Page 16 of Forsaken Oath

We fall into step beside each other, walking along the worn dirt path that winds around the clearing. The air is thick with the smell of oncoming rain and lilacs. Fireflies blink in and out of existence, tiny pinpricks of light against the inky backdrop of the night sky.

My hands feel clammy, nerves prickling under my skin like champagne bubbles. It's a foreign sensation—I can't remember the last time I felt nervous around a woman.

She steps closer to me, her shoulder brushing against my bicep. “What was your favorite pie?” she asks, her voice slicing through the silence. “We never ended up rating them.”

“Peach.”

Her head tilts to the side, her brows dipping low over her eyes as she glances at me. “I don’t think that was an option.”

I let my face fall into something that I hope resembles genuine confusion. “Oh, huh. Weird, because I distinctly remember the taste of peaches on my tongue.”

She stops walking and glances at me. “You flirting with me, playboy?”

I clasp my palm over my heart, like I’m wounded. “Damn, Peach, if you have to ask, then I’m definitely not doing it right.”

She bumps her shoulder into me with a soft laugh. “I guess you better step up your game, hm?”

Fuck it. I stop overthinking and do what feels natural. I drape my arm over her shoulders, casual enough to not be stifling. My girl doesn’t miss a beat, continuing our stroll around the parking lot.

“If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?”

“Here,” I answer immediately. It sounds like a fucking line, but no one is more surprised than me to realize I mean it.

I throw my right hand out, gesturing to everything around us.

The LED flood lights bathe the entire clearing in a soft yellow glow, and the diner’s neon red and teal sign shines like a beacon in the night.

“You’ve got fresh air, an incredible view, and live entertainment. It’s perfect here.” The cicadas, crickets, and even a couple of bullfrogs lend their voices like I’m in my very own Disney movie or some shit. I half expect a particular crustacean to appear next to me and start singing about kissing the girl.

Not that I need any encouragement in that department. The way her body is pressed up against mine, the scent of her shampoo wafting up to my nose, the soft warmth of her skin under my fingertips. It’s all I can do not to spin her around and capture her lips with my own.

She tilts her head back to look up at me, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “I don’t know. I think Hawaii sounds pretty nice right about now.”

“Hawaii’s overrated. It doesn’t have these skies.” I tip my head back, letting the starlight from hundreds of stars enlighten me.

“Maybe. But it does have warm sandy beaches and fresh pineapple. And bikinis.”

The image of her in a bikini pops into my head, albeit using a healthy dose of my imagination.

“You’re right. Fuck Oak Creek. Let’s go to Hawaii.” I turn us toward my truck, picking up my pace like I’m gonna drive us there right now. It’s ridiculous, and I feel like a cheesy fuck. But then she laughs.

It’s this musical twinkling noise that sounds like the way winning feels. How fucking weird is that? I think I could survive on a steady diet of her laughter.

She slows to a stop at the bed of my truck, twisting to face me. My arm slips from around her shoulders, but our fingers remain clasped together.

“Ah, so we’re gonna go to Hawaii together now? And what exactly are you going to put on the travel reservations, hm?”

I take my cap off and set it on her head. The bill falls low, shielding her eyes from me. “If you want my name, baby, all you have to do is ask.”

She arches her neck and gives me her face. “What’s your name?”

“Beau.”

Her lips curl into a smile as she repeats my name. "Beau. I like it. It suits you." She adjusts the cap on her head, pushing the bill up so I can see her eyes again. Those mesmerizing eyes that seem to see right through me.

"And what about you? What name should I put down for mytravel companion?" I ask, my thumb absentmindedly stroking the back of her hand that's still entwined with mine.

“Travel companion?” She scoffs, sinking her top teeth into her bottom lip.

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