Page 74 of Darlin'

Jesse chuckles. "So, is that what you wanted to be as a kid, then? A little country star?"

"Or a mermaid," I say, wincing as the words escape my mouth.

Jesse snorts. "A mermaid?" He chuckles, shaking his head. "Pretty sure you gotta know how to swim to be a mermaid."

"Funny," I chide, glaring at him. "You gonna run out dirt real quick there, darlin'."

"Hey, my offer still stands." Jesse shrugs. "That pool ain't going anywhere. Come on, Sav. One lesson."

I chew the inside of my cheek. "What if I drown?"

Jesse sighs. "You're not going to drown."

"Icoulddrown!" I insist.

"Not likely."

"I've been known to accomplish the impossible," I say. “And impossible is not always positive. This one time, I got prescribed antibiotics, and there was like a .0005% chance I'd get a rash as a side effect, and guess what? I got a rash. See? I defy odds."

Jesse pinches the bridge of his nose. "Okay, but I'm telling you right now that the odds of you drowning onmywatch arezero percent. Ze-ro."

"Zero?" I lift a brow. "Surely even you're not that arrogant."

"Don't confuse arrogance with confidence, princess." Jesse grins. "Have a little faith in me." He trails his fingers down my arm, my body shivering as his eyes light up with dirty ideas. "Plus, we haven't had nearly enough fun for you to go and die on me." His voice drops to a luring and lascivious rumble. "There's lots I still want to do to you."

"Oh really?" I ask, butterflies fluttering around my heating core. "Like what?"

"Many things..." Jesse leans closer to me, fingers floating across my mid-drift as he whispers, "I want to?—"

"Savannah? Savannah!" My head snaps to the podium, and I jerk back away from Jesse, startled to find dozens of people staring at us.Shoot. "Savannah! Get up here!"

"Crap," I mutter, springing out of my chair. Jesse looks up at me, frowning. I ignore him, jogging up to the stage, cheeks blushing from all the attention. Jo puts her arm around me. "Sorry 'bout that. I was distracted."

"I could tell," she whispers before speaking into the microphone. "Alright, folks, the last item we have up for bid is not actually an item. Savannah here has generously agreed to donate her time and expertise to one lucky person." A couple of bozos hoot and holler. Jo scowls. "Simmer down, you horn dogs; it's not what your inbred minds are thinking." I grin. Bless you, Jo. "Savannah will be auctioning off a one-on-one yoga lesson.Yoga." A few men inthe crowd boo. I cringe, finding Jesse's stone-cold glare in the distance. "Let's start the bidding off at twenty bucks."

Immediately Poe throws his hand in the air. "Twenty!"

"Twenty-five!" Jiggs elbows his buddy. "You ain't winning this."

"Watch me!" Poe grunts. "Thirty."

I blink, regretting my decision. I donotwant to spend two hours alone with either of those men.

"Fifty!"

Is that Marlow?! I find her in the crowd, and she winks at me.

"Fuck!" Poe grumbles. "That's my limit."

Thank goodness.

"Seventy-five!" I whip my head toward the voice. Ryder's greasy smile nearly knocks me off my feet. He tosses me three kisses. Ew.

"One hundred." Jesse's voice is clear as day. But the day ain't sunny. No. It's stormy and cloudy with a chance of veiled anger. I can't bring myself to even look in his direction.

Did I not tell him about this?

"Alright," Jo says, looking around. "One hundred. Going once, going twice?—"

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