20. Juniper
“I’m gonna talk to your dad.”
“Excuse me?” I lift myself up onto my arm so I’m looking down at Decker in his bed. “About what?”
“Us.” He lifts his hand and cups my breast gently, slowly swiping his thumb back and forth over my nipple.
“Why?”
“What do you mean why? Because I want him to know my intentions with you.”
“I don’t even know what your intentions are with me.” I grab his hand and pull it from me. “We haven’t even had that talk yet.”
He pushes himself up into a sitting position, fluffing the pillow behind him before leaning back. “Fine, let’s have that talk right now since we never did end up having it when we should have.”
“Okay, what are your intentions with me?”
“To get the obvious out of the way: marry you and have a few babies with you.”
“A few?” A giddy smile bursts across my face as I say it.
“You always told everyone you were going to have three little girls when you became a mommy. Did that change?” I shake my head. “Good, so we get married, have our three little girls, and then I plan on spending the rest of my life worshiping you.” He runs his fingers through my hair and down my arm. “And giving you and our daughters a safe and loving home. How does that sound?”
“Perfect.” The tears are already threatening to fall.
“We haven’t even gotten to all the juicy details yet.” He bounces his eyebrows. “The nights of endless orgasms.” He replaces his fingertips with his lips, kissing my shoulder softly. “Your husband’s tireless tongue, which can’t possibly devour you often enough to satisfy his insatiable hunger for your taste.”
My eyelids lose their battle, fluttering closed as he trails his teeth along my neck, his voice continuing its erotic explanation of how he plans to please me.
“Mmm, tell me more.”
It’s only a few minutes of his dirty talk before I’m pulling the sheet from him and climbing over his lap—his cock at my entrance, his lips on my breast, as I ease myself up and down the tip of his cock.
“Ohhh, you fucking tease.” He tries to force me down, but I stop his movements.
“Keep your hands still,” I command, holding them against my waist as I continue my up-and-down motion, taking him deeper every few strokes. By the time I’ve found the perfect, long, deep rhythm, we’re both moaning, trying to hold back from coming too soon.
“It’s no wonder men have fought wars over you for centuries.” We both stare up at the ceiling, catching our breath. “I can confidently say you could get away with anything right now.”
“That’s good to know.” I roll over and kiss his cheek. “I’ll keep that in mind next time I want to get my way.” He grabs a handful of my ass, pulling me tighter against him.
“You could spit in my face and I’d still give you anything you wanted.”
“Well,” I run my fingers through his chest hair, “in that case, can you please hold off on speaking to my father then?”
His head lifts. “Why?”
“Don’t panic. It doesn’t mean I don’t feel the same way about you, I know . . .” I look down at my fingers. “I didn’t say it back to you last night, but I wanted to. I love you, I really do.” Finally admitting that out loud makes me feel like I’m going to explode. He grabs me around the waist, making me yelp as he drags me beneath him and buries his face in my neck.
“Fuck, I love hearing that.” He looks up at me. “Say it again.”
“I love you.” I look into his eyes, my entire world coming into view. “But this—this perfect little secret bubble that nobody is messing with or asking about—is nice. Like you said, everyone, not just your family, has always meddled in our relationship. I just want to savor this a little longer, just us.”
He’s searching my face. “How long?”
“Until it becomes unbearable,” I tease.
“It already is.” He grabs my hand, stilling my movements. “Especially with the way I see guys look at you.”
“Is that jealousy rearing its ugly head?”
“Are you trying to make me jealous by not telling people?”
“No, I hope you know I wouldn’t do that.”
“I’d like to think you wouldn’t, and I know it’s probably my own insecurity talking, but I also have to hear the cowboys talk about which one gets to hit on you, or which one gets to shoot their shot.”
“Explains your reaction that night at the bar. Look, if it comes up again and they try to make a move on me or dance with me, then we’ll tell everyone. It’s not a big deal; I selfishly just want you all to myself.” I lie across his chest, his hand coming to rest against my back.
“I understand, baby. I won’t push it.”
