Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Daylight Drive

CARTER

It was already too cold to put the windows down as they drove to the only mall in town, which was a lot smaller than most of the malls in Texas. That wasn’t a Pennsylvania thing. It was a small town thing, and this was a small town. As they drove Allison watched everything pass by with wide, fascinated eyes. Was this all so new to her?

Had this Ryan asshole kept her locked in that shitty apartment the whole time she was here? That thought frustrated him anew, but he tamped down on his anger. He still didn’t quite trust himself with anger.

The day he’d put Jenna’s abusive husband in a coma remained seared into his mind, and what he remembered most was his anger. It had kept him alive and ensured the fucker never hurt his little sister again, but it had also been... a lot. Too much. Not who he wanted to be.

It was only a short drive to the mall, but he decided to poke around in her past a little. “So how much of this town have you seen before?”

“The Briar Oak apartments.” Allison then listed off three local bars, all seedy dives from what Carter had heard, and the local Goodwill. “But it was all at night.”

He could almost see that making sense. If she’d been cautious about being discovered, she might have decided it would be better to move around at night. Her limited knowledge of the town might not fully be Ryan’s fault, though... man. He still wanted to punch the guy.

“Day’s better,” Carter said. “For driving around I mean, even as a fugitive.”

“You have given much thought to the best times to travel.” It was a statement, not a question. “Why is day better?”

“Crowds. Other cars. This town gets so dead between eight and two that you’re more conspicuous driving around then than we are right now. You’re pretty much alone on the roads. I never run any errands at that time if I can avoid it, and always drive straight home after work. Don’t want to get pulled over by a bored cop because I missed a signal.”

“I understand now,” Allison said. “When the streets are empty as they were last night, any movement becomes far easier to track. Whereas today, we’ve passed dozens of cars and many more people. All of them are going places, which would make it harder for anyone looking for us to pick us out of the pack.”

Carter nodded as he kept his eyes on the road. “That make sense?”

“It does. Ryan and I usually traveled on foot, which limited how far we could go, but in retrospect, it likely was risker to do so at night.”

“Neither of you had a car.” He felt like an idiot for missing that before. Of course a guy addicted to drugs couldn’t afford a car. Or gas.

“You look troubled.” Allison sounded concerned, and it took physical effort not to glance her way and see how she was doing.

He didn’t want to run a stop sign by mistake. When he looked at Allison, it was hard to stop looking at her. That was a good thing, but not when he was driving.

“It’s nothing. Just reminding myself that not every fugitive starts with as much as me.”

As much as it sucked to be stuck out here in Pennsylvania, he was still very lucky overall. He had resources. It was another reason he was determined to share his luck with Allison.

Though he’d fled here, Uncle Eli had rented him an apartment and found him a car. For people who didn’t have wheels, small towns could be a desert where it was difficult to get anywhere. This town’s only bus route didn’t travel anywhere near Briar Oak apartments.

Maybe Ryan hadn’t been a total asshole. Carter still felt Ryan had treated Allison nothing like she deserved to be treated, but perhaps he hadn’t actually tried to keep her from going anywhere. She never would have put up with that. They just couldn’t drive.

They pulled into the huge parking lot to find it mostly empty. It was now just past three on a week day afternoon, which was far from prime time. All the high school kids were still in school and most everyone else in town who wasn’t working here worked elsewhere. A bigger crowd would have made him feel more comfortable, but this would have to do.

As they pulled into a parking space, Allison touched his arm. “I have a concern.”

Finally, with the car in park, he could look at her, and once again he loved what he saw. That curly red hair... that gorgeous face... those soft green eyes. The way her breasts filled out that shirt. And her smile. She had such a warm smile.

He realized she was waiting for him to ask about her concern. “What’s up?”

“I should go clothes shopping on my own. It looks as if this mall is sparsely populated, which means if any of my hunters are here, they will be looking for us.”

Carter frowned. “But... they don’t know about us?”

“They know I am without resources. Or rather, they think I am. I have told you about my former living conditions. The Tharons have certainly searched Ryan’s dilapidated apartment by now. Any reasonable person would conclude I left with nothing.”

“Which you did. Right?”

“But I now have much,” she reminded him. “Clean and presentable clothes. A car that can travel to this mall. I could not easily acquire those things on my own, and if I am seen shopping with you while you pay for basic female clothing, it will seem obvious as to why.”

It hit him right then. He hadn’t considered what the Tharons were actually looking for. “They’re looking for two people, a man and woman.”

Allison nodded.

“They’ll be paying special attention to couples shopping together, especially if they see me buying you lots of stuff most people who already have. Like the basics. So me buying you a bunch of underwear and socks fits the profile of the guy they expect you to be with now.”

Allison squeezed his arm and smiled. “So you agree with my concern? I am willing to shop together if you think I’m overthinking this.”

He ruefully shook his head. “No, you’re absolutely right.” He reached for his back pocket. “Here. Take my wallet while you shop. Better than carrying cash around. You can buy everything you need and we can meet up after.”

She took his wallet and then balanced it on her leg. “Your continued trust means a great deal to me. As does your generosity with everything you’ve offered.”

Carter chuckled at her naughty smirk. “You know these guys a whole lot better than I do. You’ve stayed ahead of them so far. You obviously know what you’re doing.”

“I am disappointed I will not be able to shop with you. I had an idea you might enjoy.” Her hand slipped across the shifter before her fingers coursed along his thigh, tingling like crazy. “Have you ever been sucked off in a dressing room?”

Carter seriously took a moment. “I... have not.” He barely reacted when her hand slid upward, but he did grab it right before it wrapped around anything else.

He glanced around to see if anyone was walking by their parked car. Fortunately, the lot remained clear. “Not here,” he told her firmly.

“Why not?”

