“Yes, please. Nice and tight, wouldn’t want you to fall off.”
He looks over at the other boys, and I catch a couple of playful glares thrown his way. We take off with a burst of speed that steals a squeal from my lips and has me tightening my grip around him. The wind whips Valen’s laugh back to me, and my own laughter joins it.
We head down a trail through the woods that’s the perfect size for these four wheelers. It’s a gorgeous sunny day with boastful blue skies and not a cloud in sight. It’s hot out even though it’s only 8:30 in the morning. We speed through the trees and the air rushing by feels incredible.
I’m having so much fun that I have a perma-smile stretched across my face. I feel like I’ve laughed and smiled more in the past couple of days being here than maybe I have in my whole life. Something about all of this feels so natural and right. It’s like I can feel layers of sadness and loneliness peel away with each smile and laugh.
My life up to this point has required me to be so serious and vigilant, always looking for the next thing to come at me. But right now, with these guys, it feels like I can let go, be silly, laugh, and tease. I look behind me, each of the guys on their own ATV trailing in a line like baby ducks. I face forward just in time to see us plow through a little stream. The cool water splashes up at me from both sides, and I laugh.
I feel the vibrations from Valen’s back in my chest before the sound of his laughter reaches my ears. Between the vibration of his laughter and the coldness of the water, goosebumps rise up on my body and my nipples harden against his back. I wonder if he’ll notice and I find myself scooting back a little, separating my chest from his back so that I don’t make him feel uncomfortable. He hits the brakes suddenly, forcing me back up against him and someone behind us shouts their irritation.
Several more times over the hour that we’re driving, Valen seems to brake for no apparent reason. I start to suspect there are titillating motivations behind his actions and it’s cracking me up.
The trees around us grow fewer and farther apart as we approach a clearing and a lake. There’s a big tree with branches hanging over the water, and I can spot a couple of ropes tied high up in the branches and hanging lazily down.
I climb off the ATV, feeling a twinge in my muscles from riding in the same position for a while. I catch theshit-eating grinacross Valen’s face, and it confirms my suspicions.
“Why are you all such pervs?” I ask with a laugh, slapping the back of my hand against his abs. “You all act like you’ve never been around a girl before. Bunch of Neanderthals.”
“What did he do?” Bastien asks, walking over to us.
“He’s been embracing his inner creeper," I joke as the others surround us. When I don’t offer any more details, they all look over to Valen and wait for him to supply some.
Valen looks a little sheepish as he brushes the strands of escaped hair out of his face.
“I may have used my brakes more times than were necessary.”
I hear a couple sounds of understanding, but Ryker looks at him still confused.
“Newton’s first law of motion, bro," is all Valen tells Ryker, and then he seems to get it. Sabin kind of growls at Valen and the noise surprises me.
“Way to keep it classy and respectful," Sabin throws out, and it washes any trace of humor from Valen’s face.
“Whoa, what just happened?” I ask, looking between Sabin and Valen. “I’m not upset, I was just busting Valen’s balls," I tell Sabin. “I realized what he was doing, and it didn’t bother me. It’s just silly fun.”
Sabin looks at me.
“Vinna, we all just met you, none of us knows you well enough to navigate what could be a fine line between silly fun and making you uncomfortable. None of us should be crossing into that territory this quickly.”
“Sabin, I appreciate that you’re looking out for me, but I told the guys yesterday that they can be touchy-feely with me and if anything makes me uncomfortable, I’ll tell them. It may sound weird because, you’re right, we all just met each other, but I like the dynamic so far. I like the joking and silliness… and the affection," I finish awkwardly.
“From what the guys tell me, you’ve been through a lot in a very short amount of time. We should be helping you feel safe and secure, not pushing boundaries. Caster females deserve to be protected and respected," Sabin declares.
It sounds like he just recited a slogan of some sort, and I’m not sure what to say. I just told him I could handle myself, but he’s decided I’m wrong.I can protect myself just fine you presumptuous fucker.
“Sabin, you can turn your dad mode off," I suggest, a little irritated.
I hear Knox snicker and then cough to cover it up.
“I can’t speak for othercaster females,but I can speak for myself, just like I can protect myself. I don’t need anyone to do that for me.”
I look around the group and continue.
“How they’ve been treating me, it makes me feel like I belong, like I’m part of the group. I like it, it makes me feel safe and secure, and with everything I’ve been dealing with, I need that more than anything. I’m comfortable with what’s happening. Like I said before, if I have an issue with something I’ll speak up, I promise.”
Sabin doesn’t say anything else, but I can tell he still doesn’t really agree with me. That’s fine. He’ll get to know me more and realize that I mean what I say. I smile at him and squeeze Valen on his shoulder. Bastien breaks the silence with a loud clap and starts tossing out instructions to the other guys about what to unload.
“Do we want to swim before or after food?” Bastien asks the group.
