“Uh—yeah,” Priest stumbled briefly. “Yeah, of course,” he added, recovering quickly. “Okay,” my adopted sister replied shyly, “that sounds fun.”
“I’ll pick you up at eight.”
Indi rolled her eyes and smirked at Priest. “Pick me up? From where, down the hall? I can just meet you in the lot.” Priest stood from his stooland walked into the space between Indigo’s knees, where she sat facing him on the barstool. I was glad he chose the “hair tuck behind the ear” move when he delivered his parting lines to her because if he’d leaned into her ear to speak them instead, I’d never have been able to hear it. “You’ll wait in your room for me to come knocking. You deserve to be picked up at the door, not honked at in a lot like a hooker. Any man lucky enough to deserve your time better show you the respect you deserve. Got it, angel?”
Oh, well done, you clever bastard.Indigo’s face was flushed as she said, “I deserve respect. Got it.” Priest kissed her on the forehead.
“Good girl. I have a phone call scheduled in a few moments with Clover. I’ll see you tomorrow at eight.” Indigo’s eyes caught mine after she dragged them away from Priest’s retreating form. I grinned at her and made the “okay” gesture with a wink.
“Get it, lil’ sis,” I teased.
She threw a wadded-up napkin at me with an embarrassed, “Shut up, conscience.” Indi hopped down from her seat and galloped over to Lennon, dragging her up the stairs. I tipped the beer Knuckles had left me to Ace’s picture and took a swig, pleased I’d gotten the tea without having to endure girl talk for once.
Chapter 22
Indigo
“Ohmibob, this is so good! Did you make this?” I wiggled happily in my seat as I took a bite of my sandwich, perched on a blanket spread over Sheila’s hood. Priest had knocked on my door at eight o’clock on the dot, and I was treated to a sexy smile when I opened it. Priestescortedme to Sheila, making me feel very fancy. I drew the line at handing him the keys, though. Sheila didn’t know Priest that well, and I figured they should ease into their relationship from the passenger seat.
Priest navigated while I drove and tried to guess what he had planned. We rolled through Sagebrush and into an area on the outskirts of town I wasn’t familiar with. We turned into a large lot, the entrance guarded by a single man in a faded trucker hat sitting on a folding chair. His feet were propped on a dusty red-and-white chest cooler. Priest passed mesome cash to hand the man, who took it without looking our way and waved us on with a raspy, “Enjoy the show.”
I parked Sheila in the lot, which contained a few other vehicles. “I hope you like old Will Farrell movies, angel,” Priest said with a wink as he climbed out of Sheila and walked around to her rear doors. I turned in my seat as he opened them and watched as Priest grabbed a basket and blanket that definitely weren’t there earlier today. Priest walked to Sheila’s hood and began to spread a blanket out, placing the basket down by his feet and crooking a finger to me through the glass of her windshield. As if in a daze, I climbed out of Sheila and went to Priest, who grabbed my hips and lifted me onto the hood of the van.
He handed me the basket before gently settling himself next to me, careful not to damage Sheila. “There’s a double feature tonight,AnchormanandSuperstar. I thought we could have a picnic and watch the movies. This way, Sheila won’t be left out.” I practically swooned at the thoughtfulness of my Growly Gus. The drive-in movie lot filled in a bit more, but there was enough distance between vehicles to give us the illusion of privacy. Priest unpacked the picnic basket he’d prepared, handing me a paper plate and napkin along with one of the thickest sandwiches I’d ever seen. Generous slices of garlicky roast beef were topped with loads of yummy veggies and a spicy mayo, all packed into a fluffy roll. It was pure bliss in sandwich form.
Priest wore a small, satisfied smile as he watched me eat. He was supposed to be watching the movie playing on the giant, patched screen across the lot, but every time I peeked at him between bites, he was caressing me with his gaze. Priest had packed bottles of water and cans of soda in his basket, which he wouldn’t let me dig into because he said he had a surprise for dessert. We both munched, laughed, and flirted (awkwardly on my part)through the first movie. As the credits rolled, Priest stowed our trash and the basket back in Sheila’s cargo area, and I took a moment to breathe and wonder at the knowledge thatIwas on an all-American wet dream of a first date.
