THE SOUND OF her laugh sends the blood in my veins straight to my dick—every damn time. We spend an hour at the dining room table eating pizza, everyone but me drinking beer, and all of us listening to Jill tell stories about Corie when the two of them were younger. Hearing them reminds me of where I come from, what I’ve lost, and what I’m sure I’ll never have. Watching both of them reminds me of what I want—what I’m not stupid enough to hope for—and what guys like Ashley have. Not because he’s talented, famous, or rich, but because he’s a kind and humble man who comes from a good home. It’s why I like him. He’s my employer, he’s my responsibility—but he’s also my friend. The only true friend I have. He’s the good that’s been afforded to me in this life, and I don’t take that for granted.
When Corie suggests that we start a movie before it gets too late, Frank announces that he’s going to head back to the guest house. As soon as the words come out of his mouth, I sense Jill’s eyes on me. Snapping my gaze in her direction, I watch as her cheeks blush before she looks away.
“Um,” she starts to speak, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “Are you leaving, too? I mean, Ashley could give me a ride over if you guys took the cart, right?” she asks, looking to Ashley for confirmation.
“Absolutely. We’ll get you back, darlin’, one way or another.”
“At least let me frost a couple of the cupcakes for you,” Corie insists, making her way into the adjoining kitchen.
Her cupcakes came out of the oven just as the pizza arrived. I’m not sure what kind she made, but it doesn’t matter. Those things are addicting, and I’ll eat whatever flavor she whips up. With her treats on tonight’s menu, I’ve already scheduled a morning run for tomorrow.
“Hell, yes,” says Frank as he follows after her.
“I’ll help clean up,” Jill offers, standing to collect our plates. When she reaches me, she lifts her eyes to meet mine, hesitantly holding her hand out before she asks, “Are you finished?”
“Thank you,” I murmur, handing her my dish.
“Leo?” Corie calls from the kitchen. “How many cupcakes do you want?”
My eyes still locked with Jill’s, each of us holding a side of my plate, I know in my gut that I should get the hell out of here. I should head back to the house with Frank and ignore the way those bright, blue eyes are staring at me right now. Instead, I open my mouth and reply, “Three. No rush. I’m staying.”
My attention drops down to Jill’s lips as they twitch in an attempt to hide her smile. If I wasn’t sure before, I’m sure as fuck without a doubt now—if I wanted her, I could have her. Just the thought stirs my dick, and I have to force myself to look at something other than her mouth. The truth is, I do want her, which means I could find my way into her panties tonight, if I damn well pleased. I’m not an arrogant man, but I am an observant one. I can sense it, her own curiosity. I know that with one touch, she’d be as good as mine.
Fuck.
I look away from her, letting go of my plate before reaching for the remainder of my water. Taking her cue, she hurries for the kitchen, and I will my dick into submission.
“You gonna tell me what that was?” asks Ashley when we’re alone.
I look over at him, shaking my head as I shrug my shoulders, feigning ignorance.
“Bullshit,” he says with a smirk. “You stickin’ around because you’ve suddenly got a fondness for movie night, or are you more interested in our new company?”
“It’s easier,” I reply nonchalantly, standing to my feet. “Frank can walk back. He knows the way. I’ll drive her down when she’s ready.” Changing the subject before he can chime in any further, I tip my chin toward his bottle of beer, shaking my empty glass of water as I ask, “Need another?”
Speaking through his chuckle, he stands and mutters, “Sure.”
HE DOESN’T TALK much, but he doesn’t have to. It’s uncanny. It’s mysterious. But most of all, it’s unnervingly sexy.
We sit through two movies—the both of us sharing one couch while Ashley and Corie sit snuggled up on another. We’re what feels like miles apart, him on one end, me on the other, and yet I’ve never been so anxious, so agitated, so aware of another human being before. I’m not sure how I feel about it, let alone what to do with it. Yet, as time passes, passivity feels—wrong.
I might come from a small town, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a little bit of experience under my belt. Granted, it’s not all good, but it’s there. I’m no virgin. I’ve even managed to orgasm a couple of times. It doesn’t come easy, but that’s not to say I haven’t been able to have a little fun while trying. I’ve never had sex with someone who wasn’t my boyfriend first, but for the last hour—all I can think about is how it might feel to have Leo in my bed. Naked. His lips on my body. His cock inside of me.
I frequently find myself grateful for the dark room and the movie that has everyone distracted. So long as no one is paying attention to me, they can’t see how my cheeks keep pinking up at my inappropriate thoughts. Inappropriate thoughts not at all characteristic of me. Not really. How I went from allowing myself to simply admire the man to wondering if I’d really be brave enough to engage in a weekend fling is beyond me.
