Page 66 of Autumn Secrets

“I-I’m going home. Where are you going?”

“I was hoping to catch you to see if you wanted to spend some time with me? I haven’t seen you much this week.” He gently let the back of his hand stroke my chin, then placed another feather-light kiss on my lips.

“What do you have in mind?” I whispered back against his lips.

“You’ll see. It’s a little surprise. Let’s take my car. I’ll drop you back here later.”

I locked my car, my interest piqued by his playful smile. I had devoted so much time this week to understanding this world I was part of, that I secretly welcomed the distraction. I needed a break, and it would be nice to have an afternoon doing something normal. “Okay, you got me. Now I’m beyond curious. What are we doing?”

He shook his head and chuckled softly. “Patience, angel.” He winked and grabbed my hand.

Half an hour later after passing a massive inland lake, Adrian parked his car and turned to me with a smile. We had driven through the autumn landscape for almost an hour before finally stopping.

“What is this place?” I asked curiously, as we stepped out of the car. In front of us was a low stone wall, covered in moss. In the middle was a weathered iron gate, reaching a few inches up to my waist. On the other side of the wall were overgrown rows of trees as far as my eyes could see. We were on elevated ground, because the rows continued down over a massive field, where another lake was hiding. In the background there were huge, majestic mountains. It was breathtaking.

“It’s an orchard?”

“Yep, it’s an old apple orchard.”

“And we’re allowed to be here?”

Adrian walked around to the back of his car and opened the trunk. “No need to worry, angel. We are definitely not trespassing.” He gestured his hand over the landscape in front of us. “Welcome to the Hunter Orchard.”

My mouth fell open. “This belongs to your family?”

“Yeah, it’s been in my family for generations. We don’t use it anymore though, as you can probably see. It’s a little bit overgrown.”

Adrian grabbed a blanket and basket and closed the trunk again. I nodded towards his hands. “Am I that predictable?”

He looked down at the items he was holding, and then up again. “Actually no. I would have come here today anyway; having you here with me is a bonus.” He grinned.

“You come here a lot?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I like getting away sometimes.” He tore his gaze from me and let it float across the orchard. “It clears my head.”

There was an edge to his voice that I’d never heard before, and for the first time since we’d met, I doubted his world was as trouble-free as it seemed. It didn’t bother me though; quite the contrary, it made him morerealand that made my heart swell just that little bit more. He must have noticed himself drifting away, because he quickly recovered and shot me a playful grin. “Are you ready?”

“For what? Apple picking?” I asked. “Well, I think so. You tell me?”

“First time?” And just like that he was back to his normal self.

I blushed. “First time,” I confessed.

“You’ll love it. It’s surprisingly relaxing.” He winked. “Come on.” He walked around the car and reached for my hand. “Let’s get in there.”

I looked around. “It’s so beautiful. It’s…”

“Magical, I know.” He pulled me into his arms. “Just like you, angel.”

His words found themselves swirling softly, letter by letter into the deepest part of my soul. Adrian had mastered his way into my guarded heart so fast, that I couldn’t even recall precisely when it had happened. His words were not merely words; I couldfeelthem. He unravelled me. I felt beautiful when he looked at me, something I’d never experienced in my whole life. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his head down closer to mine. He was so tall.

“And so are you, Adrian Hunter,” I whispered against his lips. He planted another soft kiss on my lips.

“Let’s get in there before it gets dark. Let me teach you the art of apple picking.”

I arched an eyebrow. “There’s actually a certain way to pick apples?”

“Of course there is. And lucky for you, you are looking at the master himself. Now, follow me.” He grinned, and my heart skipped another beat at the sound of joy in his voice.