The Captain & Coyote (John Price Romance)

Chapter 17 - A Day Off

(songs for this chapter -
Only Love - BEN HOWARD
Top to Toe - FENNE LILY
All We Do - OH WONDER)

PRICE POV

"You're cute." She smiles so sweetly when she says it. "I'm fine John you didn't make me uncomfortable." Calling me John and cute in the same breath, is she trying to kill me?

"That's a relief." I say as i move my fingers down her forearm, she rotates her arm just as i get to her hand so i can interlace my fingers with hers. It's so sweet, she is so sweet. She has such a kind heart, it's just hiding underneath all her defenses.

Iris comes over with a tray, black tea for me and some kind of bacon and egg wrap thing. And french toast for coyote.

"Thank you Iris." Coyote says to her.

"Why do you get to ask for what you want?" I whisper to her once Iris has left us.

"Because I'm one of her favorites, your lucky she took my request for you." She cheeks at me. It's fine I'll eat anything but I just wanted to know.

"So what have you left here?" I ask her once we've eaten and taken back the plates.

"I've left endless amounts of flowers and postcards, I use to bring porcelain figures I found for Iris, I think a pair of my shoes are still here somewhere." She laughs. "And a photo of my old life before I came here." She said it last knowing I'd want to see it. But the way she said it, there is a lot more meaning to that photo then she is making out there is.

"And where is this photo?" I ask her in a cocky tone.

She gazes at me at me playfully. "I can't tell you that would be cheating, but if you ever find it you can keep it." That sounds like a challenge she's setting for me.

"And what are we going leave?" I don't have much on me, I'm sure she thought of that. She thinks of everything.

She takes a pair of sun glasses and a hat out of her jacket pocket.
"It's all I had on me." She shrugs. "You want to find some where to put them?" She looks so excited.

"Sure." I say back as I move to get up but she puts her hand on my arm to stop me.

"Not yet, you're about to see why the top level is the best." She whispers it to me, nodding her head towards the window.

I quickly look out to see it's getting lighter, one of the things she likes. The moment before sunrise.

I know she wants me to be looking out at the view but I can't take my eyes off of her. She has a wonderful stillness about her, unburdened, even if it's only temporarily. Her eyes, her smile, everything about her is so softly beautiful in this moment. I move my hand up and press it to her cheek. Her soft skin tickles under my hand.

Her smile gets bigger at the touch of my hand and she looks at me.
"John you aren't looking." She whispers.

"I'm looking at the only thing that matters." I murmur back to her.

Her smile shifts to a slightly more serious look as her eyes fixate on mine. She puts her hand over the top of the one I have rested on her check.

"How is it that everyone knows and likes you but I'm the lucky one you give your free time to?" I say it softly, I can see her breathing has increased a little. She is nervous, I hope it's for good reasons.

"None of them have seen the whole picture." She whispers back.

"Do I?" I impatiently ask moving closer to her.

"I want you to." She says it so lightly I almost didn't hear her. She means it but can't bring herself to tell me yet. I have to know what has hurt her so deeply that it's completely shaped her into who she is. I so desperately want her to let me in.