Page 15 of When Autumn Arrives

“Oh,” she said in a whisper. “Oh, God, Shane. I didn’t… I didn’t know.”

I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. I just wanted to make it clear that you and I will never happen.”

Chapter ten

Thea

I knocked on the door of the guys’ house with a paper bag of groceries in hand. The smile on my face instantly faded when I was greeted by Calder. He wore a similar facial feature, his face screwed up like he was holding in a shit.

“I thought you were working,” I said in as mean of a tone as I could muster. I brushed past him, my shoulder touching his bare fore-arm. Did I forget to mention he was shirtless when he answered the door? “Put on a shirt. It’s rude to walk around half naked when you have company here.”

“You’re not company, you’re a thorn in my goddamned thigh.” He grumbled and slammed the door closed. “They’re both still at work.”

“This is a surprise. Don’t tell them I’m here,” I called over my shoulder.

I let myself into the kitchen and began working on making homemade pasta sauce with meatballs. It would take a few hours, and hopefully, by the time the guys were home, it would be ready. Was I using this as an excuse to come over? Definitely. My kitchen was too small to make the home cooked meal, so I was absolutely taking advantage of the boys’ full-sized kitchen.

I needed to cook because I was going insane. It had been two days since Shane’s brutal conversation, and I still wasn’t over it. The fact he wanted me made me excited, but knowing he wouldn’t allow himself to have me because of Parker and Hendrix was like a bullet to the chest. And it shouldn’t have been. I had two men doting over me. I didn’t need Shane, either. Yet here I was, stress cooking.

I rummaged through cabinets until I found a pot big enough for the sauce, then got to work. Calder left me to it, never coming into the kitchen, which I was thankful for. I didn’t want to deal with his attitude. Plus, I wanted to be alone. Cooking helped ease my anxiety. It cleared my mind of my problems and gave me a sense of relief in the chaos. Today would be no different.

Calder would not ruin my mood. It was best he stayed far away from me as I chopped onions aggressively. Each harsh motion sent the tension from my body. My neck held the most, and was so tight that even just standing created an ache, but rolling out the meatballs and forcing the energy from my body made me feel lighter.

Two hours later, I was browning the last batch of meatballs and setting them into the sauce to simmer when the side door of the house swung open. Hendrix entered the kitchen and kicked off his muddy work boots.

He glanced my way, a smile spreading across his face. “Smells good, baby.” He headed for the sink to clean off his face and hands, then leaned down to press a kiss to the top of my head.

“How was work?” I asked.

“Exhausting,” he sighed. His arms wrapped around me from behind as I set the lid on the pot and turned the heat to low. I settled into his embrace, my back against his chest. His chin rested on my shoulder. “This was a nice surprise.”

I nodded. “I’ll be honest. I’m totally using you for your fully functioning kitchen.”

He chuckled, planting another kiss on my head before he pulled away. “I need to hop in the shower. Are you good here?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I’m about done here. Just need to simmer for an hour or so before I can finish.”

“Okay,” he whispered. “Calder’s around here somewhere. Be nice.”

I snorted, shaking my head. “Tell that to Calder.”

Hendrix let out a low laugh, then headed out of the kitchen for his shower. I grabbed each of us a beer from the fridge and headed into the living room. Calder was nowhere to be found, probably holed up in his room so he wouldn’t have to deal with me. I was fine with that.

I flicked on the TV and mindlessly flipped through the channels until Hendrix came back out. His hair was spiked and wet, and he was in a white tank top with gray sweats. It was rare I saw him without his ball cap. When I did, I loved seeing his full face. He wore the rim too low to ever get a good look at his amber-colored eyes.

I grinned as he yanked me up from the recliner and plopped down in my place. His hands went to my waist, pulling me into his lap. I nestled into him, then reached for his beer. My gaze narrowed in on the way his Adam’s apple bobbed as he took a sip of the cool liquid.

My core clenched around nothing when he let out a low, satisfying sound. I squirmed on his lap, unable to control myself.

“Thanks, kitten.” His finger trailed along the inside of my thigh before he placed the cold glass bottle there.

I gasped at the shocking sensation, my entire body stiffening. Hendrix grinned. “What’s the matter?” he asked.

“That’s cold!” I shrieked, swatting the bottle away.

“Doesn’t it feel good, though? It’s fucking hot out.”

He grabbed my wrists, pinning them so that when he pressed the bottle to my thigh again, I couldn’t pull it away. “Hen,” I whispered. “It’s cold.”

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