Page 165 of Cautious Love

“Why can’t I stay home?” I ask.

“Because he knows where I live,” Ledger rasps and kisses me on the forehead one more time before he stands.

“I’ll get a few things and we’ll head up, okay?” he says.

I lean back against the couch, confused, but also relieved. I don’t understand what’s going on, but I trust him, and he’ll tell me when the time is right.

Leaning my head against the couch, I grab the blanket on the other side, pulling it over me. I’m tired and cold, and this couch is pretty comfortable compared to the twin blow-up mattress I got.

“Shy, wake up,” Ledger says gently.

I force my heavy eyes open, and he’s standing there in fresh clothes, holding a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie.

“Do you want to shower first?” he asks.

“Yeah,” I mumble. He hands me the clothes, and I trudge to the bathroom.

“You’re not going anywhere, right?” I ask him, squeezing the clothes in my hands.

“I’ll be right here.”

“Thank you,” I whisper.

He nods, and I go through the motions of my shower, half-asleep and kind of sore. The water burns in the scrapes on my feet, but I manage to pull myself together.

When I’m done, Ledger is right where I left him.

“Feel better?” he asks.

“Yeah.”

Driving up to Dallas King’s vacation house in the dark is terrifying. No wonder he picked the area. It’s hard enough to get up to during the daytime.

Ledger chuckles, keeping his eyes on the gravel road.

“Why are you laughing?”

“You’re practically bracing for impact with every bump of the truck. Don’t worry, I’ve driven these roads plenty of times.”

I groan and we dip again. “It’s scarier at night.”

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he says.

“Tell that to the road.”

He huffs, and a few minutes later we finally make it, all in one piece.

I get out, and the cool mountain air fills my lungs, waking me up.

Ledger grabs two bags from the back and leads the way. He punches in the code and locks the door behind us, dropping the bags and wandering into the kitchen.

“I didn’t think to grab food,” he mumbles.

“Not hungry.”

“Drink?” he asks.

“Water, please.”