He'd been so thoughtful and sweet, watching me watch the movie, which I’d never seen before. It was like he was having fun simply by observing me enjoying myself and experiencing something new.Is that what love is?The question filtered from my mind and into my chest,where it steeped until it was ready to be honestly examined. The closing of Sheila’s doors snapped my mind from my rose-colored thoughts. Priest settled himself back onto Sheila’s hood and presented me with the sexiest dessert I’d ever seen. “Is that…” My eyes snapped from his offering to his face, which was lit up with pleasure and amusement. “Yeah, angel. It is. Now open those pretty pink lips for me, I have something you’re gonna want to taste.”
For once, my lady lizard brain and her more evolved frontal cortex metaphorically high-fived while my lips obediently parted, mouth watering.
A motherfucking Cheesecake Factory sampler platter.
I was going to ride this man.
Priest
I hadn’t really been on a date since high school, and despite being out of practice, I felt like I’d smashed our first date out of the park. I’d wanted to do something fun, something not too crowded so we could talk, but not so isolated that Indigo felt uncomfortable. The drive-in might have been old-fashioned, but the look on her face when she saw I’d taken care of everything and even brought a blanket for Sheila’s hood made something in my chest swell with pride.I’dmade her smile like that.I’dfed her and made her laugh, andfuckif it wasn’t satisfying. I knew my angel had a sweet tooth, and the look on her face when I unveiled a cheesecake sampler platter made the drive to the restaurant in Reno to get it worth every minute.
Indigo moaned as she slid a bite of tiramisu cheesecake between her lips, and I sat transfixed, watching her. “Wanna bite?” she asked, and Ihad to suppress the urge to tell her that cheesecake wasn’t what I wanted in my mouth at the moment. She held her plastic fork out in offering, and I leaned forward to accept a taste. She smiled at me as she watched me chew, waiting for my verdict. It sometimes blew me away how invested she became in the simplest of things. Indigo didn’t seem to take anything for granted.
“Delicious, angel,” I said, and she did a happy wiggle as she tried a different slice of cake.
Halfway through the movie, which neither of us had paid much mind, she pushed the plate away with a sad sigh. “I want to keep eating because it’s so good, but I’m stuffed.” She rubbed her belly and leaned back onto Sheila’s windshield. “I think that churro cheesecake may have changed me on a cellular level. It was that good. I don’t think I’ll ever be the same.” I chuckled as I stowed the platter back into the basket and carefully settled myself on the hood of the van, leaning against the windshield next to Indi.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I know how much you love sweets.”
Indigo turned her head so our faces were inches apart. “Oh, yeah? And how did you know something like that, Growly Gus? I don’t remember telling you about my dessert preferences.”
“You didn’t have to tell me. I know because I paid attention. I know you have a sweet tooth just like I know that you prefer your bagels scorched and the volume on Sheila’s radio changed in increments of five. You sing along to every song you hear, even if you don’t know the words, and you wrinkle your nose in the cutest way when you’re thinking hard or trying to remember something.” Indigo blushed adorably, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“I’ve always watched you. You had my attention whether I liked it or not. But it wasn’t until our night in the confessional that I started to reallyseeyou. I’ve been on a mission ever since to give you just a little bit of sweetness every day.” Indigo’s dreamy expression turned sultry, her eyes bright with need as they darted down to my lips.
“Every day?” she asked. “Be careful, Growly, a girl could get used to something like that.”
I propped myself up on an elbow and reached over to gently grasp the back of Indigo’s neck, tipping her chin up to me with my thumb. Myentire focus was homed in on the woman in my arms, our eyes pulled together in an irresistible gravity. Leaning down, I stop with my lips ghosting against her own and say, “That’s the goal, angel.”
I couldn’t say who moved first to close the distance between our lips, all I knew was that suddenly I wasn’t sure where she ended and I began anymore. I felt myself sink into her softness. Indigo relaxed and became deliciously pliant. With a moan, she parted her lips and allowed me to explore her sweet mouth with my tongue. I wanted nothing more than to sink myself inside the woman who’d been driving me crazy for months, but I remembered that we were not in private—in fact, we were very much in public. I needed to be the responsible adult here—ha!—and get Indigo home and away from roaming eyes.
