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I think that goes both ways when I tilt my chin up.
His cool mahogany eyes sparkle with sun glitter as he comes closer.
“Are you sure you want to do this here? We’re not that far away. The team could see us, you know, and—”
“Their problem,” he bites off. “Not ours.”
And just like that, he ignites my whole mouth. It’s a sunny sweet kiss that reaches down inside me and strums all the feels.
Butterflies. Weak knees. A fluttery moan.
Wherever Lincoln Burns just brought me, it’s a place where I’m not thinking about work or anything else. Not until a voice interrupts from behind us.
“Dakota! Holy shit, Dakota, I found you. Finally.”
You know that moment in bad horror movies where everything seems fine, and then the lead turns around to find a monster with a mouthful of hellish teeth drooling on their shoulder?
If I had a choice, I’d take ten of those monsters.
Because when I whirl around in what feels like slow motion, I’m praying I’m hearing things. I’m begging all the gods of coincidence that I’m not about to see the owner of a voice I never wanted to hear again.
“What’s wrong?” Lincoln growls, his arms drawing tight around me as he senses my panic.
“Dakota,” the voice calls again, this time closer.
My gaze focuses and—there.
There he is.
His shaggy blond hair hasn’t changed a bit since I last laid eyes on him. It flops up and down in front of his face as he runs toward us, wearing flip-flops that splat on the sidewalk with every step.
“I...I don’t know what to do!” I whisper, clenching my teeth.
Lincoln drops my hand, hooks his arm around my waist, and pulls me closer. “Whatever you want, Dakota. I’ve got you.”
It’s like he already knows how bad this could be.
But it’s worse when Jay finally stops, standing right in front of me in a red t-shirt and khaki cargo shorts.
“Damn. I thought I’d lost you.” He hits me with this awful, too-wide smile before his eyes flick to Lincoln. His brows dart down in confusion like he didn’t notice the man holding me until now. “Oh. Shit. So this is why you’ve been ignoring me? To shack up with your fucking boss?”
His sneer cuts me in two.
Instant rage.
I’m about to ask what business it is of his—why he’s even here scolding me as if he wasn’t screwing his bandmate—but something else knocks at my brain.
“Wait. How do you know who my boss is?”
His lip curls and he rolls his eyes.
“You kidding? Your mama told the whole town of Dallas you’ve been crushing on the guy you work for. Dakota, c’mon, you’re not this kind of girl.”
I hear Lincoln’s teeth grind.
Oof.
I’m highly annoyed at Mom for blowing what little I’ve said about Lincoln way out of proportion.
Also, he’s here, in Seattle, after harassing me for weeks.
Did he come halfway across the country just for this pathetic in-person shot at changing my mind?
“Jay, we broke up a year ago. You left me. You can stay gone.”
I’m awestruck that I’m not shaking. I think the two protective arms wrapped around me have a lot to do with that.
“My band has a six month gig in Seattle,” he explains like I should care, pushing his hair out of his eyes.
“Nice. It’s a big enough city for both of us.”
“Dakota, you don’t mean that. You can’t keep hooking up with your boss. You’ll regret it.” His face drops like he’s genuinely hurt. For the first time, his words sound more desperate, more sad. “I’ll turn down the gig for you. We’ll move home and get a place just like we planned. I’ll teach music. You can write for the oil company. We can still fix our mistakes.”
For a second, there’s an ice-cold silence.
Then I’ve absolutely had it.
“Our mistakes? Our?” I scowl at him. “Are you fucking kidding me, man? Also, FYI, I am not hooking up with my boss! I’m in love with him.”
Oops.
Too many things happen at once.
Jay stumbles back like he’s just been shot in the chest.
My heart flies into my throat like a drunken hummingbird.
Lincoln turns to stone and draws a rough breath.
Oh, God. Me and my big fat mouth.
Jay straightens and hurls an angry look at me.
“Bullshit. You’re still hurt, I get it,” he says like he’s trying to make himself believe his own delusions over my words. “Some people back home thought you’d been sleeping around—only way you could’ve gotten such a cushy promotion so soon. But shit.” He holds out a hand. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. We’ll get through this. We can—”
I’m shaking.
Hot tears of fury sting my eyes.
“Holy shit, Jay. Do you ever shut up? Do you even hear the crap coming out of your mouth right freaking—” I stop mid-sentence as everything blurs.
In one movement, Lincoln swings forward, shifting me behind him, standing toe-to-toe with Jay and towering over him at least a good foot and a half.
