Reeve takes a swig of his Coors. “Not much else around, babe. Going to the same three local bars got stale before I turned twenty-one. This is much more cost-effective too.”
“We’re literally in the center of”—I spin in a slow circle—“nothing, no buildings in sight. What if the fire spreads?”
He nods at a truck parked off to the side. “Henry has a water tank.”
I can’t argue with that. “And if there’s an accident or someone gets alcohol poisoning?”
His dimpled smirk teases my stifled lust. “I imagine it’s the same as anywhere else. We call the cops or drive the injured person to the hospital.”
A huff sends a few loose strands of blond flying. “Okay, that was a silly concern.”
“You should be more worried about where to use the bathroom.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Why?”
“Have you ever dropped trou?”
A snort escapes me. “Yes, actually. Believe it or not, this big-city girl knows how to pee in the woods.”
Reeve whistles. “Did you learn that from the Girl Scouts?”
“You remembered.” I can’t keep the giddiness from my voice. It’s such a small detail to care about, but it proves he listens. And cares? That might be going too far.
“Are you surprised I pay attention?”
“Kind of?” I cringe. My history with men has conditioned me, skewed incorrectly or not.
He gently pinches my chin, lifting it until our mouths meet. “Have more faith in me.”
“Okay, I will.” I release a shuddering breath while mentally reversing several steps. “The Scouts are responsible for teaching me many resourceful skills, but that’s not one of them. I went camping with my family a lot growing up. Not every site had adequate facilities. I figured out how to pop a squat real fast when nature called.”
“It’s a very handy trick to master, especially if you plan to spend more time with me in the middle of nowhere.”
“I’m growing rather fond of these rustic excursions.”
“Good. We have many more to come in your remaining months.” His eyes glitter in the flickering flames beside us.
The mention of these future endeavors prods at something in the far recesses of my mind. “I have a question, and you can’t laugh.” The courage to even ask starts to wilt just thinking about it.
His mouth twitches with amusement. “I’m not sure I can make that promise.”
“Never mind then.”
Reeve squeezes my hip. “You have to tell me.”
I shake my head. “Nope, it’s stupid.”
“There’s no such thing as a stupid question.”
I scoff. “That’s not true.”
“Okay, fine, but yours isn’t.” His fingers dig into my waist, on the verge of tickling.
I squirm in his grasp. “How do you know?”
“Call it a hunch. Now spit it out.”
“Let’s move on.” I finish the last of my beer and shake the can. “This is really good stuff.”
“Come on,” he pleads. “I’ll be left wondering, and it’ll drive me crazy. Do you want to be responsible for my insanity?”
“No,” I relent. Regret curdles in my belly before the words leave my lips. “Is cow tipping an actual thing?”
He tries not to laugh. Or, at least, I want to believe his sealed mouth means he’s attempting to conceal a burst of cackling humor. Then the floodgates open, and he’s practically howling at my expense.
“Dammit,” I spit and wiggle away from him. This is exactly what I was afraid of.
“Babe.” He tugs me in by the belt loop and presses a kiss to my forehead. “You’re my fucking dream girl.”
I release a breathy sigh as my legs tremble with the urge to topple. A swarm of rabid bumblebees buzzes in my stomach, but I tamp down the flurry. He’s not being serious with that comment. I’m well aware he just used a figure of speech as he fought not to piss his pants. But a forehead kiss? The man should know better. That’s every girl’s freaking kryptonite. I double down on the barbed barriers already caging my heart. This shit is getting lethal, but I’m not ready to toss in the towel quite yet.
Before I can rein in my flubbering mess of emotions, Reeve threads our fingers together. “Will you go somewhere with me?”
I don’t even have to think about it. “Of course. When?”
“Now, if you’re not particularly attached to this party.”
“I’m ready if you are.”
His grin pulses with the kind of guarantee I want to spend hours reveling in. “You have no idea, babe.”
The road ahead is dark, the type that conceals distance with an opaque veil. There’s no telling what might wait in the endless sea of black. I could be steering straight to the edge of a cliff and would be none the wiser until my high beams caught the threat. The obscurity is so dense that my eyes blur from staring at blank space. It’s the type of vast midnight that allows the mind to create nonexistent figures.
This far out, no floodlights guide us, not that I rely on those. I’ve been blindly navigating these rural streets since before I had a license. I’ve engrained the route we’re taking in my mind, memorized it from countless trips over the years. My grasp on the steering wheel never falters as I maneuver the sharp bends with practiced ease.
I steal stealthy peeks at Audria during our short ride. From my periphery, I see her searching the vast nothingness. I track each subtle movement highlighted by the dashboard. Her delicate features take more of my concentration than I can afford. Fuck, she’s beautiful. I must’ve done something right to have her sitting next to me.
We drive for approximately two miles before a reflective strip alerts me to turn. Gravel spews and pings against metal as the tires eat up the ground. The dirt lane turns steep, signaling the final leg of our journey. My headlights offer a sneak peek as the ground levels out. Our
