Once inside their room, Blade locked the door behind them and took off his coat. “I’ll sleep on the floor,” he stated, since there was only one bed.
Dakota shook her head. “Don’t be silly. We can share the bed. It’s big enough.”
Blade’s stomach twisted at the thought. “If you’re sure.”
“Of course I am. We’ve slept together many times. Why would it be a problem now?”
“It’s not.” Blade kicked off his boots and sat down on the bed. It was different, though. Since he could remember, he and Dakota had had sleepovers at each other’s houses. It never felt strange, but back then, he had seen her as a friend, and now...
“Do you want to try this?” Dakota asked, interrupting his thoughts.
“What?” he asked, turning to look at her. She had a glass and the bottle of whiskey in her hand.
“Do you want to?” he asked in return.
Dakota nodded as she sat down on the bed across from him. “I don’t see why not.”
“That’s not why I bought it,” he pointed out.
“All right, I’ll put it back,” Dakota stated, starting to get up.
Blade grabbed her arm. “Hold on.”
Smiling, she turned back to him. “So is that a yes?”
“I mean, we have it. We might as well find out what all the fuss is about.”
Dakota handed the bottle to him. “Open it.”
“So demanding,” Blade laughed, but he did as she asked. He opened the bottle and poured some into the glass.
Dakota lifted the cup, sniffing its contents. Her nose scrunched up. “You go first,” she said, holding the cup out to him.
Blade placed the bottle on the bedside table and took the cup from her. He knew the smell of alcohol and did not like it. He hoped it tasted better. “Oh well, let’s give this a try,” he said, lifting the cup and taking a sip. It was bitter and burned all the way down his throat. “That’s horrible,” he breathed. “Worse than eating raw chilies.”
Dakota laughed and took the cup from him. “You’re such a baby.” She took a sip, her face turning red as she swallowed.
“Baby, huh?”
“Yeah.” She coughed, nearly spilling the alcohol. “It isn’t that bad.”
Blade lifted an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side.
Dakota lifted the cup and took another sip. “Just checking if it gets better.” She held out the cup to Blade again.
“Does it?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, might need a few more sips for that to happen.”
Blade was having fun, and it was nice. The whiskey was horrible, but joking around with Dakota was something he would never get tired of.
They hadn’t filled up the glass to start with, so there were only a few sips for each of them in it, and they didn’t pour more. The idea wasn’t to get drunk, simply to taste, but Blade’s head still spun a little. He wasn’t sure if he liked the sensation. It definitely wasn’t something he wanted to do often. Dakota agreed, finally giving in and admitting that it tasted horrible. From the room across the hall, they could still hear noises, but it didn’t bother Blade as much. They were safein their room, and he was feeling a little less anxious about his newly developed feelings for Dakota.
Chapter 22
The seasons were changing. Summer was fading into fall, and with it came heavy winds, clouding the windows and porches of Hartsville’s stores. The sun was still warm during the day, but nights were growing colder, and Dakota and Blade were wearing their coats more often.
Dakota adjusted her wide-brimmed hat and squinted down the main road. Once again, they were struggling to find their target. Charles Wood was nowhere to be found, and she didn’t know how to feel. On one hand, it was nice to simply spend time with Blade, but on the other hand, they both wanted revenge.
