Chapter 15 - Lowyn

The day goes by spectacularly quick, in my opinion. Probably because every female inside the Disciple city limits—and even a few who live on the other side of that line—feels the need to come by my tent and ask me questions about Collin Creed.

Interesting questions, to say the least.

Taylor Hill comes by first. "Well. Are the two of you gettin' cozy again?" She asks this without preamble or explanation, but of course, she's talking about Collin and I.

"We are, Taylor. We're gettin' along just fine." She's about five years younger than me, so we never did run together or anything. But she was a helper in our souvenir tent once when she was in high school. Pretty much everyone in town has been a helper here over the years.

Well, her question was one of the more discreet ones. Rosie comes by and, unlike Taylor, she has no boundaries. "Did ya sleep with him yet, Low? Please tell me you did. Don't make that man pine for you." She holds up her hands like she's praying to God about my sex life. When I just smile in response, she loses her cool. "Oh, my God. What's he like? It was good, right?"

I don't tell her anything. Luckily some people wander into the tent and save me. One day, though, I probably will. Since Clover moved away to her super-fancy-fancy hotel job I don't really have a best friend. It's been years now. And I like Rosie above and beyond as an employee.

Then there are the almost-strangers who live outside city limits. "Does he have a brother?"

"A best friend?"

"A cousin?"

Anyone in town would know these answers already—no, yes, and yes—even if he has been gone twelve years. There is no brother. Amon is most definitely the best friend. And his cousin is Lucas, one of the more colorful MC members from Revenant.

I heard the rumble of bikes roaring into town earlier. And I knew they were at the north gate because it was in the script, but I bet Collin never read the script so he was probably surprised when Lucas showed up making a scene.

I wonder if Collin even recognized him.

Anyway. That was my day. Females for hours on end, asking about Collin Creed.

He has that effect on people. Amon is certainly the charmer of the two, but Collin has this mystery around him. He's quieter than Amon, does not wear anything on his sleeve, and those eyes of his are penetrating when you're his target.

I bite my lip and sigh just thinking about that gaze of his.

And last night was pretty nice.

Tonight, though… I let out a long breath.

Then the bells start tolling and snap me out of it.

"Six o'clock already?" I check my little time-period-appropriate gold watch, and sure enough, it's quittin' time.

There are a few people lingering and it takes about twenty more minutes to wrap things up in the tent, but once I'm done I go outside and close the door behind me, standing on my little porch—which is six steps high and gives me a nice view of the Revival grounds. I look north, but can't quite see the gate from here.

Collin will have to stay at his post until the grounds have been cleared, so I start heading that way with the lollygagging crowd. I catch little fragments of conversation as we all head towards the exit. Mostly people are talking about the bikers. But a few of them are talking about Collin.

Most of the time people come for the weekend. There are shows on Saturday and Sunday most weekends. But Revenant has the nightlife and Bishop usually has the early mornings and late afternoons. They do all kinds of chore things in the mornings and afternoons over in Bishop, which some people are into, I guess. They draw the crowds for… horse pullin' or something.

Typically, the Revival happens from eleven to noon.

But nothing was all that normal about today.

Of course, once I read the script it all made sense. But they must've had teenagers and twentysomethings out last night spreading the word about the extra Revival meeting this a.m. because there was quite a crowd and opening day is always on Sunday. Not Saturday.

Until this year.

Not until Collin Creed came home. Who is shooing people out the gate as I approach. He winks at me, waving people through. And I watch him do this like he's catching a football or something.

He's got his dog with him. But she just sits right at his left knee. Tongue falling out, eyes bright, happy, I guess. Content to watch.

I lean against a post near the gate. It takes ten more minutes for the all-clear to sound, but I don't mind. Collin is smiling at people. Talking to them. Like he forgot he's the bad guy and everyone's supposed to hate him.

It's after six, though. So the show's over.

Finally, he closes the gate, gives instructions to two men who must be on the night shift, and turns in my direction, tippin' his hat to me. "Sorry. People. They just take their sweet time like we've got nothing better to do in this world but say goodbye."

I walk over to him, wrap my fingers around his lapels, and lean up on my tiptoes.

He kisses me. Nice and long, too. A few people start calling out, but he doesn't stop. Eventually, though, all kisses end. And when he pulls back he says, "Did you have a nice day, Lowyn?"

I let out a breath, look around a little, find Rosie and Taylor off to the side of April Laver's bakery givin' me a thumbs-up, and shake my head.

