Roam (Guarding Her Book 5)

by Anna Brooks

  Chapter 11

  Brinley

  The past week has been a lot of the same. Me eating Pop-Tarts while Noble chops wood like a lumberjack, and I stare at him from the living room before I make my way outside. I bring him water, and we sit on the back porch and talk about nothing. His arm usually ends up around me, and my head always finds his shoulder.

  There are a lot of smoldering looks from him and gentle touches, but that’s it. He hasn’t even kissed me. God forbid, he touches me again like he did that night. He’s still sleeping on the couch, and all I do is toss and turn all night without him beside me. I thought things were turning in a different direction with us, but apparently, I was wrong. It makes me queasy wondering if he didn’t like what happened between us, but I don’t know what else to think since he hasn’t tried anything else.

  And no way will I force myself on him. I’ve already given him enough reasons to think badly of me; I’m not going to add slut on top of it.

  Luna and I spend a lot of our time with Noble getting more familiar with the woods surrounding his house. I was surprised at how deep the foliage went and was afraid we’d gotten lost a couple of times, but he always knew exactly where we were.

  He’s always so confident about everything. Doesn’t mess around with wasting time trying to figure out what we’re going to eat or what movie to watch. He knows what he wants, and he gets it. He takes it. So him not taking me hurts more than I ever thought.

  For my whole life, I’ve been disposable. Nobody ever really cared if I was there or not, with the exception of Katie and now Danny. Katie would come looking for me, and we’d spend hours and hours together. At night when we were supposed to be sleeping, we’d secretly be up and giggling under the covers talking about boys.

  I let go when I was with her, and I never equated her with Noble, but when it comes down to it, it was always him. He made it a safe place to be. And feeling safe was a luxury.

  Right now I have that again with Noble, in the beauty and serenity of nature, and it’s an experience I never thought I’d get. I’ve never felt so free. So loved. So protected.

  But also so rejected.

  This morning is one I’ve been looking forward to since he mentioned it last week. He’s taking me to the fair! I’ve decided to let the dejection I’ve felt go because if I become too needy or if he gets sick of me, he’ll get rid of me, and I don’t want that.

  There was a long time, most of my life actually, where I was just wandering. And “they” say not all who wander are lost, but I was. I’ve never had a home, never had someone love me. Danny does in his own way, I guess, but if I wouldn’t have saved him, he would have forgotten about me. So he only gives a shit out of obligation, and that’s a hard pill to swallow.

  But I’m going to do what I always do and keep going. I won’t wallow in my sorrows about Noble and how he doesn’t want me the way I want him. I’m going to take whatever he offers in whichever way he offers it.

  And today, he’s offering me an experience most people take for granted.

  He’s already gotten his shower, and I’m brushing my damp hair right now. It’s a warm day today, already almost eighty degrees, and even though there isn’t humidity out here in California, it’s still hot.

  I’m wearing a pair of short jean shorts, a lavender tank top that stops just above my belly button, and a pair of white Keds. I’ve discovered Noble likes my hair down; his fingers always find their way to my long locks, and I love how he always seems fascinated as he’s touching it. So even though I should put it up, I leave it down and let the natural waves be my style for the day.

  “You ready?” His hands grip the top of the doorframe, and he leans into the bedroom slightly. The white T-shirt he’s wearing molds to his muscular frame without being too tight, and his jeans hug his thighs, the subtle rips worn from labor and not manufactured.

  Just looking at him makes me shiver, but how he devours me burns me up. I bite my lip at the heat in his eyes, and he finally drags his gaze from my legs up to my face. His triceps pop, and he drops his arms, then walks with purpose and intent.

  He stands before me, tall and commanding. I freeze when he lifts his hand, then shudder when he runs one long, blunt finger across the bare skin of my stomach. “Look at all this that everyone else can see, Rinny.”

  I swallow, but the pounding in my chest drowns out the sound. “It’s hot out.”

