Chapter Twenty-Four RUSSELL
Chapter Twenty-Four
RUSSELL
I was in the middle of checking on the chicken I was roasting when I heard the door open. As soon as I heard footsteps entering the kitchen, awareness sizzled up my spine, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood.
Paisley was carrying a giant box, and I hurried to take it from her. “Why’d you carry that in? It’s too big for you,” I scolded as I slid it on the counter.
Her cheeks were pink from the cool air as she shook her arms out. “I overestimated the length of my arms, but I got it in here.”
I looked down at her arms and smiled. “They're not as long as mine.”
“No shit,” she teased.
“I'll help you unload,” I said, following her when she turned to walk out again.
I was stepping into a pair of boots by the door as she answered, “You don't have to.”
“Already on the way.”
I was wearing a short-sleeve T-shirt over my jeans, and I shivered the second I stepped outside. We were deep into fall, which meant chilly evenings with early sunsets. The temperature tended to drop fast once the sun disappeared from the sky.
“How’d your shopping trip go?” I asked when we stopped at the back of her car.
I immediately reached for another large box. Paisley shrugged when I glanced her way. “It was a shopping trip. I went grocery shopping, and Phoebe and Susannah took me to a little café, and I got a salmon burger. They were out of halibut, though.”
“Ah, halibut’s good. I should make some. Have you had fresh halibut?”
She shook her head when she reached for the door with her free hand. She was carrying a smaller box and held it open for me while I walked through. “I haven't. Tell me what you do with halibut.”
We set the boxes down on the counter and started putting away the groceries. “We have plenty of options. A local favorite is halibut tacos.”
Paisley's eyes brightened. “I love tacos.”
“That's what we're having for dinner tomorrow night then.”
When she looked up at me with her pretty jade eyes and pink freckled cheeks, I wanted to kiss her, so I did. Her lips were cool but warmed instantly as soon as they met mine.
I couldn’t resist a quick glide of my tongue against hers before straightening. Her cheeks were even pinker now.
“Well, hello,” she murmured.
I grinned. “It’s good to see you.”
After I finished helping her unload the groceries, she poured a glass of wine and sat down on a stool across from me while I finished getting dinner ready. When I pulled the roast chicken out of the oven, she exclaimed, “Oh, wow, you made one of those yourself!”
“It’s not that hard, I swear.”
“It seems like it.”
“I’d offer to teach you to roast a chicken, but I’m thinking you wouldn’t go for it.”
She shrugged. “I don’t think cooking is for me.”
“It’s just a matter of learning.”
She eyed me skeptically and took a long swallow of her wine. “I enjoy having you cook for me. You’re such a manly man.”
“Should I get an apron?” I teased.
“Maybe.”
After we finished eating, the blasted phone rang again, and I suddenly recalled her brother’s message. “Your brother wanted me to let you know he called.”
Our relaxed evening dissipated. It felt as if a cold wind blew through the room.
“Oh. When did he call?”
“Not long after you left.”
I wanted her to talk about whatever weirdness was going on with him, but I didn’t want to push.
“He told me to keep an eye on you,” I added.
While he had said that, as soon as I relayed it, guilt jabbed me.
I was frustrated she wouldn’t explain, which confused me because she didn't owe me anything. We’d said “no strings.”
Yet I thought we were at least friends, even though I knew I felt a lot more than friendly toward her. My heart felt a little achy, and I ignored it.
Paisley took another swallow of her wine. “He likes to play the big-brother role now and then,” she finally said.
“Can I ask you something?” As soon as my question slipped out, I bit back a curse. Asking anything was probably going to annoy her.
She surprised me, though. “Go for it.”
“Why doesn't your brother call your cell phone? I mean, it's kind of a miracle we even have a landline here. Do you even know the number?”
Paisley leaned her head back and let out a sigh, shaking her head back and forth as she lifted it and met my eyes again.
“No, I don't. I know you want to know what's going on with my brother, but I promised him I wouldn't say anything to anyone.
He doesn't call my cell because I blocked him.
And if that doesn't tell you enough about how fucked up our relationship is, then I don't know what will.”
Worry twisted in my chest. “Are you okay? Should I be concerned?” Uneasiness slithered through me.
She shook her head quickly. “My brother's an idiot and made some poor choices.
I got caught in the middle between him and my parents, but that's not why I came here.
For anyone who likes to work outdoors, Alaska is a dream.
Coming here was definitely on my bucket list, but it was also convenient because I could get away from dealing with him.
You don't need to worry about me. I appreciate you passing on the messages for my brother.
I don't even know how he got this number.”
“I'm sure he looked it up. My parents used to rent this place out every summer, so the info’s available online.”
Paisley chewed on her bottom lip. Even though I was unsettled with how I felt about her and whatever the hell was going on with her brother, I was relieved.
I wished she’d tell me more, and it stung a little that she wouldn't tell me the whole story.
But at least she was honest enough to give me an outline of the situation.
Even with all of that spinning through my mind, when she bit her lip, my thoughts derailed. Fuck me. This woman was tapped into the heartbeat of my desire.
“I get it.” I heard myself saying, somehow managing to keep the conversation on track.
Paisley's eyes lifted to mine, a mix of uncertainty and guilt swirling there. Her brow furrowed slightly, and she kept worrying her bottom lip before she finally let it go.
I swallowed, feeling a strange tightness banding across my chest.
“You do?” she pressed.
“I think so. Obviously, I don't understand all the details, but I understand someone asking you to keep something private, and I respect that.”
The phone stopped ringing, and we both swiveled to look at it for a moment. “I should probably just unblock him on my cell phone,” she said.
“Maybe not. This is a way to have a break from him. When you're not here, you don't have to worry about unexpected calls.”
She smiled just a little. “That's why I blocked him.”
She took a shaky breath, letting it out before reaching over, catching my hand, and lacing her fingers with mine. I didn’t know when I’d walked around the counter to her, but there I was.
I stepped closer and lifted my free hand to palm her cheek.
Her eyes searched mine. “How are we doing on the no strings thing?”
“Ah, now that's a good question,” I returned. “I haven't had a chance to demonstrate that I'm not staring at your ass at work yet.”
Paisley burst out laughing. The sound of her throaty chuckle sizzled like lightning through my body.
Before I knew it, I was capturing the last of her laughter in a kiss and forgetting everything else.
As I fell asleep that night in her bed, I recalled her question about our “no strings” agreement.
It felt as if she had set tiny darts in my heart, each one tied to a string.
Fuck. I didn't know how to do this. I hadn't planned on falling for Paisley. I thought we'd have fun and stop arguing. We were having fun, and we weren't arguing, but it was getting complicated—fast.