He detaches from the woman beside him and starts toward us with purpose.
“June.” His voice cuts through the fair noise like it owns the air between us. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
Kai’s arm tightens at my shoulders, subtle but unmistakable.
Carter steps closer behind me, close enough that my back almost brushes his chest.
And I have to fight my own body all over again, because fear and heat are a messy mix, and I refuse to let Tanner see either one.
“It’s a public fair,” I say, keeping my voice flat.
Tanner’s gaze flicks over me, then past me, sharp and sour. “Public fair,” he repeats like it tastes bad. “Including the men you’ve been hanging around with?” He jerks his chin at Kai and Carter. “Working your way through the whole pack now? What are you trying to prove?”
I feel Kai shift at my side, his posture going still. Carter doesn’t move, but the space around him tightens anyway, like he’s suddenly taking up more room without trying.
Tanner holds my stare for another second, like he wants a reaction he can use. Then his eyes dart past us to the people nearby. A couple of heads have turned. Someone at the starting line is openly watching. A volunteer in a bright vest is staring like this is better than the race.
Tanner’s jaw works. He swallows whatever he was about to say.
Because he must be thinking of last night and how fast it went wrong today. How close it came to becoming something he couldn’t smooth over with a badge and a story.
His gaze snaps back to Kai and Carter, and for a heartbeat, the bravado falters. Not fear exactly. Calculation. The kind that knows the consequences.
He straightens, forcing his expression into something hard and dismissive. “Whatever,” he mutters, like he’s bored, like this is beneath him.
But he takes a step back. Then another.
“She’s not worth it,” he spits, louder, for the audience. He turns and stalks back to the woman beside him, shoulders tight, pretending he didn’t just retreat.
Carter watches him go with narrowed eyes. “Fucking asshole.”
“He’s not worth thinking about,” I mutter.
Kai exhales through his nose, the tension easing out of him. “Agreed.” Then his grin slides back into place like he’s flipping a switch. “Let’s go beat his ass in this race. Now, get on my back.”
He’s tall and solid, and when I jump, his hands catch the backs of my thighs immediately, big palms warm against my jeans, fingers curling around muscle as he hoists me up. My chest presses against his back, arms wrap around his shoulders, and my face is inches from the curve of his neck. This close, his scent is overwhelming, flooding my senses until I feel dizzy with it.
“Comfortable?” His voice vibrates through his back into my chest.
“Define ‘comfortable.’?”
Kai laughs like I’ve entertained him. “Are you gonna fall off?”
“Probably not.”
“Great.” He bounces once, settling me higher, and his hands slide up my thighs with zero hesitation, like he’s adjusting cargo he intends to keep. “Hold tight, doll. I don’t lose.”
Carter is hooting.
“I’m starting to think this is less about winning and more about you getting to manhandle me in public.”
“Multitasking,” he says smoothly. “I’m talented.”
I open my mouth to hit him with something biting, but the starting horn blares and my entire body forgets how sarcasm works.
We launch forward, and now I understand why they call it a race. Kai moves like he was built for this. Long legs eating upthe ground, shoulders steady under my hands, muscles flexing beneath me in a rhythm that feels indecent. Every stride bounces me against his back. My thighs clamp around his waist on instinct. My breasts press into his shoulders, and I hate that I can’t decide if I want to apologize or do it harder.
“You doing okay up there?” he calls over his shoulder, still not even slightly winded.
