Текст книги "Perfect Kind Of Trouble"

Автор книги: Chelsea Fine

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Текущая страница: 17 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

35 Kayla

After my little breakdown in the lavender field, Ellen told me not to worry about stepping in as a waitress for the inn today, but I insisted because I knew serving food would help take my mind off everything. And I was right.

After serving the lunch rush for a few hours, I feel much better as I enter the kitchen.

“So who’s Pixie?” I ask, pointing to the name written on an apron on the wall.

“She’s Ellen’s niece,” Mable says. “Her real name is Sarah, but she also goes by Pixie. She worked with me all summer but she moved out yesterday because she’s starting college in a few weeks.”

“Oh yeah,” I say, nodding as I think back to the Fourth of July party on the lake earlier this month. “I think I met her a few weeks ago. What is she studying?”

“Art.” Mable smiles. “What about you?”

“I was hoping to go to nursing school, but things changed and I came out here to take care of some family business.”

Her face softens. “Ellen told me about your father. I’m so sorry, sweetie.”

I swallow the lump in my throat and nod. “Thank you.”

Her eyes fill with sympathy. “I’m so glad you have Daren to help you get through everything.”

I inhale slowly, and quietly say, “Me too.”

Even though he’s only been in my life for three days, Daren really has helped me get through things. But Mable was wrong. I don’t have him. At least not anymore.

And… the tears are back. Dammit.

Ellen enters the kitchen and I quickly get my emotions under control.

“Hey, so I’ve been thinking about how you said you have no plans for, like, ever,” Ellen says. “And Mable’s been singing your praises all day—”

“I have.” Mable smiles.

“And since I need a part-time waitress,” Ellen continues, “I thought maybe we could help each other out. You could work here at the inn—just until you figure out what you want to do next, of course—and since I have a resident room opening up you live here for free at the same time.”

My mouth falls open. “Are you being serious?”

She nods. “I need the help.”

I blink a few times, not sure what to say—or think. Having a new job in a new state away from all my crap back in Chicago would be wonderful. But having a place to live rent-free would be… well, incredible! And it’s not just any place. It’s a cute little inn, tucked away in a lavender field, free of rodents and cockroaches. And with the money I saved on rent, I would be able to go to college and pursue a career in nursing.

I stare at Ellen, speechless.

“You don’t have to answer me right now,” she says casually with a wave of her hand. “Think it over and let me know if you have any questions. And Mable?” Mable looks up from a pie dish. “That apple cobbler smells divine. I love you the most, you know that right?”

Mable snorts. “You only love me the most when I have cobbler in my hands.”

“And your point is…?”

Mable smiles. “I will save some for you, as always.”

“See?” Ellen smiles broadly. “Total love.” She turns and heads out of the kitchen. As I watch her walk away, my mind races with all the possibilities working at Willow Inn would give me. I could live in Arizona and start fresh. And I would be so close to Copper Springs…

I’m not sure if that thrills me or stresses me out.

Daren swings into the kitchen from the dining room with a rack of glassware in his hands. Our eyes meet and he stops walking. He opens his mouth, but doesn’t say anything.

What do I want him to say? Sorry? I know he’s sorry. If anyone should be apologizing for being a giant brat it should be me. But when I try to speak, nothing comes out.

Mable makes herself scarce, coming up with some excuse about piecrusts, leaving Daren and I alone.

“Hey,” he says, breaking our silence.

“Hey,” I say back.

He clears his throat. “Ellen told me about the e-mails from your mom… and everything.” His eyes fill with sympathy, searching my face with his lips parted like he wants to say something. But instead, he slowly wraps his arms around me and pulls me against his chest. I hesitate only a moment before letting myself fall into his embrace with my cheek against his shoulder.

It’s just a hug. But the gesture is so sincere I could almost cry. Here in Daren’s arms, I feel significant. Safe. Visible.

Loved.

He exhales slowly and rests his cheek on my head, like he has no intention of releasing me anytime soon. I haven’t felt this cared for since the last time I saw my dad.

