Moments later, Phantom was in place on her arm and Phoebe was walking toward us, a small smile on her face.
“Amazing, isn’t she?” Sam asked, watching as Phoebe stepped over a log.
Phoebe’s thighs bunched as she moved, and I found my eyes fascinated by the power in her legs.
She’d changed into running shorts in her truck when we’d gotten here, and now every square inch of her thigh was exposed for my viewing pleasure.
“Which one?” I asked, watching as Phantom flew over the tops of the trees while Phoebe ran below them.
“Both,” the man at my side admitted. “But I was more talking about my daughter.”
I snorted. “Yes, I figured that but I don’t like to talk about something unless I know exactly what I’m talking about—I dislike confusion and miscommunication—so I wanted to be sure.”
Sam snorted. “You’re just like your grandfather. Did you know that?”
Being compared to granddad, better known as ‘Dixie Normus,’ was a compliment on my end. To some, that might not be. But Dixie had always been one of my idols growing up. Being a grown man now didn’t change the fact that Dixie was an amazing man.
“Yes,” I admitted. “It’s been pointed out to me before.”
I didn’t see myself as being anything like Dixie, but I’d take the compliment all the same, even if it wasn’t true.
“But, no matter how much I think of your grandfather, I’ll still kick your ass if you hurt her,” he said just before Phoebe made it to within hearing distance.
“What was that?” Phoebe asked as she came to a stop a few feet back from where we were standing.
The muscles in her arms were also on display, and I wanted to lick the line of her bicep.
I glanced over at Sam to see his eyes on me.
I nodded once, telling him without words that I understood, even if I didn’t agree.
Phoebe didn’t want me.
There was no doubt in my mind about that.
Nobody wanted the fucked-up ones, and I was about as fucked up as they came.
“Ready?” she asked. “I have to pee.”
I snorted. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Birdie,” her dad said. “You’re just lucky you found something as fast as you did.”
“That’s true,” she said. “I guess I didn’t give it much thought as I was sucking back those glasses of tea at dinner, though.”
“Tea that you shouldn’t be having if you plan to sleep tonight,” Sam pointed out.
“Sleep’s overrated anyway,” Phoebe said as she moved in front of us, clearly much more in a hurry than either her father or I was.
“Sleep’s imperative to life and staying healthy,” Sam said. “Just because you don’t get much of it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to sleep more, and do what you can to allow that to happen.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said as she started to climb up the small hill that led to the houses. The backs of her thighs were driving me insane. “As long as I get four, I’ll be good.”
I frowned. “Four’s unhealthy.”
She tossed me a mock glare over her shoulder, and I barely had enough time to lift my eyes so she wouldn’t catch me looking at her ass.
Lucky for me, Sam’s eyes were on something else beyond where we were, or he’d have caught me, too.
Jesus, I really needed to get my shit together.
We made it to the top of the hill, thank God, and at this point, Phoebe was practically power walking.
My lips twitched.
It was about two minutes later that we arrived at Sam’s part of the large compound.
“Dad, while I’m inside, do you think you can take a look at my truck tire?” Phoebe stopped next to the mew that Phantom called home. “It’s leaking air, and I can’t find the leak.”
“Yeah, baby,” Sam said. “Bring me out a cookie when you go in there.”
Phantom went to the perch and her claws dug into the wood. Phoebe backed away and then closed the door as she said, “I’ll clean her mew out tomorrow. It’s getting dark now.”
It was. A storm was rolling in, and I had a feeling that it’d be chasing me home.
Phoebe took off inside, leaving me with Sam who was bent down looking at the truck tire under question.
Sam crouched down on his haunches, going over the tire with his hands.
“Check the backside,” I suggested.
He stood up and bent into the wheel well, whistling at what he saw.
“Not sure how she did it, but she has a piece of metal about two inches wide embedded into the inner wall. I’m gonna have to order her a new tire.”
I winced. “Bummer.”
“You mind giving her a ride home?” Sam looked over at me.
I felt my heart skip a beat at the thought of having her pressed up against me for forty minutes straight.
“I don’t have a helmet,” I paused. “But if you have one for her, then yeah.”