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I pushed up on my tiptoes to try to figure out the identity of the others, but the leaves crunched under my feet, giving away my position.Shoot.I ducked down, trying to stay out of sight though I didn’t know why. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. Yet I still felt like the kid sister sneaking around.
“Hello?” Tristan called out.
“Hey!” I hopped up and waved, hoping the darkness might conceal my embarrassment. “It’s me. I’ll just go around front.”
“No need,” he said, ambling down the steps to the backyard to help me with my bike. My eyes roamed his chest beneath the soft gray T-shirt, the jeans that tapered in at his waist. “Hey.” His smile was relaxed, and something inside me lit up like fireworks.
“Hey.” It was the best I could manage when his hand grazed mine, taking my bike from me and wheeling it ahead. “Thanks.” But then I frowned at the sight of him limping. “Are you okay?”
He sighed and parked my bike against the fence. “It’s nothing.”
“Tristan, it’s not nothing. You’re limping.” I crouched down to peer at his leg, but I couldn’t see anything visibly wrong with it. Unable to resist, I traced a finger over his scar. “Your old football injury?”
He sucked in a jagged breath. When I peered up at him, his eyes had darkened. Only then did I realize just how close my mouth was to the bulge in his pants. I caught myself staring then popped straight up.
“Oh. Um. Sorry.” I dipped my head. “Are you okay?”
“I must have tweaked it on my ride with Enzo. It probably just needs some rest.”
“Rest, ice, and elevation,” I said.
He lifted a shoulder, taking his time as we made our way toward the back porch. “Guys,” he said to the group, tucking his hair behind his ears as if he could force it to stay there if he pushed hard enough. “You remember Tessa’s sister, Ellie.”
I smiled and glanced around, recognizing Bennett Nash, of course—River’s dad and the resident veterinarian.
“Hey, Bennett.” I gave him a little wave, and he smiled in return.
“This is Asher,” Tristan said, gingerly lowering himself into one of the chairs. The dark-haired man straightened, flashing me a wicked smile.
I knewofAsher, mostly from Instagram and his amazing pastries. Apart from his boss, winery owner and former pro soccer player, Lorenzo Mancini, Asher Hansley was one of the AV’s biggest celebrities. Asher had worked for a three-star Michelin restaurant in New York for a few years before moving to LA and then finally back home.
“And I’m Liam.” Liam lifted his beer toward me by way of greeting. “Want one?”
“Liam—” Tristan punched his shoulder playfully. “You know she isn’t twenty-one.”
Liam shrugged. “Maybe not, but I doubt this would be her first ‘adult beverage.’”
“Hardly.” I laughed. “We used to go out almost every weekend in Melbourne, but the drinking age in Australia is eighteen.”
“See,” Liam said, grabbing a beer from the cooler, as if that proved his point. He held it out to me, but Tristan tried to snatch it from his hand. “Lighten up, man.”
“I’m responsible for her,” Tristan growled, and my body tingled with awareness, while my head rejected his statement.
Responsible for me? Was that how Tristan viewed me? As if I were another child? Or that I somehow couldn’t make appropriate decisions for myself?
Fuck that.
“Thanks.” I snagged the bottle from Liam, then turned to Tristan. “I’m responsible for myself.”
The other guys guffawed, clearly enjoying my show of defiance. I ignored them and held Tristan’s gaze as I popped open the bottle and took a long, satisfying gulp. His eyes were dark as he tracked my movements, but he was silent as he took a drink from his own.
While beer wasn’t usually my first choice of beverage, this one was good. Light and fruity and somehow rich too. I peered down at the label—Faulty Brewing. Local, then.
When Tristan winced, I went inside and grabbed a bag then scooped some ice into it. I sealed it and went over to Tristan. “Foot up.” I indicated to the outdoor coffee table.
He grumbled but did as I asked. I gently placed the ice on his knee, and he finally said, “Thank you.”
“You want some pastries?” Bennett asked, holding out the box to me.
