Chapter 9 #2
“Flat Kai would never threaten me.” He hugs the pillow close. “Flat Kai doesn’t drive like a maniac or buy a hundred dollars’ worth of pink throw rugs.”
I lunge for the pillow, and Carter dodges, cackling, holding Flat Kai above his head like a trophy.
We’re both laughing now, circling each other around the bed like idiots, when we hear it.
A car pulling up outside.
We freeze. Exchange a look. Then we’re both diving for the window, shoving each other out of the way to peer through the glass.
June’s sedan is parked in the driveway, and she’s climbing out, stretching her arms above her head like she’s been driving for hours.
She’s wearing a blue dress, fitted, with a belt at the waist, hitting mid-thigh, and cowboy boots.
Her hair is loose around her shoulders, catching the late afternoon light, and from here, I study how low the neckline of the dress swoops.
“She’s here,” I breathe.
“I have eyes.”
“She looks incredible.”
“Again. Eyes.”
She moves to the trunk of her car and starts pulling out bags, and Carter is already heading for the door, tossing the pillow back onto the bed.
“I’ll help her with the luggage. You clean up the shopping bags so it doesn’t look like a craft store exploded in here.”
“Good call.”
He’s gone, boots thundering down the stairs, and I scramble to gather all the empty bags and packaging. I shove everything into the closet and then pause in front of the mirror to check my reflection.
Hair’s a mess. Shirt’s half unbuttoned. Good. I flex experimentally. Okay. Acceptable.
I hear voices drifting up from downstairs, Carter’s easy laugh, June’s lighter response. They’re getting closer.
I position myself in the hallway outside her room, leaning against the wall in what I hope is a casual, effortlessly attractive pose. Then I reconsider and try a different angle. Then I cross my arms. Uncross them. Try one hand in my pocket, the other braced against the wall.
This is stupid.
Footsteps on the stairs.
I settle on leaning with one shoulder against the wall, arms crossed, head tilted slightly. Confident but approachable. Sexy but not trying too hard.
June appears at the top of the stairs, and I forget every pose I’ve ever practiced.
She’s even more beautiful up close. The blue of her dress brings out those hazel eyes that have been haunting me since the moment I first saw them.
The fabric pulls across her bust in a way that makes it very difficult to know where to look, and her legs in those boots go on for miles.
She’s got her hair tucked behind one ear, showing the curve of her neck, and I want to press my lips to that spot more than I’ve ever wanted anything.
Carter is behind her, carrying two roller bags, and the smug look on his face tells me he knows exactly what I’m thinking.
“Hey, doll,” I manage, and my voice comes out rougher than I intended. “Welcome home.”
Her lips curve into a smile. “You’re having way too much fun with this, aren’t you?”
“Absolutely zero idea what you mean.” I push off the wall and gesture down the hallway. “Come on. Let me show you to your room.”
“My room. That’s still so weird to say.”
“It won’t be weird for long.” I lead the way, hyperaware of her presence behind me, the soft sound of her boots on the hardwood floor. “Fair warning, we may have gone a little overboard with the decorating.”
I push open the door and step aside so she can enter.
She takes three steps into the room and stops dead. “Oh.” Her voice is small. “That’s… a lot of pink.”
“Too much?”
“It’s like a flamingo had a really productive day.” But she’s smiling as she says it, her eyes sweeping over the cushions and blankets and carefully arranged luxuries. “You did all this?”
“Wanted you to feel at home.”
She moves farther into the room, trailing her fingers over the throw blankets, examining the snacks on the dresser. Then her gaze lands on the bed. Specifically, on Flat Kai.
Her laugh is sudden and loud, bright enough to light up the whole room. “Is that—”
“A body pillow. With my image on it. For your convenience.”
“For my convenience.”
“When you’re lonely and can’t have the real thing.” I wink. “I’ve got you covered, doll.”
She walks over to the bed and picks up Flat Kai, holding him at arm’s length. Her cheeks are flushed, her eyes sparkling with amusement and something else. Something warmer.
“This is hilarious and thoughtful. It’s the most absurd gift anyone has ever given me.”
I move closer. “Do you like it?”
She looks at the pillow. Then at me. Then back at the pillow. “I love it,” she admits. “It’s insane, but I love it.”
“Then my work here is done.”
Carter is standing in the doorway with her bags and a raised eyebrow. “Where do you want these?”
“Anywhere is fine.” June sets Flat Kai down gently, arranging him against the pillows like he belongs there. “Thank you. Both of you. This is… way more than I expected.”
Her voice is steady, but her hands aren’t.
