Page 61 of Where We Burn


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“Damn right I am. The last time I hesitated taking what was mine, I lost it for months.”

I ease out of her and drop to my knees, my eyes rolling back in satisfaction at the sight of her glistening with both of us. She dangles something lacy and turquoise beside me, and I snatch it from her hand.

“Pretty sure this is about to be the first and last time I ever put underwear on you, darlin’.” Still, I do it, taking my time as I guide each foot through the delicate fabric before sliding it up those beautiful thighs.

When I help her stand upright, my hands find their way into her silky hair, and I drop a soft kiss on her forehead, then each cheek, before finally claiming those lips.

Even though my eyes are on the winding road, my thoughts are stuck in a loop of intrusive bullshit that’s been running wild in my head all damn day.

You can’t give her a full life.

What if she wants a family?

You don’t get to keep something like her.

You’re on borrowed time. Don’t forget it.

“Are you okay?” Piper’s voice snaps me out of it, and I tear my eyes away from the endless stretch of road to glance at her. She’stucked one leg up under herself, her onyx-colored hair catching the dashboard lights, and Jesus, she’s beautiful.

“All good, darlin’,” I lie, because the truth is, I’m all kinds of crazy for this girl.

Part of me thinks I should try to keep some distance, hold back just enough so maybe it’ll hurt a little less when this thing blows up in my face. But I’m so far gone, I think it might destroy me anyway.

I pull into the bar’s parking lot and kill the engine. “You coming in? I’ll get you a bourbon. My treat.”

I don’t remind her it’s an open bar for me, but that’s the privilege of having your brother own it.

I slide out of the truck, rounding the hood to get to her door, and when Piper steps out, hips swaying in that tight little skirt, my eyes lock onto her ass like they’ve got a mind of their own. Following her up to the entrance and watching her move like she knows exactly what she’s doing to me with every single step… yeah, that does things to a man.

We push through the door, and the place is packed tighter than a bullpen on rodeo night. A groan rips from me when I spot all five Walker brothers crowded around a table. Those boys can get rowdy as hell, and having the whole set here means I’m sticking around tonight, whether I like it or not.

Callan’s behind the bar working like a man with twice as many hands as God gave him, and the moment he catches sight of me pushing through the crowd, he’s already grabbing a glass and starts pouring my usual.

“That’s going on my tab.” Piper announces it like it’s the most natural thing in the world, and my brother’s eyebrows disappear into his hairline.

“She’s buying you drinks now?”

“Looks that way.”

“Thought you were supposed to be a gentleman.”

“Never claimed to be, little brother.” I catch Piper’s eyes over the rim of my whiskey glass, both of us remembering exactly how ungentlemanly I was with her bent over my kitchen table, not even an hour ago.

“Word of advice, if you two don’t want anyone knowing about your situation, maybe stop making heart eyes across my bar.” I shoot Callan a glare as Piper’s eyes go wide. “Seriously, it takes one person to notice, and the whole town will be in your business by morning.”

Callan moves down the bar to pour a drink for Donny, one of my dad’s old drinking buddies who’s been propping up that same barstool since before I was born.

Piper slides closer, close enough that I catch a whiff of her vanilla perfume mixed with something distinctly us.

“Best behavior from you tonight, cowboy, unless you want our little secret to become tomorrow’s gossip.”

Something in my chest tightens at that—our little secret.I don’t like how that sits. Like she’s something I have to hide, and what’s happening between us is something to be ashamed of instead of the best damn thing that’s walked into my life in longer than I care to admit. The thought burns worse than the whiskey sliding down my throat, and I take another drink to chase away the bitter taste it leaves behind.

I claim a booth in the back corner when Piper moves off to serve Jimbo his usual beer, and it doesn’t take long for the usual guys to find me. One of my oldest friends, Teddy, who runs the only garage in town and has his nose so far up everyone’s business that he could tell you what they had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, slides in first. Then Dillon drops into the seat across from me, Callan’s high school buddy who works his family’s ranch and just happens to be Piper’s sister’s ex-boyfriend. Finally, Jace Walker joins us, the oldest of those five wild-ass brothers, looking about as done with his siblings as I am. They’re crowded around the jukebox, hollering about song choices, but my eyes keep drifting toward the bar.

I try to focus on whatever Teddy’s talking about—he’s rambling about some city prick who rolled in a Ferrari that couldn’t handle our mountain roads, but I’m only half listening. My attention keeps getting yanked back to the bar like there’s an invisible rope tied around my chest.

She’s magnetic, and I can’t stop watching her.