Her face scrunched up, a confused laugh coming from her even as she didn’t miss a beat, falling into step as we danced. “You want me to read a smutty book to you?”
It was odd…in the course of a few moments, a few dozen words, the panic was gone, all but a whisper. It still lingered in the corners of my mind. I didn’t think I’d ever be lucky enough for it to go away completely, but some of the worry, the darkness, had receded.
I shrugged, moving with her and the music. “Well, I gotta know for myself what smut means.”
Her head fell back, laughter bubbling out of her like a babbling brook. That happiness, that light was infectious. Pure, dazzling light that chased away the shadows. How could someone be filled with so much? I wanted to bottle her up and save her for a cloudy day. She sobered after a moment, but her eyes still swam with warmth. “I could do that, cowboy. Got any plans after this?”
I swallowed. The thought of going home with her sent a rush of excitement through me. And also, surprise. My mind for the briefest moment drifted to Ashleigh. Hadn’t I just been trying to see her tonight? Yeah, she’d been screwing me over, as usual, but I loved her…didn’t I?
I didn’t even know anymore. Maybe I just loved the idea of her. Of what we were so long ago.
I focused on Cheyenne once more, and while I expected guilt, I only felt resolve. Maybe that’s why I found myself saying, “Only plans I got are this right here.”
Cheyenne’s grin sent shivers of anticipation down my spine, a look of pure mischief glimmering like stardust in her eyes. “Well, how ‘bout we get on out of here, then?”
“I thought you wanted to dance?” I asked, twirling her away from me.
This wasn’t actually too bad. Not as she spun back into my arms, her body settling close to mine once more. Her sweet scent enveloped me, her gaze holding mine. It’s like everyone else had melted away and her and I were the only ones on the dance floor.
“I’d rather see where this goes more,” she replied, that bright gaze full of desire pegging me in place.
Well, damn.
Chapter eight
Barn Burner
Cheyenne
Excitement thrummed through myveins like an electrical current, setting my leg bouncing as I sat in the passenger seat of my truck. Maverick drove, his gaze settled on the road before us. Not gonna lie, he looked hot as all hell sitting there. Not many people drove my truck. Call it an ego or control thing, I didn’t really care. I was just a bit territorial with my things, is all. But I couldn’t drive home… I mean, I definitelycould, but I didn’t want a DUI.
Even if I’d been okay to, though, Maverick wouldn’t have settled on being a passenger princess. He’d been adamant on driving me home, and I was too stunned that he’d actually agreed, that I hadn’t put up a fight.
Ihadtalked the majority of the ride back to the trailer park though, only pausing every so often for him to mutter out a sentence or two in reply to one of my questions. For the most part, he didn’t seem to mind me talking. In fact, since he’d agreed to coming home with me, there was a definite shift in his demeanor. He seemed more open, more alive. He still was one hundred percent himself when it came to being closed off and tight-lipped, but hedidn’t seem so wound up anymore. He watched me with a warmth in his eyes I’d rarely seen before tonight, amusement dancing in the light irises.
Whatever the reason for this shift, I’d take it.
My trailer park came into view, and the desire simmering inside me turned up to full blaze. The anticipation of what was to come made me fidget even more. Between that and the amount of whiskey I’d consumed, it was no surprise I reached over and trailed a hand over his thigh, making sure to brush my fingertips over his cock beneath his starched denim jeans.
His knuckles whitened around the steering wheel, his entire body tensing up as a low, deep rumble, reminding me of rolling thunder, quaked from his chest. A shaky breath escaped him as he slowly slid his gaze to me.
The strangest mixture of emotions glimmered in his gaze—surprise, lust, worry, excitement, challenge, confusion—as he opened his mouth to speak. “Which spot’s yours?”
“Six….” My fingers brushed over his cock once more.
He chuckled softly, pegging me with a gaze that mirrored my desire. “Careful, trouble. Or I may just pull off right here and drag you in the backseat.”
“Don’t tempt me with a good time,” I clapped back, offering him a wink as I stroked him once more.
A shudder passed through him, his entire body tensing beneath my touch, those light green eyes of his telling me everything Ineeded to know. Maverick wanted this. Wanted me. And I sure as hell wanted him.
The desire vanished on his face in a heartbeat, worry and concern replacing any lighter emotions. “What the hell?”
`Red lights flashed, casting his face in a crimson glow.Wait…why are there—
I followed his gaze, my chest constricting as I took in everything.
Fear—cold, paralyzing fear—turned the blood in my veins to ice. It traveled through me, from the top of my head to the tips of my toes, settling like a frozen chunk around my heart.
