Evers & Afters (Dare With Me #2) - J.H. Croix Page 0,27

her and her body shuddering with her release. Fuck me. Cammi had ruined me.

We lapsed into easy conversation, chatting about the early rush of tourists that would clog up the roads, and the weather, because the weather could be discussed at any time, and how messy mud season was.

After we landed and waved goodbye to Marge and Shana, Diego and I did the usual engine checks on the plane, and then crossed over to our trucks. “You headed straight back?” he asked with his hand resting on the side of his truck.

“Nah, I’m gonna swing by and pick up Cammi to bring her up to her SUV. She had a flat tire last night, and I changed it this morning,” I offered, knowing that was only going to be fodder for questions.

Diego’s brows hitched up. His eyes took on a gleam as one side of his mouth kicked up in a sly grin. “Nice of you to take care of that for her.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’d have done the same thing.”

He dipped his head in acknowledgment. “True.” He offered nothing further and simply lifted his hand in a quick wave before he climbed in his truck and drove away.

I knew that wouldn’t be the last of his comments about Cammi. Especially now that I’d gone and invited her to the fundraiser. It was crazy really, and I didn’t care. Even though I should’ve cared.

A few minutes later, I pocketed my keys and approached Red Truck Coffee. It was mid-afternoon, and there was a line. No surprise there. Cammi was busy making coffee, while another woman who looked to be just out of high school was rapidly taking orders. Seeing as I could use a coffee, I got in line.

I took the moment while I waited to look around. The sky was still clear with a soft breeze coming off the bay. Otter Cove Harbor was visible from here. The small cove was tucked off the main bay with low rock cliffs at the base of the mountains on one side and leveling out to a rocky, gray sandy beach on the other.

Boats were starting to stream in from a day of fishing. The wind was picking up slightly from this morning, ruffling the surface of the bay in the distance. I still marveled that I lived somewhere where I could enjoy two things I loved, the ocean and the mountains.

I was a military brat and had grown up with my dad in the Air Force. Our family bounced all over the place until my dad died while on duty. I still missed him. My family stayed where he’d been stationed at the time for a while, and then we moved to where my mom’s parents lived in western Oregon. I loved the mountains there. I’d fallen in love with the ocean when we lived near the beach in Texas once.

The views in Alaska were so fucking beautiful they took my breath away. Nature was such a show off sometimes, and I loved it. I heard the screech of an eagle, followed by the loud chatter of a crow. I looked up in the sky to see a fearless crow harassing an eagle in the air. The size differential between the two birds was remarkable, but the crow was relentless and eventually chased the eagle off, perhaps due to sheer annoyance, but it was still effective. A moment later I realized what the crow was after when it flew down to land by a discarded sandwich at the edge of the parking lot.

“You’re up,” someone said from behind me.

I stepped forward to find Cammi’s employee smiling at me politely. She had a fresh face and a tomboyish vibe with her dark hair short, like Cammi’s used to be when I first started coming here. “What can I get for you?” she chirped.

Cammi happened to look up right then, and a lightning bolt of awareness struck me, sizzling straight to my balls. A wash of pink crested on her cheeks as we stared at each other for a moment. She snapped out of it first, commenting, “I’ve got it. Elias always wants a triple shot Americano.”

Her helper smiled cheerfully. “Okay, that’ll be three-fifty.”

I handed over a ten-dollar bill, replying, “Keep the change.”

“Give him some freaking change,” Cammi added as her eyes bounced to the cash I handed over.

The girl looked uncertain. “Just because,” I added, “don’t give me any change.”

“Amy, give him some change,” Cammi said firmly, as she prepped my