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“You sure?”

“I’m sure. I’m just ready to leave if that’s okay.”

I give her a squeeze and glance back at Knox, who is now scanning the bar.

“Don’t, Knox. Please, let’s just go,” Liv begs.

He’s weighing his options heavily, I can see it in the way his jaw pulses. His eyes fall back to his sister, and with a begrudged grunt, he dips his head in a nod.

“I’m just going to grab my purse from the table,” I say. “I’ll meet you at the door.”

An unused napkin sits on top of my handbag, and in possibly the most sentimental moment of my life, I shove the tiny paper with the horseshoe on it into my bag.

I push through the crowd of people, making my way to the door when a brunette in a puke green shirt steps in my path. I immediately recognize the man who interrupted my girl’s night.

Ohh, Shaggy. Good thing I saved that napkin.

“Hey.” I wave and pull my lips into a wide grin.

His eyes drag up the length of my body, and I have to physically restrain myself from gagging. “Hey back atcha.”

“An American accent. Wonderful. I would hate for this to get lost in translation.” I know my smile is rivaling the Cheshire Cat, but I don’t care, it’s not the first time I’ve looked out of my mind and it won’t be the last. “Now pay attention. The next time a woman turns your malnourished ass down, the correct answer is ‘I don’t deserve you anyway’, because let me tell you something…” I lean in closer and I relish in the way his smile falters. “If the choice was between spending one night with you or repeatedly kicking a rusty saw with no shoes on and an ingrown toenail, I’m taking option B every time.”

His face contorts from confusion to anger, but his brain cells haven’t rubbed together enough yet to signal to his body that he should leave. I close the remaining distance betweenus and move to pass him, but not before whispering in his ear. “I mean this with the utmost disrespect. Go home. Be happy with your pocket pussy and leave the rest of these women alone.”

The driveback isn’t far, but the speed limit in the town is about as fast as I can run.

Backwards.

Uphill.

In the snow.

Wearing scuba gear.

We pull up to one of the houses on the hill and Olivia hops out, seeming a little better than when we left. “Thanks for coming out with me tonight. I had the best time.”

I can’t stop my lips from tugging upward.

“Thank you for inviting me.”

“Thanks for the ride, Knoxy!” She slams the door and runs up to the house.

I drop my head back to the seat, a smile stretching across my entire face.

“Don’t.” His warning is deep, like gravel.

“Don’t what?” I sit up to look at him. I don’t know how he thinks he knows me so well, but he’s already shaking his head so I push the button that I know he’s begging me not to. “Knoxy?” I ask, shaking with laughter beside him.

“Fuck me,” he grunts, rubbing his eyebrow.

He drapes an arm over the steering wheel, leaning forward to look out of my window, making sure his little sister gets in the house safely.

“So you’re kind of a big deal around here, huh?” I ask when he finally puts the vehicle into drive.

“What do you mean?” he asks, turning the truck around.

“I mean, everyone was all over you at the bar tonight. You must have talked to twenty different people.”