Page 6 of Drive Me Wild
Renée reaches over and touches her forehead.
“You don’t have a fever, but do you want a ride home?”
“No, no. I’ll be fine. Just need to splash some water on my face.”
She bolts out of her chair and heads into the house as Cody watches her every move.
“Huh.” Avery and Renée exchange a look.
“What’s up?” I look between the two of them. “I’m living here now, you might as well spill some tea.”
“This is the first time I’m meeting him.” Renée stands to greet Cody. “And it looks to me like there is something between the hermit and the mayor.”
“The hermit?”
“It’s just that Cody doesn’t come down from the forest much,” Avery offered.
I glance over towards him. He’s standing next to Caleb now, and I feel a tickle in my chest when I catch Caleb’s eye.
“Well,” Avery leans closer. “This is turning into an interesting afternoon.”
Avery, Renée, Serena, and I spent the afternoon eating and laughing. I lose count of how often Serena and Cody go out of their way to avoid being next to each other. Watching their weird interactions seems like a good distraction from his twin, who I can’t stop looking for when I’m not in conversation—even though I know he’s not the man for me.
Caleb is a total smokeshow and owns a business, which is on the plus side. But Renée and now Avery have both warned me against him. I hate to believe small-town gossip, but I want what I want, and a player isn’t going to be the kind of guy who settles down, especially with someone who can’t satisfy him in the sack.
A few people disappear into the house and come out in swimsuits, so I take my cue and head to my car. I pop the back open and start pulling some boxes and bags out when I feel a shadow looming over me. The absence of direct sun doesn’t help my skin cool off as I register heat radiating from the person standing behind me. I freeze on the spot. I simultaneously want it to be Caleb, and I’m afraid of it being him.
“Need help unloading your car?”
It’s him.
I turn around and we lock eyes. His are chocolate brown with a darker ring around the outside of the iris. The almond shape is turned up on the outer edge as he smiles at me. I notice that the redness and swelling are hardly noticeable where I knocked heads with him.
“I’m just looking for my swimsuit. It’s in one of these bags. I think.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to go through them if they were upstairs?”
I look toward the apartment as if an answer is hanging in the window. Itwouldbe easier, and then I wouldn’t have to think about my stuff when I’m dripping wet or ready to wash the lake off me.
“I suppose you’re right.”
He reaches around me and grabs the first two boxes.
“What’s in here? Bricks?”
I stifle a laugh.
“Books. Six boxes in total.”
He pauses briefly, nods, then trudges up the stairs. I’m not too ashamed to enjoy the view as his muscles work to carry the load to the second-floor apartment. And damn, it is one hell of a view. Thick thighs and an ass that fill out his jeans as if he was born to wear them.
I follow him with a duffle bag, and when I reach the top of the stairs, he’s already placed the books near the small bookcase and opened up two windows to get a cross breeze going.
“There’s no air conditioning up here because it usually doesn’t get hot enough to need it. If Cole doesn’t have a fan, I can run home and grab one for you.”
The apartment is a small studio—no more than a kitchenette, bed and wardrobe, bookshelves, chair, and table. He’s standing on the side of the bed opposite me, and the air is thick with late summer humidity and circumstance as we look at each other.
“Thank you, that’s very thoughtful. I’ll leave these windows open for now and see how it goes. Weather should turn soon anyway.”
