Page 24 of When It Reins
“I don’t know what you’re talking about” is the lie she throws back, her eyes darting to her car, and I shake my head.
“Stay out of it, Starling. You don’t know what you’re getting into.” Somehow, we’ve managed to get to her car, and she’s leaning against it, letting me lean over her. I don’t realize how intimate the moment may look until I look down and see our chests rising against the other.
Shit. I want to pull away. I should pull away, but I can’t seem to make my body move. My hand is resting on the roof of her car, halfway boxing her in, but she doesn’t look scared or intimidated. In fact, she looks downright thrilled.
“You should wipe that look off your face, Starling.” I growl out the words, hoping she’ll be the one that stops all of this.
“What look?” she whispers back, her hands pulling out of her pockets. I’m worried about where she’s planning on putting them.
“The look that says if I kissed you right now, you’d be more than happy to reciprocate.”
Her lips pull into a smile, and there’s a blush on her cheeks that tells me I am still dealing with the same woman who’s pulled at my mind and heart for nearly two years.
“Maybe I want you to.” Her voice is soft, barely audible, but I manage to hear it just fine.
I feel my muscles tense and look down at her, a flash of her flirting with that dickwad from earlier blinks in my mind. “You have a boyfriend.”
Guilt crosses her face, and she shrugs. “Not for long. Just for long enough.”
I shake my head, confused by what she’s saying. “What’s that mean?”
Something seems to register with her, and she lets out a breath, shaking her head. “You know what? You’re right. This isn’t a good idea.”
Then she steps closer. Our bodies are touching completely now, and my heart beats in my chest so fucking hard I would have sworn it was going to come loose. Juniper grabs my hand that’s hanging down and gives it a squeeze.
“You’re a good guy, Hero.”
Her using my road name does something weird and primal to my thoughts. I resist the urge—barely—to lean my full body weight into her, pinning her to the door, and taking every single thing I’ve wanted from her since the moment she opened her lips and spoke to me.
She turns then, making my arm fall and my ability to actually think straight come back to me. I take a step back and watch her get into her car. My adrenaline is racing like I just jumped off a cliff, and here Juniper is, cool, calm, and acting as if nothing happened at all, driving off to live her life without me.
I hang my head and take in the cool evening air. I wish it would rain just to cool me off.
It’s then I realize that I was so wrapped up in what her proximity was doing to me that I never got her to tell me what she was up to.
13
juniper
The ranch is goingto need to expand if they keep adding members to their family. I walk in the front door, David in tow, and smile at each person who passes by. Many stop and talk with me, ignoring David completely.
I act like I can’t tell or don’t notice anything is wrong.
It is all part of my plan.
When I told David I was heading to the ranch for their normal Sunday lunch, he asked if he could come along. I couldn’t think up an excuse to say no, so I, of course, said yes with a bright, fake smile on my face.
He has no idea that I know everything—or nearly everything—and that is part of my payback.
We’re standing, talking with Dani, who has a rambunctious little one-year-old on her hip who’s fighting to break free, when I feel the energy shift inside the room. I’m not sure if it’s just me, or if everyone feels it.
But I know before I turn that Mitch Cash will be standing somewhere behind me, likely looking right at me.
I ignore the urge to turn, feeling off-kilter since the last time we spoke in close quarters. I thought he was finally, finally going to kiss me, but then he had to go and remind me I technically have a boyfriend.
Though I was going to need my plan to be speedy because, sooner or later, David would realize I wasn’t acting the same.
You could only be on your cycle for so long.
