“Can I at least walk you inside? I hate that you’re living here with this guy you barely know.”
I shake my head instantly, my gut telling me that Hayes wouldn’t be okay with that. Even if I don’t remember the details, I saw the way that he looked at me when I said Declan’s name.
“I’m fine. I’m just going to go straight to bed.”
He blows out a slow breath reluctantly. “Okay. Well, good night then.”
I force a smile. “Good night, Declan.”
I wait, watching from the porch as his truck disappears into the night before finally turning to the door, ready to step inside and fall apart in private. But the second I open it, he’s there waiting for me.
Leaning against the kitchen counter, bottle of water in his grip, fingers flexing so tight around the plastic that it bows under thepressure. His dark hazel eyes drag over me, slow, deliberate, intense.
Heat floods my core. My skin flushes, my pulse pounds, and my nipples tighten in response to nothing but one damn look from him. And that’s the thing. Maybe for a moment I felt like I was still dating Declan earlier tonight. But now? With Hayes looking at me like that? One glance, one sharp inhale of breath, and he wrecks me in a way that Declan never has been able to.
“Hi,” I whisper, voice barely there.
Hayes growls out a low, rough, “Hey.”
And suddenly, I’m twenty-three years old again, laying eyes on the handsome bull-rider cowboy who I want to rock my world.
Chapter 38: Regan
“How was your date?” Hayes asks me, his voice even, but there’s something underneath it that tells me he doesn’t really want the answer.?
Not that I was planning on having ‘girl chat’ with him the second Declan dropped me off at our house. On the contrary. I need answers from him. I got some from Molly, and more from Declan. Now I need to fill in the rest of the gaps with him.
“It was fine.”
He nods, his long fingers flexing and unflexing around a bottle of water. The controlled motion takes me back to that night seven years ago. The night he took me to his hotel room in Charlotte and ruined me with his sinful fingers. The way those strong, capable hands worked my body, pulling orgasms out of me so fast that they took the breath from my lungs and had me sore the next day.
It might be seven years, but the memory of just how big he is, how passionately he moved inside me, hasn’t faded in the least.
“Do you… do you mind if we talk for a minute?” I ask, my voice quieter now.
He watches me for a beat, then nods as I move toward the couch, settling in and tucking my feet underneath me. I try to relax my racing heart as I glance over at where he’s still lingering in the kitchen.
“Can you answer a few questions for me?” I ask.
He finally follows, sinking into the couch next to me, one arm falling easily behind my head, like it belongs there, his legs stretching out in front of him.
“Sure.” His voice is steady and more serious. His eyes lock onto mine, unwavering. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know, Regan.”
I nod, wetting my lips as I glance toward the small fire he built. “First, did you chop that wood?”
The edge of his lips tips up like he’s trying to hold back a smile.
“Yeah. I did. It was from a dead tree Mrs. Mayberry hadn’t gotten around to clearing. Figured we’d have a late spring fire. Make it nice and cozy in here. Are you okay with that?”
I nod. “Yeah. It reminds me of my childhood. Cash, Colt, Lawson and I used to build these massive bonfires in our backyard after the storms knocked down all the dead limbs. We’d roast marshmallows and make shepherd pies for dinner so my dad wouldn’t have to cook.”
His smile comes a little easier this time.
“So… explain to me exactly howthis,”I gesture with my hands between both of us, “happened?”
“Our joint ownership of the Mayberry Manor?” he asks.
I nod. “Yeah. I mean, I got the highlights from Molly. I know we both made offers on the land, and Mrs. Mayberry accepted them at the same time so that we’d have to marry… each other, but why did you do it exactly?”
