Love Me Reckless (Love Me Dangerous #2)

Chapter 3

Chapter Three

KIRILEE

Who is this girl making demands? What’s even weirder is Sawyer’s reaction. From his playful smile, I get the sense he liked it.

“Save some for the rest of us!” one of the burly brothers calls out as I pick up a paper plate and attempt to elbow my way into the fray.

“I’m eating for two so back off!” a young woman named Darcy says, sending me a bright smile from across the counter, her baby belly so cute beneath her stretchy dress.

Sawyer slides in next to me and snatches the last slice of meat lover’s. “You need me to create a distraction, just say the word.”

I laugh and add a piece of pepperoni with olives and green peppers to my plate, then reach under someone’s tattooed forearm for a slice of vegetarian. To get within striking distance of the breadsticks I have to dash to the other side of the counter, but I score two of them and one of the dipping containers.

Plates loaded, guests take seats outside on the deck and at the giant living room table. I settle near the end, next to Sawyer. Sarah and Cooper join us. Brian and Darcy follow, sitting close together. The mood is as boisterous as the party, and nobody is drinking. It’s like these Alaska friends of Zach’s are high on life, or maybe it’s the chemistry buzzing between the couples. I’m practically getting a contact high.

“You from here, Kirilee?” Cooper asks before jamming half a slice into his mouth.

“Originally my family is from New York.”

“State or city?” Brian asks, cracking open a can of soda.

This is a hard question to ask without revealing too much. “Both. We moved here when I was six.” Technically we never lived in New York City. We have a home in the Hamptons and Dad has his own apartment in Manhattan. My grandma still lives in Brooklyn, but in the summer spends most of her time at her beach cottage in Montauk.

Sawyer gives me a sideways look as he lines up his first bite. “You like it here?”

“I do,” I say.

“We’re only here for a few days,” Sarah says. “What are the top five things we should see or do?”

I swallow my bite of veggie pizza, the spicy kick from the sauce a perfect match for the gooey cheese. “Outdoorsy or artsy?”

“Both,” Sarah says.

I rattle off the best place to rock climb, the local mountain bike trail system, and the gallery shops downtown, plus our new Pioneer Museum. “There’s a quilt show this weekend at the fairgrounds, too, if you’re into folk art.”

Sarah’s eyes light up.

“Is there a yarn shop?” Darcy asks, rubbing her belly.

“Indeed.” I wipe my mouth with my napkin. “On Spruce and Fourth. Careful, though, it’s dangerous in there.”

Darcy smiles. “The fun kind.”

Brian hugs her tighter against him and leans down to whisper something in her ear. She blushes and bites her lip. Brian’s heated gaze lingers on her a moment longer, and the intensity between them makes the air vibrate.

I can’t help the pang of envy flickering to life inside me. Brian is clearly crazy about his wife, and she’s nuts about him too. They’re totally and completely in love. That’s how it’s supposed to be.

“What about a gear rental shop?” Cooper asks, snapping my attention back to the conversation.

“We have two. Gear Grinders is best for bikes, and Bitterroot Backcountry for climbing and hiking. If you want to hunt, I recommend Sage Creek Outfitters. They’re the best.”

“You make a great tour guide,” Sarah says with a smile.

“My family often entertains out of town guests.” Another semi-truth. “Happy to help.”

My phone buzzes in my pocket just as Sawyer says to Sarah and Cooper, “Zach and I are riding Finn River Ranch tomorrow. You guys want to join us?”

“Hell yeah,” Cooper says, and glances at Sarah, a question in his eyes.

She side-eyes Cooper. “Sure. As long as it’s not too early.”

He grins and plants a kiss on her temple.

“How’d you get a pass to the ranch?” Brian asks Sawyer. “I hear it’s members only up there.”

Is it weird to sit here while these nice people talk about my family’s business? Yes, but also for just a moment, them not knowing I’m part of it is giving me a secret thrill.

“Zach’s old boss at the ranch wants to get me a job,” Sawyer says with a shrug. “I think he’s trying to sweeten the pot.”

