When they climbed out of the truck in the state park’s parking lot, he grabbed a couple of bottled waters from his supply in the back seat and handed her one.
“Thanks,” she said and glanced around. “Are you up for this?”
This time he chuckled. “I usually hike twenty miles a weekend. I like to camp too,” he added. “Course, what you’ve got going, with the van and all, is far better than my old one-person tent.”
Her eyebrows shot up slightly. “It does have its benefits,” she said as they started down the trail head. “Like a toilet, shower, and clean water. Not to mention my very own full kitchen and pillow-top mattress.”
“Yeah, how does all of that fit in there?” he asked, curious. He’d seen it himself, but it was still hard to believe all of that fit in such a small space.
She shrugged. “Magic, I suppose. I bought it and built out the inside myself. I’d seen a few vans like it and wanted to make it my own.”
“In Seattle?” he asked, glancing sideways at her.
“No, I bought the van in Seaside, Oregon, from a couple that had to get rid of it so they could buy their first house because she was pregnant with triplets,” she responded with a hint of humor in her voice.
“Wow.” He shook his head. “Going from two to five in one day.”
She stopped in the pathway and looked at him. “Don’t like kids?”
He smiled. “Love ’em.” He thought about it for a moment. “But I’d like mine to be a little more spaced out. You know, get used to one of the little guys before being thrust headfirst into changing three sets of diapers.”
She nodded and started walking again.
“Why travel so much?” he asked her after a few moments.
“Why not?” She shrugged.
“Family?” he asked, trying to keep the question casual. He hadn’t found out anything about her family in his research.
“Nope,” she answered.
This time he stopped her by placing a hand on her elbow lightly. She turned towards him.
“I’m sorry. Did they die?”
She took a deep breath and then looked around. They were surrounded by tall pine and oak trees. Even though it was fall, only the oak tree’s leaves were orange and brown. Everything else was still vibrant green.
He listened as she thought about her answer, counting the calls from a mockingbird until finally she said, “I don’t know.”
“Did they take off on you like Jess’s parents did?”
“Not… necessarily,” she answered, and he could hear the pain in her voice. She took a deep breath and then stopped at the peak of a hill and sat on a large boulder. He sat next to her as she tucked her knees up to her chest. “It was my sixteenth birthday party,” she started, as her eyes scanned the horizon of plush green and orange trees ahead of them. “I had the most perfect party arranged and all of my close friends had been invited. The moment I blew out the candles on the cake, everyone just…” She flipped her fingers into the air. “Disappeared. My entire world was gone in a heartbeat.”
“Gone?” he asked, not really understanding.
She nodded and glanced over at him, and he watched a tear slip down her cheek. Reaching over, he gently brushed it away with his thumb.
“I’m sorry,” he said, meaning it. He’d experienced loss in his own life, having lost his older sister and father to a drunk driver when he’d been in middle school.
Her breath hitched when he touched her, and she swayed towards him until they were so close, he could see her pupils dilate. Her tongue darted out, and she licked her bottom lip. He wondered what she would taste like, how soft her lips would feel under his.
He didn’t remember moving. Didn’t know if she’d been the one who’d leaned in and placed her lips over his. It didn’t matter who had moved first after Tara’s response to the kiss. Her body melted against his as her fingers tangled in his hair.
“I didn’t mean to do that,” she said as she rested her forehead against his chest. Then she chuckled. “It’s the first time I’ve told anyone about that day.” She glanced up at him. “And it’s been a while since I’ve wanted to be with someone.”
He smiled. “What do you say we head back and grab some food? I was so busy doing research that I forgot to eat lunch.”
She stood up suddenly. “I could eat,” she agreed and they headed back down the trail.
“I’d love to hear the story of how you discovered you could fly and lift heavy things,” he said as they made their way back to his truck.
She chuckled before starting. “Most of what I can do was discovered by accident.”
He waited a heartbeat. “Kind of like Superman?”
She glanced over at him and rolled her eyes. “Men and their superheroes.”
“What?” He stopped her. “You can’t tell me you don’t admire the man of steel?”
She smiled. “I’m more of a Wonder Woman kind of girl.”
“She’s hot too,” he said, adding a shrug when Tara slapped him playfully on the shoulder. “What? I mean, what man wouldn’t want a woman who can bend steel, take down Nazis, and fly.” He realized what he was admitting the moment the words were and didn’t care. “Hot,” he added with a smile.
“Not everyone thinks the same way.” Her smile slipped slightly. “Which is why I’ve spent the past ten years moving around a lot.”
“What happened?” he asked when they reached the bend in the pathway.
She stopped and turned towards him. “I had started seeing this guy, Rob, after I found out about my strength. He wanted to videotape me showing off, and at first, I thought it was a fun thing to do. I was excited about pleasing him. Then he started planning and plotting. That’s when he threatened to send the videos to the government, who would, according to him, hunt me down and dissect me, if I didn’t start doing things.”
“What kind of things?” he asked, already hating the guy.
“For starters, breaking into ATMs.”
“Did you?”
She shook her head. “No, I took off instead.”
“What happened to Rob?” he asked.
“He put the videos up on the internet where they were immediately labeled as fake. People just can’t believe something like that really exists. Something like me,” she said softly.
He reached over and took her hand and then pulled her into his arms. “From the looks of things last night, you’re no longer alone.” He felt his heart skip when she smiled.
Chapter 7
What was Tara supposed to do with Colt? She’d never had someone treat her like he did. Not only had he confessed that he thought her abilities were hot, but just the way he’d responded to her story about Rob had instantly told her that he was as disgusted by her ex as she had been.
Not to mention that kiss. She’d been close to power for years but had never felt it so strong before. The pull of attraction she felt towards Colt was as great as the force that had driven her from her home all those years ago.
“Hey, I have a strange idea,” he said, taking a slight step back from her.