Forever Wild. Allyson Charles

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ for me are the lakes and woods of Michigan. If you want to see real beauty, I’ll take you to Tahquamenon Falls State Park.”

      “You will?”

      He grimaced. “I mean, if you’re serious about staying in Michigan, you should go see it. I can give you directions.”

      Her phone buzzed in her front jeans pocket, and she pulled it out. She ignored all the missed texts and voice mails from Morris and focused on the email notification. Her heart jumped around like a rabbit when she saw the sender’s address. “Excuse me a sec,” she said as she opened the email. Her mouth went dry, and a burst of exhilaration surged through her. She pumped a fist into the air. “Yes! I’m in.”

      “In where?” Dax asked. His hazel eyes went wide as she circled the table and threw her arms around his neck. His chair rocked onto two legs, and Dax windmilled his arms before righting himself. “Uh …” He patted her back awkwardly. “Okay, I guess we’re celebrating.”

      She squeezed him tighter, needing the connection, someone at which to direct her happiness. The backs of her eyes burned. With joy. Relief. Hope. The thing she wanted most in the world, and it was finally hers.

      He rested his hands on her lower back, and the heat from his palms cut through her thin cotton top, a comforting warmth that reached to the bottom of her shoulder blades. His hold on her was solid, dependable, like he’d have no problem catching her if she fell. Lissa longed to capture that feeling of security, stay in his arms for a while.

      But even she had limits, and she’d just met the man earlier that day. Curling up like a cat on his lap would be a little weird, even by her free-wheeling standards. So, she drew back and grinned down at him. “We’re definitely celebrating. In fact,” she said, catching the eye of the bartender, “drinks on the house!”

      A few cheers and whoops answered that declaration, but for the most part the diners and dancers ignored it.

      “Huh. I’ve always wanted to say that, but it didn’t get the response I expected.” She shrugged and dropped back on her chair.

      Dax leaned forward. “You shouldn’t joke like that.”

      “Not a joke.” Their waitress strode up, and Lissa said this to her as well as Dax. “I just had some really great news and anyone who wants a drink to help me celebrate can. Put it on my bill.”

      The girl nodded and made the rounds, taking orders.

      Dax’s lips pressed into a white slash. “Even at a dive like this, the bill will add up. You shouldn’t have offered.”

      “I can cover it.”

      “You had to hitch a ride out of town.” Dax crossed his arms over his chest. “Forgive me for wondering if you can cover the bar bill for a hundred people.”

      “O ye of little faith.” She pulled her bag from the back of her chair and opened the top flap. She showed him the contents, enjoying the way his eyes flared. “Like I said, I’ve got it covered.”

      He shot out his hand and closed the top of the pack, looking over his shoulder. “What the hell? Did you rob a bank? What are you doing with all that cash?”

      She opened another pocket on the bag and pulled out something even more precious than the cash that would pay for her dreams. She held the rolled-up bundle of brushes to her chest and inhaled the intoxicating scents of her brush cleaner: turpentine and lavender. “I assure you, it’s all mine.” And with her acceptance to the Bruggard-Tayo School of Visual Arts, she now had a purpose for her money.

      Pushing her plate to the side, she laid the bundle before her and gently unwrapped it. The polished wood handles of her set of brushes gleamed dully under the overhead fluorescent lights. Licking her finger, she nudged a bent bristle on one of the brushes back into place.

      Dax leaned close. “Even if it is yours, you don’t go around flashing that much cash. Especially in a place like this.” He glared at the table to their right, as if he knew what the couple was thinking and their thoughts were felonious. “Christ, you left it just hanging off the back of your chair when you were dancing.”

      “And no one took it.” With neat movements, she rolled up her treasured brushes and tucked them away. “You really need to learn to relax. Being so uptight can’t be healthy for your blood pressure. Learn to live a little. Have some fun.”

      He gripped the back of his neck. “I am not uptight,” he said through gritted teeth.

      “Well, you aren’t a barrel of laughs either.” She shot off a quick text to her mom, telling her the news. She didn’t expect a response tonight, but she placed her phone on the table in front of her, just in case.

      The waitress stopped by with a black billfold. Lissa took it and pulled out the long tail of the receipt. Her eyes widened at the total at the bottom, but what the hell. She could afford it, even after paying tuition. Plus someplace to stay for the six weeks until her classes started. And a first-class ticket to take her there.

      Digging in her bag, she pulled several hundred-dollar bills from a banded stack. She tossed them down on the table and pounded back the last of her beer. She held the empty glass up to Dax. “Slainte!”

      He dipped his chin and sighed.

      “What? You’re Irish, aren’t you?”

      Wiping his hands on his napkin, he shook his head. “Of Scottish heritage actually. But people normally toast before they drink, not after they finish.”

      She placed her elbows on the table and leaned forward. “That’s one thing you’re going to learn about me, Dax. I don’t like to do things the normal way.”

      “Yeah, I think I got that,” he muttered.

      Her phone buzzed and she looked down, her breath catching. Her shoulders slumped. Not her mom. Just another threat from Morris. If she didn’t return the money right away, blah, blah, blah. He was going to hunt her down, blah, blah, blah.

      Standing, she shoved her phone into her back pocket. “Do you want to go to some real clubs to dance? Memphis should have some good live music.”

      Dax laid a bill for his own meal on the table, even though she’d paid enough for his, too. “I can’t. I have work I need to get to.”

      “Work?” Threading her arm through his, she led him out the swinging front door of the bar and onto the sidewalk. Blues music spilled from a club a couple of doors down and something with a harder beat pulsed from a bar with blacked-out windows on the corner. “How can you work when there’s so much to see and do?” She shook her head. Working on a sultry Memphis night? Really. The man was too tedious. He needed her to get him to lighten up.

      He looked wistfully down the street but shook his head. “Nah. I’ve got something I need to do for tomorrow.”

      Lissa raised an eyebrow. “Give the dogs a bath so they’re all shiny and pretty for their new homes?”

      “No, they get cleaned up at Forever Friends, smart-ass.” He checked his watch. “But I have something I need to prepare for tomorr—” He stopped and dropped his head. “Crap. I need to take the dogs out again. I won’t have time to get my work done.”

      “You СКАЧАТЬ