When they stepped back out into the crisp cool air, they both felt the slight sting of the marked skin, a reminder of the connection they now had. Ironically, the moon was high, casting a silver glow on them as they walked in comfortable silence.
“We did it! You won’t regret this, will you?” she looked up at him. The blue moonlight caught the wary glint in her eyes.
“Never. The moon is amazing. And the sun.” He jutted his chin at her newly inked wrist. “Is exactly how I see you.”
The street was quiet at this late hour, making their walk intimate. Bear couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was beautiful. Stunning.
~*~
Aasia felt a comfort being near Bear, as if the world moved around him.
He had the broadest of shoulders. Large, capable hands. A barrel chest as if it had been given to him to carry a lot of burden. His jaw was squared with the shadow of whiskers, and a long day. When he took her hand, she couldn’t feel the scars that covered his knuckles but she knew they were there. While he’d been getting his tattoo she’d counted the jagged white lines. Ten. Between his two hands. She became curious how he’d gotten them. Had he been in hand-to-hand combat? Working on machines? She wanted his story, but she couldn’t just expect that a man built as tough as Bear would uncap his entire story in one sitting.
The way he’d looked at her while she sat under the tattoo gun made him seem different…smaller. Not in stature. He was still as big as a mountain and as solid as one. But it wasn’t easy to explain what she’d witnessed in his expression. Something unguarded, maybe even uncertain, as he told her of his fear of getting his heart broken. Tonight she’d seen some of the darkness that surrounded him recede.
Lamplight pooled around their feet turning the pavement into a path of liquid blue after the downpour.
The town was quiet. Put to bed so to speak. She felt like she and Bear were the only two people in Fin’s Creek. A new pride had developed in her that they shared something…a tattoo. To some it would mean nothing, but to her, it meant the world. The gesture meant promise and unity.
Their footsteps were in unison, and their fingers entwined.
She looked up at him, looking at his profile. Thankful for the streetlights that offered her a chance to see his features.
“You’ve become very quiet,” she said.
His shoulders slackened some. “Yeah, I guess I have.”
She wanted to jump in and ask about his thoughts but knew she could be met with a wall. She’d learned that Bear didn’t just speak to fill the silence. Everything he brought to the table came from a place of intention. Every word that passed his lips cost him something. Every word had depth.
“I told you what I’m scared of. I meant it.”
“Do you regret opening up?”
He stopped and looked down at her, his brow furrowed. “Not at all.”
“Good because I want to know you better, Bear. I want you to trust me. Know that whatever you tell me will stay with me.”
He offered her a crooked smile. “We’re bound to each other now.” He held out his arm and lifted hers so that they were side by side. He brushed the backs of his knuckles across her skin leaving a trail of electricity in his wake. “Now every time there’s a sunny day, I hope you’ll think of me,” he said, his voice a low rumble that resonated like soft waves within her.
“And every time you look at the moon I hope you’ll think of me.” She pressed her hands against his chest, drawing in his heat.
“That was a very good idea.” He kissed her cheek, lingering close.
“Tell me something, Ben,” she chose to use his real name, making her feel like they shared their own private secret there standing on the empty street. “When you first met me what did you think of me?”
He tangled his fingers through her hair, then said, “That night I first saw you I thought you were the most engaging, intriguing, girl I’ve ever met.”
His kind words filled her chest. “And now?”
“I still feel like you’re the most intriguing woman but getting to know you I also realize you have a sadness that hangs around in you like a dark cloud. You hide it well, but if someone listens—really listens—they’ll pick up on it.”
She smiled but it felt plastic even to her. “I’ve carried a lot of demons for a lot of years. I feel like you might be the only one who understands me.”
“For a while I was afraid that you and I might be bonded by our difficult pasts, but there’s more. You’re about the only one who I think I could tell my secrets to and you wouldn’t judge me.”
“Does that mean you’ll tell me everything?”
“In good time. I promise.”
