It’s not that I’m embarrassed to be seen with him. Quite the opposite. He’s kind, funny, and attractive in that business suit type of way. Maybe a little too slick on the surface, but once I have him out of his suit and mess up his perfectly quaffed hair, he distracts me enough to forget I prefer the denim and boots of a certain cowboy.
I’m not his and he’s not mine.
We’re having occasional fun, nothing more. I’m not moving to Los Angeles, and he certainly isn’t moving to Goose Hollow.
Heck, I’m not sure I’ll ever findthe oneat this rate. Not when Owen is around every corner.
Mark’s fingers squeeze my hip, and I realize I haven’t replied to him. “Sorry, I think I’m still out of it after my sleep-deprived weekend in New York and then two days at the hospital. I’m in a baby fog.”
“Sounds like a nice long massage may be in order when we get back to your place.”
And there it is. Another reason I should be happy for his unexpected visit. But I’m not.
“In that case, let’s call it a night,” I kid.
“I’m at your beck and call. Just say the word.”
And he is at my beck and call. When it comes to the men I sleep with, I amalwaysin control. All it took was one shitty college breakup and a night I still see when I close my eyes, and I swore to myself I would never relinquish control to a man again.
Except to Owen.
I may not think we’re destined to be forever, but there is nobody I trust more with my body. No other man will ever tell me what to do between the sheets.
Only Owen.
Mark’s offer to leave should be appealing, but I’m not in a rush. Too many of my favorite people are here. I’ve never chosen a man over my family and friends. That isn’t going to change tonight.
I know my worth and have never needed a man to make me feel complete. My decision to be single isn’t because of the poor example set by my parents. They were happily together for decades until dad passed away. No, I simply learn from my mistakes.
Choosing to be single doesn’t mean I don’t get lonely.
Mark may not cure my loneliness, but he scratches an itch. And that’s all I’ve ever asked from him.
Besides, I’m up to my eyeballs in men. Charlie and I started our own business, High Desert Designs, last year, and business is booming. When you work in the male-dominated world of construction and renovation, a woman can get her fill of men without even trying.
Charlie and I flip houses for a living. She builds furniture. I do the interior design, and together we draw up the plans and deal with a multitude of contractors. So, I’m well-versed in men from all walks of life. We work with blue-collar workers and wealthy white-collar men. We are usually hiring the former and are most-often hired by the latter. But in most situations, Charlie and I are the only women in the room or at the job site.
And let’s not forget my three overprotective older brothers.
So, yeah. Men, I know.
“I’ll remember that once we get back to my place,” I reply to Mark’s promise. Like I said, he scratches an itch, and he scratches it well. But I’m not ready to leave yet.
“Clover, come settle an argument for us,” Owen yells, snatching my attention from my beck and call boy. My boots head in his direction without a second thought.
His childhood nickname never used to faze me, but now I hear it and my stomach bottoms out in the best kind of way.
Stupid New York.
Why did he have to mess up the good thing we had going?
“How can I be of service?” I ask, looking between Owen and my newly shorn brother.
Until this afternoon, Knox had a thick head of hair that went past his shoulders. Tonight, I walked in and couldn’t believe my eyes. He has shaved it all off. Down to a buzz cut. New life, new hair, I guess.
“Tell me. In your professional opinion... What's sexier? Chin dimples or cheek dimples.”
Seriously? It’s constant nonsense with him.
