by Krista Lakes
“Your brother’s dead set on testifying, then?”
Bonnie nodded. “He has always done the right thing, and there’s no guarantee the Trio would leave us alone even if he decided to back down now. But they’re still going to try. And the police apparently don’t have the funds or enough evidence to prove I’m in danger, so I’m on my own. That’s why I have to leave.”
She stomped over to where she had kept her bag and slung it over her shoulder. Before Dylan had a chance to say anything, she was out the door again. She knew that he was going to try to get her to stay, and she knew she had to keep her resolve. For Dylan, and Tyson, and Mia, and all the residents of this ranch.
She didn’t hear anyone coming, and she was so revved up that she screamed a little when he put his hand on her shoulder. The emotion of the moment was too much, and she buried her head in Dylan’s chest as the rain came down all around them.
He wrapped his arms around her, and for a brief moment, she felt safe.
Chapter 20
Dylan
Bonnie shook in the wind like a leaf. All he wanted to do was keep his arms wrapped around her and protect her. It was strange. He was actually relieved there wasn’t an ex. There wasn’t someone she was pining over. This was the one time the mob was actually the better option.
“You don’t have to run,” he told her. His arms ached to pull her to him. He took a step forward, and she retreated from him.
“I can’t do this to you,” she whispered. He barely heard it over the rain.
She looked up at him, her eyes big and soft. Her delicate features were wet with rain and her hair plastered to her head. It reminded him of the night they met. She was still the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
Thunder growled around them, and the wind shook the trees. But they were in their own world. Just the two of them. He barely felt the rain. He wasn’t cold anymore. He needed her to stay. He could feel it in his bones that she was the one.
He wiped a raindrop, or perhaps it was a tear, from her face. She closed her eyes at his touch and leaned into his hand.
“I thought you were beautiful the first time I saw you in the rain,” he told her. She opened her eyes to look at him, her cheek still pressed into his palm. “Please don’t leave.”
“But the mob--”
“I have security,” he interrupted. “Mia has a security team. Carter has a security team. Hell, Laura has a security team, and I’m pretty sure that Carter has another security system on top of all of that that I don’t even know about.”
He moved toward her so that their bodies touched. She was shivering.
“You’re safe here,” he told her, his hand still on her cheek. “You’re wanted here.”
Her bottom lip went between her teeth as her eyes searched his face. Her breath came a little faster against him. “I am?”
She wasn’t talking about security. She was making sure that she was his.
“Very much,” he assured her. He tipped his head, pressing his lips to hers. It was gentle, but she whimpered as she let him kiss her. Her body leaned into him, wanting more.
“Okay,” she whispered, her words soft against his lips. “I’ll stay.”
His heart surged with joy. He kissed her again.
Chapter 21
Bonnie
“Follow me,” Dylan whispered, his lips barely leaving hers. Bonnie nodded, and he took her hand.
She held Dylan’s hand firmly as they traversed through the storm, making their way toward his trailer. She already felt better about everything. Partly because the weight was off of her shoulders. She had come forward with the truth about why she was running. Dylan had believed her, and he had promised that he would keep her safe. She believed he would.
“Just a little further.” Dylan squeezed her hand and continued leading her across the field.
The rain was coming down in sheets, and there was virtually no visibility. She clung to him, trusting him to find his way to his home. They passed the camp cabins and went to the edge of the property.
“We’re here,” he announced.
Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief. She lifted her head, squinting against the rain.
“This is your cabin?” she asked.
“I asked Carter if I could use a trailer instead,” Dylan explained, going and opening the door for her. “It’s more private, and it feels more like home. There are some perks to being me.”
She chuckled and looked in awe at his home. It looked more like a small house than it did a trailer, at least any trailer she had ever seen. It was twice the length of a Greyhound bus, except taller. It looked like there were two separate levels to it, with a railing around what she assumed was a rooftop deck.
Dylan held the door open as she stepped inside. The dry warmth of the inside felt amazing. She was shivering with the cold and was fairly sure she would never feel warm again. Every article of clothing she was wearing was drenched with the freezing rain.
“It feels good in here,” she said, rubbing her hands over her arms.
“Let me turn up the heat a little bit, though,” he said. “You must be freezing.”
He took a few steps down the center aisle of the trailer and touched some buttons on the thermostat. Bonnie took the chance to look around, and she was amazed by what she saw.
At the far end of the trailer was the kitchen. It was complete with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. It even had one of those small refrigerators made for the sole purpose of storing wine. From where she stood, it looked like it was completely stocked with bottles, too.
From the floor to the ceiling, everything inside was extravagant. It looked like the editor of Home and Garden magazine had an unlimited budget to decorate his home, covering everything with only the finest furnishings.
“Let me get you a towel so you can dry off a bit.” Dylan disappeared down to the end of the trailer opposite the kitchen. Bonnie followed him a little ways, passing through a small door that led into a completely different area.
There was a huge television screen on one wall. Across from that, was a brown leather sectional couch. It looked so soft and cozy. It took a lot of willpower to keep Bonnie from running over to it and collapsing. The fact that she was soaking wet helped. She didn’t want to ruin it.
