. 

"You just met him.  There's no damn way I'm letting you leave town with him unless you tell me where you're going."

"Gus.  Stop it.  I don't know exactly where we're going, but I'll message you as soon as we get there with the info and then you'll know."

"What if he's a serial killer or a rapist
?"

"Well
, he's not a rapist, because I'll agree to sex with that beast again any day."

"Not funny, Lyns."

"I'm not trying to be funny.  You just need to relax a little.  You know I need this.  I've never had a guy want to take me away and this means a lot to me.  He seems to really like me and there aren’t any ulterior motives with him."