It was the summer I was fifteen and he took me pretend fishing. I thought it was dumb at the time, because I was too old to go pretend fishing, but I played along because he seemed so excited about it. We sat by the river and talked about my mom that day. My parents had been divorced for nearly a decade at that point, but I’d never asked him about it.

He told me that he loved her very much, and missed her every day, but she had made a decision to be without him and he wanted to respect that. He seemed heartbroken when he spoke so I asked him if he regretted marrying her.

He smiled and said that if he’d never married my mother he would’ve never had me, and I was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He told me that being my father was the highest honor he could imagine and he’d go through heartbreak a thousand times over if it meant having me.

I bite my lip. That was the last real conversation I ever had with my father. He tried to call a few times after mom died, but I was too grief-ridden and heartbroken to return his calls. Now I’ll never hear his voice again.

A single tear rolls down my dirty cheek and lands on Daren’s shirt. I swallow and pull myself together, lifting my head with a sniffle. “I was wrong about my dad. He didn’t abandon me. He didn’t stop loving me.” My voice cracks. “I was wrong.”

He looks at me sympathetically. “You were lied to.”

I nod, scoffing as I stare at the floor. “You know the worst part?” I look back up at him. “I can’t fix it. I can’t apologize to my dad or yell at my mom. I’m all alone. I have no family. I’m just completely alone.”

He slowly releases me and presses his lips together. “You’re not alone. You have me.”

I look at him hesitantly. “I do?”

“Absolutely.” He nods sincerely. “I’m so sorry about your mom, though. That’s awful.”

I nod and try to break up the tension. “I’m sorry about your Porsche.”

He softly laughs. “Monique.”

I wrinkle my nose. “What?”

“That was my car’s name.” He nods. “Monique.”

“You named your car?”

“Yep.”

I sniff. “You’re weird.”

“I am.” He nods once. “Have you eaten yet?”

I shake my head.

“Can I make something for you?” He pulls back to look at me. “I want to feed you.”

I nod. “Sure.”

Turning away, he starts grabbing ingredients from the fridge and knives from the butcher block. I’m not sure if we’re exactly on full speaking terms yet, so I don’t ask any questions. But he looks so happy, moving around a kitchen. It’s kind of adorable.

For the next half hour, Daren skitters about the kitchen and whips up a gourmet lunch of prime rib sandwiches and a strawberry fields salad. Mable scolds him a few times for getting in her way or using too much salt, but I see the amusement in her eyes. She likes that Daren enjoys cooking.

When he’s finished, Daren makes plates for Ellen, Mable, and me, then insists on watching as we take our first bites. It’s so delicious that I make an orgasmic noise. Daren’s eyebrows raise in appreciation. “You like it that much?”

I nod. “Oh yeah.”

“Good.” He smiles at me, but then looks unsure. We’re not totally broken anymore but we’re not yet healed either.

“This is incredible. I had no idea you were skilled in the kitchen, Daren,” Ellen says, swallowing a bite. “Now that Pixie’s gone, I’m looking for a prep cook, you know. It might be time to change your job title.” She smiles.

If I didn’t know better, I’d say Daren was blushing. “I don’t know. I’m not that great. Cooking is just something I do for fun.”

Mable makes a noise of approval. “This sandwich is pretty great.”

“We’ll talk,” Ellen says to Daren. “When you come in for your shift on Monday, we’ll talk.”

He nods. “Okay.”

She adds, “And hey, maybe you can bring Kayla back with you on Monday to help serve lunch.”

It’s suddenly awkward, since neither of us knows what’s going to happen between us later today, let alone on Monday.

“Yeah, maybe,” he says, glancing at me. Then he makes an excuse to leave the kitchen and quickly darts away. I stare at my food for a minute, confused and wishing we could just fix things between us, then decide to go for a walk to clear my head.

