Into the Tide (Cottonwood Cove #1)(47)

“You jealous, Snow?”

“Yes,” she said, her voice sleepy.

“I wasn’t going home with her. I was there to check on you.”

“She’s pretty,” she whispered.

“You’re prettier.”

I could feel her warm breath on my neck when she chuckled.

“So, nothing happened with her?”

“No.”

“Why not?” she asked, making it clear that she wasn’t going to drop it.

“I don’t fucking know.”

“Maybe you’re interested in someone else?” she said, her voice just above a whisper.

“Maybe I am. But that doesn’t make it right.”

“Because of Travis?” she pressed, her fingers moving up and down my arm, and it was so soothing, I finally started to relax.

“He’s my best friend. More like a brother. This would be a shitshow, and he’d be fucking pissed. And you aren’t staying, Snow. So, starting this fucking storm when it can’t go anywhere doesn’t make a lot of sense. It’s a friendship and an attraction; it’ll pass.”

“How do you know?” she asked.

“Because it has to. Get some sleep.”

“Night, Bear,” she whispered.

I didn’t say a word. I just lay there listening to the sound of her breaths as they slowed.

And I dozed off right along with her.





fourteen





Lila





My phone rang for the fourth time in a row, and I groaned as my eyes opened, finding Hugh sound asleep beside me. Our hands were entwined, though he was above the comforter, and I was below. I wanted to laugh. I’d climbed on the man naked in the cove and rubbed myself all over him like a rabid animal, and he’d watched me bathe last night, yet he wouldn’t come beneath the covers for fear of being too close?

I slipped my hand from his, and he groaned as I reached for the phone. His eyes sprung open when I pushed against the headboard and sat up. I held my finger up to him to let him know I was answering, and I put the phone on speaker.

“Hey, Trav.”

“Are you fucking okay? I heard what happened last night. That piece of shit is lucky I wasn’t there. Are you hurt?”

I let out a long breath. Everything was so intense with Travis. It always had been. His need to protect. To control all the things around him. Around me. I understood it. We didn’t have a lot of control when we were young, but we weren’t kids anymore. Things had changed. We were both okay.

“I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me. Just scared me a little.”

“I told you not to go to that fucking bar,” he snapped, and Hugh sat forward, moving away from me a few feet and watching me intensely.

“It was actually fun. He’s just an asshole, and that could have happened anywhere. How’d you hear about it already?”

“I called Brax a couple dozen times when you and Hugh didn’t answer your phones. He filled me in. Said Hugh kicked the guy’s ass, and he took you home. I guess he left some lady awfully disappointed, which meant Brax went home alone again because apparently, the dude can’t close the deal without his wingman.” He chuckled, his voice calming down a bit. “Hugh must be sleeping in. Thank fucking God he was there.”

“Yeah,” I said, and Hugh pushed to his feet and ran a hand through his long, wavy hair. The man looked too sexy for his own good this morning. His gray button up was wrinkled and unbuttoned a little lower than normal, with a little bit of chest hair peeking out. He was still wearing his jeans, and I wanted to ask him to come back and stay with me, but I could tell by the look on his face that was not going to happen.

The moment had passed.

Again.

“You want me to come get you? You can hang out with me and Shay today before we all head to the Reynolds’ for dinner. Damn, you know Alana is the best fucking cook, and I could use a good home-cooked meal.”

I heard Shay shout something at him in the background, and he laughed. “Sorry, baby. Cooking isn’t really your thing, though. But you’re damn good at making babies.”

“Oh my gosh.” I fell back in a fit of giggles, knowing he’d just gotten himself in trouble, and Hugh covered his mouth to keep from laughing. “I’m hanging up now. And no, I’ve got plans today. I’ll meet you at dinner. I’m fine. I promise.”

I ended the call and looked up to see Hugh watching me from the doorway. “What are you up to today?”

“I was going to go for a run and then head down to the cove to lay out with the girls. And then I wanted to make cookies for your mom tonight.”

He nodded. “Sounds like a full day.”

“What about you?”

“I’m going to head to the restaurant and do some paperwork. I’ve got some shipments coming in that I need to unpack. I’ll see you later, all right?”

And just like that, he was distant again.

It’s like every time we made some progress, he’d pull back.

I nodded and watched as he walked out the door.

I reached for my laptop and checked my emails, and there was one from Joseph Schneider, the man I’d interned for in Chicago, who’d offered me a permanent position at the end of summer. He was checking in to make sure we were still set for the September 1 start date and to let me know that they were offering me a slightly different position where I’d have a team working with me, and I’d be the lead. He wanted fresh eyes, someone who had a new perspective right out of school. The thought made my stomach twist. I would basically be a financial manager, which meant producing reports and making forecasts, recommending investment opportunities, analyzing market trends, and being involved in financial decisions for the company. Originally, I thought I was going to be more of an analyst. This was definitely a higher-level position with more responsibility, and it would look amazing on my résumé.