Page 79 of Lush

“You’re lucky I love you,” I muttered under my breath. Walter finally settled down in my arms, his little head resting on my shoulder, tuckered out.

The farther we walked, the more my relief of itnotbeing a person began to sink in.

I imagined worst-case scenarios and a lurking stranger. Frustrated and breathless, I saw the car.

“Finally,” I breathed, dumping Walter in the passenger seat. He wagged his tail, unfazed.

“You’re a menace, you know that?” I grumbled, scratching his head.

Reaching for my phone, I glanced at the screen—1%. Of course. I tapped the screen, but the phone went black, dead.

“Great. Perfect,” I sighed, slumping against the side of the car. Alone, no phone, covered in mud, stranded. It couldn’t get worse.

Walter was out like a light, snoring away while I waited, grumbling. Soon after, I saw Reese’s headlights cutting through the dark. I stood up straight.

He got out of the car; he looked concerned and frustrated. Furrowing his brows, he scanned the area, slammed the door, and walked toward me.

“If I get another call from you out alone at night?—”

He stormed toward me, then stopped, surprised by my state and Walter’s snoring.

“Don’t you dare,” I warned, flipping him off as I wiped the mud from my cheek. “It’s not funny.”

Reese snorted again, his shoulders shaking as he fought to contain his laughter.

“I mean it, Reese, shut up. Just fix this tire.”

Reese let out a hearty laugh then got to work. He walked around the car, checking out the damage. I saw him kneeling, focused on the tire.

It reminded me of the times I used to watch him work on his bike. The way his brow furrowed, his tongue poking out, deep in concentration as I knew his brain was running a mile a minute. He crouched, his jacket straining across his back.

It was unfair, the way I remembered those shoulders—how they’d easily pushed my legs over his shoulders.

He leaned in, tracing the tire with his fingers.

Why was it so hot to watch him touch a tire?

A flood of memories hit me—those same fingers trailing fire down my skin, slipping beneath my panties, pulling them off with a quiet, deliberate tug. And worse, those fingers thrusting slowly inside me, each movement sending a shockwave of heat through my body.

Shit. Get a grip.

At the nape of his neck, sweat glistened under the dim light, a few stray curls sticking to his skin. I could still feel the way I’d clenched around him when he had me on the bed, my legs wrapped tight around his waist, every thrust of his hips making me forget about everything else.

He looked solid. Capable.

“Yeah, you fucked this up,” Reese muttered as he stood, and I swallowed hard. The heat flooded low in my belly, and I forced my gaze back up to his face, praying he hadn’t caught me staring.

He knew, his eyes showed it.

“Seriously, are you okay?” he asked, gentler now. “It wasn’t anybody out there this time?”

“Yeah,” I mumbled, totally wiped out. “I’m fine. Just embarrassed.”

Reese paused, then softened, his warmth returning. “Wait here.”

He went back to his car. He popped the trunk, rifling through a bag.

He returned with a towel and water. He opened it, pouring some onto a towel before stepping closer. He silently wiped my face with the towel. I shuddered at the touch.

---