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Chapter Nine

Tatum

I Don’t Dance by Lee Brice starts playing on the radio as I creep down what I assume is Lincoln’s driveway. Trees line either side of the road, so thick that I can only see about ten feet or so into the forest before everything becomes muddled. My heart skips a beat as I scan the gravel road in front of me, looking for an opening, and I slam on the brakes, gripping the steering wheel tight. I’m asking for trouble by agreeing to this but when he texted me yesterday to invite me, I couldn’t think of a good enough reason to say no. Now, as I inch closer to the address he gave me, every single reason why this is a terrible idea runs through my mind.

I shouldn’t be here.

My dream from this morning, one in which Lincoln pressed me up against the kitchen counter and knocked a plate to the floor as he kissed me like it was his saving grace, fills my mind and I shift in my seat – needing relief that I’m not going to get anytime soon. What the hell was I thinking? This whole thing would be a hell of a lot easier if I weren’t so damn attracted to him. But, of course, I am. A part of me thinks I only like him this much because I’ve forbidden myself from acting on it. Like, maybe if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t find him as appealing. Or maybe if Mom hadn’t just died, I wouldn’t be feeling so attached to a man I just met but I can’t help but think that he understands me in ways that I don’t even understand myself yet. My entire world has just shifted and he knows what that looks like from the other side while I’m still muddling through it.

“It’s going to be okay,” I whisper to myself, the shakiness of my voice betraying me. I shake my head and suck in a breath. No, it has to be okay. I’ve laid out clear boundaries for our friendship and he agreed with me so what does it matter if we’ll be sharing a space for forty-eight hours? We can control ourselves and act like adults. Besides, Lincoln was right. I do need to get away from my life for a little while. Living in Mom’s house is stressful. I constantly feel like I’m going to open up a box or dig around in a closet and discover another secret that she kept hidden from Theo and me. And the more I learn about all the lies, all the secrets, the angrier I get.

Nodding, I ease my foot off the brake as Losing Sleep by Chris Young starts playing on the radio. Ugh. What is with all these sappy songs today? Leaning forward, I switch the station and Lips on You by Maroon 5 fills the car as the trees open up, revealing a quaint little lake with a red A-frame house on the far side. I can just make out the outline of Lincoln standing in front of a grill and I lick my lips, unable to stop myself.

Okay, so I’m not going to sleep with him but does that mean that I can’t appreciate how damn fine he looks in his black wife beater and jeans? Black and gray tattoos fill both his arms and I find myself wishing I were closer so I could study each one. He glances up at the sound of the car I borrowed from Mia rolling over the gravel road and he flashes me a smile as he waves. Butterflies take flight in my belly and I take a deep breath as I round the lake and park in front of his house.

“Hey, you made it,” he calls, setting a pair of tongs down before sauntering over to me. I’m so fucking screwed.

“Yeah. Nice place.” I nod to the house and he turns to it.

“Thanks. It’s my little piece of paradise. You hungry?”

My stomach growls and I nod. “Very.”

“Well, come on. I’ve got steaks on the grill and they are just about done.”

I grab my bag out of the back seat before following him over to the grill, where he also has a fire pit and a couple tables set up.

“Seriously,” I say, sitting down and setting my bag on one of the tables. “This is really nice. It’s so peaceful out here.”

“Told you this is just what you needed.”

Smiling, I nod. “This might be the only time in the history of ever that you’re going to hear this from me but you were right.”

“Shit…” he drawls, barely holding back a laugh. “I feel like we should watch the skies for swarms of locusts.”

I bark out a laugh and grab a stick from the ground before chucking it at him. “I’m not that bad.”

“Naw, you’re not bad at all.” His gaze heats before dropping to my lips and my belly clenches as my heartbeat pounds in my ears. Time seems to stretch between us and out here in the middle of nowhere, it’s so easy to forget everything that’s happened in the past few weeks and all my reasons for resisting him.

The growling of my stomach breaks our trance and he turns toward the grill. “You want to eat inside or out?”

“It’s so beautiful today so let’s eat outside.”

He nods. “Sounds good. Hang tight and I’ll go grab our plates.”

I stand up and glance toward the house. “Oh, I can help you.”

“Nope,” he replies, his voice strained and I scowl. “You just stay here and I’ll be right back.”

Turning, I watch him as he jogs up to the house and yanks open one of the sliding glass doors before disappearing inside and I plop back down in my seat, wondering what happened. My phone vibrates in my pocket and I grab it, smiling at Theo’s name on the screen.

“Hey, what are you doing?” I answer, a feeling of contentment washing over me as I stare out at the water.

“Just got off work. What about you?”

I glance back at the house. “Hanging out with a friend.”

“Mia?” he asks and I shake my head.