Leaving the kitchen, I head for the lobby, hoping I don’t bump into Daren. Just as I reach the front desk, where Ellen is staring at something on a computer, the inn’s front door bursts open.

“Frankly, I’m impressed we made it this far without me killing you,” says a pretty girl with long, black hair and tattoos covering her arms as she carries in a duffle bag that looks too big and masculine to be her own. She looks vaguely familiar.

The guy behind her grins. “What’s with all the death threats? Is that how you handle all of life’s problems? By committing murder?” He’s handsome and looks like downright trouble.

His dark hair is almost as black and the girl’s, but where her eyes are golden and sharp, his eyes are gray and playful. I know I’ve seen the girl before, somewhere.

Dropping the duffle bag, she spins around and sneers, looking up and down his tall body. “Just the really big ones.”

Oh man. She’s clearly attracted to this guy. His smile goes crooked. And wow. He’s knows it.

“First of all, there’s no need to take your frustration out on my luggage.” He points to the bag on the floor then leans down so their faces are close together. “Second, is that your way of telling me I’m big?”

They lock gazes and the air between them sizzles. Good God, there’s a lot of sexual tension in the room.

Ellen, who’s been silently watching from behind the front desk, clears her throat.

“Jenna.” She smiles. “Welcome to the inn. I didn’t know you were stopping by. Pixie’s not here, though.”

Jenna! That’s right. I met her at the Fourth of July Bash at the lake a few weeks ago too.

Jenna whips her eyes to Ellen. “Oh, I’m not here for Pixie,” she says. “I’m here to drop off this bozo”—she points to the handsome guy beside her—“so I can be on my way to New Orleans.”

“Jenna’s not big on road trip buddies,” he explains. “And she has a hard time being enclosed in small spaces with me. I’m Jack, by the way.” He holds out his hand and Ellen slowly shakes it.

Jenna throws her hands up and growls. “You infuriating man.”

He keeps smiling at her. “You’re adorable. I’ll just take my bag back to the car and wait for you until you’re done throwing your temper tantrum.” He nods at Ellen. “It was so nice meeting you.”

Glaring over her shoulder as he leaves, Jenna marches through the lobby and plows right into me.

“Oh! Sorry,” she says, taking a step back. Her face softens when she’s sees me. “Hey, I know you.… Kayla right?” She smiles and all the anger and frustration surrounding her instantly disappears.

I smile. “Yeah. I met you and Sarah—Pixie—Sarah?—at the lake.”

“That’s right. You stopped to ask for directions to Copper Springs.” She adds, “You can call her Pixie, by the way. I do. So what are you doing here?”

“At the moment?” I exhale. “Hiding from a guy.”

She scoffs. “I feel ya. I wish I could hide from that guy.” She tips her chin at the front door and sighs. “But I can’t.”

I nod understandingly. “Because he’s always around?”

“No.” She looks at the door longingly. “Because I don’t want to. Don’t get me wrong, the guy pisses me off and makes me want to pluck my leg hairs out one by one, but…” She shrugs and a hint of a smile pulls at her lips. “He makes things interesting. Honestly, I’d be bored without him.”

Jack pops his head back in the front door and calls out, “I’m ready when you are, Diva!”

Her puppy dog smile is immediately replaced with a look of complete agitation as she whips her head around and yells, “Don’t. Call. Me. DIVA!”

He grins at her. “It never gets old.”

“God!”

He disappears back out the door and she turns back to me, all smiles and goodness again.

“So this boy you’re hiding from,” she says. “Does he make things interesting?”

I think for a moment. We jumped out of a train car, fell down a mudslide, slept in an abandoned house, and showered with handcuffs on—and all in the last seventy-two hours.

“Yes,” I say. “He’s the most interesting thing that’s ever happened to me.”

She smiles. “Then what are you hiding from?”

36 Daren

With carefully planned routes through the inn, I manage to avoid Kayla for most of the day. It’s not that I don’t like to see her—I very much enjoy looking at her. But I just don’t know what to say to her. I loved feeding her, but she was so sad about everything she’d learned about her mom that I felt like drudging up any issue she and I have would have been petty.

