DylanDylan watched as big fat raindrops fell from dark skies. Rain splattered on the windshield of his truck in messy splotches as the storm rolled in. Lightning flashed in the distance, followed by a rolling boom of thunder.The evening thunderstorm reminded him of the night Bonnie had arrived. The clouds were the same color, and the timing was similar. It made him smile. If the first storm had brought her into his life, he wondered what a second storm would bring.He thought about their kiss last night. He worried that she was afraid of her ex coming back into the picture, but the way she’d spoken of him the other night made him think she was over the guy. She didn’t talk about him. The ex seemed to be a thing of the past.He pressed harder on the gas pedal of the truck. He wanted to get home to see her. He’d spent the day helping Laura move a horse to a vet in Fort Collins. It had taken all day. He was glad the horse was doing well, but he hated that he’d missed the evening with T
BonnieAs soon as they were back inside, she threw her bag by the door and sat on the bed. Bonnie sighed. Better clear up the little white lies I told first, she thought.“There really was a fire, but it wasn’t started by an ex-boyfriend.”Dylan nodded at the confession, but didn’t seem fazed by the fact that she had told a little white lie.“When I got there, I knew it was a message. And the message wasn’t for me, it was for my little brother,” she said.“Your brother? The security guard?”Bonnie nodded. “He witnessed a murder. Unfortunately, the murder was a professional hit by a crime family called the Trio. They’re a small organized crime group, but they’re growing. He’s in Witness Protection now.”Dylan frowned. “So what led you to here?”Bonnie sighed again, then began to tell the story.* * *She told Dylan everything that happened in her dream. The fire. The man in the crowd. The gesture he made. The overwhelming feeling of dread that she felt.She looked around, trying to fig
Bonnie“Follow me,” Dylan whispered, his lips barely leaving hers. Bonnie nodded, and he took her hand.She held Dylan’s hand firmly as they traversed through the storm, making their way toward his trailer. She already felt better about everything. Partly because the weight was off of her shoulders. She had come forward with the truth about why she was running. Dylan had believed her, and he had promised that he would keep her safe. She believed he would.“Just a little further.” Dylan squeezed her hand and continued leading her across the field.The rain was coming down in sheets, and there was virtually no visibility. She clung to him, trusting him to find his way to his home. They passed the camp cabins and went to the edge of the property.“We’re here,” he announced.Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief. She lifted her head, squinting against the rain.“This is your cabin?” she asked.“I asked Carter if I could use a trailer instead,” Dylan explained, going and opening the door for he
BonnieShe knew she shouldn’t stare. So, she forced herself to take a step back. But, because she wasn’t watching where she was going, though, she backed right into the railing. It was just hard enough to make a thud. Her eyes widened, and her heart nearly leaped out of her mouth.Dylan slowly turned around to the sound. He had just pulled his shirt over his head, but it was only halfway on. Bonnie could now see his ripped abdominal muscles. She probably would have enjoyed admiring the new view, except now she was far too embarrassed to enjoy much of anything.“Oh, hey, Bonnie,” Dylan said, pulling his shirt down the rest of the way. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were there.”“Just walked up,” she said.She figured it was probably best to not mention the fact that she’d been standing there and staring at him for the past few minutes.Dylan seemed pretty much unfazed by her presence, though. In fact, he had a little smirk on his face. It made Bonnie wonder if he had actually had known that
BonnieThey leaned toward each other, gently pressing their lips together. The simple kiss took Bonnie’s breath away and caused goose bumps to pop up on her skin.For a moment, time stopped. As she sat on Dylan’s lap, with her lips pressed to his, all of her cares flew out the window. It was just her and Dylan and the rain outside. Nothing else existed.Without pulling her lips away, Bonnie situated herself so that she was straddling over Dylan’s lap. She closed her eyes, letting touch be her only sense. She brought one of her hands up and placed it on his cheek. His beard stubble tickled her fingertips as she gently slid her hand down toward his neck. The smell of his cologne made its way into her nose. It was intoxicating, and she breathed it in, allowing the scent to turn her on.She felt Dylan’s hands as he placed them on her sides, just above her hips. He held her by her sides, with his strong but comforting grip. She felt safe with him.Bonnie gently broke the kiss. She could se
Bonnie“This time, we’re going to go underwater,” Bonnie told Tyson. “You can totally do this.”Tyson looked unconvinced. “Can we wait for Dylan?”“Sure,” she replied with a shrug. “Or you can show him a new trick when he gets here.”Tyson thought about it, and Bonnie let him have his time to think. She loved these lessons with Tyson. The kid was turning into a regular fish. He still didn’t like the sensation of water on his ears, but he was getting used to it. The more they worked together, the more progress Tyson made. She was so proud of him. She knew it wasn’t easy for the kid.Dylan usually joined them for lessons, but today he was running late. She was looking forward to having him join them more than Tyson was.“Okay,” Tyson announced. He took a deep breath and dunked his head underwater for approximately half a second. It wasn’t much, but he came up looking both terrified and incredibly pleased with himself.“That was amazing!” Bonnie praised. The terrified look slowly faded f
