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I dragged a hand over my face.
Jesus Christ. I am a creep.
I quickly typed back.
Morning? I’ve already been up for four hours. The day’s wasting.
Daryl Hall
Well, not all of us are built like machines. Some of us need our beauty sleep.
Looks to me like you’ve been getting plenty of that.
My breath caught in my chest, as it always did when our conversations casually morphed into subtle flirting. I lived for it, but part of me worried it was too much, too aggressive. I know Sylvie didn’t think of me that way, but she also didn’t seem to mind either.
Daryl Hall
Ha. You’re sweet, but a liar. I wish I could say I was glistening. But in reality, I’m sweating like a pig. Why is it so hot this early?
My blood ran hot with thoughts of Sylvie sweating in a different scenario. One with her pinned beneath me as I drove my cock into her. My jaw clenched as I typed out a response.
Humidity’s up. They’re calling for rain overnight.
I inwardly rolled my eyes at myself. The world’s most gorgeous woman was taking time out of her day to text me, and I was talking about the fucking weather.
What are you up to?
Daryl Hall
Just work, but then I think MJ and I might head up to the Grudge tonight. The band that’s playing is supposed to be good. She says we’re celebrating.
I perked up at the news that Sylvie would also be at the Grudge tonight.
Guess I would be staying for more than one beer after all.
Celebrating?
Daryl Hall
The date auction remix happened, so I am no longer paired up with Stumpy Larson. The rest of the dates will be with Charles. Definitely celebrating.
Outtatowner had recently held the annual Matchmaker’s Gala. It was a charity ball and an opportunity for the women in town to play matchmaker, pairing off the singles in town through a ridiculous date auction disguised as fun.
Fuck that.
It was no surprise to anyone that I refused to go. I didn’t care that it made me look like a prick for not attending a charity auction, even if it was for a good cause.
But I was glad Sylvie wasn’t paired with Stumpy Larson anymore, because that guy was a fucking weirdo. Had it not been for her overbearing brothers, I may have been forced to step in myself.
Thankfully it hadn’t come to that. Though I wasn’t sure Charles Attwater was much better. He was a nice enough guy, I guess. New in town and had opened up some fancy wine bar that the tourists couldn’t get enough of, but there was something that just didn’t sit right with me. Charles didn’t pay any mind to the King–Sullivan feud, and the women of either side of that feud seemed to flock to him.
He had even set his sights on Annie Crane, who’d grown up so close with us she was practically another sister. I thought my brother Lee was going to pop a blood vessel when Charles started giving Annie his attention.
It took me a minute to figure out how to respond to Sylvie. I had no claim over Sylvie King, so it shouldn’t have irritated me that she was going out on a date.
I hadn’t dated anyone in a long time. She was free to date whomever she wanted, butfuck.I wanted to warn her about Charles—tell her that my gut told me getting attached to him was a mistake. A mistake, but also, if she really wanted to go to the Grudge and celebrate, I’d be happy to take her. I could push her around the dance floor to some fun country song while I held her in my arms.
I let out a dry humorless laugh at my stupidity. There wasn’t a world in which that could ever happen. I could never betray my family, and her brothers would certainly have a lot to say about it if I crossed that line.
