Chapter 20
Scotty
Ipull into Tyler and Amelia’s long drive just as the sun starts to drop behind the hills. Music drifts out from the backyard, accompanied by laughter. It’s the sounds of the easy chaos of a Slade party. Half the damn town must be here.
I kill the engine and sit there for a second, thumb brushing over the smooth silver chain sitting heavy in my pocket. The locket’s clean and fixed, the clasp repaired, polished so it catches the light. Nate Palmer handed it to me this afternoon, letting me know it’s better than new.
I climb out of the truck, grab a beer from the cooler by the porch, and scan the crowd, looking for Adrienne. She’s standing near the outdoor kitchen, the last remaining rays of sunlight catching the gold in her hair.
I’m staring, but I don’t give a shit. She looks damn adorable in that denim skirt, boots, and a white tank that dips low enough to make me lose my train of thought. Feels good just to look. Feels better knowing she’s mine, even if no one else knows it yet.
She’s talking with Dolly and Brooklyn, head tipped back as she laughs, and for a second, I just watch her.
Beyond her physical beauty, that woman is stunning down to her bones.
The crazy thing is, even if she hadn’t fought for me, even if I’d just broken her heart and walked away, she’d still never hate me over it. She’s not that kind of person.
Her eyes shift away from her friends every minute or so, glancing around the room.
She says something to Juniper, then looks away from the group.
She’s scanning the crowd, like she’s looking for someone.
When her eyes find me, they light up, a huge smile taking over her entire face, and damn if it doesn’t hit me right in the gut.
I pull out my phone and type her a quick text.
Me: You look beautiful, baby.
She glances down at her phone in her hand when it buzzes, reads the message, then looks back up at me. Her lips curve, barely, like she’s trying not to show it. But she doesn’t reply. So I push. Because I can’t help myself.
Me: You know I’ve been thinking about you on your knees… You never finished.
She reads it, bites her lip, cheeks flushing. Shakes her head like she’s scolding me, but that smile gives her away. I grin into my beer.
Yeah. She feels it too.
I make my way over slowly, talking with a few people as I pass—Ranger gives me that knowing look, Axel just raises a brow but doesn’t say anything. He’s been watching me more lately. I can’t blame him. If he knew half the things I even thought about doing to his sister, he’d lay me out flat.
By the time I reach Adrienne’s circle, she’s mid-story, the girls hanging on every word. Brooklyn spots me first. “Well, look who decided to show up. We were starting to think you got lost.”
“Would’ve been here sooner,” I say easily, eyes sliding to Adrienne, “but I had to make a stop in town.”
“Priorities,” Dolly teases, nudging Adrienne. “You hear that? Man’s got things to do.”
Adrienne smirks. “Scotty always has things to do.”
There’s a flirty undertone to her voice. One that makes my pulse kick.
“Not doing anything right now.” I take a long pull from my beer, eyes never leaving hers. “But who knows, might be doing all kinds of things later.”
Brooklyn whistles, Adrienne smiles but rolls her eyes, cheeks pink. But I don’t look away. I want her to see it, to feel it. Then Dolly, with her not-so-subtle meddling, pipes up. “I just still can’t believe Adrienne Slade’s the only single one left standing in the group.”
“I know, right?” she joins right in, “who would’ve thought career Barbie would be married to her job?” Laughter ripples through the group. Adrienne laughs too, light and easy, but it twists something in my chest.
Single?
I wait. Give her the chance to say something. To correct them, to tell them she’s not single. But she doesn’t. She just shrugs, brushing it off like it’s nothing.
“Guess I’m picky.”
The words slide under my skin. Not because she’s wrong, but because I hate the way everyone looks at her like she’s still fair game.
“Maybe you just haven’t been claimed yet.”
Her head snaps toward me. “Claimed?”
“Yeah,” I smirk, getting a rise out of her. “You know. Taken. Branded.”
Her brow arches. “You offering?”
I take a step closer, enough for her perfume to hit me. She looks up at me with a cocky smile. “Thought I already did.”
Her breath hitches, but she covers it with a sharp little smile. “Pretty sure I’d remember if you had.”
The group has gone quiet; they’re all watching us now, some grinning, some pretending not to be listening. It’s all banter on the surface, but underneath, I can feel the current, and I know she can too. It’s written all over her face.
I lean in, murmur near her ear, “Maybe I need to remind you.”
