Page 4 of No Summer Hotter than You

He laughed. “You know me, Shoua. I’m not really one for that sort of stuff. This was just a one-time thing.”

He was right. Although he had the looks and charm to get any woman into bed for casual sex, that wasn’t who he was. He only did it from time to time. Anthony had always been the type to enjoy long-term commitment more than quick flings.

We headed into the kitchen from the living room after I set down my tote and shoes by my sofa. Anthony still wore his bashful smile as he drank his coffee. My smile broadened with a playful roll of my eyes. I grabbed eggs, bacon, and sausage out of the fridge as Anthony quickly headed toward the pantry to get the sourdough bread.

“Why didn’t you just have breakfast with her if you two were already spending a night together?” The tone of my voice sounded much more spiteful than I intended.

Anthony let out a thunderous laugh as we danced around one another in the kitchen, getting breakfast ready. We don’t always spend mornings together like this since he usually came over to give me my coffee and then was out the door around seven, but he sent me a text earlier asking if we could have breakfast together today. I was planning to head out earlier than usual since my clients wanted me to show them a few places today at three o’clock, so I’d be leaving the office early.

“Aw, Shoua, do I smell a bit of jealousy here? Amanda’s only in town to visit her parents for the weekend and had an early flight to catch this morning to go back to Miami. Besides, I would rather have my meals with one of my favorite people any morning.”

I let out a short scoff. “Happy to know I’m one of those people.”

He laughed again. “You sure don’t sound all that happy.”

I grunted. “Give me a break. It’s Monday, and I wasn’t the one who had sex all weekend.”

It was then that I noticed two blooming hickeys on the nape of his neck, and I quickly turned away.

“Not all day, but all night—yeah.” His grin morphed into a mischievous smirk as his honey brown eyes twinkled. He was giddy, and it was fucking adorable.

His bubbling energy was always contagious, and my smile grew wider. I began cracking eggs into a bowl as Anthony grabbed a pan and started the stove for me.

“Maybe you should start dating again,” I suggested. “Get on a few dating apps and see how it turns out.”

“Nah, I’m good. Anyway, I’ll man the stove this morning,” he quickly spoke up.

I shook my head at him. Whenever he started to hook up like this, it meant he was on the precipice of finding his next girlfriend. He needed companionship, without a doubt. I didn’t bother pressing him on this because what was the point when it was bound to happen anyway?

“Says the man who’s been up all night.”

“Stop being so green-eyed, Shoua. There’s plenty of what I got for you and the rest. Maybe you should take your own advice. You should start dating again as well.” Anthony grinned, and I shook my head.

After breakfast, he offered to rinse the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. Our morning together was short-lived as I quickly headed out before him. He must’ve been in a really good mood to take it easy this morning, especially if he wasn’t in a rush to get out of the house after seven a.m. As I drove to work, I tried not to pay too much attention to the tinge of jealousy I now realized was coursing through my veins. It felt like bits of poison as it made its way to my heart.

I let out a long breath as I thought about what Anthony said during breakfast. He had a point. Maybe I should get out and date around a bit. Maybe I would even fuck around a bit. I hadn’t thought much of flings or dating since last year after my car accident. Maybe it’d be easier to live with the fact that I had a crush on him if I tried to date. I would never jeopardize our relationship by confessing to him how I felt, so there was no point in not dating or casually seeing someone anymore. I only started having these feelings for him because of all he did for me in the aftermath of my accident.

While my ankle was sprained, he essentially lived with me and was at my every beck and call while I recovered. Anthony would attempt to cook despite never being much of a cook. He spent every day driving me to work and picking me up. He called out of work whenever I had a doctor’s appointment and was always there with me.

Once my ankle healed, he continued to drive me everywhere without a single complaint. When I broke down after having an anxiety attack when I first attempted to drive again, he came running. He was never frustrated by how scared I became of making left turns. He took me to my showings over the weekends and stayed all day with me there, even though I told him I’d be fine without him. He was always with me, which was a side of him I never knew.

It was impossible not to start developing feelings for Anthony Hughes after experiencing that kind of gentle care and attention.

CHAPTER 2

anthony

My workers let out a low whistle when I showed up this morning at one of our kitchen remodeling sites with hickeys all over my neck. I simply shook my head when they made sly comments about it. After I broke up with my ex last year, I hadn’t felt the need for casual sex until now.

This was the longest I had ever had a dry spell. Not because I couldn’t get myself a woman, but because I wasn’t a single bit bothered by it. Most men would’ve gone crazy by now, but I think part of what kept my sanity in check all year long was how busy I had been. Our general contracting business’s revenue last year to this year had more than doubled thanks to the hard work of our crew, teams, and our clients’ good word of mouth.

As far as I was aware, my dad and me were running a four-million-dollar general contracting business enterprise all over Sunset Valley. We worked on personal to commercial renovations and remodeling and always had multiple ongoing projects throughout the year. I had been so invested in growing my dad’s business that I put anything and everything remotely romantic or sexual on the back burner.

All until I saw Amanda the other night at the brewery. She was beautiful and incredibly sexy, and this man couldn’t pass her over. It helped that she was only here on a short trip, and we both knew things were going to end the moment she got on the plane back to Miami. I had a great three-night fuck fest and, although it was undeniably hot and heavy, I was almost glad it was all over.

The longer I was single, the more I realized that perhaps things were just better this way. I was a busy man with a huge and lofty goal in mind for the company. I had little to no time to add dating into the mix of all of this. I suppose to Shoua it seemed a bit unusual for me to suddenly have the urge for a three-night stand when I wasn’t the typical man to do so. Truth was this: I just wanted to have sex with an attractive woman.

I was outside the large countryside home site where my crew was knocking out the dry wall in the kitchen to expand it. I was on the phone with my mom and away from the ruckus, under the hot and beating sun.

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