Page 86 of Reckless Hearts

Two thin straps dangle from his fingers, the baby blue fabric dotted with little flowers.

My nose scrunches. “Where did that come from?”

Maverick’s laugh is a low rumble.

“I bought it for you. You really think I’d just have some random girl’s dress lying around?”

“No,” I say, but it’s only half-true. Jealousy apparently comes easily for me.

Now that I know he bought it for me, warmth blooms in my chest, bright and sudden, like sunlight breaking through a storm. I reach out, opening and closing my hand in a silentgimme.

He grins as I snatch the dress from his fingers and scurry into the other room, their laughter chasing after me. I tug off Colt’s T-shirt, immediately missing the way it smells like him, all clean sweat, leather, and something unmistakablyhim. But then I slip the dress over my head, and that ache is replaced by something else entirely.

The fabric is light and soft, gliding over my skin like a second thought. My hands trail down to my hips, pausing where the skirt flares out just enough to feel flirty. It hugs every curve likeit was tailored for me, like he knewexactlywhere to cinch, where to drape. There’s even a built-in bra that fitsperfectly.

A thrill races through me, sharp and sweet, at the realization of just how closely Maverick’s been watching me. Not just looking… noticing. Every inch. Every detail.

I step around the corner slowly, nerves fluttering in my chest. I want Maverick to like it. Need him to. The way his eyes darken when he’s pleased, the way his smile curls just for me… it does something dangerous to my heart.

Two pairs of eyes find me instantly. They track every inch of the dress, every inch ofme, slowly scanning upward until they meet my gaze. The weight of their attention steals the air from my lungs.

My breath catches at the heat simmering in their stares, wordless, hungry. A silent promise of what they’ll do once this dress is no longer in the way.

“You like it?” I manage, voice soft but hopeful.

Colt’s throat bobs with a swallow. His voice is a low rasp, barely restrained. “Sunshine, ‘like’ doesn’t begin to cover it.”

“It’s perfect,” Maverick says, the words a quiet praise, but they light a fire in my belly all the same. I didn’t expect to crave his approval, but I do. God, Ido.

He steps closer, eyes still locked on me. “Let’s get out of here,” he murmurs, a smirk tugging at his lips, “before I ruin that pretty little dress.”

Chapter 28

Callie

Full from breakfast,I sit on top of the picnic table outside the motel while the boys load the truck. The sun is warm on my skin, but all I can feel is the slow unraveling happening inside me.

It’s impossible not to watch them—the sweat gathering at the napes of their necks, their T-shirts pulling tight across their shoulders with every easy movement. Every little touch from them last night has branded itself onto my skin. I still feel the ghost of their hands, the weight of Colt inside me, the rasp of Maverick’s voice telling me what to do.

I don’t know if remembering it is a form of torture or salvation.

When I came here, I thought I could handle it, thought the crush I had faded with time. That I could be near them and still keep my heart safe. That friendship would be enough.

I came here to soak them in. To memorize every look, every laugh, every brush of their shoulders. I came to collect pieces of them I could take with me. To live off the memories when I go back to my real life.

I told myself I’d be fine. That I had to be.

Because I know I’ll never feel this way about anyone else.

I don’t remember the exact moment the crush turned into love. Maybe it alwayswaslove, and I was just too young to understand. Everyone always said we were too close, too intertwined. My parents tried to pull me away. Said it wasn’t healthy. That I needed other friends.

But I always found my way back to them.

My phone buzzes beside me, rattling against the sun-warmed wood of the picnic table. I don’t need to check who it is. I already know.

It’s from the city.

From the job waiting for me.

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