  “Yes,” he agrees on a husky whisper. His fingers splay and slide around to cup my backside where he pulls me against him. I dip back, my spine arching. “Hot. I still don’t like it.”

  The pulse in my neck throbs painfully, and I sway toward him, loving and hating this rare display of possession because I know it won’t last. “Noble.”

  He brushes his thumb across my trembling lips and just when I think I’ve been wrong and that he’s finally going to kiss me, he steps away. “Let’s go.” Featherlight fingers trail down my bare arm, and he takes hold of my hand firmly in his.

  I follow him out to his truck and don’t miss the air he sucks in when he helps lift me into the cab, his jaw tensing.

  “It’s a little bit of a drive, but it’ll be worth it.”

  “I’m so excited.” I bounce in my seat. “I’ve always wanted to go, so if I forget to tell you, thank you.”

  He smiles. “You’re welcome.”

  In the twelve seconds it takes him to get in, I hyperventilate as my nervous excitement does crazy things to me. I get to spend time with him out in public, which is something I’ve been dying to do. As much as I like being here alone with him, I want to see him in a different setting.

  Will he be more serious, or will he loosen up? He hasn’t asked me any more questions, and I’m hoping we can go the whole day without worrying about anything.

  After he pulls out of his gravel driveway, and we make our way onto the street, he reaches over and grabs my hand. I want him to kiss me, and I want him to do other stuff, but the little touches from him mean a lot, too.

  I’m stupid excited when we park and hop down before he comes to get me. Again, he links his fingers in mine, and I spin in a half circle to look around at all the stuff. Once we make our way through the turnstiles, he puts an arm across my back and grips my hip, pulling me tight next to him. I love how good we fit together.

  “What do you wanna do first?” He leans down to ask me.

  “I don’t care, but I want to do everything.” I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about anything.

  He grins, and even through his aviators, I can see his eyes smiling, too. “Let’s head to the opposite end, and we’ll work our way back.”

  “Okay.”

  We walk through the fairgrounds, and I immediately regret wearing white tennis shoes, having no clue the ground would be so dusty and dirty. As he’s buying tickets, I marvel at the bright colors and loud noises. Normally, I don’t like to be surrounded by people, but the atmosphere here is exciting and fun and not nerve-wracking. And when you haven’t had much of that in your life, you enjoy the crap out of it when it’s offered. The crowd gets thicker before it disperses a little, but he still holds me like I’ll be ripped away from him. “Oh look, a haunted house.”

  “You wanna go through that?” He eyes the trailer with black paint chipping off.

  “Yes.”

  He shrugs and leads us over to the short line. The worker takes the tickets with a cigarette hanging from his mouth and grunts something at us. Noble pushes me forward and wraps his arms around me from behind. As soon as the plastic curtain closes, we’re immersed in darkness.

  And I start to have second thoughts. “Um, maybe we shouldn’t do this.”

  “You scared?”

  I didn’t think I would be. I’m more creeped out; it’s smoky, and I can’t see anything. “Um…”

  He chuckles and kisses me right below my ear. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Just walk.”

  “Okay.”

  “Watch out.” He w
arns me a split second before someone jumps out and screams.

  “Ahhh!” I jump back but his strong arms hold me still. His body vibrates with laughter, and he pushes me forward. Even though I’m freaked out, I’m not scared. Not with him at my back.

  The next couple of hours are nothing but the same. Me screaming and him laughing at me. We spin in the Tilt-A-Whirl and try out pretty much every ride there is. I’m dizzy as I step off the Zipper and tell him I’ve had enough rides. “Wanna play some games now?”

  “Yeah, that sounds fun.”

  He gets even more tickets, and after I lose to him in some water shooting game and a ring toss game and a dart throwing game, I throw my hands in the air. “I’m done.”

  “You a quitter?” he mocks.

  “I’m not quitting. I’m sick of watching you gloat when I let you win.”

  He bites his lip and grabs my hips, pulling me to him as he drops his forehead against mine. Even though there are so many noises around me right now, all I hear is the thump of my heart and his playful words. “Let me win?”

