Run & Hide by Beatrix Hollow

11

“Ava!” I heard a chorus of male voices call out as Caspian tugged me from the tent. His grip tightened on my hand as I looked up in surprise to see a huge tour bus with Nix written on the side in big letters. The entire band came trotting towards us with excited smiles all aimed at me.

The last time I saw these guys all together, they looked like they couldn’t stand me. Now they appeared jubilant and it freaked me out. They all hurried across the street while Caspian groaned.

“Ignore them,” he griped, attempting to pull me in the direction of the hiking trail. I didn’t budge. I wanted to know what was happening. Brandon led the pack, three men behind him, all equally throwing off their rockstar vibes. Tight pants, tattoos, lots of confidence. Brandon even had neck tattoos, a rose in the center of his throat that sprawled across the side of his neck.

When they finally made it to us, they immediately invaded my space. Brandon wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me into their group where I felt like a bug being pinned down to observe. Being suddenly surrounded by four cocky rockstars in the middle of the forest was making my head spin.

“Uh, hi?” I said and they all laughed like it was the funniest thing ever. Caspian stood there looking angry, really angry. It made me feel off-balance since I’d never seen him truly angry before. With no previous experience with his anger, I had no idea what to expect. My mind drifted back to him standing above a frightened Brandon, who was still sporting a nasty bruise on his face that looked even worse today.

“We would love to hang out with you today. Get to know the girl Caspian won’t stop talking about,” Brandon said.

“What?” I choked out, confused. Caspian talked about me? Caspian was looking right at me now, a blank look on his face as he observed—waiting for a response. My eyes widened. Was he checking my reaction because it was the truth?

What did that mean? Could he possibly like me? Had all the teasing actually been honest flirting? Plus, just a minute ago I realized he had my name tattooed on his hip. It was such a wild thing I had no idea what to think of it.

I felt my face blossom in heat at the idea of him pining for me. Of him possibly so interested in me he secretly tattooed my name on him. I mean, what the hell? But also, oh my God. Could someone squeal and look confused at the same time?

Some tension leaked from Caspian’s body and the tiniest little smirk lifted on the left side of his mouth as he watched my embarrassed reaction.

“Sorry, we were just heading out,” Caspian said to the band, flashing them a friendly smile that didn’t match the previous anger I‘d witnessed. Brandon started to walk, pulling me along with him as the other band members swaggered beside us. I felt overwhelmed and confused, my thoughts spinning.

Caspian was acting odd, his actions swinging back and forth in opposite directions. It made me question his thoughts and actions. What was the truth? Was he just pretending to be friendly? I’d always imagined him the epitome of charm but had I been wrong? Was that just a surface layer?

I closed my eyes and tried to clear my thoughts but his bandmates were still talking—asking where we were going, insisting they come along.

“The camera is coming too,” Brandon said and my eyes flipped up. I looked at the mohawked Brandon in confusion. He had taken to combing it back flat against his head while here, unlike the gelled monstrosity of height he'd had at their show.

“Camera?” I asked. The entire band laughed again and I frowned. Then they were off, leaving us behind as they raced across the street towards their camp to get changed.

“What’s going on?” I asked, turning to Caspian. He was watching them with a blank look on his face and I wasn’t even sure he heard my question. I reached out for his arm, it was hot to the touch. His eyes snapped to mine when I made contact.

“They want to turn this into a youtube series. Camping Adventures with Nix or something,” he sighed, running his fingers through the strands of hair that had fallen out of his bun. He reached for me, tugging me into his body, and wrapping his arms around. He squeezed me before grabbing my face and tilting it up to his. My eyes traced his angular features.

“I still plan to fuck you, Ava,” he whispered and my eyes widened. How could he talk so boldly like that? I plan to fuck you, Ava. Although I guess it wasn’t surprising given his overtly sexual character. I thought back to what Brandon had revealed.

“Did you really talk to them about me?” I asked. He smiled widely at my shy expression.

“Do you like me?” He asked, instead of answering my question.

“I, well,” I fumbled for words, taken off guard. It was embarrassing to admit I’d been struggling with a crush since the night of his show and that it was only getting much worse. Then again, he had a tattoo of my name on his hip. “I guess I do,” I mumbled. He hummed in response.

“You guess you do?” He asked with a smile, his thumbs caressing my cheeks as he continued to hold my face. I finally tugged my face from his hands, tired of his teasing. I wish he’d just say he liked me back and end my cringing misery at the moment.

“Yes, I guess I do,” I sassed. “And what about you Caspian?”

“Well,” he said, his tongue swiping over his smiling lips before he leaned over, bringing his face very close to mine—so close it was hard for me to breathe. I was used to our touching but I wasn’t used to the thick tension it now caused. Wasn’t used to knowing he was a moment away from kissing me. “I guess I might have had a slight crush for a while now,” he admitted.

“A while?” I whispered as he began to bring his lips to mine. He kissed me, a sweet peck, our lips pressing together softly.

