Chapter One Hollis
Chapter One
Hollis
Two months later
What was it with this man and doorways? He was constantly standing in the middle of one whenever we faced off. In his defense, I had broken into his house and was sitting in his kitchen uninvited.
Reed kept the door propped open with his shoulder, a faint chill sneaking around him.
He let go of the leash, and I patted my jeaned thighs twice, giving Ranger permission to prop his paws on me. He bopped his face against me. His nose was cool and wet against mine, his fur carrying the faint smell of wet dog I wasn’t a fan of, but for him, I’d ignore it.
“Hey, boy.”
“That ‘hey, boy’ for him or me?”
He truly exemplified grumpy old man without the old part, and he seemed to enjoy owning that personality quirk.
“Both,” I teased, slowly lifting my eyes to find him still hovering, allowing the doorframe to cocoon all six-two of his muscular sexiness.
I unclipped Ranger’s leash, and he ran over to his water bowl for a drink.
“And you’re here because?” The low rumble of his voice matched the storm outside.
“I did warn you over our last text I’d be in town, didn’t I? I recall you were in need of a good eye roll. I’m here to help.”
The little crinkles around his eyes tightened as he stared at me. “So glad I have that to look forward to.”
“I knew you would be.” I sat back in the chair and gestured to the bottle of bourbon and the two glasses I had ready to go.
I knew he drank it neat like me, so no need for ice.
“I come bearing a gift.” I added two fingers of bourbon into both, and he let the door shut behind him and walked farther inside.
“Audrey’s not home, so I came here instead. ”
He dragged his fingers through his damp hair, giving himself a sexy just-showered look, then wiped his palms on the sides of his jeans. “Bourbon isn’t exactly her go-to, and she’s pregnant.”
“It was for Alex.” And he totally knew that.
“For what? Putting up with you?” He jutted his chin forward. “And did you just roll your eyes at me, ma’am?”
Why did I find his ma’am’ing me sexy instead of making me feel old? Also, that flash of teeth with a quick grin sent a shiver up my back.
I hadn’t been in a good mood before he opened that door, but within a matter of seconds, he had me forgetting all my stress.
I didn’t get how he calmed me, but it was becoming an addicting feeling, since this wasn’t the first or even fifth time his mere presence gave me peace.
I’d be lying if I said I’d only dropped into town to see my best friend.
I was myself around Audrey more than anyone else—well, until this man came along.
Whenever I hung out with either of them, I could be Hollis, girl next door.
Not Lady Celeste Hollis Avery Wyndham d’Aragon, heiress to a legacy cloaked in secrets and shadows.
“Cat got your tongue, darlin’?”
I blinked my way up from my glass to the man who’d now darlin’ed me out of nowhere.
Perhaps parallel universes were real and I’d tripped into one.
Because no, Mr. Tough Guy never used terms of endearment toward me unless he meant them as an insult, like with ma’am.
Nor did he let his accent slip through when talking to me—not ever.
I may have done my research on him back in February, along with digging into the backgrounds of the rest of his teammates at Delta Shield.
Not to be nosy and invasive (mostly not), but to ensure they were safe, since they were new to Audrey’s life.
She’d only learned she had a half brother at Thanksgiving, so I had no choice but to protect her.
“On second thought,” Reed continued since the proverbial cat still had my tongue, “I like you this way. Stay quiet. It works for you.”
Ranger came over and curled up on top of my feet beneath the table.
I nudged the second glass Reed’s way, and he glared at me as if I’d asked him to play a game of Russian roulette.
“This B and E habit of yours is starting to concern me,” he added wryly. He took a seat, stretching out one long leg, trying to pull off casual, when it was clear the man was anything but comfortable in my presence.
“I’m sure that’s the least offensive thing you find about me.”
The side of his mouth hitched at my words, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he brought the lip of the glass to his nose and inhaled.
The bourbon caught the kitchen light as I raised my own glass, a swirl of amber and oak that smelled like old wood and quiet nights. The scent alone nearly tugged me backward in time.
“This will be the most expensive thing I’ve ever had in my mouth.”
That was almost too easy for me to make a joke, so I held off and stole a quick look toward his living room, remembering the last time I broke in and went through his books, and now . . .
“Pappy Van Winkle’s Twenty-Year Family Reserve,” he said on a sigh. “Damn, this is good.”
I set down the glass and cupped it with both hands, resting my forearms on the table. “My grandfather used to drink this brand,” I said somberly. “I called him Pappy because of it.”
Memories flooded in like smoke under a door. My grandfather’s manor smelling of leather and peat, his voice as warm as the heat from a hearth fire.
“Pappy, why’d you decide to adopt a son? Because Mum had already moved out and Nanna died? Were you lonely?”
My grandfather had slid the book he’d been holding back onto the shelf and turned toward me while removing his glasses. “He needed someone to take care of him, and he’s our family now.”
“You doin’ okay?” Reed’s words blindsided me, rougher and more sincere than I’d ever heard from him, drawing me out of the past.
I opened my eyes, lifted my glass as a shield, and forced my mouth into a smile before he could see through the cracks and discover there was more than one layer to me.
“I’m fine.” I tossed back my drink, letting it burn my throat and chest, then added more bourbon to the glass.
He didn’t call me out on my obvious lie. I rarely let my mask slip and fall like I’d nearly done now.
Instead of pressing me to talk, which wouldn’t be like him to do anyway, we sat in silence and drank. Just us, the ticking of a wall clock, and the slight breathy sounds from Ranger filling the space.
It wasn’t until my phone vibrated that I finally spoke. “It’s Audrey.”
Audrey: I’m home and Chase is asleep. Where are ya?
Me: At the Grump’s house.
Audrey: That’s your SUV I saw when I drove by? I got my hopes up he was finally on a date or something.
Audrey: Unless you’re his date?
I looked over my phone at him. He was skimming his index finger around the rim of his glass, his eyes set on the bourbon and not me.
Me: Definitely not. I’ll be over shortly.
Audrey: Take your time.
I started to put away my phone when a notification buzzed. My spine went stiff at the message, even if it was the news I’d been waiting on for days.
Nothing I could do about what I’d just now learned, so I did my best to shove my emotions into the Do Not Disturb box where I usually kept them.
Maybe I’d steal one more drink with him before heading to Audrey’s to act like my world wasn’t about to spin off its axis this coming week.
I leaned forward to stow my phone in my back pocket, and I couldn’t help but clock Reed’s dark eyes journeying over my body for a brief moment.
He sipped his drink, acting indifferent, as if I hadn’t caught him checking me out in my fitted white tee. “Are you finally leaving?”
“Nope.” I refilled our glasses. “You’re not done with me yet.”