CHAPTER 7
Eve
I woke with a start early the next morning to the sound of a saw buzzing outside and something being hammered inside. I blinked at the blinding sun coming in through my windows and frowned. What time was it ? I grabbed my phone and squinted at the digital clock displayed there. It was nearly noon. I thought about the mess I’d left in the kitchen and whether or not it was Grandpa banging around in the cabin and dread filled me. It didn’t matter if I was ten or fifty, the idea of Grandpa knowing I wasn’t a virgin sent a jolt of fear through me. He’d never been one of those purity pushing parents but he’d been serious about me not messing around with idiots, as he liked to call most of the boys and men I’d ever brought around.
I yanked on my robe and ran from my room to see Tate and Aiden standing by the front door, their shirts off and tool belts slung around their hips. I stopped short at the sight of all that tanned skin slick with sweat. My mouth watered and my body heat instantly shot through the roof.
I must’ve made a noise because they both turned to face me at the same time. I clutched my robe tight and spotted the alien dick on the floor between us as I dropped my eyes away from their chests. Panic seized me and I jerked into action. I all but dove on top of the dildo and rushed to push the trash down where the others were. Tying the bag off quickly, I pulled it out of the can and held it without really knowing what to do next. I’d have to go past Tate and Aiden to get the bag out of the house.
Tate walked over and took the bag. “Good morning, Eve. I’ll toss this for you.”
I squeaked out an answer as I backed away. “Morning. Morning. I’m just going to… I should get dressed.”
I could hear their chuckles as I ran back to my room and locked myself inside. Feeling wildly underdressed to be anywhere near the guys, despite that being how I seemed to spend most of my time around them, I quickly pulled clothes on. Then, because I didn’t know what else to do with myself, I grabbed my laptop and held it over my chest like a shield. If I pretended to be working, maybe I wouldn’t be expected to interact with them.
It wasn’t until I tip-toed out of my room and sat at the kitchen island that I considered the idea of staying in my room for good. I glanced back over at my door, thinking it would be better to hide. Before I could move, though, a shadow fell over me and I looked up to see Nash standing next to me.
I gasped and made eye contact with the wide expanse of bare chest looming next to me. I got a little dizzy as I tried to take in all of his tattoos at once. His body was covered and I desperately wanted to inspect each swatch of dark ink.
I realized I was staring and forced myself to keep looking higher, until I met his dark eyes. He looked so intensely focused on me and I felt my face darken. “Um… H-hi. Hi.”
Nash flashed a smile that didn’t exactly look comfortable on his handsome face. “How are you feeling?”
My face blazed even hotter. “I’m fine!”
I dropped my laptop on the counter a little too hard and winced before wrenching it open. I poised my fingers over the keys and pretended to type.
“I’ll let you work. We’ll try not to be too loud.” His eyes crinkled and it looked like he was trying not to laugh at me. “We want to get the door fixed before Sheriff Hank gets back. Figured you wouldn’t want to answer any questions about the door being broken.”
My shoulders relaxed marginally. “I hadn’t even thought of that. Thank you.”
He nodded and backed away. “Let me know if it’s going to be too hard to work in here. You could go over to our cabin if you need.”
I shook my head hard. Go into their space? Not a chance in hell. “It’ll be fine.”
He stared at me for another few seconds and then turned back to their work. Even without him standing next to me, I couldn’t focus. I opened the novel I was editing and tapped around the document while stealing covert glances at the men working half naked just a dozen feet away from me.
Something about my accidental sighs and hundred-yard-stare when I looked at my computer tipped Aiden off to the fact I wasn’t getting anything done. He stood on the opposite side of the island and raised his eyebrows at me. “What do you do for work? Sheriff Hank said something about raunchy novels but never would elaborate.”
I gasped. “He did not!”
His lips lifted in a slow grin. “So, you don’t work with raunchy novels?”
I grunted, offended for my writers. “They’re not raunchy novels. They’re romance novels. Some of them are heavier on the sex, but they’re great novels filled with heart.”
He nodded to my laptop. “Are you working on one right now?”
I sat up straighter and nodded. “I am.”
Walking around the counter, Aiden positioned himself behind me and looked over my shoulder at the screen. His warmth spread over my back and his arm brushed against mine as he reached around me to scroll down on the document. “Huh.”
I froze, feeling awkward and vulnerable. “What?
He shifted around me so he was leaning on the counter, facing me. “Nothing. Did you write that?”
I shook my head. “I’m an editor. I work for a publishing house back in Chicago.”
He licked his lips and looked down at his feet. “What did you think about that part on the screen? When, who I’m assuming is the main guy, just tells the girl he wants to go out with some random guy?”
Frowning, I read over the words on the screen and sat back once I was finished. “I think Steel is being patient with Ana. He’s giving her time to figure out what she really wants.”
“So, he’s just sending her out to let some random man make moves on her? Is this Steel guy not a strong character?”
I narrowed my eyes at him, able to overlook his looks for the first time. “He’s not sending her anywhere. She chose to go out. What do you think he should do? Refuse to let her do what she wants? And Steel is a very strong character. He’s a total alpha.”
Aiden smirked and shook his head. “I think he should throw her over his shoulder and make the effort to show her why she should never want to go out with another man. If he really wants her, anyway.”
Annoyance bit at me. “He’s not a caveman!”
“Maybe he’s just not that into her.”
I stood up and put my hands on my hips. “He’s really into her. He loves her. He’s just intelligent enough to understand you can’t force a woman into being with you. We’re sentient beings, Aiden , and we can make our own choices.”
He looked so casual leaning against the counter behind him, like he knew he belonged there or something. “Of course, you can make your own choices. But if Ana is going to try to date other men, she might need help making the right choice.”
I stomped my foot and slammed the laptop shut. “You’re wrong.”
He trailed along behind me when I moved toward my bedroom. “Or I’m not. Maybe it’s Ana who’s wrong. Or Steel. Either way. Trust me, Eve, when a man wants a woman, he doesn’t just sit back and watch her slip away. He acts.”
I spun around and stared up at him, my mind warring with my body. I wasn’t even sure why I was arguing with him. I didn’t usually bother. He was making me furious, though. Without meaning to, I growled at him, doing my best to put all of my frustration in that one sound.
Aiden backed me into my door and braced his hands on either side of my head. “That was cute. Now let me show you a real growl.”