Page 73 of Truck You

Mac pulls back from the kiss, leaving me feeling breathless and needy for more. His eyes meet mine as he brushes his thumb over my bottom lip. The look of adoration and longing in his eyes has the same effect on me that the kiss did.

Yep, I’m in trouble.

He looks like he’s going to say something, maybe even confess more of his feelings to me, but he doesn’t.

Instead, his playful grin returns. “Ready to have some fun?”

“Yep.” I nod repeatedly like an idiot because he has me so flustered right now, I can’t think straight.

He gives me a quick peck on the lips before he turns and walks to the back of his truck. He opens the tailgate and drags the cooler to the end. Grabbing two beers, he pops the tops and hands me one.

“Feel free to cut loose tonight,” he says as he wraps his arm over my shoulder. “I’ll go easy on the drinking tonight.”

I nod, still a little dazed from that kiss. I feel his eyes on me as I look around, trying to make sense of these feelings inside me.

“Hey.” He nudges my shoulder with his. “You okay?”

When I look up at him, his expression is full of concern. “Yeah, of course.” I clear my throat. “Just trying to figure out what I’m seeing.”

His easy smile returns. “This is The Forks. As I said, it’s where wealwayscelebrate Halloween.”

The emphasis he puts on always causes me to raise a brow in question. I can’t shake the feeling that I’m missing something. “And why is that?”

“Look around.” He waves an arm in front of him in a sweeping motion. “We’re on an isolated, unnamed dirt road that forks in two different directions in the middle of a dark, dense forest. Anything could creep up on us in the forest. What better place is there to host a Halloween party for a bunch of country boys and girls?”

“You say that like Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers is hiding out in the trees, waiting to pick us off one at a time.”

He grins down at me and waggles his brows. “Nothing like that, but I like where your mind is going. That’ll make tonight that much more fun.”

“Okay.” I jerk my hand from his and stop. He turns to face me, his grin gone, but his eyes still dance with humor. “You’re not telling me something. Spill it.”

He tosses his head back in laughter. “There’s nothing to spill, Red. Relax. It’s a party. Enjoy yourself. It’ll be a blast even if I did let you convince me to wear this ridiculous outfit.”

I glare up at him, so not convinced by his jovial teasing. There’s something going on tonight. I can feel in my bones.

“Sophia! You’re finally here!” Clara calls for me from where she’s sitting on the tailgate of Ash’s truck. She waves us over, and Mac almost too eagerly drags me in her direction.

If I hadn’t seen her costume before she left the house, I may not have recognized her. She’s dressed up as the girl from the well in the movieThe Ring. She looks creepy as fuck and perfect at the same time.

“Hey, where’s Ash?” Mac asks.

Clara glances around the large group of people like she’s looking for him. “He was right over there.” She points toward Liam, who’s standing on the other side of the fire. I chuckle at his costume. He’s dressed up like possessed Billy fromStranger Things. He has a curly mullet wig, a fake mustache, and a jean jacket that looks exactly like the one Billy wore. “But I don’t see him now.”

“I’m going to go look for him.” He kisses the top of my head before he releases my hand. “I’ll be back in a few.”

I nod and slide up onto the tailgate next to Clara.

For an unnamed dirt road, this section is wide. Maybe it’s because of the fork, but something tells me they’ve purposefully widened this spot for their parties. There’s enough room for several cars to park along all sides while still leaving room for the three steel drums in the center and so oncoming cars can pass.

A few of the trucks, Ash’s included, are backed up around the fire in a circle so people can sit, but most people are standing. It’s hard to tell exactly how many people are here. The only light is from the fire that I still can’t believe is in the middle of the freaking road. A few cars have their headlights on, but they’re parked a good distance away.

The parking spaces in the trees, like the one Mac parked in, look like someone intentionally cleared them so cars or trucks could pull in. Without the fire, the forest would completely hide the vehicles from anyone driving past.

I don’t know most of the people here. I recognize a few faces from the party at the Meadow, but I’ve never been introduced to them.

The Koch siblings are here. They’re all gathered on one side of The Forks with what I assume is their group of friends. I’m not sure who they’re supposed to be. They’re all themed after some sort of horror movie.

In fact, everyone is. Mac didn’t tell me this was themed or else I would have picked something different. Then again, we are dressed up as characters fromStranger Things. That counts.

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