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“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” he says, his voice gentle.
Maybe it’s that gentle tone that has me wanting to open up to him. Maybe it’s the fact that he can’t tell anyone else what we talk about because everything about our ‘relationship’ is a secret. I don’t know the reason, but I find that I’m not opposed to telling Cole things I’ve never said aloud.
“It’s okay,” I say, busying myself with cutting open another box. “I don’t think I was happy there. Not really. It took me a long time to realize it. I think I was just going through the motions in Atlanta. Not really living my life. It wasn’t until I started coming here to visit Piper and I could see how happy she was here that I realized how empty my life in Atlanta was. Somehow this little town has more character and life in it than the massive city I lived in.”
I shrug. “I don’t know. It got so I was making up excuses to come out for the weekend. My apartment started to feel suffocating. Piper said something to me once. She said, ‘I can breathe here.’ It took me a long time to realize what she meant. And it wasn’t just about the lack of smog. There’s less rush here. Less worry about getting to where I need to go or trying to be someone I’m not. I can just be me here. That probably sounds crazy.”
I trail off, surprised at how much I just revealed to Cole. I wonder if he thinks I’m crazy. It’s not like we’ve spent a lot of time talking about ourselves when we’re together. We mostly just try to get one another naked as quickly as possible. He’s really good at getting me out of my clothes. Not that I’ve ever complained about that skill. It’s served us both well over the past few months. But this conversation feels bigger than any of our past interactions. It feels like more than simple friendship. Which is not at all what either of us wants.
Hadn’t he just freaked out when I let him think I moved here for him? He’s clearly on the same page when it comes to this friends-with-benefits situation we’ve got going. I’m not about to ruin it by bringing up serious issues.
“Hey.”
Cole’s voice pulls me out of my rambling thoughts, and I look up to see his brown eyes locked on mine.
“It doesn’t sound crazy,” he says. “I get it. When I left for college, I thought for sure that was my ticket out of this town. I wanted to be more than Peach Tree’s golden boy. I thought I couldn’t wait to get as far from here as possible. But I don’t know. It never felt right. College life, city life. None of it felt right. It was like I was wearing a pair of shoes that was half a size too small. I could fit. I could make it look like I belonged. But I knew I’d never be comfortable.”
He shrugs and his mouth quirks up into that sexy grin. “So, I came back home. To my family. To this little town and all its eccentric folks.”
“And the peaches?” I tease.
A small laugh escapes him. “And the peaches.”
I pick at a corner of tape where it’s peeling up from the box nearest my hand, unable or unwilling to look at Cole when I ask my next question.
“Did it make you happy? Coming back home?”
I hear him exhale with a sigh. “Maybe,” he says. “Sometimes. But I don’t think uprooting your life is a magic cure for anyone’s happiness. Sometimes we need a reset switch, sure. But ultimately, I think we all need to work for it. Every day. Some days I work harder than others.”
I look at him, brows drawn low in confusion. “You need to work to be happy? You seem like the most well-adjusted person in this town.”
He laughs. “No one is happy all the time. But I try to focus on the good things in my life. When I’m having a shitty day, I focus on those instead of the bad things. I’ve got a healthy family, a thriving business, killer dimples, and the body of a Greek god.”
His hands go to my hips. “Plus, I’ve got this sexy woman who lets me do all kinds of filthy things to her. And now she’s living just down the street.”
I smile and let him pull me against his body. “That’s certainly convenient.”
“Isn’t it, though?” His hands slide down to cup my ass. “You know what else?”
“What?”
“Since we finished unpacking a box, it’s time for you to lose a piece of clothing.”
“Is that what we agreed?” I ask, my hands sliding up to the back of his neck.
“Mmhmm,” he whispers, pressing his hips against mine until I feel the hard bulge there. “And I get to pick which one.”
“I don’t remember that rule,” I say, grinding against his erection.
I can feel my desire growing with every second I spend touching Cole. It’s why I tried to insist we unpack before doing anything physical. I knew he’d be able to distract me if I let him near me. And I was right. I’m thoroughly distracted right now.
“Pants off, Miss Brooks,” he says.
There’s a hint of challenge in his voice, like he thinks I might back down. The old Layna might have. She would have been in a hurry to get unpacked and put everything in its proper place. But I’m trying to turn over a new leaf. Isn’t that the whole reason I moved to this town?
“My pants for your shirt,” I say, raising a brow in challenge.
He grins and takes a small step back. Holding my gaze, he reaches for the hem of his t-shirt and pulls it up over his head. I let my eyes trail over the newly exposed skin, my body already humming with desire. I take in the pecs and the defined abs leading to a pair of jeans that sit low on his hips. The vee of defined muscle leading down to his waistband has me wanting to trail my tongue over it, but I resist the urge. When I bring my gaze back up to Cole’s face, I see a hint of amusement in his eyes.