“CanI talk to your dad yet?”
“Here are your two beers; that’ll be $14 even. Thanks for coming to Fall Fest.” I hand the beers over to the man in front of me, ignoring Decker.
“Keep the change.” He nods toward us with a smile and walks back to his wife.
I put the change in the tip jar and turn back to Decker. “Seriously?” I pull out my phone. “It’s been six hours since our conversation this morning. And if you’re wanting to ask my dad’s permission to date me or whatever, he’s going to laugh in your face at the suggestion that his daughter is his property.”
“First off,” he runs his hand over his beard and looks down at me, “I never said I was asking anyone’s permission when it came to you. I know damn well nobody on this earth could tell Juniper Riley what to do.” He grins and it makes a flurry of butterflies come to life in my belly. “Second, it’s not about asking him anything, it’s about the fact that our dads are friends with a great deal of respect for each other, and I want him to know I’m not just fucking around with you. With my past, I think I owe it to any dad—whose daughter I intend to marry—to explain that I’m not that man anymore.”
I didn’t expect his reason to be that deep. I thought it was about asking for my dad’s permission. “I didn’t realize that. I’m sorry.” Our fingers intertwine on their own, our bodies swaying closer toward each other.
“I mean it, honey. I’m not screwing this up again, and I want to do everything in my power to make it as easy on you as possible to forgive and trust me.” He brushes my hair behind my ear, an endearing move he’d done once or twice before he ever kissed me.
“I love when you do that.”
“This?” He does it again on the other side. “And what about when I do this?” He leans forward, his lips dusting mine.
I know that the idea of us hiding our love to keep it just between us is impossible. I can’t keep myself from touching him, from smiling at him, from stealing little moments like this. I press my hands against his shirt. “Do it again.”
“You know people can see us? I think it might be obvious with the way you’re looking at me that we’re a little more than friends.”
“I don’t care,” I whisper against his lips. “Kiss me again.”
The crash of an empty beer keg falling into another startles us apart.
“Sorry about that,” Bernice says, emerging from the back of the tent, “not as agile as I used to be.” She struggles to grab the keg that’s now rolling away.
“Got it!” Deck jumps into action, cleaning up the mess and pointing toward a wooden rocking chair at the front of the tent. “Go sit down and relax, Bernice. You’re always working too hard.”
“Oh, nonsense.” Her laugh is accompanied by a deep smoker’s cough. “I gotta keep moving so I can stay young. Find me husband number four.” She winks, jabbing me with her elbow. “Fight ya for him.”
My mouth falls open and I look from Bernice, who is rolling with laughter, to Decker, who just shakes his head. “You hear that?”
Bernice loops her arm through mine. “I’ve watched you two fall in love behind this bar, and it’s the cutest thing. Don’t act so surprised. You know the bartender always has the tea.” She winks at me, tearing up. “He’s a good man, Juney.”
“He’s an amazing man,” I say as she pulls me into a hug.
“It just makes me so happy to see you kids growing up and falling in love.” She pulls my hands up between us, squeezing them in her own. “You better invite me to the wedding.”
I laugh and assure her she’s getting ahead of herself, even though the two times Decker mentioned marrying me in the last 24 hours didn’t go unnoticed. It’s pretty much all I can focus on.
“Of course you’ll be there. Who else is going to lead the crowd in the conga line?”
I see why he wants to tell everyone. The way Bernice tearfully looks at us with so much happiness, it feels amazing to have others celebrate our love with us.
We’re finishing up the last few minutes of our shift when Amelia and Brooklyn waltz over with Trent, Tyler, and a few of the others.
“Hey, we’re all grabbing drinks when we leave here. You guys should come,” Tyler, the oldest of the Slade cousins, announces as they approach.
“Yeah, I’d love to go.” I look over at Decker. “I don’t have any plans tonight, do you?”
“Uh, no.” His tone contains just enough of a hint of annoyance that I pick up on it.
“Great,” I smile, “what time are you guys heading over?”
