Evers & Afters (Dare With Me #2) - J.H. Croix Page 0,29

you guys are taking tourists around, so I’m not sure. It’s hard to keep track. I wouldn’t know her if I saw her.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to have everybody memorized. They’ll be here this summer again, so you can rest assured I’ll be bringing them by.”

“Good to know I count as a stop when you have family.”

Elias’s eyes slid to mine again, and the heat there sent butterflies twirling in circles in my belly. Dear God. This man.

A few minutes later, he pulled up beside my SUV at the ski lodge. With it being late afternoon, the parking lot wasn’t as full as it would be when dinner rolled around. Ever since the family who owned this lodge had it renovated, this place was hopping.

I glanced over to see a shiny new tire in place of the one that had been deflated last night. “What did you do with my old tire?” I asked as I climbed out.

“Dropped it off at the transfer station. You must’ve gotten a new set of tires recently because the treads aren’t too worn. You’ll want to stop by a mechanic and get your tires rebalanced soon though,” he offered. “I also put a spare in the back.”

“Elias,” I began as I looked up at him. I suddenly realized we were standing mighty close between his truck and my SUV. My pulse skittered off.

“Let’s not argue about that. Everybody needs a good spare,” he said.

“Let me pay you,” I started, moving to open my purse.

He reached out, curling his hand over my wrist. His touch was warm and firm and my pulse went absolutely insane then, my heart kicking against my ribs and butterflies going wild in my belly.

“It’s no big deal, okay,” he said, his tone easy.

I tried to take a breath, but my lungs were pretty useless. The moment felt hazy and hot. Before I’d quite absorbed what was happening, he stepped closer and dipped his head, brushing his lips across mine briefly.

Just that and nothing more, and my entire body felt electrified and shimmering with heat. I stared blankly up at him, trying to gather my scattered brain cells.

“I’ll text you about the fundraiser, okay?” Apparently, he hadn’t lost the ability to think and form words.

After too long of a pause, I managed two whole syllables. “Okay.” He stood there waiting, looking at me expectantly. “What?” I prompted.

“I was waiting until you got in,” he said, gesturing towards my driver’s side door.

“Oh!” I was finally galvanized to actually move instead of standing there like a brain-fogged, foolish girl. I climbed in my SUV and started it. I rolled down my window, calling once more, “Thank you. For both rides and for fixing my tire.”

He simply dipped his chin and then got in his truck, waiting until I drove away first.

Chapter Thirteen

Elias

Two weeks later

The days passed in a blur once I started flying again. It was a relief because time had slowed to a crawl while I’d been healing. Although I saw Cammi every day, like before, now I knew what her lips tasted like underneath mine and precisely how she felt when she flew apart. There was usually a line when I stopped by, as had always been the case. Except now, I felt impatient about it because I wanted to steal a few minutes alone with her.

Flynn assigned me two overnight trips, which I usually jumped at. In a first, I was reluctant, but I took them anyway. I missed Cammi’s smile every morning while I was gone more than her coffee.

One evening, I sat at the counter in the kitchen at the resort, my feet hooked on the rung of the stool. “Smells freaking amazing,” I said before taking a long pull from my beer.

Daphne was busy cooking something incredibly fragrant. Her auburn hair was pulled into a tidy braid twisted on top of her head. Her green eyes twinkled with her smile as she looked up quickly, still stirring whatever she had going in the pan with one hand and adjusting the heat on a burner beside it. “I sure hope so. I aim to please.”

I chuckled. “Daphne, you’re the best cook this place has ever had. It’s not even close. You do more than please. The only thing keeping us all from just sitting here like dogs waiting for treats is we’re too busy.”

“Are you already complaining about the schedule?” Flynn asked as he approached from where he’d been standing over by the table in the front of