“I wouldn’t have missed it. Get some sleep, honey.”
Taking that as a command instead of a gentle suggestion, Whit falls asleep almost instantly. Her head lolls back and forth against my shoulder on the winding highway, so I reach up and keep a firm yet tender hold on the side of her face for the entire trip back to Wells Canyon.
When we finally pull into her driveway shortly before two a.m., it feels like I have sand in my eyes. And that sand is on fire. “Whit. Honey.We’re home.”
Her eyes slowly blink to a partially open state, and she lazily paws at the drool on her cheek. She points to the wet spot on my shoulder and gives me a small smile. “Oh, God. Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay. It matches my jeans now.” I smooth down her bedhead and gesture at her boots on the floorboard. “Let’s get you to a proper bed.”
Together we stumble toward her front door—the air’s still warm considering the late hour, but there’s a breeze that flirts with the hem of her short dress. After a few seconds of fumbling with her keys, she turns to me. “Are you staying the night?”
“Oh, I wasn’t planning on it.”
Her piercing green eyes pin me in place. “Stay.”
The door swings open, and I’m stepping inside without argument. She holds tight to my arm for balance as she pulls her boots back off. The house is pitch-black and eerily quietwithout Jonas around, although I’m sure the blood pounding behind my ears would drown out most noise anyway.
I trip over a pair of his sneakers in the entryway, nearly bringing us both crashing to the ground, and Whit laughs under her breath.
“Consider yourself lucky you weren’t here when there were a million toys to trip over constantly.” She tugs my arm, guiding me up the stairs, with no idea how much I would’velovedto have met her and Jonas years sooner. “That kid used to be even messier than he is now, if you can believe it.”
After a quick detour to the hallway bathroom to clean myself up and calm my nerves, I let Whit guide me into her bedroom. It’s small, cozy, and makes up for the minimalist style Whit seems to have adopted through the rest of her home. It’s as if I’ve stepped directly into Whit’s brain. All the things she hides from the outside world. Her hobbies, passions, and memories.
She heads straight for her dresser and rummages through drawers. And I take that time to peruse the pins and books and random knickknacks scattered across a desk. All the so-callednaughtythings she told me she couldn’t keep in the living room.
“You’re a bit of a horndog, eh?” I pick up the third cock-shaped enamel pin in a row.
Immediately dropping what she’s doing, she spins on her heel with a snarl that reminds me of a feral barn cat and a rosy blush across her cheeks. “I am not!”
“I wasn’t saying that like it’s a bad thing. In fact, it’s my second favorite thing after your insane racing simulator talent.”
She finally closes the drawer, walking toward me with balled-up clothing in her hands. Pajamas, I assume. She tosses them onto the bed. “Do you mind getting the zipper on my dress for me? I can reach it, if I really have to, but it requires nearly dislocating my shoulder.”
“Of course.” I shut my eyes for a second as she turns her back to me, trying my damnedest to screw my head on straight. My brain feels like a night sky filled with bursting fireworks. Has since the second I laid eyes on her in the bar.
Trembling, I stare at the zipper with the confusion of a toddler who has no idea how this contraption works. Make that a confused ape, based on the awkward way my curled knuckles brush her silky brown hair out of my way.
“Colt…about tonight. I…I’m sorry.” Her shaky voice gives me pause. “In your truck…on your leg…God, that was seriously crossing a line. I can’t believe I did that.”
“What did I tell you at the bar? You shouldn’t give a shit what I think.” The dress unzips a little further, so now I can see she hasn’t been wearing a bra all night. “It’s just me, Whit. You never need to feel that way with me.”
“But—well…I value our friendship.” Her shoulders roll to let the straps fall down her arms.
My breathing stalls at her words. Her creamy, freckled shoulders. The sweep of hair across the nape of her neck. The sight of her bare skin’s a nitrous oxide injection, accelerating my heart rate instantaneously.
“I value our friendship, too.” I dip my head down to push my luck with a kiss to her right shoulder.
“Colt.” The way she giggles my name is my new favorite sound in the world.
“What?” I act innocent, dragging my bottom lip along her trap muscle. “I do value our friendship. More than anything.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Hurt me. Whip me.”I kiss her shoulder once more.“Choke me.”And again.“Walk me like a dog.”And again.
She sighs, leaning back into me. “That’s…that’s not what…”
“My body’s been battered and bruised more times than I can count. I’m sure my heart can take whatever you throw at it.”
