Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Amy
From what I could tell, the rough crowd had stayed at home tonight. It was already closing in on midnight and not one single fight had broken out.
Then again, that could’ve been due to the fact Lynx Caine was itching to take someone down and not a single person was man enough to go up against him.
I had no idea what was bothering Wolfe’s cousin, but he was practically vibrating with anger.
And every now and then, I would catch him glancing over at Reagan as though he wanted to have the woman for dessert.
I had no idea what was up with that, but I was not going to stick my nose where it didn’t belong.
Reagan had already called last call since she consistently closed the bar down at midnight. If these cowboys and cowgirls wanted to continue the party, they could head over to Marla’s Bar, where the drinks were stronger.
As for me, I was doing my best not to stumble around.
I still couldn’t get that kiss off my mind, and having spent the better part of the evening watching Wolfe hadn’t made my job any easier.
He looked as though he had something on his mind, but that hadn’t stopped him from smiling every time he caught me looking.
The door opened and I glanced up from the table I was clearing to see Rhys walk in.
Our eyes immediately met, and I found myself grinning like a fool, although I didn’t know why.
My gaze quickly strayed over to Wolfe. He was watching me, his face shadowed by his hat, but I could see his eyes were definitely on me.
“Don’t worry, we’re closin’ it down, Sheriff,” Reagan called out.
Rhys waved her off, moving over to stand beside Wolfe. He leaned against the bar, one elbow propped on the wooden top as he scanned the room.
The two empty bottles on the table clanked together when I went to pick them up.
“Get it together,” I whispered to myself as I carried the bottles to the trash can.
“Hey, girl,” Reagan called out to me. “Why don’t you head on out. I’ve got it from here.”
“You sure?” I wasn’t particularly looking forward to going home, but my legs were about to give out on me. All day in the sun and all night on my feet had taken its toll. I was exhausted.
“Yep. See you next week.”
I nodded, then removed my apron and tucked it beneath the bar before grabbing my car keys. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to talk to Wolfe or Rhys or if I was supposed to go straight to my car and go home. This was new for me.
Really new.
For one, I had never dated anyone. Kind of sad to think since I was twenty-six years old.
But it was true. I had gone from my aunt and uncle’s house at nineteen years old to …
his. There had been a very brief courtship, but since I had nothing to compare it to, I wasn’t sure I could consider it dating. It felt more like … ownership.
Not that Wolfe and I were dating. I didn’t think that. Really.
“Hey.”
I looked up to see Rhys standing before me, his beautiful blue eyes sparkling. “Hi.”
His concerned look faded, replaced by a smile, and I relaxed.
When Wolfe came over, I felt heat swamp me, the memory of that kiss coming to the forefront of my mind.
“You headin’ out?”
I nodded.
“Thought maybe you’d like to go out to the lake,” Wolfe offered, sounding oddly nervous.
“The lake?” I watched the two men. “At night?”
“The moon’s out,” Rhys added. “We can chill. Talk.”
“Or not,” Wolfe added, his eyes skimming my face.
I did not want to go home to my empty house, so I quickly nodded. “I’d like that.”
The tension lines around Wolfe’s eyes seemed to fade away with my answer.
“Why don’t we follow you home so you can drop your car off?” Rhys said. “Don’t want you out drivin’ too late by yourself. Then, when you’re ready to go home, we can drop you off.”
That sounded like a smart idea. Plus, it would give me a chance to change clothes. “Okay.”
I glanced between the two men. The three of us hadn’t moved from our original spot by the bar, and now we were still standing there. There was some sort of tension surrounding us, but I had no idea what it was from. After the day we’d had at the lake, I couldn’t imagine this would be awkward.
Unless…
I looked at Wolfe.
Had he told Rhys about the kiss?
Were they going to break the news to me that they were really into each other and that kiss had been a mistake?
Before I could come up with a dozen more questions that I would never voice, Rhys put his hand at the small of my back and urged me toward the door.
I pushed all the questions back, deciding that I couldn’t change the outcome one way or another. I would have to wait until they decided to broach the subject.
Until then, I would proceed as they had been.
As friends.
Nothing more.
