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He looks up at me, letting the silence hang. “No.”
With that he stops speaking and goes back to work, the click of his fingers against the keys and the fire crackling fill the silence between us. A long, hot shower is calling my name. Especially as it’s getting late and I have to be up early again for my shift tomorrow. I don’t say anything as I let myself into the bathroom, locking it behind me. Hopefully he’ll be gone by the time I get out.
The heat and pressure from the water on my shoulders soothes away some of the stress from the day and mindlessly going through my shower and skin care routine adds another layer of calm. The peace is short-lived though, as my mind wanders to what they could be here for.
Sure, Blake might actually be looking for expansion opportunities for his family’s bank. I guess it makes sense that West can work remotely and probably sets his own hours. But why is Cody even thinking about buying so far from the ranch? He never deviated from working on the ranch, even as a kid. He had the talent to go pro in football, but never showed interest. It doesn’t make sense.
I want to ask about it, but is it even my place. We weren’t friends as kids. Any type of relationship that had begun to form was so short-lived I doubt it even counts for shit.
Sighing, I wipe the fog from the mirror. The marks on my shoulder have faded from red to pink. I hate that West knew before even looking that my skin would hold the evidence of Mitch’s hand. Why does he remember everything?
That’s a stupid question. I remember everything, too. Very little about me has changed.. The same bright blue eyes and long, dark hair are my most striking features. My body is nearly the same, somewhere between fat and skinny, but with a little more muscle from the manual labor of running a campground. I wonder what they see when they look at me.
Shaking the questions and thoughts from my mind, I pull a hoodie over my sleep shirt and step out into the living room. Storm is sleeping on the couch with his head resting against West’s hip. My jaw drops when I notice Ghost also laying at his feet. It’s so out of character for either of them to warm up to people they don’t know, especially Ghost with a man.
“Did you drug my dogs?” I ask as I run a towel over my hair.
“Yes, with my warm and fuzzy personality.” He drops his hand on Storm’s head and runs his fingers through his fur. “They’re good pups.”
“Usually a bit more protective than this,” I gesture at them in their state of complete relaxation.
“They know I’m not a threat.”
I let out a derisive snort. West Larson is the biggest threat there is.
“Does that cafe you work at have faster internet?” His eyes finally move from his screen to me and widen a fraction. “Are you wearing my hoodie?”
“What?” I look down quickly realizing my mistake. I just grabbed the closest one, not realizing it’s the one I stole all those years ago. I actually have one of Cody’s undershirts and Blake’s hat still, too.
He stands slowly, moving toward me. I freeze as he draws nearer, locked in place by the wicked gleam in his eyes. His hands grip my hips possessively as he looks down at me and I tilt my head back to deny it, but there’s no point. If I swayed toward him just the tiniest bit his lips would be on mine.
“You missed me.” His voice is nothing but a whisper as his breath fans across my lips.
“No.” My tongue runs along my lips as though it could capture his taste.
His fingers dig into my flesh a little harder as we sway even closer. Desire shoots through my body, hardening my nipples and heating my core. My eyes dip to his lips and I swear I hear him release the tiniest moan.
The crunch of tires on the gravel pulls us out of each other’s orbit right before our control snaps. I take a step back, releasing a relieved breath. The warmth that had shone in his eyes seconds ago disappears behind his cold mask and he gathers his things, leaving wordlessly into the dark night.
* * *
West is leaning against my truck the next morning as I walk out to go to work. His long denim covered legs are crossed at the ankle, his head tipped back to look up at the overcast sky. The dogs race over to him with happy barks and wagging tails like the fucking traitors they are. I shake my head as I unlock my doors and toss my bag in the back.
“I’m going to catch a ride with you this morning,” he informs me.
“Have you ever once thought ofaskinginstead of ordering?” I ask as I walk around to the back and lower the liftgate for the dogs to jump up into the bed of the truck.
“Not my style,” he answers as he lets himself into the cab.
I glance at him as I get behind the wheel. My petty ass chuckles inwardly as I notice the dark circles under his eyes. At least I’m not the only one who didn’t get any sleep after that intense moment we shared.
“I’m surprised you’re up this early,” I say as I drive my truck down the winding gravel drive.
“On a tight timeline for this job.”
“Couldn’t wait for Blake and Cody?”
“I have a feeling they’ll be sleeping in a bit later this morning.” Amusement colors his voice.
