Something to Die For by Kaye Blue

Thirty-Two

Lucas

“Why do you say that?”

Her voice was quiet, almost passive, a tone I hadn’t heard from her before.

Several moments—which felt tense, at least to me—passed before she spoke.

“Obviously, your new pals Percy and Joan were worried about you. You should have gone with them.”

She widened her eyes slightly before wiping all expression off her face. “Well, they’re decent people, so of course they would be worried about me.”

“Yeah. Because of me,” I said, hating how I sounded.

My voice hadn’t changed, but the words themselves were weak in a way that would have gotten my ass kicked if my father were still alive to hear them.

“It sounds like you’re taking this personally, but they were just making sure I was all right,” she said.

“Yeah.”

“Lucas, over this time, I’ve come to know that you have a far more expansive vocabulary. If there’s something you want to say, you need to say it,” she said.

I glanced at her, saw that she was sitting up straight, her eyes slightly narrow. She was ready for a battle.

I had other shit to worry about, like staying alive, but why the fuck not? I decided to give it to her.

“They seem like your type of people. You should have gone with them.”

“What exactly are my type people? And why are you telling me this now?”

“You know. Bleeding-heart liberal type. Not like me,” I said.

“And the other?”

“Why didn’t I say anything back there?”

“Yeah,” she said, and echoing my earlier statement, and I was certain she had done so intentionally.

“I guess I think didn’t think about it. Wanted to make sure I got my gas and didn’t get fucking killed,” I said.

“But now that you’ve had time, you think that I should have gone.”

“Said as much, didn’t I?”

She was quiet then, and though I desperately wanted to, I resisted the impulse to look at her.

I had thought getting that off my chest would make me feel better.

But it didn’t.

The upside was at least now she was as pissed off and antsy as I was. Petty, but that old saying about misery and company held some truth.

She didn’t say anything else, and I didn’t either. We drove for a few more hours, the road surprisingly, and thankfully, clear.

The Farmer’s Almanac said there were about three more hours of daylight, so I drove for an hour longer then pulled off.

“We ought to set up for the night.”

“You don’t think it’s too early?” she asked. “We could probably make it another few miles.”

“Probably. But I want to take stock of what we have, get shit organized,” I said.

I pulled off the road and drove deeper into the woods.

The path—I wouldn’t dare call it a road—was not paved, but it was gravel-lined. And from what I could see, it hadn’t been traveled recently.

I was glad about that and hoped that the lack of company would continue, though I couldn’t count on our luck to hold out. But so far, things had gone okay.

“Is this some kind of campsite or something?” she asked.

“Looks like it,” I said.

I drove the truck as close to a line of trees as I could.

It gave a full view of the campsite, and though I didn’t like my back being so close to the wooded area, I knew I had better chance of hearing something approach through the woods than I would through the open area.

“This feels a little exposed,” she said.

“You got a better fucking idea?” I snapped.

“Fuck off, Lucas,” she said, her eyes flashing fire.

She pushed the truck door open but didn’t slam it.

Even pissed, she knew it would be dangerous to make too much noise.

But even though she couldn’t scream, couldn’t slam the door, she was staring daggers at me.

I didn’t say anything, didn’t acknowledge her, and she didn’t acknowledge me either, but she stayed close, watching as I unloaded the truck and took stock of the supplies.

“You gonna murder me in my sleep and drive off with this shit?” I asked after I had reloaded the truck.

“Might be the best idea you’ve had all day,” she said.

Despite myself, I laughed, but she didn’t look placated.

I looked at her for moment, then turned away before I did something stupid like apologize or tell her what I was really thinking.

Anger I could deal with, welcomed, far more than the feelings I had now.

Feelings?

What the fuck did I know about feelings?

Nothing.

I knew how to survive. I knew how to fuck people up. Knew how to run a crew.

This other shit…

I was as defenseless as I claimed Angel to be, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Because Percy and Joan, annoying though they might have been, were right.

She had no business being out here with me, and she’d realize that soon enough.

I knew that, just as I knew that the good luck we’d had so far wouldn’t continue.

Sooner, later—I didn’t know for sure when, but eventually—she’d be gone.

And that made me scared, sad, feelings I couldn’t remember having since I was a little boy, wishing my mother could come back to life.

I walked, the thoughts in my head making it impossible for me to sit still.

I kept walking until I came upon a small lake and spring.

It wasn’t the warm shower we left back in at Angel’s house, but it would do.

I stripped down, shivered when the cold water hit my body, but then sighed out relief. This was a luxury I wouldn’t get too much of, and I intended to enjoy it.

I wouldn’t linger too long, but about five minutes after I got in, I saw Angel approach.

She undressed unceremoniously and joined me.

She was still angry, and I could see that as clearly as I could see her desire. Her glare was hot enough to warm the cold water. Her approach was slow, meticulous, her expression unreadable. She stopped in front of me, her eyes seeking, searching my face for something.

I wondered what she saw, what she hoped to see.

I didn’t know and wouldn’t ask, was too much of a coward to.

So I stayed still, waited, wanting her, not brave enough to say so.

Not brave enough to leave.

She didn’t make me wait long. Her eyes locked with mine, and she came closer, then closer, until our bodies touched. At the first touch of her lips against mine, I exhaled but still resisted the desire to touch her.

But she had no such resistance. She kissed me gently, then deeply, then wrapped her arms around my neck.

Her legs around my waist.

My cock brushed her entrance, and she tightened her thighs and pulled me closer. Angel’s body wrapped around mine was as close to peace as I’d ever been, as close as I ever suspected I would be. Even in all this shit, being close to her like this made me believe everything might be okay.

And when she pulled away enough to grip my cock and guide me into her, everything fell away.

There was only me, her, these moments, and I wanted them to last forever.

But they couldn’t.

My climax rushed over me like a wave, and Angel’s wasn’t far behind.

I wanted to linger, stay, but reality intruded.

She pulled away and washed quickly, and I did the same. Watched her as she got out of the water and dressed, and I eventually got out of the water.

Her gaze didn’t leave me, and I didn’t miss the appreciation in her eyes.

Or the question in them. A question that she eventually spoke out loud.

“Lucas, what’s wrong?”