AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh my God!” Kenzie had appeared across the bar from them again. “He’s adorable! He’s all, like, golden retriever energy.”
While she and Tori laughed, Xander rolled his eyes. As he’d just told Tori – if she was happy, he was happy.
Chapter Fifteen
On Saturday morning, Tori sat out on the deck enjoying her coffee in the sun. It was still early, but she was discovering that she enjoyed mornings more than she’d realized. In Nashville, her life dictated that she was a night owl, but since she and Xander had been on the road she’d adapted to going to bed earlier and waking up earlier.
This morning, she’d woken before Xander and, as tempted as she had been to wake him up in a way that she knew would put a smile on his face, she’d slipped out of bed instead and come out here to enjoy the beautiful view of the lake and the mountains.
They’d been here for a couple of days already. She hadn’t thought that she would want to stay even this long but as it was, she was in no hurry to leave. And besides, even if they wanted to go, they didn’t have a vehicle yet.
Smoke had called Xander last night and apologized that there were no rental cars available at the airport over the weekend. He’d offered to follow them over to Clay’s place this morning while they delivered the truck so that he could give them a ride back. That was good of him, but Tori wasn’t looking forward to being without transport of their own. It shouldn’t be for long – Russ had already offered to give them a ride out to the dealership, so she was hoping that he wouldn’t mind taking them out there this afternoon.
She sipped her coffee and smiled at the way the early morning sun sparkled on the ripples of the lake. It really was beautiful here. She could see why her mom had fallen in love with the place. If she were honest, she could see herself falling in love with it, too, but that was… She shook her head. Yes, seeing her mom had been wonderful; they’d grown closer than ever during the last couple of days, but…
She sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Could she really see herself living in the same place her mom lived? The same small town! It definitely wasn’t such a terrible idea as she’d previously thought but ….
It wasn’t as though she needed to decide right now. She had time. Xander wasn’t in any hurry to get back on the road. If anything, he seemed to feel right at home here. She loved seeing the way he got along with her mom at dinner the other night. He’d already bonded with Russ, and that wasn’t just because of the whole military brotherhood thing. That was a part of it, but Xander was just that kind of guy – he got along with everyone; everyone liked him. She chuckled when she remembered what Kenzie had said – that he was like a golden retriever – it was true. Some girls might go for bad boys or dark and broody types, but Tori knew herself and she couldn’t do better than her sunny, outgoing, confident Xander.
She turned when she heard the door open, and smiled when he came out and greeted her with a sleepy smile. Maybe the golden retriever thing didn’t do him justice – he was far too sexy for that. His hair was still sleep tousled. The stubble on his cheeks made her press her thighs together – she knew exactly how it felt when his bristles rubbed against her skin there. His bare chest was smooth and muscled, and as her gaze traveled lower, she couldn’t help but lick her lips at the way his sweatpants hung low on his hips. Even his bare feet were sexy – how could that be?
He padded across the deck toward her with a smile on his face. “Good morning, sprite. Sorry I slept so long. I was going to ask if you want breakfast yet, but the look on your face makes me think that you might want me for breakfast.”
She laughed. “You can read me like a book.”
“You weren’t exactly hiding it.”
“Nope. And as much as I’d like to take you straight back to bed, do you think we have time?”
He checked his watch. “There’s always time for that, but maybe we should save it for later?”
“That’s what I was thinking. Do you want me to get you some coffee?”
He leaned down to kiss her forehead. “That’s okay. I came out to see if you want a refill.”
“Thanks, I’d love one. And I’m not even going to insist that I should go and get them because this way I get to watch your ass as you walk back inside.”
He took her mug and then turned around and shook his ass at her, making her laugh.
“I’ll be right back.”
She couldn’t stop smiling as she watched him go. He turned to look back over his shoulder when he reached the door. “You’re awesome, sprite. I love you,” he said with a wink before he disappeared inside.
She closed her eyes and hugged herself, reveling in the feeling. This was the best her life had ever been. She was in this beautiful place, with the man she’d always wanted but never believed she’d be with, and as the icing on the cake, her relationship with her mom was the best it had ever been – and she was right here in town, too.
The sound of her phone ringing shook her out of her reverie. When she reached for it, she frowned when she saw Clay’s name on the display. She doubted that he would be expecting them this early, but she still managed to feel guilty that she might be late or have done something wrong.
“Good morning, Mr. MacAdam.”
“Good morning, Tori, darlin’. Do me a favor would you – call me Clay?”
“Sorry, yes. We haven’t left yet, but we can get there soon.”
His laugh was a low, deep rumble. There was a reason that women all over the world had been falling in love with his voice for decades.
“Listen, darlin’. That’s what I was calling to say. There’s no big hurry to get the truck over here. I won’t get around to doing anything with it for a couple of weeks. I didn’t realize that you’d need to rent a car after you give me the truck. Hang on to it. You might as well use it until you figure out what you’re going to do next.”
“Oh! Thank you.” Tori had to wonder but wasn’t sure that she should ask how he knew what their plans were.
