Dakota Storm Read online

  “Your relationship?”

  He wasn't going to explain it to her. “A week, Caroline. I'm sorry.”

  He left Caroline’s room to go find Misty. He found her just outside in the driveway. She was leaning against his truck with a leg kicked up on the door behind her, her cell pressed against her ear. She looked pissed. He caught the tail end of her conversation as he walked up to her.

  “Thanks, Jake. I really appreciate it. Yeah, I'll be there in about an hour. Just leave the keys in the mailbox.”

  David waited until Misty hung up and ventured, “Jake? Jake Smith?”

  She slipped the phone into her jean pocket and nodded. She wouldn't even look at him. “Sorry for getting into a fight in your place.”

  “Listen, I swear I forgot—”

  She held up a hand and closed her eyes as if she was conjuring up some patience. “I'm not mad. I just can't be around her anymore. She's driving me insane.”

  Misty took a breath and opened her eyes, but wouldn’t look in his direction. Hell, he didn’t know what to say. He was afraid he knew exactly why she'd called Jake Smith. Jake owned a cabin out by Garner Lake. An empty cabin. “I already told her that she has a week to find another place, but if you want, I'll go back in there right now and tell her to pack—”

  “No, just leave it alone. I don't think she wants to stay at her dads because of his drinking, and Pat's apartment is too small.” Misty shrugged her shoulders. “Jake's cabin isn't too bad. It's only a month. It'll just be better this way.”

  “For who?” he asked.

  She finally looked at him, and the look made him nervous. Nothing good could come from a look like that. “I can't do this if you're living with her. It's just a matter of time before I leave for Rapid anyway. We had to have known this wasn't going to work out. I don't know why we keep trying when it's impossible.”

  She alone had the power to make him feel like he'd been shot in the chest. Just hours before they promised each other they were going to make it work, and now she was going to back out? “That is not true. You’re just pissed right now. Take a few minutes to settle down.”

  She shook her head and her lips parted as if she was about to say something and then decided against it. Instead, she dodged him and started toward the house. “I have to pack.”

  Misty would be lying if she said that not seeing David before she left didn't upset her. He'd disappeared. She'd packed her things, told her brother about the cabin she was going to rent, and that Jake was going to allow her to stay there starting tonight. Then she’d made her way to her truck.

  David's truck had been gone.

  Nothing like a little déjà vu to get her heart rate up and her spirits down. She had no one to blame but herself. She shouldn't have lost her temper over something so trivial, but damn, that woman had a knack for getting under her skin. All of the pent-up anger she felt toward Caroline had exploded, and to be honest, Misty didn’t really feel sorry for what she’d done.

  She'd call David when she got to the cabin. Say she was sorry for losing her shit. She’d just had to get out of there, and she’d allowed her temper to throw their new relationship status around like a weapon. All because of a dumb kiss that had taken place years ago.

  Misty stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things to get her through the night. The small town grocery store was over a hundred years old. The owners had placed colorful hanging baskets full of flowers and vines by the door. The store was cute. Quaint. Old as dirt. And whenever she stopped in to grab a few things she knew every single person in the store, customer and employee alike.

  She really wasn’t up for the hey, how are you doing crowd, but it was inevitable when you lived in a small town.

  When she opened the door the obnoxious chime announced her arrival. Of all people to run into, Abby was leaning against the counter talking to Sue, another friend from high school. Abby was wearing a cute, floral sundress that brought out her tan. Her toenails were painted neon pink, and her hair was pulled back in a bun.

  Misty had always wanted to look like Abby. Abby’s skin was a beautiful shade of brown in the summer, and her hair always seemed glossy and tame, without a hint of frizz. Her height was what Misty envied the most. If Abby were over five foot three Misty would be surprised.

  Misty would never understand why her brother wasn’t interested in Abby. Jennifer might be a little leggier, but that was about it. Abby was a natural beauty. Jennifer was nothing but makeup and a photo filter.

