no longer cared about onlookers, agents, or older brothers. She was in his arms, kissing him back, telling him she wanted him for keeps.
Without breaking their kiss, he reached down and cupped the back of her thighs, lifting her off the ground with ease. Cash relished the moment her legs locked around his waist. He pulled away from her lips.
“I never said you weren’t my type, and I don’t want you ever saying it or thinking it again. Kenadi, you are everything I want, something I need, and more than I deserve. From the first time I saw you, I knew I needed more of you. Knocking you in the pool was the best thing I’ve ever done because I met you. I only endured watching you attempt to date or talk about my best friend because it gave me time with you.”
She cupped her hands around his face and kissed him again. Softly and tenderly. “And you were about to walk away from me?”
“Only because I thought you were happy, babe. I would do anything to make you happy.”
“You make me happiest.”
He kissed her until she giggled.
“Your beard is ticklish.”
“I’ll shave it off.”
“Don’t you dare! It wasn’t a complaint.” Another kiss. Another knot undone.
“Do you know what Caleb and I talked about the whole time?”
“How to give me a brain aneurysm?”
“Close. He told me some of his thoughts about this suspected secret girlfriend of yours, and I guess he took one look at us at the party and decided he was right. Apparently, I’m totally your type.”
“See!”
She laughed one of her big, whole-heart laughs he loved so much. “Let’s go back to the party. I got all dressed up for you, and I need to get my money’s worth.”
“About that...” He slowly spun her around by the hand. It was the first time he could unabashedly admire everything he could see and let his imagination take over for things he couldn’t.
She grinned knowingly. “At least buy me a drink first.”
“It’s an open bar. I’ll buy you two.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “By the way, can I take you on a date?”
Kenadi’s eyes were watery with happiness. She wrapped her arms around his waist. “It’s about time you asked me out, Cash Latham.”
No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Editing:
Kaitlyn Moodie, Moodie Editing Services
ONE MORE STEP would mean certain death.
“I hate you for making me do this,” Everly hissed.
“Me?” I whisper-yelled. “This was your idea, remember? I wanted to spend a weekend glamping. But no. You thought a hike would be a more memorable experience.”
Not that she was wrong. We’d definitely remember this trip.
If we survived.
Her entire body trembled by my side. “Do you think they’ll come closer?”
“I don’t know.” I gripped her hand, clutching it as we huddled together on the trail.
Across from us, about fifty feet down the trail, stood a bison the size of a tank. He’d been farther away five minutes ago, but with every passing second, he inched closer, nuzzling the grass with his snout before taking another step in our direction. His charcoal horns tapered to piercing points, and his black, beady eyes seemed glued to our every move.
The bull snorted, causing both of us to flinch.
The minute we’d come upon the herd in this meadow, we’d nonchalantly retreated on the trail, but for every step we took, the animals—this one in particular—advanced three.
Everly unclipped the canister holstered to her belt. “Does bear spray work on bison?”
“I don’t know.” But if that thing came within firing range, we’d both unleash until either he killed us, or we turned him into bison jerky—pepper spray flavored. “Come on.”
We eased backward a foot, this time not drawing any movement from the beast. One foot became ten, then twenty. When the animal turned, whipping his tail over his ass in a silent fuck off, Everly and I leaned into each other in relief.
We were standing in the middle of an open plain in Yellowstone