Page 84 of Meet Me in the Vines
We slip our jeans back on and gather ourselves before stepping out into the parking lot. Donovan laces his fingers through mine and checks first, craning his head out past the alley to make sure the coast is clear.
“Okay, we’re good, Mouse.” he says, pulling me toward my Jeep. I step in front of my side-view mirror to assess the damage.
“Holy shit, Donovan. I look like I’ve been properly fucked,” I gasp, my hair in tangles and my mascara smudged. He lets out a hearty laugh and hugs me from behind, bending his head down to look at our reflection.
“You begged me to ‘fuck you hard,’ baby. Your words, remember?” he jests, kissing my cheek. There’s no hiding the smirk on my face. I sure as hell asked for it. And damn, I’m glad I did.
“Tia is a real one. She could sense that I needed to pounce on you when those girls weren’t leaving you alone,” I purr. His eyes crinkle as his lips lightly graze the edge of my ear.
“That was hot. You getting all possessive over me. You need to come visit me more often at work,” he teases. I turn to face him and wrap my arms around his middle.
“I’ve told Pop about the bed-and-breakfast. He’s all for it. We’ll get to see each other at work everyday soon,” I beam. I want him to know that I include him in my plans. In my future. It begins and ends with him.
His eyes light up bright, his hands cupping my face. My heart flutters seeing his expression, like I’ve hung the moon. “That’s amazing, baby. No one deserves it more than you,” he praises, showing me that dimple grin that makes me want to drag him back into the alley for round two. “Now, let’s get you back to Tia before she cuts my balls off,” he clips, narrowing his brow. I chuckle at his fear of Tia’s wrath.
“It’s okay. Logan came to keep her company, so we’re in the clear,” I reassure him, tugging on the collar of his shirt. I bury my nose in it, reminding myself of his smell that’s now soaked into my skin. A scent that grounds me.
“Oh, good thinking, Mouse.” He slings his arm around me as we make our way toward the wine tasting room. As soon as he opens the door, Logan and Tia look up from their table, giving us a slow clap and cheers as we shamelessly walk toward them. The table of flirty girls stare with bug eyes, the blonde one crossing her arms over her chest.
Yup. That’s my man.
“Wow, well done, you two. I mean, that was record time, King. What was it, two minutes?” Logan jokes. I slap him on the shoulder and scold him with my eyes. Donovan rolls his eyes and clings me closer to his hip.
“More like ten minutes and two orgasms,” I counter. Tia’s mouth gapes open and earns a hearty laugh from Donovan. I cock up my eyebrow at Logan, satisfied at the way his lips form an O shape at my quip.
“Holy shit, Logan. Have you ever made a girl do that?” she teases. He throws his hands up in surrender and settles back in his chair. “Alright, alright. Touché, Winthrop.” Logan glares at Tia and replies, “And yeah, Tia. If you must know, I’ve made plenty of girls do that.”
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah,okay,” she mocks his voice and he flips the bird in response.
“Alright everyone, simmer down. I need to get back to work, but I’ll come bring more wine,” Donovan chuckles, giving me a chaste kiss before retreating to the back.
I join them at the table, and Tia waggles her eyebrows. “So, how was your quickie?” she croons. I look at her with a glint in my eye, biting down on my lip. Heat flares in my cheeksandbetween my legs.
I’ll be replaying Donovan taking me in that alley for a long time.
Maybe I’ll steal him away in half an hour.
I’m a wild woman now.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
DONOVAN
I left Audrey sleeping peacefully this morning, placing a handwritten note on my pillow for her to find when she wakes up. The sun is on the verge of rising, enveloping me in the blue morning hue as I make the drive to the police station.
Yesterday morning, when I knew Logan would still be asleep, I stopped by his parent’s house to talk with the chief on his day off. I told Chief Harper I believed Audrey could have been followed and asked if he could look into the situation.
I know Audrey didn’t want me to, but I needed to guarantee that Kellan wouldn’t fuck with her. I’m not naïve. He has power. His resources are so endless, who knows what strings he’s able to pull to skirt the law. I had to make sure this didn’t follow us here—because I swear, if he still has her in his grip, I’ll be the one to break his fucking hands.
After I got the text back from Chief Harper yesterday at the winery, I’d been eager to find out what he knew. I hardly slept—not even our marathon love-making session last night could knock me out cold. My mind ran through every possibility that Chief Harper might tell me. If he has any valuable information to share that would get us closer to closure, I’ll take it.
I pull into the parking lot, squad cars lined up in front of the station. Not much crime happens in our small town outside of the odd belligerent drunken bar fight at Siren’s Flask or petty theft offenses. The last time anything newsworthy happened was with the Ted Winthrop and Duke Taylor scandals, and sadly, James’s death.
I slide out of the driver’s seat and breathe in the fresh morning dew. It’s 6:00 a.m., and the sun is making its way over the horizon, turning the sky the color of Audrey’s hair. I place my hands in my hoodie pocket and stride up the steps, pulling on the iron door handle.
It’s a quiet, still morning at the station. I see Ms. Lisa behind the glass, typing away on her computer. I tap the glass with my finger to get her attention. She looks at me with stunned eyes, squinting through her thick-framed glasses. “Donovan? Is that you? Oh, my goodness, aren’t you just the most handsome young man I’ve ever seen!” She smiles wide, her red lipstick smudged on one of her front teeth.
“Hi, Ms. Lisa! Thank you. Um, you got a little...” I flash my teeth and use my finger to rub my front tooth, gesturing for her to do the same.
