Chapter Fourteen
I woke up to a selfie from Kaylee with Harley conked out on her shoulder on their way to Greece. Apparently, lumber daddy was hella claustrophobic. She’d had a plan to offer him half a Xanax once they got past TSA to soothe his nerves about being trapped on a plane. I guessed that plan had worked.
With her well on her way to her honeymoon, I felt silly being in Maine. Dane set the check out at the cottage to 11 o’clock, but I was already up and ready by 9 am. I was gnawing at my lip, taking in all the details of his family home when he swung by with coffee. I was too ashamed to face him. I mean, what kind of person bailed on someone after damn near grinding their way to a mutual orgasm?
Then he made the horrifying discovery of a note Boyd must’ve left for me. What creeper left a note on a stranger’s car simply stating found you . Well, I guessed a creep for starters. But knowing he had tracked me down and took the effort to type it out, print it, and deliver it to me gave me major heebie-jeebies.
I folded the note with shaky hands, stuffing it into my small crossbody purse before wheeling my suitcase out to my car. My plan was set. I would swing by Tilly’s, get my cards, and then haul ass out of town, not even making a pit stop until I was low on gas. I had a hotel room reserved in Philly tonight, then two more days of travel to clear my head. After that, I’d have a clearer game plan on what to do with my life back in Texas. Some time spent on the open road would do me good.
Main Street was blocked off with cones, so I had to find a back road and park in the neighborhood behind Tilly’s. Hustling, I marched up to the front door, only to find they weren’t even open until 11 am on Sundays.
“Fuck!” I whimpered, checking my phone, confirming it wasn’t even 10.
“Hey, Maisie!” A bright voice came from behind me.
I turned, shielding my eyes in the morning light. “Oh, hi, Azalea! What’s all this for?” I asked, gesturing to the crowd forming on the street.
“It’s a parade and festival for fiddlehead season.”
“What the fuck is a fiddlehead?” I asked with a snort.
Azalea tucked a shiny strand of brown hair behind her ear with a smile. “It’s a baby fern we fry up. Kinda tastes like asparagus but sweeter. They’re about to go out of season.”
“Y’all Mainers eat some weird shit. Bright red hot dogs, whoopie pies, ferns. At least in Texas, you know what part of the cow you’re grilling.”
“You have a point.” She looked me up and down. “Hey, I saw you danced with Dane last night. You guys looked so cute together. That wasn’t how he looks at other tourists. I can tell you that for damn sure.”
I let out a deep sigh, bracing myself to lean against the sturdy door handle of Tilly’s. “Azalea, I love ya, but you can’t keep bringing this up. The last two times you were either drunk or in the midst of a menstrual cup removal.”
She giggled bashfully. “I know, I know! But hear me out! I know I’m biased, as he was my first love. My first everything really, but he’s a good guy. I don’t even know why we stopped dating. I think one of us got mono or something stupid.” A corner of her mouth lifted. “It wouldn’t surprise me if only half the rumors are true.”
I playfully rolled my eyes at her. “Half? That’s giving him too much credit. Let’s settle on two-thirds.”
“You can’t blame the guy for being an extrovert and dating a lot. It’s just who he is.”
She was right. That was just Dane— friendly and unashamed. I liked that. What you saw was what you got.
“I’m not trying to pressure you, but Kaylee says he attends almost every yoga and meditation class she holds at the community center, like he’s on some self-discovery. Viviane at the bookstore has been complaining about finding books for the poor guy. I guess he’s blazing through like five Western novels a week. He’s home reading, not out raising hell. I don’t want to sit here and preach that he’s a changed man, but I really think you’ve inspired him.”
“Good to know,” I said, fighting the gnawing feeling in my stomach that he was probably just as lonely and tormented as I was.
She lifted a brow. “I saw him look at you for the first time at that engagement party. He lit up. Interrupted our conversation with Noah and everything. We all watched it. It was like a moth to a flame.”
