Chapter 441: The Long Way Home
Chenghai carried me across the field with the cooler hanging from his other hand.
The muddy track had disappeared into the dark, but the moon gave us enough light to see the worst holes. He stepped around them without slowing, which was good because I had no interest in being bounced after everything that had happened on the porch.
My legs had stopped shaking but that didn’t mean that they were interested in walking.
I rested my head against his shoulder and watched the farmhouse disappear behind the tall grass. The place looked empty again now that we had packed the blankets and food. Fan Bo had taken the red truck, the porch was dark, and the only proof we had been there was the destroyed field and one towel still hanging over the creek railing.
Chenghai would probably remember it before we left.
He seemed like the kind of person who counted towels.
The SUV waited beneath the trees. He opened the passenger door, placed me in the seat, then pulled the oversized shirt lower over my legs before fastening the seat belt.
"You know I can do that part," I murmured.
His hand stayed at my waist while the belt clicked into place. "I know."
He kissed me before standing again.
The kiss was quick, but it made the whole thing feel less like he was packing an injured person into a vehicle and more like he wanted an excuse to lean over me.
I approved.
Chenghai loaded the cooler and wet clothes into the back, then returned to the field for the towel.
I knew it.
He came back carrying the helmet too.
The man really did count everything.
Once he was behind the wheel, he turned the air conditioning lower and handed me the last bottle of peach tea. I opened it while he started the engine.
"We’re leaving the other vehicles?"
"We’ll get them later."
"Who is we?"
"Zeyu’s men."
I looked at him, my brows furrowing. "Wrong book."
Chenghai glanced over, confused.
"Nothing," I replied, shaking my head.
Apparently, you could get fucked stupid. I had no idea why I even said that.
He drove out of the field slowly enough that the SUV didn’t throw me around. The service road was still muddy, but he avoided the worst puddles this time. Trees scraped across the windows, and the headlights caught small animals running into the grass.
I drank the peach tea and tried to stay awake.
That lasted less than ten minutes.
My head kept falling toward the window until Chenghai reached across the center console and pulled me toward him. The seat belt stopped me from moving far, but I ended up leaning against his arm instead of banging my skull against the glass.
His hand settled on my bare thigh beneath the shirt.
I closed my eyes.
The engine, dark road, and slow movement of his thumb against my skin made it impossible to care where we were going. Chenghai didn’t turn on music or try to keep me talking. He drove with one hand on the wheel and the other holding my leg.
I woke when the SUV stopped.
The mansion barrier stood ahead of us, covered in plants and metal. The gates were already opening, which meant someone had been watching for us.
I looked at the clock on the dashboard.
It was after midnight.
Again.
Apparently, dating was bad for sleep. But after all this time, I wasn’t complaining.
Chenghai drove through the outer property without stopping. A few lights remained on in the workers’ buildings, but no one came outside. The plants closed behind us, sealing the private barrier before the SUV reached the garage.
Yuche was waiting inside.
He stood near the door in loose pants and a dark shirt, his arms folded while the SUV rolled into place. His eyes moved over the mud covering the vehicle before Chenghai turned off the engine.
Then he looked at me.
I was wrapped in Chenghai’s shirt, barefoot except for the sandals, and probably had grass stuck in my hair.
Yuche’s mouth moved slightly.
I pointed at him through the windshield. "Don’t."
He opened my door.
"I didn’t say anything."
"You were going to."
"No."
That was a lie, but he looked too calm for me to prove it.
Yuche unfastened the seat belt while Chenghai collected the bags. He put one hand beneath my knees, but Chenghai appeared beside him before he could lift me.
Their eyes met over my head.
Yuche stepped back.
Chenghai picked me up.
Apparently, the carrying schedule had rules.
Yuche closed the SUV door and followed us into the house with the cooler. The lights were low inside, and the television was still on in the living room.
Zhenlan sat on the sectional with one ankle resting over his knee. He had a book open in one hand, although his eyes lifted before we came fully into the room.
There. That was where the book belonged.
Lingyun slept beside him with his head in Zhenlan’s lap and a blanket over his ribs. One of Yuche’s metal restraints circled his wrist and connected loosely to the couch frame.
I stared at it.
"He tried to follow you," Yuche explained.
Lingyun opened one eye. "I was going for a walk."
"At nine at night?" I asked.
"I like darkness."
"You hate walking."
"I was going to find a vehicle."
Chenghai kept moving toward the stairs.
Lingyun lifted his head enough to look at the shirt covering me and the mud dried along Chenghai’s pants. His smile began, but Zhenlan closed the book over his face before it could become dangerous.
Lingyun complained beneath it.
No one listened.
Zhenlan placed the book on the table and stood. His gaze moved over me once, checking my face, legs, and the old bite on my calf. When he reached us, his hand settled against the side of my neck.
He kissed me.
It wasn’t a polite welcome-home kiss. His mouth stayed on mine long enough for Chenghai’s arm to tighten beneath my knees.
When Zhenlan pulled back, his thumb brushed my cheek.
"You had fun."
It wasn’t a question.
"Yes."
That was all he needed.
He moved aside and let Chenghai carry me upstairs without asking what we had done or where we had gone. Yuche followed with the bags while Zhenlan dealt with Lingyun, who was still trying to remove the metal loop from his wrist with his teeth.
The bathroom lights were already on when we entered the bedroom.
Chenghai put me on the counter and started the shower. He checked the water with one hand before returning to pull the shirt over my head.
I lifted my arms and let him.
The shower wasn’t romantic. It was too late for candles, soft looks, or another round of anything that required my thighs to work. Chenghai washed the dirt from my hair while I leaned against his chest, then cleaned the grass and dust from my legs.
His hands stayed careful around the old bite.
When we were finished, he wrapped me in a towel and carried me back into the bedroom.
Zhenlan had already joined us. He lay on one side of the bed with the blankets pulled back, his book open again against his chest.
Chenghai placed me between them.
Zhenlan closed the book and pulled me against his side. Chenghai settled behind me, one arm sliding around my waist while his leg moved between mine.
The mattress dipped again when Yuche helped Lingyun into bed on the other side. Lingyun looked exhausted enough to forget whatever questions he had been saving.
No one talked.
Zhenlan’s fingers moved through my damp hair. Chenghai’s mouth touched the back of my shoulder, and his hand stayed spread across my stomach beneath the blanket.
I had expected the date to end when we left the farmhouse.
Apparently, Chenghai hadn’t.