He’d missed that.
The thought made Billy pause as he pulled the rental up in front of The Ruckus.There had always been that sizzling sexual tension between them whenever he’d come back, but this time he was seeing flashes of the old Roxie—the girl who’d made him pull out his hair one moment and laugh until he couldn’t breathe the next.
“Think Lexie and Maxie made it into the clear?”she asked.The broken heel twisted in her hands as she held it in her lap.
That was the Roxie way.Act first, think later.
“They were ahead of us.I’m sure they made it home safely.”
She grimaced.“I’m a bad influence on those two.”
“They don’t have to follow you.”
But he always had.The reward had always been worth the risk.
Until the end.
The keys bit into his palm as he turned off the engine.Hopping out of the truck, he walked around the front.She’d already jumped down from the passenger seat and was balancing on one foot like a high-wire acrobat.
“How the hell do you walk in those things?”he asked, looking at her boots.They’d be dangerous even without the broken heel.
“I’m fine when they’re even.”She closed the passenger door but tilted when she lost her balance.She managed to stay upright by catching the side of the pickup.
Muttering under his breath, Billy looped one arm around her shoulders and bent to catch her behind the knees.She let out a huff when he swept her into his arms.“You’re high maintenance,” he told her, his nose inches from hers.“You know that, right?”
“They’re cute boots.”
“Get out your key,” he grumbled as he carried her to the bar.
She was still whip lean.Her weight felt warm in his arms.Right.A curl of her long hair brushed against his neck, and the soft caress made him take a deep breath.Even through the thickness of their jackets, he could feel her curves pushing back against him.
She dealt with the lock and the door swung open, gliding silently on well-worn hinges.Turning so he wouldn’t hit her head, he carried her inside.The dim lighting inside the bar made it momentarily difficult to see, but the memory that struck him then was as brilliant as a lightning strike.
The last time he’d carried her over the threshold, they’d just gotten married by a justice of the peace at the Cobalt City Courthouse.
His gut tightened a notch.She’d worn a pretty white dress with hot pink flowers in her hair.Hell, he’d even worn a tie.
The bar slowly came into view, but what he saw instead was the tiny apartment they’d furnished with pieces from the Goodwill.It had been their first place.Their first attempt at normalcy.
His arms tightened around her, and her warm breath hit his ear.
He quickly set her down.She wasn’t ready for it, and she wobbled on her one tall heel.He caught her by the waist, but she’d already propped herself up against the wall.
Billy couldn’t help himself.He stepped in.
Her eyes were big as she looked up at him.Her pupils were adjusting to the lighting, too, but something told him he wasn’t the only one focused on the old memory.They’d both been nervous and excited that day, like two fugitives running for the border.Marrying him had been her escape from the system, and he’d been willing to do just about anything to keep her with him.
That wayward curl still clung to the zipper of his jacket.Swirling his finger around it, he freed it.
“I like how you are with your sisters,” he said softly.
“The bad seed?”
“Happy.”It had been a long time since he’d seen her light up the way she did around them.She’d gotten so prickly and guarded.
Her gaze slid away.“I don’t always think when I’m with them.I sometimes wonder if I should be more careful… before they decide I’m too wild…”
He caught her by the chin when he heard her voice catch.“Those two aren’t going to ditch you, Roxie.”