“Yeah, a while,” he responded with a small chuckle before kissing me again. This time his sweet kiss transformed into something deeper. A groan rumbled from his mouth into mine as his tongue slid between my lips. Caspian’s kisses felt just like him, languid, smooth, and intense. I felt swept away by them, overwhelmed.

The heat of his hands made me feel feverish. The bite on my neck throbbed. Caspian moved, wrapping his arms around my body until he was holding me so tightly to him I felt squished. The imprint of an erection dug into my stomach, making me squirm.

My hands traveled up the sides of his body tentatively, touching his body in an exploratory way I never had before. Well, not counting when I had his cock in my hand a few moments ago--rubbing the skin of his shaft up and down his hard length.

“We should leave before they get back, maybe they won’t be able to find us,” he said, pulling back from the kiss. His forehead pressed into mine as his hands moved over my back, caressing me like he couldn’t help himself.

“You two making out all day or are we having a river day?” Brandon barked out, startling me. I tried to jerk back from Caspian but he gripped me hard, not letting me escape.

“Guess we can’t leave without them,” I said. I felt a bit let down, wanting more alone time with him, wanting to explore this new thing we had. It made me feel fluttery and light as if I could lift right off the ground.

“That’s okay. I don’t mind them watching as I make you come,” he said, making me suck in a breath so fast I began choking on my own saliva. That reaction delighted him. He chuckled, grabbing my hand and threading our fingers together as he tugged me towards the group. He wasn’t being serious, was he? My mind offered imagery that made my face burn.

A few minutes later we were all bouncing down the trail that led to the river’s edge.

There was supposed to be a good place to swim at the end of this trail. The two new bandmates were carrying a full-sized cooler while Matthias poured beer in their open mouths when requested. I couldn’t help getting infected with their sense of fun.

Caspian walked behind me and every time I turned around to look at him he smiled knowingly, his eyes drinking in every inch of my body. Would he really fuck me in front of them?

Thoughts of last night slipped into my head. The disturbing parts. Had it been his bandmates playing a prank? That’s what Caspian had told me this morning but something in my brain whispered that I knew different.

The paranoid sensation of being watched had me scanning the woods much like the campground manager did. My eyes swept through the trees, looking deep and far, trying to make out shapes in the distance. My eyes latched on to something and I squinted, trying to make out what it was. A buzzing started in my head making my heart rate quicken.

“Hurry up!” Matthias called out ahead of us. “We can see the river!”

“Are you okay?” Caspian asked, coming up behind me. We stopped on the trail as he melded his body to mine, his hand squeezing my shoulder. He looked out into the trees where I’d just been looking.

“Yeah, sorry.” I almost told him I was still freaked out about last night but didn’t want to bring it up. Caspian squeezed my shoulder again and then we pressed forward, spilling out into a tiny dirt beach with the river spreading out in front of us.

My eyes slid to the cameraman and I tried not to frown. It seemed like he was pointing his lens at Caspian and me a lot more than the others.

The guys started to shed their shirts and wade into the water.

“It’s cold!” Matthias cried in shock and Brandon leapt at him, pushing him down in the water and causing him to shriek. It brought a chuckle out of me. My eyes slid to the camera, it was still on Caspian and me. I frowned, feeling uncomfortable by its constant attention. It was as if it was waiting for something.

“I’m surprised you haven’t been swimming every day,” I teased Caspian. He flashed me a smile, kicked off his shoes, and then ran forward. He lept upwards, climbing a rock that jutted above the water. My eyes widened as he didn’t slow down, reaching the edge of the boulder and leaping, chucking himself over the edge.

I gasped in shock, my stomach twisting as he crashed into the water. We didn’t know if the water was deep or not! My heart stuttered in my chest as he disappeared into the water. His bandmates looked over in silence, looking shocked themselves.

I ran to the shoreline, my shoes getting wet as I waded in, waiting for him to come back up. Why wasn’t he coming back up?

Brandon yelled out suddenly in shock but by the time my head whipped around, he was gone, ripples and bubbles where he’d been pulled under the water. My head whipped back and forth, right to left, as I waited for either one of them to come back up. Caspian had been under so long.

Brandon suddenly emerged from the water, sputtering and inhaling. A moment later Caspian quietly emerged beside him, smiling widely as Brandon swam away from him as fast as he could.

“How did you swim that fast!” Brandon barked with wide eyes. “Jesus, you ass,” he snapped, splashing water at Caspian who laughed, diving back down. He popped up right in front of me and began lifting from the water.

“Don’t do that again,” I snapped, angry at how scared he had made me. “You didn’t know if it was safe. What if there was a rock? What if it was shallow?” He came up out of the water, his swimming shorts and shirt clinging to him, totally drenched. I saw the outline of his new tattoo, peaking through but couldn’t make out what it was.

“I’m sorry,” he said genuinely, looking upset. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I knew the water was fine—”

“How?” I asked. There was no way he could have known that.

“I could see it, from the top,” he offered and I sighed as he rubbed my arms up and down.

“Okay,” I said, still rattled but the tension left my body as he touched me.

