Page 17 of Dirty Dillon

Besides, it’s fun to keep her a little off balance.

“Dillon, I don’t think your family wants to hang out with me.”

“They’re going to have to get used to it, Cress. We’re a package deal now.”

“Why are you like this?”

I just smile and get to work. Let her stew on it for a while.

Chapter Six

Cressida

The scent of barbecuewafts through the air, mingling with laughter and music. Dillon takes my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze as we approach the backyard of his brother and Cherry Miller.

“Relax,” he murmurs in my ear, “You’re going to have a great time.”

Yeah, okay. Sure.

Why am I here? Hormones and bad decisions, that’s why. Usually, it’s booze and bad decisions that get me into these kinds of messes. Hormones are a lot more potent.

As soon as we step into the backyard, his brother Max and fiancée Cherry greet us with curious smiles, though I’m sure William already informed them that Dillon has been fraternizing with the enemy.

Max is a tall, muscular man, much like his brothers in that biker gang lumberjack way. I know he was doing well in LA before he got it in his head to come back to Tempest and turn things around. William and Dillon jumped with him because I think they always do whatever Max suggests. From the stories Dillon told me today, many of Max’s ideas got them into juvie or worse. So buying a whole town really isn’t all that crazy.

Cherry is familiar to me in that way that everyone in a small town is familiar to each other. I think she was in my brother’s grade, but I don’t really know her. Dillon told me she’s managing the bookstore when she’s not wrapping Max around her little finger.

We get introduced. “We grew up in this house,” Dillon tells me. “Max and Cherry have been fixing it up.”

“Thank you for having me,” I reply.

Max is assessing me very carefully, but not giving away much. I know he and my father have gone rounds. He’s probably wondering what Dillon sees in me.

You and me both, Max.

As if magically sensing the trajectory of my current thoughts, Dillon pulls me closer, wrapping me up in his strong arms from behind. Max raises his eyebrows then, looking above me into Dillon’s eyes.

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