She smooths the edge of the blanket twice, then touches her bag strap like she’s checking that it’s still there, like her body doesn’t quite believe she’s allowed to put things down.
Her gaze keeps flicking to the door, the windows, the hallway, even while she’s smiling.
“You’re pack now,” I say, and it comes out heavier than I meant. “Or at least, you’re ours to take care of for the next few weeks. We don’t do things halfway.”
Something crosses her face. And under it, that aching little want she tries to swallow.
“I’m not—” She stops, throat working. Tries again, softer. “I don’t want to be a burden.”
“You couldn’t be a burden if you tried.” Carter sets her bags by the closet, then pauses like he’s choosing his words carefully. His voice drops, steady and sure. “And you’re safe here.”
June blinks at him.
Carter doesn’t look away. “Safe,” he repeats, like he’s planting it in the ground. “No one comes onto this property without us knowing.”
Her breath trembles on the exhale, tiny and sharp, like her body has been holding it for years.
“Consider this your space,” Carter adds, easing the edge off with a hint of humor. “Do what you want with it. Rearrange the furniture. Decorate. Throw out the creepy body pillow—”
“Hey,” I protest automatically.
“—and make yourself at home.”
June gives a small, helpless laugh, the kind that sounds like relief trying to disguise itself. Then she nods, more to convince herself than us, and some of the tightness slips out of her shoulders.
“Okay,” she whispers. She inhales, then lets it out like she’s stepping off a ledge. “Okay. I can do this.”
“Take your time,” I tell her. “Come down whenever you’re ready. No rush.”
We leave her there, surrounded by pink cushions and faux-fur blankets and one very handsome body pillow, and head downstairs.
The moment we hit the living room, I start pacing.
“She’s here,” I say, mostly to the walls. “She’s actually here. In our house. Upstairs. Right now.”
“I’m aware.” Carter drops onto the couch, but his leg is already bouncing, fingers tapping the armrest like he’s trying to bleed off energy. “What are we supposed to do now?”
“I don’t know.” I drag a hand through my hair. “Act normal.”
Carter’s mouth twitches. “What’s normal for you? Because I’m pretty sure your normal is ‘punch first, flirt second.’ ”
I glare at him. “Helpful.”
My pacing slows for a beat. Then I start again, because my body doesn’t know how to handle this much want and responsibility at the same time.
“I’ve never felt like this before,” I admit.
Carter’s gaze lifts to mine, and for once, he doesn’t tease. “Me either.”
We’re both staring at the staircase like it might spontaneously combust when the front door opens and Seth walks in.
He takes one look at us and rolls his eyes.
“So she’s moved in, then.”
“She’s upstairs,” Carter confirms. “Getting settled.”
“And you two are down here losing your minds.”
“We’re just… processing.”
“You look like two kids who ate too much candy.” But there’s warmth underneath his sarcasm. “How is she? Did she like the guest room?”
“She loved your room,” Carter says. “Said it was perfect.”
Seth goes still. Just for a beat. Like his body has to decide whether to laugh or start swinging. “Say that again.”
“Your room.” I don’t bother hiding my grin. “It was bigger. Nicer. She needed it.”
“You gave her my room,” Seth says, flat.
“I gave her the best room,” I correct. “It just happened to have your stuff in it.”
Seth stares at me for a long moment, then shifts his gaze to Carter like he’s confirming that this isn’t a hallucination.
Carter lifts a shoulder. “She liked it.”
Seth exhales through his nose, slow and controlled. “You’re both lucky it’s for June,” he says at last. “If it were either of you pulling that move for yourselves, I’d drag your mattress outside and let the horses decide what to do with it.”
“She really did like it,” Carter adds.
Seth’s expression shifts at that to something calmer. “Good.”
“She laughed for five minutes when she saw the body pillow,” I say, because I can’t help myself.
Seth’s head turns slowly. “The what?”
Carter’s tone is dry. “Don’t.”
I grin wider. “Don’t ask.”
Seth holds my stare for a second, then decides he doesn’t want that information in his life.
He turns and heads for the kitchen. “If we’ve got a guest,” he says, opening the fridge, “we feed her.” He starts pulling things out, setting them on the counter like he’s laying out tools.
Efficient. No wasted motion. “Steaks,” he says. “Potatoes. Salad.”
“Sounds perfect,” Carter replies and steps in, rinsing potatoes without being asked.
I grab a knife and a cutting board, grinning because, for the first time in years of traveling and never putting down roots, I’m starting to think the chase might finally be over.
Now the fun part begins.