Page 54 of My Three Hometown Hard Hats

“No, you’re not.” I reach for it. “That’s my favorite one.”

“I’ll buy you ten more. You took my hoodie. It’s only fair."

I wasn’t planning on giving him his hoodie back, so bah, whatever. “Fine,” I huff, reaching for the sweatshirt Austin brought out for me.

I pull it over my head. My perfectly placed messy curls are just plain messy now and flying all around.

He reaches up, brushing my hair away from my face. His hands on my shoulders ease me down toward him.

My arms lay crisscrossed on his chest with my head resting on top of them. Our faces are only inches apart, but neither of us moves to kiss the other.

His fingers trace down the side of my face. “You’re gorgeous,” he says reverently.

Brooks is usually so joyful and lighthearted that the weight of his words settles deep in my chest. The fact that he believes it so strongly makes me believe it, too.

“You’re pretty handsome yourself,” I tell him. He brings one of my hands to his mouth, kissing my fingers.

With a sigh, he helps me stand so I can shimmy out of my jeans and slide into Austin’s way-too-big sweatpants. Brooks crouches before me, tying them tight so they don’t fall off my much smaller frame.

I turn to see Austin and Conrad standing only a few feet away, staring at us. I scan their faces to make sure they aren’t angry, but they both seem content.

I give them a small smile, and the smile they give in return settles something inside of me.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Hadley

Why is it so hot?Did I get kidnapped and taken to the literal sun?

My eyes blink open. Slowly, I realize where I am and why I’m so hot.

I’m sandwiched between Conrad and Brooks on the floor bed they made in the living room. I guess I fell asleep while we were watching the movie.

I need some water.

Ever so carefully, I extract myself from between the twins. Once standing, I look down at all three of them, passed out and adorable.

I shake my head, smiling, as I go into the kitchen and chug a glass of cold water.

Spinning around, I smack into a hard, very tattooed chest. I gasp, staring up at Brooks.

His messy bun looks even messier than when we lay down together hours ago. He looks…yummy.

His hands slide under the sweatshirt I’m wearing and grab my hips. In the blink of an eye, he has me up on the counter and is wedged between my open thighs.

“I can’t wait any longer,” he whispers, his body trembling.

“Then don’t,” I whisper back.

In the next heartbeat, his hands tangle in my hair as his mouth lands on mine. If I looked up what a passionate kiss looked like in some weird kissing encyclopedia, this would be the kiss I found.

Our bodies grind against each other, wanting more but wanting to stay right where we are in the same breath. It’s everything and not nearly enough.

We break apart for a moment, so he can pull the sweatshirt off my body. His lips are soon back on mine like they never were gone.

With a few kisses to my jaw, he lays me back on the counter. He tries to pull the sweatpants down, but they won’t budge. His fingers move to the tie.

The frustration comes off of him in waves as he tries to undo the knot he made earlier.