Clayton and Shiloh share a look, and Cillian’s eyes narrow.
“Mhm,” Shiloah says. “Sure. Are you sure you’re leaving to go to sleep and not to—oh, I don’t know—fuck the hot blonde barrel racer who’s looking at you like she’s ready to eat you alive right here on the table?”
“Shush.What I do when I’m home is none of your business.”
“Let me know how it goes. I expect at least a text tomorrow.” Shiloh stands and wraps me in a hug. “Don’t let your fear keep you from enjoying whatever happens.”
Sometimes it’s a curse that she knows me so well. “I won’t.”
Clayton stands and hugs me, too, but Cillian isn’t much of a hugger, so he fist bumps me.
Addison appears next to me and nudges me with her elbow. “They’re all waiting for us in the truck. You ready?”
“Yep. Bye, y’all.”
We don’t speak as we walk out to Briggs’s truck, but Addison’s hand keeps brushing mine, and I think it’s on purpose. When we get ourselves buckled, the darkness of the truck must make Addison feel bold because her hand settles on my upper thigh, inches from where I’m aching for her. I cover my surprised gasp with a cough.
“You good, Juni?” Oakley asks from the front, peering over her shoulder.
“Totally fine.”
But I’ll be even better when we get home.
The ride was less than fifteen minutes, but Addison’s thumb making slow, tantalizing circles on my thigh made it feel like forever. Even over the fabric of my dress, the heat of her palm seared my skin. Every bump and curve in the dirt road had our thighs pressing together more. Her dirty promises from the bar were on a loop in my mind, and I swear I might’ve left a wet patch on the seat.
Briggs parks in front of the main house to drop everyone off before his taillights disappear down the dirt road that leads to thebunkhouse. Addison doesn’t follow Oakley inside, so she pops her head out to ask what she was doing.
“I’m walking Juniper to her place to make sure she’s safe,” Addison says.
Oakley doesn’t seem to believe her, but that doesn’t appear to deter Addison.
Not long after, we’re standing in my tiny living room surrounded by thick silence. Can I really do one night with her again and pretend it never happened? I already have a crush on her. Am I setting myself up for a disastrous heartbreak?
Probably, but I can’t stop it now. I don’twantto stop.
Not when Addison’s looking at me like she wants to devour me whole.
Yes please.
I toe off my boots, and she does the same, prowling toward me like a panther ready to strike.
When she’s standing in front of me, she tips my chin up to look me in the eyes. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes,” I breathe out.
No hesitation. I want her, and that’s the truth.
It’s the aftermath I’m afraid of.
“Are you?”
I need her to say it aloud to calm my nerves. I need to know I’m not alone in this overwhelming desire, that she’s not doing this out of pity. Does she ache for me the way I do her?
“I’m surer of this than I have been of anything in a long, long time. I tried to talk myself out of it because this may end up in flames, but I’ll burn happily knowing I’ve had the taste of you on my tongue.”
Oh my god.
The intensity in her eyes threatens to bowl me over, but as much as her words send a shiver up my spine, they also spike my anxiety.
