Buried: A Cainsville Story

Grounded

I am sitting ramrod straight in bed, gasping for breath, my heartbeat fluttering in my throat, before I even realize I am awake.

My head drops forward at the realization that I am safe within my sanctuary.

"Gabriel?"

My name on her lips startles me enough that I actually shout a curse.

"Shit. I'm sorry, Gabriel." Olivia's voice is breathy too, and I quickly understand that I was not the only one who was jolted from sleep.

I shake my head. "What happened?"

"I had a nightmare. Woke up and there you were, breathing like you were running a race."

My nod, admittedly, is a little jerky. "What was it about? Yours?"

She winces and I immediately regret asking. "I was trapped in a box. I tried to get out and I couldn't. So...basically...yesterday. Without the rescue."

I snort a completely inappropriate laugh because I am beginning to believe in things I have never believed in. Like the idea that the universe has a sense of humor. "I kept digging. But I never found you."

She looks at me with shock in her eyes. "The same dream?"

I shrug. "Or we have just endured a similar trauma and..."

For a moment, we just stare at each other. She reaches forward, presses her hand to my chest. I know what she feels there. My shirt shakes from the violence of each beat.

Her eyes grow wide and I watch her realize. I watch her understand. Just how strongly I feel. Just how much I need her.

Her fingers wrap in the fabric of my t-shirt and pull me towards her. Our lips crash together and I kiss her with everything I have felt, with all the time I have been holding back from her. I lose the nightmare in that kiss, I let it go. I bury my fears in the taste of her lips, the feeling of her skin beneath my fingertips, the warmth of her surrounding me, the rhythm of her body moving beneath mine. I lose myself in her, ground myself in my connection to her, and when we finally separate, I am lighter, I am better. I am stronger.

I fall asleep holding her, and when I wake up, I am peaceful, rested.

And for the first time ever, somebody is cooking me breakfast in my kitchen.

As quietly as I can, I pull on my boxers and peek into the room. She is standing over the stove, frying eggs. She stops for a moment to reach over the stove for seasoning. She is wearing nothing but a t-shirt and it rides up her thighs.

"Enjoying the show?" She asks.

I have been caught. No use in lying about it. "Yes." I scratch the back of my head, try not to feel embarrassed.

"Good." She smirks. "This is okay, right? Breakfast."

"Of course. You need to eat. Keep your strength up."

"Unlike you, of course, who does not require sustenance."

"I suppose I could eat as well." I wrap my arms around her waist, nuzzle her neck, want to start our middle-of-the-night rendezvous all over again.

"Food, Gabriel." She reprimands, but her hand hooks my neck and drags me down into a fiery kiss. "I meant food." She speaks against my lips. "Not that I'm objecting to anything else." She leans back into me, then shakes it off. "I'm going to burn the bacon. Stop distracting me."

"Hmmm, shame on me." I step away from her and begin to make coffee for the two of us.

"We have to eat before Ricky gets here, so we can go for our date with Tristan. But before we do that, I'd like to talk to you about something." She prepares two plates, each with eggs, bacon and pancakes. I could get used to this.