Chapter 40
Mac
My body aches, a much different kind of exhaustion than I'd have if I'd spent all day and night working rather than the way I spent it.
Worshipping Riley's body and spending hour after hour running my hands over her skin, my mouth kissing every inch of it is the way I'd like to die if I were given the choice.
The aches in my bones are the perfect combination of being satiated as well as being so fucking happy with how things have turned out that I feel like a fool because of the smile I can't wipe off of my face.
"Your cheeks are turning red. Why are they turning red, Riley?" I ask when I chance a glance at her at the stop sign in the middle of town.
As much as I'd like to spend every waking hour inside of her, I still have a job to do and people whose livelihood depends on me. She doesn't have a shift at the bookstore, so she opted to come to the house with me so I could get all the guys lined out for the day.
She swore she couldn't leave before throwing something together for breakfast, and on the drive over, I haven't decided whether my mouth was watering at the promise of how my evening was going to go or from the smell of the casserole she cooked that's nestled into the backseat. The French toast one she made the other day was sweet, but the one she threw together this morning is savory. I swear I never knew how delicious sausage, eggs, and vegetables could be until she pulled open the oven this morning.
"I don't think this was a good idea," she whispers.
"Riley," I groan. "We're meant to be together."
"I know that," she says as her brows draw together. "I mean, going to work with you this morning. They're all going to know what we did last night."
"And this morning," I remind her with a wide smile. "You missed a spot."
I point to her neck, chuckling as her hand immediately slaps over the dark mark my mouth left there .
I know I'm probably too old to be marking her where the world can see, but I feel like a fucking caveman. Now I fully understand why Chase, Cash, and Walker act the way they do about their women. I'm obsessed with Riley in the best way, and I want everyone to know she's mine.
Maybe the looks Ronnie was giving her the other day prompted the biggest mark on her neck after she mentioned making them breakfast. I need those fucking twins to know that she's mine.
"The guys already know we're together," I assure her.
"Because you've been talking to them about me?" she asks, and I can hear the hesitation in her voice.
"Because they saw us together, and there isn't a fool walking the street that could see how much I adore you and come up with any other conclusion," I explain. "You're it for me, baby, and I want the world to know."
She gives me a shy smile, her eyes glistening, and I hope she never gets used to me telling her how important she is to me. I want her to always have that same thrill in her eyes when I say the words.
"I think you're too good to me," she whispers, her hand reaching across the center console for mine.
"I think we're good together, baby. As corny as that sounds."
Her laughter is like a balm to my soul, and I know that I'm complete with this woman by my side. I didn't know I was even missing anything until her.
The rest of the drive back to my place is done in companionable silence.
"What the hell?" I ask as I pull up my driveway and notice a van parked there.
"Did you have a delivery scheduled today?"
"Nope," I say, reading the side of the van when I park. "Dust Bunnies?"
"It's a local cleaning service," Riley explains.
"Yeah, I remember Donnie mentioning something about it the other day."
"You didn't hire them?"
I shake my head. "I considered it. The company that came out from Austin didn't do the job to the standard I expected."
"City folk," she mutters, and I huff a laugh, in full agreement with her.
"Let me get the door for you," I say before climbing out and walking around to her side of the vehicle.
I help her down, not missing an opportunity for her body to rub against mine before helping her grab the breakfast from the back along with the supplies she insisted on bringing.
"I have nothing to do with what's going on inside," Donnie says, standing in front of us the second we come around the front of the cleaning van.
"What exactly is going on inside?" I ask, annoyance at having to deal with bullshit first thing in the morning settling inside of me like a ton of bricks.
"Fucking Ronnie," the man mutters before looking at Riley. "Sorry, ma'am. Is that breakfast?"
She waves off his apology. "Just something I threw together."
"How about you go get breakfast served to the guys, and I'll deal with the mess inside the house?"
"I can help you," Ethan says as he walks up. "Let me carry that for you."
Riley hands him the casserole and gives Donnie the bag with the paper plates and plastic utensils before looking back at me.
"See you soon, baby," I tell her, loving the way her cheeks turn pink with the promise in my tone.
