His eyes heated, and I knew exactly what he enjoyed. And I wanted to, with him, so much.
“I liked building houses,” he finally said.
“Then why don’t you?”
“I’ve got people for that.”
“But you enjoy it.”
“But I’m the boss. Someone has to be in charge.”
Weird. Had he taken over a company because he’d had to and not because he’d wanted to? I would have asked, but I didn’t feel like a repeat of last night’s minimalist conversation.
“So, there ya go,” he said abruptly, gesturing to the grill. “I’ll get the hot tub going. Just, uh, go ahead and stay in that swimsuit for it.”
He marched off the deck. I gave myself a silent high five and turned to the food. Could tonight be the night Flynn opened up with me some more?
Flynn
I willed the tub to fill as fast as possible. I should pat myself on the back for coming out last weekend and cleaning it.
Tilly was at the grill, preparing way too much food. Gotta set you up with protein, Puddin’. God, that drove me crazy. Every time she used that fake falsetto, I had to restrain myself from dragging her down to the nearest flat surface, moving that flimsy strip of fabric aside, and plunging into her heat. Would she be ready for me that fast? Cuz I sure as fuck was ready for her.
Was she even still interested after I’d pulled my disappearing act? Then I’d barely talked to her over dinner and ignored her, unintentionally, all day.
But I’d been watching her like a creepy stalker. I’d heard her go outside and I’d abandoned my laptop to watch her lush body saunter down the dock. As she sat and pondered the water, I’d kept my desperate gaze on her.
How had she crawled under my skin so fast? She was supposed to be the weird girl from high school. Some crazy chick I had to figure out how to shake. She still laughed the same, but I lived for each moment. She still wore unusual clothing, and this morning I couldn’t wait to see what she had on. And to top it all off, she’d paid ten thousand dollars of her own money to charity for her first vacation.
And she refused to talk about herself. Wasn’t she supposed to prattle on and be annoying? I had no clue about her. When we’d been younger, she’d asked inane questions about my classes and my sports.
She’d dropped out of school. Had it been that awful for her? Probably. I hadn’t enjoyed it and I’d been on the most list—most wanted by the girls, most liked by my classmates, most favored by my teachers.
Then she’d jumped in that damn lake and my heart had stopped.
Even now, my pulse raced when I thought about her disappearing into the vast blue liquid.
But she’d resurfaced when Lynne hadn’t.
What the hell had made me open my big mouth and tell Tilly about my sister? No one knew. My lips curled in disgust. My mom certainly never talked about it. She was so angry at Dad about that day as if my old man could have done anything about it.
I sighed and dropped my face into my hands. If I wasn’t careful, I’d spill the rest of the story and then Tilly the special-education instructor would think I was worse than shit smeared across her shoe.
“Food’s ready,” Tilly called, following it up with a shrill laugh.
If she was going to channel Harley Quinn all night, I might self-combust.
Note to self: ask Wes to start pulling Suicide Squad comics for me.
“Be right there.” I finished up with the tub. It should be ready as soon as we were done eating and cleaning up.
I wolfed through my burger, Tilly’s clear joy over her first grilled meal going straight to my cock. Did she know how sexy she sounded, how uninhibited she seemed when she relished something as simple as well-cooked, quality food?
We cleared the table. I was struck by how content I was. Having to work this morning had been, at first, a saving grace. I’d thanked my lucky stars that John Woods was a little too anal for his own good. I’d had to make some calls and double-check details, but the more I’d heard Tilly banging around the cabin, the more restless I’d gotten.
Last weekend, when I was out here to clean the hot tub and check the grill and just do an overall inspection, I’d been thinking about how I just wanted a big project to get lost in, and this cabin wasn’t it.
Now, irritation bloomed that John wasn’t satisfied with a verbal conversation and emails, that he insisted on meeting with me in person. I would bottle-feed him the data as fast as I could and get back here before Tilly dunked herself again.
I left Tilly to jog upstairs and change into trunks. I’d love to wear absolutely nothing in the hot tub, but that’d only get me where I shouldn’t be.
Back downstairs, I couldn’t find her in the kitchen. Swearing under my breath, I headed straight for the patio that held the tub.
She was sighing, her arms thrown out to the sides, luxuriating in the swirling water.
That girl didn’t wait for anyone.
I slipped in and she didn’t move. Either she didn’t care, or she hadn’t heard me over the jets. I was content to watch her pleasure.
She wiggled and floated her legs up, expressing her delight as freely as she had when eating.
With a long exhale, she opened her eyes and yelped. “When’d you get here?”
I chuckled and eased farther into the water. Heat seeped into my bones, and the long-standing stress that kept my muscles tight oozed out of my fingertips. Never had I relaxed so fully.
“I might just fall asleep,” she murmured, her lids drifting shut.
We soaked for a few minutes before she zeroed her gaze back on me. “I’m sorry about earlier.”
Dangerous territory. I gave her my most dazzling smile to take her mind off earlier. “Don’t worry about