“I’m going to take Cecilia to her grandma’s,” Brooklyn replies, referring to her four-year-old daughter, who’s riding her dad’s shoulders at the moment. “She said she has dinner ready, so we’re going to eat there and then we’ll meet you after, probably close to 6 p.m. or so.”
“Decker!” We all turn to see Adrienne waving toward the tent as she navigates the fairgrounds in her stilettos. “I need to talk to you.”
“Do you think she owns a pair of sweatpants?” Trent laughs.
“Are you kidding? You remember when she was, like, two and she put on a pair of those plastic Barbie heels Aunt Devon bought her, and she didn’t take them off even to sleep?” Tyler describes the sound of the plastic dragging around his aunt and uncle’s house. “God, it drove us crazy.”
“Hey, sorry I had to run you down like that,” Adrienne smiles, “and of course it’s the day I’m wearing my most uncomfortable heels.” She reaches down and removes one, shaking out a pebble that got lodged inside.
“Aren’t they all uncomfortable?” Trent teases, as his wife Amelia playfully smacks his shoulder.
“Listen to these men joke about women’s fashion.” Amelia swoops her arm around Adrienne, the two of them looking like they could walk for Victoria’s Secret at the drop of a hat. “I’m sorry, guys, but since when did Levi’s and Stetsons become high fashion?”
“Burn! She got you guys pretty good,” Adrienne says, looking around the group.
“Fine,” Tyler rolls his eyes, “I guess it’s good you came along a few years after us. Poor mom was desperate to dress a little girl up.”
“Speaking of Aunt Celeste,” Adrienne spins on one stiletto toe and points at Deck, “she sent me here to get you to agree to do the bachelor auction.” My stomach does that thing again—the one that makes me uncomfortable—and Decker’s eyes flash to mine. “I know you don’t want to do it this year, but it’s your fault she expects you to. You’ve done it pretty much every year, and you get some of the highest bids.”
“I already gave her my answer.” He shrugs.
“And you know she isn’t going to relent until you agree.” She crosses her arms over her silk blouse. “Don’t make me whip out my lawyer tone, Decker.”
“Just do it,” I say, joining in, “what’s the big deal?”
“Yeah, why are you being weird about it? It’s for a good cause, and contrary to what you might think,” Tyler reaches over and grabs his shoulder in a serious manner, “you don’t have to sleep with the person who wins your bid.”
He barely gets the rest of it out before everyone’s laughing. I know Decker’s a good sport about all of it, but I can see why he doesn’t want to hold back about us. He wants them to see the new him—the happy and in love him who’s finally found his person. He looks at me, hurt in his eyes, and I instantly regret encouraging him.
“Okay, we need to get going,” Brook says to Tyler. “We’ll see you guys later.”
“We should head out too,” Amelia adds, looking at Trent. “I want to be able to give Walker his bath and put him down before the sitter gets there.”
We say our goodbyes and agree to meet at the bar no later than 7. Adrienne is still hanging back to chat with Decker and me.
“Are you coming out tonight? I feel like you’re always stuck in that office,” I say, pouting at her. Since she’s one of the youngest cousins, Adrienne and I are only a few years apart and spent most summers running around together. When she went off to college, it was one of the hardest years of my life.
“I was debating on working late. We’re neck-deep in all of the contract negotiations with the MLB. It’s exhausting.”
“Exactly why you need a night out then.”
“Ugh, you’re right. Aunt Celeste even pulled me into her office the other day and told me I need to relax, but I just don’t think I’ve reached that confidence in my career yet to do that.”
“Adrienne,” I give her my best are you kidding me? face, “did you just hear yourself? Celeste wouldn’t let you take the lead on MLB negotiations if she wasn’t confident in your abilities. You’re the definition of beauty, brains, and success. So get confident and leave some for the rest of us average babes.”
She falls into a fit of laughter, pulling me into a hug like she always does. Everything about Adrienne is bright and bubbly and loving. She’s genuine with a pure heart.
“Did I tell you I got to walk out to the 50-yard line the other day and meet a few of the Broncos?”
