Some form of panic rose in my chest.
"So, I suppose you want to know my story?" she asked after a moment.
"What?" I asked, snapping back to reality. "No, I don't want to hear your story. I told you . . ."
"Right. You don't want to carry any useless information with you when you leave, but, see, I've got a really interesting one."
I raised one brow at her suspiciously. "There are no interesting stories in these parts, just weary, never-ending tales of tragedy and woe. And toothlessness."
She laughed a short laugh and shook her head, her light green eyes shining. Her skin was aglow in the sunset, glints of gold coming off her brunette hair. When she looked away, I allowed my eyes to roam to her breasts. My dick surged to life in my jeans and I shifted uncomfortably. "Not mine. And really, I shouldn't tell you this, but well . . ." She continued looking out at the horizon and I studied her profile. "In truth, Kyland, my father is a Russian Prince." She raised her eyebrows and looked around as if checking to make sure no one was around. "There's a squabble going on regarding my father's title, and land ownership." She waved her hand through the air. "It's all very complicated and involves all sorts of Russian aristocracy laws that you wouldn't understand, but in the meantime, my father is hiding us here where he believes we're safest until his estate has been settled." She leaned toward me. "I know my trailer looks humble, but it's all a ruse. Inside, although it's small, it's wall-to-wall luxury. And," her eyes widened, "it's where the royal family jewels are hidden." She winked at me and I burst out laughing. She was being ridiculous. And I loved it. How long had it been since I'd just been . . . silly? Her eyes widened as she took in my expression and then she grinned back.
We stared at each other for a minute, something flowing in the air between us. I looked away first, unsettled again.
"Royal family jewels, huh? You so sure you can trust me with that information? I'm already a known sandwich-bandit."
She tilted her head. "Yeah," she said softly, seriously. "I've got a feeling you're mostly trustworthy."
We stared at each other for several beats again, something quickening inside me. Something that felt dangerous—something I didn't exactly recognize, but something I wasn't sure I liked at all. I needed to break the damn spell.
"I trust you with my family jewels, too," I finally said, winking, trying to lighten the sudden, strange mood between us. "I'd like to show them to you sometime."
Tenleigh leaned her head back and laughed. I had wondered what her full-out laughter sounded like, and now I knew. And I suddenly understood that it would have been better if I didn't. So much better. Because I wanted to lose myself in the sound of that laughter. It alarmed me and that same feeling came into my chest again, only now increasing. I sat up straighter, something instinctual telling me I needed to run.
Her expression seemed to change as if she could sense my inner turmoil. Ridiculous. She stood and I squinted up at her. "Come here," she said, turning her back on me. "I want to show you something."
I stood up and followed behind her to a large rock. I watched as she went to the front of it and ducked down, disappearing somewhere. I leaned over cautiously and saw a tiny, dark cave. Anxiety swept through my body, and I stumbled backward. Tenleigh peeked out, a smile plastered across her face.
"Come in. It's big enough for the both of us. I want to show you something."
"No," I said, a bit more harshly than I meant to. The smile disappeared from her face and she "walked" out, nearly squatting as she shuffled along. She stood up and looked at me worriedly. I realized that my hands were fisted by my sides, and my body was tensed. I relaxed, shoving my hands in my pockets.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Do you not like small spaces? I—"
"It's no big deal," I said, dismissively.
She put her hand on my shoulder timidly and I jolted at the contact, squeezing my eyes shut for a second and then opening them. I pulled away.
She watched me acutely for just a moment. "There are some drawings on the wall in there," she finally said and shrugged. "Really, really faint and most likely something someone did recently, but who knows. Maybe a cave family lived in there thousands of years ago."
"Hundreds of thousands."
"What?"
"Cavemen, they lived hundreds of thousands of years ago, not thousands."
She put her hands on her hips. "Okay, professor." She arched one delicate eyebrow, and I let out a small laugh on a breath.
"Come on, Princess Tenleigh, we better get back to the road before it's pitch black." I went for a casual tone to my voice. Tenleigh had obviously noticed my strange behavior when it came to the small cave.
The sun had almost set and it was twilight, the sky a deep blue, the first stars just appearing. A few minutes later, we were back on the road and we walked along in silence. It felt comfortable again and Tenleigh smiled a small smile at me, just tilting her head slightly in my direction.
She adjusted her backpack and a book fell out of the tear on the side, the one she had closed up as much as possible with a safety pin. A fucking safety pin. That safety pin filled me with anger. "Oops." She leaned down to pick it up just as I did and we both laughed as our heads collided. She rubbed hers and laughed again. "There's that charm again. I'm a goner for sure."
