Tease (Cloverleigh Farms #8)(34)

“It’s not real.” I sat up taller in my chair and leveled her with a gaze. “It’s pretend and it’s temporary and we’re just having a good time. Now are you coming for dinner? I’m cooking at Hutton’s house—I mean, our house.”

“I wouldn’t miss it. I just hope I remember my lines.”

“All you have to do is say you’re going to help me plan a small wedding at the end of August. That’s it.”

“Doesn’t give those bangs much time to grow out,” she teased.

I glared at her and touched my forehead. “Not funny.”

“It’s actually not as bad as the photo you sent,” she said. “I’m pretty sure you’ve done worse.”

“Thanks.” I paused. “I think.”





When I pulled up at Hutton’s—now home—I wasn’t sure if I should knock or just try the door. I was still standing on the front step debating when he pulled it open. He’d cleaned up after his workout, and his hair was a little damp. “Was it locked?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “But I didn’t just want to come in. I was going to knock.”

“Felicity, you live here now. You don’t have to knock. I’ll get you a key.” He reached for my suitcase and glanced at my car. “Can I help you with bags?”

“This is it,” I said, stepping inside. “I didn’t pack up everything, since this is, you know, short-term.”

He shut the door behind me. “Did you run into anyone at home?”

“Yes. Millie.” I sighed. “And I have to confess something.”

“What?”

“She knows the truth.”

His eyebrows rose. “She does?”

“Yes. I’m sorry. She just knows me really well, and she can smell bullshit a mile away. I couldn’t keep up the act. But don’t worry, she’s going along with it.” I smiled. “And unlike my younger sister Winnie, Millie can totally keep a secret.”

“Does she think we’re crazy?” He started wheeling the suitcase into the back hall.

“Definitely. But she—” I bumped into him, because he’d stopped moving.

To the right was his room. To the left was the room where I’d slept last night.

Behind him, I held my breath, hoping he’d choose right.

He went left. “Is this room okay?”

“Of course.” I followed him into the room. “It’s just . . .”

“What?” He faced me with a concerned expression.

“It’s just, what if someone asks to see the house tonight? My family has never been here before. If they see all my stuff in a separate room, they might wonder.”

He nodded. “You’re right.” He dragged the suitcase past me and across the hall into his bedroom. “Is this better?”

I lingered in the doorway, taking in the king-sized bed on the left, the twin nightstands with matching lamps, the chair in the corner, the sliding glass door leading to a private deck overlooking the woods. I’d been in here this morning, but hadn’t looked at much beyond a sexy, sleeping Hutton tangled up in the sheets. “It’s a beautiful room.”

He went over to the dresser. “If you just give me a minute, I’ll clear out some drawers for you so you can unpack in here. There should be plenty of room in the closet too—it’s huge. Sorry, I should have thought about this before.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

He emptied the three dresser drawers on the left onto the bed. “Is that enough space?”

“Definitely.”

He scooped up the clothes on the bed in his arms. “I’ll just store these in another bedroom for now.”

“Okay.” I glanced at a door to my right. “Is that the bathroom?”

“Yes. There are clean towels in there too, if you want to take a shower.”

“Thanks.”

He stood there for a moment, staring at the blue dress I wore, like maybe he was picturing it coming off before my shower.

Which gave me an idea.

“Would you mind?” I turned around and presented my back. “It’s hard for me to get this unzipped on my own.”

“Oh. Sure.” He dumped the clothing on the bed again and came up behind me.

I felt his hands at the back of my neck, making my pulse quicken. Slowly, he slid the zipper down, pausing at my bra line. A few seconds passed.

I held my breath, fighting the impulse to fill the silence with words that would ease the tension. That’s good enough. I can take it from here. Thanks for the help.

Instead, I waited to see what he would do.

Then I heard the sound of the zipper again as he lowered it to my waist, his knuckles grazing my spine all the way down. My legs tingled.

Hutton paused, his fingers lingering on my tailbone. “Is that good?”

“Perfect. Thank you.”

“No problem.” Stepping back, he gathered up the pile of clothing on the bed and left the room, leaving me with a smile on my face and a galloping heart.

After closing the door behind him, I looked at my suitcase and the empty dresser drawers. Did this mean he actually wanted to share his bedroom with me?