Page 53 of That Kiss

“I know,” he winks, “but at some point, you need to learn that I’ll make it well worth your while.” He reaches behind me and opens my car door for me. “Do me a favor and wear that little vest with those black shorts—the ones from the first night I had you.”

“I’ll think about it, but maybe you need to learn that you don’t always get your way.” I point my finger in his chest, not wanting to leave him.

He smacks my ass hard. “Get in the fucking car,” he growls in my ear as he pushes me down into my seat. He leans over, buckling me in before grabbing my chin. “You also need a lesson or two in obedience, but I plan to take care of that tonight. Get home safely, and I’ll pick you up at 6:15. Be ready.”

With that, he shuts my door and walks toward his truck, leaving me wet, needy, and vibrating with anticipation for what’s to come tonight.

“Oh, she’s here!” Dolly pops out of her chair and makes a beeline for me. Decker drags a few steps behind me, Carl immediately grabbing his attention to talk to him about something. “You’ve got to meet these campers that are passing through.”

I catch a glimpse of Deck’s face, his eyes flicking to me for a second. I thought for sure someone would say something about the fact that we’d walked in together. I had planned to tell them I caught a ride with him since we were both at the Fest.

“We’ve been trying to casually get the deets from them,” Dolly whispers to me, her arm linked in mine as we walk toward the table where several of our friends are sitting. “They’re on their way to Yellowstone, but they’ve been backpacking through Colorado the last two weeks and decided to stay here for a few nights before they continue on.”

“And you’re pimping me out to them why?” My laugh feels nervous and I glance back at Decker one more time before taking a seat.

“Amethyst didn’t want to go down before we left,” Brooklyn is telling Amelia. “I think she has a tooth coming in that’s really bothering her. She was such an unfussy infant . . . I’m worried we’re going to pay for it soon.”

“We really take for granted that we live here,” Tyler says to one of the hikers. “Life gets in the way, you know? God, I haven’t spent time up in the mountains in . . .”

“Okay, okay, sooo . . .” Dolly smiles and places her arm around my shoulder, “this is our friend Juniper—the one I was telling you guys about.”

“Hi,” I wave, “nice to meet you guys.”

“Nice to meet you too. I’m Matty.” He holds his hand out toward me and I shake it. He looks young, probably close to my age. His jaw is peppered with blond scruff, his hair sun-streaked and pulled back into a man bun.

“Jackson,” the dark-haired one says, his blue eyes sparkling when he winks at me. “Dolly here says you’ve spent some time up in the mountains in the last year or so. You like to camp?”

“Yeah.” I reach for the pitcher of beer but he grabs it before I can.

“Allow me.” He pours the beer and hands it to me.

“Thanks. But yeah, my dad and I used to do a lot of fly-fishing growing up, so I know the trails and mountains around here like the back of my hand.”

“Really?” Jackson angles his chair closer to me. “Maybe we should bring you along as our guide then.” He gives me a flirty smile, a feeling of unease settling in my stomach.

Under any other circumstances, yeah, I’d probably flirt right back with Jackson, but now that Decker and I have finally admitted our feelings for each other and I know it’s not just a hookup, I’m not about to risk that.

“Ha, well, I’m pretty busy running my family business, so I’ll have to pass, but I’m sure you guys will be able to navigate your way just fine.”

“Wow, you run your family business? Impressive. What is it?”

“A—” My phone buzzes in my pocket, distracting me. I pull it out, sliding my thumb across the screen to unlock it after seeing a text from Decker.

Decker: Having a nice time?

I look up, Deck’s eyes staring right through me. He lifts his beer to his lips, taking a long sip before turning his attention back to Carl, who has now been joined by Teller and Scotty.

“A what?” Jackson chuckles, reaching his hand out to rest it against my knee.

“I—sorry, I actually need to use the restroom.” I scoot my chair back so fast, I almost tip backwards.

“Whoa, easy.” He stands when I do, his hand coming to my elbow.

“I’m okay.” I scoot past him and run to the restroom. I take my time, slicking on another coat of lip gloss and fluffing up my hair before stepping back out to rejoin my friends. When I return, Decker has joined our group, taking my seat.

“She was sitting there, man,” Jackson says with a cocky grin on his face when I approach the table.

Decker looks at him, then at me, and pats his thigh. “She still can.”

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