I opened the glass door to the concessions and let her pass through before following. “So? Since you seem to be the making out pro, how would you rate my skills? On a scale of okay to mad.” I wrapped both arms around her as we wound through the concession gates.

She tapped her chin and glanced back at me. “Let’s see. Your lips are swollen. My lips are swollen. My hair’s a mess”—she lifted my hat for a moment—“and your hair’s a huge mess.”

“It’s always a mess. Why do you think I rarely take that thing off?” I mumbled as we continued weaving up to the cashier.

Josie laughed then unexpectedly arched her back so her backside curved into my . . . “We stopped making out five minutes ago, and you’re still . . . excited. And either I wet myself, or you made me just as excited.”

My mouth dropped open. Josie slid her fingers beneath my chin, pushed it closed, then planted a kiss full on my lips. The pubescent male cashier looked like he was about to bust something. That made two of us.

“Damn, Josie. Saying stuff like that is not helping cool me down.”

Since we’d finally made it up to the gaping cashier, Josie lifted onto her tiptoes and moved her mouth to my ear. “I don’t want you cooled down. I want you back in that truck and on top of me.”

A shudder ran down my back. Leaning into the counter, I locked eyes with the cashier—whose eyes were locked on Josie. “Do you sell slushies by the gallon?”

The cashier fumbled with a few cups. “This is the biggest size we’ve got.”

“Perfect. I’ll take two.” One to drink and one to ice my balls with. Josie giggled and went to grab a couple of licorice ropes. “What are you so happy about?”

She was beaming. Her face was practically glowing, and I wasn’t sure if she was walking or floating. “You. Tonight.” She motioned between us. “This. Everything. There’s a lot to be happy about right now.”

Josie. My Josie. For the first time, I felt like she actually wanted to be mine and, contrary to popular belief, I hadn’t done anything to royally screw it up. I grinned back. “There’s a hell of a lot to be happy about right now.”

The cashier cleared his throat. “That will be twelve-fifty.”

“Did you get the licorice ropes?” I asked the cashier. He nodded. “I didn’t think you liked licorice, Joze.”

“I don’t,” she replied, winding one around my wrist. “They’re not for eating.”

Holy shit. As if my dick needed to get any harder. The cashier was back to gaping at Josie like he was close to throwing himself at her feet and worshipping her. Get in line, jackass. The sooner I got the Josie-worshipper paid, the sooner I could figure out what Josie had in mind for us and those licorice ropes. Pulling out my wallet, I opened it and found. . . nothing. “Shit.” I double-checked all of my pockets to make sure I hadn’t misplaced the cash I’d gotten earlier.

“Double shit,” Josie said. “I left my purse in your truck.”

“I wouldn’t let you pay anyways. Besides, I had money earlier . . . I just must have misplaced it.” I triple-checked my wallet. The cashier shifted and gave me an impatient look when the concessions door opened and someone else filed into line. Too bad. They’d have to wait because I needed my slushies and licorice ropes.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m good,” Josie said, setting her hand on my forearm.

“No, it’s not okay.” I almost threw my wallet on the ground when it came up empty a third time. Where the hell had the cash gone?

“I got it.” A fifty-dollar bill slapped down on the counter as Josie froze and my jaw set.

“I don’t think so.” Picking up the fifty, I held it in front of Colt’s face and dropped it at his boots.

“Hey, no need to be ungrateful and throw money around. This is a fifty-dollar bill.” Colt picked it up and spread it out in front of my face. “I know the last time you saw one of these was when your mama was still home and turning tricks to put beans and bread on the table.”

I shoved his hand and the money out of my face.

“Colt!” Josie hissed, shouldering up beside me. I was keeping it in, holding myself back, but just barely.

“Josie, what the hell are you doing here with this piece of trailer trash?” Colt crossed his arms and looked from me to her. “Oh, wait. I forgot his trailer went up in flames. Let me rephrase. Josie, what the hell are you doing here with this piece of trash?”

“Colt, so help me God . . .” Josie turned on her glare and aimed it his way.

“Just answer the question, and I’ll leave you two alone.” Colt took a couple of steps back as Josie glared at him.

“Answer the question? How’s this for answering the question?” Stepping shoulder to shoulder with me, her hand slid inside of mine.

Colt studied our entwined hands, his face shadowing. “I thought we had a good thing going.”

“It wasn’t a bad thing”—her voice was cool and removed—“but we weren’t going anywhere.”

Colt shook his head and made his way back toward the door. “And you think that wherever Garth Black’s going to take you will be so much better and farther?”

“No, I don’t think that. I know that.” Josie flashed him a big smile.

He paused with his hand on the door. “It’s too bad you’re going to end up another knocked-up piece of trailer trash. I thought you’d be different than the rest of these small-town girls.”

Josie didn’t flinch, but I sure as hell did. Leaping over every rail Josie and I’d just wove through, I didn’t stop until I was a foot from Colt’s face. The guy had the sense to look fearful for his life. “You’d better shut that big mouth of yours, turn around, and leave now, because I am holding on by a thread, Mason.” I was trembling, but I didn’t touch him. “A fucking thread.”

Colt shoved the door open then glanced back at Josie. “When you’re done with this guy, you know my number.”

Josie made her way to me as the door slammed in my face. I glared at Colt’s back until he jumped into the bed of his fancy truck where a few other guys were camped out.

“Garth?” Josie stepped in front of me with a concerned expression. “How are you doing?”

I exhaled a heavy breath and forced my fists to unclench. “I’ve been holding back so much tonight, I’m about to snap. That’s how I’m doing.”

“Yeah, you look pretty close to snapping, too. Let’s get you out of here.” She pushed open the door, waved a quick sorry at the cashier, and we walked toward my truck. Josie slipped her hand in mine, and a portion of the rage boiling just below the surface vanished. “Better?”

“Better,” I replied, watching Colt’s truck as we passed it. He was with his brothers. From the way his hands were moving and his pissed off expression, he was informing them of what had just happened. When a couple of his brothers leapt up, looking outraged, I pulled Josie a little faster. I knew what hot-headed guys like the Mason brothers would do because I was hot-headeder than them all. They were going to come kick my ass for “stealing” their brother’s girl.

That was fine. Whatever, they could kick my ass into the next millennium. Big whoop. What I cared about was not Josie getting mixed up in the middle of it. They wanted to teach me a lesson? Fine—they could do that when Josie wasn’t anywhere around. I’d take a hell of a lot more than a serious beating to get to be the one Josie crawled into bed with at night.

I opened the passenger’s side door for her and closed it behind her. “Are you okay if we head out now?”

“Since a certain someone kind of put a damper on it, yeah, let’s go.”

I crawled in beside her. From the rearview mirror, I saw Colt and his brothers motioning at my truck. If Josie wasn’t with me, I would have thrown open my door, marched toward them with my arms out, and shouted some sort of challenge and profanity at them. But Josie was with me, and that made all the difference. I fired up the engine and shifted into drive.