Page 42 of Reckless Hearts

Maverick beams at me a real smile, full of wonder and possibility.

The kind of smile I’d do anything to keep there.

Noise filters through the door.

“We should probably head out. Colt’ll be looking for you.”

Colt.

My heart stutters.

How would Maverick feel if he knew I wanted to kiss Colt just as badly?

That I’ve always been greedy and want them both?

He holds my chin lightly and says, “He and I may not like each other, but you’ll always come first. We want you to be happy.”

“Freaking mind reader,” I mutter under my breath, internally freaking out.

“You shouldn’t make yourself so easy to read,” he teases, pressing a kiss to my temple.

Then he twines our fingers together and leads us out.

This man found me at my darkest.

Lit my way out.

And somehow made me as happy as I’ve ever been.

Everything about this moment is perfect.

I want to freeze it in time, hold it tight forever.

An ache twists in my chest.

I know it’s temporary.

But I push that thought away, refusing to taint this memory.

One day…

It will be all I have left.

Chapter 13

Callie

14 Years Old

The heat hasn’t broken,even though the sun’s been down for hours.

We lie sprawled in the bed of Colt’s dad’s rusted truck, a tangle of limbs and dust-streaked skin, staring up at the stars.

“This is the life,” Colt says, stretching until his boots thud against the side panel.

Maverick grunts in agreement, one arm folded behind his head. He’s chewing a piece of straw he picked from the rodeo grounds earlier, like a caricature of a cowboy.

I shift, propping my chin on my hands, watching them.

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