Everyone witnessed Dane seeing me for the first time?
“That night was kind of a blur,” I mumbled.
But that was a lie. I remembered it all. Every smile, every joke, every prolonged, little touch.
The newfound information Azalea had given me and the delay Tilly’s created was like a mirror being held up to my face, forcing me to see my shortsightedness.
I needed answers, dammit. Even if it was a final fuck or me explaining how he made me feel. I would be an idiot to leave here without saying my piece, even if the threatening note from Boyd was burning a hole in my purse. I had an hour to kill. I needed my I.D. and credit card to check into all my hotel rooms. It was as simple as that. It was a barrier to getting home at this point. Maybe fate wanted me to talk to Dane.
Azalea gestured up the street. “Noah snagged a spot for me to watch the parade with him up a little closer to Silver Springs. Want to join us?”
“I think I’ll pass.” I hugged her goodbye and before I knew it, my feet were clomping in the opposite direction, my hand flinging the door open at Dane’s.
“Sorry, Lennie didn’t lock the damn door. I’m closed on Sundays!” he yelled from somewhere inside.
I shut the door behind me. “Dane, it’s me.” I made my way past the lobby, into the dim shop just in time to see him twisting a bolt into a narrow spot under a truck that was lifted. His dexterous fingers moved with ease. A rush of heat erupted across my chest as I thought of other things his fingers could do with such skillful circular motion.
“What are you doing here?” he asked over his shoulder with a crumpled brow, killing my daydream.
I inched farther inside the shadowy shop. “I-I have some questions for you.”
He sighed, stepping away from his work to hastily wash his hands. “What questions could you possibly have for me? I thought we were just some fling,” he spat as he dried his hands before walking to stand in front of me.
He was in navy coveralls, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his tattoos on display. He was still heartbreakingly gorgeous, but the pained, guarded expression on his face was so foreign to me.
I dropped my purse and flung myself at him full force. “I’m sorry,” I breathed.
He caught me, wrapping his arms around me in a bear hug, hauling me closer.
“I’m so sorry,” I repeated, feeling my face pinch where I buried it against his chest.
He broke the hug to look at me, his large hands holding my face. The second our eyes locked, our mouths clashed in a fierce kiss.
I hadn’t kissed him since the engagement party. The second his lips met mine, I questioned why I hadn’t kissed him sooner. Everything around us might be confusing as hell, but this , this made perfect sense. Our lips brushing, our breaths mingling, our chests pressed tight. It was all a devotion to the unspeakable truth that we had something here, together.
The man knew what he was doing. He started out slow, letting me unravel and open up to him while holding my neck with one hand while the other clutched my lower back. His lips glided over mine, coaxing a little moan out of me before he teased my tongue with his.
I was completely lost in him already.
He tore off my jacket before he walked me backwards, pushing me against the wall, the air only slightly escaping my lungs before I gasped for other reasons as he hitched me up, my legs locking around his torso.
“I missed kissing you,” I said breathlessly, feeling weightless as he held me. I ran my hands through his short hair, needing to feel as much of him as possible.
He covered me with more kisses in response. Pure desire and surrender flooded me, creating a buzz.
He whisked me to the hood of a bright red muscle car, the cool metal sending tingles up my spine as he laid me down, his brawny body covering me as he leaned over, never breaking the kiss. His hand slid under my ass, holding me closer to his body as we started a slow grind, every kiss, every grab hungrier and hungrier.
I frantically unzipped his coveralls, freeing his arms to reveal a white undershirt. “I need you,” I said, admiring how his muscles moved under the thin fabric.
“Want you,” he murmured as he kissed down my neck, his fingers traveling up my shirt, baring my stomach just in time for his lips to kiss the flesh. Flashbacks of the forest filled my mind. I couldn’t be intimate with him at this angle, with him over me, seeing all of me. As weird as it was, I needed a shred of privacy during such an intimate act.
I pushed him back so I could jump off the hood.
