Cassie materialized out of the gloom, looking rumpled and victorious. She smelled like lime juice and bad decisions. “She alive?”
“She’s an eight-point-five,” Beau reported dryly.
“Perfect.” Cassie grinned, leaning in to whisper loudly to me. “He’s got the ‘I want to protect you’ eyes, Win. That’s the danger zone. Climb him like a tree.”
“Cassie!” I hissed, though it came out more like a giggle.
“Just saying. Use the momentum.” She patted Beau’s cheek. “Get her home, Sterling. If you drop her, I will end your bloodline.”
“Understood.”
Pops was waiting by the door, chatting with Jerry the bartender. He tossed Beau the keys to the truck without missing a beat. “Take the truck, son. I’m catchin’ a ride with the Millers; they’re goin’ our way. Don’t worry about mornin’ chores. Just… handle it. Elise and I shouldn’t be long.”
Pops gave me a quick, hard hug. “Drink water, kiddo.”
“Love you, Pops,” I mumbled into his flannel shirt.
Then we were outside, and the cool night air slapped me. The gravel crunched loudly under my boots, and I stumbled. Beau caught me instantly, swinging me around so my back hit the passenger door of the truck.
He didn’t move away. He stayed right there, caging me in with his arms on either side of the window frame.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice rougher than usual.
I looked up at him. The moonlight washed out the colors, turning him into shadows and sharp angles. “I’m fine. I just… I don’t want the night to end.”
“It’s not ending,” he said. “It’s just moving locations.”
“Beau!”
The voice cut through the air. Tyler.
He was leaning against his truck three spots over, a beer in hand. He pushed off the metal and walked toward us, that easy, confident stride that used to make my heart flutter. Now, it just felt like an interruption.
“Heading out?” Tyler asked, ignoring Beau entirely to focus on me. His eyes raked over my form, lingering on my bare legs. “You look good, Win. Real loose. You need a ride? I’m heading your way.”
I blinked, trying to process the offer. “I’m with Beau.”
“I see that.” Tyler smirked, shifting his gaze to Beau. It was a challenge. “Just figured you might want someone who knows the roads better. City boy might get lost in the dark.”
Beau didn’t say a word. He just stepped closer to me, his body heat radiating like a furnace. He opened the passenger door, lifted me by the waist—literally lifted me off the ground—and deposited me onto the seat.
“She’s good,” Beau said to Tyler, his voice deadly calm. “We’re good.”
He slammed the door, walked around to the driver’s side, and got in. He started the engine, revving it a little harder than necessary, and peeled out of the lot without looking at Tyler again.
I let my head fall back against the seat, watching the telephone poles whip by. “You were jealous.”
“I was not jealous.”
“You were,” I insisted, turning to look at him. His profile was tight, jaw clenched. “You went all… caveman. ‘She’s with me.’ It was hot.”
He glanced at me, his eyes dark. “He was looking at you like he owned you. I didn’t like it.”
“Why?” I unbuckled my seatbelt and slid across the bench seat until my thigh pressed against his. I felt his muscles jump. “Why do you care?”
“Because you’re not his and not available.”
“Am I not?”
