Page 19 of Rules Of Our Own

I clench my teeth and focus on the lamp beside the bed like I give a single shit about it at all. “Morning.”

“What time is it?” She groans and throws her arm over her face, like an adorable vampire allergic to the light. Her hangover must be kicking in pretty hard. The sun’s barely lightened the sky, but River opened the curtains that line the entire wall of our room before heading out.

“Early. Here, take these.” I hold out two ibuprofen and a large glass of water. She sits up dutifully, taking the meds and gulping down water. I fight to keep my attention on her face, knowing damn well she’s wearing her sexy little sleep dress. That thing is going to kill me.

“Why?” She closes her eyes for a second before they narrow on me. A thrill tingles down my spine. She’s so fucking sexy riled up.

Determined to crawl a little further under her skin, I say, “Why what, Kitten?”

“Why did you wake me up before sunrise?” she hisses, proving her nickname.

I bite my smile, but I’m unable to contain it. “We’ve got a surprise for you.”

That has her perking up. “What kind of surprise?”

“Nuh-uh. You’re just going to have to see for yourself.” I take the glass from her and do my best to tamp down my reaction when her fingers brush mine. This girl has no idea how much she fucking owns me. “Dress warm.”

Her brows pull together, no doubt wondering why in hell she would have to dress warm in a place that’s over a hundred degrees, but Napa’s chilly in the morning. Especially where we’re going.

She goes to speak, but I cut in. “You know, you used to trust me. It’ll be fun.”

Her gaze softens, and she takes a deep breath, her hand rubbing at her chest. “I still trust you. Just give me a few minutes.”

I ignore the way her words make my heart stutter and clear my throat. “I’ll be outside. Don’t take too long. We don’t want to miss it,” I say over my shoulder as I leave.

River’s already waiting outside when I walk out. “She up?”

I take the to-go cup he hands me and breathe in the welcoming scent of coffee. “Yeah. Hopefully the pain meds kick in before we get there.”

“She’ll be fine. She was fairly sober by the time we passed out.” River’s dark eyes meet mine, and I swallow hard at the memories of last night. I adjust my sweats. I’m not attracted to men, but I can’t deny I felt something last night. And if I’m being completely honest, it wasn’t the first time. There’s something about River that has my blood heating and my curiosity piquing. He’s the closest friend I have, but I’ve never felt like we are brothers. Somehow, it’s always been more than that. Deeper.

The door opens behind us, drawing our attention, and Mia walks out. My gaze travels up from her Adidas sneakers, over her leggings that hug her thighs, and lands on a thin white T-shirt. Yeah, that’s not going to cut it. “I thought I asked you to dress warm.”

She rolls her eyes. “Well, I didn’t exactly pack my parka.”

“Good morning, Mia.” River nods, his gaze hot on her, and she takes in a shuddering breath. Fuck, he’s got an effect on her. I’m looking forward to how that plays out.

She clears her throat. “Morning.”

I hand River my coffee and pull my black hoodie over my head. I smile when it clears my face and I notice her staring at my abs exposed by my hiked-up shirt. A slow, cocky grin forms on my mouth. “There you go staring at me again.”

“What. No—” A pretty pink flush floods her cheeks, and her eyes snap to mine. I laugh and tug the hoodie over her head before helping her pull her arms through.

“It’s okay. I like it.” I say, and lean over and kiss her forehead like I used to. She stiffens, but I just continue on like I didn’t just overstep. River heads back into the room while I roll up her right sleeve until it’s above her wrist and proceed to do the same on the other. She’s frozen in place, brows pinched as she watches me. It’s the way her eyes darken that gives me the confidence to continue.

I step back, and my mouth waters at the sight of my hoodie engulfing her.

Mia’s gaze darts between me and River exiting the room, door closing quietly behind him. “So, you going to tell me where we’re going?”

“Where’s the fun in that?” River’s voice is low and gravelly from sleep, and I smirk when her breath catches. After last night, I can practically feel the energy. There are so many things left unfinished between us. He tosses me another hoodie and I pull it over my head.

Entwiningmy fingers through Mia’s I gesture to the parking lot. “Come on, the car’s waiting.”

She only freezes for a second before curiosity gets the best of her, and she follows me toward the front of the resort. River’s trailing behind us, and I fucking love knowing my hoodie covers her perfect round ass.

There’s a black Mercedes sedan already waiting for us, and I wave at our driver. “Andre, sorry to get you up so early today. Hope Mrs. Samson wasn’t too put out.”

Andre laughs and shakes his head. “This wouldn’t be the first early morning bal—”

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