Free Broken Butterflies by Shadow Stephens Page B

let her head lean on the window and soon fell asleep. She woke when the car stopped. Her eyes opened in the parking lot of Mount Rushmore.
    “You still want to see this?” she asked groggy.
    “Of course, why wouldn’t I?”
    “I just thought after the thing with Damon, you wouldn’t want to stop.”
    “Don’t be silly.” He smiled and got out, opening the passenger door. Come on!”
    Ilisha gave herself a once over in the mirror and stepped out. Bram got them a brochure and bottled water. As they walked, he took her hand. Ilisha made no move to stop him; it felt natural. They spent a couple hours in the park before leaving. Bram never let go of her hand until they got back to the car.
    “I think we need to get out of this touristy area before we get a hotel,” Ilisha said.
    They were only seven hours from home, but stopped in a small town named Torrington and got a motel room. No other intimate gesture was made by Bram, which made her a little sad. Bram walked in the bathroom to shower, leaving the door open a crack. Ilisha put her suitcase on the luggage rack and rifled through it looking for pajamas. Finding them, she turned and caught a glimpse of Bram in the bathroom mirror. He was adjusting the water and his backside faced her. She could see the marks where his wings came out of his back; the skin was slightly darker. Her mouth opened slightly as she took in his perfect butt. Ilisha stared, unable to take her eyes off him, until he threw back the shower curtain and climbed in. She put on her pajamas and crawled into the one bed they would be sharing.
    Bram came out toweling his head, fully clothed.
    “Sorry for the one bed,” Ilisha said. “It’s all they had.”
    “No problem. I can sleep on the floor.”
    “You’re not sleeping on the floor,” she protested.
    He sat down on the edge of the bed and looked to see what was on TV. “It’s no problem,” he smiled.
    “Yeah, it is. Come on.” She pulled the covers back and patted the bed in a friendly manner.
    He tossed his towel on the floor and crawled in. She noticed that he kept as much distance between them as possible.
    She twirled her hair up in a bun and got comfortable.
    Her dreams took her to a pleasant place. Walking in a white, flowing nightgown, her shoulders bare and a breeze playing with the ruffled hem, she met Bram in a thick forest. The moon shone brightly, creating a blue hue over the trees. He reached out and pulled her to him. Placing her face in his hands, their lips met softly, filling her skin with goose bumps. Ilisha let her hand drift down his stomach, over his pants, and took hold of him. Bram moaned, and his wings exploded from his back. Their kissing became more frantic as she unbuttoned his pants. Just as her hand plunged into his underwear she sat straight up in the bed.
    She clutched her breasts and looked over at him. His wings lay across his back taking up most of the bed. They brushed against her skin with velvet strokes as his diaphragm constricted. Moving as little as possible she got up and went into the bathroom. She splashed cool water on her face and leaned on the counter. Think, Lish. Are you falling in love with him?
    Bram knocked on the door causing her to jump. Taking a second to compose herself, she opened it smiling. “Hey.”
    “Are you okay?”
    “Yeah, just had a bad dream.” She waved her hand in the air blowing it off.
    He took her hand. “What was it about?”
    Oh shit. She thought fast. “Damon. I’m sure it’s just stress.”
    He led her out of the bathroom and back to the bed. Despite the fact her heart was racing, she kept the calm smile across her face. Working in the E.R. had taught her how to hide her emotions. She went to lie back on her pillow, but instead he cradled her in his arms. Ilisha swallowed hard, not sure what to expect. Bram lay on his back and nestled her to his chest. She closed her eyes and took in the moment. The fact that he wanted to comfort her over a bad dream just