  “Mmhmm.”

  “Prove it.” He pulls back, and I miss his warmth but am grateful for his hand finding mine when he tugs me to another booth. “Beat me.”

  I totally cross my arms and pout when he hands the tickets over to the worker. “Seriously?”

  He hands me a toy gun and shrugs. Sighing, I reach for the gun, but he doesn’t take his hands off it and gives it a yank forward. I crash into him, but he doesn’t let me fall. “Time to put up or shut up, baby.”

  It takes about three seconds for me to miss every single target, and he doesn’t hide his laughter at my embarrassment. “Shut up.”

  I shove the gun into his chest, and he saunters over and takes aim. “Holy crap.” I marvel in awe at his shot and glare at the woman on the other side who is blatantly checking him out. The carnival worker doesn’t miss a beat. He continues chewing on a toothpick at the same time as smoking a cigarette while he climbs on the counter to reach the grand prize.

  He hands the overly large stuffed unicorn to Noble. “Thanks, man.” His voice is so steady and confident. Like everything he does, it’s just straight-up sexy. “Here, darlin’.” He holds the prize out for me, and I take it with a huge smile, then rise up on my toes to kiss his cheek.

  The woman shoots daggers at me, and I arch a snotty brow at her and link my fingers with Noble’s before pulling him away.

  “You sure you don’t wanna stay and piss on me to really get your point across?” I glare up at his cocky smirk, embarrassed he caught my pettiness, something I’ve never felt before. Ever. “Shut up.”

  He grins that ridiculously sexy grin and pulls me in front of him, my back to his front. His long arms wrap around me from behind to help me hold the stuffed animal, and he rests his chin on my shoulder. “You’re feisty.”

  “You’re just now noticing this?”

  “Nah, I knew it was in there.”

  There’s nothing I can argue about with him there, so I just shrug. We walk together, and his soft yet firm lips close against the sensitive skin below my ear, and he playfully nips the lobe before he asks, “You hungry?”

  “Kind of.”

  “Let’s go put this in the truck, then we’ll grab a funnel cake.”

  “What’s a funnel cake?” I continue moving forward but lose the heat of him behind me and have to crouch down to grab the unicorn because he just let go. I turn and find him frozen in place with his jaw on the ground. “Noble?”

  He blinks so slowly, a moment passes when I think he falls asleep standing up. “You don’t know what a funnel cake is?”

  “Uhh…”

  “Oh, little red.” He drops his head and shakes it, then looks at me with a youthful, playful smile. “Come on, I’ve got a lot more to show you.”

  Noble

  I have to fight getting hard around her normally, but being this close—smelling the unique orange and lavender of her body wash and shampoo combined now with the carefree laughter and soft touches and knowing exactly how delicious she is—is driving me mad. But the constant chill down my spine helps make me go limp because despite all of the goodness of her, I have a bad feeling. I’ve had it almost all day, and even though I’m probably just overprotective of her, I think there’s a valid reason.

  I’m not telling her anything until I get some more info from Q. It’s actually taking him a little longer than usual to find anything on her, but he tells me he hasn’t found anything out of the ordinary so far.

  After she and I both heard something in the middle of the other night, I reviewed the footage and the infrared that Q installed couldn’t have come at a more perfect time because it was the proof I needed.

  There’s a slight chance it was a wanderer, but I’ve lived at that cabin for nine years now, and it’s been in my family for three generations, and only once has someone gotten lost and showed up randomly. Whoever it was scared off easily, but that doesn’t mean I’m taking it lightly. If she’d just open up to me and tell me everything, I’d be able to help her more… to protect her the way she needs.

  But today isn’t about that. It’s for her. She needs some fun, so I’m not going to ruin it with the possibility that someone’s watching her. I’m prepared in case they are, though.

  Brinley’s oblivious, and her carefree laughter is almost enough to distract me from the nagging feeling that someone has their eyes on her. Lord knows I can’t take mine off her as she licks her fingers, sucking the powdered sugar from them, and I legit imagine what my cock would feel like between her lips. I know she’d suck me so good it’d ruin me.