Dylan“Can I go eat with my friends tonight?” Tyson asked as they neared the cafeteria.Dylan squeezed the boy’s shoulder. Tyson was helping him with a surprise for Bonnie. “I think that would be fine.”“Um, sure,” Bonnie agreed. She frowned slightly but shrugged. “Whatever makes you happy.”“Thanks.” Tyson grinned at the two of them and then attempted a wink to Dylan.“Get out of here,” Dylan told him with a chuckle. He smiled as the boy ran to catch up with his two bunk-mates. He waved before disappearing inside the building.“So are we doing something special then?” Bonnie asked, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows at him.“What makes you think that?” he replied, feigning innocence.“Because that was just way too obvious,” she told him. “Tyson can’t keep a secret to save his life. He already told me you have something planned.”“That little traitor.” Dylan shook his head, but couldn’t help but smile. Tyson was such a good kid. Dylan hadn’t bonded with any of the kids here qu
DylanShe then took his hand and let him down the center aisle of the trailer. Dylan happily followed.As they entered the living room, he expected her to stop at the comfortable couch. She didn’t do that, though. Instead, she walked straight into the living room and into his bedroom. There was an urgency in her steps. She obviously had something on her mind, and Dylan hoped that she was thinking the same thing that he was.As soon as they got into the room, Bonnie released his hand.“Have a seat on the bed,” she said.He grinned. There was no way he was going to turn her down. She wanted the same thing he did, and he was already feeling his pants tighten as he watched her move. Her hips swayed, drawing him in like a magnet.He took a seat on the edge of the bed and Bonnie approached him. She placed her hands on the top of his shoulders. He glanced up at her and noticed that she was gently biting her lower lip once again.“Lay back,” she said, the tone of her voice low and sexual. It
Bonnie~Four months later~Bonnie smoothed the front of her skirt. There wasn’t a wrinkle to be found on the soft gray fabric, but she smoothed it anyway. It helped calm her nerves.“We’re up,” a lawyer told her. The man carried himself with such ease in the courthouse. He knew where to go, where to stand, how to dress. The lawyer knew the name of the security at the front entrance even. He was comfortable. Confident.Bonnie was not.“It’ll be fine,” Dylan whispered, taking her hand in his. He gave her a gentle squeeze. She nodded. She was afraid if she opened her mouth, she’d throw up. That would definitely be worse than a wrinkled skirt.Dylan held her hand as they walked into the courtroom. She was glad he was there. She was glad that Dylan was with her for this. They’d started this as a couple. It was best they finished it as a couple.The carpet was some sort of gray-green mixture. Two wooden tables sat before the judge. A stern looking woman looked out over her tall wooden bench
BonnieThe next week was a blur of police officers, questions, security upgrades, and lawyers. Bonnie was overwhelmed by it all, especially after just being kidnapped and locked in a trunk.But, through it all Dylan was there.He was there when the security team found the two of them walking up to the house.He was there when the police caught her kidnapper trying to get onto the highway with two flat tires.He was there when she had to tell the police what happened and explain the bruises.He held her hand when the lawyers came to explain what was happening next.He promised her he would always be there.And she believed him.Every night, she slept in his bed. He was there when the nightmares of being trapped in the trunk again would wake her. He would hold her and whisper calming words into her ear. He saved her every night, just as he had saved her from the trunk of that car.A week after the incident, things finally seemed to settle back to normal. Well, as normal as things could
DylanDylan was worried. He’d seen Bonnie walk to the barn, but then she didn’t come back. He was waiting for her to come back so he could show her the updated car. He finally had it all fixed and ready for her. He’d basically put in a new engine, and he wanted to surprise her with it.But he couldn’t find her.He called her phone and smiled when he heard her ringtone from inside the barn.“There you are,” he said, coming inside and looking in one of the horse stalls.Except she wasn’t there. He found her phone tucked in a saddlebag. It was only because the ringer was perpetually stuck on the loudest setting that he even found it.Anxiety tumbled in his belly. There was something very wrong about this. Bonnie always had her phone. It was part of her escape plan if the Trio ever came here. She needed it. It was as much a part of her as her hand or her head.Tension crept into his jaw.He grabbed his phone and called security.“This is Dylan Abbott. Bonnie Kincaid is missing,” he announ
