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She whipped the front door open before I even rounded my truck, and hopped down the steps and onto the gravel. She was dressed in a black tank top and tiny cotton shorts that hugged the curve of her ass. Her black hair was swept into a messy bun on top of her head, and she carried her brown leather purse over one of her shoulders.
“Hey,” she said, turning to face me.
I hated the way I reacted to her. Hated that my heart was beating fast while the energy between us stirred, and I really fucking hated the way my cock ached to be inside of her. We barely knew this girl, and here she was stirring up all these emotions I’d been trying to stay away from.
It was only a matter of time before I was buried inside of her, taking her and claiming her as mine. As ours. And Calder would be on board soon, too. Parker and I would make sure of it.
My jaw ticked, mixed emotions on that stirring through me. We couldn’t handle another heartache, but the idea of having this girl as ours was an excitement I hadn’t seen in a long while. I had to remain strong, which is why I hadn’t fucked her the other night when Parker did. I knew the second I was inside of her, any type of willpower I had would be long fucking gone.
“Hey, kitten,” I said, offering up a smile. I stuffed my hands into the front pockets of my jeans.
“Have you talked to Parker? I texted him and called him but he didn’t answer. I hope I didn’t upset him.”
“Parker’s fine. He’s at work.”
Thea fidgeted with her purse, looking anywhere but at me. She was nervous, and I wasn’t sure why.
“Let’s go to the hardware store, then grab something to eat.”
Her gaze snapped up, and those pretty golden eyes twinkled with excitement. “You don’t have to do that. I’m sure you’ve got your own plans for the day. I can knock everything out myself.”
“Baby, you’ve got a construction worker at your beck and call, today. I fully expect you to take advantage. Do you have a list of things you need?”
Her lips twitched, and she turned her head to hide her emotions. After a second, she turned back to me. “I wasn’t sure. I mean, I thought…”
I pursed my lips, waiting for her to expand, but she didn’t. “I’m not a mind reader, Thea.”
Huffing, she tossed her hands in the air. “This is weird. I don’t know what’s happening. I thought the other night was a one time thing? Now Parker’s texting and calling me. And you’re offering to take me out to eat after shopping with me. This feels like it’s more than what it was supposed to be.”
Shaking her head, she turned to make eye contact with me. “I can’t do strings. I don’t want strings.”
I shrugged. “We can be friends. We can be people you call when you need to scratch an itch. Or both, or whatever you want. There doesn’t need to be a label placed on it.”
She sighed. Exasperation filled the features of her face. Thea was tired, and I wasn’t sure if it was the rough day she had yesterday, or if there was something else that was taking a toll on her. I wanted to tell myself I didn’t care, that I shouldn’t try and uplift her spirits. But that gnawing feeling in my gut was making that impossible.
I reached out, pulling her against me. Her hands rested on my chest while I wrapped an arm around her waist. Jasmine and citrus filled my senses. She was warm and welcoming, and I didn’t want her to pull away from my embrace. This, her smell and touch made my chest lighter somehow.
I sensed there was more to this situation than she was letting on, but didn’t push her on it. “Are you ready to go?”
She nodded, pulling out of my embrace. “Thanks.”
“No problem. Let’s go.”
I opened the passenger door, and Thea climbed up, her hand gripping my elbow as she did. She was tall enough that she didn’t need help, but I enjoyed the comfort of knowing she wanted help. When she was situated with her seatbelt on, I closed the door and headed for the driver's side. Shutting the door, I turned the engine and backed out of her spot.
“How are you liking the house?” I asked, glancing at her while I pulled down the long dirt road that would eventually lead to the highway and the next town over.
“I love it,” Thea said, closing her eyes as she rested her head against the headrest. “It’s crazy how spacious it is. Chrissy is going to have plenty of room up in the loft until I get the apartment fixed up above the bar.”
“Is your plan to move above the bar?”
She shrugged. “I haven’t decided yet. I think I might wind up renting them both out. The tiny house and the apartment. Then building something a little bigger?” She tilted her head to the side, then nodded.
Turning to me, she gave me a bright smile. “Have you ever built a house by yourself before?”
“By myself? No. One day.”
“Yeah?” Thea grinned, resting her hand on my knee.
