“Do you remember that talk I had with her about her career? It seems I made an impact. She said I gave her the courage to start over and that she’d be there for me if I ever need help.”
I grin. “You made a new friend.”
“Yep and she likes me for me.” A smile curls her lips as she types out a response. “How long was I asleep?”
“We’re in Texas.”
“Oh my God, I was out foreverandI drooled on your sleeve. Sorry! Let me get a tissue.”
I grab her hand before she can reach for her purse. “I don’t mind a little drool. Did you already forget that I had your pussy juices all over my face last night?”
Her blush darkens, bordering on red. My cock twitches. I love flustering her with my dirty talk and seeing her thighs clench cause she can’t help enjoying it.
“But I didn’t mean just the sex,” I add. “Though I ended up in jail, I had the best time performing with you and roughing up the locals together.”
“You had fun even if I always get us in trouble?”
“There’s a reason I call you Trouble, but I love every minute. Each moment with you is an adventure. It doesn’t matter if we’re lying in the back of my truck stargazing or getting into a bar fight like we’re reckless kids again. Your thirst for life is contagious, and I’ve forgotten how sweet it can taste. Almost as sweet as your lips.”
I lean over andkiss her.
She twists the phone in her hands. “That’s a relief. I felt guilty for draggin’ you on the road with me. I was worried you might be mad I showed up after a decade and ripped you from your quiet routine.”
“Roots are good and I made a decent life for myself, but I’ve been stationary for too long.” I put a hand on her thigh. “Thank you for dragging this old ship out of the safe harbor into the open sea.”
Her eyes flash with affection. “And I’ve been drifting for too long. Being around you feels like comin’ home… and like home ain’t something I have to run from anymore.” She puts her hand on top of mine. “Thank you for giving me a home to come back to.”
“We still make a damn good team, huh?”
She grins. “We make the best partners in crime.”
35
RUST
Tally looksout of the window at the landscape zipping past, intermittently scrolling on her phone.
“Oh, it’s been ages since I went to a county fair!” she suddenly says, pointing at a sign ahead.
“Don’t tell me you’re craving Mexicancorn,” I tease.
“I can never look at corn the same way and it’s all your fault!” She shoves my shoulder. “I’ll have anythingexceptcorn on the cob. We can look at baby animals and I bet they got rides, too!” She tugs on my sleeve. “Can we go, please?”
“You don’t even gotta ask.”
I take a right turn at the sign. Tally refreshes her lipstick, hides her bruise under a layer of concealer, and musses up her curls before putting on her Stetson.
I park the truck on a large lot at the fairgrounds. As we stroll toward the entrance, the nostalgic scents of fried foods, grilled meats and animal manure fill my nose. Suddenly a flash of shiny red catches my attention and I tug Tally along by the hand.
A laugh rumbling in my throat, I gesture at a sports car with the license plate ‘2RICH4U’ getting towed by an old tractor.
“That’s the asshole who nearly crashed into us!” Tally whispers giddily.
“Told you he’d get his comeuppance.”
The tractor stops and the driver of the sports car gets out of his vehicle to disconnect the towing cable. He looks exactly how I imagined him.
His face is almost as crimson as his car and his hair is slicked back with too much gel. He wears a custom-tailored, navy blue suit with brown suede loafers and a massive golden watch on his wrist.
