I take a deep breath, hold it, shift my leg, softly grab his hand, and literally roll out of bed. I land gracefully on all fours, careful not to thump too loudly.
Peeking over the edge of the bed, just enough to see Keoni still asleep, I release the air slowly and as quietly as possible. My eyes betray me as I cautiously take in every inch of his… clothed body. No wonder I couldn’t feel anything—he’s still in his jeans.
I stand, inching toward the door and grabbing my shirt from the night before. One last glance over my shoulder brings a pang of regret, then I step out. Pulling the shirt on in the hallway, I turn toward the kitchen, where Dom and Kali sit at the table.
Honestly, this couldn’t be a better situation. I don’t have to face the awkwardness of waking up in Keoni’s arms. We have guests, so we won’t have the ability to talk about it.
“Good morning, Ayden,” Kali says with a smile, lifting her glass of water at me. “Couldn’t find the coffee.”
Shit. “Sorry about that. We are all out.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she hums.
Dom grunts. “That couch sucked, and not waking up to coffee sucks more.”
“You could’ve gone home, but youlooooveus and wanted to make sure we didn’t die.”
He rolls his eyes before looking at me. “Pierce up yet? We can all pile into the back of his truck, and he can drop us off at our cars.”
I shake my head. “How about Brittany and Taylor?”
He mirrors my head shake. “But they’re stirring. Pretty sure one of them farted.”
Kali throws her head back with mirth.
This doesn’t feel like Keoni’s coworkers in our cabin—it feels more like a family. It was obvious last night, but even more so now. I like this… and I can’t believe how stupid I was not to ask for help to get away from Michael sooner so I could have this.
Sapphire Valley is starting to feel more like home than ever, and I hope I can stay here until the day I die.
Footsteps approach from behind, and I swivel to see Keonirubbing the back of his neck, striding toward me.
“Good morning,” he says, his voice deeper than usual.Yummy.
“Morning. You’re taking us to our cars.” Dom doesn’t ask—he demands it, which has Kali starting up her laughter again.
Keo steps up beside me, letting out a low grunt. “I’m not on the clock, no ordering me around in my own home. I could’ve used a few more hours of sleep.”
“Good quality air mattress?” Kali asks. “I can’t stand those. I’d rather camp outside on the grass.”
“Sure, we can blame that.” He chuckles, and I catch his gaze flick to mine. “It gave me the best sleep I’ve ever had.”
Heart in dick. Immediately.
After dragging Brittany and Taylor out of bed, Keoni drove them back to their cars at the station. I told him I’d stay behind to clean up the mess outside. He argued for a moment, telling me to wait for him, but I didn’t back down—what else am I going to do while I wait?
I’m already anxious as hell, considering it’s obvious he knows how we slept last night. All my brain can do is remind me that I wiggled my ass against him to see if he had morning wood.
Ugh, Ayden.
An hour passes before he steps back through the door, two cups of coffee in hand.
Our eyes meet, and the moment I smile, he does too.
Goddamn it. A sense of euphoria rushes over me, and flutters of excitement swirl in my stomach. I’ve also noticed my heart races the same now as it had when we were living together as stepbrothers anytime I saw him.
I’m crushing so fucking hard.
He moves across the living room to the dining table that separates us, and sits. Setting my coffee cup down, he gestures to the seat across from him.
