I want his lips between my legs.
I want to see him naked.
I wet my lips with my tongue without thinking. His arms drop from Scarlett, but his eyes stay locked on mine for just a beat too long before he looks away.
“I see you two have already met,” he says, ruffling his sister’s hair affectionately.
“Oh yeah. Regan and I are basically best friends now,” Scarlett chirps. “She’s super cool. Also, you didn’t mention she wasso hot.”
Hayes shakes his head, throwing an arm around her shoulders with an amused grunt.
“That didn’t feel like a detail I needed to disclose.”
My cheeks flush, but I manage a smile because that sounded a lot like a compliment. “Good morning. How’d you sleep?”
“Better than the motel,” he says, taking a sip of his coffee. “But I already ordered a new bed. Some shop in town’s delivering it today. Feels weird sleeping on Mrs. Mayberry’s though I’ve slept on worse.”
I clasp my hands in front of me, unsure where to put my body or my thoughts. “That’s great. Um, I’ll just head inside and give you two some space to catch up. I’m going to make up Scarlett’s bed so she can take a nap.”
“I can do it,” Scarlett offers, but I’m already halfway through the door.
“That’s okay. You talk,” I say over my shoulder. “I’ve got to head to the brewery soon anyway. Lunch rush is coming up.”
I slip inside before she can argue, my heart doing a weird little tap dance against my ribs. I take the stairs two at a time, eager to shake off the heat that’s simmering under my skin. But when I hit the top landing, I pause. It’s like I can smell him everywhere in this house now—faint traces of coffee, soap, and leather scented cologne.My feet move before my brain catches up, and suddenly I’m standing in the doorway of his room, just… looking.
It’s mostly empty. Colt and I cleared out all Mrs. Mayberry’s old furniture yesterday before Hayes arrived, leaving only a metal four-poster bed frame and her old mattress. But it feels full. Like he’s claimed the space without even trying. In the corner is a black cowboy hat and a pile of the dirty scrubs he was wearing when he came home last night.
Did he sleep naked? Just a few feet away from me?
I shake my head, forcing myself down the hall to the guest room where my belongings are stored.
Time to stop thinking about our living situation and about him.
Easier said than done.
Chapter 17: Hayes
“So… I see you met Regan,” I say, leaning back in the old porch chair of my new place.?
The wood creaks underneath me, lazy in the early morning heat. Scarlett sinks into the seat beside me, looking refreshingly good. Her cheeks are pink like she’s been running all night, and her eyes sparkle despite the long drive she just made.
She’s practically glowing, much better than the last time I visited her in South Carolina to help with the ranch. It’d been around Christmas time and our brother Seth had fractured his leg when a baby calf fell on it wrong. Our dad’s been out of the picture for years living who knows where, which meant with Seth down, Scarlett needed some serious help. I took a quick break from school to help them both until Seth could get around with his boot and a scooter I helped procure for him.
It’s good to see her like this. Ever since dad left us alone, she’s started to come out of the shell that he forced her and mybrother into, and I’ve been enjoying getting to know them now as adults. Despite being raised by a horrible father, I like to think that we all turned out decent enough.
“I did. And she’s fucking amazing. Took me to meet the chicks and see the egg farm on her family’s property. Have you done that yet?”
I chuckle. “No. Haven’t gotten around to that in my whole,” I check my watch, “what’s it been now, twenty-four hours of marriage?”
She smiles. “Well, you should. Absolutely to die for.” She stretches her legs out, crossing them at the ankles. “She also showed me the new wedding venue her brother’s building on the property.” Her brows arch, testing the waters, like she’s waiting to see if I’ll bite.
I nod, noncommittal. “Yeah. That’s part of the whole thing here. The cottages and this property will be where the wedding parties get ready. Photos by the pond,” I gesture toward the glinting water ahead of us, lazy ripples catch the warm, spring sun. “I think she wants the bride and groom to have the option to crash in those houses on their wedding night, so they don’t have to pay for room and board separately. The previous owner and her husband had started this business, got the permits but were never able to execute on it. Regan’s making their dream a reality.”
“That’s pretty freaking romantic.”
I shrug because it probably is, but what the hell do I know about that?
“So, when’s the first wedding going to be?”
