Page 81 of Feel It in the Air

Welcome to the Hayes Family…

Gus’s words echo through my mind again, setting my soul on fire and kicking my pulse into gear. He wouldn’t have said that if he wasn’t in this. Fully, completely in this. That isn’t who he is. I know that. I trust that. What I don’t know is if his feelings are as deep as mine.

“I sense a but coming,” Alice says.

I sigh, nodding. “We haven’t had a chance to…I dunno. I know how I feel, and I think I know how he feels. It’s all just been a little weird since half the time we’re trying to pretend we’re not on a date.”

“But even when you’re ‘not on a date,’ he can’t take his eyes off you,” Alice points out.

“Margeaux, I meant when I said I saw the way he was holding on to you. Like you were the last life preserver on the Titanic,” Dolly chides. “For as stoic as he is all the damn time, I have never seen him this animated.”

I smile, soaking in their assurance. Because that’s what I want, more than anything. For him to be as consumed by this as I am.

“I don’t think I’ve seen Grumpy Gus smile this much since…ever, actually,” Emily adds. “Even with Carly.”

I set down the whisk, jutting out a hip to lean against the counter. “Can someone explain that to me? I’ve heard y’all call him Grumpy Gus a bunch, but seriously, I don’t once think I’ve seen him grumpy. Somber, deadpan, stern even, but not grumpy.”

“Exactly our point,” Alice says. “Because since you got here, he hasn’t been. Gus Hayes has always been…intense. Way too serious for his own good. Even when we were kids, he was the one reminding us to follow the rules.”

I chuckle. I have no problem imagining a miniature Gus bossing the other kids around, reminding them there are rules for a reason and that they should be followed. And serious? I can’t argue with her there. Because he is. Only, it stems from his passion. It’s something I understand, because I’m the same way. It’s something my family doesn’t understand either though, so I also know there is no use in trying to explain it now.

“Intense is a good word for him,” I tell her, butterflies fluttering in my chest thinking about just how intense Gus can be. Like that kiss he greeted me with earlier. “But in a good way.”

Alice raises a brow, and I can see her mind running wild with my comment.

“I’ve always figured it would be like having sex with the Count from Sesame Street,” Em jokes. “One thrust, a-ha-ha-ha…two thrusts, a-ha-ha-ha…”

I burst into laughter, thankful I’m not still holding the knife. The visual is so clear in my head I’m not sure I’m ever going to be rid of it, my sides starting to hurt from my uncontrollable laughter. The other three women are right there with me though, actual tears streaming down Alice’s cheeks as she tries to catch her breath. Emily’s comment was straight out of left field, but was exactly what we all needed.

“It is nothing like having sex with the Count,” I say, finally able to breathe again. “It’s…”

“Everyone decent?” Hux’s shout cuts off my thought, and I don’t know if I’m grateful or sad that I don’t get the chance to brag on Gus’s intensity.

Dolly giggles, and we all look at her, confused by what about Hux’s question would elicit that response.

“We’re cooking,” she replies as he and Gus turn the corner into the kitchen. “Why on earth would you think we wouldn’t be decent while cooking?”

“Only every one of my fantasies,” he jokes. Or at least I think he’s joking. “Brenna’s here and oil’s about ready, so we’re here for the bird.”

“Oh!” Em pops up out of her chair. “I’m not missing this.”

“It’s fully defrosted, Em,” Hux defends.

“I know, but just in case.” She holds up her phone, showing off that she’s ready to record the event.

“You joinin’ us?” Gus asks me, pressing his lips gently to my temple. I swoon, but stop myself from leaning into him.

“After the stories I’ve heard, I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Good, then out you get.” He nods toward the door, giving my ass a light smack.

“One ass slap, a-ha-ha-ha…” Emily mutters, leading the way toward the front door.

We lose it again, our laughter bouncing off the walls as we walk outside. Once we’re out on the front porch, Gus slips his arm around my waist, holding us back from the group. For a second I think he’s going to ask what Emily’s comment was about, but instead, he simply kisses me.

Except, this kiss is anything but simple.

It’s softer than before, but still holds just as much power. Tender, affectionate, and full of need, it’s a kiss of longing. Like he hasn’t seen me in weeks rather than hours. I grab hold of his sides, needing something to keep me standing, letting my weight press into him. I want to lose myself in this. In him.

Forever.

Pulling back, he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, running his fingers gently down my neck as he finishes. A shiver rips through me, and I lean into him more, tightening my grip.

“What was that for?”

“Your brain might be the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life, but fuck, if the idea of you cooking in my kitchen doesn’t get to me.”

I laugh, kissing him again. “Well, they do say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

“You have my heart, Margeaux, and you didn’t get there via my stomach.”

The world stops, all the oxygen sucked straight from the atmosphere. I can’t breathe, my pulse racing faster than the Kentucky Derby, tears welling in my eyes. Whatever questions I might have had earlier have been answered.

“You have my heart too, Gus.”