Page 40 of Rooster

And now I'm hard all over again. Getting out of this hot tub without everyone noticing will be impossible.

I pull my eyes from her and concentrate on getting myself under control, knowing full well I may have to just sit here, the skin on my hands and feet pruning until everyone else leaves. I see no other option.

"This is the perfect evening right before returning to work," Morgan says, her voice soft and appreciative.

Her words draw Kaylee's attention, but the other woman doesn't speak. I can see by the slight squint in her friend's eyes that there is some contention about her leaving the villa.

Kaylee took to this place easily. She left once, and that resulted in the bullshit that happened with Henry. I don't think she has stepped off of the property since. Kaylee is quite content to stay in the safety this place provides. Morgan isn't the type to sit around and be bored. I imagine the woman can relax, but she also has goals.

That's not to say Kaylee doesn't have goals, but the sting of what happened at Morgan's house has to be more traumatizing because she's the one who experienced the brunt of whatever twisted game Henry is playing. Morgan witnessed the aftermath, and as upsetting as that might be, no one can expect it to have the same effect as Kaylee's experiences.

"You're really going to go?" Kaylee asks, disbelief in her tone.

Heathen stiffens beside his wife, clearly growing uneasy with the direction the evening is taking.

"Yep," Morgan says, lifting a palm full of water and pouring it on her shoulder.

The sun has begun to set, and as warm as the days in the desert can be, the night turns chilly very quickly.

I'm enthralled with the way the water rushes down her skin, and the situation that I started to get under control comes roaring back to life just under the surface of the water.

I internally chastise myself and argue in my head that getting horny for a girl who has shown literally no interest in me other than her natural flirty demeanor is creepy as hell. She's here because it's not safe to go home, and I've done nothing but lust after her and watch her with eyes that are less than protective. Which is the reason why she's here in the first place. It feels like a violation, but even knowing all this, my body aches to inch closer to her, to feel her warmth and determine if her skin is warmer than the water swirling around us.

I pull my eyes away, shifting my legs in order to try and readjust my junk without physically having to reach down and do it. But even the bubble in my shorts from the air trapped in them doesn't offer a reprieve.

"Rooster."

I snap my eyes in the direction of the voice. This cannot be happening right now.

Right at the edge of the pool is Bandera. As always, he has that look on his face like he's annoyed that everyone isn't performing some type of work task. I swear if the man becomes the president here, we may all be in for a world of hurt.

"What's up?" I ask as casually as I can manage, wondering if the others can hear the hint of fear in my voice.

When Heathen chuckles, he makes it very clear that he's aware of the exact situation I'm in. I have no doubt he's in a similar state, but the difference is the man is hot for his fucking wife, not some woman he hardly knows.

"I need you to look something up for me," he says, dipping his head to acknowledge Morgan.

"What about Google?" Morgan offers. "He's taking a break. Wanna join us?"

Morgan draws every ounce of his attention, and the smile on his face is pleasant. The man doesn't feel insulted by her concerning herself with the situation, and I'll be damned if her sort of standing up for me and insisting I get some downtime doesn't strengthen the issue I've been worried about.

"I'd love to, but I have something to take care of first," Bandera says before looking back in my direction. "Rooster?"

I dip my head, throat working on a swallow, and just bite the bullet, standing and not bothering to worry about my swim trunks as I inch past her. The position of the stairs to get out puts my front damn near in her face, but I hold my head as high as I can manage and get out.

"Have a good evening," I tell them.

"You too," Heathen says, and there's no missing the humor in his tone.

I don't reach down to adjust my junk until I step inside the house. Bandera notices, but he doesn't say a word. I don't know if the grace he offers is a gift or not. He's the one who caught me watching a livestream of her reading a book the other day. He has to know there's some level of attraction there, but he also has no business voicing his opinion about any of it. Although, I know that won't exactly stop him either.

I grab a towel and wrap it around myself before following him upstairs to the conference room.

Chapter 15

Morgan

I can list several reasons why I crawled out of bed this morning, wishing I'd made a different decision about returning to work in the middle of the week.

---