Chapter 36
Andilyn
I’m sitting at the guys’ kitchen island, cutting out coupons from this week’s sales paper, when Colsen walks in from work, covered head to toe in sawdust and sweat.
There’s something about a man who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.
I can vividly picture what his calloused fingers would feel like ghosting across my skin, the way his scruffy beard would leave behind the evidence of where he’d been.
“Andi?” Col questions, his brows drawn together in worry.
“Huh?” I blink past the lusty haze clouding my head, surprised to see him standing so close.
“I said your name several times, and you didn’t respond. Are you feeling okay?” Col places the back of his hand against my forehead, the scent of him, all man and outdoors, short-circuiting my senses. From the living room, I can hear Briggs snort in amusement.
“Fine!” I rush to say, standing on wobbly legs, if for no other reason than to force my thoughts into submission and put some distance between us. “How was work?”
“Same old, same old,” Colsen retorts, eyeing me suspiciously. “Where’s Hudson?”
“Down for a nap,” Briggs responds, a shit-eating grin stretching across his face as he folds his arms and leans against the kitchen counter, content to watch my flustered rambling.
“Is there anything you want me to get started on for dinner?” I offer. It’s the second Friday of the month, which means the whole gang will be here in the next couple of hours.
“Actually, I was thinking we’d order in tonight. Pizza sound good to you?” Col asks, looking between Briggs and me.
“Sounds great!” I busy myself with cleaning up the slight mess I’ve made, gathering the coupons I clipped into a neat stack before fastening them with a paperclip. Later this evening, I’d like to borrow one of the guys’ laptops and see if there are any manufacturer deals worth stacking.
“Alright, then.” Col rocks his head from side to side, cracking his neck to relieve the stress of a long workday. “I’m going to grab a shower before everyone gets here.”
“Take your time. Maybe relieve some more of that tension that’s stringing you tight,” Briggs jokes, the innuendo falling flat when it fails to get a rise out of either of us.
Once Col is gone, I glare at Briggs for meddling, but he simply blows me a kiss and heads toward the balcony that leads to the rooftop terrace.
When I finally woke from the best nap of my life earlier, it took me an embarrassing amount of time to work up the courage to leave the bedroom.
I was scared of Briggs’ reaction, while also being ashamed that I got so carried away with Raiden that I didn’t stop to think about anyone else.
There’s more than just my feelings involved in this intricate labyrinth we’ve gotten ourselves lost in.
It’s not fair of me to continue escalating our relationships when not everyone is aware of what’s been going on behind closed doors.
I had sex with someone who wasn’t Tobias, and a small part of me wonders if I should feel some type of way about that.
Because I don’t. It should’ve been a pivotal moment that marked another notch in my moving-on column, but truthfully, Tobias didn’t grace my thoughts for a single second.
Raiden monopolized every ounce of my attention, leaving no room for anything outside of him.
In fact, he fucked me so thoroughly that I confessed to loving him.
I didn’t think I’d ever say those words to a man again, but the four of them have completely altered my poor opinion of the male species.
Good men do exist; they just aren’t easy to come by.
Is eight months long enough to fall in love?
It’s been less than two since we’ve become a part of each other’s day-to-day lives, in the flesh and not speaking through a phone, and we’ve already slept together.
But our relationship didn’t become what it is now overnight.
We formed a friendship first, and I spent seven months getting to know everything I could about all three of them.
By today’s standards, we’ve taken things at a snail’s pace when it comes to the physical aspect.
Briggs, on the other hand, was a complete surprise, and to say he snuck up on me would be an understatement.
That day he stumbled into Raiden’s apartment, fresh off a bender and reeking of booze, I never would have imagined he’d be the first one I’d cross that line with.
I didn’t think we’d cross it at all. Dayton might have kissed me before that, but there was still a chance of altering the shift we were rapidly heading towards.
But what Briggs and I did at Covery effectively ruined any possibility of pretending our relationships hadn’t evolved, and it still surprises me that he was the one I took the leap with.