“Ohhh,” I shimmy my shoulders, “any of them ask you out or give you their number?”
“Actually . . .” She giggles again.
“Shut up!”
“One of them gave me his number. Actually, he gave it to Celeste when I walked away to talk to one of the coaches.”
“Are you going to call him?” I’m so focused on our conversation that I don’t notice my head mechanic, Scotty, walking up behind me.
“Hey,” Adrienne’s face lights up, her cheeks growing a little red, “I saw you talking to Teller earlier. I was going to come over and say hello, but I didn’t want to interrupt.”
I look between them and realize it’s like I’m not even here. I thought Adrienne’s blush was from Scotty overhearing us, but it’s not. She likes him. I watch as they talk, slowly excusing myself and whispering to Adrienne that I’ll see her later.
“Are you seeing this?” I help Decker clean up our shift, moving the empty kegs so he can pull up new ones. He doesn’t respond and I nod toward where Adrienne and Scotty are laughing and talking. She giggles and reaches her hand out to touch his arm. “How have I missed that?”
Decker doesn’t respond—just keeps his focus on what he’s doing. He’s clearly still annoyed with my comment to her earlier about him doing the auction.
“I don’t want you to do it.”
“Then why’d you offer it?”
“I was just joining in; it was stupid. I’d be jealous if you did it.” His brow lifts and he gives me a smirk. “Oh, so now you’re thinking you should do it to make me jealous?” I say.
“No, but I won’t pretend I don’t like the idea of you being jealous.” We’ve finished cleaning up, both of us just staring at each other. Tyson and Noah still aren’t here to take over. “I like thinking you’re territorial. Protective of what’s yours.”
“I am.”
“We’re here for beer!” Tyson cups his hands around his mouth, shouting as he and Noah approach the tent. “Time for the shift change.” He holds his hands out in front of himself for us to smack.
“Well, it’s 4:12 p.m. and we aren’t meeting people for drinks until 6 p.m., sooo . . .” I slide my hands into the back pockets of my jean shorts as we slowly head away from the tent, toward the parking lot. “What should we do to kill all this time?”
“Seems like you have something in mind?”
“I mean, I had an idea or two.” I lean against my car, my hands still pinned behind me in my pockets, causing my breasts to push out. My shirt dips enough that if he looks down, he’ll see a healthy dose of cleavage.
“Would it have anything to do with those mouthwatering tits you’re shoving in my face?”
“I’m simply standing here; you’re the one looking.”
“Well,” he steps closer, glancing around before lifting his finger, “my idea of killing time involves seeing my cum dripping from this mouth,” he touches my lips, slowly dragging his finger down my neck to my breasts, “to these tits. I think that sends a pretty strong message about who you belong to, don’t you?”
“Yes.” I wrap my hand around his finger and bring it back to my lips, wrapping them around it as I flick it with my tongue.
“Yeah, you look good with something in your mouth.” His arousal presses against my belly. “But then again, the thought of delayed gratification has me wanting to leave you aching and needy all night so you’ll behave.”
“When do I not behave?”
“When you’re shaking that ass on the dance floor for all the boys to salivate over, even though you have no intention of going home with them.”
I release his finger and grab a fistful of his shirt. “Don’t act like you don’t like watching me misbehave.” His chuckle is low and throaty. “I’ve seen you watching me dance, wishing you could run your hands over my body. Wishing you could take me home.”
“Tell you what, baby,” he tilts my chin upward, “I need to go take care of a few things back at the ranch with Ranger, then I’ll swing by and pick you up to go meet everyone. How’s that sound?”
“After all that?”
He smiles and plants a kiss on my forehead. “You have to learn you don’t always get your way, baby.”
“I don’t like the sound of that at all.”
“I know,” he winks, “but at some point, you need to learn that I’ll make it well worth your while.” He reaches behind me and opens my car door for me. “Do me a favor and wear that little vest with those black shorts—the ones from the first night I had you.”
“I’ll think about it, but maybe you need to learn that you don’t always get your way.” I point my finger in his chest, not wanting to leave him.
