Page 12 of True Fate

Lainey blew a disbelieving puff through her teeth. “Does that include the brunette?”

He stared at her for a long moment, then laughed softly beneath his breath. “Yeah, it does.” His gaze traveled the length of her, slow and deliberate, and she felt it as clearly as a touch. “You look nice.”

With a smile, she stepped to the counter. “Two glasses of red.”

Okay, fine, she’d dressed with Justin in mind.

A shift dress that clung in all the right places, a simple cardigan, and beaten cowboy boots. She was going for theI-didn’t-try-too-hard-but-spent-an-hour-in-front-of-the-mirrorlook.

Also, the outfit could be removed quickly if necessary.

“How do you know he’s a red man, Lain?”

Cups in hand, she stepped aside to allow Justin to order. “Excuse me?”

He nodded to the wine. “The guy sitting over there hoping like hell you’ll come back. He looks a little buttoned-up for red, if you ask me. You should have gone with a beer. And nothing heavy—light all the way, that one.”

Lainey leaned a shoulder against the tent post, eyes fixed on Justin as he dug into his front pocket and pulled out a crumpled ticket. She licked her lips, letting her gaze drift over him, vivid images roaring through her mind. When his eyes met hers, they’d darkened to a tawny brown, the lines around his mouth deepening—like he was holding back every dirty thought inhishead.

“You’re awfully touchy tonight, Just. Maybe you’d feel better if you’d taken care of business in the shower.” She took a sip, gazing at him over the rim of her cup. “That’s what I did.”

He paused for a full, stunned minute.

It was, without question, one of the most glorious wins of her life.

“Put the wine down, Lainey,” he growled, tossing his in the trashcan beside him.

She choked on her crappy merlot. “What?”

“Put the cups down before I knock them out of your hands.”

When she kept staring, he cursed under his breath, snatched the cups from her, and stalked over to the insurance agent she’d left behind. “Enjoy,” he said, dropping them on the table. “The extra one’s on me.”

“Actually, they were both on me,” she said as his hand closed around hers, fingers lacing as he guided her through the line of tents and across the high school parking lot.

“Justin,wait.”

“No, Lain, I’m not waiting.”

“Are you mad?” She hurried to keep up, his long legs eating the pavement.

“Yeah, mad, as incrazy.”

They passed a utility shed on the north side of the school, and Justin turned them toward it. Her back hit the metal wall, his hands tangling in her hair. His eyes burned as he sank into her, cheeks flushed, breath unsteady. Then his lips claimed hers—a kiss that was consuming and, yeah, a little angry.

It matched the mood she’d seen in him all evening.

Part yearning, part payback, part desperation.

She sighed—a breathy, dreamy sound so unlike her—and he answered with a ragged groan, slanting his head to deepen the kiss. Rising onto her tiptoes, she slid her hands from his shoulders to his jaw, cupping his face, returning everything he gave her.

The first burst in the sky had them breaking apart. Lainey caught the firework’s explosion reflected in his pupils before he moaned and dove back in. His arm dropped low, hauling her flush against him. His stomach tensed on a sharp inhale, his arms flexing as he lifted her higher. His hips moved in time with his kiss, his tongue and the hard length of his cock conspiring to drive her mad.

As in crazy.

As the bottle rockets exploded overhead, their thunder reverberating around them, she grabbed his hand and drew it to her waist.Lower, just a little…lower.

After all, he’d left her hanging this morning. “Just, come on.Please.”

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