Evers & Afters (Dare With Me #2) - J.H. Croix Page 0,46

my then-girlfriend.

Much as I wanted to go out of my way and rough up the man who betrayed Cammi, I didn’t. I didn’t know what to think about how I’d tapped into a vein of protectiveness I didn’t even know I had.

I remembered Greg dying. I remembered my ex sobbing uncontrollably over the phone, at which point I realized she’d been having an affair with my best friend. I remembered her trying to fix it, but that was it for me. I remembered my physical pain and tumbling into the oblivion of opiates. Those pharmaceutical companies spun a poison type of a scab. Between my physical and emotional pain, it had all been too tempting to lose myself in numbness.

I was thinking about that later when I saw that man look over at Cammi and his eyes lingered for a moment. My hand was resting on her back and I slid it around to curl over her hip possessively. Because she was mine. Even if I wasn’t quite ready to plumb the depths of what mine meant.

I rode the edge of a fierce need all night. By the time Daphne announced the winners of various high-end giveaways, I just needed to get out of there. Because I needed Cammi.

Chapter Twenty

Cammi

It was late, and the stars glittered in the darkness. We drove along the highway with the moonlight shimmering on the ocean’s surface to one side. My body felt fizzy, bubbly with desire and this uncertain emotion centered on Elias. I couldn’t say what I’d expected tonight, but I definitely had not expected him to be so public with me.

Mind you, I didn’t mind the PDA, not one bit. I’d been startled to see Joel there, and his presence could’ve ruined my night, but it hadn’t. While I was well over him, his appearance at my coffee truck and attempt to talk to me had thrown me. I was relieved he’d seen me with Elias because hopefully he knew to leave me alone from now on. It felt deliciously good to be beside Elias with his arm around my waist, holding me almost possessively.

Seeing Joel in the presence of Elias was a neon reminder of everything Joel wasn’t. Elias was like the authentic version of the faded image Joel tried to project. Without any effort, Elias exuded raw, almost primitive masculinity. And oh-my-heart and every cell in my body was the man handsome. My parts were still quivering just from being with him all night.

His energy was intense with an almost pensive quality to it that I wasn’t sure how to interpret as he drove toward home. He reached across the bench seat in his truck—which, by the way, was freaking awesome—and caught my hand and gave it a little tug.

“Come here,” he murmured, his voice low and gravelly.

I didn’t need to be told twice. I unbuckled my seatbelt and slid into the center.

“Buckle up, sweetheart,” he added.

I did, because we were going over sixty miles per hour on the highway heading back to Diamond Creek.

“Thanks for coming tonight.” He slid his palm, strong and sure, over my thigh.

“Thanks for inviting me. The food was amazing, and it was nice. We don’t have many events like that.”

“Daphne will be thrilled. Remind me how long the drive is back to Diamond Creek.”

We’d driven north to Kenai where the event was hosted. “Just under two hours,” I offered.

He made a sound in his throat. I kind of thought it was a growl, but that seemed a little weird. Until he hooked his fingers over the hem of my silky dress and slid the fabric up my thigh. Although it was cool out tonight, I’d known it would be warm inside the crowded event, so I wasn’t even wearing stockings. The feel of his calloused palm on the inside of my thigh had me shivering all over. I was wet, because I’d been wet all night. Elias had that effect on me.

“I can’t wait that long.”

Elias’s voice sent a quiver through me. “Wait that long for what?”

“You.”

His palm slid up further, cupping my mound, his fingers teasing over the damp silk. I couldn’t help the ragged breath that escaped when my pussy clenched. Elias sped up slightly before turning abruptly into a drive that I knew led to a clearing. It might’ve been dark, and I might’ve been half out of my mind with lust, but I knew this road. I could see the map of it in my mind. In the summer, there