He smacks my ass hard. “Get in the fucking car,” he growls in my ear as he pushes me down into my seat. He leans over, buckling me in before grabbing my chin. “You also need a lesson or two in obedience, but I plan to take care of that tonight. Get home safely, and I’ll pick you up at 6:15. Be ready.”
With that, he shuts my door and walks toward his truck, leaving me wet, needy, and vibrating with anticipation for what’s to come tonight.
“Oh, she’s here!”Dolly pops out of her chair and makes a beeline for me. Decker drags a few steps behind me, Carl immediately grabbing his attention to talk to him about something. “You’ve got to meet these campers that are passing through.”
I catch a glimpse of Deck’s face, his eyes flicking to me for a second. I thought for sure someone would say something about the fact that we’d walked in together. I had planned to tell them I caught a ride with him since we were both at the Fest.
“We’ve been trying to casually get the deets from them,” Dolly whispers to me, her arm linked in mine as we walk toward the table where several of our friends are sitting. “They’re on their way to Yellowstone, but they’ve been backpacking through Colorado the last two weeks and decided to stay here for a few nights before they continue on.”
“And you’re pimping me out to them why?” My laugh feels nervous and I glance back at Decker one more time before taking a seat.
“Amethyst didn’t want to go down before we left,” Brooklyn is telling Amelia. “I think she has a tooth coming in that’s really bothering her. She was such an unfussy infant . . . I’m worried we’re going to pay for it soon.”
“We really take for granted that we live here,” Tyler says to one of the hikers. “Life gets in the way, you know? God, I haven’t spent time up in the mountains in . . .”
“Okay, okay, sooo . . .” Dolly smiles and places her arm around my shoulder, “this is our friend Juniper—the one I was telling you guys about.”
“Hi,” I wave, “nice to meet you guys.”
“Nice to meet you too. I’m Matty.” He holds his hand out toward me and I shake it. He looks young, probably close to my age. His jaw is peppered with blond scruff, his hair sun-streaked and pulled back into a man bun.
“Jackson,” the dark-haired one says, his blue eyes sparkling when he winks at me. “Dolly here says you’ve spent some time up in the mountains in the last year or so. You like to camp?”
“Yeah.” I reach for the pitcher of beer but he grabs it before I can.
“Allow me.” He pours the beer and hands it to me.
“Thanks. But yeah, my dad and I used to do a lot of fly-fishing growing up, so I know the trails and mountains around here like the back of my hand.”
“Really?” Jackson angles his chair closer to me. “Maybe we should bring you along as our guide then.” He gives me a flirty smile, a feeling of unease settling in my stomach.
Under any other circumstances, yeah, I’d probably flirt right back with Jackson, but now that Decker and I have finally admitted our feelings for each other and I know it’s not just a hookup, I’m not about to risk that.
“Ha, well, I’m pretty busy running my family business, so I’ll have to pass, but I’m sure you guys will be able to navigate your way just fine.”
“Wow, you run your family business? Impressive. What is it?”
“A—” My phone buzzes in my pocket, distracting me. I pull it out, sliding my thumb across the screen to unlock it after seeing a text from Decker.
Decker: Having a nice time?
I look up, Deck’s eyes staring right through me. He lifts his beer to his lips, taking a long sip before turning his attention back to Carl, who has now been joined by Teller and Scotty.
“A what?” Jackson chuckles, reaching his hand out to rest it against my knee.
“I—sorry, I actually need to use the restroom.” I scoot my chair back so fast, I almost tip backwards.
“Whoa, easy.” He stands when I do, his hand coming to my elbow.
“I’m okay.” I scoot past him and run to the restroom. I take my time, slicking on another coat of lip gloss and fluffing up my hair before stepping back out to rejoin my friends. When I return, Decker has joined our group, taking my seat.
“She was sitting there, man,” Jackson says with a cocky grin on his face when I approach the table.
Decker looks at him, then at me, and pats his thigh. “She still can.”