I need to say sorry but sorry has never come easy for me, especially when it comes to girls. I’ve never really put much effort into making up with members of the opposite sex. Once they burn me, I typically back off so I can’t get burned again. It’s a rule of mine and, up until three days ago, it worked flawlessly.

But for some reason my chest just won’t seem to loosen up with all this guilt and gloom. I can walk away from any girl anywhere, but not Kayla.

The sound of jingling keys meets my ears and I turn to see Ellen approaching the front desk, where I’ve been restacking printing paper for the past ten minutes.

She smiles. “The repair guy towed Kayla’s car to Latecomers and gave it a jump, so it should be working now. I’m going to grab Kayla and we’ll meet you outside. You ready to go?”

I nod. “Yep. I’ll be out in fifteen minutes. I’m sure Kayla wants to get away from me as soon as possible.”

Ellen narrows her eyes. “Why?”

“Because,” I sigh, angry with myself, “I basically slaughtered her to pieces with my words the other day.”

“Ah,” she says softly with a short nod. “That explains your guilt.”

I frown. I wasn’t aware my guilt was noticeable. Shit.

“But what about hers?” she says.

“Hers?” I wrinkle my brow.

“Yeah,” Ellen says. “Kayla’s been darting her eyes away from you and looking at the floor every time I try to speak with her about you… just like you’re doing now.”

I snap my eyes from the floor and meet her gaze. “That doesn’t mean she feels guilty.”

“Well it certainly doesn’t mean she’s angry. You should talk to her.” She smiles. “Girls are big on communication.”

“Why, so she can tell me what a jackass I am?”

“Maybe.” Ellen shrugs. “But if it meant you’d get her back, wouldn’t it be worth it?”

“Get her back?” I shake my head. “I never had her.”

Ellen smiles with a twinkle in her eye. “Oh, Daren. There is so much you don’t know about women.”

37 Kayla

From how sexy and beautiful Ellen is and how put together she looks, I expected her to drive something sleek and flashy. Something sporty and wild, or maybe sophisticated and expensive. But instead, she walks me outside to an old beat-up bright yellow truck.

She laughs at the look on my face. “What were you expecting? A Porsche like Daren’s?”

I laugh. “No. Yes. Maybe. I think I pictured you driving something fancy.”

She nods with a smile. “I get that a lot. I think it’s because of the high heels I wear, or maybe just my overall appearance. Whatever the reason¸ I like to surprise people now and then by doing something that seems ‘out of character’ for the way I look.”

“Oh!” I immediately feel bad. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t trying to stereotype you by your appearance, I swear.”

She laughs. “It’s no big deal. It’s just the way it is. The way I look makes life easier in a lot of ways, but it sometimes leads to people making assumptions about me.” She tilts her head at me. “But I’m sure you know all about unfair assumptions based on beauty.”

I open my mouth but don’t know what to say.

Ellen steps closer. “It’s okay to be aware of your beauty, Kayla. In fact, it’s important. It’s okay to know you’re pretty and to know that the world treats you differently because of it. It’s only a problem if you use your beauty to manipulate others, or make others feel bad. Which, after getting to know you a little bit, I’m confident you would never do. So it’s okay. Be beautiful.” She grins. “Hey and maybe someday you can surprise someone by driving a giant yellow truck.”

She gets into the truck and I walk around to the other side. As I slide into my seat I almost feel like crying. In just a few sentences, this woman who was a stranger until just yesterday showed me more understanding than any other woman has in my whole life. And she gave me permission to look the way I do without feeling guilty or ashamed.

Without thinking, I lean over and wrap my arms around Ellen. “Thank you.”

She hugs me back, embracing me tightly. When we pull away she looks at me.

“You know what, Kayla Turner?” She smiles softly. “You’re amazing. And the world is just going to have to be okay with that.”

