Page 76 of Here Lies North


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“It’s too early. Why are you waking me?” I cover my eyes with my hands.

I feel the bed shift underneath me, and then Cain’s warm hands are taking mine and lifting them off my face.

His fingers then touch my chin, forcing me to look at him. The way he stares at me is intense this morning. “Because you need to pack a bag.”

Still locked in his penetrating stare, I notice that his deep brown eyes look different in the early light of the morning than they did last night. Today, they seem clearer.

He was definitely sleepwalking last night.

“Come on, up you go.” He stands from where he’s sitting and reaches his hand out to help me out of bed. The moment I stand, and the blanket falls from me, I realize my mistake. I’m naked, and Cain is staring.

“You need to go get dressed, or I can promise we are never leaving.”

“I’m okay with that.” I step closer to him, my breasts touching his warm skin. Lifting my arms, I place my fingers on the corded muscles of his chest. He lets out a sharp inhale of breath as I trail a pattern over his skin.

“None of that right now.” His fingers wrap around my wrist, and then he pries my hand away. “As much as I want to, and I do want to, we have places to go.”

Cain steps back, and I let out a playful whine before heading toward my closet.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“It’s a surprise.”

“I need to know so I can pack the right stuff.”

Cain glances in my direction and lets out a sigh. “Fine. We’re going to Cape May.”

Staring back at him, grinning from ear to ear, I move quickly to grab my suitcase. “For how long?”

“A long weekend, but don’t worry about anything. I already handled it. You aren’t expected next week in the office.”

Opening a drawer, I throw on a bra and underwear before I remove a black cotton dress from the hanger and slip it over my head. “Don’t you have work?” I ask him as I get dressed for the day.

“I took off, too.”

“Seriously? You rearranged your entire schedule and mine just so we can be together?”

“Yes, seriously.” He walks over to me and lightly smacks my ass. “Now, get a move on.”

I’m in a state of shock as I pack.

If that weren’t enough, when we walk down to the street, I see a convertible parked in one of the spots in front of the building, and that seems to be the car Cain is walking to.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s our ride,” he says as he pops the trunk and puts our suitcases inside.

“You drove down to the city?”

“Nah, I rented this one. I figured it would be better.”

“Hell yeah!” I step into the car, then wait for Cain to get in.

It takes us about twenty minutes to get out of the city, but once we are, we speed off in the direction of our destination with the top down.

As we are cruising down the highway, the radio plays one of my favorite tunes, and I let loose. Closing my eyes, hair blowing in the wind, lyrics flow from my lips.

Okay, screaming at the top of my lungs.

I can’t remember the last time I sang like this or had this much fun. It feels like I’m in college all over again.

Halfway through the song, I open my eyes and look over at Cain.

He’s watching the road, but his eyes quickly dart over to me. There is a large smile on his face, and I think he’s chuckling.

He looks young at this moment. In all the time since I’ve known him, this is the first time I’ve seen how truly carefree he be. Reaching across the console, I grab his hand and hold it.

Once the song is over, he lowers the music a bit when the station turns to a slow, soft beat.

“Talk to me. Cape May. Do you go there a lot?” I say now that the car is quieter.

It’s not necessarily easy to hear.

“Not for a while,” he answers. “Have you ever been?” His words are muffled by the wind, so as the traffic slows, I press the button to bring the top up.

“You don’t mind, do you?”

“Nope.”

Once the top is up, I can hear much better. “I’ve never been to Cape May. My family didn’t vacation often.”

“Neither did I,” he says.

“I guess we have that in common. My parents are dicks. They never wanted me. I was an oops baby, so they treated me like shit. I’m okay with never speaking to them again.” I laugh awkwardly. “What about you?”

“My childhood isn’t worth mentioning. I’d do anything to do it all over.” His gaze is on the road, so I can’t see his eyes, but I can tell from his grip that he’s not happy.

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