'Mama, you know I won't do anything stupid.' I was the kid who finished high school early for Pete's sake. Other than my plant powers and a headstrong streak I didn't have a bad bone in my body.
Leveling me with her golden hawk-eyed stare she finally relented and let me go on the little vacation with the concession that I would call her the moment something went wrong. Not that anything would go wrong. I was hanging out with Will after all. He was the sweetest of all the guys.
We always speculated that Mama was like us, having her own strange powers. Maybe that was why she put up with the ragamuffin group of teenagers bunking in her brownstone townhouse? Maybe her power was being a sternly scary yet warm motherly type? Regardless, I never wanted to cross the woman, ever. I always wanted her to be proud of me.
As I went about my boring closing routine at the diner I was bubbling with excitement. Mopping the floors and washing dishes gave my hands something to do while my mind was miles away from the worn linoleum tiles. I was thinking at light speed about the guys. My guys.
Eddy had been so extremely sweet on our date the other day. Holding his hand and kissing his lips had made my heart flutter. I will never get tired of talking with someone and having them really listen to me. Not like the foster parents and kids at the home. They were all too busy with their own lives to connect with a hopeless weirdo like me.
Turning off the halogen lights in the wide windows I spotted Will sitting in a pick-up truck just outside the diner on the curb. Waving to him he shined me a bright smile. The guy looked like he was excited beyond words as he waved back at me wildly. Pulling down the metal bulger bars over the door I was finally done with my shift.
Breathing a sigh of relief I turned to the road and watched Will hop out of the driver's seat and hustle around to open the passenger door for me.
"So charming." Climbing into the bench seat of the beat-up old pick up truck I couldn't help the grin on my lips. I was taking a vacation. A mini vacation, true, but an actual day off work none the less. I'd been hustling to make money and get on my own two feet for so long that it never occurred to me to take time off until Will asked.
"How was your shift?" His deep timbre vibrated the air between us in the orange glow of the slowly setting sun.
"Oh ya know, good but I miss these dirty regulars who used to come in and hassle me all the time."
"Dirty?" Rolling my eyes I giggled at his feigned gasp.
"Yeah dirty, maybe it was the hair grease or the leather jackets but I much prefer the flannel." Will had always had a flannel tied around his waist even when he wore the ridiculous leather jacket Slater requested they wear. Now though he had taken to actually wearing it like a shirt with the sleeves rolled up his forearms. Eyeing him as I thought about the change in his wardrobe I watched the muscles in his arms rippled as he turned the wheel navigating us out of the city. Yummy.
"Well I'm glad you approve, it's much more comfortable." I'm sure it is.
"So where are we going?"
"Camping, I used to stay at this great spot by the river just outside of town. It is stunning in the summer with the fireflies zooming around." My mind quickly questioned why a guy just a year or two older than me would know of a place to camp outside of town by the river. Like a mac truck, I was hit with the reality that Will had been homeless. All the guys may have been at some point or another.
Being a kid from the system my home status was always in question but I was never without a bed. Not one time. To think that my strong, steadfast, guys had been abandoned and living on the streets struck my heart like lightning.
The roads quickly led us out of the tall structures of the city to the sprawling suburbs. Listening to the radio the time passed with ease. Everything about Will was as easy as breathing. His space, his smile, being near him filled me with simple comfort. Will just bloomed comfort for me like a sunflower.
"So I bought a special tent, it hangs from the trees. I hope you're okay with that…" The questioning tone to his deep voice told me that he was as nervous as could be.
"That sounds awesome, less chance of sleeping on a tree root." Laughing at my light-hearted joke he pulled the truck into an alcove between two trees. Following a path that vaguely resembled a road Will lead us from the neighborhoods to the wilderness abruptly. I would never have known this was here had he not turned off the main road.
"Alright," pulling the truck to a stop I spotted the river just over the hill. "So how comfortable are you with setting up camp?"