In the center of the room was an expensive-looking oriental rug. She didn’t know much about the world of rugs, but she knew when something was handmade. This particular rug, she knew, was most certainly not created by a machine.
She lost track of him as she looked around the room. He popped around the corner, holding a white t-shirt in one hand and a pair of silky-looking, black pajama bottoms in the other.
“Here, I have some dry clothes for you,” he said, with a warm smile. “You’ll get sick.”
“I don’t think that’s how you get sick,” Bonnie smirked playfully. “I’m pretty sure germs get you sick, not cold weather.”
“Well, Doctor Bonnie,” he replied, laughing. “You may be right. Still, though, you should put these on because you’ll be much more comfortable.”
She smiled and took the shirt and pants from him. “Yeah, I guess I can’t argue with that. Is there somewhere that I can change?”
“Yes, of course.” Dylan walked her through the door and to the very back room, which was obviously his grand suite. The bedroom was by far the biggest area of the trailer that Bonnie had seen so far. It was furnished with a King-sized bed, which was covered in a thick white comforter. There were windows on all sides of the room, where she was able to see that the rain was still coming down outside.
The trailer was so large and spacious it felt like a house. She shuddered at the thought of having to drive it anywhere. But, then Dylan was wealthy enough to hire someone with a lot more experience to do that for him.
She followed Dylan the rest of the way into the room, where she noticed a beautiful painting hanging on one of the walls. It was a giant floor-to-ceiling mural of a cowboy on a ho
rse. The colors were bold, and the image was roughly painted with broad strokes. It gave it a modern feel and added to the beauty of the room.
“I like the painting,” she said.
“Do you?” he asked. “A friend of mine back home is an artist. He paints things like that all the time, but this particular one caught my eye. When I told him I wanted to buy it, he said it wasn’t for sale. Instead, he ended up giving it to me for Christmas one year.”
“That’s a great friend,” Bonnie said. “The picture is fitting for you.”
“How do you mean?” Dylan frowned slightly as he looked up at the painting.
She shrugged. “There’s a cowboy on a horse. You’re living on a ranch now. It kind of makes a lot of sense.”
Dylan nodded in agreement. “I actually didn’t even think about that, but you’re right. I liked this picture before I moved here, though. Long before I wanted to pretend to be a ranch hand.” He flashed a flirtatious wink, then chuckled.
“The bathroom is right through that door,” Dylan told her. “Go change and get dry. I’ll change in here.”
“Great,” she said, trying to keep her teeth from chattering as a shiver trickled through her. She was still soaked to the bone, and even though the trailer was warm, she still had the chills. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Take your time,” he said. “I set the dryer out onto the counter for you, in case you want to dry your hair. There’s also a brush. That’s about the extent of the girl-type things that I have here in the trailer.”
Bonnie laughed. “That’s plenty. Thanks, Dylan.”
“No worries. There’s also a clean towel in there for you,” he replied, turning to leave. “Anyway, I’ll go put on some hot water, and I’ll have tea ready for you when you come out.”
She just smiled and watched as he left the room. She held his clothes tightly to her chest and let out a long, relaxing breath.
He puts me at ease, she thought. I don’t know exactly what it is about him. I can’t put my finger on it. There’s just something about being around him that takes my worries away.
Bonnie hadn’t fully realized it until that moment, but since she had walked into the trailer with Dylan, she hadn’t thought about her old life at all. Not once. Sure, it had only been about five minutes so far, but that was longer than she had gone in some time without worrying about the mob and what they would do to her if they ever found her.
Spending time with Dylan is like going on vacation, she thought, chuckling to herself as she went into the bathroom. He’s just another reason why I’m really starting to love it here at the ranch. I hope I get to spend more time with him. There’s so much about him that I want to learn.
“Oh my gosh,” she whispered, stepping across the gray tile of the bathroom. She was expecting something simple given that this was a trailer, but that wasn’t the case with this bathroom.
It was bigger and nicer than any trailer bathroom she could have imagined could fit in a space this size. To the right was the bathroom counter. It was made of beautiful white granite and ran the entire length of the wall. It had two sinks, one next to the other.
Above the counter was a mirror that covered the entire upper half of the wall. It was lit up on all sides by tiny blue LED lights. It gave the bathroom a comfortable glow. It was enough light to illuminate the entire space and allow her to see the over-sized shower at the back of the room. It was one of those showers that had more than one shower head. There were three upper ones and even a couple on the sides. In addition to that, there was a bench in there, so one could sit down and relax in the hot water and steam
She took a few more steps inside. The smell of Dylan’s cologne entered her nose as she neared the counter. The scent was fresh like he had just sprayed it on a moment before. She took in a deep breath and smiled.
Standing in front of the mirror, Bonnie removed her wet clothes and set them on the counter between the sinks. Both her bra and panties were also soaked, and she knew that they would take forever to dry if she just put his clothes on top of them. So she took those off, too, setting them onto the counter next to the others.
