Page 72 of Truck You

“Does he live up here or something?”

I nod. “He has a small cabin just around the bend.” I point toward the entrance to his driveway once we reach it. “Right back there. I’m sure he’ll be fine. Been riding that bike around for nearly a decade now.”

“Why does he ride a bike everywhere?”

I give her a sideways glance. “Did you smell the alcohol on him?”

“Yeah, I guess I did. I take it he’s always been like that. Drunk, I mean.”

“Yep. Lost his license a long time ago. Rides a bike everywhere and insists the deer are evil and trying to get back at him for killing one of their own. He may be a little nuts, too.”

She laughs, and it’s the sweetest thing I’ve heard all day. I smile, but inwardly groan.Sweet?What in the hell is happening to me?

She’shappening. That’s what.

The soft glow of lights appears up ahead and Sophia’s laughter fades. She leans forward and squints like she’s trying to make out what it is. I can’t help but smile at her curiosity.

“What on earth is going on up there?” she asks.

“That is where we’re headed.”

She glances at me, but only for a second, before she looks back to the road. Her eyes narrow and her nose does this really cute thing where it wrinkles like she can’t quite make out what she’s seeing.

Once we’re close enough that she can make out the cluster of large metal barrels in the middle of the road, she snaps her head at me. “The party is in the middle of the road?”

“Yep.” I smile. “We call this The Forks. It’s another one of our party spots. We don’t come here as often as the Meadow, but this is where we always celebrate Halloween.”

“But it’s literally in the middle of the road?” She turns her frown on me as I pull my truck into the open space next to Liam’s truck. “Why would you do this? What about traffic? What do you do if someone drives up?”

“Babe!” I reach for her hand. “Look around. We’re in the middle of nowhere. On a dirt road. No one is driving through here tonight. If a car comes up, it’s because they’re here to party with us.”

“But why?”

I grin and kiss her hand. “You’ll see. Now let’s go find my brothers.”

Chapter18

Silly legends, even sillier country boys, and one weird-ass party.

Sophia

The night air is brisk, the music is loud, everyone is in costume, there’s a freaking fire in what looks like three steel drums clustered together in the middle of the road, and everyone is acting like this is all perfectly normal.

There is nothing normal about this.

Mac tugs at my hand, and I shift my eyes to him. While I’m standing next to my door, stunned, he’s grinning.

He pulls me against him until my chest is flush with his. My entire body lights up with excitement at the closeness. With a gentle hand, he places his fingers under my chin and lifts my lips to his. It’s a soft kiss that makes me melt in a puddle in his arms.

This one feels different. It’s slow, sweet, almost reverent. This kiss isn’t about falling into bed with each other. It isn’t about the physical connection we share. It’s deeper, more meaningful on an emotional level.

This one makes me swoon. This kiss is trouble.

Mac may have been the one to insist we’re exclusive. He may have been the first to put a label on what we are. But he did that out of jealousy, and that has me a little worried about the safety of my heart.

I want to believe he truly means it—that he wants a relationship with me—but I’m not convinced he’s emotionally capable of that kind of commitment. At least not yet.

The man has some serious baggage. We all have baggage, but his is worse. His runs deep into his soul and is attached to it like a parasite sucking the life out of its host.

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