If I wasn’t gripping my hand tool so tight, I would have dropped it.
“We’re just casual,” I tell him.Convincemyself. What even makes him think she’ll listen to me?
“Uh-huh. Do you cradle every woman’s face that you’re not serious with? Because from where I stood, it looked pretty passionate.”
Wait… my eyes zero in on him. “Why do you need to apologize to her?”
“We weren’t talking about me. Why are you avoiding my question?”
I don’t know if it’s the smoke inhalation or this confusing circle of questions, but I’m lost.
“That’s none of your business,” I toss out.
What did he ask me again?
“Just like whatever you have going on with her is none of mine,” he argues. “Not unless you do something to hurt her.”
That’s when I drop my tool. “I would never…”
He smirks. “That’s what I thought. I want to believe that you’re not an arrogant asshole who always needs to be on top, but rather someone who fights for what he wants. I know you’re probably not going to listen, but can I give you a piece of advice? It might help you.”
I pick up my tool and cut the last swath of brush closing off the spread. “I’m listening.”
“From now on, choose the hard, right choice over the easy, wrong one.”
With our hotspot under control, he drops his tool and points to my mistake.
“Dig a four-foot-deep cup trench beneath that log to keep it from rolling again.”
And I do. For several hours on bended knee.
That first hard, right choice lands me with a burning sensation that begins at my ankle and spreads up my calf.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
HAILEY
His lips feather against my skin, trailing in an arc down my neck. He draws my top to the side and brushes his mouth over my exposed collarbone. Chills race up the arm he caresses with the back of his hand.
“Is this what I’ve been missing?” he whispers against the shell of my ear, and my body erupts with euphoric need. I tip into this feeling. Chasing the high that is Reed Morgan’s touch. The warmth of his breath, the sound of his groan, it’s all I can do not to…
“Earth to Hales.”
The fog lifts from my daydream to reveal an oversized palm waving in front of my face. I blink in rapid succession until the figure comes into focus. I should have known. Ben’s the only one who has ever called me that nickname. It’s burrowing beneath my skin like a tick I can’t get rid of.
“What? Sorry…”
“I lost you there for a second.” He presses the back of his hand to my forehead. “That seems to be happening a lot lately. Are you feeling okay? Is the heat getting to you?”
I don’t know, is it?Wehavehit record temps over the lastfew days. Our medic tent is more of a sauna than a protective shade cover at this point. Cooked from the inside out would be the definition of my body right now. I lick my chapped lips.
Water. That’s what I need. Three long pulls and I’ve drained half the bottle. It sloshes as I dump it over my palm and slap the remainder against my cheeks.
“Better?” He smirks.
I nod.
“Well, that’s good, because someone’s here to see you.”
