“Oh, I’m very fucking mad. Don’t mistake me. Now, focus on my words. The thing to remember when shooting a compound bow is to have a steady hand. Place your thumb along the arrow rest and let the riser be your guide.”
“What’s the riser?”
“This part right here.” I point to the center body of the frame. “This is where the bow is anchored. It’s important to be still once you’ve found your spot.”
“How do I find my spot?” Cove asks curiously, and I love being the one to teach her this. The heat from outside causes unintentional contact between us, making me more aware of every inch of her. Her plump ass unknowingly swaying against my lower half. Her long ponytail of curls clinging to the sweat on my arm. I step closer, caging her in without an escape. Cove’s entire frame is cocooned at my center, right where she belongs.
I let the touch of my non-dominant hand meet her hip as I adjust her position. My thumb caresses the exposed skin of her stomach, unashamedly groaning when she whimpers just slightly.
No one can hear her. But I sure as hell did.
“I knew you missed me,” I whisper gruffly, loving to prove her wrong. “If you wanted my hands on you, Cove, all you had to do was ask.”
“Have you always been this much of an asshole?” she asks while I conjoin both our fingers on the trigger loop and carefully stretch the bowstring back into position.
I can tell she wants to face me, her eye meeting mine inher peripheral as we fight to keep this untethered pull from bonding together again. I’m not sure anything is strong enough to keep us apart, and I’m realizing that more and more.
How did I ever expect to stay mad at her?
“I’ll always be an asshole where you’re concerned. Especially when I’m forced to watch you with someone who isn’t me. You understand that, don’t you? The feeling of intense jealousy?”
She knows I mean her reaction to Jules. And I refuse to tell her how unbearably happy it made me. “That’s foul play.”
“Is it now?”
“Yes. You’re always touching me and showing up when I least expect it.” She’s flustered, and I’m instantly hard. “I can’t think straight.”
I chuckle loudly, likely bringing eyes on us, but only we know how deep our connection goes. She’s cute when she gets embarrassed. “I think that’s what smart people call a crush, Cove. They’d say you have a crush on me.”
She hums. “You sound like Betsy.”
“Always did like her,” I tease.
Cove ignores me before continuing with her thought. “Well, in that case, I’d ask where these smart people studied because that sounds like a load of shit to me.” Her chin turns up, and I feel young again, fighting for the attention of the girl who has never once given me the time of day.
Except, she did.
“What about city boy over there? Do you have acrushon him?”
I know I shouldn’t ask, but there’s this aggressively possessive side of me that comes out around Cove, and the thought of her showing her affections to someone who isn’tme…well, that makes me want to get on my knees and beg for her to pick me instead. Might even bark if I needed to.
And more importantly, put Austin on the next flight home. Just because I’m feeling generous, he can even use my spare jet. Whatever will have him gone the fastest.
I’m playing boyish games, but I want my prize. Wrapped in a pretty red bow and all.
Speaking of—I still need to talk to Nate.
Cove smiles, and it’s full of the confident sass she fancies using on me. “I came here with him, didn’t I?”
I smile before leaning in closer. I can hear Jules and Austin talking and decide to take a gamble that they aren’t watching. My lips glide across the shell of Cove’s ear before letting go of the trigger loop, our hands conjoined as the tension releases. “That means nothing to me.”
Her sharp inhale echoes between us as our eyes meet. We should be looking at the target, seeking out our arrow for accuracy. Yet, it’s a lost cause. “Nathani—” she comments with worry, reminding me of his existence. As if I could forget. “I mean, my father.”
“Yeah. That’s another thing I intend to uncover. It seems my best friend and I are in need of a little chat.”
“Stetson,” Cove warns, and I set the bow down before stepping back, raising my hands in surrender.
“No harm, no foul. I’m perfectly capable of controlling myself. Besides, just look at that shot.” Cove turns to face the fate of our arrow, dialed in perfectly to the center of the target.
