Hostile(35)

She’s smiling. Does she know? I swallow thickly and nod, hoping the topic of conversation will move to something else.

“So, only a couple more months of school. You ready to start your career?” Well, goddamn. I don’t know what’s worse. I turn to Rhys, who looks so damn happy about me starting at his shop, I could vomit.

I just give a clipped nod and pass the rolls to Bree, who’s sitting next to me. Rhys accepts my response, though, being a man of few words himself, and the conversation switches to other topics, like Fletch leaving for college soon. And how Blair is going to have to smother Bree with attention since she’s her last baby in the house.

Bree doesn’t look bothered in the slightest though. She took a while to warm up to Blair, but once she did, they’ve been inseparable.

“So, what about the rest of your spring break? What are your plans, Rhett?” Blair asks, and I realize she’s been talking to Bree and Fletcher about volunteering to build a house for Houses for Humanity. I should have seen the question coming.

“Yeah, we could use some more help,” Fletch says.

Shit. “Uh . . .” I shovel potatoes in my mouth and chew as everyone waits for my answer. “I’d love to, but I have a trip planned for a few days.”

“Trip?” Blair’s eyebrows furrow as she waits for more of an explanation.

“Yeah.”

“Where?” Blair is definitely not letting this go.

“Just to the Ozarks. To a cabin for a few days.”

“With who?” Bree asks, her tone dripping with suspicion.

“Grayson.” I shrug, trying desperately to seem casual about the whole thing, even though I know it’s weird. I know they know something is up. “He has a cabin there. We’re driving down and staying a few days.”

“You’re going away with him?” Bree is studying me way too closely, and it’s making me itchy.

“Yeah. It’s no big deal.”

They’re all watching me. Dammit. Finally, Fletcher just laughs and says, “So fucking weird.”

And Bree giggles, which makes Rhys smile and Blair laugh. I let out a relieved breath because yeah, it’s odd, but I’m also really excited about it.

And I don’t even know how to process that at the moment.





TWENTY-FOUR





We’re here. I haven’t been to the cabin for so damn long—probably close to a year—but now we’re here. The drive was quiet, which is to be expected with Rhett, but he’s not as forlorn-looking as he usually is. Hell, he almost smiled a few times on the drive.

He seems almost . . . I don’t know . . . peaceful. And I don’t hate it.

I park in front of the cabin and wait for Rhett’s response. It’s definitely not like my parent’s house. It’s smaller for starters, nowhere near as grand and pompous. That’s one of my favorite parts about it, if I’m being honest.

It’s a simple two-bedroom cabin with a loft. There’s a cool porch with a wooden porch swing hanging from it. It’s surrounded by pine trees and a beautiful blue sky. “Wow.”

“Good wow?”

I hold my breath as I wait for his response. He’s looking around the area purposely, and then he turns to me with a grin on his beautiful face. “Good wow. Yeah.”

I release the air in my lungs. I don’t know why it matters so much to me—his approval of my cabin—but it does.

We climb out, grabbing our bags and head inside. It’s decorated simply. A couch and a chair in the living room. One bathroom with a black shower curtain. There’s a bed up in the loft area and a master bedroom downstairs. “You can choose the loft or the actual bedroom. It’s up to you.” I don’t want to assume we’re sleeping in the same bed. Even if we’ve fooled around, we’ve yet to actually sleep together.

He turns to look at me, his bag still slung over his shoulder and a handsome grin on his face. No teeth in the smile. There rarely is—but it’s still beautiful. “Really? We’re going to sleep in separate beds?”

My mouth twitches with a smile because I don’t think he wants to. I try my best to play it off, shrugging my shoulders. “I didn’t want you to think I brought you out here for sex.”

He laughs, a full-on beautiful laugh that lights up his entire face. “Yeah, right.” He walks toward the loft in a confident stride. “The loft looks pretty cool.” He walks up the swirling iron staircase and drops his bag near the bed.

I leave my bag by the door, not really wanting to sleep in the master bedroom. Everything in me pulls toward him, but I stay put. I’m always afraid I’ll spook him with everything I’m feeling inside.

He comes back downstairs and flops on the couch, his long legs stretched out before him. “So what’s there to do here?”

I park my ass right next to him on the couch. “I usually use my time here to jerk off nonstop.”

He scoffs, shaking his head, but there’s a smile on his face. “That doesn’t surprise me at all.”

I give a real answer. “I like to go for walks. It’s kind of, I don’t know . . . peaceful. And I love to swim here when it’s warm.”

His eyes roam to the one window in the living room and out toward the lake. “It does look nice. But it’s fucking cold.”