"Hmmm I'm a quick learner but I've never camped before." At least I hoped I would be quick to pick up the outdoor skills, it seemed like Will was an avid adventurer. How upset would he be if I didn’t like camping? All the possibilities of our odd relationship not working out flashed before my eyes as I helped him unload the bags from the back of the truck.
“Alright, hey.” Running his hand across my shoulders he pulled me into a half hug. “I see that worry on your face, it’s okay. I’ll take it easy on ya.”
“Well thank you.” Grinning at his warm sweet natured goodness I let the stress roll off my shoulders. You got this, just take it one thing at a time.
“Good, alright here is a good branch so we will start here.” Slinging a thick rope over the branch Will tightened it while I unrolled what felt like twenty feet of tent material in the vague shape of an almond.
“This is a tent?” The thing looked like a deflated boat, not like any kind of dwelling.
“It’s a new kind that hangs from the trees like a hammock, they say it is way more comfortable than even air mattresses.” Will went about slinging the other side of the tent up in a nearby tree as I slid the fiberglass pole through the top. Okay now it was kind of looking like something you could possibly sleep in, but who was I to say?
“Oh well if it’s better than an air mattress…”
“Anything for the princess, ya know.” Chuckling at himself he didn’t see the stick until I whacked him in the ass with it. Then it was my turn to chuckle as he turned around with the most shocked expression on his bearded face. “Oh, I’m gonna get you.”
Before I could turn to run he was on me, wrapping me up in his long arms. Giggling we fell to the grassy ground in each other's arms. Him ticking my sides while I trashed about laughing wildly. As the tickles turned breathless I found myself laying underneath Will’s wide-shouldered perfection. Gazing into his warm brown eyes I licked my lips as my eyes followed the line of his. The stirring in my stomach pushed me to act.
In a moment we went from playful tickling to passionate kissing. Our tongues danced in the shared space of our mouths like a tango where only we knew the steps. Running my hands over the wide path of his shoulders I felt the passion inside me blaze like a fire. Flames ate me up as Will pressed his hips into mine. Pulling back for a breath he locked me with his deep brown gaze.
“The princess likes.” Pecking him on the cheek I pushed his shoulder and made to get up from the ground. Dusting off my jeans I turned around and looked at our halfway hung up tent with a giggle.
“Yeah, we gotta get this thing strung up and start a fire before dark.” Slapping me on the ass as he walked by I let out a loud ‘hey’ in mock reprimand.
“Come on, Princess let’s get to work.”
For the better part of an hour, we worked on tying up the hammock then making the fire. Turns out gathering wood and lighting it on fire requires a slight bit of experience. I would have thought that it was much easier than Will made it look, but so was setting yourself on fire. I’m definitely not an expert.
As the sun set, we leaned against the tree in the soft glow of the fire telling stories of our youth. Will had been in the system, like me, until he aged out. Unlike me, he had no savings or job to fall back on. He was one of the sad majority of foster kids who quickly become homeless once they age out of the system. The similarities between what happened to Will and thousands of other kids are sadly too normal.
“When did you know you could become a
bear?” It was shocking that he hadn’t wound up at Mama’s house for weirdo’s with his being able to change into a wild animal and all.
“Oh shifters get their powers around five, I was lucky enough to wind up in a foster home where they were mountain lion shifters around that time. They taught me all the tricks I needed to seem normal, and how to pick locks so I could sneak out and shift anytime I wanted.”
Looking out over the slowly moving river and blinking fireflies I thought about a little brown-eyed boy learning to control his inner bear the same way I had to learn how to control my vines. The strength I had to learn to harness, the backbone I had to grow to keep it a secret, it was almost more than a kid could bare. I hate that other kids grew up having to go through the struggles that we did. Maybe that was why Mama took in all us rag-a-muffin kids? So that we could find a place to be ourselves.
“So how do you like camping so far?” Nudging me with his shoulder I slid into the crook of his arm as the sun settled into the trees around us.