"No? How could you have a bad day in a place like this?"

I look up at Collin. "Sorry. No. I was shaking my head at the prattle-prates over there."

He looks and finds his little fan club waving at him. Then he shakes his head too. "This place, Low. It hasn't changed a bit, but everything is different. When did the Revenant bikers start harassing people and tearing up grass?"

"Oh, about five years ago, I guess. People love the fuckin' bikers. They can't get enough of them, so it's good for everyone if they come by and tear up the grass every now and then. Keeps the sod farm in business, at any rate."

Collin plays with my hair, smiling down at me. "You wanna come over for dinner?"

"At my house?" I ask, chuckling.

"Oh. No. The compound. I gotta have a little meeting with Amon. I figured you could pick the church while I did that and then we'd have dinner."

"Dinner at the compound?"

"Nash has the nice house. He's throwin' a little party tonight for all the new hires. Which, I have to be honest, is no small thing. But he's into that kind of shit. How about it? Sound fun or…?"

He lets that question hang there for a moment. And I like it. I have to be honest. I like that he's not taking my answer for granted.

"Sure. Sounds like a really good time."

It also sounds like a date.

Collin does feel like my best friend, and it would be very easy to just slip into the past. But that would be a habit and I would prefer that we start something new instead. So I'm glad he's asking me instead of assuming. Even though we're already kinda living together.

At least temporarily.

"Great. Let's go. I can't wait to get out of these fuckin' pants."

I just shake my head. But he takes my hand and that's how we walk home.

Holding hands.

There are quite a few people still lingering in town and the highway is backed up at both ends with cars trying to leave—one end leading to Bishop, where people choose to stay the night, the other Revenant, where people choose to party. So this walk home with my high-school boyfriend isn't anything particularly special as far as the scenery goes.

But I feel like I'm floating and I have a weird awareness of… safety. Which makes sense, I guess. Collin does run a security company.

Oh, Lowyn. That's not why you feel safe with him.

No. It's not. Two seconds. That's why I feel safe with Collin Creed.

Soon enough we're at the house. Collin has his key ready and I really have to pause here, at least internally, because this man who has been missing in my life—has been a gaping hole in my life for a dozen years—is now living with me.

Last week we didn't even know if the other was alive.

I want to slow it down. Kind of. Not just to enjoy it, though I do want to enjoy it. I wanna slow it down because it's just going so fast. Not too fast, mind you. Just… I don't know. I'm not sure what this feeling is. It's anxiety, maybe. Or something less negative. Like… uneasiness.

Because it's all happening like a dream. Like a movie script or a book. Like it's not real.

And I am desperate for this to be real.

We go inside and Collin drops his keys on the counter like that's where they've been living his entire life. Then he looks at me, smiling. "Do you wanna take a shower with me."

It's not even a question. It's a statement. Not like he's expecting me to say yes, but more like this is just something we do. We shower together. And like he's asked me this question a million times already.

"Sure." And I answer him in the same no-big-deal way. Like I always say yes when he asks to get naked with me. "Come on. The really great bathroom is upstairs." I take his hand and lead him over to the stairs on the far side of the living room.

"That's three, you know."

"What?" I look at him over my shoulder. He's smirking at me. And my God, not only do I feel like I'm in high school again, but this look he's shootin' me reminds me of the boy I once knew.

"The number of times you've invited me up to see your bedroom."

We've reached the stairs and now we're climbing. "You're keeping track, are you?"

"Mmm."

I love my bedroom. I designed every corner, every windowsill, every door, every floorboard—the paint, the curtains, the rugs, the furniture. And it's not retro, either. The color scheme from downstairs has been modified.

As we come around the landing and continue to climb, I take in a breath. Wondering what he will think of it. Wondering if he will even care.

But then there we are, at the top of the stairs. "Wow, Low. This is nice." I step aside so he can walk past me and I can enjoy the way his gaze wanders around, taking it all in.

The walls have been covered in reclaimed shiplap I found in Ohio and painted just the lightest shade of sage green—real name cucumber. And the floorboards and trim are painted an antique white. The floors up here are even more spectacular than the ones downstairs. The wood planks are wide and dark, with many imperfections that just add to the character. The structural beams above us are the same color. I got those out of a barn on a trip to eastern Pennsylvania. The entire attic was removed from the house to expose those beams and they really look nice contrasted against the cucumber shiplap ceiling.

