Page 43 of XOXO

It irks me that she won’t walk beside me. She doesn’t know our territory—she’s an interloper here—yet she insists on acting like she needs to look out for me.

Every 18 feet, another stone glows in the bright moonlight. This is our entire function—walking in a line along the moonstones, making sure they’re connected to both the last and the next and also charging in the moonlight.

We’re a good half hour from the cabin when we hit a steep area and have to lunge sideways to get down the face.

Brynn, however, seems totally unfazed. She casually strolls along as if slick rock and mud are barely a concern.

She gingerly hops from grassy space to grassy space like some kind of sexy, lithe fairy. I want to hate her for it, but it’s a little fun to watch.

That is, until she abruptly stops short.

I may or may not have been distracted by watching her ass when she does.

I knock into her, and she manages to stay upright, but of course I’m not so lucky.

My ankle rolls, the pain lancing up my calf, and my foot slips straight out. My legs fly in opposite directions and gravity forces me into a half split while I land pussy-down on wet leaves. I put my arms out to brace my fall but painfully strike stone.

Perfect. A night of walking with a sore ankle and crotch.

“What did you do now?” Brynn asks.

“I fell. Calm down, B.”

She tilts her head at me as her jaw clenches. She makes the barest move toward me but stands her ground and fists her hands instead.

“It’s Brynn,” she says through gritted teeth.

“Could have fooled me.”

She hovers over me, those shapely thighs and that nipped waist teasing me in the night. Moonlight strikes half her face and leaves the other side in shadows. She has this menacing smirk that makes me both wary and excited.

She snakes a hand to the nape of my neck, grips the braid from the scalp, and jerks my head back.

Brynn leans over me, the citrine pendant knocking against my chest and her grin so close, her breath warms my lips.

“I’m Brynn to you, little weed. You can have my nickname when you’ve earned it.”

I try to wriggle free of her hold, but she stands firm.

“I have no interest in earning it,” I spit back.

She chuckles, and my face burns bright. I’m sure my cheeks are red, and it’s not from the crisp night.

Her eyes are so dark in the night they’re the deepest navy.

“Oh, but I think you do,” she purrs. “I think you need someone to tend you. Maybe then you’d have properly tied your boots. I’m not carrying you the rest of the way. If you’ve sprained your ankle, you’ll have to solve the problem yourself or deal with the consequences.”

“I don’t need you to do anything for me.”

“No? You can’t even tie your own shoes.” She releases my head, and I stretch my neck to shake off her touch.

“What I need is a bubble bath and a movie.”

“Fresh out of those.”

“Again, I did not ask you to provide it. Are you always this self-centered?”

Brynn huffs and sinks to the ground with her knees on each side of my injured foot. She spreads the sides of the boot and prods at my ankle. It’s a little sore, but I don’t think it’s broken.

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