BonnieIt was hot and hard to breathe. Her head hurt like hell.Bonnie woke and struggled to remove the cloth from her face. She pulled at the dark fabric, finding that her hands were tied together in front of her and she was in a small enclosed space. She managed to get the pillowcase, or what she assumed was a pillowcase, off her head.Then she had to work on not panicking.Bonnie wasn't a fan of tight spaces. She wasn't exactly claustrophobic, but she didn't enjoy spelunking or being buried in a pillow fort. She liked being able to breathe and to stretch out without touching anything.She couldn't do either of those things.Panic clawed up from her stomach and gripped at her throat. She wanted to scream. She wanted to kick and thrash and fight for her freedom, but she knew that it wouldn't do any good. So, she closed her eyes, counted backward from ten and focused on her breathing.It was an exercise she did with her autistic kids when they got overwhelmed. It worked. Her chest loo
BonnieBonnie couldn’t sit still. She jumped at every sound. She saw shadows around every corner, and she heard every squeak, step, and breath of every person walking down the hall.She was a mess.Four days. Four days since they’d left New Orleans. She’d been jumping and living on little to no sleep for four days. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the man with the scar on his cheek. He would grin and then lunge for her.She’d wake up screaming and afraid to go back to sleep. Not even Dylan could get her to relax.She’d called Detective Patton, but he said there was nothing he could do. They didn’t have any reports coming into the station about the Trio. It was still business as usual. As far as the police knew, the Trio was still looking for her and didn’t know where she was.So, today, she sat outside watching the horses and trying to stay calm. She felt better by the horses. Anytime anyone approached, they would lift their heads to see who it was. They were better at spotting
BonnieBonnie was sad to leave. She loved this house. She loved PawPaw's hospitality. She loved how Dylan shared his childhood with her and the way he smiled at everything. She was happy here. She felt almost as safe here as she did at the ranch.But, she wanted to get home. They were still too close to the city for her to feel comfortable. Dylan had made sure there was plenty of security, and while they did blend into the background, she could always tell that they were there. She saw them out of the corner of her eye and would startle until she realized they were security and not intruders.“Thank you so much for having us,” Bonnie told PawPaw as the limousine drove up to get them. “I hope you'll come out and visit us sometime soon.”PawPaw wrapped her up in a big bear hug and squeezed. “I'd love that. You know you're invited out here for Thanksgiving, right?”“I wouldn't miss it for the world,” she assured him. PawPaw grinned before turning to Dylan.“This one's a keeper,” PawPaw t
BonnieBonnie woke up the next morning to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. She was perfectly comfortable and didn’t want to move. At the same time, though, the idea of coffee sounded pretty amazing.After a while, she finally opened her eyes. The sun was pouring in through the bedroom window, brightly illuminating the room.It must be late morning, she thought. That’s weird. I never sleep in. Am I actually feeling relaxed for once, that my mind let me catch some much-needed sleep? If no, then this vacation is already the best thing I’ve done for myself in years.She glanced over to the opposite side of the bed where Dylan had slept that night. He wasn’t there, though. However, there was something in his place.Bonnie kicked off the covers and reached over to the other side of the bed. Folded neatly on top of the blanket was a beautiful sundress. She picked it up and let it unfold in front of her.The blue fabric was soft and light- perfect for a day out in the New Orleans’ heat. Th
BonnieBonnie tiptoed down the hallway to Dylan’s room. She felt like a teenager again, sneaking past her parents to meet the love of her life. Only this time, she really was with the love of her life.“You know he can’t hear you,” Dylan said, opening up the door to his room. “That door is solid, plus he sleeps with a white noise machine on. Nothing wakes him up.”“Don’t spoil my fun,” she replied. “I’m being sneaky.”He chuckled and together they went into his room. Where Bonnie’s room was delicate and feminine, Dylan’s was masculine and nautical. It had the same French doors leading out to a balcony, and the bathroom was similar, but it was much more male. It suited him.“This was always my room as a kid,” Dylan explained. For a moment he looked small and innocent before returning to the powerful man Bonnie knew.“You ever think you’d bring a girl up here?” she asked, looking around. She went to the French doors and opened them up. The magnolia-scented breeze was heavenly if a littl
BonnieBonnie descended the beautiful grand staircase and felt as regal as Scarlett O'Hara meeting Rhett Butler. Dylan waited for her at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes on her as she came down, step by step. He wore dark dress pants and a dark gray dress shirt that showed off his shoulders and trim waist. He looked good enough to eat.“Wow,” he said as held out his hand for her. “You look beyond amazing.”She grinned. “You have good taste,” she told him. “Thank you for the dress.”“My pleasure,” he replied, holding out his arm. “This way to dinner.”She rested her hand on his forearm as they walked. She could get used to this, she decided. She could get used to an elegant life with him. They stepped outside and into what Bonnie would classify as the backyard, but it was less backyard and more magical fairy garden.A small stone fountain gurgled in the center with neat paving stones leading off into different paths. The scent of magnolias was thick on the humid air, and the hum of i