Adley

He cooked the most delicious steak I've ever had. I didn't tell him that because it would go straight to his head. The wine was exquisite too as were the baby potatoes and salad. The man has serious culinary talent. I already knew this from watching him in the kitchen at Ellie's. He's not against putting on an apron, rolling up his sleeves and getting dirty.

Dirty.

My mind flits back to a time when Ellie and I ran into a woman in a deli. Ellie was talking to her about Nolan while I was eavesdropping and I heard her mention how she'd fucked Crew in a photo booth in Times Square. She said it was the dirtiest sex she's ever had.

"Ad?"

I look at where his hand is perched in the air, holding the wine bottle. "Do you want more?"

I nod. "Sure, why not?"

He pours another quarter glass for me before he does the same for himself. "Where did you wander off to? You had a faraway look in your eyes."

I don't want to talk about his past sexual escapades in the heart of New York City, so I opt for something neutral. "Has your family always owned this house?"

"For as long as I can remember." His jaw tightens. I've become versed in the various ways Crew reacts when I bring up his family.

The only one I've ever seen him interact with is his younger sister, Lark. They're close. His two brothers and parents fall outside his inner circle, although he does see Kade for lunch at least a couple of times a month. I know that from Kade's confessional during our dinner.

He didn't go into too much detail about the inner workings of the dysfunctional Benton clan. He was cryptic about what had happened that pushed Crew to work at Matiz instead of at Benton Holdings, the family business.

I questioned Crew about it once, but he shot me a look that had enough force behind it to make my head spin.

"Do you want to go sit on the deck? We can listen to the ocean," he says huskily.

That's a tactile way to shut down a conversation he doesn’t want to have about his family. I don't push because talking about mine isn't on the top of my to-do list either.

I stand in response, but not before he does. He pulls back the dining room chair and offers his hand. I take it because there's no reason why I can't touch him the way I always have.

My body would win an argument against that. The energy that flows between us when our skin meets is electric. I don't pull back though. I have to learn how to handle this if we're going to have any chance of salvaging our friendship.

"I'm glad you came up here, Ad." He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear the way he always does. It feels anything but ordinary tonight.

I'm not sure if I'm glad I made the trip yet. We're four hours in and we still have three nights and just as many days to get through. I need to make it out of this house with my heart in one piece and my friendship with him still intact.

"Take me to hear the ocean, Crew."

"Your wish is my command." He wraps my hand around his forearm and leads me to a set of glass double doors near the back of the kitchen.

When he opens them, the salty evening air, the sound of the ocean and his touch make me feel like I'm exactly where I need to be.

***

Last night went just as I thought it would. Crew and I sat on the deck outside and listened to the ocean before he had a call that tore him away. He hustled into the kitchen, closing the glass doors behind him and as I watched his hand fist around the edge of the granite countertop, I knew that it was time for me to call it a night.

When I walked into the house he pushed his phone against his chest to shutter our voices from whoever he'd been talking to. With a quick goodnight and an empty smile, he headed to the opposite side of the house where I assume he's still asleep.

A sliver of unfiltered light crept through a crack where the dark, heavy curtains in my room meet.  It was enough to wake me from a full night's sleep. I haven't had that in months, maybe longer, and when I stretched out on the King size bed and listened carefully, the only things I could hear were birds chirping and the ocean.

Coffee was what I craved so I went into the kitchen and used the French press and roasted beans to make myself a cup. A bowl of fresh berries and a scone were all I needed to enjoy a breakfast in solace on the deck off the kitchen.

Bill wasn't kidding when he said this place is the opposite of the city.

I'm in the main room now, looking over the selection of books that line the shelves that frame the fireplace. There are novels here that my mom would love to read. I take two pictures with my phone, so I can show her the next time I see her. Sending her any images from here would only result in a deluge of questions that I don't want to answer.

"Don't tell me that you've already had breakfast."

I turn to where Crew is standing at the open door to the deck. He's only wearing white board shorts. His entire body is peppered with moisture, his hair wet and stuck to the sides of his face.

The man is breathtaking.

"Fruit and coffee." I shrug with a smile. "Were you swimming?"

"There's no gym here." He pads across the hardwood floor with his bare feet. "I hit the pool to do a few laps. A few turned into more."

I admire his drive to push his body to its limits constantly. My work-outs are restricted to the time I spend on the sidewalks of Manhattan walking my way to a fatter wallet. Transportation isn't cheap in the city and my legs are more than capable of getting me from point A to point B the majority of the time.

He scoops up a large white towel that was strung over the back of one of the chairs near the bookcase. I watch as he dabs it against his chest before rubbing it briskly over his hair. When he's done he looks even more devilishly handsome than he did when he first walked in.

"I have a conference call in fifteen minutes."

I should be surprised since it's Saturday, but I know that he's picked up the slack for Nolan since he married Ellie. Every Matiz location is open for business today which means Crew is the man to call if something doesn’t go right. Delegation is not his strong suit.

"I think I'll sit on the deck and read." I point to the elaborate display of books. "These are real, right? They're not just covers set there to impress."

He huffs out a hearty laugh. "My mom would drop dead if she heard you asking that. Many of those books are first editions signed by the author."

I want to ask what the hell they're doing out here in nowhere land instead of in a glass case in the apartment his parents live in, but I just smile. I don't understand wealth. I've never had it and from where I'm standing it might offer an easier life in terms of worry, but it comes with the burden of expectation and stress. I have enough of that on my own small scale. Adding more money than I will ever need to that equation isn't appealing in the least to me.

"I'll take you down to the beach once I'm done." He reaches to scratch his knee, his bicep flexing with the motion. 

Why did I think this weekend was a good idea?

I don't know if he's trying to tempt me, but regardless it's working. I vowed I'd stick by my decision to keep things platonic between us, but he's not making it any easier.

"Good luck with that call," I say trying to keep my eyes on his face.

He knows I'm struggling. I see that in his soft smile and the cock of one of his dark brows. "Good luck with concentrating on your book, Adley."

Ass.

I try to look away when he turns to go back into the other wing of the house. I can't resist. He's gorgeous from every angle.

I'm less than twenty-four hours in and my inner strength is about to wave a white flag of surrender. I pick the first book my hand lands on and I head out to the deck with a mind full of dirty thoughts and an ache between my legs.