“You think you run these hills, don’t you?” Dru tosses out, picking his teeth.
“Yeah! You think you can just subject all of us to your disgusting behavior?”
They laugh and high five each other—and their sarcasm isn’t lost on me. The Farleys are usually the ones to engage in disgusting behavior and I hate that—in their eyes—I’ve just come down to their level. I long to return to Diana so I can be cleansed by her presence. I’m turning to return to my cave when both sets of Farley eyes go wide as saucers and I know already that Diana is standing behind me.
CHAPTER FIVE
Diana
Who are these clowns?
I didn’t like them on sight, but as I approached the stream looking for Ike, I heard the rude way they spoke to him. And I really didn’t like it.
That being said, I’m pretty sure I’ve made a tactical error making my presence known because the clowns have their jaws on the ground, and Ike? His back is bristling like the lion he resembles. His back is flexed, hands in lethal fists at his sides and I really, really shouldn’t be so attracted to the whole demeanor.
Oops.
“Well hell,” Clown Number One says. “Who is that?”
“Mmmm. Yeah,” says the second clown, licking his lips in an obscene way. “Look at that sweet, young thing. I’d be beating my meat, too, Ike. Who could blame you?” He winks at me. “Maybe if I ask nicely, she’ll beat it for me.”
Ike’s roar is deafening. I fall into a crouch with my hands over my ears to avoid permanent deafness. Here is the beast. He’s on full display. But in my eyes, the two men across the stream are the monsters. Why would they antagonize him like this? Ike could smash them to smithereens.
Because he’s gentle.
He’s good.
There’s an intuition whispering these things to me and I’m beginning to believe them. How can I not? He left the cave to touch himself instead of using me for relief. Sure, he might not know exactly how to use me, but he clearly has sexual impulses where I’m concerned that he’s keeping under control. Then there’s the fact that he held me through the night like I was made of the finest china.
My heart flops over thinking of it.
Ike steps into the stream, preparing to cross and probably squeeze these two clowns’ heads off…and I react. I don’t want to witness violence from Ike. Based on the shock on the faces of the men, they don’t usually get a rise out of him. I don’t want to be the reason he inflicts pain on other people.
Before I can stop myself, I fall to the ground and grab my ankle, howling in pain. “Ouch! Oh God, my ankle. My ankle. It’s twisted or something. Ow!”
Ike spins around and lunges for me, his big hands running over every inch of my body, his face a mask of horror. “Diana. No. How did this happen?” He starts to scoop me up in his arms and stops. “Will I make it worse if I carry you? How easily you break, tiny human.”
“I just stepped on it wrong,” I say, fanning my face dramatically. “You can carry me.”
I’m against his strong chest in a heartbeat and his long strides eat up the distance to the cave, the men forgotten at the stream. “Poor Diana,” Ike croons, his brow creased with worry. “Poor little ankle.”
“It’s already starting to feel better,” I say, his distress beginning to make me feel guilty. “I’m sure it’ll be back in ship shape real soon, fire log.”
His jaw is in a permanent flex and he keeps stomping along as if he didn’t hear me. “I should never have left you.”
“Ike. I lied.” I cover my face with my hands. “I just didn’t want you to murder those two yokels over me, so I created a diversion.”
He comes to an abrupt stop at the mouth of the cave. For a moment he stares at me in surprise and then I’m presented with another one of those lopsided smiles that sends my heart skittering in my chest. “You will keep me on my toes, tiny person. Won’t you?” Cradling me with one arm, he boops me in the belly button. I squeal and bat his hand away. “Do you not think they deserved to die for speaking to my girl that way?”
“I’m not your girl,” I say, but I’m blushing.
“You are. I held you while you slept.” He continues into the cave. “I will study your behavior very closely so I know when you’re lying.”
“You say that like I lie all the time!”
He raises an eyebrow at me. “Don’t you?”
I replay the last twelve hours and admit silently that Ike has a point. “Maybe lying is my marketable skill,” I mumble. “Wait, what other lies are you referring to?”