Page 84 of Capri

Her smile is so fucking bright. She looks even more endearing with happiness plastered across her pretty face. “Ah.” She waves me off. “Just another secret I keep hidden in my pocket.”

I pull her close again. “Well, I’m a big fan.”

Maybe even her biggest.

She pulls back and looks me in the eyes. “Your turn. So, what’s it gonna be, Captain? Blink-182? Or you going with the old-school country twang?”

I do a little shimmy in my jeans, motioning for her to prepare her eyes. “Buckle up, sweetheart. You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

I head toward the DJ and put in my request before situating myself on stage.

Tonight, I’m feeling petty.

As petty as any thirty-nine-year-old man can be. I catch Capri’s eye in the crowd and blow her a kiss.

Then I grab the mic and dedicate my performance to the prick in the audience who decided touching my girl was a good idea. “This one’s for you, Noah.”

I barely catch the gasp from Capri’s lips before I start singing.

She can punish me for it later.

* * *

“Did you see his face?”Capri exclaims mid-laugh.

I smile. “Watched it the whole time.”

I’m walking on cloud nine.

After witnessing Capri let loose tonight and have one too many beers, I insisted on giving her a ride home. Collie ended up leaving with some guy she knew from college, and there was no way in hell I’d let her leave with Noah.

She’s sitting shotgun in my truck, rambling on about tonight while I sit back and soak in this carefree side of her.

Her once neatly styled messy bun is now untamed, and her skin is slick from sweat. She looks comfortable next to me, her body turned in as she talks me through the excitement of tonight, as if I wasn’t there enjoying it with her.

I’ll let her tell me everything from start to finish if it means she keeps talking.

“When you legit started stomping your boots, I about died!”

Not my best moment, but singing “These Boots are Made for Walkin” by Nancy Sinatra was a class act. It was my low-key threat to Noah to keep his fucking hands to himself.

“He had it coming for him,” I reply, feeling a rush of frustration come over me again.

“Jones, I had just told him to stop pissing on me. Then, you turn around and do it loudly in front of the whole bar.” She laughs hysterically.

I hope she doesn’t wake up in the morning and hate me for it.

I’ll risk it.

“Don’t act like you didn’t like it.” I reach for her hand and run my fingers across her smooth skin. I can’t stop myself from touching her. It’s a good thing I’m driving, or I probably would have kissed her by now.

“Maybe a little.” She smiles wide, glancing down at my hand on hers, and my chest feels fucking tight.

I had fun tonight for the first time in…shit, longer than I can remember.

I do nothing but work and sail in Capri. When I’m back home, I stay at Paloma with my mother all day, then go back to my rental and sleep the night away.

This is the first time I’ve come back to Timber Heights with someone to spend my time with.

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