Waving her hand in front of her face, she gives me ayou know?look. “You say a lot without saying a word.”
I’ve never heard that before. “I do not.”
“Do too.”
I almost keep going with the childish argument. “No. I don’t.”
She cocks a hip and adopts anI’m sick of your shitexpression, followed by aYou’re a dumbassflat look. Then she juts her other hip out and gives me anI don’t want to be hereeye roll that could also sayI don’t wantyouto be here. Finally, she does a long blink while staring right at me, her mouth in a neutral line, but her eyes say everything.Do you have any idea what you’re doing?
Flummoxed, I prop my hands on my hips. “I don’t look like that.”
She plucks at invisible lint on her sleeve. “You look at me like that all the time.”
“How do you know that’s what I’m thinking?”
“Because you don’t look at your brothers that way. You don’t look at Jamison or Avery like that. Or my parents.” She tips her head back and forth. “Mostly. You give Daddy this look.”
Her face screamsI can’t believe you.
She’s right. All of it. I canfeelthose expressions on myself, and yes, from when I’ve been around her. “You can think what you want. Doesn’t mean you’re right.”
“People write me off as scatterbrained and clueless. Doesn’t mean they’re right.” She pivots and takes off across the lawn. “That’s all I need, other than to let Chef know you’ll be giving him the list of supplies for each bar setup. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to talk to Grady, the guest ranch manager, and verify which horses will work the best for the superfluous sunset ride. If anything comes up, you know how to reach me.”
I was that guy who wrote her off. Despite what Natalie thinks, I’m a smart man. I won’t make that mistake again.
CHAPTER SIX
Durban
I walk into the distillery. It’s closed to the public on Mondays, but the guys and I still work. So do Clem and Edna. It’s only been a couple of days since Campbell asked for a time to host a tasting for the bride and groom, but I’d rather get it over with.
Doing the tasting sooner also means that I’ll see Campbell sooner.
Clem’s at the front desk. Her lips are moving, but no sound is coming out. She must be practicing her tour speeches. The guys and I used to take turns with them, but Lane and Cruz are continuing to shuttle between here and the main site in Denver, Iverson has a growing family, and I’m not sure what Haven’s issue is. My tour assignments must’ve been cut due to my not-so-resting dick face.
How did she read me that easily?
My morning jack-off sessions should’ve stopped whileworking with Campbell. Instead, need rides me hard. My sessions have been lightning quick, and I quit fighting the images rising in my mind of gray eyes and full hips. Fantasies don’t mean a thing, and they do the job. Smart women have always been a thing for me.
I need to get a hold of myself. I’m the logical one. Campbell and I have to work together for the next month, and I have to have some blood in my brain when I’m on duty.
Clem glances up as I pass. She has her dark hair in what Jamison calls space buns. “Hey, Durban. Iverson’s looking for you.”
“Did he say what he wants?”
She shrinks back. “No. Sorry?”
What the hell? I take out my phone and turn the camera on, flipping it around so I can see myself. My mustache makes my mouth look like it’s a flat line, and my dark eyes glitter in the lights pouring through the windows over the entrance. I look pissed. “I’m not upset.”
“Okay?”
Goddammit. “I’ve heard I can look . . . insulting.”
She ticks a brow up, and for the first time, I get a glimpse of the real Clem, the one I see joking around with Edna, our bookkeeper. “Do you need a shirt that says, ‘I’m sorry for what my expression says’?”
I bark out a laugh. Apparently, there’s something to what Campbell said. I say a lot that I’m not aware of. “Get me one in a few different colors.”
Her grin is the widest I’ve ever seen. “Will do, boss.”
