I walked out into the parking lot at Wildlands, looking up toward the night sky. Stars glittered like diamonds with the moon casting a glow over Swan Lake. I felt a tug on my sleeve and glanced over my shoulder to see Amelia.

“Need something?” I asked.

She nodded quickly. “Give Lucy a ride, please.”

Lucy had stepped into the restroom in the back hallway as our gathering broke apart.

“Already planning on it,” I said in return.

Cade stood beside Amelia, his hand hooked in her back pocket. He caught my eyes as well, nodding in agreement. “Good call. She’s had a few too many beers to drive.”

“Want me to wait until she comes out?” Amelia asked.

Puzzled, I shrugged. “For what?”

Amelia chewed on the inside of her cheek. “Well, she might argue with you about it,” she said with a small smile.

I chuckled. “Oh, I bet she will. I can handle it. You guys go on. I’ll catch you tomorrow,” I replied, my eyes flicking to Cade.

Amelia looked uncertain, but Cade nodded firmly. “Got it. Come on, babe. Lucy will only get more annoyed if you’re here trying to tell her what to do.”

Amelia threw a glare at him, but let herself be tugged along. Cade was quite right. Lucy didn’t appreciate being told what to do period, much less with an audience.

I watched as they drove away and leaned against the back bumper of Lucy’s small truck. I glanced out over Swan Lake, the lights of the lodge reflecting on its still waters. A few more lodges were scattered around the lake’s shore, but the far side was empty. The moon cast a shimmering path over the water.

Hearing footsteps, I turned to see Lucy walking from the back door of the lodge. Her eyes narrowed when she saw me leaning against the back of her truck. She stopped a few feet away from me, putting her hands on her hips.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Waiting for you. I’m giving you a ride.”

Her eyes narrowed further, her lips tightened, and she shook her head slightly. “I don’t need a ride. I wasn’t even sure I was coming out to your place anyway.”

No surprise there. I didn’t say my thoughts aloud. I cocked my head to the side and held her gaze. “And where were you planning to stay then?”

She shrugged.

“Well, you’re in no shape to drive.”

“I’m not drunk,” she protested. “I only had three beers.”

“You weigh next to nothing.”

“I do not! In fact, I weigh almost one-hundred and fifteen pounds” Her speech wasn’t quite slurred, but it was close.

I bit back the urge to laugh because that most definitely wouldn’t help matters.

“Amelia asked me to give you a ride,” I offered.

Lucy tapped her foot, her glare becoming more mutinous.

“Amelia is not my keeper,” she mumbled.

“No, she’s your friend. She asked me to give you a ride, but I was already planning on it. You’re not driving anywhere. In fact, I’m not getting off the back of your truck until you hand over your keys.”

Lucy pulled her phone, or rather attempted to pull her phone, out of her pocket. It clattered to the ground. She leaned over to pick it up, her aim only slightly off when she stumbled. I snagged it quickly, only to have her stumble into me. When her shoulder bumped into mine, I steadied her.

She snatched the phone out of my hand. “I’m calling Amelia,” she announced as she quickly tapped her screen and called Amelia, on speaker no less.

Amelia answered immediately. “Hey Lucy, what’s up? Are you arguing with Levi about giving you a ride?”

I chuckled. “Yes, she is,” I said.

Amelia didn’t even laugh. “Lucy, don’t be stupid. Just let Levi give you a ride. You’re staying with him anyway, so it’s not like it’s out of his way.”

“What if I don’t want to stay with him?”

Amelia didn’t miss a beat. “You’re welcome to come to Cade’s parents, but it seems kind of silly. If you try to drive over here, I’m going to tell Levi not to let you. Cade and I will come back to pick you up. How’s that?”

I was starting to realize Lucy might be drunker than I’d initially thought. She bit her lip, glaring at her phone. “I can’t stay at Levi’s anymore,” she said, her words definitely slurring now.

“How come?” Amelia asked.

“Because we had sex!” Lucy announced.

My mouth dropped open, part of a laugh escaping before I cut if off. She’d shocked the hell out of me.

I could practically imagine the look on Amelia’s face about now. She was silent when the sound of the car’s blinker echoed through the line. At which point, I realized Lucy had just made her announcement on the car’s speakerphone.

“Are we on speakerphone?” I asked.

“Sure are,” Cade offered, his smile evident in his tone.

Lucy’s eyes flicked up to mine, wide and almost panicked. “I was joking, just joking.”

Another long silence ensued.

There was no way in hell I was going to add anything at this point.

Lucy sighed. “I’ll let Levi drive me home. Okay, bye.”

She ended the call without waiting for Amelia or Cade to say goodbye, dropping the phone in the process. I picked it up, only to realize she hadn’t managed to end the call. “Guys, I got it. I’m driving. Talk to you tomorrow.”

“Night Lucy. Thanks Levi,” Amelia said quickly over Cade’s low laugh.

I successfully tapped the end call button and handed the phone back to Lucy.

