Page 99 of For the Promise

Blossom

“Why do you want to go to the distillery?” Jaxon asks as we drive away from my apartment. “I thought you were hungry.”

“We’ll go to dinner afterwards. For now, I have the best idea.” I nearly cackle. Jaxon is going to win the prank war with the Raider brothers because of this prank. It is the best!

“About the holiday whiskey? I’ve been working on calculations for how long we should keep the blend in the cherry casks.”

“Nope. I have another idea.”

“Another blend?”

I giggle. “Not everything in the world is about whiskey, nerd boy.”

He mock growls at me. “I proved to you I’m not a boy.”

I bat my eyelashes. “Maybe I forgot and need you to prove it again.”

“You’re such a troublemaker.”

“Just wait until you see what I have plannedfor tonight.”

His cheeks warm and he squirms in his seat. “I don’t think we should have sex in my office again.”

“Why not?”

“Because you broke all my test vials.”

“Me?” I point to myself. “I broke all the test vials?”

“I misspoke.Webroke all the test vials.”

I pat his arm. “Don’t worry. We can have sex in your car instead.”

He glances over at me with his mouth gaping open. “You want to have sex in the car?”

I shrug. “I’ve never had sex in a car before.”

“You—”

“Watch out!” I point to the road. “Sammy’s in the street.”

The brakes squeal and my seatbelt pulls tight as we come to a screeching halt. I realize I closed my eyes and open them. I scan the road but there’s no sign of the seal.

“Oh no. I can’t see Sammy.” I fiddle with my seatbelt but can’t get it unlocked. Jaxon reaches over and clicks it open for me. I rush outside.

“Sammy!”

The seal barks and I fall to my knees in front of him. Jaxon’s Mustang is mere feet from where he’s lying in the road.

“You can’t lay in the middle of the road near a curve, Sammy boy.”

If seals could roll their eyes, Sammy would be rolling his at me now. He does what he wants, when he wants. His attitude is not helped by tourists who now visit Smuggler’s Hideawayto catch glimpses of him. There’s even an app for ‘spotting’ the seal.

Jaxon kneels next to me. “I’m sorry, Sammy. I got distracted.” He nods to me. “Look at her. She’s beautiful. It’s hard not to get distracted when she’s near.”

He honks and wags his tail as if he’s in agreement with Jaxon.

“And you call me a troublemaker.” I shake my head. “Calling me beautiful to divert attention from your lack of paying attention to the road. Tsk. Tsk.”

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