Her smooth hand slips across my cheek, and I lean into her palm. I lift my hand and place it against hers, needing her touch for a little while longer. I kiss the sensitive part of her wrist, exhaling when all the emotions I’ve been feeling from everyone build up to the point of agony. One touch from her, they all melt away.
“Saved you? What did I save you from?”
Everything.
I slide to the side and reposition us to look out over the pasture, the bolts of lightning dancing with every strike. Intertwining our hands, I debate telling her the truth, but when I hear her gasp, I know words don’t need to be said.
She can feel what I do through the bond.
“You saved me too.”
Her confession takes me by surprise. “Me? What did I save you from?” She had everything she wanted before me. She had her entire life planned out. If anything, I interrupted everything she wanted for herself.
“My career consuming me. I know, having goals is important, but you reminded me it’s okay to want more. I don’t have to confine myself to work.” She draws lazy circles on her stomach and excitement plucks the tendrils that connect us. “I can have both.”
Nariko moves, placing her head on my chest as we watch the lightning put on a show.
“This is beautiful,” she says into the night. “When did you figure out this spot was the perfect view?”
I wrap an arm around her, my thumb brushing up and down her shoulder. She sighs, completely relaxed. There isn’t a better feeling for a man when his girl feels safe in his arms.
“Hmm, let me think. It’s been a few years.”
“A few? Or a few decades,” she teases about my age.
“Oh? You have jokes?” I tickle her sides, and she hollers in laughter, kicking and screaming, her laugh feeding my own happiness.
“Okay, okay, okay,” she breathes. “I give! I give,” Nariko gasps.
I kiss her forehead, lingering my lips for a few seconds. “I think it was only a year after I bought the land. I took Van Gogh with me, and at the time, Westin and Jazz weren’t here yet. It was just me and Van Gogh exploring. We camped under the stars and learned every square inch of this place. I had a small notebook and pen with me and marked every spot I loved the most.
“It’s this spot and another a few pastures over. It has a creek running right through it, but there was something about this spot. This rundown cabin. The view. The way I could see the storms in the distance, even though I hated them for what they took from me, I hate to admit there was a solace in watching them from so far. The lightning, the rain, the way the clouds turned purple, I got to see it all. Maybe it’s because it was a way for me to feel close to my brother. I don’t know. Or maybe it’s because Fate knew my mate was a storm chaser and I needed to show her this because it’s hers now.”
She turns her head and presses her hand on my chest, pushing herself up enough to stare at me. She doesn’t say a word, but she replies with a soft kiss.
I point up to the sky. “You never told me what those clouds were, Sugar.”
“As if you don’t know.” She slouches to the side, her head still on my chest.
“Pretend I don’t. I just want to hear you talk.” I kiss the top of her head and run my fingers through her long, black hair that shines even in the night.
“Mammatus clouds can indicate a strong storm or any kind of bad weather. They are lumpy or form what looks like lobes that hang down.”
I knew that, but I love that she knows it too.
“Name the different types of tornadoes. You have twenty seconds.”
“Twenty!” She bolts up, her hair whipping around her shoulders, when she spins to glare at me. “That’s not enough time!”
“Fifteen now,” I whistle. “Time’s a tickin,’ Sugar.” I pat my wrist where a watch would be.
“Um. Uh. Ah!” She giggles, flicking one finger out. “Wedges, Ropes, Cones,” she continues to count. “Stovepipe. Rain-Wrapped. And?—”
“Five, four—” I count down. “Three…two…”
“Multi-Vortex. Waterspouts! Landspouts!” She screeches just as her time runs out. “Ha! I win. I win.” She does a cute little dance, snapping her fingers and twisting her upper body to no beat.
“You got lucky,” I tease.
