Chapter 15
Rhodes
Sage tucked a curl behind her ear, and I was tempted to step closer and move it back so it would fall with all the others in the chaos of her hair.
In this light, all those freckles stood out, dotted across her cheeks like the stars.
I liked them more than I should. She wasn’t the kind of woman I would usually go for—actually, quite the opposite, with the red hair and how curvy she was.
Even before Catherine, I’d always gone for women who were blonde and model thin.
Over the years, I’d realized how artificial most of them were, and the way they’d never eat so they could stay that way.
Like Opal mentioned… the tiny plates. Those women paid a steep price for those bodies, and I understood the constant pressure driving at them from all sides, but I didn’t like it.
More than that, I’d found myself turned off, and after Catherine and I had married. Well … that was its own disaster.
Sage’s soft green eyes looked up at me in question, and she shoved at her hair again. This time, it bounced back on its own, and she huffed in slight irritation.
“Can I get your contact information? Or can you send me yours?” It would be easy to get her info from Wade, but I’d rather deal with her directly.
“Um.” She slipped her hand into her back pocket. “Sure. What’s your number?” She opened her contacts and swiped through them as she concentrated. I chuckled at how she was biting her lip before she looked back up at me. “Go ahead.”
She entered everything, then added ‘Colossus’ as the contact name as I peered over, reading upside down. “Perfect.” She smirked at me.
“What’s with the tall people shame?” I grumbled, as if it bothered me. It didn’t. If anything, it made me feel strangely like I belonged. The Holts all gave each other shit in a loving, teasing way. This was their jam.
“It’s an overall effect.” She waved at me. “You know. Giant, Sasquatch, Yeti.” She squinted. “There’s a theme.”
“I’m going to get a complex. Maybe I’ll start calling you shrimp or tiny.” I scowled at her, but I didn’t really mind the teasing. Compared to her, I supposed I was pretty big. “Or … Tiger or Grasshopper.”
“You’re not calling me any of those things.” She frowned at me, but I just smiled. “No nicknames.”
I took a quick glance over my shoulder at the truck. Opal had dug out another piece of pizza from the box. She gave me a little wave, completely content with hanging out in her booster, swinging her legs. “I was wondering if I could hire you to work on a plan for the greenhouses?”
“Really? I would love that.” Joy lit over her face, and she lunged toward me, her arms wrapping around my waist, hugging me to her.
Tucking an arm around her waist was automatic, and there was no stopping my cock twitching to life in my jeans, but I didn’t shift away.
Instead, I let my hand rest just at the bottom of her spine, where it curved to her ass, and I just knew there could be dimples.
Widening my palm, I flexed it just enough so she tilted her face to mine.
The sound of her breath sucking in was audible in the quiet of the parking lot.
For just a moment, I allowed myself to enjoy the softness of her curves against me, the way her scent of strawberries and flowers bloomed from her hair, before I set her away from me.
The last thing I needed was to grind against her with Opal sitting there.
But hell … if my daughter hadn’t been there, Sage would have found herself backed up against that van in a heartbeat.
“I have all sorts of ideas.” The words were mumbled into my chest. “But you don’t have to pay me or anything.” She cleared her throat awkwardly. “Sorry.” Those freckles almost disappeared in the blood that had rushed to her cheeks.
“That’s alright. Not like I minded.” Even to me, I sounded grumpy.
I looked away for a moment, knowing she was embarrassed, but I also wanted to press her right back where she had been.
Unfortunately, I had all sorts of ideas too, none of which were PG-13 parking-lot rated.
“I’m glad you’re willing to help. I’m out of my depth.
” The effort it took to keep my voice even was monumental, and I wanted to adjust myself, but I didn’t.
“Absolutely. I’ll send those plans to you right away. Thanks again for dinner. Toodles.” The words sounded overly bright. She’d already turned away from me, her hand on the door of her van as if she couldn’t get away fast enough.
“Wait! The man inside. Alan?” She cringed a little. “Is there anything I should know? Has he been bothering you?”
“I can take care of myself. Alan is fine. Maybe a little … different?”
“If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
Watching her drive away made me feel uneasy, but I hadn’t even asked her out on a date yet.
It was my plan, but I needed to get Opal settled in town first. She was gone before I could say anything else, and I was turning back to Opal, taking a deep breath, trying to calm my libido down.
I wasn’t some teenager, for fuck’s sake.