her ex, but she was still touching me.
“So now, what do we do? What is going to happen with Royal? That Marco guy is going to help us?” she asked.
I nodded. “If I know King, he’s already on the phone with him, and the ball is in motion to get Royal.”
“But what are we supposed to do?”
I chuckled. “Wait, darlin’. That’s all we can do until King tells us differently.”
“Ugh. I’m not very good at waiting. Like, at all.”
“Well, I got rid of your ex, so you at least don’t have to worry about him.”
“You didn’t have to do that. Grit always talked a lot of shit. And, I don’t think he’s actually going back to Florida. Grit isn’t that easy to get rid of.”
I looked down at her. “So that means he can just say whatever he wants and do whatever he wants? Nah, darlin’. That’s not how shit goes with me.”
She tipped her head back. “Well, not me either seeing as we broke up, but sometimes, it’s just best to let him run his mouth.”
I shook my head. “Not when it comes to you. He’s not even allowed to say your name from where I’m standing.”
“You don’t even know him, Frost. Hell, you barely know me. You don’t know anything that happened between Grit and me.”
“It must have been bad enough for you to leave your home,” I drawled.
She let go of my wrist. “I didn’t leave Destin only because of Grit. There were a lot of things that weren’t right, and I just needed a change.”
“You’re gonna tell me that asshole wasn’t the reason you left?” That asshole had to have been the reason she left. Needed a change my ass.
Indiana huffed and folded her arms over her chest. “I mean, he was, but I can handle him now. He doesn’t have any power over me. And besides, he’s not here for me. He’s here to help Royal.”
She was right, I didn’t know the story between them, but I saw the way she reacted when she found out he was here. She didn’t get close to him, and when he had approached her, she hadn’t offered a friendly hello.
“If that’s what you want to believe, darlin’.”
She rolled her eyes. “There is absolutely no chance in hell that I am at all interested in Grit again. I was a young and dumb girl when I met him. That girl is dead now. I just want to find Royal safe, send Grit back to Destin, and then, I can get back to dancing.”
“You make it sound pretty simple when you gotta know none of this is going to be simple.” Even I had heard of Biff Meeks before. We were about to go up against a guy who was ruthless as hell and didn’t give a fuck about anyone.
She shrugged. “I guess I’m used to it because nothing in my life has ever been simple. I’ve made it this far on my own.”
“Yeah, well, from now on, you aren’t doing this shit on your own. I’m gonna make your life a whole hell of a lot easier.”
“Is that so?” she laughed. “I gotta say, I’ve never had someone stand up for me like you did with Grit, but I’ll hold my judgment on whether or not I really think you’re a good guy until after we find Royal.”
“Is that how it’s going to be?” I laughed.
She shrugged. “I really don’t know at all, but that sounded good.”
“Well, I’m not going anywhere, darlin’.”
“That sort of sounds like a threat, though a sweet one.”
I shook my head. “Not a threat, darlin’, it’s a promise. I do barely know anything about you, Indiana, but I know I want to know everything. Why you left Destin. How you wound up here. Who your mama and daddy are. What you were like when you were young. Do you think about kissing me as much as I think about kissing you? You know, the usual.”
Indiana’s cheeks flushed pink, and her eyes darted to the floor. “Uh, well. That’s a lot of things you want to know about me. Do you want the long or short answers to those?”
I leaned into her ‘til my lips were a breath away from hers. She didn’t move. Her eyes connected with mine, and I breathed in her sweet scent. “With you, darlin’, I want it all.” I pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, and her breath hitched. “You may not know it yet, or you may not be