Lighthouse Way (Huckleberry Bay 1)

But she doesn’t walk into the house. She sets off for the gazebo instead.

It’s still drizzling, but the structure is covered. Luna’s hugging her arms around herself when I walk up behind her.

“Talk to me,” I urge and wrap my arms around her from behind.

She pulls away.

“That scared the hell out of me,” she finally says and turns her tear-filled eyes to me. “But you were so solid. So sure of yourself.”

“I was sure of my car and my ability to drive, but I’m not typically in a situation like that, sweetheart. In a race, I can anticipate what the other driver might do because we all have the same goal.”

I swallow and drag my hand down my face. “This wasn’t the same thing. Not even close. And I’m sorry you were there for it.”

“I’m sorry that I fell apart,” she says, frustration in her voice. “I’m always the calm one. I voice of reason. And I lost my shit. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d been the one driving.”

“Whoa.” I shake my head at her. “Are you kidding me right now? You did not lose your shit. You called the cops. You took down the license. It’s okay to be freaked out by something like that. Hell, it freaked me the fuck out, too.”

“You were so calm,” she says again.

“I was terrified, Luna. Jesus, I had you with me. What if he’d pushed us over the side? What if we’d rear-ended him, and you were hurt?”

Just the thought of it, the mere possibility of it, has me breaking out in a sweat.

The rain starts to pound down around us again, hitting the metal roof of the gazebo. It’s deafening, and we simply stand there, breathing hard and staring at each other.

“This day has been full of what the fucks,” I say at last.

“You can’t see it through the rain, but it’s a full moon tonight,” she replies softly and steps to me, reaching for my hand. “What if you’d had a headache in the middle of all of that?”

I lick my lips and tip her face up so I can look into her eyes.

“I would have immediately pulled over,” I reply easily. “Your safety is something I won’t ever fuck around with, Luna. I would have safely gotten us to the side of the road, and you would have driven us home.”

“Okay.”

“I can’t have you afraid of being in a car with me.”

“I’m not afraid. It’s a concern. Not when things are mellow, but in today’s situation, the stress could have caused a migraine. And then what?”

“Like I said,” I repeat and step closer to her. “I would pull over. I’m not stubborn enough to think that I can just deal with it and get you home. I won’t risk you. Not ever.”

“I know.”

“Do you?”

“I do. I was just so scared, and I had a horrible vision of you being overcome by pain while dodging that asshole and the rain. It was a bad moment.”

“It could happen,” I reply honestly. “I won’t lie and say that it’s not something to worry about. I have been driving before when one came on.”

Her eyes widen. “What?”

“I pulled over and waited it out. Luckily, that one only lasted half an hour. I’m smart, and driving is second nature to me.”

“Okay.” She sighs and closes her eyes. “Okay.”

“I’m proud of you.”

Her eyes snap back open at that. “What? Why?”

“Because you may think that you lost your shit, but you were rock-solid. Upset, sure, but you didn’t scream, and you didn’t grab onto me or distract me. You did everything exactly right.”

“It didn’t feel like it.”

“Trust me. You were awesome, and I’m proud of you.”

“Now that it’s all over, can I admit that it was kind of sexy to see you so in control of that car?”

I lift an eyebrow, relieved that the worst of the storm has passed.

“Is that right?”

“Yeah, you have these stupidly hot muscles in your arms that flex in just the right way when you grip onto the wheel or shift gears. And you set your jaw and look all fierce and…alpha.”

She smiles, and I can see that she’s trying to lighten the mood.

“So, what you’re saying is, we should drive fast more often, but maybe in far less intense circumstances?”

“It wouldn’t make me sad. But for tonight, I’m just relieved that we’re both okay. And my heart hurts for that guy’s family. He made a really bad life choice.”

“It was a waste,” I agree.

She steps into my arms and holds on tightly.

“Can we just stand here for a while like this?” she asks against my chest.

“For as long as you’d like.”

Chapter Ten

Luna

“Is royalty coming over?” Wolfe asks as I fuss with a stack of napkins.

“I like to play hostess,” I remind him. “And I want everything to look pretty and inviting. If you think this is fancy, just wait until the B&B is up and running.”