20. Harle
HARLE
C assidy. Cassidy. Cassidy. I took a swig of beer, barely even noticing the taste as I stared out over the lake.
Two days since I’d laid out the most insane proposition of my life, and I’d done fuck all else but think about her. The fence posts I’d meant to replace were still lying untouched by the barn. The boat motor I’d promised to fix for old Joe Bradley was still in pieces. Even Derek the donkey had given me the side-eye this morning when I’d accidentally filled his water trough with feed.
Forty-eight hours of replaying that moment in her kitchen. The way her eyes had widened, her lips parting in surprise. The slight tremor in her hands as she’d gripped her beer bottle. Christ, even the memory of her nervous swallow had me shifting in my chair.
What kind of man proposes ten days of no-strings-attached sex to a woman who’s already gotten so far under his skin he can barely think straight?
This kind of man, apparently. A fucking idiot.
Buddy, lazing by my chair, raised his head to look at me.
“I’m overthinking, am I? You can hear it from down there?”
He flopped his head back down and let out a canine groan that seemed to say, “You think?”
“Well, I’m sorry about that, but you try keeping your head straight after offering to knock up the most gorgeous woman you’ve ever met.” The words sounded even more ridiculous said out loud. “And now she’s probably halfway to filing a restraining order.”
Another swig of beer did nothing to cool me down. Nothing had, these past two days. Not the early morning swim in the lake. Not the three-mile run. Not even the cold shower that followed both.
The phone buzzed on the table next to me, jolting me upright. I glanced at the screen, my pulse leaping when her name lit it up.
Cassidy.
My mouth went desert-dry. I set the beer down and wiped my suddenly damp palms on my jeans, taking two steadying breaths. I felt like a fucking schoolboy and all of a sudden, I had no clue how to handle this. Just dive in, I guess. I swiped the screen with my thumb, keeping my voice as neutral and steady as I could. “Cassidy, hi.”
“Hey, Harle.” Something in her tone, nervous and uncertain, made my stomach flip. “How are you?”
Hoping to soothe her nerves and mine, by playing along, I said, “Can’t complain. Got the dogs keeping me company.” Buddy’s tail thumped against the deck at the sound of my voice. “What about you?”
“Same. Work’s been busy, you know how it is.” She paused, and I could practically see her nibbling her lower lip the way she did when she was nervous. “So, um,” she started, her voice quieter now. But then she didn’t continue and fuck me if I had no idea what to say. I waited, my heart hammering against my ribs. “I’ve been thinking about your offer.”
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, my grip tightening on the phone. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She cleared her throat. “I think…I want to do it. I want to accept your offer.”
My dick twitched and I had to squeeze my eyes shut for a moment, fighting for control. “That’s great. I think you’ve made the right choice.”
As though she’d just decided on some dinnerware or some shit.
“I think I have too.” She did sound slightly more confident now, so that was something. “So, um, how does it work, exactly?”
“Well, first up, you have to decide if you want to try this month or wait until next month.” Please say this month. Wait, why am I hoping for this month?
“This month.”
The speed of her response had my pulse racing.
“Okay then. We need to get moving. How about you come up tonight or tomorrow and we’ll go over the terms.”
“The…the terms?”
“Yeah. The terms.” I shifted in my chair, trying to get comfortable. “Just so that we both know what to expect. The last thing you need right now are any sudden surprises.”
“Oh. Well.” Was it my imagination, or did her breath catch? “That’s very thoughtful of you. I can come by tonight, after dinner.” The formal tone in her voice was adorable and sexy as hell.
“Sounds good. I’ll see you then.”
I dropped my phone on the table and shoved to my feet. The terms were already clear in my mind, had been since I’d first considered making this offer. But explaining them to Cassidy… that was going to be something else entirely.
“How exactly do you tell a woman you respect that you want explicit consent for everything you plan to do to her body without freaking her the fuck out?” I muttered to myself, running a hand through my hair.
Buddy woofed softly from his spot at my feet.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Keep it professional.” I checked my watch. Four hours until she’d be here. Plenty of time to get the house in order, maybe grab a bottle of wine. Something to take the edge off the conversation ahead.
Because explaining exactly how I planned to get her pregnant? That was going to need wine. Lots of wine. Oh fuck no. She’d be driving home afterwards, so I couldn’t offer alcohol. So tea? Coffee? Soda?
I headed inside to clean up, the dogs trailing behind. Not because this was a date, it definitely wasn’t that, but because Cassidy Hayes deserved better than day old coffee mugs and gym clothes scattered around when we discussed the intimate details of our ten-day arrangement.
Christ. Ten days.
My body tightened at the thought, and I forced myself to focus on the tasks at hand. Clean house. Shower. Review terms.
Professional. I could do professional.
Max’s tail thumped against the floor, and I swear he was laughing at me.