I have to bite my cheek hard to keep from smiling like a schoolgirl. It’s crazy how second nature it feels to want to just settle down on his lap like we’ve been together for years, but I know it would require some explaining.
“Such a gentleman.” I roll my eyes and start backing away from the table to the jukebox. “I feel like dancing anyway.” I scroll through the songs, settling on Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain.”
“I looove this song!” Brooklyn jumps up, turning to sing the song to her husband as she backs out onto the dance floor to join me.
By the time the chorus hits, all of us girls are singing it at the top of our lungs as we dance around the floor, laughing. It doesn’t take long before several more people join us on the dance floor.
“I need some water,” I say to the girls before walking over to grab a drink. “And here I thought you guys were fun.” I sip my water, the guys pausing their typical conversations about work, cars, and more work. “I didn’t realize the fun dies after you turn 30.”
Trent looks over at Decker. “You really gonna let her talk to us like that?”
Deck’s eyes grow wide. “You actually think I would have any control over her?” He shakes his head. “She’s a little spitfire.” His eyes do that lazy scan of my body, lingering a tad too long on my breasts. “Too much for me to handle.”
Heat rushes into my cheeks. I look away, trying to make it appear less obvious that clearly something is going on between us.
“Well, I’m sure as shit never gonna be less so if I’m too much for any man.” I reach down and grab the bottle of beer from Decker’s hand, bringing it to my mouth and draining it. “He can kick rocks.” I turn, putting a little extra sway in my hips as I head back out onto the dance floor.
“I’m feeling something sexy,” Brooklyn says. “With the guys over there watching, we should put on a show for them.” She grabs her wallet and walks over to select a song. A minute later, the low thump of RB floods the room.
Amelia shakes her head. “Oh God, I don’t know how to dance sexy.”
“What?” Dolly grabs her hands. “Yes, you do. Let me show you.” She places her hands on Amelia’s hips, guiding her with the rhythm of the music. “Just let it move you, yeah, like that.”
“Ranger’s going to be jealous if he sees you two,” I tease them. “Is he coming out tonight?”
“No,” Dolly frowns, “he had to get something done at the ranch.”
I close my eyes, letting my hands glide over my curves. I don’t have to look at Decker to know he’s watching me. I can feel his eyes on me, undressing me as my body bumps and grinds.
“Damn, girl, where’d you learn to move like that?” Jackson sidles up to me out of nowhere, his hands snaking around my waist, making me jump.
“Oh, hey, do you always touch women without asking?”
He laughs then realizes I’m not joking. “Oh shit, sorry, I was just trying to have some fun.”
I give him a tight smile and spin away toward my friends, whose husbands have all joined them on the dance floor along with several other couples. I stop dancing, glancing around for Decker, but I don’t see him. I’m about to walk back to the table when I feel his warm hand slide around the front of my belly, pulling me softly against him as he sways with the music.
“You want me to handle it, darlin’?”
I smile, a warm rush running over my body. “No, I handled it, but thank you.”
“Mm-hmm.”
We sway back and forth, my hand pressed against his. I close my eyes and lean against his chest, the lingering notes of his aftershave hitting me. I don’t care that our friends can see us—that anyone watching who lives in this town probably knows exactly what Decker and I are going to do when we leave here tonight.
“I’ve got some bad news.” He doesn’t stop his movements, but my eyes open and I turn my head slightly to look up and back at him. “I know we’ve only been here a short time, but I need to run over to Ranger’s. We didn’t finish what we needed to do in time before I picked you up, so I left him there, but he still needs my help.”
“Oh, okay. Are you leaving now?”
“I am.” He leads me off the dance floor. “I’ll come back and pick you up when I’m done.” My gaze falls from his eyes to his lips and I almost lean in. “I saw that.” His voice drops to that low register that has my thighs wanting to squeeze together. “Be good. I want you still standing when I pick you up.”
“Did you say shots? Someone said shots.” Brooklyn has that look—the one where she’s had just enough alcohol to make bad decisions.
