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“Remember you said that.”
“I definitely will.”
We fall silent for a while, just soaking in the moment. The water is the perfect temperature, and the scent of lemon around us is fresh and soothing. The light streaming in through the window makes patterns on the tiled floor, and I let myself fully relax.
“Do you have ideas for what you want to do once this is all over?” Ransom asks after a bit. “We’re not on the run anymore, and we have a place where we can put down roots. At least, for as long as we want to.”
I hum, thinking it over. “I’m not really sure. For so long, my plan was just to go to school and get a degree and try to make something of myself. But then I met Olivia, and everything changed.” I snort softly. “Well, I guess meeting you three changed things first.”
“In a much better way, I hope.”
“Definitely. Well, at first, I was convinced you three were going to ruin my life. Or kill me. But instead, it turned into something amazing. I guess my point was that ever since Olivia came along, I haven’t really had a chance to think about the next thing. I was dealing with her offering me money and a place in the family. Then she wanted me to get married. Then Misty died. Then Olivia showed her true colors, and everything after that has just been us running from one thing to the next. This feels like the first chance we’ve had to catch our breaths in a while.”
“Mm,” Ransom agrees. “It’s kind of weird, honestly. But after being chased down and shot at, I’ll take a break any way I can get one.”
“Hell, yes,” I murmur. “What about you? Have you and your brothers talked about what you might want to do once this is all said and done? Without Olivia making your lives difficult as X, you’ll have a lot more freedom.”
“We’re all definitely looking forward to not having to do odd jobs for her anymore, that’s for sure. Other than that, I don’t know if we have a plan yet. I’m sure Vic has the beginnings of one, at least, because that’s how he is, but Malice and I are more in the moment. Just trying to get Olivia off our backs completely before we start planning anything else.”
“That makes sense,” I whisper, nodding. “I think it would be good if you guys had the chance to mess with cars again. I don’t know if that was something you started just because you needed the money at the time, but I know you in particular miss it.”
There’s a warm huff of laughter, and Ransom’s breath ghosts over my skin. His hands move over my sides, making the water ripple around us.
“You know me so well,” he murmurs, and I can hear warmth in his tone.
I shrug. “I just remember that it was like your happy place. Where you went when you needed a break. You’d be in the garage messing with your bike or with a car, and you always seemed to enjoy it. I want you to have that again.”
“One day,” he promises. “And I’ll teach you all about it too if you want. You’ll be able to rebuild an engine in no time.”
A little laugh bursts out of me. “I’m not so sure about that.”
“Well, before we ran away to Mexico, you would’ve said you weren’t sure you could ride a motorcycle, right? But you did great.”
He does have a point there. I can remember the wind in my hair and the way Ransom rewarded me for learning to ride on my own.
“It was more fun than I thought it would be,” I admit. “And less scary.”
“See? I know what I’m talking about. When we have room, we’ll get bikes. I’ll pick out a really nice one for you and teach you more about riding.”
I can tell he’s excited about that prospect from the way his tone has picked up. He’s also touching me more than he was before. His hands glide over my skin, wet and leaving a trail of heat as they go.
His thumb skates over the inside of my elbow, and I shiver a little at the sensation. Somehow over the course of the conversation, he went from barely touching me to letting his hands roam over me in slow, easy patterns. It’s old habit, his natural instinct when he’s around me.
At first, I didn’t really notice it all that much, caught up in the conversation, but now it’s like it’s all I can focus on, and I swallow hard as his touch starts to affect me, turning me on.
There’s still that haze of unease that settles over me, but I don’t give it any oxygen, focusing instead on how good his fingers and palms feel on my skin. His touch has always comforted me, even when I didn’t want it to, and now it’s making me feel wet between my legs in a way that I’ve missed.
“Ransom,” I whisper, his name spilling from my lips.
“Hm?” He sounds languid and content, but then seems to notice what he’s doing. “Oh, shit. Sorry, angel. It’s just habit. I’ll—”
He starts to move his hand away from me, but I reach up and stop him before he can.
I fit my hand over his, and it feels right.
At first, I just leave my hand there, letting it press over his, feeling his touch against my skin. Then I slowly and tentatively start moving his hand downward a bit. I guide it in a caress down my arm and then back up, over my shoulder. I let his fingers feather over my neck and then move them down to my chest.
My tongue darts out, licking my lips, and I pull his hand downward even more, letting it rest against my breast for a second.
