"It's when Darby doesn't do what Dad wants, and we all have our parts in convincing her," Cole answers proudly. "It means we need to talk you into something."
"Okay, time to go," Pierce ruffles Cole's hair, steering him toward the door.
"Who's riding with me?" Darby breaks in.
"We'd all be riding together if your ass would have waited for me this morning," Pierce grumbles unhappily.
She ignores him, gathering her bag and Runner, and quickly hugging me, which means I'm forced to let Ashlyn go. After a few minutes of goodbyes, I sigh when the last person is finally out the door.
"Stay right there." She throws out her arm when I move toward her.
"Why?"
"I've learned today the Kendrick men have a trait. Apparently, you get your bossiness naturally. And considering you try to silence my arguments by kissing me, we'll have this conversation with distance between us."
"What conversation?"
"The part where you tell me how I play into the 'we'll see' game."
"Cole has a big mouth."
"Maybe so, but I'm not keen on being kept in the dark."
It's not what she says that strikes me; it's the way she says it. Her sleepy words from last night roll through my head, and I know this is about something in her past. Everything about her body language tells me she's assuming the worst and her guard is slipping into place.
Fuck me if that's happening. She's not going to like what I say, but she's about to see exactly how bossy I can be.
Here goes nothing…
Chapter 8
Ashlyn
Move-in with him?
The shock hits me with an invisible force, rocking me on my heels. With a thousand possibilities of what he would say, this was not one of them. Maybe I misunderstood. He can't be serious. I sway again, feeling lightheaded. It's a blur, but in less than a second he's holding me up.
"Jesus, baby, take a breath."
I suck in deeply and shake my head to clear the dizziness.
"Fuck, Ashlyn, you're pale as a ghost."
"Move in with you?" comes out as more of a croak.
"Yeah, and since you're already in the throes of a freak out, it's probably a good time to tell you the rest. With the new plans and all the upgrades, it's smart to have the plumbing done. You won't have electricity or water."
"For how long?"
"Can't say for sure. We'll know more when they begin, assuming I can line up the crews to work together."
"You've been doing this a while. Can you guess?"
He stalls, his face unreadable, but the ticking in his jaw sets my heart racing.
"Miller, what aren't you telling me?"
"There's nothing to tell."
"Then give me a ballpark estimate how long I'll be out of my house."
His arms squeeze around my waist. "I think it's time we move you out of your house until it's done."
His death grip keeps me from hitting my knees. "Move? Maybe you should release me for this conversation."
"Hell no. If I wasn't sure you'd fight me like a wildcat, we'd have this conversation in a much more persuasive position."
"Miller! You can't possibly be thinking about sex right now!"
One lip curls to the side at the same time his gaze grows heated. "I didn't say anything about sex, but I like your train of thought."
"My claws are about to come out."
He chuckles, unfazed at my threat. "Hear me out before you lose your mind. Dad just dropped this news about the electrician, but that doesn't mean the other crews can't work, too. My guys are accustomed to working around each other. We get the demolition part done this week, and then I can have multiple things going at once. With no electricity, the teams will need daylight hours starting early. With all this happening at once, you can't live in those conditions. This change in scheduling is actually a good step for progress."
I narrow my eyes, soaking in his explanation, and even though I want to argue that I can stay through major construction, I knew this was coming. Through my research, every blog and discussion board said the same thing. I'd hoped it would be later in the process.
My head falls back and I blow out an exasperated breath. "Okay, all this makes sense. I have money in my budget for accommodations. Maybe Darby can ask her parents to rent out the shed for a while."
"You're not fucking renting out the shed." The tone in his voice sends a chill racing across my arms.
"Miller, I can't move in here. The idea is crazy."
"It's perfectly sane to me."
"I'm beginning to question your sanity. Let me ask you something." I try to wiggle away unsuccessfully and give up, resting my hands on his forearms. "Are you offering me your guest room, like a roommate, and the use of your home for an indefinite amount of time?"
"You're not moving into the damn guest room," he replies gruffly. "You'll be in my bed with me."
"Don't you think that's a bit…" I pause, searching for the right words to drive my point across, "rash? Premature? Doomed?"
At the words, the storm clears from his eyes, and his lips curl up again.
"What could you possibly find amusing right now?"
"Darby is rubbing off on you."
"What?"
"Doomed. Darby shared that same feeling once."
"She's a brilliant woman."
"Baby, as you know, her resistance didn't get far."
I groan again, shaking him lightly. "Two days ago, you were a known bachelor. You said yourself that no woman has been in your bed in over ten years."
"Wrong. Three weeks ago, I was a confirmed bachelor. Things changed the minute I saw you, and as you know, things changed again last night."
"Let's try a more sensible approach. Living together differs greatly from waking up together. You've seen the little room I'm cramped in. It's bursting with my stuff. Are you ready to share your bedroom, bathroom, kitchen," I sweep an arm out to the open room, "all of this with someone?"
"Hell no. I'm not ready to share it with any someone, but I'm ready to share it