Most of the accents are the same antique white—the sheer curtains over the brand-new floor-to-ceiling windows, the giant rag rug under the bed, and the cushions on the window seats in the dormers. But the other accents are a pewter gray, like the bed, which is king-size and the mattress is nearly four feet off the ground the way antique beds often are, not because I particularly wanted a bed that big, but because I found a hundred-and-fifty-year-old iron bed frame in Kentucky that I just had to have. I stripped every bit of paint off that thing and then brought the old iron back to life with a wire wheel on my drill, polishing it up until the entire thing looked just like those pewter mugs they serve beer in at the Pineapple Pub in historic Bishop. It took almost a year to finish that bed. But it was worth it.

"I don't know why, but I pictured a canopy bed." Collin looks over his shoulder at me, winking.

"Because I had one of those as a girl?"

"Lots of memories up in that room of yours." He grins, pausing for a moment, maybe to relive a particularly favorite memory. We never did have sex in my girlhood room or nothing like that, but we did spend time in there, just hanging out, listening to vinyl records and doing homework. "But this really is special, Low." I like the way he calls me Low. He turns to face me. "It feels like home."

Then he's coming towards me. And a moment later, his hands are on my hips and he's kissing me. His fingertips bunching up the fabric of my dress until he's got it up to my waist. I hold in a breath and look right into his mesmerizing eyes, like I'm caught in a trap, and then the dress is coming over my head and the next thing I know, I'm standing there in my stockings, and garters, and underwear.

Collin lets out a long breath. "I could stand here and look at you for years, Lowyn McBride, and still never see all the ways in which you are perfect."

My God, this man and his words. "Well," I say, "I could say the same." And then I've got my fingertips underneath his suspenders and I'm sliding them down his arms. He holds his breath, I think, his head slightly tipped down as he watches me do this. Then he looks up, smile gone. Hunger in his eyes.

I stare at him, almost unable to breathe, as I take my fingertips to his shirt buttons. And one by one, I undo them and spread the shirt wide open. He's wearing an undershirt underneath, as one does when they are in costume. But I find that this is a detail I like. One that is missed on modern men.

I slide the shirt down his arms and let it drop to the floor. "I like this look."

"The sleeveless undershirt?" Collin chuckles. "I had forgotten how many fuckin' layers of clothing the costumes have."

"But it's nice though, right? I mean, if I wasn't in costume, I would not be wearing stockings and garters, would I?"

"You've got a point there, peaches."

And this makes me grin. "God, I've missed you. I'm so glad you're home. Have I told you that yet?"

He reaches up to put a hand on my face, his thumb caressing a line along my cheek. "I think it goes without saying at this point. But I will go on record here and reciprocate that sentiment right back at you. I am so happy to be home, Lowyn. And you're the reason why."

He reaches around my back and a moment later, my bra is loose. I just stand there and let him slide the straps down my arms the same way I did his suspenders. And then that bra is dropping to the floor.

I stand there and let him look. I let him get a real long, good look. And when his eyes come back up to meet him, he's not just hungry, he's starvin'.

He presses himself up to me, both hands on my face, and kisses me like it's our first kiss ever. Only better. Because there is nothing awkward about this kiss. There is no hesitation. Not from me, not from him. Our bodies press together, my breasts sensitive to the feel of the ribbed cotton of his undershirt. And then he's taking my hair down. Pins drop to the floor with a small ting. And then the whole thing comes apart.

I think we both come apart with that hair. Because he's taken his kisses to my neck, and this has always been a weak spot for me, so a little moan escapes my mouth.

His hips press up against me, letting me know he's hard. And then there's a clink of his belt, and my fingers cannot get those fly buttons open fast enough. When I take him in my hand and squeeze, he moans back. Biting my shoulder.

I lean into him, breathing heavy and kinda stunned. Because I don't recall ever being as turned on with a man—not even him—as I am now.

Collin turns me around as I'm having these thoughts and then he's walking me backwards to the bed. The backs of my thighs hit the mattress and I begin to fall back, but I should know better. Collin won't let me fall. He doesn't let me fall. His large hands—both of them—are around my waist, fingertips right at the small of my back, thumbs gripping my hipbones, and I am lowered down by his strong grip.

A moment later he's kneeling in front of me. His teeth grazing up my thigh. And I've got my fingers threaded through his hair.