  Sue had on the blue collared shirt and khaki slacks that all the employees wore, but what her outfit lacked in style, she tried to overcompensate with makeup. She wore blue eyeshadow, blush that could be seen in a dimly lit bar, and red lipstick that would make Kylie Jenner proud. The makeup reminded her of Caroline, which brought Misty’s bad mood back to the surface.

  Abby gave her the once-over before blurting, “Girl, what's the word with you and David?”

  That was the thing about Abby. She always cut straight to the heart of any gossip, and because of that talent, Misty always knew what the town was talking about. “What about him?”

  “I heard y’all hooked up last night.”

  Misty rolled her eyes. “Of course you did. What? Were we having sex in the back alley of the Roadhouse, or did he at least take me home before we got it on?” At their smirk, she said, “All we did was have dinner and shoot a forty-five.”

  Abby wasn't buying it. Not even on sale. “Are you trying to tell me nothing happened?” She glanced at Sue, her co-conspirator for the time being. “I'm calling bullshit. What do you say?”

  “I’ll tell you what,” Sue said, leaning over the checkout counter, her big boobs resting on the scanner. “He came back from the Marines looking like sex-on-a-stick, and if I were you, I'd be all over that shit. Nothin' wrong with hooking up in the back alley at the Roadhouse. Been there, done that, kept his T-shirt.”

  She and Abby high-fived as though Abby had ever done something that outrageous. Misty held back a snort. Hell, if Abby had ever done anything crazy, it was usually with Matt, and she knew for a fact they’d never slept together. Misty raised a brow at her friend, but otherwise said nothing.

  Abby smiled. “I think they did more than have dinner, she just ain't tellin’.”

  Who needed enemies…

  Misty turned and headed toward the other end of the grocery store, hoping they'd drop it. Her right fist was killing her, and she was suddenly bone-tired. She was going to grab a few things and head out. A few apples and oranges. A six-pack of Mountain Dew. Maybe some chips. Jake told her the power was off at the cabin, but he'd have it on come morning. He even said he'd leave a lantern and a sleeping bag for her. He hadn't asked why she'd been so desperate to move in so quickly. At least that was something.

  “Come on,” Abby said, looping her arm through hers as Misty walked down the cleaning aisle. “You can't lie to me. I know you want him like a bird wants a worm.”

  “We kissed,” she admitted, knowing damn well that juicy detail would be all over town by morning. That was probably better than what was going around anyway. “Then Brandon showed up and told me I was making a mistake. Matt reamed my ass this morning. Fun times.” She wasn’t even going to mention Caroline and the fight.

  “Is he a good kisser?”

  Misty shrugged her off. “My brother?” she asked flippantly. “Wouldn't know.”

  “David! Come on. Every available girl in Garner is dying to know. Well, not me, obviously, but still.”

  Ask Caroline. She finally gave Abby her full attention and stopped in the aisle to face her. If she didn't, she could very well be here until the store closed, which was only twenty minutes anyway. “Yes, David's a good kisser. Excellent. But I'm not staying at the guesthouse anymore.”

  “Why the hell not?”

  “It's complicated.”

  Abby's perfectly sculpted brows came together. “Well, uncomplicate it.”

  Misty shrugged. “I let Carol
ine get under my skin. I decided to rent Jake's cabin to get the hell out of the guesthouse.”

  “David and Caroline didn't...”

  Misty shook her head. “No, but I guess they went on a date back in high school and she was his first kiss. He never mentioned it, but that wasn't the only reason we fought.”

  Abby held up a hand. “Wait. Who fought? Like an argument, or you slapped the shit out of him?”

  “No, not him. I basically took Caroline to the cleaners about an hour ago. She deserved every punch.” Just thinking about the fight was riling her up again, so she waved a hand through the air in dismissal. Abby grabbed her hand, gasped at her swollen red knuckles, and Misty snatched it away. “It's not as big a deal as it sounds. Like I said, I just had to get out of there.”

