Last Mile

With a sheepish look, he said, “Most women would be pretty pissed that I didn’t have the decency to bring them here.”

Although it stung to think of him with other women, I gave an apathetic shrug. “Most women might, but I’m not most women. We’re not in a relationship, so you don’t owe me jack shit, except maybe a good time.” I crossed the room to stand beside him. “And trust me, I had a really good time out there.”

“Me, too,” he murmured. “It’s just that I haven’t ever brought a woman here.”

“To have sex with?”

He shook his head. “To do anything with. My house has always been off-limits to women. Now, my room at the clubhouse—I’ve made good use of it.”

Pursing my lips, I said tersely, “I see.”

Bishop grimaced. “Sorry. That was a douche move to mention my past.”

“It’s okay.” Knowing that we needed a subject change, I motioned to the flashlights. “You know, I can’t help being a little concerned that you’re taking me somewhere that needs flashlights.” Sweeping a hand to my hip, I countered teasingly, “I will be coming back, won’t I?”

“Maybe . . . maybe not,” Bishop replied, with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

I would’ve been lying to myself if I hadn’t admitted there was a small part of me that was slightly anxious. Everything that had transpired tonight could have been a setup working toward an ending where Bishop took me out to the middle of nowhere to unmask me and then kill me. I had to stay on alert and not let my amorous feelings for him screw me over.

When Bishop laughed, I realized I hadn’t hid my fears well enough. “I’m only joking, Sam. Since I’d kick anyone’s ass who tried to hurt you, I’m sure as hell not going to do anything to you myself.” He threw an arm around my shoulder and started leading me to the front door.

I momentarily faltered when we started into the woods. Bishop turned around to smile at me. “Still thinking I’m going to Jack the Ripper you or something?”

“You are dragging me into the woods. At night.”

“We can’t go swimming if we don’t.” At what must’ve been my skeptical expression, he said, “There’s a stream about a mile through here. My brothers and I go swimming there all the time. It has the coolest and clearest water you’ll ever see.”

“At this point, couldn’t I just turn the hose on you to cool you off?”

Bishop threw his head back and laughed. After he’d had a hearty chuckle, he leaned in to brush his lips against my cheek. “I promise if you come with me, I’ll make you come a few more times.”

“You sure as hell better,” I replied defiantly, which earned me an impish grin from Bishop.

The bouncing beams of the two large flashlights lit the way as we started into the woods. We hadn’t been walking long when we came to an ATV parked to the side of the pathway. Bishop motioned to it. “Your chariot.”

“And here I thought we would be walking the whole way.”

“That wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of me, would it?”

“No, I guess not.” I slid onto the back of the seat, leaving room for Bishop. After he turned on the ATV’s lights, he took my flashlight and his and put them in the back. Then he got on in front of me.

“Hold on tight. It gets bumpy.”

Without any hesitation, I slid my arms around his waist and tightened my thighs around his. I tried to ignore how comforting it felt being so close to him—how the muscles of his strong body made me feel safe and secure. The next thing I knew, the ATV was lunging forward into the dark night. Bishop drove it the same way he drove his motorcycle, which made me want to piss my pants. But I managed to hide my fear while also clinging to him for dear life.

When we reached a clearing, we drove on through what would have been waist-high grass if we had been walking. I didn’t even want to think about what could have been lurking in the grass. Bishop drove us right down to the water’s edge.

Even though I only had the sole beam of the ATV’s light to illuminate things, I could still make out why this place held an allure for Bishop. “It’s beautiful,” I said.

Bishop rose off the seat. “Give me a second, and you’ll really get to see it.”

Curiously, I watched as he took one of the flashlights and disappeared off to the side of the bank. After a few seconds, a sound like a lawn mower filled the air. Then light flickered on all around me. Gazing around, I took in the beaming torches and trees lined with twinkling bulbs.

When Bishop reappeared, I asked, “You guys have a generator all the way out here?”

He nodded. “We set it up a few weeks ago when Rev and Annabel got married and had their reception out here.” He motioned to the water and the clearing. “So, what do you think now that you can see it better?”

“It’s breathtaking. I can see why your brother wanted to get married out here.”

Bishop smiled. “Besides being beautiful, this place has a lot of meaning.”

“For your family?”

“Yes. And historically.” After scratching the back of his neck, Bishop said, “If Mr. History Nerd Rev were here, he could tell you all about the place.”

“It wasn’t the site of some bloody battle back in the day, was it?” I teased.

Bishop laughed. “Nah, nothing creepy like that. More like Cherokee Indians, who once lived around here, thought the water had healing powers. They would come here when they were physically sick.” He gave me a pointed look. “Or emotionally sick.”