I’m chomping down on a bite of pepperoni when he says get me a job . With the slice still in my teeth, I side-eye him, trying to process this information.

“Wow, that’s great,” Brian says. “Are you gonna take him up on it?”

Sawyer shrugs. “Maybe. I’m ready for a change, that’s for sure.”

“You’d move to Finn River?”I ask.

“Why not?” Sawyer’s eyes tense.

“I don’t mean it as a challenge. It’s just a big jump from Alaska, and…” And I was thinking tonight I could escape for a little while, bu t afterwards, my life would go back to the way it was before I left Birch standing in the valet loop. Selfish of me, yes. “…I’m sure you’d be missed.”

Sawyer’s eyes stay serious, like he’s waiting for some kind of punchline.

“We’d visit,” Brian says with an encouraging nod.

“Zach and Sofie’s wedding next summer, for starters,” Sarah adds.

“And we’ll be back for the state football championship if William’s team makes it to the playoffs,” Cooper says.

“What’s the job?” I ask.

“Mechanic. Ski lifts mostly.”

I could get him this job in about ten seconds. The maintenance department head is a brusque Scotsman with a soft spot for cherry cordials and an ageing chocolate Labrador named Angus.

“You okay with heights?” I imagine Sawyer up there on the lift towers in his black work pants and a Finn River Ranch employee madras shirt, hard hat and leather gloves.

The thought of it should not make me swoon.

“We’ll find out, I guess,” Sawyer says with a laugh.

“Lake swim! Who’s in?” Hunter booms from the deck doorway.

“Me!” Sarah jumps up, followed by Cooper.

“We’re in!” Brian says, pushing back from the table and helping Darcy to her feet.

The dining room empties as everyone quickly changes then one by one, they reappear with towels and beeline out the back door.

Sarah breezes through the kitchen, sending me a glance. “I have an extra suit you’re welcome to.” She waves a scrap of blue fabric and sets it on the counter, then dashes out the back door after the others.

Cooper is right on her heels and catches my eye. “Check out the hot tub. It’d be good to soak your foot.”

Sawyer hasn’t moved from his chair next to me.

“Not a swimmer?” I ask .

He laughs. “Not like them. Hunter started a polar bear club back home. He’s nuts.”

I eye the bathing suit on the counter. The right thing to do would be to call Grayson for a ride home.

Sawyer is watching me like he’s reading my thoughts, a sly grin on his face. “Cooper’s right. You wanna get wet?”

A pulse of heat flashes across my skin as I push back from the table and snatch Sarah’s suit. “Why not?”

Sawyer peels back the hot tub lid, giving me a chance to drink in his bare, firm chest with the manly patch of hair and the dark trail that leads from his navel to…

“You gonna answer that phone?” he asks, his muscles flexing as he maneuvers the hot tub lid into place along the side.

I glance at my jean jacket hanging on a peg, the pocket lit up. “Eventually.”

He settles on the edge of the tub and drops his feet into the serene blue water. “Oh man, that feels good.”

I sit on the edge of the tub across from Sawyer and lower my bare feet into the hot, hot water, then my calves. Mmm, it does feel good. The heat bites my little wound, but it softens quickly.

“I did text my brother though, so my parents won’t worry.”

Sawyer scoops water over his knees, flashing the tattoo on the inside of his arm. It’s too dark to make out the details but it looks like a dagger, entwined in thorns. A beat of curiosity skips though my thoughts.

“Why would they worry?”

“They won’t understand why I’m not with Birch.”

His eyebrows shoot upwards. “Your date’s name is Birch? ”

“It’s a family name.” Mom said it was fate. Even your names fit together. You’ll be his little bird, coming home to roost.

“It’s a tree.”

I cover my mouth to keep from laughing. Sawyer’s so… matter-of-fact. If he has a filter, he doesn’t use it very often.

“Why do you do that?” He tilts his head, like he wants to see me better.

I give him a puzzled look.

“Cover your mouth when you laugh.”

“I don’t know.” I lean back on my hands.

“You afraid?”

