Chapter Twenty
Melon-colored sunlight streamed through the dinky hotel drapes like a spotlight on my face. I was down to my boxer briefs, and Maisie clung to me like a koala, my morning wood pressing into the side of her shin. The dawn sparkled on her fuchsia hair and the tiny golden hoop through her nostril. Seeing her beautiful face soft with sleep made my heart squeeze in fondness. I loved her wild side, but I craved more of her sweetness. The idea of waking up to her on my chest more often was, well, appealing.
If she cracked her eyes open, she’d be face-to-face, literally, with the notorious tattoo of my dad. Wanting to avoid another blow to my ego, I rested my hand on my pec, hoping it looked nonchalant. The slight movement made her stir in her sleep and clutch me closer.
Needy girl.
I liked that about Maisie. She needed my protection and understanding. She needed my discretion and dick. I liked that. So few people in my life had asked things from me, and when they had, I’d really fucked it up. I’d mastered fucking up things at this point.
A familiar ache settled in my chest and without thinking, I brushed Maisie’s forehead with a worried kiss.
“Huh?” she said, groggily lifting her head. “Dane? Oh god!” She immediately lowered her leg to avoid my boner.
“You obliterated the pillow wall around 3 am.” I kissed her forehead again. “Sounded like you were having a nightmare. Something about birds.”
She ran her hand through her hair, realizing it was short, and with a whimper, she tucked herself back into my chest. “I forgot where I was.”
“You’re safe,” I said, squeezing her slightly. “This is cute.” I held up her hand up to inspect a delicate ring on her thumb comprised of daisies.
“Thank you. It’s a friendship ring Kaylee and I got together in San Francisco. The daisies are a nod to the hippies, you know, flower power.” She flashed me a peace sign.
“Tell me more.” I kissed the back of her hand as she dished all about the trip they’d taken. She was wearing her big shirt and shorts, but I kinda wished we were both naked. I wanted to feel her against me in so many ways. The level of self-control I’d exhibited last night was monk level. I was proud of myself, even if no one else was.
Manwhore my ass.
The conversation meandered back to Kaylee and Harley and how weird it was that our best friends had married each other.
“Does Kaylee know you’re with me?” I asked.
“No, I didn’t want to bother her on her honeymoon. They’re supposed to be unplugged. You know, fucking each other’s brains out.” She looked up at me. “Does Harley know you’re with me?”
“No, I don’t even know if they made it to Greece safely. Har is a closed book. I’m in the dark most of the time. It was a fucking miracle he told me about Kaylee to begin with.”
“I don’t want to lie to them. I’m not Rosie,” she said dryly.
My body shook her with silent laughter.
“What?” she asked.
“I watched the whole thing unfold last year, but I only had pieces of the puzzle. I thought it was so fucking weird Rosie and Kaylee played nice after their love triangle.”
Maisie bolted straight up in the bed to turn to look at me. “I know, right?”
“It’s unnatural. I’m not saying there needed to be a catfight, but it was so after school special of them to get along. Like a Saved by the Bell episode or something.” She bobbed her head in enthusiasm, clearly loving the dirt, so I went on. “They kept trying to set me up with Rosie, but I could tell she was seeing someone else. I low-key thought she went back to that creep in Boston who cheated on them to begin with.”
“No!” She gasped. “Tyler? You though Rosie went back to Tyler?”
“Yeah, I figured she was ducking out with him again and didn’t want to tell Kaylee because it would fuck up her portion of the business. I mean, that makes sense, right?”
“It does. Wow.”
“I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to hurt Kaylee. But I was wrong. I figured out it was Carson but didn’t give a shit at that point. I was dating this tourist last summer and it kinda fucked me up. I didn’t have time to worry about other people’s drama.”
“Why do you do that?” she asked.
“Do what?”
“Act like it’s some affliction that you have to date all the tourists. I mean, wouldn’t it be easier to be honest with yourself?”
I leaned back in the bed, away from her. “You think I date because I don’t want to settle down?”
“Um, yeah. Isn’t that the whole point? The women you date are just visiting Pine Bluff. When their summer vacation is over or their seasonal job has ended, they pack up and leave. Zero commitment.”
“You honestly think I like being left every summer? After spending weeks, sometimes months with a woman, hoping she stays?”
She shrugged, fiddling with her thumb ring. “I mean, someone might stay.”
“No one stays.”