I laugh and wipe away the single tear dripping down my cheek just as the back door opens. I seriously have a crying problem lately.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Daren hurriedly says as he climbs inside the truck and shuts the door.

“No problem.” Ellen turns the engine on and pulls away from Willow Inn. Then she glances at me with a sympathetic face. “I talked to the tow truck guy and he was able to jump your car and give it a little juice, but he said it’s on its last legs and probably won’t last much longer.”

I sigh and nod. “Yeah. I knew it was coming. It’s just a matter of time before it’ll just die altogether. But at least it’s working for me now and I have a way to get around.” I glance back at Daren, knowing he’s completely car-less and wondering what his plan is, or if he even has one.

I think about Jenna’s words all afternoon. She seemed so frustrated with that Jack guy, but at the same time so sure she wanted him around. Because he was interesting.

Daren has been nonstop interesting—and absolute trouble, just like I thought. But it was the kind of trouble I needed to feel alive. It shook me up. It woke me up. It was the perfect kind of trouble.

I glance in the mirror at the beautiful boy in the backseat.

And I want to be in it all over again.

38 Daren

The drive from Willow Inn to Copper Springs is just over an hour, but so far it’s felt like it’s taking us days. Most of the trip has been filled with light conversation—mostly initiated by Ellen—about nothing of real substance. We’ve stayed away from all the big topics. But during our drive, I learned some new things about Kayla. Like how she’s never had any pets and how she dated a jerk named Jeremy for a year, who treated her like a trophy he took out into public and showed off but never bothered to get to know who she really was. And she graduated at the top of her class in high school.

And thanks to Ellen’s extensive knowledge of my personal life, Kayla’s learned a few things about me. Like how Marcella died of a brain aneurism three years ago and I cried for two days.

But even though the entire ride has been us talking about, well, us, Kayla and I haven’t spoken—or looked at each other—once. Which is fine with me. But the closer we get to Copper Springs, the sweatier my palms get.

Because both Kayla and I know that she has no place to sleep tonight. And if she spends the money Ellen gave her on another hotel room, she’ll be broke by tomorrow. I know Amber can probably give me a ride home from Latecomers, but what’s Kayla’s plan? Driving to the Quickie Stop?

The idea of Kayla sleeping by herself again at that disgusting motel makes me want to punch something really hard.

If only we’d been able to find the inheritance money none of this would be an issue. Maybe we shouldn’t have given up so quickly. We were both frustrated and angry yesterday, neither of us thinking clearly. If we could just work things out between us then maybe we could figure out the last clue and Kayla would never again have to subject herself to a place like the Quickie Stop.

“Can I buy you guys dinner?” Ellen asks as we turn into the Latecomers parking lot. We start to protest, but she dismisses us as she pulls the truck into a parking space by the courtyard. “I insist. Now get out so I can feed you.”

The three of us walk into Latecomers and Amber lights up when she sees us. “Ellen!” She comes out from behind the bar and gives Ellen a big hug.

Ellen is good friends with Amber’s mom and has always treated Amber like a niece. And Amber thinks the world of Ellen.

“Hi, beautiful.” Ellen smiles.

Pulling back from the hug, Amber smiles at us. “Hi guys.” She waves us over to the counter. “Come sit at the bar.”

We each find a barstool. Ellen sits in between Kayla and me, a human buffer between the tension we’ve brought to the bar, and Amber takes our drink order. As Ellen and Kayla fall into a deep conversation about her father, Amber sets my drink down in front of me and leans in.

She lowers her voice. “So what’s going on?”

I lower my voice to match hers. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve been hearing all sorts of stories about you and Kayla Turner running around town in handcuffs,” she says, lifting a brow. “What’s that about?”

I shake my head and quickly fill her in on Turner’s will.

“No. Way.” She stares at me. “That’s insane.” She looks back and forth between Kayla and me. “So where are the handcuffs now?”

I scratch the back of my neck. “In Kayla’s suitcase, I think. Angelo picked the lock for us and I saw her toss them in there.”

