Every Soul by LK Collins Page A

few minutes, the pavement beneath my feet changes to sand. I make my way down towards the water, the familiar sound soothing me. The waves are light, but still crash against the shore. My legs pick up speed, taking me on the long journey to my final destination – my spot with Nate. The place where he asked me to marry him, we never had that dream come true as he was deployed quicker than we expected.
    For some reason, it’s hard to clear my mind today. Normally a good run is just what I need, but instead, all I hear are Bain and Aubrey’s voices swirling in my head. So you’re dating him? Christ, you’re beautiful.
    I don’t even know how to comprehend these two statements. They have my mind on a tilt and spinning in a way I’ve never experienced. Then automatically, all my stress washes away the moment my phone rings and I see it’s Bain calling. For some reason, he has that effect on me. I inhale deeply, trying to calm my breathing, but it’s useless. Breathlessly, I answer, “Hey you.”
    “Hey to you. How are you?”
    “I’m all right.”
    “What’s wrong? You sound out of breath.”
    “I’m out on a run.”
    “Arion, are you kidding me?”
    “What?” I ask confused.
    “There’s a goddamn storm on the way.”
    I realize then that it’s starting to get nasty outside. The wind around me howls and there are no other people out. “It’s not that bad,” I respond, looking into the gray sky.
    “The fuck it’s not. Where are you? I’m coming to get you.”
    “No, Bain, it’s fine, I can run back home.”
    “Where the FUCK are you?” he yells. “Goddammit, Arion!”
    “Ashbury Park,” I quickly respond, not liking his tone.
    “Fuck, that’s far from your house.”
    “No, it’s not, Bain. I don’t know why you’re freaking out, it’s not even raining.”
    “Because it’s going to be pouring frozen rain soon and it’s windy as fuck. Where exactly are you? It won’t take me long.”
    I explain to him where I am and within minutes, he arrives. Before I can open the passenger door, he leans over and opens it for me. He looks hot as fuck, dressed in a black t-shirt, his arms bulging through the material. He’s wearing dark jeans and has a soft beanie covering his hair.
    “Are you all right?”
    I nod my head and buckle my seatbelt. “Thank you for coming to get me.”
    He turns the heat up and says, “Of course. I was in the area, so it’s no big deal.”
    I can’t help, but smirk at him. “What were you doing in this area?”
    He shakes his head and I don’t push the question, because inside, I’m happy that he’s here. It was starting to get cold outside and really windy, even if I want to act like it wasn’t. It’s just starting to rain outside, so if I would have made it to Nate’s and my spot, then I would have been drenched. Plus, the cold and wet run home would have been no fun.
    “Where are we going?” I ask.
    “My house. Is that okay?”
    “Yeah.” His place is perfect and I know he can clear my mind.
    Bain doesn’t say much on the drive and neither do I. He knows our arrangement and clearly we are both in need of the distraction. But in the pit of my stomach, I feel like we are pushing those limits. Yes, we know the rules. Which in all honesty, when I’m around Bain, I wish I didn’t have, but sadly…I do. My past fucked me. With the rules, he should have picked me up solely to fuck, but I can sense there’s more going on with him. He’s keeping something from me and that’s why he was close to my house.
    We pull up to his home and he parks in the garage. Then we head inside and the warmth engulfs me. I almost shiver with how good it feels to have my entire body warmed.
    “Are you still cold?” he asks, wrapping his arms around me.
    Looking into his eyes, there is genuine concern etched across his face. “I’m better now, thank you.”
    “Good. Will you please not run again when it’s that crazy out?”
    I nod my head and follow Bain’s lead as he