Page 24 of Up All Night
“Hey, yourself.” For the first time all morning, Sean met my gaze, and yeah, the dude was hurting, exactly as I’d suspected. The pain and vulnerability in his expression made me want to offer him everything I had. I wasn’t a caretaker. I didn’t have siblings or family. I’d been a lone wolf for so long that I had no clue how to exist in a pack. But even knowing all that, I wanted to fix things for Sean so badly that my hand clenched on the coffee pot.
“Gonna need a ride?” I asked in a low whisper.Please say yes. Let me help.I tried to beam the message directly into his eyeballs.
Teeth digging into that lower lip of his I liked so much, he took his sweet time nodding. “Yeah. That might be nice.”
I’d give him better than nice. Ride. Sex. Talking. Whatever he needed. Hell, I’d give him the whole damn world if only to see him smile again.
ChapterTwelve
Sean
I stood near Denver’s truck in the cool morning breeze, feeling a little foolish and a lot needy. My own perfectly serviceable truck sat only a few spots away. But as Denver emerged from the diner, I exhaled for the first time in what felt like days.
“You waited.” His tone was solemn, matching my mood just fine.
“You asked.” I waited while he unlocked the truck, and then I climbed into the passenger seat.
“I did.” Denver ambled over to the driver’s side, taking his time turning the truck on and letting it warm without peppering me with questions, which I appreciated more than he’d ever know. “Want to drive a bit?” he asked at last before putting the truck in gear. “Clear your head?”
“Sure.” My voice was so flat even I was sick of my own presence. Denver didn’t need me being a sad sack on his day off. “I mean, that, or you pound me through your mattress. Both might work.”
Denver didn’t laugh, nor did he head toward Prospect Place. “I’m not fucking you with you all kinds of twisted up.”
“But I’m flexible.” I offered him a grin I really didn’t feel.
“I’m not.” Denver drove steadily out of town, away from the houses and stoplights and neighbors taking advantage of a sunny spring morning to jog or garden or breakfast on their decks. Ordinary lives on a morning when nothing felt ordinary and everything seemed to be closing in. My skin was tight and dry, nasal passages burning, eyes bleary, and despite the multiple glasses of water Tate had forced on me, I was parched. But as we fled town for the green hills covered in evergreen trees and familiar rocky terrain, I exhaled, reaching for the window controller.
“Everything okay?” Denver’s tone was wary like I might be about to hurl in his truck.
“Sorry. Just wanted to smell the fresh air.”
“Smell away.” He rolled his own window down, creating a marvelous cross breeze. “We can get out and walk at some point if you want.”
“Why are you being so nice to me?” I wasn’t at all sure I’d earned his concern. I hadn’t told him a thing about my shift, and our few short text messages had been casual, a pronounced gap between hookup buddies and friends. Yet, this, taking me on a drive instead of fucking, was definitely a friend gesture.
Denver shrugged. “You brought me muffins. I owe you.”
“Now who’s not being serious?”
“Honestly, I don’t know either.” His tone turned thoughtful. “You’re hurting. I want to fix it. I don’t know how, and I’m probably doing a crap job, but I’d like to help.”
“Wow.” I didn’t have a better reply than that. I couldn’t say as anyone, even Maxine, had been that direct with me before.
A dusky flush spread up Denver’s neck. “Should have stuck with the muffins.”
“No, I like honesty.” I managed a small smile just for him. I relaxed in my seat more, letting myself enjoy the scenery and the breeze whipping through the truck. “And this is helping. The smell of the trees and sunshine.”
“Good.” Denver turned onto another curving back road, not forcing conversation, letting me soak up the sun and clean smells. As he navigated another bend in the road, I spotted a familiar-looking logging road.
“Hey, is that our spot?” I pointed.
“We have a spot?” Despite sounding confused, Denver indulgently slowed before turning onto the bumpy, unpaved road.
“The one where we first kissed?” I gestured around us. Yeah, this was the place. My attention had been all on Denver, but the hidden cove of trees was seared into my memory, right along with the taste of his lips.
“Ah. I guess it is.” Denver flushed deeper, like I’d called him out on some sentimental secret. But he knew. He was remembering too. A fact made clear by how he glanced at my mouth before looking out the window. “There’s a neat view of a creek a way up the hill. Thought maybe you might want to sniff some more air.”
“I do.” Surprisingly, I was eager to exit the truck. Bone tired, every muscle hurting and joints creaking, yet there was nowhere I’d rather be than following Denver up the faint little trail leading away from the logging road. The more we walked, the looser my whole body felt, lips included. “The nose is a funny thing. I can wash off gasoline, oil, antifreeze, blood, guts. A little soap and some scrubbing, and it’s all good as new.”