Snorting, I snatched the box from her hand, grabbing a handful and tossing them into the air for a few seconds. “And our relationship only soured from there.”
In turn, she took the glass from my hand, keeping our fingers together for longer than necessary. “The Hatfields and the McCoys.”
“Yeah, something like that. Which is why our relationship will be frowned upon.”
“And I would care why?” She licked the rim of the glass, allowing a slight moan, which she did on purpose.
“I’m kind of glad you don’t.” Leaning forward, I was daring her to kiss me. I should have known she’d never give into me that easily. She backed away on purpose. Little vixen.
She chuckled and finally took the sip, holding the glass in her hand. Her expression shifted from the mischievous, jovial one to something much darker. The same look I’d seen the first few seconds in the bar.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
With two fingers, I lifted her chin, shaking my head. “Oh, no, you don’t. What is it?”
“I was worried about you.”
“Aww.”
She jerked her head away. “Don’t do that. What you do is dangerous. You could have died.”
“There’s danger in everything we do. Hell, I almost died that final ride in Phoenix. My mind wasn’t on the game and I almost paid the price.”
“I wish I’d been there.”
Her earnest statement was as much of an aphrodisiac as everything else about her. “You would have been even more of a distraction, which I definitely wouldn’t have needed.”
“I want an honest answer about something.”
“I feel a nightmare coming on.”
“You will if you aren’t honest with me.”
I threw up my hands in surrender. “I tell no lies.”
“O-kay. Wade asked you to stay away from me. I mean when we were younger. Didn’t he? He probably told you I wasn’t good enough or that I was a little girl.”
“Hey, you were a kid, way too young for me.” Trying to make light of her question backfired, her sadness turning to frustration.
“Don’t do that. I need to know. He was always such an asshole.” She shifted as if attempting to move away from me.
“Please do not tell me you stayed away from Missoula because of me.”
Her punch to my gut was hard enough I harrumphed. “Arrogant much?” She rolled her eyes. “Maybe a small percentage of the reason.”
When the sensual woman grabbed onto something, she was determined not to let go. I pinched her chin, the leverage enough to keep her in place. “Wade might be many things, but he was very protective of you. He didn’t forbid me, Kenzie. At first, he asked me to watch out for you because he cared. He said you were a wild child, a free spirit who couldn’t detect danger, especially in boys. He was right.”
“Boys like you?”
Always a fighting spirit. “Yeah, like me. But there were others. I took my oath to your brother seriously. Especially since your father thought I was the bad seed of Missoula.”
“Now I know why since you’re a fire starter.”
“Careful, Palomino Girl, or I’ll need to drag you over my lap and give you another spanking.”
“Over my dead body. How exactly did you take that oath seriously?”
