Page 75 of Finding Hope

Tiny little cutoff shorts that cut off in a really fucking nice way, with Doc Marten boots stretching above her ankles, a floaty gray tank with shiny gems, and about six hundred leather bangles on her wrists.

With sunglasses taking up half her face – but not her smile – I take in the happiness she exudes and keep some of it for myself. “Well played, Steph.” Murmuring under my breath, I laugh and keep moving forward. “Well played.”

“Hey there, stranger.”

Smiling, I stop and take in her beauty. “Hey, Bambie. You sure are a sight for sore eyes.”

“Yeah?” Lifting her glasses to the top of her head, she tucks long strands of hair behind her ears. “Well, I’m glad I stopped, then.”

“Me, too.” Looking down at the daisies in my hands, I look over my shoulder,notseeing Steph through the trees, but seeing her, anyway. Turning back to Britt, I offer one of the two. “Here you go. A pretty flower for a pretty girl.”

Taking it hesitantly, a playful grin creeps across her face. “Did you steal this from the cemetery? Because that’s a little creepy.”

Laughing, I shake my head. “Didn’t steal it, I swear.”

She brings the flower to her nose and inhales. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Walking forward to stand beside her, I rest against the hood of my car and watch her hair float in the breeze. “So, is there a reason you have your ass on my poor abused car?”

Laughing, she twirls her flower and shrugs. “I recognized the custom lettering on the side, figured yours issurelythe only Mustang in town withmy name scratched into the paint. I knew you were nearby, wanted to say hey.”

“Were you waiting long?” I was sitting with Steph for at least forty-five minutes.

“No. Maybe five minutes. I was getting ready to lie on the hood and work on my tan. I could do with a nap. It’s been a big week.”

Smiling, I gently bump her shoulder with mine. “Are you hungry?”

Lazily stroking Annie’s ears, she peeks up at me from sparkling blue eyes. “I could be.”

I look over her shoulder and stop on her small car parked behind mine. “Hop in. We can have a picnic, then I’ll bring you back later.”

Studying me for almost a full minute, she finally nods and buries her nose in the flower. “Alright.”

Opening the passenger side door, I help her slide in, then jog around the hood and open my door for Annie to jump in. As soon as she bullies her way into the back, I slide in and meet Bambie’s eyes. “Do you have any dislikes? Allergies?”

“I don’t like sushi. Or peanuts. Oh, or olives. Or anchovies. But I do like leather.” Purring, she runs her hands over her seat. “Soft as a baby’s ass.”

Laughing, I switch on the engine and listen to all three-hundred and ten horses roar to life.

She lets out a dramatic orgasmic groan. “I was a little distracted the last time I was in this car, what with being mostly naked and sitting with your sisters and all that. I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind to enjoy this car, but holy crap on a cracker, Jack. It’s pretty.”

Smiling the way I did the day after myfirsttraining session in Bobby’s gym, I slide the stick shift into first and move onto the street.

Cruising along residential streets, I bite my tongue and say nothing as she fusses with my stereo – ballsy since Iknowshe’s the type that would snap my wrists if I touched hers.

Deciding to go way old school, she stops on Christina Aguilera’sGenie In A Bottle, then sitting back and curling into the seat, she strokes Annie’s ears and grins.

“How’re things, Britt? It’s been a while.”

“Ah, you know. Same, same.” Flicking long hair over her shoulder, she looks up at me with a grin. “What about you?”

“Same, same,” I parrot. “Training. Working. Herding children.”

“Speaking of,” she laughs. “Did you know your niece knows the word dick?”

My eyes snap from the road and stop on hers. “Come again!?”

“Yeah, she called Brad a dick.”

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