  She dodged a few more questions, then made her way through checkout, and felt instant relief when she was back in her truck. First the talk of the town had been David's return, then it had been her breakup with Brandon, and now she had apparently hooked up with David. The next rumor that would probably scream through town was that she was pregnant.

  It only took her five minutes to get to the cabin. The sun had nearly set. The cabin was just on the outskirts of town and sat on a few acres of unused land. The cabin butted up against Garner Lake, so she'd be able to fish whenever the mood struck. At least for the next few weeks.

  Snatch. She didn't have a fishing pole anymore.

  The dirt driveway was long and winding. She sucked in a breath when a shiny, new pickup truck came into view. She put her truck in Park, partially stunned, yet fully relieved. David wasn't back at his place nursing Caroline's bruises.

  He hadn't run away from her this time. He'd run to her.

  She grabbed her grocery bag, the pop, and her duffle bag, and headed down the driveway. As she slowly made her way to the porch, she thought of all the reasons why they shouldn't be together. The biggest one that stuck out was the fact that she was moving in a few short weeks. Yeah, she'd told him she'd give him a solid second chance, but damn, to what end?

  She slowly came to a stop when she got close to him. He sat on the front porch of her rental cabin, his legs kicked out in front of him, elbows resting on the step above, and looking every bit the sex-on-a-stick Sue said he was. His T-shirt pulled tight against his chest and abdomen to show off every inch of muscle. And he was wearing that damn cowboy hat.

  This was what her relationship with Brandon had lacked in spades.

  Every female hormone in her body jumped up and praised the Lord for creating a body like that. It wouldn't surprise her if her mouth started to water and her tongue rolled out of her mouth like Pepé Le Pew when he saw Penelope Pussycat.

  Brandon had called it butterflies. Had said it was the feeling kids got when they were infatuated. This was a little more than that, and frankly, she’d missed it. David was the only man on earth who made her feel this way. With the sun setting and darkness fast approaching, the last thing she wanted him to do was leave for the night and go back to the guesthouse.

  Lord help her. The town was going to have a heyday over this.

  Thing was, she was running out of her usual give-a-damns.

  Chapter 18

  Misty had taken so long to arrive at the cabin that David had wondered if she'd stopped at the bar or someone else's place. He couldn’t blame her if she had. When he saw the headlights of her Ford in the driveway, he immediately questioned his decision to park his ass on her doorstep. What if she'd wanted some peace and quiet? What if she'd really meant what she'd said and didn't think they should pursue a relationship? That feeling of beating a dead horse came rushing back, making him feel ten times the fool. Again.

  He brushed the doubts aside when she parked and slipped out of her truck. She’d been highly agitated when she’d said those things. He figured she’d cooled down by now.

  When she neared and came to a stop, he stood and offered to help her with her bags. Instead of surrendering the bags, she put them on the ground, and before he knew what she was doing, she grabbed the front of his T-shirt and hauled him down for a kiss.

  His mind completely blanked out. He hadn’t been expecting her to kiss him. He’d been less surprised if she’d drawn her hand back and slapped him across the face.

  Yes, sometimes Misty completely overwhelmed him, and he'd never get enough of the feeling. The way her soft lips slanted over his was an invitation he couldn’t resist. She was innocent and sensual all in one. The greeting was so much better than he'd expected. The fear he’d had that she didn’t want him here vanished right along with the dust her Ford had kicked up in the driveway.

  She pulled away too soon saying, “Thank you. I’m sorry I flipped out.”

  He felt like the hero he'd never been. Like he'd not only done something right for once, but the simple gesture of being here changed something between them. And damned if they didn't need that. “Don’t worry about it. And if I haven’t mentioned it yet, Caroline will be out in a week.”

  “Are you staying here during that week?”

  He guessed it was more than presumptuous to think he could stay here without asking, but he had packed a few things. They were still in his truck. “You want me to leave?”

  “My brother know you're over here?”

