I grin as I listen to my girl give the cop what for. I love that she’s feisty enough to stand up for herself. Of course I’ll step in anytime she needs me, but she’s doing a pretty damn good job of handling the situation herself.

The chunky cop clears his throat. “Just hold on, Miss. I never once implied this wasn’t a serious matter.”

“But you did when you were insinuating that we were just a bunch of young people caught up in a silly love triangle, which I promise you isn’t the case. Jackson Cruze is an arrogant jackass who believes he can get away with anything. He’s been picking on my friend for some time now, and it has to end. I had to practically drag Max down here. Look at his face. He got the crap kicked out of him and he was afraid to come to you people for help because he didn’t want to be judged. We get him here, and not only do you judge who he is and what he stands for, but you don’t take him seriously. You were about to blow him off, weren’t you?”

Officer Jones holds up his hands, attempting to calm Holly down. “I’m sorry if I came across that way. Believe me, this is a serious matter and we’ll get right on this. I promise you. We take hate crimes very seriously.”

“Good,” she replies. “Now let’s get back to allowing my friend to press charges against Jackson. He needs to know he’s not above the law.”

I remain silent the entire time. It’s good to know I have a woman who can defend herself. She’ll need to be tough, especially when it comes to dealing with our crazy fans. Those women go a little batty sometimes. Both Lanie and Aubrey both have had their fair share of run-ins with them and it wasn’t pretty, so I’m sure Holly will face that too.

Once everything is completed, we make our way out to the parking lot. Holly turns to Max and wraps her arms around him. “I’m so proud of you.”

He squeezes her against him. “It felt good to do that, like a weight has been lifted off me. Thank you for encouraging me.”

“You’re welcome,” she says as she pulls back. “Go home and get some rest. It’s nearly dawn, so you’ll have to explain everything to your parents soon.”

Max nods. “It’s time they knew the real me.” His gaze cuts to me. “Thank you, Trip.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Me? I didn’t do anything.”

“Yes, you did. You came into my best friend’s life and changed us both.” He smiles and then winces and touches his tongue to his split lip. “See you guys later.”

I shove my hands in my pockets and grin as I watch Max walk to his car, get in and drive away. It’s nice to hear that I’ve had just as much of an effect on them as they have on me. I like being here, and I love being with Holly. I can’t even explain how she’s doing it, but she’s opening me up to a world of possibility again. Where it’s okay to open my heart and feel something for people, without the fear that they’ll betray and crush my trust.

Holly slips her arm around my waist and leans her head against my shoulder. “He’s right, you know.”

I throw my arm around her shoulder and stare down at her. “About what?”

She grins. “About you changing me, showing me how a really great guy is supposed to treat me.”

I stare into her big blue eyes. “I’d never treat you wrong.”

“I know you wouldn’t,” she whispers before kissing my lips. “I love how you’re honest and straight forward with me. Apparently Jackson is a sneaky coward. I don’t know how I never saw it before. I’m pretty disappointed in myself.”

I tip her chin up so I can stare into her eyes more. “It’s easy to allow love to cloud rational thought. I’m guilty of the same thing. If I would’ve allowed my brain to process what was actually going on in front of me, I would’ve known my ex-wife didn’t really love me. So don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault.”

She sighs. “It doesn’t make me feel any less guilty for what happened to Max.”

“Max should’ve told you sooner and stood up for himself. You can’t blame yourself for that. I’m just glad he did come forward and something is going to be done now.”

“Me too.” She grabs my hand and tugs me towards the Mustang. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

I grin, loving the sound of going home with her, and allow her to lead the way.

Holly doesn’t let go of my hand. The entire ride home we shifted the gears together and then she pulls me behind her into the house and then up to her room. She opens her bedroom door and then bites her lip as she tugs my hand to come inside.

Her room is exactly what I expected. It’s tidy and orderly, just like her. All of her clothes are put away and her bed is covered with a cream colored comforter. She sits on her bed and pulls me down with her. The look in her eyes tells me she didn’t bring me in here to talk. It’s the same naughty glint I saw back in the restaurant when I knew she wanted me.

I reach out and cup her face, kissing her sweet lips. If I had to imagine what heaven would be like, this would be it.

She shoves her hands in my hair, keeping my mouth on hers as we fall back onto the bed together. I snake my hand around her waist and roll, effectively placing her on top of me. Holly straddles my waist, and the erection in my pants stiffens even more. It’s like it knows what’s about to happen and it’s just as anxious as I am to get inside her again.

This time, I’m going take my time with her and make sure she knows she’s special to me.

I sit up so we’re face to face, and dip two fingers inside of her dress and slide it off her shoulder, trailing kisses on her bare skin as I go. She sighs as my tongue darts out and I taste the flesh above her collar bone.

“Trip…”she says my name with a sigh as I mirror the moves on the other side.

The metal zipper on the side of her dress is warm between my fingers as I tug it open. Last time I was too impatient and didn’t undress her completely, but I’m about to remove every scrap she has on this round. I shove the dress down around her hips before gliding my hand up the middle of her back and into her hair so I can pull her down into another kiss while my free hand unhooks her bra.

The silky-white material loosens around her as I remove those straps as well. Her full breasts fill the cups of her bra as I trace the outside edges, teasing her a bit before I finally pull it away. I dip my head and suck on one of her perfectly puckered pink nipples.

Holly bites her bottom lip as I stare up at her and lick a trail from one nipple to the other. Her breathing picks up as she brings her hand down to my cheek, to tip it up so she can kiss me. I turn my head into her hand and kiss her wrist. The delectable scent of her sweet perfume fills my nose. I close my eyes and relish in this moment with her. Before her, I thought I forgot how to love. I thought I was fucking broken, but she’s showing me everyday that it’s possible for me to love someone again. Every moment I spend with her, I grow a little more attached, and I feel compelled to do anything for her.

Now I remember what it was like when someone else was my entire world and can empathize with what Noel and Riff are going through.

“Is something wrong?” she whispers, staring into my eyes.

I shake my head and give her a reassuring smile. “No. Everything is absolutely perfect.”

She grins. “I think so too.”

I pepper her face with kisses, elated to hear that she’s feeling the same way I am. She begins to rock her weight against me, riding me through my jeans and her panties. Long strands of hair frame her face as she shoves my shirt up and then pulls it over my head. She tucks her hair behind her ear as she licks her way down my chest, stopping at my nipple to suck it in her mouth. The way she’s looking up at me makes my mouth water. No one should be allowed to appear so angelic. It’s not fucking fair to the rest of the world.

I cup her face and crush my lips to hers before plunging my tongue in her mouth. A sweet moan vibrates against my mouth as I feel how much I’m turning her on.