Page 70 of One More Shot
We’re only about twenty minutes from the city, but you’d never believe it. Sprawling fields stretch in every direction and the only thing I can hear is the faint sound of laughter from the guys inside, mixed with the gentle breeze.
It’s peaceful.
Beautiful.
And I wish Eliott were here.
The thought comes to me without any hesitation, but it doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. It feels right knowing that Eliott’s become the person I want to share moments like this with. She’s the only person I want around right now.
I don’t have to think twice about calling her, and her smiling face quickly fills my screen as I sink into a comfortable lawn chair.
‘Hey, gorgeous.’
Her smile widens, illuminating her whole face. ‘Hey.’
It’s late, and she’s dressed for bed, wearing an old t-shirt and her hair wrapped with a purple silk scarf. I’ve never been thepossessive type but I feel a little jolt of pleasure shoot through me, seeing her so relaxed and comfortable in front of me.
Just me.
Nobody else gets to see her like this.
I like it more than I probably should.
‘I wasn’t expecting to hear from you tonight,’ she says. Her smile dims just a little and makes way for a look of concern. ‘Is everything all right?’
Nothing was ever wrong, but I still say, ‘Now it is.’
She rolls her eyes. ‘You can be so cheesy when you want to, you know that, right?’
‘They’re playing a drinking game,’ I tell her with a laugh. ‘Figured I probably didn’t want to hear some of the answers. I left right after “never have I ever had sex in a public place” and I realised Cash was looking at me guiltily.’
Eliott cackles. ‘Yeah, I can see why you’d leave.’ Her expression suddenly turns curious. ‘Have you, though?’
‘Believe it or not… No.’
The closest I’ve got was in the van with Eliott two weeks ago.
‘I don’t believe it actually.’
A quiet laugh ripples through me. ‘It’s true.’
She snorts and shakes her head. ‘Wow, don’t let anyone hear this. Your reputation will never recover. You’re practic-ally virginal.’
‘I don’t need my reputation to recover,’ I say with anonchalant shrug. Not anymore, anyway. There’s only one person whose opinion I care about these days.
Eliott grins as she leans against her headboard. ‘Never took you for the shy type.’
Shyis definitely not a word I’ve ever used to describe myself. ‘It just never happened,’ I say with a shrug. ‘Maybe I’ve just been waiting for the right person.’
I pause for a moment.
The sun is cresting over a nearby hill and the laughter inside the house has dulled. Someone’s put on some mellow music.
‘I wish you were here with me right now, baby.’
Her expression softens. ‘What if I was?’
Four words.
