He laughs. “Did you just thank me for sex?”
I nod, glad he can’t see my embarrassed grin.
He smacks my ass, and the shock of it makes me squeeze my thighs together, sending a groan through both of us as I tighten around him.
Slowly, I slide off and stretch out next to him. Hello, empty spot between my legs.
With a groan, he gets up. His footsteps pad across the room, and my heart sputters as I wonder if he’ll come back. If he’ll sleep in here with me tonight. If he’ll stay.
Which is stupid. So, so stupid.
Of course he’s not going to sleep with me. I may not have any experience with casual sex, but I know you’re not supposed to actually sleep together after the act.
A sudden sting in my eyes has me blinking back the heat.
You can’t cry, Katherine. He told you what he wanted.
I swallow the lump in my throat and slide under the covers, hating how empty my bed feels. I turn toward the wall, bracing myself for the disappointment, but a few minutes later, his footsteps return, and the blanket lifts as he slides in behind me.
One warm hand grips my hip and pulls me to his hard chest as his bare thigh slips between my legs. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
Just when I think this can’t get any better, he presses a soft kiss on my neck and whispers, “Get some sleep, babe.”
I close my eyes with a contented sigh. Whatever this is, I want it. For however long I can keep it.
I’ll worry about what will happen to us when he leaves later. For now, I’m going to live in the moment.
Because I don’t think I’ll forget about this one for a long, long time to come.
34
Brady
The nursery guy, Hank, walks us over to the counter where he pulls out a giant binder of seeds and plants he can order for me. Katherine glances at me and gives me a shy smile.
That look she gives me. It’s enough to make my skin burn with an awareness of her.
I want to touch her.
Leaning over the counter, I try to focus on what Hank’s saying, but I’m distracted after what happened last night. And again this morning.
Fuck, this morning.
I can still smell her sweet perfume. Feel her soft skin on mine. Feel how she moved under me. Over me. Around me.
Taking a deep, steady breath, I focus on Hank’s unwieldy ear hair to get control of my growing erection.
But Kat’s presence is too much. I can still taste her on my tongue and remember how she moaned against me when I sucked on her pretty pink nipples.
Finally, I give in and drift my hand over her wrist. Her breath catches, and I let my fingers travel down to her palm where I squeeze her gently. We’re hidden behind the counter, so Hank can’t see what I just did.
It feels wrong to touch her in public. I’m not sure why. Neither of us said anything about hiding what’s going on between us, but I know I should be cautious. This is a small town where everyone knows everyone else’s business, and when I leave, I don’t want her having to deal with anyone’s small-minded ideas about what we’ve been up to.
For the first time, the thought of leaving seems truly bittersweet. I can’t deny how good it felt to wake up with this girl wrapped around me. And I’m not a sleepover kind of guy. Gwen and I hooked up for months, and I never felt the urge to stay in her bed when we were done. Or God forbid, hold her when we were done. But when I got up last night to clean up, I couldn’t fathom not crawling back into bed with Kat.
Sleeping with her felt amazing, almost as good as waking up with my morning wood pressed firmly against her curvy ass. And when she arched into me with a sleepy moan, I couldn’t help but go for round two.
God bless my baby niece for sleeping through the night. And bless Mrs. Mac for dropping by and offering to babysit for two hours so we could hit up the nursery.
“Which is it?” Hank asks, breaking me from my thoughts.
“I’m sorry. Can you repeat the question?” I should be paying closer attention. It was my idea to come here after all.
Kat tries to hide a grin. Is she replaying last night in her head too?
Hank points at the picture of the plant. “Is it four from center or five?”
I frown, feeling like I should know this shit after working for my dad these last several months. Thankfully, Katherine responds. “Five feet from center.” Then she whispers to me, “The distance between the rows, starting at the center of the plant.”
He nods and scratches his bald head. His eyebrows lift. “How’s your pH balance?”
Again, I have no fucking clue, but Kat answers again. “Seven point five.” She glances at me. “I just checked last week. The back field is six, but I think we have a little lime we can put down.”
Hank nods his approval. “You should be all set for the spring.”
He ambles off to gather a few supplies, and I stare at this beautiful girl in front of me. “How do you do that?”
Her head tilts. “Do what?”
“Save my ass. Every time.”