Page 97 of Valley Girls
Walker laughed so hard he choked.
She took the smoke from his fingers as he bent over gasping. “I mean, it wasn’t that funny,” she said, pounding his back.
“It’s funny,” he gasped, grabbing her wrist and using her to stand up. “Because that was exactly what I thought when I first saw it.” He grabbed the smoke back, still leaning on her.
“Are you drunk?” She laughed, not sure whether to push him up.
“I am not.” He ground the butt carefully into the gravel and picked it up. “But you’re going to go sit in that ridiculous copper tub.”
She snorted. “I am not.”
“You are. When in life are you ever going to get to sit on that much scrap? This is luxury. We have to take it when we can.”
She laughed. “No! It’d be so weird. We just had dinner.”
He shook his head, bent his shoulder, wrapped one thick arm around her thighs and hoisted her over his shoulder.
Rilla yelped and swatted at his back. “Walker Jennings, put me down.”Never.
“Not until you sit in that tub,” he declared, marching back down the road for the house.
“I don’t want to be a weirdo.”
“Too late, buttercup.” He hitched her higher, his hands gripping firm on her thighs in a way Rilla was completely and utterly there for.
He hauled her up the steps and threw open the door, stomping right through everyone, to Rilla’s total embarrassment and utter delight.
“Uh ...” Hico said.
“We’ll be upstairs,” Walker said.
The silence must have made him realize what he said.
“Not like that,” he said. “She hasn’t used that bathroom yet.”
More silence.
“The tub!” he roared. “The door will be open, people!”
Hico busted out laughing and Caroline groaned at the same time.
“I mean, I’m not opposed to a closed door,” Rilla said into his T-shirt.
He lightly slapped the back of her thighs. “Stop.”
A flush of power ran through her body and she pushed her head up off his back so she wouldn’t pass out.
He put her down in the bathroom and she wobbled unsteadily as the blood rushed back into her head.
“Hey guys ... what’s uh. What’s going on?” Petra asked, stopping as she walked past.
“Rilla hasn’t used the tub yet,” Walker said as he leaned over the edge and turned on the faucets.
“Oh, Tam hasn’t either.” She leaned out the door and hollered over the railing.
Rilla wanted to shake Petra.
“Come on,” Walker ordered. “Take off your clothes.”
