Lawless (16 page)

"Okay, but in the meantime, we're
definitely putting
My Kinda Party
on the playlist, and don't feel bad. 
I didn't really know country music until I met Luke, either.  I'd always
listened to pop and rock, and I was surprised at how many songs I could relate
to."

"Thanks for being kind to me, Lily."

"What are you talking about?  Why wouldn't
I be?"

"I'm a virtual stranger who stole one of
Luke's best friends when no one was looking.  I'd expect you all to be a little
leery of me, maybe even a little hostile."  Although it seemed Sierra had
that area covered.  She no longer shot Ariana visual poisoned arrows, but she'd
steered clear of her the entire evening, clearly preferring to spend her time
talking to Tyler and Kim.

"You're crazy, Anna.  From the second Milo
introduced you, I could see how much he loves you.  It doesn't always take
people eons to know they're meant for each other."

Love
?

"And it's obvious you love him, too." 
She tilted her head, studying Ariana's face.  "Don't you?"

"I do."  She did…and that thought
didn't sit well with her.  None of the scenarios she'd imagined ended well for
her or him if they fell in love.

"See?  It's all good."  She arrowed
down on the iPod.  "You might find yourself worrying about acclimating to
a small town after being in a big city, because really what could be smaller
than Aspen, but I think you'll find you love it.  The people are just so
wonderful."

Ariana smiled.  "I love what I've seen so
far."

"Do you work?  I have a background in
marketing, but I've made it work for me here, too.  I've helped most of the
local businesses, and I'm expanding into the surrounding areas.  Plus, I've
found a few clients online.  With all of the tools at our disposal, we can do
so much more from a remote location."

Ariana laughed.  "You have this all
figured out, don't you?"

"I do.  When Luke asked me to stay, I knew
I wouldn't be happy just sitting home, so yeah, I worked some things out." 
She grinned.

"I have degrees in education and
mathematics, but I haven't really put them to use yet."

Lily raised interested brows.  "Look at
you go, girl.  I'm impressed.  I know they're searching for two new teachers at
the high school to replace some retirees.  Maybe you'd be interested in
teaching there."

If only.  "You know, I believe I would
enjoy teaching high school.  Some people find older kids to be difficult, but I
think I'd like challenging their minds in fun and interesting ways."  When
she spoke to Quinn again, she'd add that to her list of possibilities for her
new identity.

"Good.  Talk to Milo.  He's good friends
with the principal there, and he could tell you how to apply and maybe put in a
good word."

She nodded, a twinge of sadness pinging inside
her.  If she were lucky, she would be able to teach kids, but it would never be
in this county.

Lily plugged the iPod into a set of speakers
and suddenly the sounds of a rocking guitar filled the night air.  A sexy
country voice followed.

"Jason," Lily said with a smile as
she moved her shoulders to the beat.  "Mmm…"

"I love this song," Jen said as she
joined them.  She started dancing to the music, and Lily jumped off the
tailgate and followed her lead.

Jen motioned to her.  "C'mon, girl.  Put
that bottle down and get over here."

"Come on," Lily coaxed as she twirled
in a circle.

What the hell.  She would only live once, and no
one knew for how long.  She slid off the tailgate, and Lily grabbed her hand,
pulling her into a dance.

Milo took a hearty swallow of his third beer. 
The bitter liquid chilled his throat, and he hoped it would cool the rest of
him.  A slight buzz cruised through his veins, calming his mind and easing the
tension that had been an inescapable part of his life since he'd met Ariana. 
Normally, he wouldn't drink while on the job, but Ariana was safe here, and his
doctor had finally cleared him to consume alcohol again.

God knew he needed the temporary distraction
and a chance to let off a little steam.  Between the fire and Ariana moving her
sexy body to the beat of the music, he'd overheated and fried his brain.  He leaned
back in his chair, eyeing her over the flickering flames.  She laughed as Lily
tried to teach her a dance step.  He remembered when he'd taught Lily how to
two-step back before she'd hooked up with Luke, and now she was teaching
Ariana.

Small world.

