“Shit. That sucks.”
“And…” Lydia prompted. “You left the best part out.”
“And Lydia’s room is a flood zone. Wyatt and Reid are both there now, trying to get everything cleaned up. I just came by here to tell Lydia.”
“You need a place to crash tonight? You know my place is always open,” I offered.
“Reid’s offered up his place for the night. I would have been fine with no water for one night, but Letty wants a bathroom with running water, go figure,” he laughed.
“Fine,” Lydia grumbled. “Can I get a change of clothes and something to sleep in from the house, or is it a construction zone?”
Luke scratched at his jaw. He could tell his brothers to fuck off without hesitation, but with Lydia, he pussyfooted around giving her bad news. “Lyds, it’s a shitshow over there. But I’m sure Claire or Letty have something you can sleep in for tonight. We’ll get everything figured out tomorrow. It’s just for one night.”
Lydia rolled her cat-lined eyes and huffed. “Great. At least Reid’s house is big enough that I won’t have to hear you and Scarlett going at it.”
Luke chuckled. “Definitely not. Actually, you don’t mind sharing a bed with her, do you?”
“With the two of you?” Lydia asked, appalled. “Hell yeah, I mind. Not happening.”
“No, you perv. Just you and Letty. I’ll take the couch.”
“Wait, what?” I asked. “Reid’s got four bedrooms in that beast. Why are you taking a couch?”
“Only two of them are furnished.” Luke shrugged.
“Oh, I don’t want to put you on a couch. I can always go back to Dad’s.”
“And wake him and Sheila up after 9:00 p.m.?” Luke said. “Let me know how that goes.”
I chuckled. No doubt that Charlie Wilder would take his kids in at any time, but he was definitely going to be a grump about it if it meant getting woken up after he’d gone to bed. “Well, my offer still stands if you want a real bed,” I told him.
“Thanks, man.” He turned to Lydia with that lightbulb moment shining behind his eyes. “Lyds, why don’t you stay at Seb’s tonight, and I’ll let you know tomorrow when it’s all set.”
Lydia’s eyes widened. “Um, why don’t you stay at Seb’s tonight?”
“Come on, Lydia. I’d rather not be apart from Letty if I don’t have to be. This makes way more sense. It’s one night. And you’re both coming back here again tomorrow anyway.”
My throat worked, suddenly too dry to swallow. I scratched at my beard, keeping an easy playfulness while my heart beat in my ears. “Yeah, little wild. You want to come home with me tonight?” I grinned, loving the way her nostrils flared and the low growl that sounded in her throat.
“He’s just fucking with you, Lyds. He’s not going to go there with you. You’re like a sister to him.” Luke clapped me on the shoulder, and I was pretty sure my balls retracted into my body. My feelings for Lydia were definitely not sisterlike. “Thanks, Seb. I appreciate it. Lyds, sorry for this mess. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Luke left, leaving me and Lydia alone. We had spent plenty of time alone together in this shop, but for some reason, it was like Luke took the oxygen out of the air with him when he left.
“Come on, Lydia. It’ll be like a sleepover. We haven’t done that yet,” I said, trying to lighten the oppressive atmosphere around us.
She packed up her laptop and notebook, shoving them into her backpack with more force than necessary.
“If you come knocking on my door in the middle of the night, I’m going to throat spike you.”
That wasn’t a no. “Noted.” I grinned.
Lydia gaze caught on my dimple for a beat, her eyes darkening in a way that set my blood on fire, before she looked away again, grabbing her belongings.
I locked up, and she followed me to my place. The entire way, my fingers danced on the steering wheel, drummingalong to the erratic feeling behind my ribs.
I waited for her at the door with my keys, walking her inside. Her sweet lavender scent hit me as she passed me at the threshold. There was no way she still smelled that good after working all day. She had to have some perfume in her car or something. Whatever it was, my body reacted to it in an inconvenient way.
Seeing her in my house, it reminded me of that night. Of Lydia grinding over my cock in nothing but her underwear. Fuck. She was easily the most captivating person I’d ever met.
