Landmine - Post Malone

13

"Darlin', you are not a prisoner here. You may go where you like but I would prefer you did not go into town or leave the ranch on your own," he says when he climbs into the truck. She frowns at him, that sounds pretty much like jail. It sounds like she is a prisoner if he is restricting her movements. "Why?" she asks. "Luke," he says simply. "I am not afraid of Luke," she says; she has questions for the man, and she intends to ask those questions. She won't be intimidated by Luke. "You should be," Austin hums softly. "Why? I can take care of myself!" she snips. Austin looks at her with a pointed face and sighs softly. He looks about done with her bullshit. He reaches over and flips the sun visor above her down then turns her face gently toward it, and she stares at herself in the little mirror. She is healing well, but she got a dam good beating from Luke, so the cut on her cheek is still raised and red while her eyes have ugly black and yellow bruises under them and the white nose splint Austin had put on her so carefully is still very much needed.

"You were lucky that night, darlin', and yet this was still the result. All I am askin' is for you to keep your distance...please," he says. He says please in a whisper, and so she turns to look at him again. He is not demanding; he is pleading, and there is no arrogance in the way he is asking her. He looks so concerned and her heart squeezes a little. How can she be mad at him for caring about her? "What is Luke capable of?" she asks. Her anxiety started to climb and burn her chest. It scares her to think what he could have done to Isla if she had crossed paths with him on her own.

She knows Austin is hesitant to tell her in an attempt to keep horrible thoughts from crossing her mind, but she needs to know. "What is Luke capable of, Austin?" she whispers again, moving over and climbing on his lap, sitting in a straddle and looking at him head-on. He looks like the entire world is on his shoulders as he lets out a heavy sigh, his hands resting on her thighs. "I don't know," he eventually mumbles out. "I thought I knew him...but I don't, and so that makes him capable of anything," he says. It looks like he is wrestling with his thoughts; he is having a full-blown war in his head right now.

"Did...Luke set the fire?" she asks. He sighs again, sliding his arms around her and pulling her close to his chest in a hug as she hides her face in his neck. "Yes," he whispers so softly she only hears it from the vibration in his chest. She knew that but at least she finally got confirmation from him. It may be a tiny step but he is starting to trust her, so that's something. She has got so much information from him and wants more, but the man is done with words for now, she can tell just from the way he holds her. They are learning when to push a little or when to pull back - it's becoming natural.

"I won't run," she says sitting up and sliding her fingers into his beard. "I won't run. I trust you," she whispers. "You should not trust me," he says. Dillon frowns at him, his words send her mind spinning. What the fuck does he mean by that? Becky had been so strong on her stance that the only man Dillon could and should trust above everyone out here was Austin, yet here he sat telling her that she shouldn't trust him. But, something inside her clicks into place. It comes alive. Something she never knew even existed. She can't explain it, but she feels it so strongly, and it has changed her. She knows deep in her gut that no matter what anyone says to her, Austin included, she does trust him. She trusts him with everything she has. It also dawns on her that his trust issues are not with her. They are with him. He does not trust himself. She leans a little closer to him, their noses now touching. "I lost myself. These past two years. I lost who I thought I was, but I realise now that I was so young I had no idea who I was, to begin with. But, I am finding out here...with you. I am your woman. I trust you. If you killed a man I would hide your gun, nothing will change that," she whispers. She knows it's true even if he looks unsure. Her heart is hitting her chest so hard it's slightly painful. She has just admitted where she stands with Austin; she just admitted that to herself, too. Whatever she feels for him runs deep.