  She hadn't said no, so that was a start. “No. Won't be long before he figures it out though. Especially if I stay the night.” But she’d said that they couldn’t keep dating if he were staying with Caroline, so here he was. He figured they’d work out the details once he got here and she didn’t kick him off the property. So far so good.

  She gave him a once-over, probably thinking along the same lines he was. In a small town like theirs, people just didn't shack up if they wanted to keep a good reputation. Especially if they’d just ended another relationship. Maybe he'd been too quick to think himself a hero. They'd been on one date, but in all fairness, they'd known each other their whole lives. Besides, it wasn't anyone's damn business what they were or what they were not doing.

  “Power won't be on until tomorrow. Jake said he'd leave me a lantern and a sleeping bag in the living room. Staying here tonight will feel a little like camping. Actually, it’ll feel a whole lot like camping since we won’t have any AC or anything like that. We’ll have water but no electric, so the water will be chilly.”

  They’d been on plenty of camping trips together, just not alone. Damn, she'd been hell-bent on getting out of the guesthouse, hadn't she? “I'll make do.”

  “It's probably going to be hotter than hell in there. You sure?”

  “Slept in worse conditions, trust me.” With the sun now beneath the horizon, the temperature should go down pretty fast. He wasn’t concerned with the lack of AC. He was wondering who was going to sleep where. Images from this morning in the barn flooded his mind.

  She gave him a look that said much more than words could. He’d bet he wasn’t the only one who was thinking about their fun in the hayloft that morning.

  Perhaps it was all in his mind, but the sexual tension between them hit a peak as tall as the Himalayas. She was giving him every excuse to leave, though he could sense she didn't want him to go. Her gaze settled on his mouth, and since it had been a while, he was immediately at full attention. He had to remind himself that they both wanted to take this slow, which meant nothing under the belt.

  “You know,” he said lightly, hoping to ease the tension, “I can act like a gentleman.” He bent down to pick up her bags and the case of pop. “But if I were a betting man, I'd make a wager you'll be hard-pressed to control your carnal instincts.”

  “You've been watching the Animal Planet channel too much,” she said, slipping around him and heading toward the door. She opened the mailbox and took out a set of keys, her T-shirt hitching up a little on the side, revealing smooth, tanned skin.

  Mimicking a deep, throaty announcer’s voice he said, “And the female scents her prey, a cool aftershave on the breeze.”

  She sho
t him a look over her shoulder, a smile tugging the corner of her lips. “Did you stop at the bar on the way here? You have any beers?”

  “She questions his mental fortitude.”

  “And finds it lacking.”

  “And yet the female can't deny her natural instinct to nest. Opening the door to her hideout, she beckons the poor, unsuspecting male with the gentle sway of her hips.”

  She laughed as she picked up the lantern. “Please tell me I'm a praying mantis.”

  “Why?”

  She turned to face him just inside the doorway and smiled sweetly. “Because they chew the head off the male after they...” She stopped mid-sentence, and even though it was dark as sin inside the cabin, he knew she was blushing.

  “After they what?” he asked innocently, knowing full well what she'd almost said. He'd always enjoyed goading her, and time didn't seem to have changed that. Hell, he was just glad she was smiling again.

  She opened the lantern and clicked it on. Light flooded the empty living room. She didn't answer him, and he didn't press. His hero status melted a little, and he felt like an ass when she cleared her throat, and that blush he'd known was there stood out in the light. “Sorry. I was only teasing.”

  “Maybe we should open some windows. It's stuffy in here.” She wrinkled her nose. “It smells like a moldy attic.”

  Shot down like a nerd at prom. She wouldn’t even look at him. “I'll get the windows.” He'd somehow taken the natural sexual tension between them and ripped it down to awkward first-date status.

  Score one for Karma. David zero. Shit, anything involving Misty was like walking through a landmine. It had everything to do with how close they'd once been. It was easy to get confused as to where they stood from minute to minute. They'd done practically everything together as they’d grown up, and yet they were starting to cover unexplored ground.