“Ah well so far so good but I’m worried about the floating tent, it looks like it will tip over if I roll too close to the edge.” Turning we both looked at the long boat-shaped tent that was strapped between two trees, about three feet off the ground. We had done quite a bit of work tying the thing down but I was still very nervous about the contraption.
“Nah, here look.” Grunting as he gathered his tall form up off the ground Will held his hand out to pull me up. How sweet, I could eat him up. Leading me over to the tent Will busied himself with unzipping a window while I watched skeptically. It was enough that I’d never slept in a tent, but he was expecting me to not be concerned about this floating one.
“Kick off your shoes and I’ll help ya in.” Cocking my eyebrow I thought to myself, of course you will big guy. Toeing off my tennis shoes I took Will’s outstretched hand and placed my foot on the knee he indicated I should step on. He was making himself into the hunkiest set of stairs I had ever seen. Crawling into the tent I felt the firm yet pliable bottom with my knee. It didn’t sway like I assumed it would. Making my way to the far side the tent barely moved at all.
“Okay, I will say I was wrong. She is holding up very well.” Folding his body into the tent Will quietly laughed at me as he zipped up the door, flap, whatever you call the entrance hole.
“I’m glad the princess approves.” Sliding himself into a comfortable lying position I got to eye the entire length of him. So much taller than me, Will was like a mountain of a man. A mountain that called to the fire inside me. Stirring my hunger with his flannel shirt folded up his arms showcasing his biceps as he anchored his hand under his head.
Sliding myself along the floor of the tent I lay even with him as the moon began its slow rise into the summer sky. Fireflies twinkled around the open window flaps, the cool breeze cut silently off the river cooling the heat of my skin as I gazed at my mountain of a man. He was mine after all. Mine to kiss, and touch. All mine.
“Will?” Gazing over at him in the twilight of the setting sun I wondered if I should ask him or not. It was awkward but I had to know.
“Yeah?”
“How long did you live here?”
Grunting he rolled over to his side, settling his beautiful brown eyes on me. “For three months. Before I met the guys I worked at the shop and took the bus back here every day.”
“Is it hard to be back?”
“Nah, cause it’s all different now.” Running a hand over his hair he went on, “it’s like… I’m proving the old me wrong. I thought that I’d be homeless forever. I thought that I was useless and unworthy but look at me now. It’s been two years and I’ve worked my ass off to be back here proving the old me dead wrong.”
Pulling myself closer to him I felt his hands settle around my waist as my lips settled on his. The fire inside me raged to a full scorch as Will’s hands slid beneath my shirt, the damn cotton had long been a burden. Pulling it over my head I felt the change in the atmosphere of the small tent. As soon as my shirt was off I began unbuttoning his. In moments we were skin pressed to skin. Roaming hands and rushing fingers, or however the saying goes.
Chapter Six
A Dance to Remember
“A club? Really?” Rex held my hand as he shined me another of his patented gorgeous smiles. Black curls glinting in the evening sun I just gawked at his unabashed beauty as he lead me down the sidewalk. After a morning shift at the diner and an afternoon at the park with the guys, I was more than happy to get to spend the night out with Rex.
“Yeah, it’s almost your birthday and I wanted to sneak you into a club before your legally allowed to enter one.”
“Oh, such a good influence you are.” Walking together up the sidewalk I could hear the thumping beat of the club as I felt the eerie feeling of eyes on me. Like a bug crawling on my neck, I felt the eyes beating into my back.
Turning around I spotted people going about their evenings much like myself, hand in hand with a cute guy. No one obviously lurking around or leering at us. Glancing around wildly I couldn't get over the feeling of being watched. Even as we wound our way toward the club entrance I felt the familiar prickle of my prey instincts flaring up.
“Sup, Drake this is our girl Ahmaya.” Greeting the gigantic bouncer clad entirely in black Rex liked like a child shaking the giant man’s hand. He'd said our girl! Aww.
I had been wondering for a while whether the guys really didn't mind the polyamorous relationship like they repeatedly stated. Turns out Rex was proud of it. Our girl. My smile must be shining like a billboard right now.
