As teens, we hadn’t been able to sleep together until that last night. Otherwise, we’d stolen little naps here and there. I’d never been able to pull a fast one over Mama and Daddy. If I told them I was sleeping over at a friend’s house, they made damn sure I was at that friend’s. There’d been no sneaking around together other than some stolen afternoons and evenings at the cabin.
I should just leave and let him doze. He’d wake and head to bed.
My feet started moving before my decision was made. I didn’t move toward the door. I stopped beside the recliner. My fingers itched to curve through his hair, to feel the soft strands tickle my palms once again.
“Rhys,” I said softly.
His brow furrowed and he snuggled deeper into his seat. It’d be so easy to climb into the chair with him and curl up, my head on his shoulder. I’d done it before, once upon a time.
Enough reminiscing. I tapped him on the shoulder. “Rhys.”
He blinked his eyes open. A sleepy smile warmed the denim blue of his irises and the invite was apparent. I could crawl right into that chair with him.
Just as I was about to answer with a smile of my own, he blinked harder and frowned. “Are the girls in bed?”
The moment was gone. I nodded. “Yeah, Hannah barely made it through the second episode. Bethany tried to bargain for more, but I figured you’d want them to get some rest.”
He put the footrest down and sat forward. Letting out a breath, he scrubbed his face. “You gotta get home.”
Reality smacked me across the back of the head. For a whisper of a moment, I had forgotten that I wasn’t where I was supposed to be. “Home. Right. Yes. Sorry I kept them up late.”
He cut his hand through the air. “Not your fault. It’s the last week of school. I shouldn’t have fallen asleep.”
“It really was a dad thing to do.”
His chuckle gusted out. “Did I snore?”
“So loud. We could hardly hear the TV.”
“My songbird’s a smart-ass.”
I smiled, but the air was charged between us. I would torture myself if I stayed and hoped something would happen. Just like he’d torture himself if I stayed and something did happen.
“It’s early yet,” he said gruffly.
Yes, it was early-ish for an adult. But I also didn’t want to leave. I wasn’t sure I could trust myself if he tried something either. Regardless, the wordsgoodandbyeweren’t on my tongue. “I didn’t sleep half the evening.”
He rose, towering over me. “Neither did I, smart-ass.” He started for the kitchen. “Want a drink?”
My gaze was glued to the globes of his ass flexing under his sweats. I wanted so much more than a drink.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Rhys
June’s laughter filled the kitchen. Fuck me, having that sound in my home was a pleasure I had never imagined. I’d loved her laugh before. It was as melodic as her singing, always had been. Hearing it now hit differently. She had options and she’d chosen them. I had encouraged her to. But this house was mine, and she was also choosing to be here.
The moment was bittersweet. She wasn’t mine, but the days were so much brighter with her than without.
I poured her a vodka and orange juice. “You are not the reason I don’t have Copper Summit in the house.”
She put her hand on her chest and gasped dramatically. “Are you saying that seeing a bottle of Copper Summit wasn’t so torturous that you couldn’t have it under the same roof?”
I poured myself the same drink and leftthe bottle in the middle of the table with the OJ. “If that was the case, I’d have had to move from Bourbon Canyon.”
A beat of sadness went through her eyes before they sharpened. “Kirstin?”
“It would’ve been disrespectful when you’re tied so closely to Copper Summit.” Kirstin already had enough to deal with when it came to my baggage. “Now, there’s just no good time for a drink. This shit’s ten years old.”