“So you forfeited the money?” she squawks.

“We couldn’t find the money,” I say. “So we decided to give up on the scavenger hunt.”

“Just like that?” She looks upset. “Why? Why would you give up so easily?”

I shake my head. “It’s a long story.”

She narrows her gaze at me. “Daren Ackwood. Did you sleep with her?”

“Wha—no!” I say sternly. “No, I did not sleep with her.” I pause. “Well, actually I did sleep with her—but I didn’t have sex with her.”

She pins me with her eyes. “What did you do?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” she says, jutting her chin, “how did you fuck things up with Kayla?” She nods at Kayla, who’s still in deep conversation with Ellen. “You keep looking at her like she’s your long-lost puppy, and she keeps glancing at you like she’s afraid you’re going to take off at any moment. So what happened?”

I play with my glass. “Nothing. She just… She can do better than me.”

Amber swats me with her bar towel. Hard.

“Ow—dammit. What?”

She points at me and lowers her voice. “I let you throw a pity party for yourself for seven years, but you’re a man now. You’re a good man who’s worthy of a good woman. So suck up your insecurities and go fix things with Kayla.”

I glare at her, but I know she’s right.

“You like her, don’t you?” Amber says.

I stare at the bruise on my wrist and nod. “I like her. A lot.”

Amber scans my face for a moment and a smile tugs at her lips. “Oh my. Has Daren Ackwood fallen in love?” She sucks in a breath when I don’t respond. “I knew it. I knew the moment I saw your face when she wouldn’t shake your hand the other night. You’re totally smitten with her.” She giggles. “God, this makes me so happy.”

“Okay, enough with the mushiness.”

Her face turns serious. “You need to make things right with her. Tonight. And then you need to keep her by your side. Forever. Understand?”

Our food comes and saves me from replying to that, but as the three of us eat I can’t help but flick my eyes to Kayla. It’s easy to keep someone by your side when you’re handcuffed to them, but asking someone to be with you—hoping without any guarantee—that sounds hard as hell.

Awkward conversation carries us through the meal and when we’re through, we say good-bye to Amber and head back to the parking lot where Ellen parked. My eyes catch on the painted wall of the courtyard, taking me back to the feeling of Kayla in my arms as I pressed her up against that wall and kissed her hungrily. That painted wall was the last thing I saw before Kayla Turner changed me completely.

I walked into Latecomers that night with all my baggage and blues, and walked out with a racing heart and a chest filled with hope.

“Thanks for walking me out, guys. Are you guys sure I can’t drop you off anywhere else?” Ellen asks, pulling her keys from her purse. “I know Amber said she can give you ride, Daren, but it’s really no problem for me to take you.”

“No, you go,” I say with a smile. “I’m good. Thanks, though.”

Kayla smiles. “Thank you so much for dinner. And for the ride.”

“Of course.” Ellen smiles and says to Kayla, “And I’m serious about my offer. The job and room are yours if you want them. You have my number, right?”

“I do.” Kayla nods.

Ellen inhales. “I really hope you say yes and I get to spend more time with you.” She wraps her arms around Kayla in a hug.

I watch them as my mind spins. Ellen offered Kayla a job and a place to stay? That would mean Kayla would stay in Arizona and live at the inn, where I work, and I would see her all the time.

“And you.” Ellen turns to me. “I’ll see you at eight a.m. sharp on Monday. Bring your kitchen face. I’m going to try my hardest to talk you into being my new cook.”

I grin. “Yes, ma’am.” The idea of working as a cook at the inn makes me feel alive. And if I could live there for free too… well, I can’t imagine a better scenario for my life. I glance at Kayla.

Well, maybe one better scenario.

With a quick wave, Ellen gets in her truck and drives off, leaving Kayla and me standing in the parking lot. Alone.

Awkward silence.

More silence.

Now super awkward silence.

“So…” I say, swallowing.