It made him happy to know the two girls had hit
it off.  The sound of Ariana's laughter was a balm to his restless spirit.  She'd
been through a lot recently, and she needed this chance to unwind as well.

Luke turned a log in the fire before sinking into
the chair Ariana had vacated a while ago.  "I like her."

Milo snorted.  "Glad you approve."

"Not that you care.  I can't believe you
went to Vegas and came home with a wife, and didn't tell any of us.  That is
not like you at all.  Bet your mom is ticked."  His beer hissed as he
twisted off the cap and tossed it into the fire.

"Yeah.  She wasn't too happy."  He
shook his head wondering why he'd ever thought it was a good idea to keep his
mom out of the loop.  He'd done it to protect Ariana, but man, had that
backfired.

The sound of raucous feminine laughter stole
his attention.  Lily stood inches from Jen's body, shimming her way down and
back up in a series of sexy moves.  When she stood, all three women laughed
again.  No doubt the beer had loosened their inhibitions, but they were having
a great time.

"You try it," Lily persuaded Ariana.

Ariana took a long draw on her beer before setting
it on the tailgate.  She moved in close to Lily.  With slow, fluid movements,
she gyrated her hips to the tempo.  Twisting her hands in sensual moves, she alternated
between caressing her own body, tugging her t-shirt up to expose her stomach,
and drawing invisible patterns in the air.  Good God almighty.  He tried to
swallow past the dry knot in his throat.

Ariana descended toward the ground and then
rocked her way back up.  She looked expectantly at her companions who seemed to
pause in surprise before they all started laughing again.

"Woo, Anna!  You've got some sweet moves."
 Jen held out her bottle, waiting for the other two to claim theirs and make a
toast.

Luke jumped out of his chair.  "I'll be
damned if I'm going to sit here while my woman's making moves like that." 
His beer tipped over in the dirt as he walked away.

"Damn," Milo whispered under his
breath.  Scott apparently had the same thought as Luke and left his
conversation with Jerry to dance with Jen.

Ariana leaned on the tailgate, laughing as the
men joined in.  Lily and Jen practiced their moves on the guys.  Luke tried to
mimic them, but fell on his ass, making the crowd laugh.  Scott was apparently
the smart one and didn't waste any time pulling Jen into his arms.

Milo glanced at the other couples still sitting
on the sidelines, jerking his gaze back to Ariana when he realized Sierra had him
in her sights.  He couldn't have her thinking there was trouble in paradise. 
For the moment, all of his friends needed to fully believe he and Ariana were
in love.  He'd deal with how to explain the break-up later on.

Speaking of love, he'd better get his ass in
gear because now he had Scott alternating between glancing at Ariana and giving
him a what-the-fuck look.

If Scott was the intelligent one for claiming
his woman, and Luke was the clumsy one who'd still get his wife, what did that
make him?  The jackass who left his girl sitting alone watching the others.

Yeah.  Not good.

He stood, his movement attracting Ariana's
attention.  There was no mistaking the intense desire burning in her eyes as
she watched him approach, and he couldn't deny that her expression made him
ache to hold her.  With her, it was one tricky situation after another.  He
held out a hand.  "Care to dance?"

She raised a brow as though questioning his
intentions before she slid her fingers across his palm.  Damn if Quinn hadn't
put them in an impossible spot.  Of course, there was no way Quinn could have
predicted this insane attraction between him and Ariana.

He pulled her into his embrace the way a good
husband would, ignoring his senses that fired in rapid succession.  It was hard
to discount the satisfying way her body molded perfectly against him, so he'd
have to find a way to disconnect his attraction from his actions.

If he were still with the marshals, protocol
would require he be reassigned.  Something he should have done three years
ago.  Not that he'd been physically attracted to Jane, at least not like he was
with Ariana, but he'd come to really care for her, which had kept him from
making unemotional decisions.  Deep down, he knew it had been her choices which
had ended her life, but that didn't erase his contributions to her death.  If
he had it to do over, she'd be alive today.  Now, here he was in another
compromised situation with absolutely no way out.  He couldn't act on his
feelings, but he couldn't leave her, either.

"You have some impressive moves there."

