“Yes.” She lifts her head and hands me a pathetic frown. “You’re the school bully who calls me names, pulls my hair, snaps my bra, then gives me chocolate. And I’m the gullible girl who lets said school bully feel me up because I like chocolate.” Avery twists her lips. “Well, I don’t like chocolate anymore, but I used to.”

I chuckle. “Now I’m the school bully and you’re the girl who lets a guy feel her up for chocolate? Avery, Avery, Avery … God, I hope it was more than just a bag of candy from a vending machine.”

“I’m just kidding.” She rests her cheek on my chest. Her fingers trace my tattoos.

“Liar.” I pinch her sides.

She jumps and giggles, rolling off me.

“Who was he? Choir boy? Quarterback? Math geek?”

Avery rolls to the other side of the tent to get away from me, giggling the whole way.

I crawl toward her.

“No!” She grabs my pillow and hugs it to her chest like it can protect her, but her back is pressed to the side of the tent. She has nowhere to go.

Swarley barks outside of the tent. I hold up my finger to my lips. “Shh … you’re upsetting him with your schoolgirl squealing.”

“Then stop prowling toward me like that.” Avery pulls the pillow up so just her blue eyes are peering over the top of it.

“Like what?” I snatch the pillow away from her.

“Eek!”

Swarley barks.

“Shh …” I hook her waist and drag her to me.

She grins as I hover above her. It makes that thing in my chest hurt because I think I fucked up. In my effort to strip her down to just Avery, I may have gone too far—gave her too much of myself.

Avery widens her legs, positioning my newly aroused dick right at her entrance. When she pulls her knees back, I feel her wet and warm against me.

“Again,” she says on a breathy whisper.

My conscience screams to get out of here. Buy her a plane ticket to L.A. and deliver the dog at a later date.

Right now, that screaming conscience falls on deaf ears.

“Again.” I push into her as our mouths collide.

Welcome to New Mexico

The Land of Enchantment

“Hi, Daddy,” Avery slips off her sandals and plants her sexy feet onto my dash. The windows are down. The breeze is warm.

Not a diva in sight.

Holding my phone to her ear, she glances over at me and winks. Yeah, she’s going to ruin me.

“We’re in New Mexico. No … my phone battery isn’t dead. The whole thing died. There was an incident, but I don’t need it. How’s Deedy?”