The silence should have been awkward, and maybe Mazey thought it was, but all he could feel was the tension in his gut, in his pants.
Tension that he’d been living with to varying degrees since the second he’d mowed her down on the sidewalk in the middle of Sunnyville.
9
Christian’s backyard was filled with about fifty percent people she knew, and fifty percent she didn’t. Rylan had introduced her to some of the ones she hadn’t met yet. At one-point, Grayson had dragged her around to meet his brothers and their families.
She’d had no idea Gray had a son, never mind that he had to have been twelve when the boy was born.
Speaking of kids. There were so many of them here. Ranging in age from toddler to teenager. As she sipped her beer, she saw Alyssa walk through the back door with her sister in tow.
Mazey studied her friend to determine where things stood between the siblings. While they talked with Christian’s wife and a woman whose name she couldn’t remember, but thought was Grayson’s sister-in-law, Alyssa’s arm wrapped around Penny’s shoulders, causing the girl to look up at her big sister and smile.
That one look told Mazey everything.
The misunderstanding and argument they’d had earlier in the week appeared to have been sorted out. It made her happy for her friend. Alyssa still hadn’t spoken about how she ended up caring for her younger sibling, and Mazey had no intention of peppering her with questions, but she was damn curious about their situation.
When she’d first met Alyssa, they’d connected, not just because they were both interested in the nursing profession, but also because they were only children of single mothers. Except one look at the two women across the yard told a different story.
They looked a lot alike, their facial features were the same. Same nose, same almond-shaped eyes, same chin. Looking at Penny was like looking at a younger, paler version of Alyssa. It was as though someone had taken Alyssa’s coloring and mixed in some white, giving Penny’s hair and skin a creamier tone.
“Hey, whatcha looking at?”
Mazey glanced up at Rylan. “Alyssa.”
“Ah. Looks like she sorted out whatever issue her sister had.”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, so I’ve got a question.”
“Shoot.”
“Is it time for dessert?” he asked with a grin Mazey was sure got him whatever he wanted. Or out of any trouble he found himself in.
“You’ll have to check with our hosts. I gave the pies and ice cream to Christian when we got here.”
Rylan pouted. “He’s probably eaten it all by now.”
She laughed. “We haven’t even had lunch yet. I’m sure everything is in the kitchen waiting for later.”
“Hmm . . .” His eyes dipped to where the outline of his dog tags could be seen beneath her shirt. A smile quirked one side of his mouth. “I spoke to Cochran before. He said you’re going to be in charge of the inventory and organization of the base from now on.”
“It would seem so. No one else wants to do it.”
Rylan chuckled at her words. “I can’t imagine why,” he said with a roll of his eyes.
“Stop that.” She gave his stomach—a seriously hard stomach—a playful slap. “So I’m a little OCD about these things. It comes from working in an extremely busy ER for years. Everything needs to be in its place so you can put your hands on it right away. In an emergency you don’t have time to go hunting things up.”
“I’m sure we’ll benefit from your expert skills.”
Was there some innuendo in his words? Mazey couldn’t tell. They’d been bantering for weeks, and she still couldn’t judge if he was serious or teasing her most of the time. And it wasn’t her inability to determine his meaning. It was the buzz of attraction she couldn’t seem to shake.
She’d be lying if she denied it. Rylan was a very attractive man. Physically as well as personally. Case in point, he’d come to get her today without drama. Although she hadn’t been privy to Alyssa’s message. Who knows how her friend had phrased the request.
Had Rylan been happy to give her a lift, or had Alyssa talked him into it?
“Hey.” Alyssa popped up in front of them. “Maz, Ry, this is my sister, Penny. Pen, two of the best people I work with.”
