Page 13 of Fastlander Fealty

Because it was the dream.

Oh, she liked talking to him. She really liked talking to him. He was interesting and different than anyone she’d ever met in the Pride. It didn’t make any sense because she barely knew him, but that look in his eyes. Anger and spite and frustration and what-the-hell-am-I-doing-here, and she recognized that down to a cellular level.

It was this out-of-the-blue reminder that she wasn’t the only one with problems, and because she’d been shunned and isolated for so long, she’d forgotten that. She’d just been in her own head. Did she wish bad on him? Absolutely not, but did it somehow make her feel better that other people existed who went through complicated situations? Yep.

Talking to him was such a breath of fresh air.

Would you like to help me pick a bathing suit for tomorrow? Send.

Absolutely.

Would he know if she saved his picture? He looked sexy and strong and badass with all the scars. Wait, Rook would somehow find out. She was technically single until she was forgiven by the Pride, and reinstated as one of the Queens, but Rook wouldn’t see it like that. He owned her in his mind.

She didn’t save the picture, and instead made her way to the bedroom and rifled through her suitcase and set out both bathing suits she’d brought. One was a forest green one-piece with a little hole cut-out between her breasts. The other was a leopard print bikini with red trim and little tassels at the sides of her bottoms.

She took a picture of them on her bed. When she sent the picture, she half-expected him to text her to try them on and take pictures of herself, like men did, but he didn’t. He just said, Bikini for tomorrow. Do you have a hat? I can bring you one if you want. It gets hot on the river at midday.

I just have sunglasses. Send.

I’ll borrow a hat from the girls.

The girls? Send.

Hallie and Corey. They are mated into the Crew. They’re cool. And their closets are ridiculous.

Okay. Tell them thank you so much, I’ll give it right back after the float. Send.

I gotta go. The Crew is calling another meeting. Gotta clean up some stuff. I’ll try to make it tomorrow.

He would try? Okay, so it wasn’t for-sure happening. No pressure. Send.

Goodnight, mystery girl.

She smiled and got this strange fluttering sensation in the middle of her stomach.

Goodnight, mystery boy. Send.

Chapter Four

Truth be told, Silver had bought this bathing suit when she’d been free from the Pride. She’d run away, and started a new life in hiding, and spent months building up her confidence, and she’d almost gotten to the point where she could rock a bikini.

She’d never actually worn this though, and now she was definitely feeling self-conscious. She tugged her long-sleeved white linen shirt tighter around her, covering herself completely from neck to knees in the morning sunshine.

She wore oversized sunglasses and had purchased a waterproof bag at the little store where she picked up the innertubes, so she could store her keys and wallet.

“Ten minutes!” the bus driver called as other families began piling their innertubes onto a huge rack on the back.

Silver didn’t know if she needed one or two innertubes though, so she would have to wait.

Owen wasn’t showing. She’d told him to be here at 10:10, but it was 10:25 and he still wasn’t here.

She couldn’t describe the disappointment swirling around inside of her.

It was okay. Really it was. She could float the river all by herself. She would just tag along behind some of the nice families and figure out where to get out of the river, and everything would be just fine. Probably.

Her anxiety wrenched up. There was so much chaos of parents sternly guiding their kids onto the bus, and the bus driver talking loudly about how there was only five minutes left, and cars were filing into the gravel parking lot next to the innertube rental place and none of them were the truck she remembered Owen having, and everything was terrible.

Rook had messaged her three times this morning, asking for updates. And then he’d sent her a picture with his newest mate, Katrina, in her Queen ceremony, which was apparently happening today, which also meant even if she was reinstated as a Queen, she would forever be put under not only Rook, but also Katrina now. She had been her best friend once. God, Rook was collecting Queens. The entire Pride would be partying today, like they had once upon a time for her ceremony. It was important that she got back to her real life with the Pride. She watched the happy families bustling around her. Yeah. Very important.

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