Page 18 of Love You From Afar

And I’m also letting him know that I want a freaking dog. As a matter of fact, I’m not asking him, I’m telling him. I’m going to start looking the second we get back from Denver, whether he likes it or not. There are so many precious dogs at the shelter that need a loving home, and I’m in need of a cuddly companion. Elliot will just have to get over it.

“What are you hungry for?” Everett asks, pulling me from my thoughts. The deep timber of his voice sends a warm wave of electricity surging down my spine.

“I’m fine with whatever,” I reply, “I just want to get out and stretch my legs a little.”

“We’re already pushing it on time,” he grunts. “We can stop somewhere fast, but we definitely don’t have time for a sit-down restaurant.”

I turn to look out the window, browsing to see what our options are. My eyes light up when I see an orange and white sign in the shape of a “W” a few miles up the road.

“Ooooh, let’s go to Whataburger,” I say, pointing ahead.

“Are you sure a health nut like you won’t flop over and die if you eat a burger? Your body might go into shock,” Everett quips as a shit-eating grin stretches across his face.

“I guess I’m taking my chances today,” I shrug, my lips curving into a smirk. “I mean, I already ate half a bag of powdered donuts.”

“Wow,you’re really living life on the wild side today,” he chuckles, arching a brow.

“What can I say, you’re a bad influence on me,” I croon, tossing him a knowing wink. His eyes briefly flicker to my lips before landing back on the road.

The gasoline to my fire. I always seem to find trouble when Everett Thompson is involved.

“Well, I sure as hell am not going to say no to Whataburger. That would be a cardinal sin,” he adds, clicking his tongue.

“Look at us finally agreeing on something,” I reply sarcastically. In all seriousness, I’m thankful that deciding where to eat lunch wasn't an act of Congress because I’m starving.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, we still have roughly six and half hours left in this trip,” he scoffs, flashing me an arrogant grin that has no business being as sexy as it is. His fingers tighten around the steering wheel as he turns, pulling into the Whataburger parking lot.

Fifteen minutes later, we’re sitting across from each other at a small table by the window. Everett wanted to make sure we had a clear view of the parking lot since most of the important stuff is in the bed of his truck. Dipping a crispy fry into a plastic cup of ketchup, I look up to find Everett’s ocean eyes watching my every move. I chew slowly, swallowing the fry as I try to not melt beneath his searing gaze.

“You can take a picture if you want, it’ll last longer,” I mock, repeating the exact same words he said to me earlier.

“You know what, I might actually do that,” he nods. “I’ll make sure to text the photo to Elliot. He’d probably go into cardiac arrest at the sight of you consuming fried food.” Everett finally breaks character, a wide smile stretching across his face.

Faint lines form in the corner of his eyes, accentuating how kindly aging has treated him. His pearly whites are the perfect contrast to his tan skin and dark stubble. Even from across the table, his woodsy scent envelops me, smelling of pine trees, leather, and coffee.

The more time I’m forced to spend with him, the more I wish I would have taken him up on the offer to book a last-minute flight because the way he’s looking at me right now has my insides turning to mush. His sapphire eyes drop to my lips as if he knows exactly what I’m thinking. He clears his throat, darting his gaze away when I pull my bottom lip between my teeth.

I can’t help but feel a pang of excitement at his reaction, like it’s killing him that he’s not the one nibbling on my lips.God, just the thought has my core fluttering.

I know it’s wrong to feel this way… to have these kinds of thoughts. It’s wrong on so many levels to sit here and lust over my brother-in-law but just like a drug, I’ve never been able to control myself when it comes to him. I knew before I agreed to this trip what Everett Thompson does to my mind… to my body. Deep down, I knew this was a terrible idea. I should have trusted my gut and never agreed to ride with him.

A phone buzzing against the table distracts me from my thoughts.

“This is one of my employees,” Everett sighs. “They’re on the job site by themselves this week. Let me get this real quick,” he adds, tapping on the screen to answer the call.

I immediately notice how he doesn’t leave the table to take the call. He stays here with me, which is so unlike what I’m used to. Elliot usually gets up and leaves the table when he gets a call, sometimes abandoning me for hours at a time. Lately, it’s been happening more often than not. What’s so important that you have to step away from your fiancé? It’s not like he’s a doctor that has to worry about sharing confidential information. He works at a freaking bank. As much as I hate to admit it, I can’t help but feel that he’s being secretive or sneaky about something.

“Hey, Noah. How’s it going?” Everett says into the phone, whispering an “I’m sorry” my way. The fact that he even feels the need to apologize for taking a phone call while we’re at a fast-food restaurant melts my heart.

“Okay, well you have the rest of today and all day tomorrow.”

“No. Absolutely not, Noah.” He shakes his head.

“If they have a problem with it, tell them to call me.”

“Our business hours are Monday through Friday, not weekends. They know that.”

“I don’t care how bad they want the job done. We’ll finish it next week like we said we would.”

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