Page 27 of Beautiful Envy

“I’m this tempted to put you on trash duty for an extra week,” he barked.

Grayson and Brooks doubled over laughing, tears falling down their cheeks. Brooks finally calmed himself, wiping his face.

“It worked, though, didn’t it?” he asked, lifting his brow at Bubba.

I watched the exchange between them, wondering what it was about. Bubba looked at me, his eyes softening a little before he walked over and punched Brooks in the arm.

Grayson just laughed harder until Bubba glared, and he straightened up, stepping back and pulling me in front of him.

“You think she’ll stop me?” he asked, dropping his eyes to me.

I smiled sweetly, batting my eyelashes. I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but since my mission was to give Bubba shit, it aligned for the moment.

He stopped, cursed, and spun on his heels as he stomped out of the kitchen. The other two broke out in more laughter, apparently finding it just as hilarious to mess with Bubba as I did.

“So, what’s for dinner?” I asked, hopping onto the counter. “Do you need any help?”

“From a pretty girl, always!” Grayson sang, sashaying his hips over to me. “How was your day, sunflower?”

“It was a lot better than I expected. I liked meeting all the artists, and I felt like I helped. Their system was easy to understand.”

“How about you help me out at the garage tomorrow?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Hmm, does helping out involve sexual favors?” I teased.

He stopped, his mouth opening and closing before he cleared it, leaning against the counter near me.

“It can,” he purred, sending shivers down my spine.

I slapped him. “If you need actual help, then I’m game. I just don’t fancy being part of a cheesy porno, where you ask me if there’s anything your big wrench can fix.”

Brooks sputtered, a laugh bellowing out of him. Grayson froze, his face turning a little red as he blinked at me.

“Where have you been all my life, Darcie?” he asked. I laughed, smacking his arm. Though I played it off as a joke, the look on his face and the softness of his voice made me reconsider.

“Oh, here, there, everywhere,” I replied. “But I’m here now.” I dropped my voice, almost whispering the last part. His smile softened as he watched me. Bending down, I dropped a kiss on his forehead before jumping off the counter and moving toward Brooks.

I wrapped my arms around his waist without thinking. It felt too nice to hug him now that I could.

He stopped what he was doing, turning so he could look at me. His fingers brushed my hair back, his eyes roaming my face for something.

“I’m glad you had a good day, sweetheart,” he whispered. I noticed how his ears turned a little pink. It was cute how nervous he still was at times. I liked it about him, though.

“Sorry if you’re not a hugger. I just really wanted one.”

“I’ll always take one from you.”

We stared at one another, lost in the moment, until a throat cleared, bringing us back to Earth.

“Don’t burn dinner,” Grayson said, pulling some plates out of the cabinet.

Brooks squeezed me before letting me go, focusing back on the food he was preparing.

“What are you making?” I asked, pulling open a few drawers until I found the silverware. I could never remember where they were.

“Cowboy sloppy joes.”

“Never had them. Sounds good.”

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