19. Owen
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Owen
Some people hate doing manual labor, but I love it. The burn in my muscles always quiets my mind.
Painful memories and emotions have become a constant in my brain, and sometimes I just don’t want to face it. Even if it’s only for a few minutes, the reprieve is well worth it.
“Ready?” Cole asks. I give him a nod as we lift opposite sides of a large log.
Walking in sync, we move it to the storage shelves on the side of the store. Miles and Theo follow behind us with another log.
We’ve already moved ten logs each from the trailer of lumber the two oldest Rivers brothers came to drop off. Sweat beads on my forehead as the summer sun bakes down on us. Using the bottom of my shirt, I wipe it away.
Lifting my gaze, I see Avery and Lyla walking across the parking lot toward the front of the store. Miles shouts something at them, but I can’t be bothered to care what he’s actually saying.
Lyla gives me a smile, which I return. Then my eyes are firmly glued on the fiery woman at her side.
She pauses in front of the glass doors leading into the store, turning to look at me.
This kind of connection can’t be normal. There’s no way people go about their everyday lives when they feel this tethered to another human being.
We aren’t even that close to each other, and I still feel like our souls are tangled in a warm embrace.
Sappy much?
Fuck. Get it together.
I run my hand over my face, trying to escape my errant thoughts.
Lyla yells for Avery. With one final look in our direction, she disappears inside.
Blinking a few times, I walk back up onto the trailer. Cole stands there, waiting for me. As we’re moving the last log, he asks, “What’s that about?”
I grunt, lifting the log onto the rack. “Nothing.”
“Mmm… sure,” he says. “I must have hallucinated all of that tension when the nanny walked by.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Shut the fuck up,” I growl.
I actually like the Rivers brothers, but all of them make me want to punch them in the face from time to time.
He laughs, throwing his hands up in front of him. “What? I’m not blind.”
“Neither am I,” Theo says as he and Miles step up beside us. He looks between Miles and me. “So, which one of you is going to get the girl?”
“Who says she needs to choose?” Miles says with his big, stupid mouth.
“Miles,” I growl, urging him to shut the hell up. I couldn’t care less if anyone knows I’m… whatever with Avery, but I don’t know how she would feel about it.
“Right,” Miles says, clamping his mouth shut for once in his life.
Thank goodness for small blessings.
“Well, shit,” Cole says, his eyes widening.
“You didn’t hear anything,” I say.
“Of course not,” Theo says, grinning from ear to ear.
Cole pats me on the shoulder. “We won’t say anything. Promise.”
I know they wouldn’t, but the thought of anything ruining the little time I have with Avery makes me sick to my stomach.
Theo and Cole hop into their truck and drive away. Miles and I turn at the same time, walking back into the store.
We clearly have the same destination in mind—our girls. I don’t know at what point I started thinking of them like that, but I kind of love the sound of it.
If only it could stay that way past this summer…
I shake my head, needing to focus on the here and now. We round the corner. Avery is just stepping out of Will’s office.
Miles and I move in unison, as if he received the same military training I did.
The only thing keeping everyone from hearing her scream when we step up behind her is my hand clasped over her mouth. She goes rigid in our arms for a breath before realizing who we are.
Her lips move against my palm, but I can’t make out what she’s saying. When I don’t remove my hand, she bites down against my flesh.
I lean in, whispering in her ear, “Now, you’re just turning me on, angel.”
Her tongue slowly slides against the skin she just assaulted with her teeth.
My growing hard-on starts to press against her back. We need to get out of this fucking hallway.
Miles grabs Avery’s hand, effectively pulling both of us behind him into a supply closet on the opposite end of the hall. Keeping my one hand over her mouth, I reach with the other one behind me to make sure the door is locked.
Finally, I let my hand trail down over her neck, chest, and stomach before resting on her hip.
“Where’s Lyla?” Miles asks, stepping in even closer to Avery. She is completely sandwiched between us.
“In the break room eating a snack.”
“Then we have a few minutes,” I say. She shivers as my breath tickles her neck.
“We’d better get to work then,” Miles says, dropping to his knees.
It’s pretty dark in here, so I can’t see much. There’s some shuffling of fabric, and she lets out a gasp.
I tilt her head to the side so I can look at her. “Can you be quiet for us, angel?”
She nods, biting her lip.
I love how she’s so feisty and strong most of the time, but in moments like this, she completely melts into me… us.
Her whole body starts to quake between us.
“That’s it, gorgeous. Come for me,” Miles says, his voice barely audible.
Sensing that she’s about ready to come, I latch my lips onto hers. She moans into the kiss, every muscle tensing.
I wrap an arm around her waist, holding her upright when her legs start to shake. Her body goes lax, resting against me.
“Fuck,” she breathes out.
Miles must be righting her clothes, and then he’s standing before her again. “You taste even better than I imagined,” he says.
He isn’t wrong. She tastes like a goddamn dream come true. My dream come true.
She snakes a hand between us, palming my cock over my jeans. Based on the low grunt Miles lets out, she’s doing the same to him.
Her hand freezes when the sound of Lyla’s laugh hits our ears. Fuck.
I miss her touch as soon as it’s gone, not only on my cock but everywhere.
Avery slips out first. Miles follows a minute after her. It takes me another minute to pull myself together enough to face reality again.
When I don’t hear any noises from the hallways, I make my exit.
I take not even two steps before Will walks out of his office. I have no idea how he knows, but he just does.
Older brother spidey senses, I guess.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” he asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
Honestly, I have no fucking idea what I’m doing. But if it involves her, I have a hard time believing it can be wrong.