Eli salutes me and heads for the door. “Duty calls.”
Shaking my head, I move to the window to watch the two brothers haul the lounge chairs back outside. I’m wondering what the hell Eli meant by hisI have evidence of what he’ll never admitcomment, when a voice sounds behind me.
“It’s improbable but not impossible, you know,” says Lemon, making me whirl. “In fact, the pairing could be quite passionate.”
I blink at her in confusion. Is everyone talking in riddles this morning, or am I just that tired? “Sorry?” I ask. “What pairing?”
“A Scorpio and a Libra, of course.”
My mouth drops open in horror as her words sink in. “You mean—you’re not saying—me andLandon?” She gives me a knowing smirk and nods her head. “Lemon, that is never going to happen in a million years for so, so many reasons.”
“If you say so,” she says with a shrug, but the knowing look she’s giving me makes it clear she doesn’t believe me in the slightest.
“Totally, completely insane,” I mutter, shaking my head as I turn back to the window, trying my best to forget Lemon’s insinuation.
And yet…there’s a part of me that can’t stop thinking about that strong chest beneath my cheekbone or that faint masculine scent or the way that voice vibrates, low and deep and so very male, when he says my name.
And that’s what scares me.
TWENTY-SEVEN
My feet pound against the sidewalk in a quick but steady rhythm, and I turn up my music to unhealthy decibels, trying to drown out the words that bounce around in my skull nearly a week later.
Improbable but not impossible.
I haven’t been able to forget Lemon’s ridiculous comments—despite many failed attempts—but I’m counting on the adrenaline, the exertion, and the blaring pop music to clear my head and bury all those unnecessary images she planted there. Images that may or may not feature me and Landon and various unclothed body parts touching. Body parts that have absolutelyno businesstouching at all.
The pairing could be quite passionate.
I turn the sound up louder, trying to convince myself that I’m just desperate for human contact.Anysort of human contact. It’s been forever since I’ve kissed a guy, let alone had sex with one; though, it’s not like those experiences were all that memorable. But with the right person…with the right person, I know they’d be incredible. Mind-blowing, even. At least, that’s what I tell myself.
Rounding the corner, I spot Randall’s house up ahead. He’s sitting on his porch today, and I’m fully prepared to leave him with a wave and a smile. When he flags me down, though, I have no choice but to engage. Sighing, I slow to a walk, putting my hands on my hips to get my breathing under control, and head in his direction.
I’m halfway up the driveway when Snowball launches herself down the stairs and starts yapping at my feet like a crazed cotton ball. Pausing my playlist, I bend down to scratch her head.
“Hi, Randall!” I call. “Looks like your house fared well with the storm.”
He snorts, and I straighten up. “That wasn’t a storm. It was an inconvenience.”
“I don’t know. It was kind of scary.”
“Scary?” He scoffs as I climb the steps, doing my best not to trip over the dog weaving through my ankles. “Trust me. When you live here long enough, you figure out most of those hurricane threats are nothing more than a little wind and rain.”
“If you say so,” I say, leaning back against the porch railing.
“Anyway, enough chit chat,” he says gruffly. “I have a favor to ask you.”
My brows shoot up in surprise. “Oh, okay! What’s up? Need your phone fixed again?”
He waves me off. “No, not that. I’m going on a trip, and-”
“You are? Where are you going?”
He clears his throat. “It’s a reunion of sorts,” he mutters, but before I can ask him to elaborate, he pats the dog at his feet with surprising tenderness and continues on. “I need someone to watch Snowball while I’m gone, and you’re the first person that came to mind.”
“Me? Oh, that’s kind, but I don’t know much about dogs. My mom was allergic growing up, so we never adopted one.”
“What’s there to know?” he asks, like I’m being ridiculous. “You feed them. You walk them. You clean up their shit.”
