“I’m not a game, William.”
He straightens up, walking toward me and placing his hands on my shoulders. “I know you’re not. Why do I flirt with you? ‘Cause I’m a shameless flirt. And maybe I’m a bit jealous of the relationship you guys always had.”
Will drops a kiss on my forehead and wraps his arms around my shoulders in a hug. I take the offered comfort. I need it tonight.
“Talk to Ian. Lay it all out on the table and let him decide. I guarantee he’ll still want you.”
I nod against his chest. I have to do something. Living in the same town means we will have to find a way to live with the other around. If we can’t, I’ll have to leave again.
Chapter Nine
IAN
She left with Will.
Upset.
His arm around her.
I want to pummel his goddamn face. What part of she’s mine is he not understanding? She can deny it all she wants, but it doesn’t make it any less true. Everyone in the damn town has known it since we were kids. Her leaving for a decade hasn’t changed that. She’s the only one who seems unclear on this.
I’m sitting in the sheriff’s vehicle, watching drunks come out of the bar and stumble home. I haven’t had to arrest anyone yet, so it’s a good night. More weekends than not, my two cells become drunk tanks, one for men and one for women.
Nothing has gone right since Eva came back. My schedule is off. I can’t sleep. I’m snapping at everyone, getting into fights with my brother. It’s like I’m a damn teenager again and can’t control myself. I’m thirty, for fuck’s sake. I’m waiting for Momma to come after me with a wooden spoon and beat some sense into my ass. At this point, I wouldn’t blame her.
The night’s almost over, so I turn off the engine and head inside to do a head count. The two deputies I have working for me have been taxiing people home all night, leaving me to watch the parking lot and pull drunks from behind the wheel.
Inside, it’s just about empty. Only a few stragglers left.
“Evening, Tommy.” I nod to the bartender.
“Evening, Ian.” He nods back.
I don’t try to correct him. He’s old enough to be my grandfather, and at this point, I’m just tired.
“Anyone need a ride home?” I ask him.
He shakes his head. I turn to head back to my car and stop short when a woman I’ve only seen a handful of times is standing behind me.
Dressed in a ripped jeans and big white puffy jacket with fake brown fur around the hood, there’s something about her that’s always drawn my attention. I’m almost afraid to look away, like she’ll disappear. Misty Walker. She lives outside of town. Rarely leaves her property. People around here call her a witch doctor.
She looks me over from head to foot, stopping at the badge on my jacket, but not pausing anywhere else until her eyes meet mine. She pushes her hood back, and the palest blonde hair I’ve ever seen is exposed. Tight curls make her hair stand up around her head, but her purple eyes are the most intense thing about her. I’ve never seen eyes like that on anyone else.
Eyes that can see into your soul.
“She’s hurting too.” Her voice catches me off-guard. It’s raspy, like she’s been smoking a pack a day for twenty years, but she doesn’t even look twenty.
“What?”
“She’s scared.”
What the hell is she talking about?
“Who?” My pulse picks up, ready to jump into action to help someone in need.
Misty cocks her head. “The woman you ache for.”
The few people left in the bar have stopped talking to see what’s going on. You could hear a damn pin drop in here.
“If you don’t convince her to be yours, you’ll lose her forever.”
Every muscle in my body tenses. How can she know anything about me?
“How do you know that?”
She smiles softly. “The stars never lie.”
Lifting her hood, she leaves the building.
What the fuck was that?
For a minute, I can’t move. I stand with my feet stuck to the hardwood floor, staring at the space the strange woman was just in. Did that just happen? Was she real?
When I turn toward the bar, everyone is staring at me.
“She was real. Right? You all saw her?”
Tommy’s forehead crinkles as his eyebrows pull together. “Yeah, she was there. You feelin’ alright?”
My thoughts are going too fast to be able to focus on anyone.
You will lose her forever.
Shaking my head, I shove the door open and leave the bar. The bitter cold bites at my face. I pull open the door of the truck harder than necessary; a purple wildflower sits on the center console.
Immediately, I look around for the woman, but I don’t see any evidence of her. Not a car or shadow. Nothing. It’s like she vanished.
Climbing behind the wheel, I get the engine going and back out of the parking lot. I normally just head home and crash in my apartment above the station after the bar closes, but something tells me to check the streets. My gut has never led me wrong before.
I make two passes through the streets and find nothing, but I can’t shake the feeling of something being off. My fingers itch to touch Eva, to climb into bed next to her and pull her against me.
Getting out of my uniform and Kevlar vest, I lock up my weapon and check for anything out of place.
I live a simple life. I don’t collect things. Everything has a spot, and nothing is out of place. Left with nothing else to do, I go to bed.
Sleep claims me almost immediately, dreaming of my wildflower and the life we could have together. Laughter and arguments. Loving hard.
When I wake the next morning, the sun is already up, which means I slept in for the first time in probably fifteen years. Sitting up, I scrub a hand down my face and swing my feet over the edge.
My dick is hard as rock and aching to sink into the lavender-haired woman who’s throwing everything off kilter. Heading to the bathroom, I strip my clothes off, take care of business and turn the shower on. There’s no way this is going away on its own.
I’m about to step into the shower when there’s a knock on my door. Son of a bitch.
Grabbing a towel, I wrap it around my waist and adjust my dick so it’s not as obvious. Stomping toward the door, I rip it open, not bothering to ask who’s there.
Standing on my doorstep is the woman I dreamt of in the flesh.
“Oh, this is a bad time. I’m sorry.” She flushes and turns to leave.
With quick reflexes, I grab her arm and pull her inside, closing the door behind her to lean her against it.
Her chest flushes, the red blush climbing her neck to color her cheeks. The increase in her breathing pushes those tempting tits against my chest. I lean my palms against the door, bringing her close enough to inhale her shampoo. Something sweet with lavender and honey. It’s exactly how I picture her smelling. Fucking perfect.
“What brings you by, Wildflower?”
She swallows, her throat working hard. “I…um…I don’t—”
She closes her eyes; her tongue peeks out to drag across her bottom lip. I groan deep in my chest at the sight. The memory of how good that tongue feels on my skin turns my cock to steel against her stomach. I don’t try to hide it from her. Instead, I push it against her.