“This is way better than the booth at home,” Aiden says, looking around. “The one at home used to be a closet. It’s tiny, and it gets so hot in the summer.”
“You don’t have AC?” Ryker asks me.
“I can’t run it while I’m recording,” I reply. “The mic picks up the sound. Wow, this is ... incredible. You did all this for me?”
“I had the space, and I figured you’d need to work.” He shrugs as if it’s not a big deal, but he’s wrong. This is avery big deal.
“Buddy, will you please give us just a second?”
“I’m out while you finish talking her into it,” Aiden says and leaves the room. “I’m searching for snacks.”
We listen to Aiden’s big feet clomp down the hallway.
“We can change anything you don’t like,” Ryker says with a frown, but I ignore him and simply hug him. I’ve gotten more hugs this past month than in the past year combined. It feels so freaking good. “You didn’t want to hug in front of the kid?”
“I don’t want to cry in front of him,” I reply, shaking my head as the tears come. “It upsets him, and I’m going to cry again.”
As he rubs his big hands up and down my back, I feel his chuckle through his chest. “Does that mean you’ll come stay with me?”
“I would be an asshole to say no after you built me this incredible home studio.”
“I only want you to be comfortable and safe. It’s not safe for you to drive back and forth to Missoula every day, twice a day. There are animals on the road, and it’s not light out yet when you head this way. I don’t like it. Not to mention, it’s obviously taking a lot out of you, and I don’t like that either.”
“I don’t want to sleep through my alarm,” I admit, “so I wake up every hour to check the clock.”
“That’s not good enough rest.” He takes me by the shoulders and pulls me away so he can wipe my face off and smile down at me. I miss the warmth of his hard body, but I don’t resist.
Because he’s beingbrotherlyright now, and I’m fantasizing about this man’s lips on me and how it would feel to touch his naked body. Holy shit, I want to lick his abs and that V that runs down into his pants, right to his—
“Wills?”
“Huh?”Shit, I’m staring at his lips.Maybe we shouldn’t live out here. I’ll spontaneously combust or make a complete fool of myself and ruin a twenty-year friendship.
That would suck ass. Big time.
“Whoa, you’re overthinking something,” he says. “Stop that. It’ll be great.”
He takes my hand and leads me out of my shiny new booth, and we find Aiden in the kitchen, eating a muffin he must have grabbed from the pantry.
“We’re going back to Missoula to pack your bags,” Ryker announces.
“Now?” I ask.
“Yep. I’ll call Dusty and let him know that Aiden and I will join the others after lunch. Let’s go do this.”
“Let’sdo it,” Aiden says around a mouthful of muffin and saunters to the front door.
Chapter Eight
Ryker
She’s been nervous around me since we left the ranch, and I don’t like it.
I drove us back to her place, and she was quiet in the car, leaving the conversation to Aiden and me. She’s already packed up what she needs from her office and recording booth, Aiden has his bag ready to go, and he and I are in the kitchen, emptying the fridge, since she won’t be back here for a little while, and there’s nothing worse than spoiled food.
“We have those reusable grocery bag things,” Aiden says and opens the pantry door.
“You load up the groceries, and I’ll go see what’s up with your aunt.”
