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He didn’t have to say it. This was a reprieve, nothing more. Beckett hadn’t changed his mind about divorcing me, merely granted me a delay. But every day we had together was a day more than I ever thought I’d get.
Every day was another that I could show him just how good it could be if we took a risk.
It wouldn’t be easy. We didn’t stop being stepbrothers just because we’d become lovers. But if Hunter could discover a new side of himself for love, if Tucker could let Laurie back into his heart after years apart, then who was to say we couldn’t find a way too?
CHAPTER14
BECKETT
I lookedat the massive chicken fried steak smothered in skillet gravy, fluffy scrambled eggs, and mound of hashbrowns that Wes had ordered for me before I arrived at The Diner to meet him for lunch. He’d told me to come alone, and I’d half expected him to suggest we sneak away for a quickie rather than a gut bomb.
“I hope you’re giving me the afternoon to sleep this off,” I joked.
“Nope, but you can give yourself time off anytime you need it.”
“What?”
“I’m not your boss,” Wes said matter-of-factly.
It always astonished me when Wes treated me like an equal partner, despite the fact everyone in this town knew that Potter Landscaping was really his. Dad might still own it on paper, but he’d been grooming Wes to take over ever since he was old enough to hold a rake, and most folks had treated him like the owner for years.
I’d entered the picture much later, and I’d had a lot of catching up to do. So much so that I’d had to take classes in landscape architecture just to make up for the years of experience Wes had on me.
The truth was, Weswasmy boss. But he didn’t want to be, and that meant a hell of a lot to me.
“I invited you here because I wanted to treat you to a special morning after.”
I glanced around, but no one was paying us any attention. Seeing Wes and I eat together was like seeing the sun rise; it happened every day. It was occasionally worth a second look, but it was never surprising.
“It’s not morning,” I pointed out unhelpfully.
He smirked. “I know, you brat. We had to go to work.” He dragged his fork through the maple syrup pooling around his pancakes. “I just wanted you to know this means something to me.”
My heart skittered, and I couldn’t stop the smile blooming across my face, nor the hint of amusement in my voice. “Wow, that’s sweet.”
“Ugh, I know. Shut up.”
I laughed, my heart feeling lighter than it had in weeks. “I didn’t know you had it in you.” I leaned in over our plates, murmuring, “All that dirty talk and you’re really just a softie.”
Wes’s eyes smoldered over his plate. “If you want dirty, I can give you—”
“Beckett Monroe!” a high-pitched voice interrupted. “You are a difficult man to pin down.”
“Not for me,” Wes muttered under his breath as Iola Fletcher approached our table.
I kicked him in the ankle, heat flashing through me as I remembered how easily I let Wes pin me to the bed last night. And this morning.
Fuck, but I wanted him to do it again.
Wes had seemed a little wary when we woke up entangled in each other and the bedsheets, as if he expected me to have regrets. But I’d given up fighting our attraction. I’d fully surrendered, and after three more orgasms between us, there was no putting that genie back in the bottle.
Maybe Laurie’s words about trying to live without the love he found with Tucker had gotten to me. Or maybe it was a fight I always would have lost. Wes was like a magnet, always pulling me to him, and when he actively tried to pull me close, there was no way I could resist.
I didn’t regret giving in. I was so fucking relieved that I had. Finally, I could indulge my cravings. I could revel in my fantasies made real.
Years of pent-up desire finally had an outlet.
We still had to be careful. We had to keep it a secret, but it shouldn’t be that hard. We already spent a lot of time together. Already lived together.