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“It’s broad daylight, and this parking lot still has people in it.”

Her slight smile almost made him want to forget about that. “I can be very discreet.”

He didn’t know whether to laugh or not. “I bet you can, but didn’t you just warn me the Tharons are looking for a couple? Catching you blowing me in a parking lot might tip them off.”

“I suppose you might be right.” She sighed regretfully. “Later, then?”

Carter’s heart pounded as he tried to be rational about this. He’d now missed out on getting his cock sucked in a dressing room and in his car. Still, Allison’s safety came first. The more he thought about her suggestion, the more he felt she was right to shop alone.

And there was always later.

“After ice cream,” he promised. “How about I go hang in the food court and you come find me when you’re doing shopping? We can at least risk that, right?”

“It should be safe if there are others eating there,” she agreed. “I will be efficient.”

That worried him a little. “Don’t rush. A girl out shopping on her day off wouldn’t rush.”

Allison nodded as if he’d just given her spectacularly useful advice.

“Also, try Penny’s first. They’re usually cheaper than the others for basic stuff, at least from what I remember the last time I went shopping for clothes. If you can get enough of the basics for about two weeks, we can even do our laundry loads together.”

“I will try Penny’s first,” Allison promised. “So, I will see you when I am done.” She opened the door and stepped out, then leaned back into the car. “I can’t wait for ice cream.”

The way she casually flipped between innocent, coy, and full on sex machine was something he was still adjusting to, but he didn’t mind. She certainly kept him on his feet. The more time he spent with her, the more certain he was that he’d made the right choice.

Being her partner wouldn’t just be sexy. It might also be really fun.

 

***

 

ALLISON

She found herself humming softly as she entered the department store Carter had suggested and mentally translated the hanging signs to navigate to the women’s department. She did not normally hum, but today, she felt like doing so. Her human mind was flush with a high level of dopamine. Allison liked that.

It was Carter. This was all because of Carter. It was almost tragically funny that she had spent her whole interstellar journey researching possible partners only to stumble across one that seemed ideal while blindly running for her freedom. After nearly getting captured last night, she’d lucked into the proximity of a human male who might be perfect for her.

However, the fact that Carter was so eager to partner with her troubled her for reasons other than his generosity. He was everything she wanted, and that made her loathe to draw him into her increasingly desperate situation. She did not want any harm to come to him.

Even with only their physical and verbal interactions to inform her, she felt drawn to Carter in a way she had not been drawn to any human since she arrived. Nothing he had done since he helped her escape her hunter last night had been remotely selfish. If anything, she was the one being selfish by tempting him so mercilessly he might not be able to think clearly.

She already wanted so much more with him. Thoughts of all the experiences they could have together, on Earth, were intoxicating in both their depth and their variety. He was already an attentive and amazing lover in regards to physical sex, and so kind.

How much more amazing would he be after she offered him the chance to gain more experience? After she allowed him to explore all the sexual fantasies he craved but remained afraid to indulge for fear of hurting his partner? She wanted him to explore those fantasies with her, very badly, and there was just one problem with letting herself run away with him.

She still needed to rescue Larika.

Her twin sister remained in the custody of the Tharons, and worse, Allison had kept that fact that Carter. She had convinced herself she should not tell him for his protection, but after their discussions this morning... she was no longer so sure. Even a lie of omission felt wrong.

Larika was in no further danger. She would not be harmed. The Tharons had already likely put her into a suspension tank, so for Larika, time had ceased.

The problem was, rescuing her sister would be very difficult. There was a high possibility Allison would be captured, too. If Carter agreed to partner with her, he could easily be caught in the aftermath of any failed rescue attempt. There was no guarantee he would be released.

The Tharons rarely took humans off world, both to avoid rousing suspicion and due to stringent compacts within interstellar law, but Carter would be subject to interrogation and detention if he was caught helping her knowing who she was. He could become an exception. If she told Carter Larika was missing, he would insist on helping her rescue her sister.

Even with only her brief surface scan to guide her, his actions and the thoughts he had vocalized made his urge to help clear. Finally... the care she felt for him had already become so strong after just one day. That required careful consideration.

Due to their ability to sense the nature of a being simply by being with them, her species quickly formed strong attachments when the right mind came along... when one “clicked”. That had never happened with Ryan. With Carter, she had “clicked” with his mind at once.

How much stronger would her desire for Carter become once they eventually touched minds? Unlike all types of human sex, a joining of minds was considerably more intimate. Allowing Carter to be inside her mind while being inside of his was as far beyond physical coupling as lightly holding hands was to vigorous, dirty, brain-melting sex.

Which seemed to always occur whenever Carter was involved.

As Allison strode through the empty aisles of the department store and casually catalogued sizes and prices, she felt both thrilled and troubled. There was one fortunate circumstance. Interstellar travel would not be possible again until the end of the month—or, now, twenty-seven days—so the Tharons could not leave the planet until then.

Nor would they. They had Larika, but their contract was for Larika and her twin sister. Who was now Allison. The Tharons would use Larika as bait to draw Allison out in hopes of capturing them both. So while her circumstances remained desperate, she did have time.

What if she succeeded in convincing Carter not to partner with her tomorrow morning? What if she somehow got him to agree to let her mind wipe him? She could then slip away with all he had given her... but not with him. She couldn’t imagine him asking her to leave any longer, not after all they’d shared and enjoyed today... but he would be so much safer if he did.

Allison wanted him safe. She wanted that even more than she wanted him. The simple fact was, no matter how much she desired Carter, he would be safer if he was not with her.

Yet this could not be her decision alone. Her people simply did not make such decisions for their prospective partners. Tomorrow morning, she would do all she could do dissuade him from partnering with her and placing himself in danger by doing so.

But if she failed to talk him out of it, she would be guiltily thrilled out of her mind.

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