He whistles under his breath. “You gotta tell the cops man. It’s a matter of time before someone makes your truck and they think you kidnapped her.”
I nod. “Yeah, I know. Just gotta figure out the best way to approach that. I’m not sure I’m okay with bringing her out in public, even to the police station, bud. I mean it was as if they were a hit squad after her.”
My friend grunts. “You know what? I’m gonna do you a solid. My buddy Bear is with the force. Let me make the call first, ease him into it, then he can call you direct and smooth it out when you give him all the details.
My shoulders loosen a little of the tension I’ve been carrying. “I owe you, man.”
“I’ll look into the Buns Out connection, too. You’re right, that shit doesn’t check out at all. I’ll call you back ASAP.”
“Thanks, brother.”
“Take it easy, West.”
I hang up and open the door to my room. I look through the small house and grin when my eyes take in the sight of Taylor out on my balcony porch. She’s leaning against the railing, her long blonde hair whipping in the sea breeze.
I step out and pause at the half-open sliding door to the porch. My smile widens as I take it all in. God, she’s perfect, and this view is perfect too. Her, in my house, on my porch, looking sexy as hell with the ocean swelling past her.
It’s like a glimpse of what could be, too. I know, I know—I don’t even really know this girl. But I know what I feel, and I know how she makes me feel. I know she’s young, but hell, I look at her and I see the future I’ve always dreamed about. I look at her and see the life I’ve always wanted.
She’s on the phone, and I watch her say something before she hangs up. She sees me out of the corner of her eye and turns to smile at me.
“Everything okay?”
I nod. “Yeah, just making some calls about earlier.” I purposefully don’t say “the shooting” or anything like that, even though she obviously knows what I mean.
She nods. “That was my parents,” she smiles wryly. “They’re in Vancouver, but I wanted to call them and tell them about everything and that I was okay before they saw it on the news.”
She shrugs. “We’re not that close, honestly. They’re a little older than most people’s parents, and I’ve always sort of been more of a roommate than a daughter to them. But I just told them I was okay and safe and all of that, and that the police were on it.”
She frowns. “Um, about the police?”
“It’s being taken care of,” I say gently, smiling at her and stepping close. “I called a friend, who’s going to get the wheels moving with the right people so that we don’t have to go anywhere.”
I reach for her, and she blushes when my hands slide over her hips. I pull her into me, my pulse quickening.
“It’s good you called them, even if you’re not close. I barely even know my parents.”
Her face falls, but I smile and pull her tight to me. I reach down and tilt her chin up as the waves crash softly on the beach.
“You’re safe here, you know.”
“I do know,” she whispers. Her lips close the distance between us, and I groan when our mouths crush together. I kiss her deeply, soft at first, and then harder and hungrier. She melts into me, gasping and kissing me back almost desperately. Her hands grip my shirt, clinging to me as she kisses me back hard.
My cock swells and hardens to steel against her, and my desire to shred her clothes off of her tight little body and fuck her into my goddamn mattress is almost overwhelming. I’ve had a taste of that pretty little pussy, and it’s all I want now.
And then suddenly, my stomach gurgles, loudly.
I pull away with a groan, but she’s giggling her ass off, beaming at me.
“Sorry,” I growl, shaking my head and running my fingers through my hair. “Been a day, I guess.”
She giggles again. “No, that was pretty freaking adorable. And I could eat too, I haven’t really at all today.”
“I had a snack,” I growl.
She blushes bright red, her teeth raking over her lip.
“Yeah,” she breathes softly.
I groan and pull her close. My hand slides down to cup her tight ass through her shorts, and she whimpers before both our stomachs growl again. I chuckle lowly and pull back.
“Food first,” I growl, holding her eyes with mine. “But then, I’m having that snack again.”