His tone is more curious than accusatory, but still, the question is personal. “I don’t mean to be.”

“What’s holding you back?”

The answer isn’t something I can say out loud, so I gaze up at the stars. The lights from town make stargazing difficult, but I spot the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia, which is my favorite because she never sets. She’s always up there, on her throne, watching over the others.

“Are you going to take the job?” I ask.

“Should I?”

If he’s annoyed I didn’t answer his question, I don’t hear it in his voice.

“It’s a good job. Excellent benefits. You can get housing too, but it’s only a bed in a dorm, so unless you’re into community living with a bunch of ski bums, not recommended.”

He shrugs. “Hey, if it’s cheap and the heat works, that’s good enough for me.”

I can’t tell if he’s joking. “The winter hours are kind of brutal, but you get a ski pass. Some guys take the job just for that.”

“Zach told me Finn River Ranch is your family’s business. You work there?”

“No.” I swirl my shins.

He nods, but his eyes stay fixed on me, like he’s waiting for more. I am not usually so forthcoming with strangers. But Sawyer—with his calm brown eyes and his full-belly laugh—somehow doesn’t feel like a stranger.

“I manage a nonprofit, and…” I pause, then wish I hadn’t. Why am I so nervous to say it out loud? “…I’m an artist.”

“Cool. What kind of art?”

“Ceramics. Mostly for fun.” I wish I could wipe the tension from my voice. My dad isn’t here to put me down or remind me of my place.

“Why else would you do it?” he says with a lazy smile, like he’s teasing, so I give him a little splash with my toes.

He jerks back, a motion which makes his torso muscles practically ripple, their hard edges sharpening into long, lean lines. I definitely shouldn’t stare, but wow.

“What’s the nonprofit?”

It takes me a moment to find my train of thought. “Supporting libraries in rural Canada and the U.S.”

“Libraries, huh. You like to read?”

I narrow my eyes. Is he messing with me? “Don’t you?”

“We’re talking about you right now.”

“Yes, I like to read.”

“Favorite book.” He crosses his arms.

“What?”

He scoffs, like I’m being difficult. “What’s your favorite book?”

“I don’t have a favorite. I read a hundred books a year at least.”

His mouth hangs open. “A fucking hundred? Okay, what’s your favorite type of book?”

“Can’t answer that either. I like them all.”

“Fantasy? Werewolves and shit?”

“And dragons,” I say.

“Kissing books?”

I cover my laugh, then remember what he said and drop my hand to my lap. “Romance, yes.” Without romance books, I would have slit my throat long ago.

“What about dragons and kissing books? ”

“Romantasy, yep. Big fan.”

“So, like, help me out. Does the heroine have sex with the dragon, ‘cause how does that work?”

I laugh. “Um, sometimes yes, if it’s a shifter romance. You’d have to read it to understand. Lately, I’ve been more into dragon rider epics.”

His puzzled look only makes me laugh harder.

“Okay, how about history? Biographies?”

“I’m a little rusty on wartime biographies currently, but yes.”

“How do you feel about YA?”

“Bring it. Especially if it’s angsty as fuck.”

Sawyer’s cheeks shine with his smile, bringing out a dimple on his left side. “Dropping the F-bomb, huh? You getting excited?”

This rough and ready hunk of a man is talking to me about books. Hell yes, I’m getting excited. I might need my battery-operated helper later to bring this moment to its rightful climax.

I fan my face in dramatic fashion to cover my true feelings. “What do you read?”

“Diesel Mechanic Monthly.”

I wrinkle my nose in confusion. “Sounds riveting.”

He shrugs. “Reading about fuel injection and ball bearings gets me hot.”

“Hmm, maybe I should add it to my list of acquisitions.”

He winks. “Make it angsty and I’m in.”

“Send me some recommendations.”

“You’d have to give me your number for that.”

Oh.

“Kidding,” he says, splashing me.

I hope he doesn’t see the relieved look on my face.

“You want to tell me why you jumped ship tonight?” he asks, his face going still.

I gulp a breath for bravery. “I think Birch has a mistress. And it’s not the first time.”