River's Escape (River's End Series, #2) by Leanne Davis Read Free Book Online Page B

his intent. It gave him a boyish, aw, shucks kind of look.
    “I’m sorry about the other night.” He grinned as he nuzzled her neck. She restrained the eye roll and pushed him back a bit. He was way too grabby in front of others. Especially, a trailer full of young guys and she didn’t always appreciate the constant attention.
    They were standing in the hallway towards her bedroom. Ian leaned against the kitchen counter, his gaze roaming until it stopped on hers when she accidentally made eye contact with him. She turned away quickly and tried to focus back on Drew’s face. “You should be. You acted like a dickhead.”
    He wrapped his arms tighter around her and pressed her body against his chest. “Come on, Lynnie. It’s just that you’re so attractive. How can a guy help himself, and not want to have more of you?”
    It was kind of a compliment. So it kind of worked against her resolve to make him grovel a bit more. She relaxed into his arms. “Well, don’t press me again.”
    “I won’t. I won’t. Now, are we good?”
    She sighed. Why not be good? Shane was throwing peanuts at her brother, rarely sparing a glance at her. So why not be good with Drew? “Yes, we’re good.”
    Soon, the crowd grew too large for the cramped double-wide. They spilled out onto the front porch and yard. The night was warm and clear, and the stars hung out over the valley, far outnumbering the fading dots of man-made lights. A large bonfire was ignited and people mingled, drank some more, and laughed harder the later the evening grew. Feeling a bit chilled, she finally stepped close enough to enjoy the fire’s heat through the crowd. She sipped the beer she’d been nursing for over an hour. She wasn’t much of a drinker after having seen how it zapped her brothers’ ambition, and made them spend half their days nursing hangovers. She didn’t see the point. She was enjoying herself tonight, however. The guys were funny tonight, telling one story after another and describing the acts of mayhem they had all partaken in over the last few years. She heard everything: from practical jokes to arrest-worthy exploits. Things she didn’t even consider doing. But she knew her brothers did. She knew Drew sometimes did too. She just was never around during any of it. All the stories were familiar. They were invariably interspersed with sexual references, innuendos and macho exploits. Ever since she was fourteen, her brothers and their friends talked as if she weren’t there, and there wasn’t much they kept from her. She hated those parts of their conversations.
    With nowhere else to go, and only a few girlfriends, she silently endured their raunchiness. How could she even pretend to avoid it?
    Drew came up behind her again, and pulled her back against him. His lips touched her neck as he sucked gently. His hands were resting on her stomach, and he gently pushed his fingers upwards to test the weight of her breasts. She instantly swatted him away. Not there. Jordan was sitting beside her and Shane was directly across from her, talking about the bar brawl he’d been involved in last year. She did not want him to see Drew trying to fondle her. Drew did it again, and this time, she hissed at him to stop it.
    No one was paying attention, except Ian. He was next to Shane, however, his gaze wasn’t on his brother, who was talking, but riveted right on her. She shifted her weight, feeling uncomfortable. From what? Drew’s obvious PDA? Or Ian witnessing it? She felt the heat start in her chest, before it hit her neck and ended in her cheeks. Damn . She was blushing. She quickly dropped her attention to the fire. Damn Ian. Why was he so freaking intense? And everywhere? So now he witnessed her argument with Drew. Why was he watching them? Angling her face more towards Drew, she scooted to the left, intending to at least block his view of them.
    It was close to one in the morning before the crowd started to thin out. Kailynn was tired finally.