Page 103 of When the Smoke Clears

She’s such a ballbuster. I narrow my eyes as she stands toe-to-toe with me. I have a million comebacks. Instead, I grab her chin and kiss her until she is breathless.

“I love how you kiss me,” she whispers when I release her.

“I know you do.” I smirk.

“Is this it? Will I see you again before you go back to Somers tomorrow?”

“This is it. And I need that to be okay with you. I don’t have the emotional capacity for anything more than my dad right now.” Do I sound like an asshole? Absolutely. Is it intentional? No.

She scrapes her teeth along her bottom lip and nods.

“And if you tell Jamie, I’ll never hear the end of it. Okay?”

Everleigh wrinkles her nose. “She’s going to see it all over my face.”

“I didn’t come on your face. There’s nothing to see.”

Her cheeks turn pink, and I feed off her embarrassment. I feel privileged to experience her vulnerability.

“If you start to lose your composure, just fold your hands in front of you and do your doctor thing.”

Her nose wrinkles. “My doctor thing?”

I open the door. “Yes. You fold your hands in front of you when you’re being serious and professional. And you fold them behind you when you’re up to no good, acting like a bratty twentysomething who’s hell-bent on making my life miserable.” I head toward my Bronco, knowing she’ll be on my ass in no time.

Click. The Airstream door opens, and I grin.

“William?” She waits for me to turn. Then she folds her hands in front of her, taking calculated steps toward me. “That’s a terrible and completely inaccurate observation.”

“It’s not.” I turn and open my door. “And if you don’t keep your shit together around them, the next time I see you, I’m going to tie you up and spank you.”

I swear she gasps before I face her as she steps into my space hidden by the open door. But she quickly clamps her jaw shut and swallows. If only I could toss her into the back seat and take her with me. Confess to my friends that I let the wrong girl go for the right reasons, eleven years ago. But now she feels like the right girl, but everything else in my life is going really fucking wrong.

She still looks at me like I’m the brilliant one, like every word that falls from my lips is the most interesting thing she’s ever heard.

“It’s only a two-hour drive,” she mumbles with her chin tucked as she slides her icy hands up the front of my long-sleeved T-shirt, teasing my abs. “I have the week off. I could visit you.”

“You took the week off to work on your barndo.”

She shrugs and lifts her gaze to mine. “I’m in no hurry.”

I stare at her without knowing what to say because the offer is tempting. There’s nothing I’d love more than knowing I could crawl into bed with her after a long day with my dad. But I can’t complicate my life. Not now.

“You can say no, and I won’t act like a bratty twentysomething.”

My composure slips, and I grin. “I’m an asshole.”

She slides her hands around my back, nails teasing my skin as she rests her cheek against my chest. “I’ll stay here and keep my hands folded in front of me. You have Karen to keep you warm on cold nights.”

I grin while pressing my lips to the top of her head, and I almost chuckle thinking of that tiny violin. “Karen lives in Bozeman. The chances of her being at her mom’s house are pretty slim.”

“Well, there are others. You told me as much.”

I cradle her face, making her look up at me. “I lied. Did you really think I was getting laid while my father was in the hospital?”

She frowns. “Well, if we’re being honest, then I must tell you I had no intention of dropping my panties for Kade, the running back for the Grizzlies.”

I lift my eyebrows as if this is a shocking revelation. “Really?”