“Thank you,” I said before I took a sip. The warm and sweet drink was perfect.
Beckett brushed a loose tendril that had escaped the claw clip. “You’re welcome. You look beautiful in my old shirt.”
I blushed. I’d forgotten it was originally his.
He pulled me closer, the warmth of his hand on my lower back seeping into me. “I can’t stay too long.” There was a gleam in his eyes. “Have dinner with me tonight.”
“Like, a date-date?”
“Yes,” he chuckled. “Like a date-date, little wren.”
“Where …” I mentally tallied all of the different restaurants in town and compared it to how badly I did not want people to see us out on our first official date. I wanted us to figure this out on our own before everyone we knew would have an opinion.
His grip on me tightened. “I think we should stay in, but I’ll pick up whatever you’re in the mood for.”
I relaxed. “Oh, okay.” I considered the options of having dinner here or at his cabin. True, his place was larger, but there were also brothers with easy access. “How about dinner here?”
“Perfect.” He slid his hands along my waist, his green eyes darkening with desire. All thoughts emptied out of my head.
I lifted onto my tiptoes, wrapped my hand around the back of his head and pulled him down so I could reach his mouth with mine. Beckett cupped the back of my head, his fingers threading into my hair and tugging just a bit.
My entire body heated, and I moaned at the feel of his lips on mine, his other hand gripping my hip. Beckett lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He carried me to the couch and settled with me on his lap. I adjusted to straddle him more comfortably, and ran my hands along his shoulders, back, and arms – wherever I could reach.
A loud ringtone shattered the moment.
Beckett cursed. I shifted so he could get the still-ringing phone out of his pocket. I couldn’t see the name, but I knew Beckett had to answer it.
I started to scoot off of him. “I’ll give you a second.”
“Don’t you dare move.” Beckett tightened his grip on my waist, and I settled back into place, a blush creeping over my cheeks.
He answered the phone with a brusque, “What?”
I could make out the voice on the other end – Thatcher. But I couldn’t hear what he said.
“I’m in town, can’t someone else – no, no, it’s – I’ll be there soon.” He hung up before his brother could reply again and tossed his phone onto the floor. “I have to go, little wren, I’m sorry.”
“I have to get ready for work, anyway.” I hesitated, my fingers playing with the buttons on his shirt.
“I’ll be here at six and I’ll bring dinner.” Beckett kissed me again, and then stood, carrying me with him.
He set me down gently, and I missed the warmth of him as he gathered his phone, gave me another knee-buckling kiss, and headed to the door.
Beckett was going to have dinner here, in my apartment, as a date. Sure, he’d been over plenty of times for things like game night and helping me fix one thing or another, but this felt different.
As I went to strip the sheets off my bed and put on a fresh set, I noticed the baseball cap he’d left on the kitchen counter.
Chapter Eleven
Beckett
“There you are!” Ma’s voice rang across the lobby of the Lodge. I froze and turned to face the direction where I’d heard her voice. She was behind the check-in desk with Kris and Shannon. Kris was our new events manager, and Shannon was the woman who ran the check-in desk and had been with the Ashland Ranch and Lodge for years.
When I asked Noah why he hadn’t promoted Shannon instead of hiring someone new, he’d told me that Shannon preferred the hours of the front desk and didn’t want to change things. She had young kids in school and the hours we needed worked for her schedule. Couldn’t argue with that, so Noah had found and hired Kris.
The youngest of us, Noah was still in the process of taking over managing the Lodge from our mother. He had shared his plans for some updates and renovations but had sworn us to secrecy until our mother officially stepped back. Thatch and I had warned him to tell her about his plans, at least in vague terms, but it was up to Noah to follow through with that.
This morning, however, I knew our mother would be working on the Summer Kickoff Party with Kris. I also knew I did not want to be wrangled into doing something to help with planning.
