Page 78 of The Outsider
I grabbed his face in my hands and pulled his lips to mine. Surprised, he froze for a second before kissing me back enthusiastically, winding his hands in my hair. I kissed him breathlessly, with abandon, until I felt the rigidness of his erection between us. I broke apart, giggling, and he gave me a sheepish grin.
“I wish we weren’t in a child’s bedroom right now,” I said with a sigh. “I don’t think that bear on the wall would be impressed if we started…cuddling.”
John laughed. “Kinda looks like he’s judging us, yeah.”
Even though there were two single beds, we climbed under the covers of the left one together. We’d gotten used to sleeping close, sharing a sleeping bag in the cold winter, so we snuggled easily into the small space. The bed was warm, and so comfortable compared to the frozen ground that I wanted to cry.
“Just wait till you see Summerhurst tomorrow,” John said softly against my hair. “I know these past months were tough, but you made it, baby.”
I smiled at a cluster of paper stars stuck to the ceiling.
“We all did.”
Chapter 22
Claire
The day had arrived. I was finally going to Summerhurst.
My stomach was full of butterflies. I’d heard so much about it that it’d almost achieved mythical status in my mind.The last safe place, John had once called it. I could only hope that in time, I’d come to feel the same safety and adoration for the homestead as he and Kimmy did.
It was cold out, but thankfully nowhere near as brutal as the Wasteland. Bruce graciously offered to drive us over in his truck, since John said that walking would’ve taken over an hour. He would also be making multiple trips to deliver John and Kimmy’s farm animals, who had been living at Dreamspring while they were gone. Sarah had been kind enough to pack up a giant crate of food for us to take back.
“That’ll get you started, anyway,” she said to John and Kimmy before we left. John protested a little at the sheer amount of food she was giving away, but Kimmy just enveloped her in a huge hug. Asha stared at the basket, impassive, but exchanged a look with me that said she didn’t know how to interpret Sarah’s generosity.
“It’s nothing,” Sarah scoffed at John over Kimmy’s shoulder. “The whole Valley had a great harvest last year, and without you, there wouldn’t be any more of those to come. Now, go. You all have a lot to do.”
It still amazed me a little to see a working vehicle parked outside, and know that John and Kimmy had one, too. I hadn’t seen such a thing since I’d left the Cave. I was looking forward to the ride, but just as I was following Kimmy and Asha towards the red pick-up, John stepped in my path.
“You and I are taking a different route,” he said, holding out his hand to me. “Come on.”
I frowned. “You said Bruce was driving.”
“He’s driving them, yeah,” he replied with a grin. “The way we’re taking is more fun.”
“Why do I feel like it’s not going to be much fun for me?”
He laughed and took my hand. “Don’t be such a chicken. Where’s your sense of adventure, compound girl?”
I gave him a skeptical look but allowed him to lead me to a large wooden building some way from the house. I hesitated at the threshold, but he didn’t let me linger, pulling me along.
Inside, the smell of hay was followed by soft clicking sounds that turned out to be horses. There were two of them boxed up in stalls, surrounded by perhaps half a dozen empty ones. The door to a paddock at the back of the building was open.
I’d only ever seen pictures of horses before, and that didn’t do them justice.
The first horse was huge and mostly white, except for silvery grey patches on its snout and legs. It was the fussier of the two, making the strange clicking noises that now had an air of impatience. The second was smaller, with a coat of rich, deep brown and soulful brown eyes that seemed to watch me with curiosity.
“They’re beautiful,” I said, awed.
John smiled and pressed a kiss against my hand before heading over to the white horse.
“Hey,” he murmured, extending a hand toward the animal’s wide neck. “You remember me, girl?”
The horse blew air through her nose onto John’s face as if in response, and John chuckled.
“This is Ghost,” he said to me, stroking the horse’s nose. Ghost leaned into his hand, seeming pleased by his attention. “She’s mine. The other one is Kimmy’s, and she’s called Bella.”
He held his free hand out to me, motioning for me to come closer. I bit my lip, a little nervous in the presence of such strong animals. All it would take was one good kick if they were feeling temperamental.