It didn’t take long for Corie and Ashley to become intimate after they officially/unofficially met. When he asked her out on a date, I knew how attracted she was to him, and I was all for it. I didn’t imagine that she’d jump his bones right away, but it turned out perfectly fine for them. More than fine, actually. Not that I think that’s what would happen between Leo and me. That is, if anything happens at all.
I draw in a slow, quiet, deep breath, staring down into my lap for a moment as I wait for yet another blush to go away. I think it’s about time that I called it a night. My mind is running rampant with fantasies that are, quite realistically, nothing more than fantastical.
Then again, even though he’s hardly spoken to me all evening, I’ve caught his eyes more than once. I might be horribly wrong and incredibly naïve, but something tells me that his pretty blue-green stare isn’t an indifferent one. The way he looked at me after dinner, his gaze examining the features of my face, it made my heart race. Empty, innocent glances don’t make your heart race.
I stifle a sigh of relief when the movie comes to an end and Ashley stands up to turn the lights on. “I’ve got more, if y’all want.”
“It’s actually getting kind of late. Not sure what we’ll be getting into tomorrow, but I should probably try and get some sleep,” I say, standing to my feet. I shove my hands into the back pockets of my shorts, turning slightly to address Leo as I ask, “Is that okay?”
He dips his chin in a nod, rising to his feet and looking straight over my head as he tells Ashley, “Let me know when you need me.”
“Sleep in,” he insists with a shrug. “No solid plans for the mornin’, so just shoot me a text when you’re up.”
He must nod his response or something, because I don’t hear him as Corie gets up to give me a hug goodnight. “Text me when you’re up, too. Or if you need anything before that.”
“I’ll be fine, babe,” I reply with a laugh, remembering the fully stocked house I’ll be staying in for the weekend. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
I wave one final goodbye as we head for the garage. Silently, Leo and I both climb into the golf cart. He then starts for the guest house, as if he’s done it a million times. The night is warm, but the sky is overcast, making it almost pitch black out here.
“Does he get any, like, animals roaming around his property?” I ask, suddenly feeling like a total wuss for being afraid of what might lurk in the shadows.
“Might spot a deer. Foxes aren’t all that uncommon.”
“Oh,” I murmur, unconsciously sliding toward the center of the bench seat. I can feel the heat of Leo’s body from where he sits, and it calms me down while simultaneously wracking my nerves—the latter, of course, for entirely different reasons than the possible wildlife we might come across unexpectedly.
“We scare them more than they scare us,” he murmurs.
“I live in the mountains. I don’t know about here, but the wildlife in Colorado is bold. I trust no animal.”
I whip my head around to peer at him in the darkness when he makes a sound. I can’t tell if the noise was more of a grunt or a muted laugh, but just the thought that I could amuse this man at all makes my stomach flutter.
“I’ll protect you.”
This time, when I scoot a little closer, I do so intentionally. For the duration of our ride, we sit so close, we’re almost touching—every bump we bounce eliminating a little more space from between us. When he comes to a stop in front of the house, the light from the porch flooding the surrounding area, my eyes flick all around us, making sure the coast is clear before I look up at him. When I find him staring down at me, I want so badly to lean into him—to touch him in some way, however small. Yet, he speaks before I manage to do something silly.
“Think you can make it to the door?” he asks, his face straight, but his eyes dancing with laughter.
I fight a smile, my heart racing at the possibility that he might actually be teasing me right now, and then reply, “Yes. I mean, you’re coming with, right?”
The corners of his mouth lift the tiniest bit, and as I admire him, I make myself a promise. Before this weekend is over—I will get him to laugh.
“Right behind you, Jill,” he answers after a long moment. “Go on.”
I do as he says, mostly because I love the way my name sounds spilling from his lips, and I hurry toward the door. Ashley told me the code to get in earlier, but I’ve completely forgotten now.
My stomach clenches when I feel Leo at my back, just as he said he would be. He reaches around me to key in the code on the security pad, and the lock clicks open. Sure that if I don’t reach for the handle and step inside, I’ll likely do something embarrassing, I proceed to make my way into the house.
Silently, we walk through the living room, taking a right down the hallway that leads to my room. I know that his room is across the hall, that he’s only following me because we’re essentially going to the same place. I know that I shouldn’t read into how close he still feels—but then I remember that I wasn’t the one who chose this room for me to sleep in. He was.
I think of the look he gave me when he told Corie he was staying for movie night, and the way I almost made him laugh a couple of minutes ago. I think of how good it felt to sit so close to him after hours of what can only be accurately described as the building of sexual tension. I think that I can’t possibly be making this up, and that maybe—just maybe…
Upon reaching the doorway to my bedroom, I turn to look up at him, wondering if there’s any hope in just maybe. But before I can utter a word, he mumbles, “Goodnight,” and then walks straight into his room, shutting the door in my face.