Wolfe
I followed Amy in my truck while Rhys pulled up the rear. The fifteen-minute drive out to her place did absolutely nothing to ease the tension in my shoulders. I had no idea why I was sweating this so damn much.
Okay, that wasn’t necessarily true. I did know.
And it all boiled down to the fact that I was twisted up in a knot when it came to what I wanted.
In the past forty-eight hours, everything I thought I knew about myself had been chucked right out the window. If I had to choose between Amy or Rhys right now, I didn’t think I'd be able to do it. Last week, I would’ve easily said Amy.
However, kissing Rhys…
“Fuck,” I grumbled to myself as I pulled in behind Amy’s car.
After getting out, I walked over and opened her car door, then stepped aside so she could get out. The smile she gifted me with made my chest ache.
“Do you mind if I change?”
“Not at all.”
Rhys joined us as Amy was turning toward the house.
I noticed her hesitation, the way she stopped and stared at the front door.
“Somethin’ wrong?” Rhys asked, his eyes darting from Amy to me.
She shook her head.
Still, she didn’t move.
“Gimme your key,” Rhys insisted, stepping around her and holding out his hand.
Amy looked up into his face, her eyes wide, that same terror I had seen before present and accounted for.
I watched as Rhys took the key from her hand and then turned toward the door. He still had his gun holstered on his hip, his badge clipped on his waistband. At this point, they were probably extensions of his body.
Putting my arm around Amy’s shoulders, I started walking, urging her to the porch behind Rhys.
Although I tried to hide it, the tension in my body was coiling tighter, only this time it had nothing to do with the kiss and everything to do with whatever was terrifying her.
I'd noticed her hesitance to go inside earlier when I'd dropped her off, but I hadn’t thought much of it when it was broad daylight.
Rhys disappeared inside the house, and the lights clicked on one at a time as he moved through it.
“I’m sorry,” Amy whispered.
“Don’t be,” I told her. I wanted to know what or who she was scared of, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask. I needed her to tell me when she was ready.
“All clear,” Rhys informed us when we stepped into the house.
“We’ll wait on the porch,” I said, turning and stepping back outside.
Rhys joined me, closing the front door behind him.
Our eyes met in the darkness, the only light coming from the full moon.
“What the fuck was that about?” he whispered, his eyes searching my face.
“No fuckin’ idea.”
“She was scared to go in her own damn house.”
I nodded. I'd seen it with my own two eyes.
Rhys turned and leaned against the porch railing, crossing his arms over his chest. “No wonder she always looks so damn tired. Hell, I’d be shocked if she sleeps a few hours a night.”
I was thinking the same thing as I stared out at the surrounding area. The land adjacent to the small farmhouse was mostly flat, very little to conceal anything. Only a few trees stood off in the distance. If anyone came up to the house, Amy would be able to see them.
“She’s from Houston,” I told him, keeping my voice low.
“Houston?”
“Yeah. That’s all she told me and I don’t think she meant to tell me that much.”
“Well, it’s a start.”
I turned and stared at Rhys. “I don’t want you lookin’ into her.”
Shaking his head, Rhys looked away. “I won’t.” He met my gaze again. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t look into what might’ve happened to her.”
I got that. I hoped he didn’t have to do any digging. I wanted Amy to tell us her story herself. She was opening up. Slowly but surely. I figured it was only a matter of time.
The door opened behind us.
Rhys stood tall, his arms falling to his sides, a smile replacing his frown. “Ready?”
I turned around as Amy stepped out of the house. She was wearing a pair of short denim shorts, a tank top with a thin plaid shirt over it, and a pair of boots on her feet.
Lord have mercy.
Was the woman trying to kill me?
“Yeah,” she said sweetly, locking the door behind her and tucking the key into her pocket.
“We’ll take my truck,” I informed them, waiting for Amy to move in front of me.
When we reached the truck, Amy stepped up to the back passenger door.
“No, you don’t,” I said, chuckling. “Lift the console. You get to ride in the middle.”
Amy peered up at me, and the look she gave me was more amused than anything. I opened the door and waited for her to hop in. When Rhys moved closer, I walked around to the driver’s side.
A few minutes later, I had the truck out on the main road heading toward my house. Or rather, toward the lake.