I don't know what I was expecting when I walked into my house, but it sure as hell wasn't Ronnie Tate and Callie Drocer staring each other down as if they were moments from murdering each other.
"What is going on here?"
Ronnie smiles as if the look Callie is giving him is some sort of sexual role-playing they're participating in.
"I'm not a hooker!" Callie says the second her eyes land on me.
I hold my hands up at my ears, turning to Ronnie for an explanation.
"I never once suggested sex," Ronnie says, looking at her rather than speaking to me.
"What am I supposed to think when you tell me the bathroom is over there so I can change into my French maid costume?"
"Jesus," I mutter, looking at my employee. "You hired her and expected her to come clean in a costume?"
Ronnie shrugs. "Isn't that what they do?"
Callie gasps as if she's never heard of a more disrespectful insult. "Dust Bunnies is a legitimate business. It's respectable!"
"I know it is," I say quickly, although I don't really know anything about it.
"I was told to come here, that there was some cleaning to do after a kitchen fire, and this idiot says those sorts of things to me."
"I told you that you didn't have to wear a costume," Ronnie clarifies.
"You told me that clothes wouldn't be necessary at all," she explains. "I explained that wasn't how the service works."
"You said get out of here, you fucking creep ," Ronnie mimics.
"And then you mentioned a strip tease on the living room coffee table if I wanted to earn a good tip!"
I feel like I've entered the twilight zone. I'm not sure if these two are even mad at each other. There's a vibe that makes me think this is some weird ass sexual ritual, but maybe my brain is clouded with all the hours I've spent recently with Riley.
"I could sue you for sexual harassment," she says, glaring and pointing a finger at me.
"Me?" I snap. "I didn't hire you, and I'd never say something like that to a woman. I'm in a relationship."
"With Riley?" Ronnie asks, his attention now fully on me.
"It's new, but yeah," I tell him, a wide grin on my face.
"Excuse me," Callie growls. "Can you save your little gossip session for another time?"
"Is there a problem?"
I spin to face Riley, hating the frown on her face as she stands in the doorway.
"Just Ronnie being Ronnie," I mutter, holding my arm out to her until she steps into my side.
"Hi," she says, holding her hand out to Callie. "I'm Riley. What's going on?"
Callie shakes my woman's hand, and I'm grateful at the soft smile she gives her because I'll be damned if any anger is going to be tossed her way, no matter how upset the other woman might be.
"This guy said some disrespectful things to me," Callie explains.
"What?" Riley says, glaring at the man until he literally cowers some. "What would your mother think?"
Ronnie tilts his head. "Are you going to tell her?"
"I might," Riley threatens. "Get outside and get some breakfast. We'll discuss it later."
Ronnie bolts, and I don't know if he is waiting for an escape or if the promise of food made him forget all about the situation in the house .
"I'm sorry. The man is an idiot," Riley explains. "Do you have a business card? I'd like to reschedule on a day when the front yard isn't littered with fools."
"My boss is going to be very upset with me," Callie says as she pulls a card from the back pocket of her jeans.
"I'll give her a call and explain that we just had a misunderstanding on scheduling. Would that work?"
"Yes," Callie says. "It's my first day. I don't want to get fired."
The woman looks at me with sadness in her eyes.
"I really need this job."
"I apologize for how he acted. What he said is never the expectation when Hammertime Construction is concerned. I'm so sorry for what happened. I promise it will not happen again."
Callie dips her head in understanding before gathering the supplies she brought in with her and walking out the front door.
"I swear Ronnie is going to lead me to heavy drinking."
"What did he say to her?"
"Suggested a strip tease in a French maid costume," I mutter.
Riley clasps a hand over her mouth in shock, but instead of freaking out, she walks to the front door, watches until Callie gets into the van, and drives off before calling out to Ronnie.
The man looks like a whipped dog when he walks up the front steps of the porch to face her.
"What in the world made you think what you said to her was appropriate?" my woman growls at him, defensive of the other woman.
"She was wearing a lot less than a French maid costume the last time I saw her," he says with his brows drawn together. "I didn't figure it would be too far of a stretch."
"Does that have anything to do with why you couldn't do the job at her parents' house yesterday?"
He waggles his eyebrows at me before turning around and walking away.
THE END