Sleep had been evading me since the night at the bar two days earlier. I was still unsure why Destry had stood up for me when dick-for-brains had started running his mouth. One minute, he’d been hot for me; the next, he tried to blow me off, and then not even two hours later, he was standing up for my honor and all but tearing my clothes off on the hood of his truck. The guy was the epitome of hot and cold. I wasn’t looking for anything with him. Hell, I wasn’t even staying in town long enough to have much of anything with him, even if I’d wanted to, but all the same, he was giving me whiplash. Every night since he’d taken me on the table and followed it up by the searing kiss on the roadside, I’d had trouble finding sleep, and when I finally did drift off, I’d had variations of the same dream. Destry making me scream his name while he did things to me I’d never thought of doing with anyone else. I had no idea my mind could conjure up such vivid, graphic images.

Unable to tolerate it any longer, I crawled out of bed and turned off the alarm before getting ready and heading downstairs to see what the day held.

“Morning, sunshine.” Austin smirked at me and passed me a cup of strong smelling black coffee the moment I walked into the kitchen. How the boy was so chipper before the sun had even come up was beyond me.

I took a sip of the hot liquid and sighed. “You’re fast becoming my favorite person to see in the morning,” I joked, bringing the cup back up to my lips. Austin laughed at my appreciation for the liquid gold in my hands and wandered off.

“I resent that.” Braxton pouted with a cute look on his face as he put a steaming dish of scrambled eggs on the table.

“Oh, don’t pout, honey. I have to tell him these things or else he’ll sulk all day.” Braxton laughed and sat across the other side of the table as Austin called out, “I heard that!”

“I think you were meant to,” Braxton jibed at him. The relaxed, easy way we’d all slipped into a routine made me smile. They were so accepting and sweet. I felt comfortable in a way I’d never experienced. Ellie-May chose that moment to wander in and plonk herself down at the table with a scowl across her pretty face. Austin and Braxton took one look at her, looked at each other and slid a large stack of pancakes and a bottle of maple syrup directly in front of her. The entire table was silent while she dumped half the bottle of syrup over the steaming pile and stabbed her fork into them like they’d personally offended her.

Both boys loaded up a plate quickly and quietly before slinking away and dashing out the back door. I sat there looking around completely confused, just before I opened my mouth to ask what was wrong, Destry’s thick voice sent a rush of warmth through me as he whispered in my ear, “I’d make a break for it while you still can.” I turned my head slightly to find his face inches from mine, his hot breath tickled over my ear making me blush when I realised he was staring at my lip caught between my teeth.

“I… I umm.” I shook my head slightly lost in a dream state, completely derailed from my train of thought.

Destry’s mouth opened slightly as he stared at me, our hot breath mingling in the small space between out faces. I could feel the want crackling between us. It was impossible to ignore what had happened between us. I tried and failed. Nothing I did could tamp down the chemistry that was brewing like a storm. I wanted to feel his soft but calloused hands all over my skin, again. I wanted to fly apart while he drove into me rough and hard.

“Y’all going to stop making eyes at each other now or should I take breakfast elsewhere?” Ellie-May’s annoyed inquiry made us both jolt away from each other like we’d been burnt.

“I’ll be out back when you’re ready to go, ‘Melia.” I’d had the nickname ‘Melia by one person or another before, but never had it made me feel warm and comforted. I watched as Destry stepped out the back screen door, and when it sacked back against the wooden frame, I poked around at the food that’d been put on my plate.

“Sorry. I don’t mean to be a snappy cow,” Ellie mumbled stabbing at her pancakes.

“No harm, honey.” I cleared my throat and took a sip of the strong black coffee that was wafting up toward me. “Anything I can help with?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t over stepping my boundaries.

“Boys suck. Being a girl sucks and I’m just mad.” I smiled into my mug. The reason behind the boys’ hasty retreat became clear. My brain translated her mood and words in a way that reminded me of long-forgotten attempts at sisterhood with Nikki.

“PMS?” I asked quietly, picking up my lightly buttered toast and trying not to laugh.

“Yes, I hate it. It turns me into a rampant lunatic,” she grumbled, bringing her fork up to her lips and shoving a dripping piece of pancake into her mouth, nearly inhaling it. At that moment, I wished I’d had a sister who cared enough to have a relationship with me.

“You wanna talk about it?” I asked my little sister Nikki from the doorway of her bedroom.

“No, I don’t want to talk to you, Little Miss Perfect,” she screamed into her pillow.

“Come on, Nikki, you know it isn’t like that.” I really hated when she called me that considering as I had always felt like the outsider of the family. I didn’t like dressing the part in ridiculous dresses, perfect makeup and flawless hair. I wanted to go out camping and be bike riding with the boys. I wanted freedom and the power to choose what I did with my own life. I wanted out of this suffocating society of snooty women and demeaning men.