I patted his shoulder. “Probably not.”
“I get the feeling that I’m going to be pissed off about this.”
“Probably so.”
“Fuck.”
I smiled at him as I opened the door and climbed into the truck. “All right, everyone. On to the surprise. And if you’re still too good for ice cream on the way, I’ll be eating solo.”
Chapter 15
***Zeke***
I found myself eager to get back to the beach house. I’d had to be on-site at a couple of restaurants for a few days and I’d been thinking about Autumn the entire time. I wondered if she was pissed that I’d just slept with her and left. It wasn’t by choice, that was for sure. I hadn’t wanted to leave her room, at all, that night. Frustration at having no idea what she was thinking was eating away at me.
I’d officially won the bet, but I hadn’t even had time to talk to Con and Griff about it. They’d been busy, too, from what I could gather. They were going to be green with envy when I told them that I’d won the bet and would be trying to get Autumn to keep seeing me. I didn’t care, though. She was such a change from the women I normally dated. She was a firecracker, and I wanted more of her.
I’d rushed away from a job earlier than I normally would have, just to get back to the house and see where things were with her. The excitement that I’d been feeling in my blood since first kissing her hadn’t faded a bit. I wanted to talk to her more and see what made her tick. I wanted to spend more time with her, in her, around her. I just wanted more. She was like a drug.
I got to the house mid-morning and hurried inside, expecting to find the house like it typically was. Mostly quiet, cold, and vacant feeling. What I didn’t expect to find was the house overrun with squeals of laughter and barks. I actually hurried in, almost frightened at what I was going to find. Maybe an entirely different family.
A giant mass of fur slammed into my legs and took me out before I could make sense of what I was seeing. I groaned as I hitthe ground, and the giant furball sat on my chest and licked my face. “What the—”
Autumn’s face appeared over mine, a huge smile beaming. “Sorry, Zeke! Sir Fluffy Butt is a little excited to be sprung from the shelter. Are you okay?”
Jones’ face showed up next, his eyes brighter than I’d ever seen them. He laughed as the dog licked his face and then took off running, making the dog kick off of me in the most painful of ways, with one of his feet on my dick.
As the laughter of the kids faded with the knowledge that the dog might’ve just kicked my chance at ever having kids right out of my future, I stared up at the ceiling and questioned my sanity. Why had I come home so fast?
Autumn’s face reappeared and she bit her lip. “Um. Ice. You probably could use some ice. Or...um...I don’t know. What helps with that?”
I glowered. “With getting kicked in the dick by a thousand-pound beast?”
She giggled. “He’s notthatbig.”
Oh.Thatwas why I’d rushed home. Her little giggle and the way she bit her lip as she tucked her hair behind her ears. I groaned and shook my head. “A kiss would help.”
Her eyes went wide, but she leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to my lips before standing back up and offering me a hand. “Come on, stranger. You have new nephews to meet.”
“I didn’t mean a kiss there. I was thinking—” I stopped. “Wait. What’d you say?”
She laughed. “Your brother lost his mind and let the kids get two dogs!”
“You don’t seem sad about it.”
Her energy matched the dogs in that moment. She was practically bouncing as she looked out at the backyard. “I’m so sad. So, so sad. Can’t you tell?”
And just like that, I lost her attention. I sat up, cupping my still throbbing dick, and watched as she ran out the door and disappeared, a laugh trailing behind her.
My stomach clenched and my chest fluttered as I sat there, wondering what the fuck had happened to my family while I’d been gone. I found myself unable to stay away from whatever Autumn was doing, though. There was something about her, about her spirit, that called to me. I’d never been a romantic, but the feeling in my chest as I limped outside to find her was the deepest craving I’d ever had, and I wasn’t sure it was all physical.
Down on the beach, Con and Griff both sat in the sand, watching as the kids chased two huge dogs around. I noticed their eyes kept going to where Autumn ran along with them. I couldn’t blame them. I wasn’t any stronger at looking away.
Her long, dark hair flew around behind her as she ran around, and I could almost smell the coconut scent of her from where I stood. Her curves were wrapped in a small pair of blue jeans shorts and a loose tank top that morning, neither doing anything to hide her sexy body. I could still taste her in my mouth, yet she was so far away, it seemed.
Trailing down to sit with my brothers, I raised my eyebrows at Griff. “What the fuck?”
He scratched at his beard. “I don’t fucking know.”