“Is this what you do out here in the country to pass the time?” Amy asked, her sweet voice a welcome sound in the silence.
Rhys shifted, resting his arm on the window. “Depends. When we were kids, we did all sorts of shit.”
“Is cow tipping a real thing?” Amy questioned, her attention divided between us.
I could hardly focus on driving with Amy’s thigh up against mine, so I didn’t answer.
“It’s a thing,” Rhys confirmed, chuckling. “So is paintin’ the water tower.”
“Did y’all ever do that? Cow tipping or painting the water tower?”
“Of course not,” I said, deadpan.
Rhys laughed. “Shit. Lynx and Wolfe got a spur up their ass… What was it? Two years ago? They climbed up the water tower and would’ve started painting if they hadn’t dropped the damn spray paint off the side.”
“Two years ago?” Amy giggled. “Aren’t you a little old to be raisin’ that kind of hell?”
“Never too old, darlin’,” I said softly. “Never too old.”
Rhys
The silence that descended in the truck was almost deafening. If it weren’t for the rumble of the engine, I figured you could’ve heard the crickets out in the fields and the cicadas in the trees.
“Okay.” Amy glanced over at me, then back to Wolfe. “What gives?”
“Huh?” The confused look on Wolfe’s face mirrored mine.
“Why are y’all acting weird?”
“Weird how?” I knew playing dumb probably wouldn’t work, but I was going to give it a shot.
Wolfe pulled the truck down by the lake, then turned it around so the bed faced the water.
I opened my door first, then helped Amy down to the ground. She was still staring at me, obviously waiting for me to do something more than answer a question with a question. I wasn’t sure what the hell I was supposed to say, so I was really buying time.
When Wolfe opened the tailgate, I picked Amy up and set her on it, not even thinking about what I was doing. Being that we were on a decline, it would’ve been difficult for her to do on her own.
When her hands wrapped around my biceps, I froze, standing directly in front of her, my hips between her thighs. She sucked in a breath at the same time I did.
“Is this weird? Or is it just me?” she whispered, her eyes wide.
I waited to see if Wolfe would say anything, but the man kept his mouth sealed shut as he leaned against the tailgate and crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze fixed out over the water. It was clear he was conflicted about what was going on.
I placed my hand on Amy’s thigh. Just set it there, my thumb brushing over her smooth skin. She continued to stare at me, her fingers still curled around my biceps. She hadn’t let go and I hadn’t moved. Not an inch.
Her eyes were locked with mine, and I was waiting. For what, I had no fucking idea, but I wanted her to make a move.
“I don’t understand what’s going on here,” she finally said, her gaze leaving me to move over to Wolfe. “Someone’s gonna have to tell me something.” She looked back at me. “I thought…”
“What?” I knew she was putting all the pieces of the puzzle together. As for how she was going to handle it once she saw the big picture, that was still to be seen.
“I thought you and Wolfe were…” Her eyes dropped to my chest. “I thought y’all liked each other.”
“We do,” I admitted, still brushing my thumb over her skin. Although like was a somewhat elementary term that I probably wouldn’t use to describe what I was feeling for Wolfe.
Her eyes darted back up to meet mine, then shot quickly over to Wolfe, who was still standing like a statue, staring out at the lake.
“But…”
I cocked one eyebrow when she turned back to me.
“Is this…?”
I continued to wait.
Amy’s eyes widened. “Is this like one of those situations in those Nicole Edwards books?”
I frowned. Who the hell was Nicole Edwards?
“What the hell kinda books are you readin’?” Wolfe asked, turning toward us.
Amy peered up at him, ignoring his question. “You kissed me earlier.”
“I did.” His admission was absolute, his voice softening when he added, “And I wanna do it again.”
Amy looked down at my hand on her leg, then slowly lifted her head until our eyes met again.
I saw the moment she accepted what this was. Whether or not she would move forward, I couldn’t tell, but she’d figured us out.
She shook her head, dropping her gaze once again. “I’m so confused. This doesn’t happen in real life. I mean … I’ve never met anyone who…”
“It happens,” Wolfe stated. “And now the question is, do you want it to happen?”
I glanced heavenward.
Please, God, let her say yes.