We stared at each other in the cool evening air, the sounds from the bar drifting out over the lake. After a beat, she opened her mouth and then snapped it shut. She crossed her arms across her chest, her cheeks flushing slightly.

“Oh my God. That was dumb,” she announced, almost as if she were talking to herself. She took a ragged breath and looked away. “I can’t believe this.” Her eyes swung back to me. “I hate this,” she muttered.

“Hate what?”

“This… this thing with us. I hate that I want you. It’s annoying and stupid and you make me crazy. The good kind of crazy and the bad kind.”

Ah, so we were back to how much she hated the fact we had some serious chemistry. I knew there was no great way to resolve that, so I elected to address the part I could.

“It’s no big deal. You have the perfect excuse. You can say you were drunk and joking. If you want, I’ll tell Amelia there’s no way in hell we had sex. Just tell me what to do.”

As she stared at me, I saw the barest hint of vulnerability flickering in her gaze. I wanted her. Badly. I couldn’t say how it had come to this point so swiftly, but everything just felt right with her.

My father had always told me I would know when it was the right woman. Back when I was a teenager and didn’t give a damn, all I wanted was sex. My father made a point of letting me know that having fun was perfectly fine, but to always treat women with respect. Yet, he’d insisted someday I’d come across the right woman, and I would know. Back then, I’d dismissed him as a silly romantic.

My father adored my mother and insisted their marriage was one for the ages—his words, not mine. He doted on her to the point I’d thought he was ridiculous when I was younger. My mother was a strong willed, independent woman, but she adored him too.

As I stared back at Lucy, for the first time, I considered that perhaps my father wasn’t crazy. There was just something about her. Hell if I knew why. I could easily explain my attraction to her. She took my breath away. Yet, she was guarded, prickly and a challenge the likes I’d never considered worth it. With her though, I didn’t even think twice about the effort.

Between my initial chasing after her and getting shot down and then last night, I knew there was something there, something I hadn’t felt with anyone. I wanted to wall away the world and tell her not to worry. Because she always seemed worried, as if she was ready to fight the world, whether the fight was necessary or not. I wanted to wrap her in my arms and tell her to let go, to simply forget the rest of the world with me. Yet, I didn’t dare. Not now. I knew if I pushed too far, too fast, she’d shut me out.

In that vein, I would happily lie for her about the fact we were burning the sheets up. I would wait until she was comfortable before staking my claim publicly. She surprised me though.

After studying me for a moment, she shook her head sharply. “No, that’s stupid. Amelia knows me too well. I don’t know why I went and said that, but I can face the music.” She sighed, her shoulders curling in. “I guess you have to give me a ride now.”

“I was already giving you a ride, Lucy,” I said, softening my tone. “Not because I’m bossing you around and telling you what to do, but because I’d give any friend who might’ve had a few too many beers a ride home. Well, that and Amelia would kick my ass if I didn’t.”

A soft smile claimed her lips as she nodded. “We can’t have that. She could take you too.”

I chuckled, pushing off the back of her truck. Lucy turned and started walking across the parking lot.

I called out, “Need anything from your truck?”

“Nope!”

Her voice lilted with the word, carrying to me and winding its way around my heart. Fuck. She’d barreled straight into my heart. I needed to play this hand just right, or she’d run so far and so fast, I’d never catch her.

I jogged to catch up and reached my truck first, opening the passenger door for her. She climbed in quickly and leaned her head back with a sigh. She was quiet on the drive home through the darkness. When I pulled up at my house, I glanced over to see she was sound asleep.

Her face was relaxed in sleep, the moonlight limning her features. One hand was curled against her chin, while the other—still in its brace—rested on her lap. My heart clenched. I climbed out quietly, hoping I didn’t wake her when I shut the door gently. Rounding the truck, I found her still sound asleep when I opened the passenger door. Bundling her against me, I carried her inside.

She was warm and relaxed in my arms as I carefully closed the door with my boot. Walking upstairs, Ham came scurrying over, sniffing at my feet and looking up at Lucy.

“Hey Ham, how ya been?” I whispered.

After another sniff, Ham meandered away and leapt on a shelf by the window where I kept one of the wheels he liked to run on. He climbed into a little nest of fabric there and settled in to look out into the darkness.

I paused, considering whether I should take Lucy to the guest bedroom or mine. To be honest, I didn’t ponder this long and quickly carried her into my bedroom, if only because I wanted to fall sleep beside her again.

I took off her boots and jeans and somehow even managed to get her bra off. After tucking her under the covers in her t-shirt and underwear, I quickly stripped down to my briefs and climbed in beside her. She was still asleep, her breathing steady and even. On the heels of a soft exhalation, she draped herself against me, hooking one of her knees over my legs and burrowing her head against my shoulder.

With her warm, lush body curled against mine, I drifted into sleep, contemplating it would be perfectly fine, hell it would be far better than fine, to fall sleep like this with her every night.