Page 65 of Stolen for Keeps
God, the way he said it. Not just the nickname, but the ownership in it. Like I was already his. And I didn’t hate that. Not even a little.
Reko nosed between us again, licking a cheesy paw.
I looked away. This wasn’t supposed to be hard.
The necklace. The plan.
I was supposed to be halfway to the barn by now. But instead, I stood there like a girl who didn’t want to leave. Like a girl already gone.
Because if I were honest with myself, I wasn’t sure I’d ever find another man like Noah Lucas. And I wasn’t sure I’d survive letting him go.
We wandered. We took the long route, passed the tents, and circled the back pasture. We edged very close to the barn. The oak tree was right there. Close enough to tempt, far enough to taunt.
I almost growled.
Noah, meanwhile, kept scanning the ground like we were on some wholesome neighborhood treasure hunt. Sweet, really. If only we weren’t inches from a stash of diamonds Ihad no intention of unearthing in front of Mr. Storm Chaser himself.
I turned my gaze toward the field, where a few guys were taking down the last of the tents.
“Think you’ll host more weddings here?” I asked.
He shrugged. “That’s El’s call. I just show up and pretend I know what I’m doing.”
I smiled. “You weren’t a bad stand-in for a dance partner.”
“Because I had an excellent partner.”
We let it stretch for a moment.
Then I said, “It was a great wedding. And great for The Lazy Moose. At least Sheryn didn’t demand painted horse hooves or make the dogs wear floral tutus.”
He laughed. And damn it, I wanted to hear that sound again. Maybe from his porch, maybe with his hand brushing mine. But the sound didn’t just fade. It settled in my chest, curling in like a reminder. Because I knew it wouldn’t last. This moment—his laugh, his ease, the dog sniffing the grass like he’d been born for it—would slip into memory soon enough.
We circled the clearing again, Reko pawing a patch of grass with great enthusiasm, but no luck. Not that we expected any. In the end, we didn’t find the imaginary earring. So we turned around, walking side by side through the grass, my heartbeat keeping a separate rhythm from my steps.
“I’m sorry about that, Blue,” he said, brushing his hand over the back of his neck. Then, lighter, like he was testing the current, he asked, “How about dinner tonight? Cheer you up?”
I stopped walking. My head snapped up like someone had just yanked a cord in the back of my neck.
Dinner?
Not now. Not like this. Not when I was teetering between disaster and desire.
“What?” I managed. “Are you asking me on a date?”
His grin went full rascal, damn him. “What do they say? Lunch is the friend zone, but dinner…that’s where the trouble begins.”
My mouth wanted to smile. My feet wanted to run. But my brain was already doing mental gymnastics. If I played this right, I could come back here in the dark after dinner, slip away, retrieve the necklace, and maybe even—God help me—sleep with him?
Shit. Focus, Maya.
Noah must have taken my hesitation as doubt because he kept talking, trying to sell the idea. “Think about it. You can take a nap, sleep off that hangover, and wake up fresh. Then, dinner.”
I felt my own smirk form. “Fine. I’d love that.”
His brows lifted, like he hadn’t expected me to give in so easily. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. Blue Storm isn’t exactly in the mood to cook up a storm.”
