Page 4 of Be With Me (Adair Family 4)

Flushing, I turned away and quickly applied moisturizer. “Just wondering if you mean to stay and watch me like a creeper.”

“Aye, I was planning to,” he deadpanned.

My lips quirked as I reached to unwrap my hair from the microfiber towels I used to protect my curls from frizz.

A heavy tumble of twisted strands spilled down my back, and I caught Arran’s eyes in the mirror. “Seriously, you sure you don’t want to run without me?”

“Nope.” He took another sip of his shake. “I’m fascinated by your morning routine.”

“That’s because you’re weird,” I teased. Since we were going on a run, I decided not to waste time untwisting my hair and twisted it up into a ponytail.

I then applied a little makeup, nothing too heavy since sweat would melt it off. Just enough where I didn’t look like Arran had woken me from a nightmare. Arran watched the process of me fixing my hair and makeup as if it truly captivated him.

“I’m done,” I announced and took a long drink of my shake, only to get caught in Arran’s striking eyes again.

Sometimes he stared at me like he was visualizing me naked. If any other guy gave me those vibes, I’d feel violated. The thought of Arran being attracted to me, however, made me feel too hot, my skin too tight.

I raised an eyebrow at him as he continued to stare.

His lips quirked, but the intensity in his expression didn’t dissolve. “I think I enjoyed this behind-the-scenes peek into your routine a little too much. I’m a wee bit hot and bothered.”

Watching me do my hair and makeup?

Rolling my eyes, I stood and strode past him. “Stop flirting.”

This was our routine. Arran Adair was an even bigger flirt than his slightly older brother Brodan. I threw out the thought of Brodan because it made me feel guilty—being attracted to brothers—and hurried into the kitchen to collect my purse and keys.

Anyway, Arran was just like his brother. They both flirted with women all the time. Arran’s flirting with me meant nothing, just as Brodan’s flirting with me had meant nothing.

We were all friends.

Brodan and I were just friends.

Arran and I were just friends.

Arran. And. I. Were. Just. Friends.

We were.

Truly.

I hadn’t really wanted to be friends with him considering my attraction, but Arran Adair was the human equivalent of a boundary bulldozer. Unlike every other member of the Adair family who didn’t want to push or intrude on my personal space, Arran was all about that.

And weirdly, it didn’t bother me.

I’d grown to trust him these last six months.

Which was a big deal.

Believe me. Once upon a time, I’d relied on that sixth sense, the one Granny said I could trust until my last breath. But then Lucy Wainwright happened. No one had ever fooled me like Lucy had. It was beyond unnerving. And suddenly, even the people who I knew cared about me seemed like a threat.

Until Arran.

Arran … I had to believe my instincts about Arran were right.

“I can’t stop flirting with you.” Arran wandered into the living room, placing both our glasses in the sink. “You’re stunning, and sometimes it dazzles me.” He approached with a wicked grin. “Looking at you is like looking at the sun.”

Ignoring the warm feeling he evoked and the racing of my pulse, I grimaced. “Stop wasting such excellent material on me, Arran. We’re just friends.”

He gasped in dramatic outrage, hand to his chest. “Best friends.”

I fought a laugh and lost. “Are we in kindergarten now?”

“It’s called nursery school,” he corrected and then kissed me quickly on the tip of my nose, the scent of his cologne surrounding me for a brief second. “And friends can flirt.”

“I suppose it’s good practice,” I said to his back as I locked up.

“Sure.” He shrugged, throwing his keys up and catching them as he bounded down my steps with the energy of a teenager. More times than I’d care to admit, I’d wondered what all that energy in bed would be like.

I missed sex.

So. Much.

Groaning under my breath, I hurried to my car and was glad for the fifteen-minute drive to Ardnoch Beach that counted as a reprieve from Arran and his sexiness.

My phone connected to my car, and I hit my favorite playlist. But as I followed Arran out of my driveway and through the woodlands surrounding my place, my phone rang, cutting off the music. The car screen announced the caller.

“Yes?” I drawled.

“I’m calling because I missed you,” Arran teased.

I laughed at his nonsense. “You missed me in the ten seconds we’ve been apart?”

“Aye. Also, I had the sudden urge to once again ask, why the hell are you driving that thing?”

I shook my head as we turned onto the main road. “Hey, this car is environmentally friendly and gets me from A to B.” After my old Defender broke down beyond the point of repair, I’d done the sensible thing and bought a Smart car. But I’ve been longing for something bigger.

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