“You scared the bajeezus out of me, Britt!” I gasp.

Ignoring my near heart attack, she rubs her nails against the lapel of her jacket. “Axel told me he saw your car in thedriveway again this morning, Boss-Lady. That would be twice. Tomorrow will make it thrice, and the day after will make it a slice of heaven.”

She shimmies her shoulders and winks at me.

I try to keep a straight face but have to admit she isn’t wrong, though those words will not pass my lips.

Clearing my throat, I square my shoulders and regain my voice. “Yes, Axel's observations were astute.”

Without a further response, I turn and walk toward the exam rooms.

Huffing, Britt’s heels tap directly behind mine as she moves like lightning to stay on my heels.

“Nothing. You have no other reply for me?” she pleads with her voice and eyes.

Chuckling, I say, “Nope.” I pop the ‘p’ and grin as I turn so she can’t see my smile.

“Come on, Boss. Please give me something. Axel refused to say anything except that he saw your car there. Then he said he was late enough that you could be stopping by to bring coffee, or you could have been there all night,” she whines.

With my back to her so she can’t see my grin, I even my tone and reply, “Nothing to see or say here, Britt. As I said, what—”

She joins in, “‘Happens with me and Lachlan, stays between me and Lachlan.’ Yeah, yeah, I know. But you don’t understand. Everyone loves Lachlan, and we just want to see him happy and loved. I want to know if that is you.”

Without meaning to, I respond instinctively and murmur out loud, “Yes.”

Lachlan’s happiness speaks to me on a cellular level. I want his life to be fulfilling, and I want to be there when it happens.

Chapter 36

Lachlan

Friday, June 16

The week goes by quickly. Before I know it, I’m opening my eyes to a sunny Friday morning. Aislinn is still tucked into my side. I’m not sure she moved an inch all night. Her long hair is sprawled down my left arm, which I've wrapped around her back. My fingers slowly trace circles into her left hip. The sensation begins to draw her out of sleep.

I need to see her eyes like a junkie needs his next hit. I’m addicted to Aislinn, and it hasn’t even been a week. She feels like a part of this ranch I didn’t even realize was missing. When she is here, everything feels right. Every puzzle piece fits together.

On Wednesday, we spent the night at her house on the lake. I got the chance to try her pizza, and man, can my girl cook. We ate on her deck, and the view was enviable. We baked cookies for her to take into her office. She made sure to double the batch so I could take half of them with me back to the ranch.

The lake was like a mirror at sunrise on Thursday morning. Not a ripple across the smooth surface until Finn decided to belly-flop off her little dock at 7 a.m. As I expected, the cookies were a hit and devoured by 10 a.m. Between the staff and our clients, there wasn’t a crumb left to be seen. Myfavorite employee, the coffee maker, was hard at work to keep up with the demands of the cookie swarm. I had to drive into town and get some more coffee from Anders. We usually restock on Mondays, but I think we made three extra pots’ worth yesterday.

Her leg twitches from my touch, and she begins to wake. I know the moment her mind becomes active, because her arm tightens across my ribs and her fingers trace over the ridges down my side. Since I’m a bit ticklish, my body jolts in response. I feel her lips curve into a grin as they press against my pec.

Giggling, she says, “You a little ticklish there?”

Her voice is husky with sleep.

I clear my throat. “Maybe, but that is for me to know and you to never discover.”

“Ah, you think so? I’m pretty good at determining secret tickle spots. Just ask Leo. Like, let's see, here?”

Her fingers dance up my right palm.

I shake my head and whisper, “Not there, sorry to disappoint.”

Her fingers continue traveling up my wrist. They gently skim up my forearm. It doesn’t tickle, per se. When her fingers graze the area between my biceps and triceps, I can say, without an ounce of doubt, that I’m not feeling ticklish, but I am getting severely turned on by her touch. Before her fingers can touch my sides, I flip us so she is below me.

My hands are planted on either side of her shoulders. Her hair is fanned across my pillows, and her face is contorted in a wild laugh. With her eyes squeezed shut, her body shakes with laughter. I slowly lower my lips to her exposed neck, and her laughter catches in her throat with a gasp. Her hands fly to my shoulders as my mouth leaves a hot trail down her neck. I can feel her pulse getting faster.