Page 62 of A Little Naughty

I don’t even waste time telling her I am.

CHAPTER16

RAIF

The sun is setting when I pull my bike up to Jemima’s small house. For a moment, I sit on the bike and watch the sun-streaked sky change from pink and blue to blood-orange and black.

I remember the night I took her down to the ocean, how tense my muscles were, how tight my hands were on the handlebars as I rode through a surge of adrenaline strong as a cocaine hit.

I wanted her to see it the way I did, to understand what it meant, and she did. I huff a soft laugh remembering her on the back of the bike, throwing her arms into the air and cheering us on.

She changed everything.

Before I had goals, but no real reason to pursue them. I wanted to accomplish things, but in the back of my mind was always the questionwhy? Now I have a reason, and I wonder why I wasted so much time.

These thoughts root in my mind as the door opens, and she steps out before quickly locking it. She’s dressed in all black, like I said, and her blonde hair is hidden under a black beanie. She’s not even wearing her red lipstick, but her lips are glossy as they part in a smile that hits me right in the chest.

“Hey!” She scoops the old skateboarding helmet off the porch before jogging to the bike. “Is this okay? I figured if my clothes needed to be black, my head probably did, too, and I didn’t wear any perfume or anything.”

“You’re perfect.” My lips part, and I swear, I don’t think I’ve smiled this much in my whole damn life. “Ready to do this?”

She removes the sock hat and nods as she fastens the helmet under her chin. “I have my camera. I’ll put it on silent mode so it won’t make any sounds. Remember how I did all that research before? I forgot to mention pigs can detect a human whisper up to one hundred yards!”

Her eyes are huge, and with that helmet on and no lipstick, I can’t resist. I catch her chin and pull her closer for a kiss. It’s just a quick, closed-mouth, temptation of a kiss, but it does the trick. Her cheeks flush, and she puts her hands on my chest.

“What was that for?”

“Nothing. Now get on the bike.”

She hops on quickly, and I take us out that same dirt road we used the first night we were together. I’m working on instinct here, but there’s an old homesite where a mansion burned to the ground years ago. Only the brick chimneys remain, but it’s possible they’re rooting under the old satsuma trees.

I love the feeling of her arms around me, her body tucked tightly against mine, and I almost wish it were farther away. I almost wish we could blow this off and do something a little more fun with her free evening.

Then I remember my reasons.

When we reach the turnoff, I cut the engine and stop the bike. “We’ll leave it here at the road and walk the rest of the way.”

She cups her hand over her mouth and speaks right at my neck. “So we don’t scare them away?”

My lips tighten on another damn smile, and I nod, taking the bag of supplies out of my side compartment and tucking a handgun into the back of my pants.

She waves quickly, and I glance up to see she’s holding up one finger as if to say stop. I pause, and she takes out her phone, snapping a few pictures. I’m not sure how interesting they’ll be. I’m only wearing jeans and a black tee with a black jacket over it.

Holding two fingers over my lips, I motion for her to follow me, and we start out for the house. The walk is farther than a football field, so I don’t think we’ve alerted any animals to our presence yet.

When we get within sight of the house, I start looking for a place we can hide. The area around the house was cleared ages ago, but as we get closer, I notice an old oak tree past the second standing chimney.

It’s a risk, since we’ll have to get all the way into the yard, which is where I hope they’ll be coming to feed. Lifting my hand, I motion for her to follow me, and we make a large circle around the perimeter before cutting up close.

She’s a good hunting partner. She’s quiet, and she stays close. When we reach the tree, I point up and clasp my hands to give her a boost. She only hesitates a moment, shoving her phone into the pocket of her black leggings before holding my shoulders and letting me boost her into the oak.

I follow next, catching the thick limbs and pulling myself up behind her. We’re not too far off the ground, but one thing I do know about hogs—they don’t look up when they’re rooting.

The sun is essentially gone, but it’s a cloudless night. The sky is full of stars, and the half-moon is slowly making an appearance. We’re sitting on the wide branch of the tree like two kids riding a hobby horse, and I have no idea how long this might take.

Her back is to me when my phone buzzes in my pocket. I frown, sliding it out.

Jemima

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