“Why Maverick Murphy, whatever could you mean?”
“I mean, I’ll never get over being with you. I’m ready to get you naked again.” His voice is low. “So who in here wants to shank me?”
“I could say as much.” Lifting my chin, I shake my hair back. “Every time we go out in LA there’s at least ten women who want to murder me, and they just think we’re friends.”
“We are, aren’t we?” That smile curls his lips. “Friends with benefits?”
“Benefits…” I turn the word over in my mind. “I would definitely say there are benefits.”
He presses his chin to my temple exhaling a laugh, and my eyes slide closed. A constant refrain repeats in my head,What are we doing? This is impossible.
“We’ll have to keep it off the gossip sites,” he says softly. “That’s when things really go sideways.”
My throat tightens, and I remember Aunt Dylan talking about how awful they were to her when she and Uncle Logan got together.
I think about all the things we’re not saying right now, allthe facts we’re ignoring. We came here only pretending to be a couple… Right? I have no idea when the line got so blurred.
Oh, yeah, when I helped him finish in the shower.
“May I cut in?” Dylan walks up beside me, putting her hands on my waist.
Her sudden appearance makes me blush, considering what I was remembering.
“Of course.” Unlike how he treated Corey, I will step aside for his mother.
I relinquish his hand to hers, and she smiles at me before hugging her tall son. His hazel eyes hold me, and I’m hot all over thinking about all of it.
“It’s about time.” Corey moves in like a vulture, putting his hand on my arm and pulling me aside. “I’ve been trying to talk to you.”
My shoulder tenses, and I pull my arm away.
Dylan is talking to Maverick, but I catch his eyes on us. His brow is lowered, and his jaw is set. I shake my head slowly before returning my eyes to Corey’s flat brown ones.
“What do you want?” I ask impatiently.
The last thing I’m interested in is his haughty opinion or his presumptions about our future.
His eyebrow arches, but he ignores my tone. “I see you’ve given up.”
Frowning, I meet his eyes. “On what?”
“The orchard.”
“I have not. I’ll never give up.”
“Yet you’re here with this fellow… thisplayer…whose life and career are on the other side of the country. How does that work?”
Chewing my lip, my eyes flicker down. “We’re still figuring out the details.”
“You’re running out of time, Dove.” He has the nerve to exhale pitifully. “And your uncles are running out of money. Wewillown this property, and I’d hoped to give you what you wanted. I know how much you love it here. I wanted to keep your land in your family.”
My jaw is tight, and I step closer, locking eyes. “You don’t give a shit about my family. You only want what every Hayes has always wanted since your grandfather moved to Harristown—to own it all.”
His lips curl into an amused grin. “Ownis such an ugly word. I merely want to possess. If you think about the future and be realistic, you’ll see we want the same thing. I also want to be sure your property remains for future generations. Why don’t you stop fighting and take your place at my side?”
My fist clenches, but sadly, I don’t have a peach I can throw at him. Exhaling slowly through my nose, I improvise, adopting a fake, sweet smile.
“I tell you what, Corey, why don’t you walk out there and help yourself to a peach—on the house.” I point my finger hard against his chest. “That’s all of LaGrange Orchard you’ll ever possess.”
