I nodded, instantly subdued by the mention of Dom. “When I picked him up, I told him I wouldn’t bail him out anymore. I don’t know if he believed me, but I just can’t continue like this. Two or three times every single month I get a call from someone, lately Bain down at the jail.”
Amelia nuzzled into my side and kissed my neck, a move meant to impart sympathy. A bolt of electricity ran through me at her intimate touch and I took a lot more than sympathy from her lips touching my skin.
“So, are you two back to being friends again, I assume?” Lenora’s sweet voice cut through whatever moment Amelia and I were having.
I lifted my head and flashed her a smile. “Most definitely.” What I didn’t divulge was that I intended to add a whole lot more than just friendship to the equation.
Amelia laughed, the sound music to my ears. “Yeah. He agreed not to introduce me to any more douchebags, so I let him be my friend again.”
Lenora jumped up and hugged us both before sitting back down all smiles. “I knew you’d come to your senses eventually.”
“Thank God. That guy was seriously annoying,” Lucy piped in.
“But hot, you gotta give him that,” Hazel said wryly.
I shook my head, not understanding how girls could think a guy was still hot, even after he treated women so poorly.
“It’s that bad-boy image, you know? Girls think they can tame him and make him change his ways,” Lenora said. Jayden made a face and looked at me, mirroring my own feelings on the subject.
“So, how are your parents doing, Rip?”
I tuned quickly back to Amelia, seeing her focus entirely on Rip. He shrugged and mumbled an answer I couldn’t catch.
“Was your dad ever a rancher? Or like, is he into cattle?” Amelia asked again, spinning so she could see Rip clearly.
What the hell was she going on about?
“No, he grew up around here.” Rip frowned, just as confused by Amelia’s line of questioning.
“This may seem a bit forward, but relationships intrigue me. How’s your parents’ relationship?”
I stood quickly, reaching down to pull Amelia off the blanket. “Okay, time to get going. Got work in the morning.” I knew exactly what she was doing. She was trying to sniff out what was going on with the mayor.
“Happy birthday, Hazel,” I called out over my shoulder as I pulled Amelia with me up the path to the cars parked above.
“But—hey!” Amelia started flailing and I let her go. “I’m not ready to leave yet.” She put her hands on her hips, eyes flashing in the moonlight.
I put my hands on my hips too. “And I’m not ready to see you question poor Rip when he’s got nothing to do with his dad’s behavior.”
“But he might know something!”
God, she was beautiful. And fierce. And defiant. And literally everything I’d ever wanted in a partner.
I cupped her face gently, like one would with a wild animal that might dart away at the first sign of trouble.
“Babe. Rip has a really rough past with his father and has worked hard to separate himself. Don’t bring him into this investigation of yours. I beg you.”
Amelia took a couple deep breaths, continuing to hold my gaze as we stood there in the middle of the dark.
“Fine. I’ll cut it out, but only because you begged.” Her expression cleared and now her eyes danced with the knowledge that I’d begged her for something.
Everything she was punched me in the gut with a want so badly I couldn’t breathe.
I had to kiss her.
I couldn’t bear to go one second longer in this life without learning what her lips felt like under mine. If she tasted as sweet and spicy as she talked. If her passion bled through to her kisses too. I leaned down, the action so natural I wondered why I’d never done it before. Her gaze slipped down to my mouth and I knew she was right there with me.
10
Titus
Amelia’s long eyelashes fluttered before her eyes finally shut, her head tilting back to give me the access I wanted—no—needed. As much as I wanted to slam my lips on hers and indulge in everything I’d been missing all these years, I also wanted to savor the moment. Sixteen long years of dreaming about this moment couldn’t be rushed.
My lips had just caressed hers in the barest of touches when a loud noise in the brush to the right of us had our eyes flying open. My first thought was that a fuckin’ mountain lion could be standing there and I would still go back to kissing Amelia. But her body stiffened and I knew the moment was shattered. Disappointment of a magnitude I didn’t know was possible to withstand nearly buckled my knees.
“Stop throwing rocks. I know that’s you behind me, dumbass.” Lucy’s voice floated over to us from lower on the trail, her irritation at most likely Bain loud and clear. “You always think you’ll scare me, even though you do this every time.”
Amelia inhaled sharply and stepped back, spinning and nearly jogging up the rest of the path to my truck. My hands floated back to my sides, empty and cold, watching her go. Lucy and Bain must be leaving the campfire early too, probably because little Roxy was home with a babysitter.
In a flash of anger at their untimely interruption, I reached down and grabbed a rock, cocking my arm back to throw it at Bain in payback as he came up the hill, but I held back at the last second. Lucy was probably in front and I didn’t want to hit her. She hadn’t done anything wrong, and acting in anger wasn’t my style. Even though I agreed with Lucy’s assessment of Bain being a dumbass. Fucker interrupted what would have
