Page 57 of Flirting With Fire
Dex steered Junie so we were side-by-side staring out over the town rooftops. “I love riding up here. It’s good for the soul.”
I sucked in the cold morning air and nodded. I’d longed to get away from Charming Butte, but now, here I was, back home and working in my dad’s old firehouse. Maybe I needed views that were good for the soul.
“You okay?” Dex asked, leaning over to brush his knuckles over the back of my hand.
I tried to ignore the sparks his touch sent through my body by answering his question. “I am okay.” And I realized that was the truth. I was okay. For the first time in a long time, I felt like the tension that I lived with constantly had drained from my muscles. “I feel relaxed. And hungry.”
Dex chuckled. “You’re always hungry.” He clicked at Junie, who turned back to the trail, and Yukie followed her.
We continued our ride and to be honest, I lost track of time, content to let Dex take the lead as we climbed higher, finally stopping at a place I recognized as where generations of high school kids disappeared to get away from their parents. I’d been here and my mom assured me she and my dad had spent more than one picnic here in their day. I’d slapped my hands on my ears and pretended I didn’t see her knowing smile. No one wanted to think of their parents doing…that.
This time of day, we had the place to ourselves. Dex slid off Junie’s back, then held Yukie as I did the same, although not as gracefully. I groaned as my feet hit the ground.
I patted Yukie’s neck. “Yukie, next time can you bring me a cushion for my butt?”
Dex just laughed as he handed me a carrot to give to Yukie.
“I think she just gave me the horse equivalent of an eye roll. She doesn’t look impressed.”
“Would you like it if someone said your ass was too hard?” Dex pointed out.
I opened my mouth because, you know, I couldn’t let that go by, but he placed a finger over my lips. “We don’t need any hard jokes.”
Now I rolled my eyes and spoke against his finger. “Seriously, dude, I’m a gay man. I’m full of hard jokes.”
I was tempted to suck his finger, but I wondered if that was too forward of me. I wasn’t really sure where we were in this relationship. I hoped it would become clearer during the picnic. It was a date, wasn’t it?
“Just give her the carrot, Jones,” Dex ordered.
I did as I was told.
When we’d given the horses their treats, Dex left them ground tied. I wasn’t surprised. Both horses were exceptionally well trained. I squinted at him. He liked giving me orders. Was he training me as he did the horses?
Oblivious to my thoughts, Dex opened one of the saddle bags, pulling out a large faded rug which he spread on one of the rocks. Then he pulled out packages and cokes from the bags. “Our treats,” he said with a grin.
“No beer?”
“Other side,” he said. “Like I’d bring you here without beer.”
Did I mention it was where the high school kids did most of their illicit drinking? I grinned as I looked in the saddle bag. It was even the same brand all the kids drank around here, Bud Light.
Dex stretched out on the rug and patted the spot next to him. “Sit down before you fall down.”
“It’s not that bad,” I grumbled, and I did not groan as I sat down, no matter what Dex said.
“I feel like I’m reliving high school when I come up here,” I admitted.
“I bet you brought all the girls here,” he said, and I couldn’t miss the edge in his voice.
“I thought we went over this already. No cheerleaders. No girls.” I gave him the side eye. “Never the one guy I wanted to, though. I wasn’t brave enough to ask.” I turned to Dex, but he wasn’t looking at me. He was staring moodily out at the view. “I never expected he would ask.”
“Lucky you.” He still didn’t turn my way.
“I am,” I agreed. “He even brought a rug for my sore butt.”
“Very thoughtful,” Dex growled, but I saw the corner of his mouth curl up.
“I wish I’d been braver back then,” I confessed.
