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With the picnic basket in one hand, he took mine in the other, weaving through trees and pushing shrubs aside as we went. We weren’t following any path I could see, so I had no idea how he knew where to go, but by that point, I wasn’t worried. My mom had always warned me about letting strange men take me places, but Duke wasn’t a stranger anymore. I didn’t know it until that moment, but as I followed him blindly to what looked like the middle of nowhere, it hit me like a ton of bricks:

I trusted him.

Even if that made me like every other doe-eyed sucker who fell for him.

Duke pushed past some thick leafy bushes, revealing a clearing unlike anything I’d ever seen before. The dirt beneath our feet led to a small sandy beach and water bluer and clearer than I thought possible. A stream poured into the swimming hole from between two huge rock formations dotted with giant leafy trees, making it feel like we’d entered a whole other world.

“Welcome to the best kept secret in all of Shady Grove,” Duke said, setting the picnic basket down and admiring the view.

“How is this place even real?”

I could barely keep my mouth from gaping open as I took it all in. From the sound of the stream flowing into the reserve to the trill of the birds across the way, that place was like something out of a fairy tale. I even saw a few magical-looking dragonflies skimming the surface of the water.

“Our parents used to take us here when we were little, before everything went south. Some of my best memories as a kid happened here.”

“And I thought Six Flags was cool growing up.”

Duke peeled off his T-shirt and tossed it by the basket, climbing onto one of the rocks and turning to wink at me.

“Are you coming or what?”

Without waiting for me to answer, he dove into the deepest part of the water. Part of me wished he would have stood a little longer on the rock so I had more time to admire his rippling back muscles, but I knew there’d be time for that later. Shedding my shorts and tank top, I walked to the water, yelping when my toes reached the edge.

“It’s freezing!”

“This is all-natural spring water, darlin’,” Duke said when he resurfaced. “Sixty-eight degrees year-round.”

I shuddered as I stepped deeper into the water, submerging my feet and calves.

“At this rate, you’ll barely get your head underwater by sunset,” Duke said, splashing water in my direction.

“Shut up.” I kept walking until the water came up to my waist, sending a spray of water into Duke’s face.

“Make me.”

He flashed that devilish smile of his and dove under, popping up a few feet to my left. I smiled and swam after him, loving the way the cold water made me feel like a kid again. We kept on like that for a while, chasing each other around the swimminghole, splashing and teasing and laughing until our limbs were tired and our stomachs started to growl. We swam ashore, where Duke spread out a picnic blanket, and we ate the meat, cheese, and fruit plate he’d packed for us. He’d even managed to slip a few beers in there—a couple IPAs for him, and something a little more drinkable for me.

Everything about the day was perfect, from the surprise of the swimming hole to Duke’s lips against my skin after lunch. I thought I’d been on good dates before, but this was something else. I’d never had a man plan something like that for me, taking me somewhere I’d never been, showing me a part of his world.

As we lay on the blanket, lips tired and sore from kissing, the Texas sun warming our skin, just one thought kept crossing my mind.

Why can’t guys like this exist in LA?

“Get your pretty little ass over here, I’m not done with you yet.” Duke smirked, heading straight for me with a determined expression, and my belly flipped.

CHAPTER 6

Duke

I couldn’t tellif I was drunk on whiskey or drunk on her, but either way, my world was soaked in a slap-happy haze, and I was fucking loving it.

When I’d dropped Valentina off at the guest house after our day at the swimming hole, my lips almost swollen from making out, I’d texted to see if she wanted to meet for a drink later, and she was quick to accept. Watching a huge smile erupt across her face as we played and splashed in the water meant more to me than I’d realized, and even though we’d spent the entire day together, I couldn’t wait another day to see her again.

We met up at the Drunk Skunk, her hair still a little damp from the shower. I got the first round as a thank you for not jumping out of the car when I’d turned down that first dirt road. Valentina got the second as a thank you for not murdering her and throwing her body in the spring water.

“I’ve watched enough true crime shows to know how that story would have ended,” she said, her lip curling into a smile.

“With me in my pick-up, halfway to Canada?”