I pull down a hidden path, overgrown with brush but still accessible.
“Jesus, Anthony, where are you taking me?” Phoebe asks, gazing out the window.
“Well, well, well.” I sit up a little straighter, a sudden burst of confidence washing over me. “It looks like maybe youdon’tknow all of the secret spots in Burly Creek, after all.”
“Uh-uh,” she shakes her head. “This isn’t Burly Creek.”
“It most certainly is. I hate to break it to you, but when it comes to boundary lines I’ve got you beat. This is in fact still in my jurisdiction.”
“I don’t believe you.” She turns to me, her face a shadow. I can still make out the gentle curve of her jawline, those high cheekbones, her cherry slick lips ripe for kissing. I already feel like I’ve won. Not only when it comes to surprising her tonight, but because she’s here.
I stop the truck, turning off the ignition. As I reach for the door, Phoebe puts her hand on my arm. “Okay, jokes over. You’ve made your point.” She looks around, taking in the dark, deserted scene. “We’re in a secret place.” She uses air quotes. “Now, can we please get out of here? It’s kind of creepy.”
My skin tingles under her touch. “Do you trust me, Phoebe?”
Her teeth sink into her bottom lip. “I think so.”
“Good.” I say. Before she responds, I slip my backpack over one arm and throw open my door, a gigantic smile plastered across my face. “Then grab the flashlight from the glove box, and get out of the truck.”
6
Phoebe
If I didn’t knowthis man any better, I’d think Anthony was taking me into the middle of the woods to kill me. I have to laugh at the thought. Not only am I a cop’s sister, but Anthony’s a cop himself. If either one of us turned up missing there’d be hell to pay. It’s probably just my inner control freak coming out. I do, however, wish he’d tell me where we’re going. I seriously thought I knew every nook and cranny of Burly Creek.
“Shit!” I gasp as my foot hits a stray branch and I start to topple forward, but Anthony’s reflexes are quick. In one quick motion, he turns toward me and before I can hit the ground, I fall into his strong arms. His freshly showered scent fills the air between us, along with the slight cedar hint of his cologne. I raise my chin to meet his eyes, but his entire face is shroud in shadow.
“You okay?” He asks, helping me back on my feet. I feel like an idiot, a damsel in distress.
“I’m fine.” I regain my balance and sigh. “But, I’d be better if you would’ve told me to wear the right shoes.”
Anthony’s teeth glow in the dark when he smiles. “I can always carry you.”
“I think I can manage.” I say, although the thought of being in his bulky arms, pressed up against his massive chest sends a wave of tingles straight to my center.
“I figured,” he says, and surprises me by taking hold of my hand. The second our palms touch, warmth spreads up my arm, making me feel safe and secure. A tiny fluttering of butterflies erupts in my stomach.
“Are we there yet?” I ask, only half joking. Before the words are fully out of my mouth, I spot light up ahead. We veer off of the path in its direction. Then, directly in front of us and seemingly out of nowhere a gazebo appears in front of us. There are string lights strewn across the ceiling. But that’s not the most exciting part.
“Oh my God!” My free hand presses against my mouth. Behind the crumbling, yet romantic gazebo lies an old victorian looking home. “Someone lives out here.”
“I do.” Anthony says.
My head snaps in his direction. “You do not.” I point to the Victorian estate. “That house is dark, and…old.”
“I’m slowly fixing it up in my free time.” He shrugs his massive shoulders and sets down his backpack on one of the wrought iron chairs. “What?” he says, catching me with my mouth on the floor. “It reminds me ofRebecca.It is one of my favorite movies.”
“You?” I do a double take at the entire scenario. “Are into an old romantic suspense movie?”
“I…” Anthony lays down a flannel blanket on the wooden planks of the gazebo, then pulls out a bottle of wine and two glasses. “Am into Hitchock, the master of suspense.”
“Oh my God, I loveRear Window.”
“Classic.” He says, before pulling out a perfectly wrapped cheese platter.
“So, hold up.” I cross my arms over my chest, trying to make heads or tails of this. “You live here and decided to bring me through the dark of a normal walkway?”
Anthony pours two glasses of white wine. “I was going to do things the normal way, but you were so insistent on knowing everything about Burly Creek. I wanted to prove you wrong.” We clink glasses. “And it looks like I did.”