Page 20 of Stay Wild Darlin’

“Where is she?” I looked around but didn’t see her brown hair.

“She’s outside with Gat, schooling him on why his belt buckle is compensating for something.”

I paused, straining to hear whatever the hell Poppy was saying to Gatlin outside.

Fable stepped forward, hesitating for a second before wrapping her arms around me. “Sorry for springing this on you, Dalt. I know you’ve been through a lot, and it was my way of helping. I should’ve talked to you first.”

“Yeah, you should’ve,” I grumbled, but I still pulled her close, pressing my chin to the top of her head. “But, I appreciate what you tried to do.”

She pulled back, a grin playing on her lips. “Now you gotta pay her double her teaching salary and make the back room nice.”

“I hate you,” I grunted, which only made her grin wider.

Beau clapped a heavy hand on my shoulder again while Harleigh smirked from her spot near the door, arms crossed, enjoying the hell out of this. Gatlin strolled in, looking entirely too amused for my liking, and for the first time in weeks, something eased inside me.

I didn’t hate them. Not one damn bit.

When my own family wanted nothing to do with me, they rallied.

When life got tough, they showed up.

Hell if I wasn’t grateful for it.

10

Poppy

When I moved to Lindley, landing a job with the infuriatingly moderately attractive—ugh, fine, annoyingly hot—guy was not on my to-do list. Somehow, I found myself standing in the living room of a tiny ranch in the middle of nowhere . . . with a boss who was very much lacking in the vagina department, unlike I’d originally thought.

“So, am I getting paid or what?”

The room went dead silent, every pair of eyes slowly shifting in my direction.

Look, I didn’t care who my boss was—okay, maybe I cared a little—but I needed a job and a paycheck. I sure as hell hadn’t uprooted my entire life for free.

My new boss was the one set of eyes I paid the most attention to—bright green and razor sharp, dragging over me slowly. His blonde hair wasn’t long, but had enough curl to make me wonder how it would feel wrapped around my fingers. Sun-kissed skin stretched over sharp cheekbones and a strong jaw, the kind that begged to be tested, scraped against soft, sensitive skin. He wasn’t the tallest in the room, but his shoulders were by far the broadest.

God help me, I was absolutely thinking about my new boss in ways I shouldn’t.

“Yes, Poppy. You’re getting paid,” he said slowly, stepping closer, positioning himself between me and the rest of the group.

“Cool,” I said with a nod, because seriously, what the fuck else was I supposed to say? I forced my gaze past him, avoiding that intense stare of his, and focused on Fable instead. “Mind if we head back to your place so I can settle in? I’ll swing by in the morning to grab the—” I cut myself off at the way she was looking at me—wide-eyed and innocent, like trouble was coming—and groaned instantly. “What now?”

“It would be easier if you stayed here. There’s a back room that has a separate entrance, its own bathroom. Beau’s dad is coming by tomorrow to drop off some furniture⁠—”

“Here?!” I shouted. With the hot-as-fuck boss I suddenly found myself working for? In his house? Nope. Absolutely not. I had a line, and apparently, this was exactly where I drew it.

Fable offered me a sympathetic smile before Dalton cut in. “Let me at least show you the room. Then you can decide if you still wanna stay. Besides, you’ll be spending the weekend here anyway, and when I’m gone⁠—”

“That’s not the point.” I crossed my arms and pinned him with a look. “I’m not agreeing to live in your house.”

He pressed a hand to his chest like I’d wounded him deeply. “You don’t want to live with me? I promise to keep the toilet seat down.”

“Oh, sweetie.” I tipped my head and gave him a saccharine smile. “If you really want to convince me, start by keeping your ego in check. Basic bathroom manners aren’t exactly a selling point.”

Gatlin, whom I’d met earlier, let out a low whistle. “Damn, Dalt. Looks like you’ve finally met your match.”

Beau snorted beside him, tipping his hat back. “She bites, dude.”