“I mean, it is Fall Fest weekend.” Amelia giggles and it makes us all laugh to see someone like her, so poised and polished, shaking her ass on the dance floor and throwing back shots.
“Oh boy,” I shake my head as Brooklyn bounces to the bar and orders a round of tequila shots. “I know that this is only the beginning.”
Trent looks over at me. “Yup, which means tomorrow, I’ll be taking care of two babies: Brooklyn and our son.”
“Has she ever done shots before?” I laugh and he shakes his head.
“I’m confident she hasn’t, so tonight should be fun.”
I grab the shot and lime, licking the salt off the back of my hand and downing it. I bite down on the lime, the tequila burning as it spreads through my chest.
“Shots? Now we’re talking,” Jackson says, rejoining our group. He hands one to Matty, who downs it, shaking his head back and forth at the taste.
“Shit!” He scrunches up his face. “I should warn you guys, tequila kind of turns me into a dancing machine.” He busts a few moves, dropping down into the splits before coming up, causing all of us to ooh and ahh.
“Hell, let’s keep them coming if this is the performance we’re getting!” Tyler orders another round and we gather in a giant circle as Matty and Jackson take turns battling it out on the dance floor.
“Wait, wait, wait . . .” Dolly steps into the circle with her hands held out. “Are we about to have a dance-off?”
Suddenly it feels like there are 300 people in the bar. At the mention of a dance battle, someone jumps up on a table, cupping their hands around their mouth: “Dance battle!”
Another circle forms as people pair up, some calling out others to battle them. One girl pushes her friend into the center of the circle, but she darts out, too shy to compete. Then Carl jumps in, doing the worm. It’s a blast, the music pumping, drinks flowing, and everyone dancing.
I’ve completely lost track of time. My hair is stuck to my neck with sweat, my cheeks sore from laughing and smiling with my friends, who one by one have slowly started to head out. Finally, I leave the dance floor and grab my purse. I pull my phone out to check the time when I see several missed texts and two missed calls from Decker.
“Shit.”
I walk to the dark hallway by the bathrooms and give him a call. It rings twice before he picks up.
“Hey, I’m so sorry. I completely lost track of time and didn’t have my phone on me. Where are you?”
“In the parking lot.”
“Oh, I’ll be right out!” I hang up the phone and run to say goodbye to my friends, successfully dodging Brooklyn and Dolly’s slurred questions about if I got Jackson or Matty’s phone number. “I’ll see you girls later. Make sure you drink a lot of water!” I say after them as I head outside. Decker is already waiting for me, leaning against the passenger-side door.
“Hey, I hope you weren’t waiting long.” He doesn’t respond—just opens the door and helps me inside. “Did you get everything done?”
“We did,” he says, pulling the truck out of the parking lot. “Did you have fun?”
“I did, but I think I need a shower. That Matty guy turned out to be hilarious. I thought he was really shy or something at first, but man, he was the life of the party. He did a banana split.” Decker looks over at me like he has no idea what I’m talking about. “You know, the dance move where you go up like this and then come down?” I gesture with my fingers. “Anyway, everyone started dancing and it was crazy hot in there.”
“Any more trouble with the other young man?” His tone feels clipped, and I chalk it up to the fact that he’s probably exhausted. Plus I wouldn’t blame him for being annoyed at having to wait for me.
“No. Although Dolly and Brooklyn were still trying to get me to ask for their numbers when I left.” He doesn’t say anything. “I obviously did not get them or want them.”
His gaze stays forward, one hand resting casually atop the steering wheel, the other sitting on his thigh. I continue telling him about the rest of the night until we finally make it back to his house.
“I should really take a shower before bed,” I say when we make it to his bedroom.
“Sit,” he commands, pointing to the bed. I’m about to respond with a cheeky comment when he says it louder this time: “Sit.”
My knees buckle and I drop down on the edge of the bed.
“It ends tonight, Juniper.” He steps closer to me, looking down with fire in his eyes. “The games. The secrecy. It’s all over. You’re mine and everyone is going to know it.”