31. Chapter 31
Chapter thirty-one
Ivy
“This is bullshit.” Cooper scoffs next to me.
The fact he’s riding bitch between me and Dakota in the back seat of Maddox’s truck with a baby wipe shoved up his bleeding nose is comical.
“Well, I had it under control. I was three seconds away from inflicting permanent damage to his testicles.” Dakota glares at him. “But you had to go and do some idiotic version of the flying squirrel across the whole damn bar.”
“He grabbed your tits, Kota,” Cooper growls.
Dakota glances down at her chest. “I mean, can you blame him?”
“I swear.” He jerks out the wipe, shoving it inside his other nostril. “You need to be put on a leash from now on.”
“A leash.” She nudges his shoulder. “Who knew the golden retriever was kinky.”
I bust out a laugh, Dakota joining me as he stares straight ahead. “I hate both of you right now.”
“Cooper, she’s right.” Laiken glances back. “I’ve seen Dakota in action.”
“That’s right.” Dakota winks.
“You should have seen her the last time Rhodes tried to get to Trace.” Laiken laughs.
“When was this?” Maddox asks and Laiken stiffens immediately.
“Oh.” She fidgets in her seat. “It was a long time ago.”
Rhodes McDowell is Trace’s so called father. Biologically only . He shows up randomly, pretending to give a shit. Trace doesn’t even have his last name, but he tries to throw his weight around from time to time.
“Fuck, this hurts.” Cooper whines, thankfully taking the heat off of Laiken.
“Poor baby.” Dakota leans her head on his shoulder and slaps his thigh. “But thanks for defending my honor, Mayson. I’d punch a bitch for you too.”
The cab grows silent, and I try to hang onto the lighter mood, but I catch Maddox’s eyes in the rearview. Our conversation was interrupted, and I was kicking myself for letting my truths reveal themselves.
Why? Because he wasn’t you?
Why? Because I held onto my virginity for you?
I could tell by the look on his face, he was in shock. Which means that conversation is far from over.
We drop Laiken off at Millie’s. Twenty minutes later we’re pulling up to the ranch. When we disperse from the vehicle, Dakota helps Cooper up the stairs to the loft, while I briskly walk down the path to Maddox’s cabin. I want to crawl under the covers and hide. Pray he doesn’t prod into anything further regarding his brother or what happed between us.
It’s in the past. We’ve moved on.
Now you’re lying to yourself, Ivy.
I make it to my room, shutting the door behind me as I lean back, sagging in relief. My head thuds against the wood as I wait to hear his footsteps. I’m filled with relief, but also a hint of disappointment when I hear him enter into his room and close the door.
I can’t sleep. I’ve tossed and turned for hours, and the clock only reads three forty-seven in the morning when I glance at my phone. I groan, my hand gliding through my ratted hair before I drop it lazily back to the mattress. Climbing out of bed, I toss back the covers and creep across the room. I crack the door, listening for any sign of life before I tiptoe to the kitchen. As a kid, if I couldn’t sleep, I’d wake up in the middle of the night, grab a spoon and eat ice cream straight from the container. Somehow, dad always knew when I was up, and he would join me. It didn’t matter what time of night.
With my strawberry pint in my hand, I gently open the drawer to grab a spoon. When the first bite of sweet bliss hits my tongue, I close my eyes. But they fly open when I hear that raspy voice from behind me.
“Why?”