“What are you doing?” He wiped his mouth. “I was just getting started.”
“I need you in me.” I pushed the coveralls lower, grabbing his cock out of his underwear only to take it with a bold pump.
He bit back a strangled groan as we both watched his length fully stiffen in my grasp as my other hand cupped his balls. Somewhere outside, I heard a whistle in the crowd for the parade. I was brought back to reality when his hands affectionately touched my shoulders, cueing that he wanted me to lie back, probably to eat me out, but I wasn’t able to give him that. Instead, I let go of his dick long enough to shuck my pants down to my boots.
Bare-assed, I turned my back to him to press my chest against the hood of the car. “Please, please fuck me.” It was rushed and needy, but I didn’t care. I needed to fuck him to forget him. I just needed to feel him inside me in the hopes that I could get him out of me, out of my mind, my heart, my secret wishes.
His hand trailed down my backbone. “Maisie, baby.”
I arched my back, but with my pants around my shins, I couldn’t really spread my legs so I doubted he could see everything. Nonetheless, I had never been so bold, not even with Conner.
Dane’s body lunged forward, cock first, pinning me to the car. It was then I noticed that the long oval windows dotting the tops of each garage door were the only things keeping us from the loud clanging of the parade just past the metal barrier. If someone was tall, they could peek in and watch us in the shadows. With the parade starting, more and more people were flooding the sidewalk, the tips of people’s heads with the occasional face streaming by. I could hear the marching band dribbling up something resembling a beat, a rogue baby’s shrill cry, and the ruffle of female laughter.
“Uh, fuck.” I moaned, feeling his dick press into one of my cheeks as his arm snaked around me, his hand gently holding the front of my throat.
“Tell me you’ll stay another night,” he whispered in my ear.
“Fuck me!” I breathed.
He rolled his hips slightly, gliding his dick against me. “You want that? You want all these people a glimpse away from seeing you getting properly fucked over the hood of this car?”
“Yes,” I hissed, closing my eyes, praying this was going to work.
“Tell me you’ll stay,” he repeated, his tone enticingly smooth and low. “One.” Thrust . “More.” Thrust. “Night.”
I whimpered while shifting against him, feeling hot trails of pre-cum slather my ass.
Taking my silence as an answer, he pulled back, taking his cock and body heat with him. “I can’t do this! You’re such a mindfuck, Maisie!” He shoved his length back inside his coveralls, zipping them up.
I pulled up my pants, tears stinging my eyes. Why am I like this? Why can’t I be normal? My voice broke when I spat, “I hate you!”
He picked up a red, tattered rag. “Just go!” He gestured to the door.
“Fine! I will. Go open Tinder and find your next fix!”
“I don’t need Tinder! I have a fucking face!” he bellowed.
“Yes, a very punchable face! Oh god, you’re fucking unbelievable!” I shrugged on my jacket and snatched up my purse. “You know what, for all these months, what happened in that forest haunted me. Now I see it was the biggest blessing. I didn’t get trapped here with your bullshit!”
“I sleep just fine at night knowing I’m not a grade-A hypocrite like you, darlin’! You preach sex positivity, but you’ve done nothing but shame me. Then when you want to get fucked, you go about it in the most degrading way possible. Your friend is married. Congrats. Now get the fuck out of my town already!”
I skulked past him, unable to break eye contact, knowing it was likely the last time I’d see him. I pushed the door open to his shop, and the parade assaulted me with the harsh daylight and brash beats from the marching band. I shielded my eyes from the sun, determined to just wait in front of Tilly’s for my cards before leaving.
For a small town, Pine Bluff really drew out a parade crowd. I waded through the sea of people at a painfully slow rate. Looking ahead, I saw Boyd leaning against a brick building, holding the straps of his bulletproof vest like he was hot shit. My blood ran cold and my heart crashed against my ribs as I slid behind a woman, hoping her height shielded me, but because of how painfully polite Mainers were, she allowed me more room. Her side-step created a perfect window for Boyd to spot me.