“I’m sorry,” he responded again, pulling his hands to my face and then leaning in, kissing me in front of everyone. I sucked in a breath and looked over at the camera aimed at us. I squirmed from his grip, thinking about what kind of show he suggested we put on for them.

I went back to the water's edge, kicking my shoes off and pulling off my dress. I slipped my fingers into the fabric of my bikini, adjusting everything. It was hard to find the right two-piece but this one had good support, with thick straps instead of anything too stringy.

Caspian’s arms slid around me and he pressed me to him. His eyes were burning as they traveled over my skin with hunger like I’d never seen on his face before.

“I need to be inside you,” he said to me and my eyes widened, looking around but it was hard to tell if anyone heard him. I couldn’t get used to how he kept shamelessly saying it like that. It gave my body a visceral reaction every time. He leaned in, kissing my neck below my ear.

“Caspian,” I complained and he bit my jaw like an irritated cat. I could feel the others watching us and I could see the cameraman fiddling with something like he was zooming in. Oh hell. Caspian didn’t seem to mind, he was pawing me, kissing my neck and jaw, grinding himself against me. I’d never seen him like this. It was making me dizzy and my body felt heavy.

“What’s on your neck?” The cameraman asked with a frown, confirming he was indeed zooming in on us. Caspian sighed in annoyance but finally dislodged from me, holding my hand as we moved into deeper water. There was a pull in the water that could sweep us downstream lazily if we wanted to float.

“It’s nothing,” I responded to the question, covering the bite with my hand. It felt embarrassing for everyone to see it. A display of kinkiness for everyone to peer at closely. I wasn’t even sure how I should feel about it entirely. It shocked me how much I didn’t mind it, how much I enjoyed it. The idea of Caspian biting me again had places low in my body tightening in anticipation. It had been so brutal and raw, a man unable to control just how much he wanted me in every way. Then the way he kept looking at and teasing the area as if the mark was something he was proud I wore.

Brandon came over closer and his eyes widened.

“Fuck, that’s a bite mark,” he said as he jerked his attention to Caspian. “Did you do that to her?”

“It’s fine,” I grumbled, trying to talk low enough that the camera wasn’t part of the conversation. I imagined this leaking out too, the entire world watching as their rockstar crush desperately pawed at me at the river. I sort of liked that idea though, having everyone see how much he wanted me.

Another bandmate swam up and gandered at the mark before I covered it back up with my hand and sunk lower in the water. It was deep enough in the middle that my feet couldn’t touch. Caspian was at my side, his arms wrapping around me underwater.

“Holy shit,” the other guy said. His eyes went back and forth between Caspian and me. “That doesn’t look human.” I felt my heart begin thumping hard in my chest. The memory of teeth too sharp on my neck, the dream of Caspian as some type of fish man. A mermaid? A siren? I didn’t know.

Don’t think about it.

“Shut up,” I snapped out and immediately regretted it but it got them to stop talking. I frowned, feeling guilty for lashing out when they’d been so nice today.

“Are you okay?” Caspian asked and I nodded. He smiled. Underwater he tugged at my hand, pulling it towards his crotch. My eyes widened in shock as I felt his erection but then I bit my lip and moved my hand up and down its length. Caspian’s eyes widened slightly like he was surprised I was playing along.

His bandmates were still swimming just beside us. The camera was still watching us like a remorseless stalker. The water was murky though and no one could see. My heart thumped in my chest as I moved my hand inside of his shorts, gripping him. The idea of making him come in front of everyone made me flush with excitement. I wanted to see it—see his face crack in uncontrolled pleasure as I made him finish with my hand.

Caspian hummed in pleasure before laying a kiss on my mouth. I gently squeezed right under the head of his cock, then ran my hand up and down his length while everyone unknowingly watched. His lips hovered above mine, his breath hitching slightly.

“Someone air up the tubes,” one of the bandmates said but all my attention was on Caspian in my hand. His lips pressed to mine in between breaths and a small groan whispered up from his throat. I could actually feel him throbbing in my hand. The throbbing was so extreme it was almost as if the shape of him was changing, enlarging.

Caspian grabbed my wrist suddenly and tugged me off him. He cleared his throat and wouldn’t look at me, as if embarrassed all of a sudden despite his earlier attitude.

“We should tube with them. It would be fun,” he said, dropping my hand and swimming away. I was confused as he broke contact and left me swimming there alone. He’d started that, so why was he acting so strange now? It was just like in the tent. Things just started to get heavy and then he pulled back.

Did he really want this? Was he shy for some reason? Did he prefer going slow? I wouldn’t press him. I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. I swam towards the shore where a motley collection of inflatable tubes and floats had been assembled. There were even floats attached to the cooler and someone tied it onto their tube so it could come with us.

“There’s a place a few miles down where we can hop back off the river. There's supposed to be a parking lot,” Brandon told the cameraman. “Can you meet us there with the bus?”

“Yeah, sure. Can’t take the camera on the water anyway,” he said, turning off his camera for once and heading back towards the trail. I watched him go, feeling relieved. Yet weirdly anxious as well. I watched the cameraman walk away until I couldn’t see him at all.