Page 117 of Peaks and Promises

He hadn’t gone back to the couch since, sleeping in bed with me the last few nights. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between us not to have sex again. Yes, he was in the room, but we weren’t really a couple, and we needed to remember that.

Yet every night, we succumbed to temptation.

But how was I supposed to resist? His mere presence lit me on fire. And I could hardly move in that bed without brushing up against him.

The truth was, I’d had a crush on Reese Haven for a long time. And now, sharing a bed with him without giving in seemed impossible.

I didn’t know what it meant, if anything. But I wasn’t naive enough to believe sleeping with him meant I could keep him. I’d done it anyway. And I knew when we left the Timberbeast and went home, I’d probably do it again.

A guy with a sharp jaw, cocky grin, and backward baseball cap appeared next to my table and put his hand on one of the chairs. I was about to tell him I was saving it, when he pulled it out and sat.

My eyebrows drew together. “Hi?”

“Hey.” He leaned back in the seat, sticking one leg out in front of him, like he had nowhere else in the world to be. “How’s it going?”

“Fine. What are you doing?”

“I’m Connor. And you are?”

“Summer, but you didn’t answer my question.”

He grinned. “Can I buy you a drink?”

My eyes flicked to a group of guys watching us from a nearby table. They were clearly his friends, and snickered to each other in amusement. Connor was either hitting on me based on a dare, or this was typical bar behavior for him, and his friends were enjoying the show.

“No, thanks.”

He didn’t make a move to get up. Just kept grinning at me. “Are you sure? It’s just a drink.”

“I’m meeting someone.”

“He’s not here, is he? Come on. One drink before he gets here. No one has to know.”

“Are you trying to win a bet? Or do you not know how to take no for an answer?”

He opened his mouth to reply, but whatever he was about to say died on his lips and his eyes widened.

Reese stepped next to the table and put a hand on my shoulder. His sleeveless T-shirt displayed his massive, tattooed arms, and his voice was deep and menacing. “That’s my wife.”

My wife. I almost melted into a puddle on the floor.

Connor shot to his feet with his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “Sorry, man. I didn’t know.”

Reese stared him down as he retreated to his friends. They laughed, but as soon as any of them glanced over and made eye contact with Reese, they stopped.

It was all fun and games until Reese Haven eyed you like he’d rip your face off.

“Are you okay?” He scooted the vacated chair back to the table and sat.

“Yeah, fine.” I smiled. “The mild annoyance was worth it to see you almost make him pee his pants.”

He cast another glare at their table. “Dumbass should know better.”

Maybe, but could you just say “she’s my wife” again? Tucking my hair behind my ear, I swallowed before I blurted that out. “Do you want a drink, or should we wait?”

As if on cue, Luke, Melanie, Theo, and Penelope arrived together. We exchanged greetings, and they took their seats while Reese went to the bar to order for the table.

I’d met them all before. Theo had an athletic build and a friendly smile. Penelope was adorable, with long brown hair, glasses, and a little smudge of green paint on her shirt.