“Yeah…” She looks around. “Okay, well. I need to get going. Later.” She turns and starts to walk to where the tow truck left her car. My chest grows tight.

“Kayla,” I say.

She stops and turns around.

“Will you…” I clear my throat. “Would you maybe like to stay at my place tonight? You know, so you don’t have to pay for a room?”

She takes a breath. “Oh. Uh… nah. I’m okay. Thanks.”

The rejection is expected and I almost let her get away with it. But then I think about Kayla sleeping in the porn bedroom alone and I easily swallow my pride.

I take a step toward her and blurt out, “What I meant to say, was that I really hate the idea of you sleeping in that shithole for even one minute and I’d feel much better if you stayed at my place with me even though it’s sort of its own kind of shithole because at least then I’ll know you’re safe and I realize I have no right to care about where you sleep but I can’t help myself and I know you probably hate my guts right now but I swear I’ll sleep outside in the dirt or something if it will make you feel better and you’ll agree to sleep at my place.” I suck in a breath at the end of my crazy rambling and then hold that breath as I wait for her response.

Kayla searches my face and her features soften. I don’t know what she sees in my eyes, but I sure as hell hope it’s the regret I feel about the other day and the desperation I feel about her now. My stomach knots together with every beat that passes until a slow smile lifts the corners of her mouth.

“Well, how can I say no to another chance to sleep on your virgin mattress?” Her eyes dance and my heart leaps—it fucking leaps.

Because I need this girl. Tonight. Tomorrow. Always. And I have no idea how to make that happen, but her not hating my guts is a good place to start.

“It is rather cozy,” I say with an embarrassing amount of glee.

“It really is.” She nods.

I take a deep breath. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I shouldn’t have said those things to you. I didn’t mean a single word. I’m an asshole and you are more than welcome to smack me.”

She shakes her head. “No, I’m sorry. I was mean. I don’t know what my deal was. I just freaked out and thought you just wanted to get away from me—”

“What?”

She looks up at me from under her long eyelashes and lifts a shoulder. “You were stuck with me.”

I pull her close and tip her chin up so I can see more fully into her big blue eyes. “Being stuck with you was the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And the moment we took those handcuffs off I felt like I was missing something.” I cup her face and quietly say, “I want to be stuck with you.”

She leans in and brings her mouth close to mine, softly saying, “I want to be stuck with you too.”

I smile against her lips. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

She smiles back. “You better.”

Tilting her face in my hands, I press my lips against hers and hold her mouth to mine as she parts her lips and lets my tongue inside the sweet flesh of her mouth. Her tongue dances with mine, sliding into my mouth. I trail my hands over her shoulders and down her back, clutching her hips to mine. She runs her hand to the back of my head, tugging at my hair as her mouth asks for more. As I deepen our kiss, my erection rubs against her belly and she arches her back, pushing her large soft breasts into my chest.

In between kisses, Kayla breathlessly says, “Maybe we should go… back to your place…”

“You mean… you don’t want me… to take you against the wall… right here in public?”

She smiles against my mouth again. “Nope… I want you to take me… to your bed…”

My body lights with excitement. “As you wish… milady.” I reluctantly pull away from her as we head to her car.

I open the passenger door and climb inside as she gets in.

“Wow,” I say. “That was so much easier without handcuffs on.” She laughs as I look around. “No center console to climb over. No accidental honking. No banging my limbs into the dashboard… I’m not going to lie. I kind of feel like a badass right now.”

She puts her seatbelt on. “You’re a nerd.”

I hold up my unchained hands. “Yes, but I’m a free nerd.”

As we drive off and make our way through town, I’m feeling elated. Never better. I might not have any scavenger hunt money, but I have something better. Something worth far more than any inheritance. Kayla.

With a grin I can’t control, I glance over at her. She adjusts the rearview mirror a few times and my nerves immediately stand on end.

“What?” I say.

She frowns. “I thought I saw that black car again.”

I look out the back window but there are no cars behind us. “Are you sure?”