Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ender
The Social Club smelled like citrus cleaner, beer, and fresh wood.
Music hummed low from the speakers. A couple stools were flipped upside down on tables, and Adley was behind the bar wiping down the counter like she always did.
Clove grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the axe-throwing booths at the back.
She threw her arms out wide like she was presenting a grand attraction.
“Welcome to distraction number two.”
I snorted. “You realize this is nowhere near as good as distraction number one, right?”
“Yes,” she said brightly. “But not everything can be blowjobs and sunshine.”
“You know I’ve played this before, right?” I said as she stopped in front of one of the booths. “Pretty sure you have, too.”
She shrugged like it didn’t matter and grabbed an axe from the rack. The handle looked too big in her hand, but she held it like she meant business. “Yeah,” she said, lining herself up with the target. “But I don’t think we’ve ever played it together.”
She threw.
The axe hit the board with a dull thunk and stuck barely off to the side and nowhere near the bullseye.
She turned to me with a grin that said she absolutely did not care. “Now we can play together.”
I laughed despite myself. “More like I can teach you how to aim, baby.”
Her smile went slow and dangerous. She picked up another axe and held it out to me, handle-first. “Show me the way, handsome.”
Christ.
I took the axe and stepped into the booth with her. The wood floor creaked under our boots. The target loomed ahead, scarred from a thousand throws.
“Okay,” I said, slipping into instruction mode because it was safer than thinking about the way she was looking at me. “You’re gripping too tight.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ve been told that before.”
I ignored that. Mostly.
I stepped behind her, close enough that I could feel her warmth through my shirt. Slowly, deliberately, I adjusted her stance. Feet apart, weight balanced. I guided her arms up. “Relax your shoulders,” I murmured near her ear. “You’re muscling it.”
She inhaled, her back pressing into me just slightly. “I’m relaxed.”
I huffed a laugh. “You’re lying.”
I placed my hands over hers on the handle, aligning the axe with the center of the target. I could feel her heartbeat through her back. Fast. Steady. Alive.
“Eyes on the bullseye,” I said. “Don’t think about the throw. Just let it go.”
She nodded.
We moved together. One smooth motion.
The axe flew.
This time it hit dead center, biting into the wood with a sharp crack.
Clove gasped. “Oh my God.”
She spun in my arms, eyes wide and bright. “Did you see that?”
I didn’t answer.
Because suddenly she was right there. Close. Too close to pretend this was just axe throwing.
“You did that,” I said quietly.
She shook her head. “We did.”
Her hands slid up my chest without thinking. Or maybe with too much thinking.
I dipped my head and kissed her.
Not rushed. Not frantic.
Just deep enough to remind myself she was real. That she was here. That I hadn’t imagined the way she fit with me.
Her fingers curled into my shirt. She rose up on her toes like she wanted more.
I was halfway to giving it to her when—
“Two feet!” Adley yelled from the bar. “I don’t need customers walking in to see you two dry humping next to sharp objects.”
Clove laughed against my chest. I groaned and pressed my forehead to hers.
“She’s not wrong,” Clove whispered.
I pulled back reluctantly. “She’s absolutely wrong.”
Adley pointed at us with a bar towel. “Two feet. Or I start charging you by the minute.”
Clove stepped back, still smiling, cheeks flushed. “Fine.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
I looked down.
Wrecker: Church.
Just one word.
My stomach dropped.
Clove saw it instantly. “What?”
I showed her the screen.
Her smile faded, but she didn’t panic. Didn’t cling. She just nodded like she already knew this moment was coming. “Okay,” she said softly.
Adley watched us from behind the bar. “You guys heading out?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Church.”
Mason came up beside her, resting his hands on her hips. “We’ll open up. Wrecker said he’d loop me in if anything happens.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
Clove slipped her hand into mine as we walked out. The afternoon sun was bright, almost too bright, and the ride back felt longer than the one out.
I could feel my tension building with every mile. My mind ran through a thousand possibilities. Good, bad, catastrophic.
When we pulled into the clubhouse lot, I cut the engine and sat there for a second, just breathing.
Clove climbed off and stood in front of me.
“Hopefully this will all be over soon,” I said quietly.
She nodded. “I hope so too.” Her mouth curved into a small smile. “I’d really like to date you without crazies on the loose.”
I snorted. “Don’t call Alice that.”
She laughed, leaning in for a quick kiss.
We walked inside together.
I gave Clove one more kiss, quick and reassuring, before turning toward the hallway.
“See you after,” I murmured.
She squeezed my hand once before letting go.
I headed for church.
And whatever the hell was waiting inside.