The Wild Ones (The Wild Ones #1)(36)
Author: M. Leighton

I can’t stop my smile. It really is perfect. I don’t have to worry about making up some kind of elaborate lie to tell my father.

“A road trip? With you? In that sweet car? I’m all over it.”

Trick tugs my hand, pulling me closer to his side. “If by ‘it’ you mean ‘me’ then that’s just the answer I was hoping for.” He arches one brow suggestively and I feel the heat of a blush break out in my cheeks.

He opens his mouth, no doubt to comment on my rosy face, when a gasp makes us both jump. Reflexively, I jerk my hand out of his and spring away. When I see the dark red head standing behind us, I breathe out a sigh of relief.

“Mom! You scared the crap out of me. What are you doing down here?”

My mother spends most of her days fulfilling her social butterfly duties as the wife of the Jack Hines. I can’t remember the last time she’d been home for breakfast, much less shown her face at the stable.

When she doesn’t immediately answer, I take note of her stricken expression. Her skin is paler than normal, her lips even looking a little washed out, and her bright blue eyes are wide with shock. The thing I find odd is that she’s staring at Trick.

“Mom?”

Her eyes flicker to me, but go straight back to Trick. Her mouth falls open a little and her lips tremble like she’s trying to say something, but can’t get it out.

“Mom!” I try again. Still, no response.

I walk toward her. It’s not until I’m almost right on top of her that she really looks at me, and even then, she appears to be a little addled.

“What’s wrong?”

We are exactly the same height, so I can look her right in the eye. Some would say it’s like looking at a mirror image of myself, only a few years down the road. I can see a few differences, like the shade of her eyes and the thinner lips that grace her face, but otherwise I must admit that we very closely resemble one another.

Finally, she seems to overcome whatever she was mentally tripping over and she smiles. She shakes her head and stammers, “Oh, sorry, I…um…I, uh…Drogheda…”

“Drogheda what?”

“She’s made breakfast for you. Come and eat before it gets cold.”

I see her eyes dart over my shoulder, to where Trick is standing. Does she know?

“Okay, I’ll be right up.”

She gives me a shaky smile and reluctantly turns to walk away. I get the feeling she wants to look back, but doesn’t.

When she’s out of sight, Trick appears at my side. “What was that all about?”

“That was my mother. I don’t know what her problem was. Maybe she saw us and knows something’s up.”

“I don’t know if it’s that or not. Weird.”

“Yeah, weird,” I agree.

“So, breakfast time, huh?”

I roll my eyes. “Yes. Drogheda would kill me if I skipped breakfast. She goes to so much trouble because she knows it’s my favorite meal.” I pause. “Well, second favorite.”

“What’s first then?”

“Dessert!” I say, licking my lips dramatically.

“Mmm, do that again,” Trick growls, his eyes locked on my lips.

“What? This?” Slowly, I drag my tongue along my top lip. Trick’s pupils dilate, swallowing the beautiful pale green of his irises. I feel his reaction deep in my stomach, in that place he can touch without even trying it seems.

When I finish, his eyes move up to mine. In them, I see everything that I’m feeling, eating away at him like it is at me. “Oh, you’ll pay for that.”

“You think?”

“No, I know. You’ll be at my mercy all weekend. All I can say is you’d better bring your game face, because it is on!”

“Is that a threat?”

“No, it’s a promise. A promise I very much look forward to keeping.”

His gaze heats up and it’s all I can do to remember my name, let alone that I’m supposed to be up at the house eating Drogheda’s delicious breakfast. If I had my way, I’d be somewhere enjoying some delicious Trick instead.

“You’d better head up to the house before I forget my manners and lure you off somewhere to ravage you.”

I laugh, not because it’s funny but because there’s nothing I’d like more. Damn him and his control!

“Breakfast,” he says, tipping his head toward the main stable doors. “Go while you can.”

“Are you hungry? Can I bring you something to eat?” I ask, my wits and my manners finally returning to me, albeit slowly.

I really didn’t mean to be provocative, although Trick would probably never believe that.

“Good God, woman! You’re killing me!” He runs his fingers through his hair and turns to walk away. When he gets a few feet from me, he turns around and walks backward. “Don’t get too satisfied. Save some of that appetite for this weekend.”

He smiles and winks at me before disappearing around the corner. I think I might die from wanting him to come back.

CHAPTER THIRTY – Trick

I can only hope spending the weekend with Cami will curb my appetite for her. Surely it’s a physical thing. Surely. I’m too young to fall in love with the wrong girl. I mean, hopefully I’ll always be too young for the wrong girl. Not that Cami’s really wrong in that sense. It’s just that things with her would be so complicated. Her dad’s a big deal, she comes from money, everyone expects her to marry into greatness. That’s more drama than I’ll ever need in my life! I’ve had my fair share already. I’m ready to get her out of my system and move on.

That’s why I’m sure it’s physical. That’s the only explanation.

Right?

“So we get to meet your girlfriend?”

Grace is practically vibrating with excitement. She views any girl in my life as a potential playmate and big sister.

“She’s not my girlfriend, Gracie.”

Her grin is so big it shows off the twin dimples in her cheeks. “But you like her, right?”

“Yeah, I like her.”

“Then maybe if you ask her nice enough, she’ll be your girlfriend.”

If only life was that simple. But rather than telling Grace about how cruel and twisted and complicated life really is, I scrub the top of her head. “Maybe she will. We’ll see.”

“Yay!” she exclaims, running off excitedly.

“She’ll probably come back out in yet another dress.”