The corner of my mouth twitches, because while yes, she did sleep in some of her clothes, she also slept in some of mine. And that thought makes me incredibly giddy.
“And what are you smiling at?” she asks quietly when she walks up beside me.
“Nothing.”
“Thanks for the coffee, but I’m not here for your amusement.”
“No one said you were,” I reply, sidestepping her and moving away from Camden.
She follows, telling me she’s itching for a fight, and I have no clue why. “You think because you brought me this, I’ll sleep with you again?”
Okay…what?
I keep staring straight as to not draw attention from Camden and lower my voice as I reply, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just tried doing something nice for you.”
“Well, there’s always a reason. No one does something without wanting something in return.”
I finally turn around and face her. Her eyes are burning with fire and stubbornness, but there’s something else there too. Uncertainty? Fear? Maybe both?
Leaning in closer, I whisper, “I don’t know why you’re trying to pick a fight with me, but it’s not going to work. I bought you a damn coffee because I knew it would make you happy. That’s all, Charli. If I wanted in your pants, there was a pretty good chance that would have happened last night, when you were in my arms and grinding back against my cock in your sleep.”
She gasps.
“But I didn’t, for many reasons. Drink your damn coffee, but don’t for one second think that it’s payment for sex.”
And because I’m suddenly pissed off, I keep walking over to where Camden is cooking. I start cracking eggs into the bowl, tossing the shells into the trash with a little extra force.
“You all right?” he asks, using the spatula to stir up the hash browns.
“Yep. Great.”
He chuckles and glances over to where his sister is now sitting in her chair, glaring at her coffee as if it offended her somehow. “She’s not a morning person,” he says unnecessarily.
“You don’t say,” I mutter, my words dripping with sarcasm.
He laughs and shakes his head. “Yeah, well, if anyone’s gonna push her buttons first thing on a Sunday morning, it’s definitely going to be one of us.”
I nod, knowing he’s right. Her brothers enjoy getting a rise out of her, and while I don’t always do it intentionally, she seems to save a little extra venom for me regardless.
Our attention is pulled to Camden’s tent, where Laura emerges. She’s bundled up like it’s ten degrees outside and muttering about her back hurting from the ground. I notice Charli roll her eyes over the rim of her coffee cup, which makes me grin.
“There you are,” Laura coos, coming over and throwing her arms around Camden’s neck. The action causes him to stumble a little toward the fire.
“Easy, Laura. The last thing we need is to fall in the fire,” Camden says, extracting Laura from his side and creating a little distance.
“At least I’d be warm then,” she states, covering her mouth with her hand. “I need to brush my teeth.”
“I can run you up to the barn in a minute,” he replies, stirring the potatoes once more.
“Okay!” she bellows, bouncing on her toes and clapping her hands. She looks over at Charli and asks, “This is so fun, isn’t it?”
But Charli doesn’t reply. Instead, I hear her mimic Laura’s question in a funny voice. Fortunately, Laura doesn’t hear her and leans in and plants a big kiss on Camden’s cheek. When he grins at her, she practically dances over to grab a seat, wrapping herself in a heavy blanket, and sits.
Shaking my head, I mutter, “Come on, Romeo. Let’s get breakfast finished.”
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
