Page 76 of Redemption

My lips quirk. “What’s in there?”

The truck bed bounces under Beckett’s weight as he climbs up. “See for yourself.”

I take the flask from his proffered hand and twist the cap off. My eyes burn when I get a little whiff of its contents. “Is this what I think it is?” I take an experimental sip and immediately start coughing. “Yep, it sure is.”

He laughs as he grabs the steel container from me and tips it back for a long swig. “You’re out of practice, Pres. It’s supposed to go down smooth.”

“Not many opportunities for drinkin’ rocket fuel in New York.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” The moon is full and reflecting off the pond, so I can clearly see his wink.

My eyes and nose are still burning, but when he offers it back to me, I take another small sip. “Did you have a reason for bringing me out here besides gettin’ me drunk?”

Beckett tilts his chin up to the sky. “It’s a warm, starry night, and I had a feelin’ it’s been a while since you’ve caught a good time.”

I chuckle under my breath. “Did you forget about the good time we had this morning? And last night?” I pass the moonshine back over.

“No, darlin’, I definitely haven’t forgotten about that.”

I incline my head toward the lunch cooler in the corner. “What’s in there?”

“Water, jerky, cheese, fruit. Quick sustenance if we need to refuel.”

“How long are you plannin’ on keepin’ me out here, Mr. Armstrong?”

Beck playfully nips at my neck, making me laugh. “As long as it takes to do all the dirty, dirty things.”

To my utter embarrassment, a full-body shiver courses through me, and of course, Beckett notices.

I reach my hand out. “Give me that.”

He laughs as he hands the flask over. “Don’t drink too much, Pres. I have plans for you.”

I give him a wry look. “Yes, I know. Dirty, dirty plans, apparently.”

“Are you complaining?” Beckett leans over and carves a line of kisses down my jaw.

I shake my head. “Nuh-uh.”

“Good.” I can feel his smile against my skin. “Because I plan on takin’ my time loving you tonight.”

I smile. “Before we get to that portion of the evening, I wanted to talk to you about some things.”

“What kind of things?”

“Well, for one, I heard from my divorce attorney today.”

“And?”

“And he’s not going to contest the divorce. I need to sign an agreement that I’ll keep quiet about his affair and other things, but if I do that, Sebastian will walk away.”

Beck’s brows draw together. “So, he’s essentially bribing you for his cooperation. That’s bullshit, Pres.”

I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter, Beckett. I’ll be free. That’s more important to me.”

“You can still be free,” he insists. “And he can rot in prison where he belongs.”

“I’ve explained this already. They’d never prosecute him. I just want him gone from my life, Beckett, and this is the fastest way to do that.” I sigh. “Can I please move on to the next thing? I don’t want Sebastian to ruin our night.”

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