"Easy, boss," Rex laughed, raising his hands. "Just admiring your good taste."
Sabine appeared with Captain Doyle, both of them cleaned up for the occasion. "Well you sure clean up nice, girl,” Sabine said to Lila.
"Aw, thanks," Lila replied, taking in Sabine's crisp button-down and dark jeans. "You all look great too."
The evening passed in a blur of poker games, auction bidding, and drinks. Lila charmed everyone she met, her laugh ringing out over the music as Rex regaled her with increasingly outrageous stories. But every time another man approached her, something dark and possessive coiled in my gut.
"You're scowling," she said, appearing at my side with two drinks.
"Am not."
"You are. Like someone's trying to steal your favorite toy." She handed me a whiskey, her fingers brushing mine. "Relax. I'm here with you."
The words hit me harder than they should have. Made me want things I'd convinced myself I didn't need.
"Want to play some poker?" I asked, nodding toward the tables.
"I should warn you, I'm terrible at cards."
"Perfect. I like winning."
But as it turned out, Lila was full of surprises. She might have claimed to be terrible, but she had a poker face that could rival professionals and a wicked sense of strategy that had her winning hand after hand.
"Beginner's luck," she said innocently, raking in another pot.
"Bullshit," I laughed. "You've been hustling us."
"I may have picked up a thing or two from Bowie over the years."
"Remind me never to play cards with your brother."
The night wore on, and the crowd began to thin. The auction had raised more money than expected, and Captain Doyle was grinning like he'd won the lottery. But all I could focus on was the woman beside me, the way she threw her head back when she laughed, the little shiver that ran through her when my hand found the small of her back.
"Come on," I said finally, when the last hand was played. "Let me show you something."
I led her outside, past the parked cars to a trail that wound up the hillside behind the community center. The night air was cool against my skin, and Lila's heels clicked softly against the stones.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"You'll see."
The trail opened onto a rocky outcropping that overlooked the entire valley. Foxfire Valley spread out below us, neon signspainting the night in blues and reds, while above us the sky was a canopy of stars unmarred by city lights.
"Oh my God," Lila breathed, moving to the edge. "It's beautiful."
I watched her instead of the view, the way the starlight caught in her hair, the wonder on her face. "Yeah," I said quietly. "It is."
She turned to find me staring at her, and something shifted in her expression. The playful woman from the poker table was gone, replaced by someone softer, more vulnerable.
"Griffin," she said, and my name on her lips was like a prayer.
I closed the distance between us in two strides, backing her against the smooth rock face. "I've been wanting to do this all night."
My mouth found hers, and Christ, she tasted like whiskey and promises. She melted against me, her hands fisting in my shirt as I deepened the kiss. Every rational thought fled my brain, replaced by pure need.
"Fuck, Lila," I groaned against her lips. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?"
"Show me," she whispered.