Amused laughter spilled from her as they
slow-danced to the music.  "My college roommate and I spent hours watching
music videos, trying to learn the dancer's moves.  That one is a little risqué,
but I think Lily and Jen liked it."

He snorted.  "Forget the girls. 
I
liked it."

"I didn't realize you were paying that
much attention."  She pulled from him ever so slightly, the rocking of her
hips and shoulders growing more pronounced as a flash of naughtiness lit her
eyes.  If they had been alone, he would have stopped her before she could take
it further.  But with all his unsuspecting friends around, he was helpless to
do anything but watch.

Her gaze never left his as she danced her way
down his body, her fingers sliding from his neck and trailing across his
chest.  When they dipped dangerously low, she smiled, and slowly made her way
back up.

He leaned close to her ear, ignoring the
enticing scent of her hair and the way the breeze tickled the soft strands
against his skin.  "Oh, darlin'.  You like to test me."

"I do."  She turned, leaning into
him.  He rested his hands on her hips as she gyrated against him in one sexy
move after another.

He couldn't let her continue.  He was already
rock hard, and each move she made stole more blood from his brain.

In a minute, he wouldn't be thinking at all. 
In a desperate attempt to regain control of the situation, he twisted her in
his arms.

"Sorry.  I don't mean to keep encouraging
you like that.  Flirting is a bad habit of mine, made worse by beer and a
pretty woman."

"Don't worry.  I'm on to your seductive
ways."  She traced a finger along his jawline and over his bottom lip.

He swallowed hard.  "Ariana," he
whispered in a warning tone.

She tugged his head to her.  "Anna,"
she whispered back.  She met his gaze, and he knew he was in deep shit. 
Wanting and need burned as bright in her eyes as it did inside him.  Her lips
were inches from his, and it didn't take her long to close the distance.  He
should move.  He should pull away, but he didn't.

Her slick, glossed-lips slid against his, and he
was lost.  He crushed her to him, her soft breasts pressing into his chest.  A
slight hint of cherry tickled his tongue as he slipped inside her mouth.

She matched the passion of his kiss.  The feel
of her fingers slipping beneath his shirt, her nails digging into the flesh of
his back nearly drove him insane.  He slid a hand along the curve of her ass
and hauled her to him.

A hard punch to his right arm broke them apart.

"Get a room, ya horny bastard." 
Scott laughed.  "I recognize you're newlyweds and all, but if you keep up
that shit, you're going to get everyone all fired up, and we'll be having us an
orgy around the fire."

Milo glanced at the group, astounded at how
easily he'd lost sight of his goal to remain unaffected.  Apparently, everyone
had stopped dancing and talking to catch the Milo and Ariana show.  Everyone
but Sierra.  He laughed to cover his embarrassment.  "Sorry guys." 
He shrugged and glanced at Ariana who didn't seem sorry at all.  She widened her
eyes and bit her bottom lip.  He could sense the laugh ready to burst from her
lips.  The beer she'd consumed had obviously loosened her inhibitions more than
his.

He grabbed her hand.  "We'll just take a
walk," he told the group.  "To cool off, you know?"

"Uh-huh," Scott replied.  "You
do that."

*        *        *

Ariana allowed Milo to pull her along as he
made his way past the vehicles, closer to the pond, away from the flickering
flames.  There was no doubt everyone expected he'd take her somewhere private
and have his way with her.  He wouldn't of course, but she did wonder where they
were going.

The chill in the air was more noticeable away
from the fire.  The breeze had grown stronger, but it barely tempered her heated
skin.  She'd known she and Milo had dipped their toes in dangerous waters, but
at the moment, she was drunk enough she didn't care.  Flirting and dancing with
Milo was like nectar to her love-starved soul.

When there was nothing but silence and darkness
surrounding them, he dropped her hand and rounded on her.  "I'm sorry,
Ariana.  I'm totally messing this up.  People are now aware of your existence,
and you're being forced to live a lie, even if it is only temporary.  I've
created a disaster, and the more I try to fix my screw ups, the worse this
gets."  He leaned against an aspen, the moonlight shadowing the contours
of his tortured expression.  The depth of his concern surprised her.