Taron groaned. The last thing he needed was to hear about Colin’s hook ups. He stroked Colin’s jaw with his thumb, wondering what else Colin had on his mind. Would he still want to go to the cinema for his birthday? And if he did, would he wear a disguise or just not care about being found?
Colin crooked his neck, arching into the touch like a cat and moved one hand to the middle of Taron’s chest. It felt so comfortable to be touched like this, as if they’d never parted or started this relationship on less-than-ideal terms. “We’ll need to think about logistics though. I guess there are people who do care what happened to me. Maybe I should just eventually reveal myself and tell the police I wanted to escape from it all. I’m an adult, so I can technically leave everyone in the dark about my whereabouts, even if that makes me an asshole.”
Taron snorted. Colin was a bit of an asshole—that much was true. He nodded, eager to keep Colin to himself, for none of his old friends and family to know where he was. Judging by Colin’s confession by his parents’ house, he wouldn’t have too hard of a time convincing him.
Colin shifted in his arms and rubbed the tip of his nose against Taron’s cheek, just above the line of his beard. The touch was soothing yet titillating, and Taron struggled to focus on the narrow road. “But I feel best when I’m just with you. Without all that external noise. All in all, I wouldn’t mind seeing other people once in a while, but being here opened me up to the idea that this kind of quiet life is even a possibility.”
Taron frowned.
Colin blinked, but then his mouth twisted into one of those mean smiles that Taron found so endearing. “You’re jealous! That’s so adorable!”
Taron nudged him with his elbow, dying to be home already, so that he could fuck all that attitude out of Colin.
Colin chuckled and started combing his fingers through the long beard. “You want to keep me hidden, so that no one can even imagine putting his hands on me?”
Taron nodded begrudgingly. That would be the ideal situation. Just him and Colin, and their cats.
Colin’s arms tightened around Taron, and he gave him a loud kiss on the cheek. There were words still hanging in the air, but it took Colin a couple of seconds to voice them. “I can’t believe I found someone who wants me this much. Sounds like a plan.”
Taron also gave Colin a kiss, soothed by the fact that they could finally communicate without the threat of lies, without having to wonder if Colin was playing a game, and without Colin fearing for his life in case he angered Taron. Things have changed between them, and were on the road to a new start.
It felt right, no matter how much Taron had tried to prevent this kind of attachment in the past. He would make their relationship work, and protect Colin at all cost.
They were already approaching the clearing where they lived, but as he focused on the narrowing at the end of the road, Colin stiffened beside him, untangling himself from Taron. “It’s someone’s pickup.”
Fuck. Fucking fuck. Tom McGraw.
Taron sped up and parked his own truck to block the intruder’s way. If there was a hair missing off any of his cats, McGraw was going the way of his brother.
he signed to Colin, and jumped out of the vehicle as soon as it blocked the only way out. He left the headlights on, so they illuminated the yard, but their pale glow wasn’t enough, and as Taron approached the porch, he regretted that he’d been in so much hurry to catch up to Colin that he’d forgotten to take one of his guns with him. Staying armed and ready was the ABC of living off grid, and he’d failed the test.
The illumination revealed the open door and the first line of trees surrounding the house, but everything else remained in the shadows—a single black mass with no shapes to discern. He was about to grab one of the planks piled by the steps when the car door behind him opened.
Fuck. Could Colin ever listen to orders?
He turned to show him back to the truck, but his blood went cold the moment he saw a shape moving behind McGraw’s pickup. The fucker must have heard them approach and made it outside. Taron grabbed the plank without care for noise anymore, and ran back, hoping his rushed movements would be enough of a warning.
Colin stumbled back, unstable with the crutches in both hands. His eyes went wide, his face elongated when he opened his mouth, but he didn’t get to turn and assess the real danger.