The summer rush was in full swing and in an effort to eke out every last bit of tourist money they could, the town of Reckless Falls always threw a summer festival, complete with a parade down Main Street.
I hadn't been to the parade since I was a little kid, but Brynn had insisted she wanted to go, "to check and make sure we ticked everything on the block off our list."
How could I say no to that?
The sidewalks were thick with people, townspeople and tourists alike lining the curbside, jostling for the best view of the parade. But there was a little bit of space along the storefronts, so that was where we walked.
"The furniture store?" Brynn asked.
I grinned at her. "You don't remember? They had a spare headboard in that back room behind the service entrance."
"Oh yeah," she said, blushing bright red. Then she looked along the block. "Did it, did it, did it," she chanted, pointing at three storefronts in a row. "Have we really done it?" she asked breathlessly. "Did we finish this block already?"
I stepped out and surveyed the street. I was never going to be able to look at my hometown the same way, ever again. "I think so..." I said slowly.
"No wait!" she exclaimed.
I turned to where she was pointing, and spotted the lights on above the hardware store. "We haven't tried in there," she said, with a giggle. And then, fuck me, she was blushing that rosy shade of pink again and holy shit, I freaking loved this girl.
I grinned at her, then looked down at my sandals and sighed heavily. "No shoelaces," I intoned in mock sorrow. "I'm not prepared. Your Boy Scout has failed you."
She grabbed my hand and pointed again. "We can stop inside the yarn shop first..." she suggested, tugging at my hand.
"We'll miss the parade," I teased her.
She squeezed my hand, biting her lip and tucking her hair behind her ears, and just that simple gesture had me already undone, already imagining the knot at her breasts.
I let her lead me into the throng crowding the streets as we made our way over to the Yarn Barn, a literal barn behind the main drag. I was so focused on the swing of her blonde hair, and the sway of her hips, that I didn't give a crap that the crowd was closing in on me, that everyone could see us and wonder what we were up to. She led me towards a side alley, a gap between the buildings, cutting a short path to the barn, and it was strange, that little ghost of a memory of how things used to be. I wasn't like that anymore, but worrying about what people were thinking, that was like some kind of muscle memory. I rolled my head from side to side to clear it and as I did, I caught the eye of the last fucking person I wanted to see here.
Nick Butler appeared at the entrance to the alley and looked down at my hand entwined with Brynn's.
Then he planted his feet, standing directly in our path and blocking our way, a challenge in the jut of his chin. "What's up, McLame?" he asked, looking me up and down.
I stopped, suppressing the urge to roll my eyes. I had so many more important things to do than get into a dick measuring contest with Nick Butler.
Brynn came to a wary halt and swayed a little in place, all her weight poised on the balls of her feet. Like any second she'd break out into a run.
But Nick looked over at her slowly, and his eyes raked from her face down to her breasts in a way that made me glad she was holding my hand so I didn't punch that smirk off of his face. "Hey Reese's Pieces," he leered. "You look good."
"Thanks Nick," she said warily. Her face was closed off, cautious.
He must have finally been smart enough to read the temperature of the room, because he turned back to glare at me. "What are you two up to?" he asked, doing that stupid sizing me up thing again.
He was dressed in a loudly patterned button down shirt and jeans instead of the uniform of a cop. No authority at all.
Maybe that's why I wasn't in in the mood to be the bigger man.
I dropped Brynn's hand and planted my feet, letting him see that I had a good four inches in height on him. I looked him in the eyes, then deliberately dropped my gaze downward, mimicking his bullshit sizing up maneuver. I took in his police academy trained muscles, but also took note of the softening tummy, the beginnings of a beer gut. Then I dropped my gaze lower...
And then I did a double take, adrenaline squirting bright hot rage in my throat. I looked again just to be sure, and in an instant I had him up against the wall, my hands around his throat.