Page 18 of Enticed
Me: Me too. You killed it out there. That run was perfection.No notes.
Glancing up at the monitor that displayed their times, I saw that Jasmine was in the lead. I hoped it stayed that way.
I was just pullinginto my driveway when I got a text from Elwood. My brow creased with confusion. Why would he betexting this late? Panic surged through me. Was Jasmine okay? Had something happened to her after we'd left? My hands shook as I swiped open my messages. When I did, my stomach sank and panic morphed into fear.
Woody: Come to the house. We need to talk.
Oh fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
This was bad. This sounded like I was in trouble. Did he know something? Had he found out about me touching his daughter, about how I’d gripped her waist to lift her off the feed bin then proceeded to hold on far longer than necessary? Did he know how close I came to letting her kiss me? Maybe there were cameras in the barn that caught the whole thing on video. Shit. I’d never even considered that. I was probably about to lose my job and my best friend. Hell, I might be walking to my death.
I had to take several deep breaths to calm my racing heart and still my hands before I could type my response.
Me: Be there in ten.
It usually took me at least fifteen minutes to make it to the ranch, but I got there in nine. Normally, the house would be dark and quiet this time of night, but damn near every light was on. I swallowed hard as I stepped out of my truck and walked up the front steps. Gently rapping my knuckles against the front door, I secretly hoped no one would hear me and I’d have an excuse to turn around and go back home.
No such luck.
The door swung open, and Elwood’s massive frame filled the doorway. Anger radiated off him in waves, his face tight withrage. I fought the instinct to cower and instead straightened my spine. Whatever fate awaited me, I’d face it like a man.
“Come in,” he instructed, stepping to the side. I obeyed, crossing over the threshold to possibly meet my end.
I followed him into the living room where RaeAnne sat in the armchair, a handkerchief pressed to her mouth. Her eyes were red rimmed and wet, her cheeks and nose flushed from crying. Before I could open my mouth to offer a comforting word— or apologize for the wildly inappropriate thoughts I’d had about her daughter— Elwood’s booming voice resounded through the house.
“Jasmine, get in here.”
My heart seized in my chest, and my legs nearly gave out on me when she entered the room a moment later, her tear-stained face matching her mom’s. I gulped as her uneasy gaze bounced between her dad and me. She worried her lip and wrapped her arms protectively around her middle. She was so far removed from the fierce, brazen woman I knew that my gut twisted with dread. It felt like we were about to face the firing squad together. I wanted to reach for her and pull her against me to shield her from whatever was about to come, but that would only make this worse.
Elwood curled his fists then flexed his hands like he wanted to hit something but was fighting the impulse with everything he had. Then he met my eye, and his next words nearly had me pissing my pants.
“We’ve got a problem.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
JASMINE
Gabe was going to pass out if he didn’t breathe. He stood as still as a statue, fear rendering him speechless and freezing him to the spot. I could only guess what was going through his head. We’d been caught—although we hadn’t actually done anything, some of our interactions had been … less than appropriate—and he was about to meet his maker.
“I’m going to ask you something that I never have before,” Dad said finally, breaking the silence.
“Yes, sir,” Gabe replied, nodding.
“You’re my best friend, part of my inner circle. I’ve always trusted you. With my life. With my family.” Gabe continued to nod, but kept his mouth clamped shut. He didn’t utter a word. “With my daughter,” Dad added, his gaze flicking to me.
Gabe flinched, his eyes blinking a few times like he’d been struck. To everyone else it probably looked like confusion, but I knew what it really was: guilt. The tension in the air was thick and heavy, like a blanket of snow that threatened to bury us all beneath its oppressive weight. My dad’s composure was hanging on by a thread, and everyone could feel it.
“Nash has … gotten himself into some hot water. He’s currently sitting in a cell at the county jail, most likely sleeping off hisverypublic intoxication.”
Gabe’s brows furrowed, and his eyes flashed with uncertainty. “What happened?”
Dad released a wary sigh. “Long story short, Nash and a few of his buddies decided to tie one on and vandalize the high school football field. The dumbasses were so drunk they tried to spray paint a giant,” he began but stopped, flicking his gaze toward me before clearing his throat and glancing away. “Phallus in the end zone,” he continued with a wince, his discomfort palpable, “but it looked more like a deflated balloon animal.”
The situation wasn’t funny, but still I had to press my lips together to keep from laughing. I could picture my brother and the two dipshits he’d been hanging out with since grade school trying to paint a massive cock on the grass while stumbling around, drunker than a skunk. I bet Coach Mitchell would have a coronary when he saw it in the morning. No one else seemed to recognize the humor of the situation, so I concealed my amusement as best I could.
“It’s not the first time he’s been in trouble, and the sheriff’s patience is running out. Nash could be charged with a felony, depending on how much damage those boys did. He could end up going to prison,” Dad announced, his voice raising to a decibel I’d rarely heard from him before. I sobered, watching my father, whose unwavering strength got us through one of the hardest times of our lives, start to unravel. He was angry; there was no doubt about that. But beneath that anger there was fear. He was scared that his barely adult son, whose world had fallen apart and who was completely heartbroken, would have to do hard time for some stupid, mostly harmless prank.
