Page 118 of Burn It Down

The two of them look like night and day, her with her dark skin and hair next to Phoenix with his blonde hair and green eyes. Phoenix looks more like a frat boy than a cowboy, but I should know better than most, you can’t judge a book by its cover.

During a brief intermission, I head to the kitchen to refill the salsa bowl while others use the restroom, grab another beer, etc… when I feel Dylan’s arms wrap around my waist.

“This is nice,” he murmurs in my ear. “Not hiding. Having people know. Just being able to be ourselves.” His hands move to my thighs as he talks.

I turn in his arms, pressing my hips into him. “You’d better stop touching me or I’m going to have to face them all with a tent in my pants.”

He smiles and leans forward to kiss me slowly, running his tongue along my bottom lip before pulling it between his teeth.

“Not helping,” I mutter against his mouth.

“I’ve never been attracted to dudes myself, but you guys kinda make that look hot.” Hudson’s voice has us pulling apart as he moves around us to reach the sink. “I definitely think I’ve been kissing wrong my whole life.”

Just then, Cassie joins us in the kitchen, opening the fridge and pulls out a couple more beers.

“Right? I swear I almost got pregnant from watching them once.”

Cue Phoenix. “I’d be happy to help make that happen.”

Cassie shrieks in laughter. “Keep it up and I might let you.”

“The fuck you will!” Dylan shouts as Cassie heads back to the poker table.

Phoenix pulls tequila from a cabinet over the fridge. “Hud, grab the shot glasses. Jakey, bring a lime in with you, yeah?”

“Tequila shots? This is a terrible idea,” I lament even as I move to the fridge for the lime. “I’m only doing two at most. I’m on at the fire station tomorrow night and I don’t want to pull an all-nighter with a hangover.”

“I’m on with you,” Phoenix says.

“Even more reason to not do shots. I don’t want to have to worry about your hungover ass either.”

“Relax, Killjoy. I just want to toast to you and Dylan.” He assembles the shots and hands them out and everyone puts them in the air. “To finding true love and not being afraid to grab it by the balls. Literally.” He smirks and winks at Cassie before throwing his shot back.

I shake my head, but I’m smiling as I follow suit.

We get back to Dylan’s dad’s house a little after one a.m. and crash into bed. In such a short time, I’ve grown used to falling asleep with my head on Dylan’s sculpted chest and my hand splayed over his steady, beating heart.

I’ll start looking for a new job and a new house tomorrow, but for tonight, everything is calm, peaceful, perfect...Kind of like the eye of the storm.

The other shoe finally drops at nine the next morning when I receive notice that I’m being sued by my father for twobilliondollars. Cause? Breach of contract.

He’s claiming I was given a sign-on bonus that was paid in full when I started and was mine free and clear after ten years of service to the company…I’ve only been here for six.

However, accompanying the suit, is my employment contract — which has been altered to include thebonusthat I never received — and the goddamn letter of resignation I signed. Since I technically wasn’t fired, this makes it look like I am, in fact, in breach of this contract.

I’d happily give my father the fucking money just to be done with him, but this is everything I have. Everything I’veearnedafter six years of busting my ass.

Which means if I lose it, I won’t be able to afford to help Dylan and his dad buy a new shop or even buy them out of their current one so they have the capital they need for a down payment.

Andthat’swhat pisses me off more than the fact that I’ve earned every goddamn cent in my bank account. I don’t even know if this lawsuit has any merit, but the fact that I have to spend time and money fighting it while dealing with everything else is infuriating.

A fact I’m sure Steve Ellington knows.

A little after noon, I get a call from Cora. Her name on my phone makes me smile, a bright spot in my day.

“Hey, Cor.” My voice betrays my exhaustion from the strong emotions roiling inside me.

“Hi, Jacob. How are you? You sound tired.”

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