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I took the next iron from her, and a cruel knife of painful remorse stabbed through my heart. It was the reverse R R of the Rivers Ranch. Nothing like the universe slapping you in the face with your family history when you least expected it.
“Ya’ll know branding irons are almost indestructible.” It was the properties and way of life they represented that were far too fragile.
The other three paused in their work to absorb and disregard my comment.
Shaking my head, I folded the brown paper around the iron with my family’s brand. The reverse R R had been reduced to a trinket of trendy décor. I added it to the box along with a boatload of upsetting thoughts. Yeah, Lara’s advice might be the best thing I’d heard in years.
“I’m going to go get my truck and see if I can convince the festival people to let me pull up to the back of the booth.” There were going to be a lot of heavy boxes.
“If they give you problems, threaten them with my mom. No one wants on Pricilla Lamar’s shit list,” Randy advised.
“Noted.” Also noted, Randy had a tongue piercing to go with the holes in his ears and the tattoo peeking out from under his too-tight vintage Pink Floyd tee shirt. Bet Pricilla loved all the body modifications on her son. Made me happy I didn’t have a little jackass son like Randy running loose in the world. Animals I liked, human kids not so much.
I skirted around the light fixture, coming up behind Rae and placing my hand on her nape. The brush of her hair over the back of my hand sent tingles racing up my arm.
I leaned close to her ear, inhaled her flora smell, and squeezed lightly. “I missed waking you up with my mouth between your thighs.”
It was the real reason I’d been in a bad mood all morning.
I didn’t look back as I left The Enclave, but I had a decided spring in my step. Not overthinking it was the best plan of the week, the month… the year.
Chapter 15
Atley
“Alright, a few moreboxes and we’re done.” I wiped the sweat off my forehead with my sleeve.
Rae and I’d neatly stacked the boxes and parts of the chandelier along the south wall of the dancehall. This morning, some of my crew that wasn’t at the Arts and Oddities Fest had cleaned out the other junk stored in here. It already looked a million times better.
“Damn, it’s hot out there. Here.” Rae held out a water bottle for me. She leaned against the wall and enjoyed the AC.
I cracked open the water and chugged it in one go. Trips in and out, going from AC to summer heat, were worse than staying outside and adjusting.
“The only ones not suffering are you lazy hairballs.” Major and Georgie looked up at me from where they lounged on the cool wood floor under an AC vent. A few butt sniffs, a quick game of chase around the dusty parking lot by the house, and the dogs were bros. They were an odd couple, opposite in every physical way, but shared loves like cool floors, belly scratches, and the joy of peeing on my truck’s tires had made them fast friends.
“When I die, I’d like to be reincarnated as a beloved pet. They have the best lives. No bills to pay, no mortgage, no boss. Food magically appears in your bowl and human slaves manage all your needs.”
I chuckled.
We’d dropped Rae’s minivan at the parking lot and picked up the two dogs before we came to the dancehall to unload the chandelier. I wanted the contractors to see it so we could talk about installing a winch like The Enclave had for raising and lowering it.
“I still can’t believe how much bigger the space looks without the junk.” She turned around slowly, looking up and down, taking in the wide-open dancehall. “How many tables do you think it could hold for a wedding or something?”
“I’ve got no idea.” Party planning wasn’t in my job description.
“A lot, right?” She turned again slower while biting her lip in a nervous way that had me thinking about kissing her. I couldn’t help it. That lush lip was like a homing beacon calling to me.
I’d been holding back, satisfying myself with a few incidental touches since we’d left the festival. A graze here and a bump there. Testing the waters, and so far, they were warm and receptive.
Now that I’d embraced Lara’s advice, there was no reason not to kiss her. Doing what feels good and not thinking beyond the moment might end up biting me in the ass later, but for now—heaven.
I stepped closer, so when Rae finished her next circle, we were face to face. Her hands pressed to my chest. She looked up at me so intensely it took my breath away.
“If anyone is going to bite that lip, it should be me.” I dropped my head slowly, giving her all the time in the world to back up or turn her head. Her grabbing fistfuls of my shirt was like a big flashing green light.
Our mouths met, and I took my time nibbling her gorgeous full lower lip, sucking it into my mouth and teasing until she whimpered and pressed her hips against me. I dove in, sweeping my tongue into her mouth and cupping her ass over her skirt. She met my every thrust with her own hunger. We were tangled together and desperate to devour each other.
If we kept going, I’d fuck her up against a wall with her skirt hiked up and her panties around her ankles. Not overthinking was one thing, but full-on losing my mind was another. I wanted better for Rae, for us. She’d asked to be reminded what grand passion felt like, and a hard fast fuck in a dusty building wasn’t that. There was a time and a place for a quickie, and it wasn’t today.
