Page 61 of South of The Skyway

Good lord, you guys. Some of us are working.

Jameson

Rhy nailed that girl from the bar again.

Leighton

Eew! TMI bro.

Rhyett

Fuck off J. Nobody is nailing anybody.

Maverick

Boring.

Jameson

Bullshit, you called me like six hours ago.

Finn

Yeah, I call bull too, man.

Maverick

Six HOURS. No way. Let’s be real guys… Rhy’s a twenty-minute man.

Rhyett

Fuck off.

Hadlee

When you guys put your dicks away, I want to hear about Brexley.

With a huff, I tossed my phone onto the passenger seat. What was it about the sibling text thread that somehow reduced us all to teenagers? I mean, Mav was only eighteen, so the bastard got a pass. But the rest of the assholes needed to mind their damn business. We were grown men and women, for pity’s sake. Business owners. Sought after public speakers. Hell, Paxton had his eyes on politics after his last football season wrapped up.

Add in a new candidate forTeam Rhodes,and they all turned into feral adolescents.

I reached for the dial, turning up “Smokey Joe’s La La” by Googie Rene. As the sun streamed in through the open windows, warming my skin, I honestly had no idea how Brexley could hate this bridge so much. Yeah, you had to slow down to a reasonable speed for the tolls, but the view was unparalleled. When the traffic slowed, I turned my face towards the sky. It might have been just shy of worship, yet after decades shrouded in mist and rain, it was damn near a spiritual experience getting to feel its warmth every day. Hell, even our house was concealed in pine and spruce, their stretching shadows keeping the windows shaded. Unless I was on the water or down at the beach, it was rare to bathe in Vitamin D like this. I almost begrudgingly accelerated when the jam finally broke.

City a blur, my heart grew heavy for Noel as I passed the exit for the hospital. Red was recognizably a standup human being, or Brex wouldn’t have kept her around for the last two decades. Knowing she was only blocks away in some level of pain made my stomach tighten. I huffed, keeping my truck on the freeway despite the disproportionate attachment to the woman in that bed. I’d shelved my entire day of to-do’s and now needed to make up for the detour. Not that I regretted a moment spent in the city with the girls. Not that it was physically possible to regret a decision that allowed me to soak up Brexley Snows.

Friends with benefits.With a five-six blonde with baby blue eyes and the body of a freaking Pilates instructor. This was every red-blooded man’s wet dream. So, why did my chest tighten when the words intruded on my mind? That wasn’t attraction talking. Attraction took a back seat the moment she opened her body to me. Beyond that, a need for her had been planted in my chest. Women had always liked me—having a renowned captain for a father and a family big enough to single-handedly support all the small-town events had that effect on people. The genetics certainly didn’t hurt. But they were always easy to love and let go.

Not Brexley.Twice, I’d had her wrapped around my cock, tight little body against my palms, and she had a vice-like grip on my thoughts. Chemistry I could wrangle. But this? I blew out a breath and turned up my music, hoping it would drown out the need to go back to her and allow me to focus on the real objective. Adjusting myself as my dick strained against the cargo shorts, I swore. I was lucky she was giving me anything—no point in taking that for granted and pining for more if she wasn’t interested.

“Baby Let Me Take You” by The Detroit Emeralds came on next, and I groaned, setting my head on the rest as I swooped onto our exit, heading East towards the property. Okay. So that objective might be easier said than done.

* * *

The beautyof working with my hands in Florida was the complimentary detox. I was no stranger to sweat, but dear Lord, the heat and humidity certainly increased it. Embracing the challenge, courtesy of the elements and painful proximity to the equator, I heaved another shovel of earth into the wheelbarrow. Then I thanked my lucky stars the sun was setting. The only downside was the mosquitos. I’d been battling them since I’d arrived but had finally invested in some of those fancy candle torches that were supposed to help. They were burning in a little half-circle around my fifth wheel.

Mom had gotten so frustrated with the construction delays that she’d compromised her plans for the outdoor living areas, stating that she hadn’t wanted them that much anyway.

Bullshit.

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