Thirteen

Julia

A throat cleared behind us.

“If you’re going to make out, do it somewhere else.”

I laughed and pulled back from Austin. “Sorry,” I said with a shrug that showed how sorry I really was.

“We were just leaving anyway,” Austin said.

“We were?”

“Yeah. Let’s get out of here. We can come back another day.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Already planning a second date? You’re very confident.”

“You can pretend to hate that about me if you like.”

Cocky bastard.

Of course I didn’t hate his confidence. It had always been a huge turn-on. Even when everything about him drew me crazy, I still knew it was hot. And my body was torn halfway between relishing this date and wanting to push his buttons just for fun.

“But there are so many other things to pretend to hate about you,” I said, batting my eyelashes.

Austin shook his head at me. I could tell that he wanted to press his luck and inch closer to me again. That kiss had been…electric. A current of energy that had trapped us in a whirlwind. I hadn’t wanted to stop…and I wouldn’t have if we hadn’t been interrupted.

It was so easy to be caught up in Austin. I needed to be careful, or I wouldn’t make it through the night with my heart intact.

I carefully replaced my Glock in its case while Austin returned his to the front. Our targets were pulled down and handed to us as a souvenir. I grinned like a fool when it was clear that my aim was much better than Austin’s. Not that he was bad, but I was better.

“Luck,” Austin said as we left the shooting range.

“Ha! Sore loser!”

“Well, if I was there as often as you, then I’d be as good.”

“Yeah, but you’re not.”

I popped open my Tahoe and placed the case into a carrier under my seat, so it wouldn’t slip around. Then, I raised my hands over my head and stretched. I could feel Austin’s eyes on the bare strip of stomach I was revealing.

“So,” I said, dropping my arms, “where are we off to? Do I need to change?”

“Uh, yeah, no. You’re fine.” He gestured to the dark jeans and black polo he was wearing.

“Right.”

“And where we’re going is a surprise.”

I narrowed my eyes. A surprise from Austin. I wasn’t sure what that meant exactly.

“Let’s drop your car off first,” Austin said to keep me from arguing. “Then, I can drive you around all night.”

“Sure. Sounds good,” I agreed easily.

He raised his eyebrows at the ease of my compliance, but in that moment, I decided to go all in. No more hesitating at everything he did. No more second-guessing motives. I wasn’t going to have a good time if I didn’t relax and try to enjoy this date. Austin and I could fight like cats and dogs, but I wanted to prove to myself that we could do more than that. That we were capable of just being Austin and Julia…like we had at the art gallery. I wanted more of that Austin.

It was a quick drive to my apartment where I ditched my Tahoe and ran inside to secure my gun back in its safe in my closet. Then, I hurried back out and slid into the passenger seat of Austin’s Alfa Romeo. Being in his car again brought back a flood of memories. When we had been together before, everything had been so easy. So effortless. It was as if things were really supposed to be like this all the time.

I’d fooled myself into believing it. And I didn’t know why I was giving Austin a second chance. But I needed to toss the memories aside and live for today.

“So…dinner?” I asked. “I’m already starving.”

“Shooting takes it out of you, doesn’t it?”

“It’s like I ran a marathon.”

“Same. That was a total adrenaline rush though. I see why you do it so often.”

I frowned and glanced away. No one really knew why I went to the shooting range that often. But it for sure was not for the adrenaline rush. That was more of a bonus.

“Food then?”

“Don’t worry, Jules. I’ll take care of you.”

I leaned back against the leather seat, enjoying the sentiment. I’d thought he’d want to take me to a fancy dinner. It seemed like a Wright move. And, while we were in West Texas, where jeans, boots, and belt buckles were common dinner attire, I knew Austin preferred to dress up for such occasions. That likely ruled a fancy dinner out of the equation.

It felt nice, letting someone else take the lead for once. Even if nerves hit me, I liked the idea of Austin taking care of me. I had been in charge of my relationship with Trevor. One hundred fifty percent. And, already, I could feel myself handing over some of that control that I clung so desperately to. It was terrifying and refreshing.

We were past the loop and halfway out of town when I sat up to appreciate the flat farm fields on either side of us. The country? We are going into the country? Now, that was unexpected.

“Where the hell are you taking me, Wright?”

He laughed. “Well, your stipulations made it a little difficult.”

“I had one stipulation.”

“Sure, but I wanted to do it right.”

“Right or Wright?”

He rolled his eyes at my inflection. “Both.”

The first indication of where we were going was the Ferris wheel on the horizon. My jaw dropped, and I turned to face Austin in wonder. He had put some effort into all of this. I hadn’t even known there was a carnival happening right now. I would have thought it would be too hot.

“I hope you like carnival rides.”

“You are full of surprises,” I admitted.

He parked in the open field next to the carnival and helped me out of the passenger side. I glanced at the dirt on his shiny car.

“We probably should have brought the Tahoe.”

His hand slowly slid into mine, and he tugged me close. “I don’t mind getting a little dirty.”

“You or the car?”

“Yes.”

I laughed. Of course.

Austin looked like he wanted to kiss me but instead locked our fingers together and walked me to the entrance. I sighed at the ease with which we were together. Hard to believe that I had been screaming at him only a couple of days ago.

Okay…it probably wasn’t that hard to believe. Austin and I were only extreme highs and extreme lows. It was why those weeks we’d dated were some of the best of my life…and any time I’d spent with him after were some of the worst.

We headed straight for the heavily caffeinated, fried, and sugary foods.

“What are you in for, Jules?” Austin said.

“Funnel cake!”

“You’re going for a sugar high?”

“Best high out there, trust me.”

Austin ordered us two cheeseburgers, two giant Cokes, and a hand-battered, powdered-sugar-covered, deep-fried funnel cake that made me bounce up and down with excitement.

We carried our food to a wooden picnic bench and plopped down. I saw Austin look up at a sign over my head with a wistful glance. I craned around to see what he was looking at. The stand next to the burger place had a sign offering ice-cold beers.

Oh.

“Are you doing okay?” I asked, picking at my burger.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”

I almost believed him. Except I didn’t. He might seem as if he was doing really good on the outside. Great even. But I knew better.

“You know the road ahead isn’t going to be easy.”

“The road ahead?”

“Withdrawal,” I said in a small voice. “It’s going to be really hard.”

“I suspect it will be.”

“You don’t have to do it alone. You have people who care about you, you know?”

Austin reached forward and took my hand. “I’m doing fine, Jules. It’s a slow process. I’m not going to go cold turkey. It’ll take time, but as long as I’m with you, I feel like I can do anything.”

I smiled shyly at him. A flush crept up my neck and flooded my cheeks. I wasn’t used to feeling this way. As if everything really was going to be all right. That, even though it was a hard road, we might be able to make it through together. The way I’d made it through all the shit that had happened to me with the help of a close friend. Maybe I could be that person for Austin.

I ignored the part of my brain that said it wasn’t possible.

That part of my brain was a bitch.