"So, I suppose you want to know my story?" she asked after a moment.
"What?" I asked, snapping back to reality. "No, I don't want to hear your story. I told you . . ."
"Right. You don't want to carry any useless information with you when you leave, but, see, I've got a really interesting one."
I raised one brow at her suspiciously. "There are no interesting stories in these parts, just weary, never-ending tales of tragedy and woe. And toothlessness."
She laughed a short laugh and shook her head, her light green eyes shining. Her skin was aglow in the sunset, glints of gold coming off her brunette hair. When she looked away, I allowed my eyes to roam to her breasts. My dick surged to life in my jeans and I shifted uncomfortably. "Not mine. And really, I shouldn't tell you this, but well . . ." She continued looking out at the horizon and I studied her profile. "In truth, Kyland, my father is a Russian Prince." She raised her eyebrows and looked around as if checking to make sure no one was around. "There's a squabble going on regarding my father's title, and land ownership." She waved her hand through the air. "It's all very complicated and involves all sorts of Russian aristocracy laws that you wouldn't understand, but in the meantime, my father is hiding us here where he believes we're safest until his estate has been settled." She leaned toward me. "I know my trailer looks humble, but it's all a ruse. Inside, although it's small, it's wall-to-wall luxury. And," her eyes widened, "it's where the royal family jewels are hidden." She winked at me and I burst out laughing. She was being ridiculous. And I loved it. How long had it been since I'd just been . . . silly? Her eyes widened as she took in my expression and then she grinned back.
We stared at each other for a minute, something flowing in the air between us. I looked away first, unsettled again.
"Royal family jewels, huh? You so sure you can trust me with that information? I'm already a known sandwich-bandit."
She tilted her head. "Yeah," she said softly, seriously. "I've got a feeling you're mostly trustworthy."
We stared at each other for several beats again, something quickening inside me. Something that felt dangerous—something I didn't exactly recognize, but something I wasn't sure I liked at all. I needed to break the damn spell.
"I trust you with my family jewels, too," I finally said, winking, trying to lighten the sudden, strange mood between us. "I'd like to show them to you sometime."
Tenleigh leaned her head back and laughed. I had wondered what her full-out laughter sounded like, and now I knew. And I suddenly understood that it would have been better if I didn't. So much better. Because I wanted to lose myself in the sound of that laughter. It alarmed me and that same feeling came into my chest again, only now increasing. I sat up straighter, something instinctual telling me I needed to run.
Her expression seemed to change as if she could sense my inner turmoil. Ridiculous. She stood and I squinted up at her. "Come here," she said, turning her back on me. "I want to show you something."
I stood up and followed behind her to a large rock. I watched as she went to the front of it and ducked down, disappearing somewhere. I leaned over cautiously and saw a tiny, dark cave. Anxiety swept through my body, and I stumbled backward. Tenleigh peeked out, a smile plastered across her face.
"Come in. It's big enough for the both of us. I want to show you something."
"No," I said, a bit more harshly than I meant to. The smile disappeared from her face and she "walked" out, nearly squatting as she shuffled along. She stood up and looked at me worriedly. I realized that my hands were fisted by my sides, and my body was tensed. I relaxed, shoving my hands in my pockets.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Do you not like small spaces? I—"
"It's no big deal," I said, dismissively.
She put her hand on my shoulder timidly and I jolted at the contact, squeezing my eyes shut for a second and then opening them. I pulled away.
She watched me acutely for just a moment. "There are some drawings on the wall in there," she finally said and shrugged. "Really, really faint and most likely something someone did recently, but who knows. Maybe a cave family lived in there thousands of years ago."
"Hundreds of thousands."
"What?"
"Cavemen, they lived hundreds of thousands of years ago, not thousands."
She put her hands on her hips. "Okay, professor." She arched one delicate eyebrow, and I let out a small laugh on a breath.
"Come on, Princess Tenleigh, we better get back to the road before it's pitch black." I went for a casual tone to my voice. Tenleigh had obviously noticed my strange behavior when it came to the small cave.
The sun had almost set and it was twilight, the sky a deep blue, the first stars just appearing. A few minutes later, we were back on the road and we walked along in silence. It felt comfortable again and Tenleigh smiled a small smile at me, just tilting her head slightly in my direction.
She adjusted her backpack and a book fell out of the tear on the side, the one she had closed up as much as possible with a safety pin. A fucking safety pin. That safety pin filled me with anger. "Oops." She leaned down to pick it up just as I did and we both laughed as our heads collided. She rubbed hers and laughed again. "There's that charm again. I'm a goner for sure."