Briggs was the antithesis of everything I needed at such a precarious point in my life–flaky and unreliable, flighty when it suited him, showing no regard for others, and to some extent, an addict.
But I’m overjoyed to have been proven wrong about him.
He forced his way in, not giving me a chance to write him off before revealing the amazing man hidden beneath the protective layers encasing who he truly is.
I recognize his indifference for what it is: a shield to keep his heart intact, because it’s obviously been eviscerated once.
And when you’ve already endured the kind of pain that’s so destructive it changes your brain chemistry, you learn to guard yourself by any means necessary.
“Briggs!” Col shouts from the upper level. “Can you bring me a towel, please?”
Shit. I glance towards the balcony, but Briggs is nowhere in sight.
He likely went to the rooftop to get some fresh air and peace and quiet after entertaining Hudson for half the day.
Glancing at the couch, I spot the neatly folded towels that are freshly laundered, then glance at the stairs in contemplation.
Quit making things weird, Andi. I grab one from the stack and carefully navigate the floating wood steps.
Visibility of my feet is growing scarcer by the day, so I take my time, only slightly out of breath when I make it to the top.
I’ve never ventured to the second floor of their apartment, since I haven’t had a reason to.
I’m clueless as to where I’m supposed to be going, but the steam venting out from the partially opened door is a good place to start.
My steps are light as I pad down the hallway, glancing around curiously.
I pass a room on the right that looks suspiciously like Dayton’s, based on the football paraphernalia, and it takes everything in me not to stop and snoop around.
I’m hungry for every bit of information I can glean about these guys, but especially Briggs.
He’s the one I know least about, but I fear my poking around his room wouldn’t go over very well.
“Col?” Right as I reach the bathroom and call out his name, the door is yanked open, revealing a very naked man.
“Briggs! Hurry the hell up, it’s fucking freezing,” Colsen shouts, not bothering to look in the direction that he’s yelling the order.
He’s scrubbing a hand towel through his dripping wet hair, trying to ward off the chill as best he can.
With his face partly obscured, he has no idea I’m standing just a few feet away, getting a very thorough look at the rest of him.
If God does exist, Colsen Wilder is one of his favorites.
The years he’s spent working such a physically laborious job have done wonders for his physique.
His abdominal muscles are chiseled to perfection, his ass delectably taut.
My head tilts to the side, catching a glimpse of his cock.
A noise must escape me, because my perusal is cut short when Col curses and uses the tiny piece of fabric to cover his junk.
“Shit,” he swears. “I had no idea you were there, Andi.” His cheeks are bright red, and something about this viral man blushing makes my panties damp.
“Sorry!” I rush to apologize, throwing my free hand over my eyes while holding out his requested towel with the other.
I’m such a fucking pervert. It’s not okay to take my fill of him when he’s completely unaware.
“Briggs stepped out for a few minutes, so I thought I’d bring you this.
” I shake the towel, realizing he still hasn’t taken it.
“Col?” I voice hesitantly, worried I’ve upset him.
“I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to be a creep. I’d blame it on the pregnancy hormones, but they're only partly to blame. You’re kind of gorgeous, if you haven’t noticed.
Like, Greek god level attractive. That doesn’t mean it’s okay for me to treat you like a piece of meat, though.
So again, I’m sorry,” I blubber, reduced to juvenile excuses from how off-kilter he makes me feel.
“Sunshine?” Col interrupts my rambling.
“Yes?” I squeak, peeking through a slit in my fingers.
“Would it make you happy to take your fill of my naked body?” he questions calmly.
When I simply stand there, shifting from foot to foot, unsure of how to answer that, he steps forward and peels my hand away.
I’m met with his gorgeous green eyes staring back at me, not a hint of anger in sight.
“Would it?” he repeats, my gaze tracing his plump lips as they form every word.
“Yes,” I whisper, my heart racing a mile a minute.
“Good girl,” Col praises, stepping back several paces so all of him fills my vision.