Page 22 of Stormswept Colorado (Hart County #3)
TWENTY
Teller
Ayla
How’s the male-bonding extravaganza?
I smiled at my phone. Beside me, Ollie shoveled chocolate-chip pancakes in his mouth.
Dane and Ashford chatted across from us.
Elsewhere at the long table, Emma’s father and her stepdad both laughed at something Callum had just said.
Emma’s uncles were here too, Ashford’s other friends like Judson Lawrence…
a bunch of us. This event had taken over most of the inn.
Me
Male bonding has mainly been pancakes, bacon and coffee at the tavern. That’s where I am now.
Before, there was optional deadlifting in the on-site gym. Army vs. Navy. There’s a million of us around here who are Army, as you know. But Emma’s dad Nash was a Navy SEAL. A strength contest was pretty much required.
Ayla
So, usual guy stuff.
Complete with grunting noises.
Did you compete? Was Army victorious?
I forfeited. Ollie’s with me. Had to steer him away from the gym. He would’ve broken himself or someone else.
Good call. I bet you would have won though.
[muscle arm emoji]
[kissing face emoji]
Fuck me, now she had me sending emojis to make her smile. I’d never before been an emoji guy. But it was worth it for that kissing emoji she sent back. My inner caveman was very happy about the fact she thought I’d win that contest.
What was happening to me? Seriously?
It had been a good morning so far. I’d slept well. My room had been quiet, and I liked quiet.
But I also liked Ayla’s laugh. And the cute snuffling sounds she had made while she was asleep in the car yesterday.
I craved seeing her again. Usually I was focused on family, on work, on Silver Ridge. Rarely on selfish needs.
Ayla made me want to be so fucking selfish.
She would also be leaving Colorado the day after tomorrow. This was beyond hopeless. It would be a lot smarter of me to forget this flirtation or infatuation or whatever right now. But that wasn’t going to happen.
If this was stupid, then maybe being smart was overrated.
How was the girls-only brunch?
Festive and fabulous. Maisie and Emma’s little sister were princesses holding court. Nails and hair for everyone except Emma are finished. Mom and stepmom have only cried three times, but luckily, they haven’t done their mascara yet.
I bet you look pretty.
[blushing face emoji]
When can I see you today?
Turn around.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw a flash of pale blond, just visible beyond the doorway between the tavern and the lobby. My pulse accelerated. “Ollie, can you stay here with Uncle Callum for a bit? I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” Ollie looked like he was contemplating a jail break.
I got up and clapped a hand on Callum’s shoulder. “Cal, make sure Ollie doesn’t go anywhere? I’ll be back in a couple minutes.”
He up-nodded. “I got ’im.”
“Thanks.”
I stuck my hands in my jeans pockets and made my way toward the lobby. Didn’t see her at first when I strolled around reception, but then I spotted a small figure waiting in a quiet side hallway.
“Hi there.” Ayla wore a simple pair of gray sweatpants and a loose shirt, yet somehow she made it look like designer fashion. Her hair fell in soft, styled curls around her shoulders, begging for me to run my hands through it. Light makeup highlighted her features.
“See? I knew you looked pretty.”
Smiling, she ran a finger down the row of buttons on my chest. “You’re wearing a Henley today? That’s just unfair. ”
“This shirt’s called a Henley?”
She laughed.
“Why is that unfair?” I asked.
“Because it makes your pecs look huge. Drives the girls crazy. I don’t think you have a clue how attractive you are, Chief Landry. I might get jealous.”
I braced a hand on the wall by her head. Ayla Maxwell was jealous? About me ?
“There’s only one girl around here I care about attracting.”
Ayla smiled and looked down, just like that blushing emoji she’d sent me earlier.
I ran my fingertip along her cheek to her chin. “You must’ve put a spell on me yesterday,” I murmured. “I don’t get like this. I barely slept.”
“You wish this wasn’t happening?”
“Didn’t say that.”
In fact, I’d never felt so alive.
Her gaze fell to the carpet again. “I brought your coat into the bed with me last night. I hope you don’t mind. I made sure Grace didn’t see.”
My cock swelled as I thought of her in bed snuggled into my coat. I growled with frustration, wanting to wrap her up and kiss her breathless.
How was it possible I could feel this wild about a woman who, two days ago, had hated me?
“I don’t have long,” she said. “I snuck away since Emma’s getting her hair done, and Maisie’s occupied with her grandmas.”
“I don’t either. Ollie’s waiting for me at the table.” My body leaned involuntarily toward her, but I heard voices and footsteps nearby. They might see us. Then again, if I didn’t touch her, I might not survive.
I reached out and took her hand, running my thumb over her knuckles.
“I want you to be my date for the wedding,” I blurted out before really thinking it through. Which was not like me. I wasn’t going to take it back though. My chin lifted, and I waited for her response.
“Your date?”
“We don’t have to make a public thing out of it, if you don’t want. But people have a tendency to hook up at weddings. I need to know that, if you spend the night with anyone this trip, it’ll be me.”
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d moved on a woman this way. But I hadn’t wanted anyone like this before.
“You think I plan to hook up with some other guy? After what happened between us on the way here?”
I closed my lips on a growl. “I’d prefer not to think about it. But if you do, be forewarned, the guy might happen to disappear into the woods by Monday and never be heard from again. Purely by coincidence.”
With a smirk, she angled her head, lips pressing to my jaw as her hand rested between my pecs. Barely any contact, yet she conveyed so much passion and anticipation in those little gestures that I had to order my cock not to get hard.
“Does that answer your question?” she asked.
My fingers found her hip. “So you’re mine tonight?”
Mine, mine, mine .
She nodded. “Wish we had more than a couple minutes right now.”
“Me too. But now that we have that out of the way… Maybe we should use these minutes to discuss the stalker situation. I had some thoughts about how we might track down who sent you that email.”
She huffed and dropped her head back, groaning. “ Really ? I can think of more fun ways to spend two minutes.”
Like two minutes would be enough for anything I had in mind. But besides that. “This is important, Ayla. I want to know you’re safe when your plane takes off tomorrow.”
Because no matter what happened this weekend, it would come to an end all too fast. I couldn’t forget what else was going on. My sense of responsibility wouldn’t let me.
Her eyes clouded over. So did her expression. “What do you suggest?”
“You know Emma’s uncle Aiden?”
“Yes, I met him before when I stayed here.”
“Then you know Aiden and his friends are good at investigating problems that require discretion.”
Understanding dawned on her beautiful face. “You want them to look into the creepy email.”
I nodded. “Forward the message to me, and I can share it with Aiden. I already mentioned this morning that I need a private chat with him.”
“Unofficially? Not as Silver Ridge Chief of Police?”
I touched her chin, a brief slide of skin on skin that only left me wanting more. “I’ll just be asking as Teller. Your date for the wedding who’s looking out for you.”
Ayla blinked at me with those long lashes.
Then she said, “No.”
Damn. She had every right to tell me no, but I’d thought we were past that. “No?”
“You don’t have to fix this for me. If you’re talking to Aiden about me, then I want to be involved. We can talk to him together.” She pulled her phone from her pocket, checking the time. “How about an hour from now?”
“I’ll check with Aiden and text you to confirm.”
“Okay.” She started to step away, but I caught her hand. After checking we were alone, I brushed a kiss to the inside of her wrist, feeling the delicate throb of her pulse.
“I’m glad you’re trusting me to help you.”
She whispered, “I’m really glad you’re here.”