17. Charlotte

17

CHARLOTTE

G rayson’s soft exhalations soothe my soul. Almost as much as the passion we shared, I enjoy watching him sleep. His face seems at ease right now. I trace my finger lightly over the care worn lines on his face. Gray is no stranger to suffering, but in this moment he looks content.

I settle against him and let my eyes close, thinking I’ll grab a quick nap and then get up to explore the pantry. But when I open my eyes again, the gentle light of dawn wafts in through the curtains, and Grayson is no longer laying against me.

I raise up on one arm, groggily blinking away the sleep from my eyes. My nostrils flare as a wonderful aroma spreads over my palate.

“Good morning.”

Gray looks over his shoulder as he stands by the stove. He vigorously stirs something in a sizzling skillet. Something that smells like bacon. My stomach growls as I sit up on the sofa and rub my eyes.

“Good morning,” I reply, my voice thick with sleep. The morning after is usually awkward, but I don’t feel that way this time. At least, not as much. “Whatcha doing?”

“Making breakfast, or attempting to. My biscuits don’t seem to want to get done.”

He steps away from the stove and opens the oven door. Inside, I see a black dutch oven covered with red-lined smoldering logs. He uses a poker to knock the logs away, then grasps the lid with a potholder and removes it.

“I think we’re getting close,” he says, peering inside the pot before replacing the lid and arranging more logs on top of the dutch oven. I go to the stove and lean my head on his shoulder.

“You need any help?”

“Sure. Can you get some paper towels out of the pantry so I can drain the bacon?”

I head over to the pantry and pull the door open. It smells strongly of pine. I start at the sight of a spider up in the corner. Carefully, I extract a wrapped paper towel roll, not stirring a single thread of its web.

Triumphant, I return to Gray with the towels. He pauses, and turns to face me. Gray kisses me while taking the roll from my hands. Not as hard or intense as last night, but deep enough to let me know where we stand…on a physical level, at least.

Inside, I feel a measure of elation that our intimacy is going to continue. But for how long? No one’s said anything about the future yet. I’m afraid to even think about it.

For now, I just want to bask in the glow of last night, and eat some of that torturously good-smelling bacon. I’ll sort the rest out later.

Gray uses powdered milk to try and make bacon gravy for the biscuits. The results are lumpy and a strange gray color, but taste just fine. Even the biscuits, which are a little bit on the dry side, are palatable.

Despite the fact I often eat fancier meals in more upscale settings, I think I enjoy the breakfast more than any other meal I’ve had for as long as I can remember. The company certainly helps.

“I can’t believe we got freaked out by a raccoon,” I say while mopping up the last of my gravy with the golden brown edge of a biscuit.

“It’s better to be safe than sorry. Besides, it was a really big raccoon.”

I do a double take.

“You’re making jokes! Are you the same guy? I didn’t suck your brains out through your dick, did I?”

Gray’s eyes go wide. Then he sucks in a deep breath of air and lets it out as pure laughter.

“I can’t believe you just said that.”

“Why? Because I watch my language online? There’s no sponsors to alienate or trolls to enrage around here.”

His laughter dies down. Gray gets a serious light in his silver eyes.

“I want to teach you how to shoot.”

I cock an eyebrow at him.

“A gun?”

“No, a bow and arrow. Yes, a gun. It’s always useful to be able to protect yourself.”

I purse my lips and give him a pout.

“Isn't that what you’re here for?”

“Yes, but once you learn how to shoot, you know how to shoot forever.”

I have to laugh at his phrasing.

“Okay, you can teach me to shoot.”

His mouth flies open and I silence him with a finger on his lips.

“I have caveats.”

“Caveats?”

We’re both smiling huge. I haven’t felt this giddy since I was a schoolgirl. Everything with Gray feels fresh, new and easy. Despite all of our differences, we really seem to get along well.

Of course, that might be the famed post-coital glow clouding my judgment.

“What sort of caveats?” he asks.

“I want to film it.”

His smile vanishes like water on a hot griddle.

“Not a chance.”

“Wait, I never said I would livestream it or anything. I just want to record it and send it to my team. That’s it.”

“Charlotte…”

He wipes a hand through his hair. His silver gaze fills with trouble.

“You know the Order has some excellent hackers working for them. What if they manage to figure out our location from your post?”

“I can send it to my people by using an encrypted file, and I’ll make sure not to include any details about our location, all right?”

Gray strokes his chin, brow furrowed with deep thought.

“I don’t know…the Order might be able to gauge our location a lot of different ways. The angle of the sun, the proximity to the ocean…”

“Okay, tell me this, then: Could you figure out where we are just based on that? Could Harlowe?”

He takes a breath, releases it, and then shakes his head.

“No. I don’t think so. It doesn’t mean that the Order couldn’t.”

I heave a long, exasperated sigh.

“But…” Grayson clears his throat. “I think it’s not much of a risk after all.”

Hope leaps in my breast.

“So, I can film it?”

Gray nods. I shriek and throw my arms around his neck, kissing him again and again. The playful assault shifts gears when he grabs me back and shows me just how much he knows about kissing.

For a moment, I’m swept away from everything, and all that exists is Gray and I. Even when we come up for air, the euphoria lingers. He cups my cheek with his hand, then pecks me on the forehead.

“Let’s go and shoot.”

Gray goes into his duffel bag and takes out a black metal case. He snaps open the hasps and reveals a dull black pistol inside.

“Let me set up my tripod…do you think the generator can power my ring light?”

“Yeah, shouldn’t be a problem.”