A loaded silence punched the air between us. Finally, Maisie looked up with big, na?ve eyes. “Maybe instead of others staying, you need to leave?”
“I can’t.”
She scoffed. “Why not?”
“I have to work for myself. My shop is all I have.”
“I’m sure another garage would love a mechanic like you.”
“I can’t work for anyone but myself. You’re just going to have to take my word for it. Speaking of businesses, when are you going to tell Kaylee something is up with Pretty Kitty?”
Her mouth gaped then wavered halfway shut. “How did you know?”
It was my turn to shrug. “Lucky guess. I figured if it was business as usual, you wouldn’t be blazing through town with a hearse filled with vibrators.” We both chuckled. “Was that the last of your inventory?”
She pulled her knees to her chest, bracing her forearms on her shins. “It’s not like that. I’m actually getting offers to be acquired by investors. I’m trying to decide on how to proceed.”
“A chain of Pretty Kitties?” I teased.
“Yeah, turns out sexually repressed Republicans really love adult videos and BDSM. Are we shocked?”
“No. But why are you ashamed to tell Kaylee? That’s great news.”
“She has that antiestablishment streak to her; you know, fuck the man and corporate greed and all. I mean, look at her parents. I’m pretty sure her birth certificate has pressed flowers on it and was signed by a shaman at some drum circle.”
God, she was witty.
“You’re not wrong, but she doesn’t have to agree with what you do with your business.”
She fiddled with the edge of the sheets. “I know, but she helped me open it.”
“What if you gave her a cut?”
“I was already going to do that, but it’s more than just money.”
“What if you loop her in with your new plans? Make her feel included again.”
“That’s just it. I don’t know what to do with myself. But it’s a really good offer. I’m supposed to be in Seattle to meet the investors at the end of June.”
“What if you helped her out with Silver Springs? Return the favor? You could stay at my cottage for free.”
“Oh god, you’re shameless, aren’t you? I can’t believe you just threw that out there.” She turned her head toward the window.
“Why would I be ashamed?”
“Because you want me in Pine Bluff.”
“Again, what’s so shameful about that?”
Her gaze flitted back to me with a stern stare. “Wouldn’t you feel like you’re entrapping me?”
“No, it would be a fresh start.” I trailed my knuckles up her shin. “With people who care about you.”
“It would be a trap. The town would never feel like mine. It would be Kaylee’s, or yours. Hell, if we want to get technical about it, it would be Harley that brought me there.”
I pulled my hand away to rub my scruff. “Wow, you have zero intention of doing this, don’t you?”
“What is this?”
“Never mind, tornado. We can play it how you feel it.”
“Did you just quote Fleetwood Mac?”
I tilted my head, letting my neck crack. “Unintentionally, yes.”
She twisted her thumb ring around with her pointer finger. “My whole road trip was for me to get away from it all. Sort my thoughts, come up with a plan. How would following you back solve anything?”
“It was just an offer.”
“I’m sorry. I’m not close to feeling like I even know you.”
“Maisie, be real,” I chided, dipping my chin, sick of her act.
She let out a nervous hum, lifting her pink eyebrows.
“You know me, and I know you. The second we met, that part was undeniable. Listen, I don’t believe in all this woo-woo stuff you and Kaylee do, but I believe in the basics, and without it sounding cliché, I think we both know this isn’t our first lifetime bumping into each other.”
She snorted. “Oh my god, did you just call me your soulmate?”
I locked my eyes on her, letting the moment be whatever it would be. My truth was one of my best assets—I knew that. “I think it’s safe to say you feel familiar. And maybe a part of this is why it’s so jarring to be around each other. It’s intense, don’t you agree?”
“Yes,” she whispered, dropping her legs from where she shielded her chest.
“And we have some things to explore.”
She continued to stare at me, really taking me in. “Who knows what we’re going to find in each other.”
“Well, aside from you always being on the verge of bolting, I like what I’m finding so far.”
“I like what I’m finding so far,” she echoed. “I just . . .”
“You’re cagey. I get it.”
Her stomach gurgled loud enough to hear. “And bordering on hangry,” she offered, zapping our reverie with practicality.
I got up from the bed, picking her up like a bride just because I could. She giggled and wrapped her arms around my neck. “Are you a waffle or pancake person?”
She kissed my cheek. “I don’t discriminate when it comes to breakfast food.”
“One more tally on the board of why I like you.”