Page 31

Willow

I close the door behind me and immediately regret everything.

Because my skin’s still tingling. My dress suddenly feels tighter. And Rocket? He looked at me like I was theproblemand thesolutionall in one.

Holy hell.

That look. It wasn’t just attraction. It was possession. Like he’d already played out every conceivable way to undress me in his head and was now choosing which one to act on.

And it did something to me. To my insides. Something violent and stupid and reckless.

God, I want to go back inside.

But I force myself toward the curb where Lily’s waiting, engine idling, lip gloss shimmering, looking like she’s about five seconds from screaming something wildly inappropriate out the window like she’s sixteen again.

“Get your ass in the car, girl,” she shouts out the open window, proving my hunch and our long-standing friendship true. “I was about to come knock on the door, hoping that fine-as-fuck man would open it and give me more fuel for my fiddle box.”

“Fiddle box?” I slide into the passenger seat with a laugh, tugging down the hem of my dress and trying toreassemble my dignity.

“Yes. Fiddle box. Men have spank banks. I, the demure and modest woman that I am”—she rolls her eyes—“have a fiddle box.”

“Jesus, Lil.” I bark out a cough. “You’re incorrigible.”

Lily flashes me an unapologetic grin and slaps my thigh. “Don’t act like you didn’t look that goodon purpose.You knew what you were doing.”

“And what was I doing?” I play along, acting way more innocent than I am.

“No doubt he’s in there having a heart attack right now over that dress. Or he might be in an ice-cold shower using you as his own spank bank.”

I shake my head but then think about what Rocket was overseeing today.

The pool fence.

He put in a pool fence.

Not because someone made him. Not because it was convenient. But because of Poppy .

Because he thought of her.

Because he wants her safe.

Because he gets it.

And that’s real. That is sexy . Well, not any sexier than the way he looked at me. The way the scrape of his eyes over my skin made me feel. The way his Adam’s apple kept bobbing as if I’d personally offended him by looking this hot on my night off.

My grin’s relentless at the thought. The anticipation war I waged?

I just won. Hands down. No question.

“Hello? Earth to Willow?”

“Sorry. I ... I was distracted.”

“No shit? Everything good with Poppy? She’s not upset—”

“No. She’s good. We’ve done practice runs with me going to the store a few times and talked about it repeatedly. She was completely fine with me leaving.” More than I expected.

“So it’s not Poppy. But your cheeks are flushed, and you’re grinning like someone just licked your neck and if he did and you’re holding out on me, so help me God, Willow—”

“No.” I snort. “Nothing of the sort has happened.” Yet . I squeeze my thighs together to abate the ache his looks just gave me and hope she doesn’t notice.

She typically notices everything.

With one last look at the front door in hopes of a peek at Rocket, she puts the car in gear, and I breathe a sigh of relief that she’s so preoccupied she didn’t notice.

“Do you have any idea how many gates and security booths I had to go through to get in here? Thank God you cleared me with security. This neighborhood is like Fort freaking Knox. I half expected a retinal scan back there.”

I laugh and roll my eyes ... and that’s when I see it. The little green Venmo notification on my phone screen:

Payment Received: $300 from Rocket Caldwell.

Three hundred dollars? What the hell?

I can’t open the app fast enough to see why or what or ... again, what the hell ?

Within seconds, it’s open, and I startle when I see the note that went with the payment:

Memo: Because I’m the only one who’ll be buying you drinks tonight.

I freeze and love that something deep down in me burns brightly. “Oh my God,” I say, not really thinking.

Lilyslams on the brakes. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Look.” I hold my phone out for her to see.

“Holy. Shit.” Lily’s eyes widen.

“Right?” I cough the word out in equal parts disbelief and excitement.

“Are you serious right now?”

“I don’t even know what to say.” I shake my head and reread the note for what feels like the tenth time already.

“Saynothing,” she says and starts driving again.“You’re not going back like you already want to do. And don’t give me that look. It’s written all over your face. Believe me. I get it. I’d be running back, stripping off my clothes, if I got that text. But we—”

“ We ?”

“Yes, we are going out. We are going to dance. We are going to flirt with hot guys. And the whole time, you’ll know that Rocket freaking Caldwell is at homepining for you. ”

“That’s ridiculous. He is not going to be pining for me. And who the hell says pining anymore anyway?”

“The woman who just read her best friend’s phone and saw a man sent her money so no other man gets close to her tonight.” She purses her lips and shakes her head. “Girl, that man wants you, and he wants you bad .”

I look out the window at the quiet street, at the night stretching in front of us, and all I can think about is that Lily’s right.

I already want to head back home and reap the rewards of what I’ve sown.

“Don’t even think about it,” she murmurs, reading my mind, and guns the engine out of the gate to the community.

What’s Rocket doing right now? Pacing? Staring at his phone? Still hard from justlookingat me?

God help me, I hope so.

And Ireallyhope I survive this night without escaping out a club side door and sneaking my way back home.