Innocence Lost (Lone Mountain Ranch Book 1)

Chapter 3

After getting a drink, Kylie could not stop going on and on about Zane. Olivia stood there and tried to be supportive of her new friend.

Kylie went on and on about how Zane was so cool, and Kylie wanted to be cool, too, like every other high schooler dreamed of being. Zane was also super-hot and made Kylie's body feel sensations she never experienced before.

Olivia was worried that Kylie was a bit too innocent to realize that Zane could be trouble. She only wanted her to be smart.

Olivia said to Kylie over the music, "I want you to be careful with Zane."

"What do you mean?" Kylie asked with her innocent big, brown eyes staring back at Olivia.

"Zane is older and probably more experienced than you are. I know you're excited, but don't let that cloud your judgement. Okay?" Olivia said. "You're still a wholesome girl from Idaho. And I'd hate for him to ruin that."

"I'll be careful," Kylie promised. "Thanks for looking out for me."

"Of course, I don't want to see you get hurt. That's all. You haven't known him very long, and I want to make sure you don't get sucked into his vortex by his charming personality and rocker hot good looks," Olivia said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

She did not want to scare Kylie off, but she was worried her new friend was a little naive and inexperienced when it came to boys. Not that Olivia had much experience either. But she had grown up hearing about the reputations of the bad ones, and Zane was a bad one.

"Thanks, Olivia," Kylie said. "I appreciate that you're watching out for me. I really like Zane, and I think he really likes me. I promise I won't do anything stupid. Okay?"

"Okay," Olivia said.

Kylie was ready for a distraction from the conversation, and she yelled, "Let's go dance," before drowning her worries about what Olivia said with her beer.

After Zane's set, someone switched on music, and the patio turned into a dance floor packed mostly with girls. Kylie and Olivia snaked their way through the crowd and were able to carve out a little space for themselves. They were dancing, giggling, and singing each song at the top of their lungs. Kylie was so happy for the first time, since she left Idaho. A fun party was exactly what she needed after the rough time she endured with moving and saying goodbye to her horse, Aurora. Nothing could ruin her mood that night.

Zane walked up behind Kylie and spun her around to face him. She wrongly assumed it was another dancer trying to get by and almost tripped over herself when she saw him. She was not expecting him to finish so soon, or maybe she was having too good of a time with Olivia to notice how much time passed.

"How about that drink?" Zane asked her.

Kylie hesitated for a second and looked in Olivia's direction. She did not want to leave her friend all by herself especially after their talk. She thought Olivia would be in her life a lot longer than Zane would be.

"It's okay," Olivia said. "I'll be fine by myself. But do not leave without me. Don't forget I am your ride home."

"Okay! Thanks, Olivia. We're going to get one drink. I'll come back after, and we can dance some more," Kylie answered in response.

Zane led Kylie towards the keg. He handed her one of the frothy beers he poured from the tap.

"Do you wanna go somewhere more private?" Zane asked.

Olivia's concerned comments were replaying in Kylie's head. They both stood there taking sips from their cups and watching the crowd. She was not sure what to do next.