Flock (The Ravenhood Duet #1)(46)

“I forgot it.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“You don’t want me to ask it.”

He looks at me expectantly. “All right, now I have to know.”

“How did Dominic know about the waterfall?”

He exhales, putting his hands on his knees, before peering up at me with guilty eyes. “Your real question is, how many girls have I taken there, right?”

“Is that like the place you take all women?”

He shakes his head slowly. “It’s a place I love, that I will often frequent with any company. It’s kind of slim pickings around here at times, like there are only a few restaurants in town worth a shit. This is a small town. If you stay in one place long enough, you’re bound to have repeats.”

“Repeats,” I parrot, sipping my iced tea.

He eyes me warily. “Shit, bad choice of words. Look,” he moves to sit and draws up his knees, his toned forearms resting on them. “No, you aren’t the first or second girl I’ve taken there.”

Suspicions confirmed, I try to hide my disappointment. “Thanks for the truth. I guess that day was special to me, that’s all.”

He chucks my chin. “Then let it be. You think I was thinking about the last girl I was with when I had you underneath me? Fuck no. And I like that you’re jealous.”

“Eww,” I prop up to my elbows and drop my head back dramatically. “I guess sometimes I make it obvious you’re dating a teenager.”

“Jealousy isn’t limited or nullified by age, babe. And you’ve been hurt. You’ve told me you have from the start. You’re being cautious. You don’t want to be fucked over again. Nothing wrong with that. I get it. And I’m not mad you asked about it.”

“Do you get mad?”

“Yes,” he says softly, so softly, it’s scary, “and it’s not something you want to see.”

“Oooooh,” I turn on my stomach, kicking my feet into motion behind me. “Do tell. Were you an angry child?”

“No, I was more like ‘Tarzan with Chimpanzee rip your arm off if you fuck with me’ tendencies.”

I laugh. “I believe it.”

“I did get into a lot of fights.”

“Why?”

“Because I was a little asshole.”

“So, what’s changed?”

“Cute. I was going to share my banana pudding, but…”

“Hey, I’m sorry. You haven’t given me many reasons not to trust you.”

He frowns. “Cecelia—”

I reach over and run my hand down his jaw. “I hate that I asked. But it’s been bothering me.”

“Next time ask so you aren’t wasting your time.”

“I did, but we were fighting, remember?”

“My bad, but I mean it, don’t let shit eat at you. Ask.”

“I will.”

“Good, now eat.”

And we do. After, we lay back looking up at the stars as his Zippo closes and an unmistakable smell invades my nose.

I grin over at Sean just as he passes the joint to me. I take a deep inhale and release it, already laughing from the act alone.

“You’re such a lightweight,” he chuckles.

“And proud of it. Why do you smoke?”

“It’s as relaxing as a few beers to me. And if you relax, and don’t think about anything or anyone but where you are and who you’re with, you can control the high and it won’t control you.”

“Okay, dude,” I say as I inhale in my best stoner impression. He grins and takes it back, and I turn and lay back on the blanket, gazing up at the night sky.

He grabs the hand resting on my stomach and brings it to his mouth to kiss the back of it. His eyes close and my chest buzzes from the intimate act.

“I thought I would hate it here,” I admit.

“Glad you don’t.”

“You’re the main reason I don’t. You know, I have to leave next year. I’m only here until next summer.”

He pauses his kiss on the pad of my finger. “We’ll make it count.”

“You don’t sound so sure.”

“Nothing’s certain.”

“Oh, Lord, not this again.”

“It’s the truth.”

“Always so damned cryptic with me. I’m not an idiot, Sean, you’ve been trying to indirectly tell me something since we met. What the hell is the big secret?”

He leans in, his grin dazzling in the dim light. “You’re the secret.”

“Oh, am I?” I reach for the joint. “Give me that, God, I’m going to need it if I’m going to listen to your madness.”

“You love it.”

“The devastating truth and life philosophy according to Alfred Sean Roberts.” I take a small hit and pass it back to him.

“Knowledge is power, baby. Strongest weapon out there.” He takes a hit. “You know why they outlawed weed?”

“Not a clue.”

He props on his side, the cherry glowing brightly as he takes another pull. “Because the powers that be at the time couldn’t figure out how to regulate who grew it and tax it. So they created all this propaganda about how lethal it is. Look up Reefer Madness on YouTube when you get a chance, and you’ll see just how far they went. And people believed it because they were told to believe it.”