Chapter 54

Moonlight cast her skin in ethereal hues as she reclined on the tire, her slender fingers gripping the rope above it. The swell of her breasts and hips strained against the dress from her position, and damn if his heart didn't punch his ribs. Again. What the hell had she done to him three months ago? He hadn't been right since.

Climbing the hill, he smiled and stared at her upside-down face as he loomed over her. "You look like a nymph under the moon and dangling from a tree."

"Nah, nymphs get laid more than I do."

He wasn't going near that comment. "Know a lot about nymphs, do you?"

"Can't say I know any, but lore describes them as intensely sexual creatures who prefer nature and have an irresistible allure."

He wondered if she realized she'd just described herself. And, of course, she'd know something about mythical beings. Any topic at all, really. She had an intelligence about her that was neither condescending nor flaunting. A subtle quality that allowed her to carry on a conversation about nearly anything.

Why he suddenly found that hot was beyond him, but he ignored it. Hard as he could.

"I'm shocked you waited for me." He relaxed his shoulders as she straightened, relieved the tension was gone from her features. "You rarely, if ever, listen to me."

She shook her head in a clear case of pity. "I'm not waiting for you. Note I wasn't standing by the barn with bated breath for your return."

Her droll tone, phrasing, and verbiage weren't hot, either. It wasn't. "I'll scribble it on a post-it so I don't forget." Tongue in cheek, he debated how much he liked his head where it was at. Once she found out he'd had her items moved to his house, his skull was bound to roll off his neck. "A moment ago, I remembered we first met in this spot."

"Just remembered, huh? So memorable it was."

She had no idea. And he wasn't winning this one. "Recalled the details, I mean. Give me a break. We were nine."

In answer, she toed the grass and set her swing in a slow spin. "Feeling nostalgic, Nakos?"

Nostalgic, unnerved. Tomato, tomauto. "It was a good memory."

Her sudden grin depleted some of his brain cells. She was evil like that.

With the ball of her foot, she stopped the swing. "Know what I remember? You staring at Olivia like you'd swallowed your tongue."

Again, she had it all wrong. Olivia calmed the crazy. Amy stirred the pot. "And you stole my cowboy hat. One day maybe you'll give it back." He narrowed his eyes. "Why are you smiling sinister-like?"

Much to his dismay, she stood on the top of the tire, reached up, and swung her legs onto the overhead branch. Dress and all.

To avoid the possible peep show, he slapped a hand over his eyes. "Get down, Ames." When she didn't respond, he peeked between his fingers and found her standing on the limb, stretching toward a knot where the branches met the trunk. Damn, she was high. "Ames, down. Now."

"Just a sec."

He didn't know what made his heart jack harderthe concern she'd fall or the endless expanse of leg under her skirt. "Damn it. Amy, come on." No fear, this one. Always.

She pulled an item from the knot andstrike him deadpirouetted on her toes. Something smacked him in the face and landed at his feet.

A glance down, and he glared at...his old hat. Smooshed, the black material had paled to a dull gray and had foliage stuck to it, but it was his hat nonetheless.

"What purpose did that serve?" Hands on his hips, he frowned up at her. "Putting it up there in the first place or choosing now to bring it down?"

"A girl doesn't need to explain herself, not to a boy or the man he grew into."

She needed to come with an instructional manual. And one not written in Spanish. "Fine. Don't tell me. Just come down."

But she was already making the descent. Legs wrapped around the branch, she twisted until she grabbed the rope and, limber as a circus performer, swung that lithe body of hers until her feet were on solid ground again.

"You're welcome." As if in afterthought, she smiled.

Screw instructions. She needed a warning label. Caution: Incidental contact may cause mental and bodily harm.

He swiped a hand down his face and refocused on her. As much as he wanted answers to their previous discussion, he didn't have it in him. She was acting more like her usual self, the one that made his left eye tick, and he was exhausted.

She bent and retrieved the hat from the ground. After vigorously shaking it out, it retained its crushed state. "Might want to just throw it away."

Unable to help it, he laughed. Rough, ragged, and with all the finesse of road kill. He swore, only she could drag one out most days. "What the hell am I going to do with you?"

"You could drive me to Kyle's so I don't have to walk. My feet were abused wearing those torture devices." She blinked at him. Tilted her head. "Not what you meant, though."

"No, not exactly." And yeah, about going to her brother's...

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, my parents used to say that to me all the time growing up, and they never did discover a solution."

Precisely how was that supposed to make him feel better? "They're assholes, and I'd prefer you not compare me to them or use us in the same sentence."

"Rawr, Nakos."

He did not appreciate her making light of this, either. Especially not this. After tonight, it was blatantly apparent they'd been mind-fucking her on a level he hadn't known existed. "She all but called you a whore, Ames." Never mind the variety of other issues. He clenched his fists at his sides.

She shrugged as if he'd said it was supposed to rain tomorrow. "I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just wondering where all the aggressive alphaness is coming from. You act like you've never met them before."

Exhibit A. She'd just proved his point.

With a gentleness he almost never saw, her features softened and she stepped forward. "Hey, calm down. You're vibrating with fury. This is so unlike you. I said it before. Don't let them bother you, okay?"

Not. Okay. Parents were supposed to love and support their children, however many mistakes they made. Not deem them a slut, throw them out of the house, or not so much as pay one visit while they were broken and bruised in bed after a beating. A beating rendered by someone else who was supposed to love her.

He was so over tonight it was tomorrow already. "I need to get my stuff from the barn before we head home." His home. She was going to kill him. Hopefully, Kyle was back with his keys. "Come on. We can fetch your shoes, too."

"Or we could just feed them to the horses."

He huffed a laugh. "I like the horses. We'll toss 'em in the fire pit."

Her brother was, in fact, waiting for them when they made their way across the grass. "All set." Kyle nodded to his sister and took off deeper into the barn.

A quick glance proved Nakos's folks had left. He'd call them later. Snatching his coat off a chair, he led Amy to his truck, parked in Olivia's driveway.

Once they were settled inside the dim interior, he sighed. Long and loud. Turned over the engine. "You know I care about you, right?" He could feel her gaze on him, but he didn't meet it with his own. "Just remember that when we get to where we're going."