He kicked up from the wall, his jaw grinding in anticipation of his next pursuit. All the nerves on the back of my neck and down my spine prickled at the sight of the evil smirk on his face. His open threat from when he pulled me over rang in my head.
You come into town acting like a fucking slut, you’ll have to eventually deal with the consequences.
Following my gut instinct, I smooshed myself further in the crowd, using their bodies as a defense, knowing damn well he wouldn’t take me if it caused a scene. For once, I was grateful my hair was currently dark and not my usual pink. That would’ve been a dead giveaway. Instead, I blended in with the crowd, ducking and weaving, albeit impolitely, through the mass of spectators. I almost tripped over a wagon with a little toddler in it, gaining a side-eye from the mom when I grabbed her arm to steady myself.
Judging my options, I knew my car and Silver Springs were too far. In the other direction, all I could see was the two-story corner building painted white with a mural on the side stating Dane’s Auto. It was like a beacon of safety. Safety that would surely come at a price.
Just get to the door. You just need to make it to the door. My intuition rang repeatedly as I roved closer, ready to pathetically barge inside, begging for sanctuary. When I pulled at the door I’d previously stormed out of, it was locked. I looked over my shoulder, clocking Boyd in the crowd about 30 yards away, his head on a swivel.
Bolting along the side of the building, I prayed both the back gated lot and door to his shop were open. A low rumbling morphed with the din of the parade. There Dane was, seated on his motorcycle, picking up the helmet. The bike was black-on-black, and, similar to Dane, it looked sexy, tough, and unpretentious.
His brows furrowed as I ran up to him.
“Please, help me!” I attempted to suck in a breath, fighting hyperventilation.
He stood up from his bike. “Maisie, what’s wrong?”
“I need to hide. Please!” I pleaded, on the verge of hysterics.
"Then get on the bike."
“Please.” I held the lapels of his leather jacket. “I’m begging you. Can I just hide in your shop until the parade is over?” I chanced a look over my shoulder to make sure the coast was still clear. I fought a sob turning back to him. “Boyd is after me. Please, he can’t find me!”
Dane’s eyes shot wide in horror as he put the helmet over my head.
“What the hell is your plan?” I asked, panic bleeding into my tone.
“Getting you the hell out of Dodge,” he answered, belting the strap under my chin before sliding the face cover down. He pulled out sunglasses from his jacket as I stood there with too many thoughts in my head. Scowling, he looked at my patched denim jacket and tried to tuck some of my hair peeking out of the helmet. When that didn’t work, he shucked off his leather jacket, helping me into it and popping the collar.
Taking a seat on the bike, he instructed, “Keep your shoulders close to your ears to hide as much of you as possible. If he stops us, don’t say a fucking word, do you hear me?”
I nodded, sliding in behind him, wrapping my arms around his solid body. With a stomp of his foot and the twist of his wrist, the bike roared to life. If I wasn’t already shaking, the power of the motor would’ve made my entire body tremble. Two seconds prior, I’d felt helpless, but now I felt unstoppable with this much power between my legs and my body pressed against Dane’s dense back.
He paused at the gate, calculating his route. The side road I’d run up led to a neighborhood that was butted up against one of the bluffs, essentially creating a dead end. The other way was Main Street, clogged with festivities.
Boldly turning, Dane rolled toward the crowded sidewalk, revving in quick bursts as if to politely make his request to pass known. People parted slowly as he inched closer, gaining some annoyed looks. In the crowd, Boyd stumbled closer to us, his baton already drawn. His eyes tracked us, like he was trying to figure out if I was on the back of the bike. I could see it all painted on his face—hunger for power, straight-up suspicion, jealousy of Dane, and density in thought.
Dane continued merging on Main Street, audaciously weaving around the parade floats in the process as I clutched his body close, squeezing my eyes shut, while his bike howled through Pine Bluff, taking us far from Boyd and into the unknown in more ways than one.