Despite wanting to keep Brianna in bed for weeks, we don’t stay long in Sacramento. After four days of endless fucking and loving and more fucking, we finally leave. I’ve pushed the limits by staying this many days, and we need to keep moving.
Sunlight fills the room, revealing a tangle of bedsheets that reek of sex. I inhale, and my dick hardens again, but I know we don’t have time for another round, so I concentrate on collecting our things.
“Where will we go from here?” she asks as we pack our bags.
“Where do you want to go?”
She cocks her head. “We can go anywhere?”
“Within reason. We just need to keep moving.”
A smile parts her lips. “I’ve never been to Seattle, and I’ve always wanted to go.”
“Sounds like we’ll be seeing the Space Needle then.”
She laughs, and the sound makes the beast and I puff up in pleasure. Even though we haven’t claimed her, the bond is growing stronger, and the beast is pleased. And on top of that, it’s been twenty-four hours since I’ve received a sick fantasy from him. Considering the norm for months has been hourly images of him murdering and devouring—twenty-four hours of nothing is a miracle.
Of course, our obsession with Brianna can be thanked for that. She’s all the beast thinks about now too.
“Do I still have to wear this?” She holds up the hat.
I zipper the pack closed. “Just until we’re on the road. You don’t need to wear it while we’re driving.”
She nods and slips it on. Her long dark hair tumbles down her back, and she looks so damned cute that I have to force myself to gather the last few things instead of pulling her into my arms, but when she turns and I eye her curvy ass filling out her shorts, I can’t help myself.
I growl. “Just once more before we go.”
She squeals when I grab her around the waist and drop her on the bed, but already she’s reaching for me and spreading her legs.
I shake my head. “What have you done to me woman?”
Her eyes darken, lust filling them again and instead of replying she grabs my shirt and pulls me in for a kiss.
∞ ∞ ∞
We somehow manage to get downstairs before checkout time, and we make quick work of leaving the Sacramento. By evening, we’re in Seattle. Watching Brianna’s joy at seeing a new city and feeling her giddiness when the Space Needle appears clenches my heart.
I take a deep breath. I’ve fallen so fast and hard for this woman. It’s crazy that it’s only been a week since I abducted her.
“Where will we stay?” she asks.
“Are you up for camping?” I turn toward the Cascade Range just east of the city and watch her anxiously. I want to give her the world, but I also can’t afford to keep us in hotels every night. “We can explore the city tomorrow if we’re careful, but I—” I grimace. My pride doesn’t let me continue. It’s embarrassing that I don’t have enough money to keep us in five-star accommodations every night, but the reality is that I don’t.
Her hand covers mine. “Camping’s fine. I’ve always liked to camp.”
The feel of her soothes something inside me. I turn my hand over, and our fingers thread together. The beast settles more, too, curling up inside me since our mate is still happy.
We stop along the way and buy a cheap tent and sleeping bags at an outdoor store, and an hour later, I pull into a rustic campground.
She doesn’t blink an eye that I pick a tent-only campground. There isn’t running water or electrical hookups, which means there aren’t any RVs.
“How does this look?” I ask.
“Perfect.” She eyes one of the hiking trails by the campsite check-in wistfully.
I follow her gaze. “Do you want to go hiking?”
She grins. “Could we? I would love to go for a run, and since we’re in the wild now, we probably won’t need to wear these, right?” She waves at her cap and shades.
“No, we don’t.” I run a finger along her arm, wanting to touch her for the sake of touching her. She shivers. “Do you want to set up the tent or run first?”
“Run.”
∞ ∞ ∞
We run for forty-five minutes and cover at least eight miles. The terrain varies, and since Brianna’s not as fast as me I slow my pace to accommodate her, but that doesn’t stop my frequent side-eye and grins