  And when a group of guys, all around her age are waiting in line for food, one of them nudges his friend with an elbow and lifts his chin in her direction. His buddy drops his head and whistles low, then lifts his shoe to take a step toward her.

  I’m out of my seat and in front of her, blocking their view before his foot hits the ground. He hesitates but inches closer. “Turn around,” I warn, confident in my stride. Only a foot away, I stop, and the little punk holds his shoulders back, trying to look tough, when we both know I’d stomp his ass into the dirt. “Don’t even try.”

  “Dude, I don’t—”

  “You know exactly what you were about to do, and you know precisely what I’d do to you if you tried. So save us both the hassle and turn your preppy ass around, buy your corn dog, and walk away while you still can.”

  Without waiting for a response, I turn my back to him and resume my seat across from her at the picnic table. She’s moved on to cotton candy now, and it’s suspended in the air, and her mouth is open. Shocked, maybe. It closes and opens a couple of times before she finally speaks. “What was that?”

  I shrug. If I told her exactly how I felt about a guy merely approaching her, she’d run away and wouldn’t let me catch her this time. It’s fucked up, how much I feel for her and how quickly it’s happened, but I suppose after waiting for what feels like ever to finally be on the good side of bad, it makes sense that I’d fight for that feeling, no matter how wrong it is that she’s the one to bring it to me.

  Just looking at her reminds me of how exquisite she is, and all I want to do is get my mouth on her again. To let my hands explore every inch of her body. But I have to wait, and that makes me even more tense than normal. I’m dying inside from just the small taste I had when all I want to do is sink my teeth into her again.

  “Noble.” She shakes her head, and for a moment, I think I may have scared her, but then her lips pucker as they try to hide a smile. She laughs before devouring the rest of the sweet treat and then moves on to an ear of corn, after which she insists she’s full. I eat a pulled pork sandwich, and she picks at the meat that’s fallen out on the tray. “You want one?”

  “No.” She shakes her head and sits back. “I’m stuffed. It just looked good.”

  It doesn’t take long for me to finish, but even though the pork was flavorful and calorie dense, I’m still star
ved, and the only way this hunger is going to get quenched is by her. But I have to keep myself in check a little longer. Besides, it’s starting to get dark, and I don’t like the pricks of paranoia that won’t go away. “We need to get back for Luna.”

  “Yeah, it’s been a while.”

  “One more thing before we go.”

  “Sure.” She meets me at the end of the table, and I rest my hand on her waist. When she sees we’re headed for the Ferris wheel, she turns her head to me and smiles.

  While we’re waiting in line, she lays her head on my chest, and I wrap my arm around her back, my thumb hooking into the belt loop of her shorts and fingers splaying on the outside of her thigh. Her shorts are so short, the tips of my fingers graze her skin, and I run my middle one back and forth, just beneath the frayed hem.

  I could live like this, my body close to hers and her leaning on me. She shuffles with me, and I help her into the cart with my hand on her ass and wait until she’s seated before I do the same. We’re locked in, but I still clamp my arm around her waist to make sure she’s secure. I don’t look at the view, I only marvel at her. Her excitement and the sheer beauty on her face as she stares in wonder are something a camera could never touch. I need it burned into my brain.

  She grabs my thigh and gasps when the metal cart jolts at the top. “It’s okay. They’re just letting people on and off.”

  The tension eases immediately, and she sighs. “Today has been the best day of my life, Noble.” She lifts her head from my shoulder, the wind from being up so high on the Ferris wheel whips her hair around her face. “I never thought I’d have this… that I’d have you. And I, I just want you to know how happy you make me.”

  “You make me happy too.” I kiss the tip of her nose, realizing how wholeheartedly I mean it. I can’t remember the last time I smiled this much or felt the hollow in my chest fill up. “And I never thought I’d say that again, but you do.”