“Max,” she gasped, “How the heck did you find us?”
“It’s my job to know where the hell you are so I can save you from yourself.”
If Maxine had been standing here, she would have mhm’d like a fool.
Shane released me and grabbed my hand, pulling me forward so we could see what was creating the colorful glow.
“Is that a glowing cock?” Jack asked.
I leaned in and found Mia was indeed holding a multi-colored vibrator. She held it aloft as it buzzed in her hand.
“It’s not as bright as the green willie,” Max pointed out.
Jack’s head jerked back and he turned to Max. “I’m not sure I want to know why you know this.”
“Hey, don’t knock glowing vibrators until you’ve tried them. They make an excellent light source in case of emergencies,” Mia called out. “Now get me out of this hole.”
Max bent and put out his hand. Mia grabbed hold and he pulled her out. Then he crossed his arms again and glared at her.
Light broke through the darkness, the beam bobbing and weaving as Jenn and Maxine made their way toward us.
Jenn came to a halt and mumbled, “Shit,” when she saw Jack. “Fancy meeting you here.” She tried for coy, but Jack held up his hand, silencing her.
“I got no patience for cute right now.”
“Sorry,” she answered contritely.
His face grew tighter at her answer and he narrowed his eyes. “What’d I say about saying sorry?”
Jenn rolled her lips between her teeth for a moment, then she grinned.
“Well, that was a bust,” Maxine complained, looking into the open grave. “I had my heart set on findin’ a ghost.”
“Not exactly,” I answered. “The guy who was just here with the shovel and ladder, he was digging up this grave. I think he’s a grave robber.”
Jenn immediately turned to me. “Grave robber? That could be an even bigger story than—”
“Not in this lifetime,” Jack vowed. “You are not hangin’ out in old cemeteries waiting for some unknown man to show up.”
“But, Jack, this could be . . .” she stopped mid-sentence and looked at Maxine. Maxine raised a brow. “All right,” she sighed. “I’ll let you handle this. Would you mind giving me an exclusive when you’re done investigating, though?”
Jack looked back and forth between Maxine and Jenn. “Just like that?”
His tone said he didn’t believe her in the least.
Jenn nodded.
“All right, what’s the catch?”
Jenn shrugged. “No catch. You don’t want me hanging out in a cemetery because you would worry, so I won’t.”
He narrowed his eyes further then walked over and grabbed hold of her hand and kept right on walking, mumbling, “The day you give in is the day hell freezes over.”
Shane and Max both grunted in agreement.
Hearing that, Mia turned to Max and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m sorry we lied to you about what we were doing tonight. It won’t happen again. I promise.”
Both brows shot up on his face.
“What did you do?”
“What do you mean?’
“You’re up to something.”
“Max, honestly, I’m not up to anything.”
He looked at his mother then back at Mia. Concern etched on his face.
“I’ll get it out of you when we get home,” he vowed, then picked her up and started heading toward the Jeep. Maxine followed with an enormous grin on her face.
When I took a step in the same direction, Shane grabbed my hand and tugged me back against his chest. He trailed his lips down the side of my neck, his teeth grazing the skin. “Are you gonna promise me you won’t get into any more trouble?”
“Would you believe me if I said yes?”
“Not any more than Jack or Max.”
I was a little incensed since we hadn’t been a couple long enough for him to have this opinion of me.
“I don’t exactly have a proven track record of causing trouble. I think it’s unfair for you to judge me on one night out.”
At my protest, Shane bent at the waist and threw me over his shoulder. “You’re livin’ in Trails End permanently when we get home, which means you’ll be hangin’ out with Mia. That’s all I need to know,” he answered with a sharp whack to my ass. I sucked in a deep breath at the burn and tried to hold back a groan.
I wasn’t successful.
Shane stopped dead in his tracks. “Jesus, are you turned on?”
“Maybe,” I replied in a breathless, not-fooling-anyone voice.
“Fuck . . .”
Shane picked up his pace and my body hummed with anticipation.