Chapter Sixteen
Lennon
I spend the afternoon helping Wade and a couple of his guys build a floating pier for one of his clients that lives on the Intracoastal Waterway. It feels good to put in a hard day’s work. Afterward, we go to Whiskey Joe’s to grab food, and Wade makes his case for me to buy in as a partner in his company.
“Lusk Harraway Construction has a nice ring to it,” he says as he takes a swig from his beer bottle.
“It does,” I admit.
“And I’m sure I can talk Eden into giving you a great deal to rent her house until you are ready to buy or build,” he adds, sweetening the pot.
I concentrate on the cold amber bottle I’m twirling in my hand.
He chuckles.
“Look, I’m not gonna try to talk you into it. I just want you to know you have options. Damn good ones.”
I nod. “I appreciate that. It’s a lot to think about.”
“Take your time.”
Our waitress, Heather, sets a basket of hot wings and a stack of napkins in front of us.
“So, how did things go last night?” he asks as he grabs a wing.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“What do you mean, what do I mean? With Amiya, jackass.”
I sit back in my chair and glare at him.
“Don’t give me that look. You were the one who sat on my deck and gave me shit last summer for not telling you about Eden.”
“Eden was your girlfriend,” I point out.
“Not at that moment she wasn’t. Besides, who’s to say Amiya won’t end up as yours?”
“Logic.”
He laughs. “It’s funny you think logic has anything to do with it. Eden and I made zero sense, but I couldn’t stay away. That’s how it starts.”
“What, you get a girlfriend, and suddenly, you’re the expert on love?”
He grins. “I’m an expert on you, and she’s under your skin.”
Fuck, she is.
“My advice? Don’t take as long to figure your shit out as I did. It’s just needless torture.”
“Okay, Mom,” I quip as I raise my bottle to get Heather’s attention for another round of drinks.
The house is quiet, but I know Amiya’s here because her keys and phone are sitting on the island.
We didn’t get a chance to talk this morning before Avie and Eden carted her off for the day. I’m anxious to see where her head is about what happened last night, so I walk down the hall to her bedroom and knock.
“Yes?”
“Hey, just wondered if you had a minute to talk,” I say through the door.
“One sec,” she calls.
I make my way back to the kitchen for a bottle of water, then move to the living room and grab the remote. I click through the channels till I find a hockey game and settle in.
When she finally emerges, she breezes past the couch, and I turn to look at her over my shoulder. She stops at the island and picks up her keys and phone, shoving them into a beaded purse.
“You look like you’re heading out to find some trouble,” I say as I stand.
My gaze falls to her long, toned legs peeking out from beneath the hem of the sexy, little, one-shouldered black dress that clings to her curves and leaves little to the imagination. I follow the sight down to her feet, tucked into a pair of gold stilettos with delicate straps that crisscross around her ankles. Her blonde locks are pinned up loosely with soft tendrils hanging down around her cheekbones, framing her face. The tips of her toes match the deep red on her fingernails and the stain on her lips.
Her lips.
My eyes snap to those full, soft, kissable lips just as her teeth sink into the bottom one.
“You like?” she asks as she does a slow, seductive twirl.
I set my drink aside and walk measuredly toward her.
She’s fucking radiant.
“Not sure what you’re selling tonight, Legs, but the packaging is dynamite,” I answer.
The corner of her mouth curls up at the compliment, bringing my attention back to her lips.
Her makeup is light, apart from the red hue on her lips. Simple diamond studs adorn her ears. I fight the urge to reach into her hair and tug her head back so I can nip at those earlobes.
“Rein it in, Sailor,” she purrs, reading my thoughts.
“I’m just admiring the view, seeing as you manicured it so well for me,” I state.
She laughs. It’s a low, throaty laugh, meant to disguise her insecurity.
“Not for you. For all the beautiful men waiting for me and the girls at the bar.”
“Oh, those assholes,” I say as I advance on her.
She takes a few small steps back until her shoulders rest against the front door.
“They can look all they want, but I’ll be the one unwrapping the package later tonight,” I whisper against her ear.
“Awfully cocky, Sailor,” she quips, but the catch in her voice lets me know that she intends to let me do exactly that.
“Not cocky. Confident. There won’t be a boy in that bar tonight worthy of having those legs wrapped around him.”
“And you think you’re worthy?” she asks as she leans back, her eyes shining up at mine.
She snakes her arms around my neck, leaning into me. Memories of the night before flood my mind.
“Those three orgasms you had while screaming my name last night say I am.”
“Two. The first one doesn’t count because I already had that one locked and loaded before you joined the party.”
“Oh, it counts, sweetheart, because it was my name you were moaning while your fingers were buried inside you. I bet you’re wet right now, just thinking about it.”
A shiver runs through her at my words.
Words dripping with promise. But before she can compose herself enough to spout off a retort, a hard knock vibrates against the door.
Her body slumps in response.
“That’s my ride,” she murmurs, disappointment heavy in her tone.
I feed my arm around her back to grab the doorknob. The movement brings her in closer to me, and I drop my head to press a kiss to the pulse point on her neck.
“I’ll see you later, Legs,” I whisper against her skin before turning the handle and opening the door to Avie and her cousins standing on the deck.
Amiya takes a shuddering breath and turns to face them. “Just a minute. I have to grab my bag.”
She sprints back to the island and fetches the beaded purse. Then sashays past me, giving me a mischievous grin before wiggling her fingers goodbye in my face. “See you later, Sailor.”
She joins the girls, throwing her arms in the air, she shouts, “Ready to get this party started, bitches?” before enclosing them in a tight embrace.
They verbalize their agreement, and I watch as the four of them hobble down the wooden steps in their ridiculous shoes in anticipation of an unforgettable evening.
I hope they have just that.
I watch until they have all piled into Wade’s waiting truck. Then I head back inside to prepare for my hot date with my brother and the cutest five-year-old on the planet. But I can’t help but look forward to the end of the evening when Amiya prances her sexy ass back through the door.
She has me in a vise. Like cotton candy spinning itself around a paper cone.
I shake my head.
Cotton candy? More like a spiderweb and I’m her willing prey.