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“Funny. I don’t remember so much backtalk when I was ordering you to come for me.”
My jaw drops indignantly, but secretly, my stomach somersaults. Well, that sure as shit backfired on me.
“You did not just say that to me.” The outrage is fake, and he knows it.
Nathan rolls his lips in to hold back a grin. “Get out, babe.”
I huff and cross my arms over my chest. “I’m not so sure now. I think I’d rather go back home.”
“Kiersten.”
“What?”
His torso forces me back against the passenger seat. “You liked it.” His breath puffs warm against my lips, and his eyes flicker with interest to my mouth. That same mouth that suddenly needs an ice-cold drink. “Now get out.”
Nothing left to do after that exchange. He clearly won, no argument about it. Unclicking my belt, I slither out of the truck. Our bodies press together in the tight space, forcing him back a step. I land smack between his arms. Looking into his deep, brown eyes, I smirk.
“Happy?”
He grabs my gloved hand, hits the locks, and tugs me to the curb. “Not as happy as you’re about to be.”
16
Nathan
“Hey guys, glad you could make it,” Rhett says, stepping out from the door to the wooden shack in front of us.
“What are you doing here?” Kiersten’s question entices me to laugh. The answers are about two minutes away if she can hold on. Her inherent lack of patience this evening is her own personal agony. A quality I find both amusing and endearing.
Rhett spares her a glance before returning to me without answering her question, and he holds out his hand.
“Hey, man. Are we too late?” I reciprocate the brief shake and shrug my arm around her shoulders. She stiffens as if she’s contemplating throwing my arm off. This line in the sand to our friendship is hard to abide by, but I can’t blame her for enforcing what she thinks is best. My conflicted feelings would be easier to manage if not for the incredible sex she sends my way. It’s like scratching an itch without relief.
What about what I want? Do I even know the answer to that?
To my utter relief, she snuggles in deeper, and I relish the warmth of her body close to mine. If this is all she can give me, I won’t turn it away.
“Nah, you’re on time. A skeleton crew roams around here somewhere so you might see some people milling about. You didn’t tell her?”
My arm tightens involuntarily around her shoulders. “I figured she’d be up for the surprise.” I reply, having a hard time concealing the humor in my voice.
“Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?” Annoyance rings loud and clear at this juncture. If only she knew the effort I went through to bring her here tonight. Not that I wouldn’t do it a hundred times to see the childlike wonder on her face again.
Rhett looks at Kiersten with a warm smile. “I’ll leave you guys to it. You shouldn’t need me for anything else, but if you do, you have my number.”
“Grateful, man.”
We watch as he fades into the inky blackness beyond the empty parking lot.
“If there’s a skeleton crew here, where are all their cars?” she asks.
“They have a volunteer and staff parking lot back that way. Rhett’s helped out here for the past year. He could navigate the land with his eyes closed.”
She turns to face me, still wrapped snug beneath my arm. “Okay. Are you ready to tell me what’s really happening?”
I steer us down the sidewalk and almost forget how to answer when the lights fully come in to view. I can’t see more than the first few feet in front of me because I’m struck still at the sheets of lights draping down from the trees. The brightness of them combined overtakes my vision. Hundreds of tiny blue icicle lights arc over the pathway we’re on.
I remove my arm from around her shoulders to scoop up her gloved hand in mine. If only I could feel her bare skin rather than all this fabric. A single tight squeeze initiates her look at me, bestowing her full attention like a gift.
