“You’re the only girl that’s ever been inside my nest.” He picks a couple pieces of hay out of my hair, his eyes never straying far from my own. Knowing how much he wants me, only makes me want him that much more. “I’d do anything to have you back in my bed, Sunny.”
Maybe that means he wants to cuddle like we were earlier today, or maybe it means much more than that, but it’s where I want to be, too. Especially if it’s going to make him look at me the way he is right now.
“Come on,” he says, taking my hand and guiding me out of the barn. Thankfully, he knows the place like the back of his hand, avoiding the scattered piles of hay and beams.
Once we’re outside, we breathe in the fresh air that’s dropped a few degrees since we got here. All the cars that were here earlier are gone. “Do you think Becca went home already?”
“Probably, but Jake was too wasted to drive, so hopefully she got a ride from someone else.”
I chew on my thumb nail, worrying about her. I didn’t have a single message from her asking where I’ve been or what I was doing. That’s not like her at all. I only worry more when Jake staggers around the corner, holding onto the side of Rhett’s truck to stay upright.
“I’s bout to zend a search party, Rhett,” he slurs between burps.
“Right here, man. No need to worry. Where’s Becca?”
“Ma bed.”
My eyes go wide as soon as he says it. Rhett looks at me, also curious about what’s been going on while we were in the barn. “Dude, can I go get her? I’ll take her home.”
“Dat wuz the plan, but you been gone, brotha. With your lil muffin.”
I snort when he calls me muffin. Rhett tries not to laugh, but he fails, too. “I’ll help you inside. Take me to Becca.” He walks to Jake, steadying him by throwing his arm over his shoulder, the same way you’d help an injured player off the field.
“Don’t be putting moves on me. Becca’s gonna get jealous.”
“It’ll be tough,” Rhett says, sarcastically, as he pulls his keys out of his pocket with his free hand. “Wait for me in the truck, Sunny. I’ll be right back.”
I take them from him, but before I get inside, I hear Rhett ask Jake the one question I’d love an answer to. “Did you do anything with her?”
All I hear is a grunt in response. It can be taken either way, and is no help at all. Why did Jake have to drink so much?
Waiting for Rhett seems like an eternity, even though it’s only been five minutes. My leg bounces nervously as my mind comes with up with all kinds of possibilities about what Becca could have gotten herself into. She’s kissed guys before, but she’s never done anything more than that. I’d hate for her to have made a bad decision tonight—one she’ll end up regretting.
Thankfully, I only have to wait a few more minutes by myself before Rhett’s jogging back to the truck—alone.
“Where’s Becca?”
“She was passed out in his bed. I woke her, but she wanted to stay until morning.”
“It is morning,” I remind him.
He chuckles. “Real morning.”
I don’t like leaving her here by herself. Granted she was alone all night, but at least I was close by if she needed me. Jake’s really drunk, and I’m a little worried about leaving her with him.
Rhett senses my concern when I don’t respond. “She had her clothes on, Kinsley. She’s okay. Nothing happened.”
“I heard you ask Jake, but he’s been drinking. He couldn’t even talk without slurring his words.”
“Even drunk, Jake would never take advantage of her. I promise. He’ll take care of her even if he doesn’t look like he can take care of himself. It’s just how he is. He may come off as a piece of work most of the time, but when it comes to people he cares about, he’s super protective. He’d do anything for that girl.”
“Sounds a lot like you. Minus the part about being a piece of work.”
He nods his head, agreeing with me. “Probably why him and I are best friends.”
I twist my fingers in my lap, nervous about the trouble he’s going to get in once he finally gets home. “You said your mom was upset. How bad is it?”
“My parents won’t be thrilled I didn’t call, but I don’t think they’ll be too mad since they knew I was at Jake’s house. At least I hope not. I’m more worried about Coach finding out. If he does, he’ll work me extra hard at practice.”
“But the whole team was there. Wouldn’t they be in trouble, too?”
He glances at the clock. “They weren’t out until three-thirty in the morning.”
“I’ll talk to your parents if you want me to, and make sure they know it was my fault. I don’t want them to be mad at you.”
Rhett pulls into my driveway, a smile already forming on his face. “You’re adorable, you know that? It wasn’t either of our faults. We fell asleep. I can take whatever punishment I get.”
Maybe we didn’t intentionally stay out this late, but considering he’s the only one facing consequences when he gets home, it doesn’t seem very fair. “Thanks for tonight. I had fun.”
“Me too, Sunny. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay.” I’m opening the door, when Rhett grabs my arm, pulling me back toward him.
“One more kiss,” he whispers, already claiming my lips before I can protest. Not that I would. His kisses breathe life into me. They make me feel like I could float all the way to my bedroom without ever touching my feet to the ground.
When he’s had his fill, he pulls away. “Sweet dreams, Sunny.”
With a smile on my face, I reach for the door handle. Before I hop out, I look over my shoulder one last time at the guy I’m falling hard for. “Night, Rhett.”
Despite how late he already is, he still waits until I’m pushing my front door open before backing out of the driveway and gunning it down the street toward his house. I’m preoccupied, remembering the way his mouth feels when I realize I have a problem of my own waiting for me—Carson.
His head is in his hands, his elbows resting on his thighs. When the floor creaks beneath my feet, his head snaps in my direction. Standing from the couch, he walks toward me. All he’s wearing is a pair of black boxer briefs. It’s wrong to look at him the way I am, but I can’t help it. He’s not giving me any other choice with a body that’s all hard lines and rough cuts. His training for the police academy is paying off.
“Where have you been?”
“I went to the football party after the game.”
“Since when do football parties end at three-thirty in the morning?”
I need a distraction, a place to focus my eyes other than his chest or his abs, so I grab a bottle of water out of the fridge. The top twists off and I fumble it between my fingers, dropping it on the floor. It rolls toward Carson, ending up next to his foot. We bend down at the same time to pick it up, almost bumping heads in the process. He places it in my hand, our fingers brushing ever so slightly.
“I’m sorry it’s so late. I didn’t mean to worry you.” I try to move around him toward the living room, but he doesn’t let me.
“Kinsley, I promised I’d look out for you while I was living here. You know how guilty Kate felt when she started working the night shift. She only went through with it when I told her I’d move in.”
He’s trying to protect me like Wyatt would, but he doesn’t realize it’s not the same thing. After his confession about how much he wants me, nothing about him even remotely feels brotherly anymore. “I don’t need a babysitter, Carson. I can take care of myself. Plus we’re like a year and a half apart. It’s weird.”
He shakes his head, disappointment written all over his face. “You’re changing already.”
I get that he’s hurt, angry even, but I don’t want my being with Rhett to change our friendship. I didn’t choose Carson, but that doesn’t mean I want him out of my life. “I’m still the same girl I was a week ago.”
“You didn’t have a boyfriend a week ago. You weren’t staying out until all hours of the morning a week ago. Hell, you’ve never even been to a party before tonight—have you?”