Page 25 of Forbidden Love

In the back of my mind, I never forgot our night together. I always wondered what if. What if I’d stayed the night, left a note, or even texted her the next day? Would we have continued to talk? Would we have confronted her brothers?

“You’ll be working closely with her on this dugout project. It’s only going to bring you closer together.”

I was confused about everything else we’d talked about, except for the idea of getting closer to Kylie. I was looking forward to it.

When she caught me looking at her, she smiled softly. Yeah, I couldn’t resist Kylie Wilde. Not for long. She’d always had that effect on me, and I didn’t think I wanted to put a stop to whatever was happening between us.

Even with the threat of her brothers looming over us, I wanted to get to know her better. I wanted to see where it would take us.

I winked at her, and her cheeks flushed.

“You’re playing with fire, brother,” Mac said.

I tipped my bottle back, letting the lukewarm beer coat my throat. Why was I so excited about what was to come then? It didn’t feel like I was making a mistake. It felt more like I was jumping into the fire feet first, without a care for the consequences. It sure as hell felt good to jump though.

I met his gaze and held it. “I’m going to see what happens. No expectations. No worries.”

Mac shook his head. “You mean, you’re going to ignore the not-so-little problem with her brothers.”

“She doesn’t want her brothers running her life, and I’m the perfect excuse for her to do her own thing.”

Mac grunted.

I swirled the remnants of the beer in the bottom of the bottle. “I thought you were all for following your feelings?”

“Just be careful.”

I grinned. “I’m always careful.”

That elicited a guffaw from Mac because I was known as the reckless brother, the one who did things without thinking first. Except this time, I knew exactly what I was getting into.

“What are you two talking about over here?” Sam asked as he sat down on the other side of Mac.

“Up,” Maggie said as she stood in front of me. My heart melted as I lifted her easily and set her on my lap. She snuggled into my chest, her thumb going into her mouth. I smoothed her curls out of her face.

“She’s ready for bed. She’ll probably fall asleep on the way home,” Sam said, his tone full of affection for his daughter.

I never thought about having kids of my own, but I could see the appeal. They were adorable, especially when they were cuddling against your chest. Maggie made me feel ten feet tall, like I could do anything.

I’d been living the bachelor life for too long. It was time to finally decide on a piece of property and get started on the build. “You want to visit the top three properties sometime this week?”

“You finally ready to make a decision?” Mac asked.

“I think I need you to see it first.”

“That’s what we’re here for,” Sam said.

I loved living here with my brothers. No matter what happened with Kylie, Telluride was my home. I’d never leave my family or my nieces. Family was everything.

Instead of running as Kylie had, I’d embraced this town and my family.

I leaned back in the chair, holding Maggie against me. I felt when her breathing evened out, and she relaxed even further into my body. She smelled like something sweet, marshmallows and graham crackers.

Kylie’s gaze locked on the sleeping form in my arms. Her eyes widened before softening. She liked what she saw.

If she couldn’t accept me, then all the chemistry in the world wouldn’t matter.

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