Page 42

But they didn’t hear them. In that moment it was just them.

John made it to his truck and pushed her up against the side hard, her hips rolling into his. The body shots were a dumb idea because now he was drunk and horny as fuck. Deep breaths and rising che

sts, they were panting into each other when he broke the kiss.

“Never, ever, do a body shot again,” rolled off his lips, the heat in his eyes seared her core. “That tongue of yours is dangerous.”

“I could say the same to you.” Alyssa inhaled, breathing in a mixture of Georgia air, John’s earthy scent, and the firewood burning as she slid down his body trying to find her footing.

“Somehow, somewhere, we’re going to finish what we started tonight.”

“I’d like that,” she whispered huskily.

Sometime later, they were getting ready to call it a night. The party was winding down, the crowd was thinning out. The four friends had been there for countless hours.

John stopped drinking after the body shot to sober up, but he could still feel the effects. Now they were looking for Ford and Jace.

“There they are,” Alyssa said, pointing.

“Hey guys, ready to head out?” he asked both Ford and Jace as they walked up to them.

“Johnny!” Jace said, giving John a sloppy side hug.

“I’m ready,” Ford said.

“Are you okay to drive?” Alyssa asked Ford.

“Sure am. I haven’t drank anything other than beer after we did those double shots hours ago. I was ready to head out anyway. I gotta help my pops on the farm tomorrow. It’s been an epic night,” Ford said, walking away. “See ya’ll tomorrow.”

“Jace?” Alyssa’s voice was raised.

“You know you’re my best friend, Johnny boy?” Jace said cheekily to John, not hearing Alyssa’s question.

He laughed. “Oh yeah? That so?”

“That so,” Jace repeated, walking to his truck.

“Want to head to my house and we can hang out back for a bit?”

Jace wiggled his eyebrows. “Sounds like a hot date.”

Alyssa shook her head. “I swear, you two can’t say anything without turning it into a sexual innuendo.”

They high fived each other and she laughed.

“You okay to drive, Jace? We can drive if you want.”

Jace looked at her like he was insulted. “I got this, pretty girl,” then he jumped into his truck and spun out.

It was an epic night for sure. Gotta love summer nights in a small town, John thought as they turned onto the dirt road that held so many memories for him.

John watched as Jace drove down the bumpy dirt road in front of him. It was close to midnight, the pitch black night sky set behind the moon. Jace was doing a piss poor job trying to keep on the straight and narrow path and John couldn’t help but laugh at his recklessness. He knew Jace was putting on a show driving the way he was, doing crazy eights and yelling out of the window and such. Lord, they liked to get wild in their trucks and do stupid shit.

Jace being crazy and wild was nothing new. There wasn’t anyone on the long empty road for miles but him, Alyssa, and Jace anyways.

As Jace’s truck was gaining speed, he swerved in and out of the lanes. Fuck. What the hell was Jace doing? John sat a little higher in his seat and glanced down at the speedometer. They had never gone that fast, at least not that he could remember. It was scaring the shit out of him.

“Hey Babe, grab my phone. Call Jace and tell him to take it easy, would ya?” He decided he was going to make a call instead of waiting.