”You deserve so much better than that,” I say. “How someone could do that to you I’ll never know. One thing about me? You’ll always get the truth, Manhattan. You may not like it, but you’ll never be left guessing.”
“Have I told you you’re all sexy when you’re jealous?”
“I’m not jealous of a dickface who can’t have you anymore, but you are mine, Sadie Summers.” Okay, so I got a little bit alpha on her ass, but I know a good thing when I see it.
My friends are happy for me, but they don’t hold back in poking fun about how I’m much nicer to be around since Sadie came along. It’s a load of shit. They just want something to rib me about because apparently I’ve been a stick in the mud for too long. Little do they know, I’ve got plans for Sadie. If I can be half the man she deserves, then having her stay in Alpine Falls would make all my Christmases come at once…
Thump.
I crack the log in half in one swing. I toss the two halves on the pile, then line up another.
I raise the ax, then swing it down, the giant stump splits in two.
Then I hear clapping. I turn and look over my shoulder. Sadie is standing, her eyes glued to my ass as I shake my head. “Stalker.”
“Hey, don’t stop on my account. But if you don’t mind, can I film you so I can go viral on TikTok? I could probably quit my job if I posted videos of you doing this.”
“I’ve no clue what you’re goin’ on about,” I say, lining up my next log. “But if it gets you all hot n’ heavy, I’m here for it.”
She walks around the side of me, her eyes trailing down my torso. “Good lord, you really are a fine specimen of a man. It’s snowing, and you’re still out here shirtless in gray sweats, wielding an ax around like you’re some kind of wild mountain man beast, BookTok would go nuts over this.”
I pique a brow, halting my next swing. “I’ve no clue what BookTok is, nor do I want to know.”
She grins. “God, I love a man who sweats.”
I swing and split the wood. “You’re makin’ me nervous.”
“Really? I thought nothing made the great Zane C. Lawless nervous. I mean, it’s just little old me, gaping at myboss,admiring his God-given talents.”
My lips twitch. “I’ll show you some goddamn given talents if you keep lookin’ at me like that.”
She lightens my mood, brightens my day, and I fucking love it. Then it sours a little when she says, “I thought you were really mad about my ex’s email.”
I lodge the ax in my block as I wipe my brow, looking down at her as I turn. “I was.”
“And you’re not now?”
I move closer to her. “I’ll shake his hand.”
She frowns. “W-what?”
I lean closer, my forehead pressing against hers. “With the same hand I had you shaking with.”
She shivers, biting down on her bottom lip, her hands reach for me, trailing down my chest as I watch, mesmerized by her touch. “Holy shit.”
“If he ever comes near you, Sadie, I swear to god, I will go postal on his ass and it won’t be pretty.”
“Ooh, I love a man who’s all growly.”
“This isn’t funny.”
She sobers, swinging her arms around my neck. “I know, but you have nothing to worry about. You’re the one I want.”
Hearing that, it’s like music to my ears. We both made it pretty clear, right after that first night in the barn, that this wasn’t a one-time thing. “Manhattan?”
She looks up at me under her lashes. “Yeah,Lawless.”
“I don’t want you to go back to the city. Will you stay? Even if it means movin’ out so you have some space. Livin’ together is a lot, I mean,I’ma lot, and once you get to know me, you may not like the man I am?—-”
