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Lost in my own little world I didn’t hear his bike or the heavy fall of his boots as he walked up behindmy name because when his hand landed on my shoulder it freaked me out I jumped I screamed I flailed around like a lunatic and when I whipped around to confront ht in the face with the hose that was still dangling out of my hand

Stunned that it was friend and not foe, I stood there with the hose trained on him as he swore at me, yelled my name, and tried to evade the water It didn’t work He was drenched Head to toe, sopping wet as I gave him an unwanted shower He snatched reen rubber until there was a kink in it big enough to stop the floater He shook his sandy head, water droplets flinging every direction as those better than hazel eyes narrowed threateningly at led to contain a laugh The huy leather jacket with a gri wet T-shirt that clung to every defined et hi thatto all the parts of him that I didn’t want to share made my mouth water and my cheeks pink I wanted to snap a picture of hione and battery operated Church was all I had left Hell, I h to get off on

He shook his head again and swiped a hand down the back of his neck, where water was rolling down the collar of his shirt "Didn’t you hearyour name?"

I threw up my hands in exasperation "Obviously not You scaredfront side and then back up at et hed and let my eyes roll over hiot you all wet"

One of his eyebrows quirked upwards and I felt like an idiot for not knowing exactly as co next Before I could let out a sound or put o of the hose and I was hit in the face with an onslaught of water It was cold, so I squealed and he was too fast for me to evade when I darted to the side to escape the spray The chilly wetness stuckheavily into my face

"Stop!" I held h I had to shake my hair out of my eyes to look up at him and when I did ht didn’t reach his eyes or shine out of hihten up, butbeautiful to so that was better than beautiful The barest hint of his teeth, the tiniest indent in his cheek that hinted at the fact he was probably hiding a di to not … it all ht want him for myself but I wanted that smile for the rest of the world No one should be kept froly special

While I was enraptured and unable to ot to turn the water off When he came back his shirt was in his hand and the late afternoon sun was kissing his bronze shoulders,him look like an ancient bronze statue co about so hard that you didn’t hear the Harley or your na to answer truthfully because he didn’t need to know that I had hi for me to walk down the aisle towards hilorious smile when it was so newly resurrected

"Uh … I had a little run-in at the hospital" I pulled the front ofit out inoff in front of God and everyone but I didn’t want to give El nasty toaround her yard would have the neighbors talking, that was if they could get past all the golden glory that was Church

"What kind of run-in?" His ru voice dropped lower and all the hulowering one I was so fa you the business?"

I shookin all directions He had to step back to avoid getting wet "No We caround and passed We’re pretty led my eyebrows at him but his stern expression didn’t waver

"What happened at the hospital, Dixie?" There was no roo around the bush

"I was in the parking lotthe truck and I hadabout hi to have to quit cold turkey pretty soon "This black SUV ca spot a few yards away They alh I could see my reflection in the door There were no other cars around because I parked that big-ass truck like shit, so it was obviously deliberate" I held up a hand before he could speak "And no, I didn’t get a look at the driver or a license plate because I was too busy thanking et run over"