Drake, the Mount Everest of a bouncer, let us through into the dimly lit entrance way of the club. A feeling of excitement coated anxiety washed over me. I didn't know what to do in a club, like at all. What if I'm a terrible dancer? Ugh, this was going to be a night of awkward swaying in place if I couldn't get out of my head.
"Hey there, you want a drink?" Rex's strong hand in mine grounded me to the heels that I was beginning to regret wearing. It was going to be just fine because I was here with the cutest ex-ragamuffin in existence.
"Yeah, I would." Shuffling through the sea of bodies to the bar I felt that familiar tingle of being watched again, this time there were so many people around that I couldn't hope to find the source. My senses must be misfiring, there are like a thousand people here. Of course someone is looking at me.
While Rex ordered two drinks from the bartender I stood by his side gazing around the dance floor watching the bodies bounce and wiggle around. Nothing more serious than what I do in my pajamas at home, thank goodness. Even in these heeled torture devices I'd be able to have some fun dancing.
Iced beverage in hand we walked over to a table. Climbing onto the high stool seat was an irritating challenge in my black dress, but the success felt splendid.
"Oh, this is yummy." Taking a sip of my blue drink I wondered if it had alcohol in it. Probably, but I wasn't going to be asking for another so that was okay.
"Yeah, I figured I'd get you something delicious. Much like you." Thumb rubbing a slow circle on our intertwined hands, I broke out in goosebumps. Man, these guys were going to kill me with their affections. If it wasn't camping that took me out it would be cardiac arrest from the non-stop hot man parade I was the leader of.
Earlier today while we lounged at the park Rex told me bits and pieces about his past. Leaning against the oak tree next to me he told me stories about the days he spent sleeping on the street as a runaway.
‘My family were some really bad people, ‘Maya.’ Having been in the system I knew there were all kinds of bad people, and though I didn't know which he had come from I knew that bad was bad and that was all that mattered.
‘Was it hard to be on your own so young?’ I could barely imagine being on my own at eighteen, must less at ten when Rex had let out on the road to get away from his family.
‘Nah, I met Slater and we hustled the streets together.’ Slater. That fuck, it was hard to think of him as
anything other than the sleaze ball he had grown into. ‘He wasn’t always like that. Nah, in the beginning, he was like a brother. He didn’t start trying to boss the guys around until recently. When I tried to talk to him about it we fought.’ As Rex let his memories wash over him beneath the trees I thought about how each of the guys had come from a different background but found a family in each other. A pack.
As the music thumped around us in the club I thought about how strong he had to be to live past those days of suffering.
Running away from your abusive family had to take a huge amount of strength. The gorgeous green-eyed man across from me was the strongest I had ever met. I was very quickly falling for each of them.
"You ready to dance?" Changing the subject was my only choice to keep my underwear dry for a bit longer. These damn guys were too yummy.
"Yes, but drink that first. You don't want to leave your drink unattended ever." The serious glint in his eyes brought the air of caution to our light exchange.
Downing the tasty blue concoction I hopped, more like stumbled, out of the chair. Short girls and tall chairs were a combo matched in hell. Glaring at the ease of Rex unfurling his height from the chair I could have kicked him. Damn tall people just talling about all the time. Straight unfair.
As the bass pumped in my chest we made our way into the crowd of people. Bodies pressed against each other swayed to the thumping beat of the music. Hand in hand we found a place to call our own in the sea of strangers and let the music take us over.
Swaying was out of the question with the thumping hip hop beats. I let my body make up its own language for the music. Shimmying and shaking to the tune Rex turned out to be quite the dancer. I was impressed that such a tall man could groove to the music so easily.
People circled around us, dancing to their own beats as Rex and I focused on each other. Hands on my hips the music slowed to a graceful r&b tune. Holding each other close we danced for what felt like forever. Intertwined limbs and fingers brushing skin. The spell of the club encircled us en masse.
Tormented: A Bully Romance Anthology Page 13