The outside air beckons. A breeze off of the ocean brings a salty, slightly fishy aroma but it’s almost pleasant. It reminds me of the beach, at least. I hold my breath when I plug in the lights and turn them on, but they wink into existence as surely as if I’d plugged them into a wall outlet in my own home.

I set up the digital camera, then peer at the display screen. After making a few adjustments, I go and stand in front of the camera while it’s recording and then replay the footage. By the time Gray comes out, carefully pointing the pistol at the ground, I have a good idea of where we need to be in order for the camera to record us.

“Are you all set?”

“Almost. I need to film an introduction first.”

His brows climb high on his face, but he nods his assent. I step in front of the camera and put on my influencer smile.

“Hey, how’s it going? Charlottesville has taken it on the road. I’m coming to you from a super secret location. I wish I could tell you where, but you know why I can’t do that right now.”

I gesture at Gray, stepping back so he’ll be in frame.

“Here you see my gorgeous bodyguard, preparing to teach me how to fire a gun. I’m super excited to learn from him. He’s supposed to be one of the best.”

I catch Gray’s gaze.

“So, what kind of gun are we using today?”

He holds the pistol up for the camera, his voice taking on an almost sportscaster quality.

“Here we have the Heckler and Koch 9mm automatic pistol. It features an extended barrel as a noise baffle, and gas vents to help with stabilization when you’re firing a long burst.”

I chuckle and turn toward the camera.

“Did you understand any of that?”

I turn back to Grayson.

“Can you translate that into language that us mere mortals might understand?”

Gray looks at me for a long moment, and then clears his throat.

“Ah, certainly,” he says, unsure if he should look at me or the camera. “The extended barrel will make the gun, if not quiet, at least not as loud as normal. And the vents help keep the pistol steady when you fire.”

He points at the trigger with a thick finger.

“See here, you have your different settings. You can go single shot…”

He clicks the switch once.

“Burst fire, or fully automatic,” he finishes, clicking the switch each time. “For training purposes, though, we’re going to start with a single shot setting.”

Grayson has set up targets while I’ve fiddled with the camera. A gray speckled boulder acts as the base for an old beer bottle, an empty can of beans, a semi-rotten apple from the panty, and a badly-carved figurine of a horse.

He turns the pistol around and hands it to me handle first. I take it, surprised by the weight.

“It’s a lot heavier than I expected.”

“That’s what everyone says, including me, the first time they pick up a gun. The weight can make you want to dip your wrist, but it’s important to hold it steady when you shoot.”

I aim the pistol. Gray steps behind me, molding his body to mine like a glove. I feel a twitch from his member, which sends pins and needles up and down my body. He wraps his arms around mine, molding me into the proper firing position.

“All right, are you looking down the sights?”

“Yeah. I have it right on the bottle.”

“Very good. Now, I want you to squeeze the trigger. Don’t pull or jerk it, squeeze it.”

I wrap my finger around the trigger, tensing up right before I squeeze. A sharp retort echoes through the pines. The bottle doesn’t move.

“I think I missed.”

“That’s okay. Nobody hits on the first try unless it’s blind luck. Try again, but this time relax.”

“Relax? I’m holding a gun.”

“Then pretend it isn’t a gun. Think to yourself it’s a camera. Just point and shoot.”

“Okay.”

I squeeze again, trying my best to relax. But right before I fully depress the trigger, I tense up. Once again the bottle doesn’t move as the gunshot echoes through the woods.

“I suck at this.”

“No, you don’t. You’re just inexperienced. Close your eyes for a moment.”

“What? How am I supposed to shoot with my eyes closed?”

“Just do it.”

I close my eyes and sigh.

“Now what, Master Yoda?”

He chuckles, rumbling his chest against my back.

“Now, inhale through your nose, nice and deep, and hold it.”

I suck in air through my nose, as ordered.

“Let the breath out slowly, and as you finish exhaling, aim and squeeze the trigger.”

“Can I open my eyes first?”

He laughs again.

“It might help.”

I open my eyes, then take another deep breath and hold it. I let loose and squeeze the trigger as I exhale the last of my breath.

The glass bottle vanishes with an almost metallic ping. I’d expected it to shatter. Then I look a little closer and see glittering crystal shards catching the sun’s rays on the stone.

“I hit it?”

“You sure as fuck did. Great job.”

I decimate the other targets, one by one. I don’t miss any more shots, which seems to really please Grayson.

“You’ve got the eye. I can’t believe it, but it’s true. You’ve got the eye.”

“What is the eye?”

He chuckles.

“It’s more or less a legend. Some people are just naturally more adept than others when it comes to shooting. Superstition makes some folks refer to it as the Eye, the touch, or something silly like that.”

“Hey, it doesn’t have to be silly. Maybe I’m the chosen one?”

It takes him a second to get that I’m joking. Gray laughs and then goes to find more junk for me to shoot at.

We practice for a couple of hours. My finger starts getting tired after a while, which amuses Gray. So while my poor digit recovers, I take the camera off the tripod and film him shooting instead.

Needless to say, he’s better at it than I am. No need to take a deep breath or even to do more than cursory aiming. I don’t mind, though. It makes for some great footage.

We talk, laugh, and flirt the whole time. The hours just fly by when I’m with Gray. Which makes me wonder if what we have is more than just a physical thing.

Is there a chance that we might make it work in the long term? Like a real relationship, a real couple?

I gaze long and hard at Gray. The golden sunlight picks up highlights in his hair I hadn’t noticed before. He has some golds and reds in there along with the dark ones. His sleek but muscled physique ripples beneath the thin fabric of his T-shirt. Gray turns a smile my way. His eyes light up when he looks at me, so much that it makes my heart skip a beat or two.

I don't know if we can make this thing work for the long run, but I sure would like to find out.