“Hands off my wife,” Luther growls. For a moment, I think he’s serious. Until I look at his face and see the way he’s watching us. With anticipation instead of anger.
Mack is unfastening the tie on the front of my dress, and slipping his hands inside, when the tent opens and Kole strides in. He’s holding our backpacks, all six of them, and stops in the entrance.
“Time to move out,” he says. “Mom’s got a friend in the next village who can lend us a truck.”
I’m about to ask why he’s decided against the train, but something in his face tells me he’s not in the mood for talking.
Reluctantly, I sit up. I wanted to lose myself in them. I wanted a few minutes of feeling nothing but good things. But it looks like that’ll have to wait.
* * *
It’san hour’s walk to the next village. By the time we get there, my legs are sore with the effort of walking on a steep incline in non-hiking boots.
Kole tells us to wait in the shelter of the trees and heads for a farmhouse that looks pretty much abandoned. We see no signs of movement inside, but he returns a few minutes later driving a beaten-up old truck with no plates.
“I’ll drive,” he says, gesturing for us to pile in.
Mack and Luther sit up front with Kole while Tanner, Sam, and I take the bench seat in the back. Our packs are in the cargo bed, covered with a large gray tarp.
We drive in silence for a while, until Luther flicks on the radio and turns it up. The noise makes me relax a little. Sandwiched between Tanner and Sam, I shuffle to get comfortable. Without me having to ask, Tanner picks up my legs and pulls them across his lap while Sam angles his chest to support my back. I hug Sam’s large muscly arm and rest my head on his chest while Tanner rubs my feet.
“I kinda miss the dress,” he says eventually, trailing his eyes up my body. “I mean, you look good in anything, but things with gaping necklines are a definite win.”
I roll my eyes at him and nudge his stomach with my foot. Catching it, Tanner starts to rub my calves. His hands are perfect. Large, tanned, and gorgeously strong. But instead of melting into his touch and encouraging him to slide his hands higher up my legs, before I know it, I’m asleep.
When I open my eyes again, we’re in the turnout on the edge of the forest and Kole is already unloading our bags from the back of the truck. It’s mid-afternoon and the forest is wrapped in warm, dappled sunlight.
Mack puts his hand on the small of my back as we head toward the cabin. When we reach the steps, Kole hangs back, looking around as if he’s checking that no one has followed us—even though we know no one could breach the mask. The others file past, up toward the veranda, but I choose to hang back with Kole.
Sam glances at me but I flick my eyes to the door, hoping he understands that I’ll catch up in a minute.
Realizing we’re alone, Kole tries to move past me but—standing a few steps higher than him so our eyes are level—I catch his arm. “Whatever you can’t tell me, it’s okay.”
He’s barely moving, barely even breathing. I stroke his face.
“It’s okay, my gorgeous Viking. It’s okay.”
Closing his eyes, for just a moment, he leans into my touch. When he looks at me again, his words drip through me like raindrops.I love you, Nova.
The words themselves don’t surprise me, but the force with which they enter my body does. I lean in, expecting him to kiss me. Before he can, Tanner appears at the door. “You two alright?” he asks.
“Good.” Kole nods at me, then lets go of my waist and nudges past to stride up the steps.
As he disappears inside, Tanner raises his eyebrows at me.
“He’s not okay,” I tell him.
Tanner sits down on the top step. “I know.”
I sit beside him and shake my head. “He knows something he can’t share with us.”
Again, Tanner says, “I know.”
“That’s a heavy weight to carry.”
“It is.” Tanner is staring out at the lake. I inch closer and run my palm over his back. His muscles are taut beneath my hand. I rub his neck a little and he closes his eyes. Giving me a dimpled smile, he says, “I haven’t seen nearly enough of you the past few days.”
“You’ve been with me the entire time,” I tease, nudging him with my elbow.