Chapter 172

Menace

Karina’s head on my chest with her arms wrapped around my waist is my favorite place to be. Here, I don’t worry about what Caleb’s doing. If he’s eating, if he’s sleeping, are his coaches and teammates giving him a hard time, is he screwing around with girls he shouldn’t be? I don’t worry about what’s going on in this town with the moonshine business. My brain isn’t traveling fifty thousand miles an hour trying to unravel the mystery of how the moonshine is in the school. For the brief moments she’s in my arms and I’m in hers, my brain is quiet, my thoughts are peaceful. The only thing I think about is how good it feels to have a partner. How warm and loved I feel with her beside me. It’s an emotion I’d never known until I’d met her.

“You’re quiet,” she comments as she runs her foot up my leg.

“Just thinking.” I roll over so that we’re now facing each other, holding her in my arms.