Page 10 of Rival
The plate she’s holding slips from her grasp and drops heavily into the trash as she whips her eyes up to stare at me in shock. Gasping, she reaches in to retrieve it, pink heating her cheeks as she carries it back to the sink. “You don’t need to do that. It won’t take me long.” The corner of my lip tilts up when she side-eyes me and looks away just as quickly. “But uhh… thank you for the offer?”
Deciding I’m going to pretend this isn’t an awkward as fuck conversation, I grin and move in next to her. “It’s no problem. It’ll go quicker if we work together.” Her back is rigid, so I bump her shoulder before leaning down to whisper in her ear conspiratorially. “Besides, those two are passed the fuck out. I’ll let Corb sleep a bit longer before I drag his ass back home to his wife.”
I thought for sure she’d laugh at that, but her frown deepens to something more worried. “Think he’ll sleep for a while?”
“Corb? Nah, he’ll be cake to wake up. But I’m sure he’ll nod off as soon as his ass hits his recliner at home.” Snickering, I can already hear his wife’s nagging, but she loves him and doesn’t mind when he gets some time to himself.
“No, I mean—” Edith snaps her lips shut and starts scrubbing at the plate. I realize she wasn’t asking about my brother.
Holding my hand out for the clean dish, she hands it over. As I rinse the suds, I continue a bit more seriously. “Yeah, I’m sure your dad is out for the count.” When she relaxes, I do too and let myself grin again. It’s shocking how gorgeous she is. I don’t remember her mom, but Corbin met her once, I think. His impression wasn’t anything to write home about, so I’m a bit surprised Edith is as beautiful as she is.
She doesn’t favor her father at all, maybe except the dark hair and chocolate-colored eyes, although hers are much more vivid than Clayborn’s. His are always glassy and dull from drinking daily. That thought makes me grow concerned. Keeping an eye on her from the corner of mine, we wash dishes in silence, her slim fingers working aggressively to scrub the bits and pieces of food from the surface.
Her wrists are petite as well, and her head only comes to just about my shoulder. If you only glance at her, you’d think she’s just naturally thin, but studying her more closely, I can see a slight bruising under her eyes and sharp cheekbones, which makes her seem a tad older than she probably is.
Never one to bite my tongue, I blurt out, “How old are you?”
Again, the dish slips from her fingers, but she catches it before it slams into the base of the sink. She smiles quickly, although it’s forced. “I’m twenty. I’ll turn twenty-one soon.” Then, after chewing on her lip, she asks hesitantly, “How old are you?”
Snorting at the math I’m doing in my head, I say, “Much older than you. I’ve got sixteen years on ya.”
“So, thirty-six then. I thought you were closer to my father’s age.”
This time, I laugh. “Hell no. Corbin and your dad are the same age. I was the one that tagged along for years. Definitely younger.” Teasing her, I bump her shoulder again and wince when she stumbles to the side before righting herself. “Notsoold.”
“No,” she whispers. “Not as old as them. Here.” Handing me the last plate, she starts dragging her fingers through the soapy water to find the soaking silverware. Finding a few forks, she scrubs at them with renewed energy.
Not wanting to stop talking with her, I do my best to get her to open up more. “So, you’ve got a barn cat with a litter outside?”
She sighs with pleasure, easing up on the silverware as a small smile grows. “No, not in ours. We’ve only got the shed for Raleigh. I think he might be a baby from next door, but I heard him crying outside. Poor little guy must have wandered off. He’s sweet, though, and seems friendly enough.” Looking toward the door, she adds, “Maybe I should go see if he’s still out there. Take some milk or something.”
“You start feedin’ him, he’ll never go away. Unless that’s what you want?” Strays are common around here and everyone knows that once you give them an ounce of attention, they’ll hang around all hours of the day and night. “Might even get noisy, cryin’ for you at night.”
Her smile falls away. “That’s probably not a good idea. I hate to think he’s separated from his momma, though. Do you think I should go find him and take him next door?”
If she’s talking about the Coopers, it’s probably not a great idea, considering how much Mason and Clayborn hate each other. “Ehh, probably not the best idea. Why don’t we finish this and go look for him? I can swing him by on my way out if it’ll make you feel better.”
Her eyes find mine, and her pleading look hits me right in the chest. “You wouldn’t mind?”
Clearing my throat, I nod without drawing my eyes away. Letting them roam over her, I notice the sprinkling of light freckles across the bridge of her nose and full lips.Fuck, Clay would have my hide if I hit on his daughter in his own house, but she’s more than just a small temptation.
“I’d be happy to do that for you, if you want.” She flashes the most brilliant smile in my direction, and I know I’d do anything to see that again. Dragging my eyes from her, I turn my body away and will my cock from getting hard with the way she’s looking up at me. “Let’s get this sorted and go find the little guy.”
Humming happily, she rushes to finish and within ten minutes, we’re outside, clicking our tongues and snapping our fingers to find her kitten. I follow behind, doing my best not to stare at her ass when she bends over to search under branches and junk that Clayborn’s stored out here.
The longer we look for him, the more disappointed she grows until finally she sighs and hugs her stomach. “Guess he must have run off back home.”
“They’re pretty good at finding their way. I’m sure he went back to his siblings, because youknowif there’s one, there’s at least five more out there. But if not, he’ll be back soon enough.”
Holding the door open for her, she nods solemnly and drags her feet back inside, only to hear Clayborn’s slurred bellow. “Edith!Where are you, girl?”
Edith stumbles to hurry faster inside, her ass right in my face as she climbs the steps and I bite my lip to hold back my groan. She might be slender, but fuck, that ass looks delicious. “I’m here,” she calls out, and I let the door slam behind me as I follow her inside.
Her dad is leaning against the door frame, eyes running over me before zeroing in on her. “You put it all away?”
“Yes, just got done washing up.”
“Shit. I was gonna grab some more. There’s still pasta left, right?” He stumbles toward the fridge without waiting for an answer, tearing the door open and hangs his arm heavily on the frame as he searches inside.
