Page 13 of Craving the Mountain Man
"Yeah, figured we could get a jump on the Cedar Valley job. Supplies came in early, and the weather's looking good for the next few days."
The Cedar Valley job. Right. The cabin restoration project that's been Dylan's pet project for months. The one he roped me into and the one that'll keep him here for the better part of the summer. The one that'll make it impossible to hide what's happening between me and Cassidy.
My jaw tics. "You, uh… you know Cass is still here, right?"
He laughs, and the sound makes my stomach drop. "Of course, although she must be due to leave soon. I’m hoping to catch her before she does. And thanks Evan. I know she can be a pain, but I knew she would be in safe hands with you.”
I manage a low chuckle, but my chest is tight, like someone's wrapped a band around my ribs and keeps pulling it tighter. "She, uh… she's been doing great."
Great. What a fucking understatement. She's been incredible. Life-changing. The kind of woman who makes a man reconsider everything he thought he knew about himself.
"Good," he says easily, and I can hear the genuine relief in his voice. "She needed the break from men. Her ex was a tool."
"Yeah," I mutter, thinking about the stories she's told me. The man was an idiot, but his loss is my gain.
If I get to keep her, which is looking less likely by the second.
"She'll be gone soon, anyway. Back to city life and hopefully no risk of her charming the flannel off some poor mountain man."
I force a laugh, but my throat burns. "Right."
If only he knew.
If only he knew that she's already charmed more than just my flannel off. That she's gotten under my skin, into my blood, into places I thought were permanently sealed off. That the idea of her leaving makes me want to punch holes in walls.
"Listen, I should probably get going," Dylan continues, oblivious to my internal crisis. "Long drive tomorrow. Tell Cass I'll see her soon, yeah?"
"Yeah. I'll tell her."
"And Evan? Thanks again for looking after her. I know she can be a handful."
A handful. If he only knew what his sister had been handling.
"No problem," I lie.
I hang up and turn to find Cassidy leaning against the doorway, sipping her smoothie with a knowing look. She's changed into one of my old band t-shirts and a pair of cut-off denim shorts and there are marks on her neck that I put there with my mouth.
"So," she says, taking another slow sip, "the brother returns."
"Tomorrow."
She nods, processing this information with more calm than I feel. "And here I thought we had more time to be reckless."
"We don't have time," I bite out. “He’s going to know as soon as he looks at me.”
Her smile slips, and I immediately want to take the words back.
"Is that regret I hear, Evan?"
I scrub a hand over my face, trying to find words that won't make this worse. "No. Fuck. Not regret. Just…"
"Just what?"
I look at her standing there, hair wild from my hands, cheeks flushed from our shower, bare legs that I've had wrapped around my waist more times than I can count in the last few days, and I want her. Still.
It's just Dylan’s voice is in my head now. The man who trusts me. Who sent his sister here thinking she'd be safe, thinking I'd take care of her without taking advantage.
That's the problem.
