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“There was this one time in high school where me and Rhett—he’s the second youngest and closest to me in age—went to a party. We both swore up and down to Ma that we wouldn’t drink to get her to let us go.”
“Oh boy,” I say.
“Oh boy is right. We drank. And then our designated driver left without us. We could have hiked home, but it was about five below outside, and we didn’t want to fall over in a snowdrift and die, so we called Ma. She didn’t yell at us or get mad. She just showed up at two in the morning to tow her youngest sons home, saying that we’d talk about it in the morning. The next morning, we were both nursing hard hangovers, and she handed us a Gatorade and told us that she was glad that we called her and that we better never lie to her like that again. That if we were going to drink to have a reliable designated driver or call her if we needed a ride. She understood that we were going to be stupid teenagers, but that we should be as safe as we could be while being stupid.”
My eyes burn at the story and I love that he had that.
“What about your dad?” I ask. I didn’t have any of that growing up. I learned fast to rely on myself, that I was the only one I could count on, so hearing about Boone’s family is almost…happy.
“He’s similar. He worked a lot and built the station up to one of the largest in the state, but he was just as involved as Ma in our lives. I’m the only one who went the ranger route. My brothers all have different jobs.”
“Why don’t you work in Everette then? Why Felt?”
Boone blows out a breath before answering. “Ma passed away while I was in college. I came home from school for the funeral and stuff. I saw her everywhere in that town, and it was almost like I couldn’t breathe through the grief of losing her. When I went back to school it was like the weight of losing her was a little lighter. I went back home for the holidays that year and the same thing happened. I couldn’t suck in enough air to see the memories in a lighter way. After that I haven’t been back home more than a few times, and it’s been a few years. It’s just too hard knowing that she’s not one of the town pillars anymore.”
“That must be hard. On you and your family.”
He shakes his head. “I never told them the why of me not coming home. I just usually make excuses when something like the holidays comes up. I volunteer at work, and I avoid the family group chat as much as I can.” He pauses before opening his mouth like he’s going to say something, but stops himself.
“I feel like there’s a but in there somewhere.”
“My dad’s been trying to get me to come home. His station is a little light on rangers. They make do, but he could use another ranger or two. I don’t know if you know, but a couple of years back, Connor almost took a job up there. The turnover at Dad’s station has been higher in recent years, and Connor was looking for a senior position. Didn’t take it for obvious reasons, but yeah, Dad’s been trying to get me to come home and take a job in his station since Connor turned it down.”
“And you don’t want that?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. I’d like to go home and see my brothers. Hearing about their antics over the phone isn’t the same as being there, but after the last two times I went home, I don’t know if I’d be able to live and work there again. I’m thinking about it.”
“That’s fair.”
Boone finishes his coffee and stands, bringing the cup to the sink before rinsing it and putting it in the drainer.
I act on impulse, the heavy conversation of the last few minutes getting to the more emotional side of me. When Boone turns slightly, I wrap my arms around him in a hug. The masculine scent of him hits me right in the ovaries, but I shove that off to the side. I can’t imagine being close to a family member and then losing them. I haven’t lost anyone in that sense. I don’t even know where my own mother is, and I have no urge to find her or try to mend whatever was broken between us long before I left home.
Boone’s arms come up to wrap lightly around me. “What’s this for?” he asks, and I can feel my hair shift under the wisp of his breath.
“Just felt like you could use a hug.”
“Well, thank you. I appreciate it.”
I pull back slightly to look at his face, and the green of his eyes catches me. His gaze dips to my lips, and reflexively, I swipe my tongue along my bottom lip, and he tracks the movement. Heat and tension build in the air around us, until a shiver works its way down my spine. I try to suppress the flutter in my blood at being wrapped in his arms for the second time today.
But Boone? He’s definitely attracted. If the subtle tightening of his arms and the starved look in his eyes is anything to go on.
Taking a chance, I rise to my tiptoes and press my mouth lightly against his. His lips are warm and soft under mine. After the brief contact, I drop back down and start to pull away.
“Uh-uh. Come back here.” The gruff, growly grumble shoots laser beams to my lady parts even as he drags me back into the heat of his body, his head dipping toward mine again. This time he initiates the kiss. The slide of his mouth across mine is heady and heavy. Teeth nip at my lower lip, and instinctively I open my own mouth to let him in.
His beard tickles the skin around my mouth in a delicious way that makes me wonder what it would feel like between my thighs. His tongue strokes mine, dipping in to taste, and I sigh before leaning into him more. My hands come up to rest at the base of his neck, playing in the nearly too long hair that curls at the ends.
Boone takes his time tasting me, each slide of his tongue against mine sumptuous and wonderful.
Too soon, he’s pulling back. His eyes trace my expression and I ask, “What are you thinking?”
He smiles at me. “Not a lot of thinking going on right now. Not enough blood flow.”
I bark out a laugh. “That’s fair.”
“What about you?”
