Page 69 of The Back Forty
He grins, face lighting up. “One of my friends from gaming. You know, pinkboots00?”
Dani chuckles. “The one who sent you the glitter bomb?”
“Yeah. Anyway, she threw up on the ride. A different kind of glitter bomb if you get my drift.”
I bark out a laugh. Okay, I guess I don't have to be worried about him liking girls just yet.
“That bad, huh?”
“It was gross. Brown and sticky. She had some sort of bagel for breakfast. I think it’s the same one that was giving everyone food poisoning.” He makes a face and shudders.
Dani fakes a gag and then bursts into laughter with him, but all I can think about is the way she gagged this morning—on me. My pants get a whole lot tighter, and I shift in my seat, adjusting myself under the table.
She notices. Of course she does. Her eyes narrow, then dance with mischief.
“You good?” she asks way too sweetly.
“Peachy,” I say, then reach under the table and rest my hand on her thigh.
I squeeze firmly, reminding her that I can make her squirm too. Her back stiffens, eyes flicking toward Beckham, who’s blissfully unaware as he devours his meal. Her legs clamp shut as I slide my hand upward, and when she tries to block me with her wrist, I only press harder, my fingers dancing with the hem of her dress.
“This is amazing,” Beckham says, pushing his empty plate away.
“Did you even chew?”
He shrugs. “I’m gonna go game. Lacey said she'd be waiting for me. Thanks for dinner, Dani!”
“You’re welcome,” she says, voice a little too high.
The moment he’s gone she’s on me, turning in her chair, brown eyes blazing.
“You can’t do that,” she hisses, smacking my arm away but I don't release her thigh.
“Why not?” I squeeze her again, watching the heat rise in her cheeks.
“Because you know exactly what you’re doing. You’re messing with me in front of your son.”
I lean in, voice low and gravelly. “I’m not messing, Dani. I’m warning. You make a gagging noise at my table and I'm going to think about you gagging around something else.”
Her breath catches. I see the war in her eyes, the line between what she wants and what she thinks she should want. And I know I’m about to ask her to cross it with me. To throw any doubts away and give this a shot.
Her cheeks flush, pink spreading like heat up her neck and then she looks away from me. In the past, she'd charge head into this moment but she's retreating now. And I hate that something's changed and not the way I want it to.
“Well, you still shouldn’t do it,” she says softly. “Because we need to talk.”
I lean back, just slightly and release her thigh. “I know.”
“So…” Her voice is tentative and careful. She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and something about the gesture cuts me open because she’s nervous with me. “You go first.”
Well, fuck. That wasn’t what I was expecting. I clear my throat and shift in my seat. “Sure. So, this week, we’re flying to Minnesota to meet withGiant Leopard Spirits.”
She nods quickly, grateful for the safe subject of work. “That’s going to be huge for us.”
“Yeah. Has the new guy finished the pitch materials?”
“I’m meeting with him tomorrow to collect everything. But from what I’ve seen, it’s clean and tight. Impressive, honestly. I'm proud of the hiring decision.”
I study her, the way her fingers tap the edge of her glass like she’s bracing for something.