"Holy Mother, Low. I just wanna fuck you." I open my eyes and look at him, a little bit surprised, because he's never talked to me that way before. "Sorry." He shrugs. "Slipped out."

"Well, don't stop on my account. Let it slip all it wants."

He grins at me, those eyes of his a little bit wild now. And I realize something in this moment. What we did last night was kind of a remnant of the past. Us, as teenagers.

But what we're doing right now is something else entirely. Us, as adults.

Is he thinking the same thing?

Undoubtedly. Because what I just said was something along the lines of permission.

He drops his head between my legs and then he's licking me through my panties, his tongue skimming along the thin, silky fabric. My back comes up right off the bed, arching from the sensation. Gripping his hair tight now, because I'm about to come undone the same way my hair did. And it's not gonna take much to push me through to the other side.

I don't want it to stop yet. So I suck in a breath and grip his head with both hands, stilling him. "I'm gonna ruin this good time if you keep going like that."

"Ruin it?" He chuckles, blowing a breath right up against my sweet spot.

I hiss and squirm. But he's got his hands on my hips, holding me steady. His tongue still working between my legs. I'm biting my lip, and clawing at his shoulders, and moaning, and protesting, and writhing.

But he keeps going.

And then things are coming out of my mouth that I've never said before. "Yes. Oh, my God. Lick me, Collin. Yes, yes, yes… right there. Lick me right there."

I'm coming—my body shaking, legs trembling, head thrown back, mouth open and moaning—just as he slips my panties aside and pushes a finger inside me. Then I'm absolutely losing my shit. It's like… I don't even know what it's like. I've never experienced a climax like this before in my life. It's wave after wave and I can't even contain the groans and whimpers slipping past my lips.

Collin pulls back and I open my eyes just in time to see him lick his lips. Then he pushes my legs closed and rips my panties down my legs. He grins as he pushes my legs open and I'm still feeling the waves of pleasure from the climax. Yet I am ready for him again.

He stands up, his dick long and hard falling out of his pants. I'm instantly drawn to the motion of his hand as he jerks himself off. All the while his eyes are locked on mine.

Taking a step forward, he reaches for me, grabbing me behind the knees and pulling me towards him until my knees are gripping his hips.

Collin smiles a wicked smile—one that is also very alluring and sexy at the same time—and then he leans forward and slides his hands up my stomach until they are gripping my breasts. A moment later his mouth is over a nipple, teasing it with his teeth. Nipping it, then soothing it with his tongue.

At the same time, he's right up against my entrance and even though I just came seconds ago, when he pushes inside me, I'm nearly ready to explode again.

He's hard, and thick, and I have a moment to think about how he's stretching me, and how good it feels, and then… I just do it again.

Bucking, and arching, and moaning, and begging. Oh, my God, I'm begging. "More, Collin. More. Go deeper."

"You don't need to tell me twice." Collin growls this out, his voice all husky and filled with desire. And then he's thrusting up inside me. Once. Twice. And then we're just fucking. His hips going faster as I lift mine up and back, keeping up with the new rhythm. He's biting my neck, and squeezing my breasts, and I'm coming again.

It's all a blur after that. Wave after wave of explosion. Like I've never had sex before in my life. Like I'm starving, and thirsty, and he's a sweet piece of fruit and a cool drink of water at the same time.

It ends, eventually. And then next thing I know, he's got his arms wrapped around me, his face pressed into my neck, and we're lying together on top of the covers, breathing hard and heavy.

But he's not still. His hands are wandering. Caressing my thigh and hip.

I could go again.

I could go all night with this man. And I'm just about to ask him what he thinks about that when his phone buzzes.

"Shit." He sits up in bed, fishing around in his pocket because he's still got his fuckin' pants on. "Yeah." He answers the phone. "Yeah, yeah. We're on our way. Be there in like thirty." He ends the call and lies back down, reaching for me. "Amon. He and I have a meeting tonight. I wanna say no. I wanna stay here with you, but it's business I need to talk out with him. So…"

I sigh. "Well, I was just about to ask you if you'd like to fuck me all night. But it's fine. Let's get you to your meeting."

I make to get up, but he grabs me, pulling me back down and laughing. "Lowyn, I'm gonna give you a three-hour reprieve. But if you think I won't be fucking you all night when we get back here later, you're out of your damn mind."

He squeezes me, ticklin' me a little. And I giggle like a fuckin' girl. But it's good. And… yeah. I could fall right into this. Right back into him.

And I think I will.