I kissed her. Not once now, but twice. The one damn woman I swore I’d stay away from. And I didn’t just cross the line—I tore straight through it like it didn’t even exist.
Her taste is still on my lips even though it’s been a few days, the sin and tequila all wrapped up in wildflowers and defiance. And hell, if that kiss didn’t feel more real than anything I’ve touched in a long time. I should be angry. At her for pushing me to do that. At myself for wanting to do that. But I’m not. I’m just... wrecked.
So I chase the storm, I chase her, hoping I’ll somehow get the answers I need. Hoping my granddaddy will send me some sort of sign.
twenty-two
Trouble
Wind lashes against my helmet, and it's like I can feel him—Granddaddy—in the gusts that urge me on. And then, just as I roll to a stop, I spot her.
Sawyer's car’s tucked off near the edge of the gravel lot, away from others, half-hidden behind a line of trees where the property dips toward the pasture.
I pull up beside her, engine rumbling low. Her car door creaks open, and she steps out—sun-kissed, glowing, and flat-out dangerous in that white tank top that clings to her with those damn jean shorts that barely qualify as such.
"Thought that rumble was thunder, but nope—just your dramatic entrance,” she calls, unbothered, like the storm’s just background noise.
I tug off my helmet, letting it hang from my fingers. “Storm’s rolling in. You know how bad they can get here. You should probably get your city self back to the ranch before you melt.”
“I’m not scared of a little rain,” she says, spinning oncelike she’s starring in her own music video. “You country boys act like weather’s a death sentence.”
“And you seem like the type to dance through a tornado just to prove a point,” I mutter.
She steps closer, rain catching in her lashes. “So... you and Winnie are still together, huh? Looked pretty cozy back there.”
I smirk. “I’m not with anyone.”
She scoffs. “Could’ve fooled me.”
I prop the bike up and step off. “That almost sounds like jealousy.”
She rolls her eyes, arms crossed tight. “Only thing I’m jealous of is the peace I had before you showed up.”
“And here I was thinking I was saving you.”
We stare at each other, neither of us blinking. Then she glances up at the sky like it might save her from this conversation.
“I don’t need saving,” she says, unfolding her arms. “And neither did he.”
“Who?”
“My daddy. I appreciate what you’ve done, but you can’t keep swooping in like some hero wrapped in flannel.”
"Why can't I?" I find myself saying, softer than I intend. It's the storm. It has this way of calming me. Maybe it does the same for her, too.
“Because he can’t pay you back,” she says simply. “We need a real plan for him. Something that works. So I can leave town and things can go back to normal again.”
“Then make a plan,” I shoot back, cool and simple.
She lets out a frustrated breath, pushing her bracelets up her wrist like they’re the problem. “You act like that’s easy.”
“We got most of it fixed up. Maintenance from here on out. You and Knox can figure the rest out.”
She shakes her head. “Not from the city. I can’t dump it all on Knox. That’s not fair.”
“Then stay. Be here for him.”
“I can’t,” she fires back. “My job needs me. My life needs me. I’ve got a hundred missed calls and a city that doesn’t run without me.”