That does it. She steps back, mumbling something about needing air, and turns toward the barn. The group turns to look at me.
“What the hell was that about?” Juniper has a knowing look on her face… they all do.
“She just needed some air.” I smile, giving them nothing. I wait just long enough not to make it obvious, then follow.
The barn’s dark except for the faint string lights bleeding through the cracks in the wood. The air’s cooler in here, and it’s quieter; the sounds outside are slightly muffled.
Adrienne’s halfway across the space when I step inside. She stops when she hears the door creak, glancing over her shoulder. Before she can say anything, I catch her wrist.
“Scotty—”
I pull her to me. Hard. Her breath catches just before my mouth crushes hers. It isn’t gentle. It’s a damn storm breaking loose. I pour out every ounce of jealousy, frustration, need I’ve been choking down since the second she laughed off that single comment.
She gasps, but her hands are already gripping my shirt, pulling me closer.
“You’re out of your mind,” she breathes against my mouth, but she’s kissing me back like she wants to drown in it. “The door isn’t even fully closed.”
“Maybe,” I rasp, kissing her again, rougher. My thumb slides under her jaw, tilting her head just right. “But you’re not single.” Her lips part, like she wants to argue, but I don’t let her. My mouth drags down her throat, tasting the salt of her skin. “Why didn’t you say anything back there?”
She doesn’t answer. Just exhales shakily, her body arching toward me.
“You should’ve,” I murmur. “You should’ve told them who the hell you belong to.”
“Scotty—”
“No,” I cut her off as I pressed her back against the barn wall.
The sound of the crowd outside growing louder with laughter for a second.
“You think I’m gonna stand there and listen to people talk about you like you’re fair game?
That you don’t already have someone who’d tear the world apart for you? ”
Her pulse flutters under my palm when I slide my hand up her thigh, pushing the hem of her skirt higher.
“Maybe you need a reminder.”
Her breath stutters. “They could hear us.”
“Probably.” My mouth grazes her ear, my fingers sliding between her legs, under the thin lace. “But that’s not going to stop me.” I tip her chin toward me. “Look at me. You’re not single. I’m the one you think about when you touch yourself. The one who makes you fall apart with one hand.”
Her knees nearly give out when my fingers find her slick and ready. I groan, dragging my thumb over her clit. “Jesus, baby. Already wet for me?”
She shivers, hands fisting in my shirt.
“You know what I thought tonight?” I whisper, lips brushing her temple. “When I told you we were here together, I thought that made it pretty damn clear who you were with. Who you belonged to.”
She whimpers when I push two fingers inside her, my other hand braced against the base of her throat. The rhythm’s slow at first, teasing. “But maybe I need to spell it out.”
Her breath comes faster, her hips rolling against my hand.
“Say it,” I growl, my forehead pressed to hers. “Say you’re mine.”
“Scotty—”
I pull back, fingers still buried inside her, but holding still. “Not until you say it.”
She glares, panting, trembling.
“Say. It.”
Her voice breaks, a whisper caught on a moan. “I’m yours.”
The sound of it damn near undoes me.
“Again.”
“I’m yours.”
That’s all I need. I pull my hand free, grab her by the hips, and lift her. Her legs wrap around my waist on instinct, her fingers sliding into my hair as my mouth crashes back onto hers. The kiss is desperate, wild, teeth and breath and everything we’ve been trying to hold back.
Her dress rides up around her hips, my jeans rough against her thighs. She presses herself against me, desperate to finish. But then she’s tugging my shirt, reaching for my belt.
“Put me down. Let me finish what I started in the garage.” She climbs down from my arms, sinking to her knees. I reach out, hooking one hand beneath her armpit, the other reaching for my belt.
“Oh fuck no baby, not right now.” I undo my jeans, freeing my cock. “I need to fuck you.” I lift her again, pressing her back against the large column behind her. “Pull your panties aside for me.”
She does, and I reach down to line my cock up.
She’s already tilting her pelvis forward, trying to get my cock into her pussy faster.
“Oh, look at you,” I toy with her, sliding the head of my cock up and down the length of her pussy.
“You’re desperate for cock. Miss Adrienne Slade is a little slut for my cock isn't she?”
“Only for your cock.” She moans, accepting me as I slide several inches inside her.
The second she says that, I lose it. “That’s right, all nine, thick inches of my cock.”