Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
He froze for a moment. “Are you trying to hit on me?”
No. Definitely not. Abort mission.
This guy wants a forever man, not a heartbreaker.
“Maybe I’m just starting to think I like you,” I said, the words spilling out of my mouth despite the fact that I knew better. “And no, I’m not just buttering you up.”
He blinked a few times, shaking his head a little. “I don’t believe it.”
“Listen,” I said. I already knew I wasn’t going to hook up with him—but I wanted a taste, and he had no right to smell as good as he did. “I actually wanted to bring you back to my house tonight. I need a reno job, and I wanted you to take a look at the house I inherited. I’m definitely going to hire Fixer Brothers.”
“So just a business meeting, then?” His voice had dropped a register. His words were all business, but his eyes were half-lidded, looking at me like he wanted to devour me.
I couldn’t help it. I leaned back in again just a little and let my lips gently brush against the side of his neck. Shawn let out a breath of air as I allowed myself to enjoy the moment.
Because I needed a little taste. And he needed to know exactly how desirable he really was.
I pressed my lips gently to the side of his neck, moving slowly.
“You got it,” I said, pressing another soft kiss to his skin.
“Maybe another hug, too?” he murmured.
The tease. He knew exactly what he was doing, no matter how clueless he acted.
He let out a low, almost inaudible groan as I tugged at the back of his hair again before releasing him. I was hard as hell now, and he looked like he was in some sort of hypnotized trance, his eyelids still dropped lower than normal. I hoped to God he would look less tantalizing once my dick had gone down, but something told me there wasn’t much hope in that department.
“Fine,” he said, clearing his throat. “I’ll go back with you. But only because I can’t drive home, and my current flip project turned out to be a dud. We do need a new lead right now.”
I reached for the water tap and poured him a fresh, cold glass. My whole body felt like it was vibrating with raw desire, and there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d wanted someone so badly and knew, completely and fully, that I was not going to hook up with them.
It was pure agony.
“Let’s have some water, “ I said. “I’m going to help with the closing shift here behind the bar. We’ll head out in a half hour, okay?”
He sucked on his lower lip, still somewhere in his trance state.
You’re not going to fuck your best friend’s brother.
Shawn was a complete sweetheart, and I was… not. I sure as hell didn’t want to hurt the guy, let alone cause some awkward tension if Nathan ever found out.
I was going to be good. And behave. No matter how hard it was.
5
SHAWN
“Old Man Rushing was living in this?” I said as we walked into Rush’s dad’s little old house that night.
“Not exactly the lumberjack heaven you might have expected from my dad, right?” Rush asked, looking around. “Don’t judge me, by the way. I’ve been living, eating, and breathing at the brewery since I got here. Haven’t had time to spruce the place up.”
“I don’t mind,” I said, but I was having a hard time hiding my surprise.
The house wasn’t dirty, but “cluttered” would have been a kind word for it. I’d only been in here for ten seconds and I had already spotted about five different repair projects I could help Rush out with, given twenty minutes and some tools, but in reality, it was going to need a full renovation.
Stacks and stacks of cardboard boxes filled the living room. He had been here for a little over a week, but he hadn’t seemed to unpack a single thing other than the clothes he’d been wearing. And it seemed like his dad had also needed a whole lot of help that he’d never asked for back when this had been his home.
“I wish your dad had said something to me,” I said, running my hands over an exposed beam that looked like it was about to collapse under its own weight. “I could have helped him out with any of this, free of charge.”
“Free of charge? You were too sweet to my dad.”
I sized up the kitchen, my brain already running with the possibilities. “A simple galley island would be perfect in here. Beaded inset cabinets would look incredible, if you’re ready to eat the cost. And even out front, we could easily fix up the porch and make it multi-season without too much trouble, based on its foundation.”