Page 60 of Wild King

“But it’s okay for you to bring Micah?”

Another long pause. Jesus, by the time she tells me who the hell that son of a bitch is, my reputation will have cleaned itself up and I’ll be able to leave my prison here.

“Micah is my sister’s boyfriend. He needed to get her car. I don’t own a car, so she lent me hers when I told her I was staying here. Turns out she needed it for this weekend because they’re going to some festival up in Massachusetts and she didn’t want to take his car, so I met him when he got off the highway and he followed me here.”

I want to ask why they didn’t just swap cars when he got off the damn Taconic, but I don’t. I already look like a jealous asshole. I don’t need to amp that up any more than I have tonight.

“Oh. So you didn’t kiss him when you leaned into the car when he was leaving?”

The words leave my mouth, and I instantly regret saying that since it definitely makes me look jealous. So much for trying to be cool for a second there.

“I did, but just like I always do when we say goodbye.”

Great. Now she knows I’m a jealous shit. We haven’t been together for months, yet I’m acting like her boyfriend. Not that I wouldn’t want to start up again.

Sure I don’t want to continue this conversation and look like a total jackass, I stand up and take a big swig of beer. “Well, good to know. I have to go now. Have a good one.”

As I head back into the house, I think about that woman who once told me whoever walks away first wins. I’m not sure what she was talking about because if how I feel right now is winning, fuck, I don’t want to know what losing feels like.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Salem

Kellen leavesme sitting out on the patio feeling like shit. I knew what he’d think when I told Micah we’d switch cars here. We could have done that right off the highway, but I wanted to have Kellen see him with me.

It sounded like such a great idea. Make him jealous by bringing a guy to the house. So much for great ideas. Now I just feel bad. So he got jealous. Great. We still aren’t any further along toward getting back together than we were before he saw Micah.

A scratching noise that sounds like it’s coming from the bushes at the back of the yard tears me out of my self-loathing, and I strain my vision to see what’s there. A sudden burst of fireworks off in the distance frightens me, making my heart race.

“Great time for a Fourth of July celebration,” I mumble as I continue to stare at the area right behind the old swing set.

For a few seconds, all I hear is silence, but then more scratching sounds make me worried a wild animal might jumpout at any moment, so I tear off toward the house, nearly running into Kellen as I race through the door.

“Whoa! What’s up? Why are you running?” he asks as I back up from him.

Breathless, I manage to get out, “Animal. Something back there. I ran all the way.”

Kellen smiles and pulls me into him in a hug that makes all the fear I just felt coursing through me instantly disappear. “Well, you’re safe now. I guess I should have mentioned there might be animals out there when it gets dark. Sorry about that.”

God, he feels so good next to me. I didn’t realize how much I missed his body against mine until right now.

I close my eyes and let myself enjoy this moment. After all the anger between us and roadblocks I’ve been running into with my job, being in his arms is pure relief.

Against the top of my head, he whispers, “Are you okay? That really freaked you out, didn’t it?”

I nod but don’t let go of him. Not yet. For just a minute, all I want is to remember how I felt with him down in the islands.

“Things can get pretty wild out here in the suburbs,” he says in a low voice that resonates against my cheek.

Finally, I lift my head off his chest and look up to see him wearing a big smile. “Are you making fun of me? I’m a city girl. We don’t see wild animals very often.”

Kellen shakes his head. “No, I’m not making fun of you. If you don’t mind me saying so, this is nice.”

“Me being scared out of my wits?”

Rolling his eyes, he answers, “The two of us like this. I’ve wished we could be like this for weeks.”

“We have had a hard time dealing with one another, haven’t we?” I admit sheepishly. “It’s not entirely you. I know that.”