Page 76 of Wood Riddance
Yes, my dick cheered.
“No” is what came out of my mouth. Despite how I’d behaved tonight, a scrap of my dignity remained. So I took a step back to put some distance between us. “I’m not your secret fuck buddy.”
She gasped, her face a mask of bewilderment. If I had to guess, she was not in the habit of being turned down.
“If we do this again,” I rasped, “we do it for real. I don’t want second thoughts. I don’t want regrets.”
Her gaze cooled quickly, and her shoulders rose. Her defense mechanisms were kicking in. “Fine,” she spat, turning on her heel.
I grasped her wrist and spun her so she faced me again. “I want you to be mine. I know you’ve been burned. I know you’ve been with assholes who strung you along and didn’t want to commit.”
She rolled her eyes, but the immediate slump of her shoulders told me I was hitting her insecurities square in the jaw.
“But I’m not that kind of man,” I assured her. “I know what I want, and I go after it.” Releasing her wrist, I took a step back. “So call me when you’re ready to stop playing around.”
Without waiting for a response, I turned and walked away, leaving her there, in the parking lot, holding my shirt. I had parked down the hill, and it took every ounce of self-control I had not to look back as I made the trek. But I held strong. I wouldn’t settle for less than I deserved. No matter how much I craved her.
Slowly, I continued to my truck, breathing in the cool night air and willing my heart to settle.
At the edge of the parking area, I caught sight of my truck, along with something wholly unexpected.
I froze in place, and my heart rate immediately skyrocketed again.What the shit?
A huge moose was directly behind my tailgate, and it looked to be digging. It was pawing at the ground with its front hoof, sending dirt flying in every direction. Did moose dig? And why was this one digging a hole behind my truck?
The last thing I needed tonight was a flat tire or a sprained ankle, so I crouched behind a car, keeping a safe distance while I watched.
When he was satisfied with the hole he had dug, he leaned forward and pissed in it. Gross.
I had never seen a moose pee before, but it was horrifying. There wasn’t an area to pull around it, so I’d have to back up through it.
My stomach turned. After what had to have been five solid minutes of peeing, I was resigned to sacrificing my poor tires to get the hell out of here.
But no, he wasn’t finished.
Instead of walking away. The asshole stepped into the hole and kicked one back leg, then the other. Urine flew in all directions, splashing into the bed of my truck.
I fumbled for my phone, and when I wrestled it from my pocket, I turned on the flashlight. Maybe I could scare it away.
But he was undeterred, kicking it everywhere, all over himself and the surrounding cars. But my poor truck took the majority of the abuse.
Finally, he turned and ambled toward the forest. Holding up my phone, I shined the light on the beast. Sure enough, now that his other side was visible, it was obvious. He had a huge scar across his flank. Fucking Clive.
Why hadn’t someone shot this asshole yet? Why did the town continue to put up with him? This stunt alone had me itching to mount his head above my fireplace. Granted, my shitty apartment didn’t have a fireplace, but I’d find one for the occasion.
Eventually, I made my way to my truck, avoiding piss lake as best as I could and gagging at the smell of moose pee that coated the bed. Great. If I could afford a new truck, I’d trade this in tomorrow. Alas, I’d spend tomorrow scrubbing it obsessively.
Wasn’t this just par for the course? A moose outside the Moose. Where, only a few minutes ago, I’d had my heart stomped on in the parking lot. Where I’d pissed off her brothers and almost started an all-out brawl.
I couldn’t win.
Chapter23
Adele
Damn, I was a shitty person. After Finn stormed off, I ducked back inside for my purse. Then, without a word to any of my brothers, I headed home. But I couldn’t bring myself to go inside. Instead, I sat in the driver’s seat with my head in my hands and flipped through the events of the last few hours.
I was the problem. That wasn’t typically the case with me, and it burned me to even admit it. From the beginning, Finn had been honest and up-front about what he wanted and how he felt.