Is it bad that I’ve only been in his trailer for just a few minutes and I’m already naked? She asked herself, with a quiet laugh.
Bonnie grabbed the towel from the counter and wrapped it around her body. Then she started up the hair dryer that Dylan had laid out for her. The heat from the dryer felt amazing and helped to warm her up a little bit.
She quickly brushed her hair as soon as it was dry and then got dressed in Dylan’s clothes. Both the t-shirt and the pajama pants he had given her to wear were a bit baggy on her. That was to be expected, though, and she didn’t really care. The clothes were dry and warm, and that was enough. Plus, there was something about wearing his clothes that made her smile. It almost made her feel like she was his girlfriend. She liked the idea.
When she stepped back into the bedroom, she heard some soft piano music coming from the opposite end of the trailer. She headed out and into the hallway. She passed through the living room again and was heading toward the kitchen when she noticed that the music was coming from above her.
A small, circular staircase was to her right. It was made of wrought iron and spiraled up to the second floor of the trailer.
“Dylan?” she called out but didn’t get a response.
She continued to ascend the stairs to the top floor. When she got there, she glanced to her right, toward where the music was playing.
Seriously, though, a trailer with a second floor? She thought. This place is bigger than my childhood home. Unbelievable.
“Hey, Dylan, are you back here?” Bonnie walked softly down the carpeted hall until she got to the doorway. She poked her head in and saw that it was another bedroom, this one a bit smaller than the one downstairs. It was definitely where the music was coming from, though.
She took just one step inside, and when she glanced over, she saw Dylan standing at the foot of the bed. He had his back to her. The only thing he had on was a pair of gray sweatpants. His upper half was completely bare. She glanced away, but just for a split second. Then she couldn’t help but look at him once again.
Bonnie knew that she’d just walked in on him while he was changing out of his wet clothes. She was pretty certain that he didn’t know she was there, though. The proper side of her realized that she should just turn around and head back downstairs. However, a different part of her wanted only to stand and stare. He was just too gorgeous not to.
The muscles in his shoulders and back flexed as he reached down to pick up a shirt from the top of a nearby chair. His tan skin was smooth and flawless. She wanted to run her fingers across his shoulders. Just looking at him caused her core to heat.
She knew she shouldn’t stare. So, she forced herself to take a step back. But, because she wasn’t watching where she was going, though, she backed right into the railing. It was just hard enough to make a thud. Her eyes widened, and her heart nearly leaped out of her mouth.
Dylan slowly turned around to the sound. He had just pulled his shirt over his head, but it was only halfway on. Bonnie could now see his ripped abdominal muscles. She probably would have enjoyed admiring the new view, except now she was far too embarrassed to enjoy much of anything.
“Oh, hey, Bonnie,” Dylan said, pulling his shirt down the rest of the way. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were there.”
“Just walked up,” she said.
She figured it was probably best to not mention the fact that she’d been standing there and staring at him for the past few minutes.
Dylan seemed pretty much unfazed by her presence, though. In fact, he had a little smirk on his face. It made Bonnie wonder if he had actually had known that she’d been standing there the whole time and that he hadn’t done anything to stop it.
“I’ve got some tea brewing,” he said. “I hope you like green jasmine.”
“I love it,” she said, glancing away a bit. Her cheeks t
ingled, and she was pretty certain she was blushing.
“Great.” Dylan walked toward her. “Are you hungry? I’m sure I’ve got some things in the fridge.”
“No, just tea would be good.” Bonnie followed Dylan back downstairs and into the kitchen.
He approached the stove and grabbed the tea kettle, along with two blue teacups. Then he headed around the corner to where the dining room was. This room was noticeably smaller than the others, but still just as well designed. In the center was a quaint round table, with four chairs around it. Both the table and the chairs were made of thick, see-through plastic. It gave the room a very modern and clean feel.
Bonnie took a seat, and Dylan sat down in the chair across the table from her. He filled both cups with tea. They sipped their drinks quietly for a moment. Bonnie listened to the rain, just enjoying the sound and also the fact that she didn’t have to be out in it anymore.
“It feels good to be dry,” she said, setting her cup down.
“No kidding,” he said. “I can’t believe how hard it rained out there. That was intense.”
Dylan gazed into Bonnie’s eyes as he spoke, causing her to melt right there in the seat. His stare was intense but comforting. It made her feel safe and protected. She couldn’t get over how much he made her feel that way. It was unlike anything she’d experienced with anybody else and that included witness protection.
“Thanks for the tea.” Bonnie took another sip, letting the liquid warm her up from the inside. “It’s really good.”
“You’re welcome,” Dylan said, with a warm smile that made Bonnie tingle all over once again. She loved the way he looked at her. She wanted to kiss him again. She wanted to feel the connection between the two of them again. She just needed to find a way to get there.
Bonnie ran her finger around the rim of the empty cup. It was just a habit, something that she did whenever she was deep in thought. She wasn’t sure when she had picked it up, but it was definitely something she had done for years.