Flock (The Ravenhood)

“Oh, yeah?”

He grins down at me. “You fought well, baby.”

It’s my first real smile of the day.

A DIZZYING SMILE GREETS ME as I saunter down the porch steps to where Sean waits at the passenger door, eyes devouring me in my cover-up, a dangerously flossy bikini beneath. I meet him where he stands and warm, calloused hands cup my ass as he pulls me into him in a way that stakes claim. When he kisses me, diving deep, and a soft groan rumbles in his chest, I’m already starved for more. More of what we’ve been doing, I’m anxious for what’s to come. I’d called Christy last night and filled her in on the details, shamelessly sparing few because she’s my person, and she is just as taken in by all that has transpired with Sean.

Being with him makes me happy. It makes my romantic heart sing. Sean’s a caretaker and has done nothing since the day we met but do exactly that. His grip strong, he kisses me and kisses me, our tongues dueling, his feel, his smell a new craving. I feed on him as he takes further control, pulling me further into him, rubbing his erection along my stomach to let me know he’s just as needy for me.

When we eventually part, his eyes are lit, a content smile playing on his lips. “What did you dream about last night?”

“Aren’t you really asking about who?”

“I don’t flatter myself.”

“You should. You were in all the ones I remember.”

“Good ones?”

“Damn good ones.”

“Good to hear. You ready to have some fun?”

“Always.”

“That’s my girl.” Tucked in his passenger seat, he buckles me in and presses a gentle kiss to my lips, as if he can’t wait another second to do so.

“Dom’s coming. Hope that’s okay.”

Deflating a little, I only nod. I was hoping to be alone with him, but I don’t make a stink of it, because any time with him is well spent. Dominic puts me on edge in a way I’m not comfortable with. My draw toward him is unexplainable, and I only feel guilty for it. I don’t tell this to Sean because I don’t want him mulling it over the way I have been for the last couple of days. Being in Dominic’s proximity is like a slow-motion view of an explosion of metal on metal. With Sean, I feel safer; but when Dominic is around, I feel that every breath I take is laced with something hazardous. Yet with each inhale, he becomes more intoxicating.

I prefer sober and aware, at least that’s what I try to tell myself.

Once in the driver’s side, Sean grips my hand and runs a thumb along the skin of my thigh. “You look beautiful.”

Part of my answer is a beaming smile. “So do you.”

“Let’s go, baby,” he murmurs, taking my lips once more before kicking back in his seat and starting the engine. Southern rock drifts out of the speakers as he taps his fingers on his steering wheel, and I just…watch him. It might not yet be love, but it’s definitely nothing short of heady infatuation at this point. We sing along to the classics as he races toward the lake, a cooler packed behind us in his seat.

“Good one,” he says, just as a new song begins to play and he sings along. Curious, I glance at the dash and read the title, “Night Moves” by Bob Seger. Completely at ease, he squeezes my thigh as he sings to me, but it’s when I really listen to the words that I start to deflate. The more he sings, the more I start to feel sick. The song is about a meaningless hookup for a summer, someone to pass the time with sexually until they move onto better things. He notices my frown just as we pull up to his cousin’s property, the picturesque view of the lake surrounded by the mountains rapidly tainting along with my mood.

Once parked, I push his hand off my thigh and slam my way out of the car, seeing Dominic eye us from a tractor tire-sized raft docked at the foot of the lake.

“What the fuck?” Sean asks as I turn and make my way in the opposite direction toward the woods casting shadows a few feet away. I’m already stepping up on to a small hill path leading toward a clearing when I hear Dominic speak up.

“The fuck’s her problem?” I don’t bother turning back to explain myself, I just charge past a few trees in flip flops that are not at all fit for a morning hike. I’m acting a fool and need to get a handle on myself before I do worse.

“Cecelia.”

“Sean…just give me a minute.”

“Hell no,” he stomps after me, “we’re not going through this again.”

“Seriously, I need some space,” I snap over my shoulder.

“That’s not the tune you were singing twenty minutes ago.”

I whirl on him, coming close to running into his chest. “Speaking of tunes, what the hell was that?”