“Sit here,” I said.
My mate sat on a bench in front of the store.
“I’m going to get us something to eat and drink.”
I grabbed a couple of hot dogs that had been on the roller for far too long and some iced tea from the fountain with extra ice we could use in our water bottles later. We ate outside and then headed back on the road.
The rest had done him well, but we weren’t out of the woods yet. Heck, for all I knew, going to Stoney River was the equivalent of walking off a cliff. We’d find out soon enough.
Once back on the main road, a beaten-up sign for a motel came into view, saying it was a mile away. As much as I wanted to keep going and put as much distance between us and my herd, Bryden was struggling more and more with each step. If it was open, stopping was our best option.
Please let it be as sketchy as their sign. We need them to take cash and not ask questions.
8
BRYDEN
“There’s only one bed.” Roland pulled the thin covers back.
We’d spent nights in the woods where our bear and unicorn snuggled together, but with the frisson of danger from possible poachers and my injuries creating tension, we hadn’t so much as kissed.
But tonight, we’d found a cheap room, with the emphasis on cheap. The bed creaked as Roland climbed in, and he rolled into the center and giggled.
“I guess we get what we paid for.”
I slid under the covers, and the ancient mattress had me toppling toward Roland so we were face to face with our crotches pressed against one another. He was hard. Me too, but I focused on steadying my breathing to tamp down my arousal.
If we had sex, I would mark him, which was what I wanted, but I worried that would create an extra complication in his life. We had to be somewhere safe and not have bad guys possibly tailing us. Our first time together had to be special and memorableand not because poachers set a trap for us and interrupted our intimacy.
But Roland didn’t appear to be on the same wavelength. He trailed a finger over my jaw and around my lips. I shivered and couldn’t resist biting his finger. He yelped, but what was reflected in his gaze was not pain but the flip side: lust.
One kiss wouldn’t hurt. Putting a hand on the back of his head, I yanked him to me and his lips slammed onto mine. They were so soft, like a plush cushion, and he tasted of sparkling water, if it had a taste.
I threaded my fingers through his hair and tugged. He moaned, making me shiver. Goosebumps danced over my skin as I inhaled his distinctive aroma that mingled with the scent of slick. Ignoring my reasons for not having sex, I licked his lips as he ground against me and one hand tugged at my briefs.
His mouth parted, and I slid in, curling my tongue around his. It was as though they were hugging. He tasted of promise. I whimpered into his mouth as his teeth grazed my tongue.
But the bed creaked as if it was reminding me of my vow not to have sex yet.
I pulled away, and Roland groaned.
“What? We finally have a bed and four walls and you don’t want to be inside me?” He pouted.
I was silent while I took deep breaths, tamping down my arousal.
“When I put my cock in you, I don’t want us to be thinking of anything else. Not poachers or being rogue. Just us and our forever. And not in this shitty room.” Roland fell onto me as the mattress gave a last gasp. “And the bed agrees.”
Roland pummeled my chest. “I hate that you’re right.” He flung himself on his back, but the mattress had other ideas and he slammed back into me. “But maybe the mattress has other ideas.”
“Nope. That was its last gasp, poor thing.”
“Let’s try the library.”
I’d always wanted to be a librarian because I always had my head stuck in a book when I was supposed to be doing chores. Spending a day with books seemed like the perfect life, but it never came about. Emerson was never about the books. Instead, he was always outside.
“I doubt some old reference books will have up-to-date information about unicorn poachers.” Roland wasn’t convinced we’d find anything worthwhile.
“You’re right, but we can use their wifi and a computer.”
