Page 107 of Take My Love

“What’s that?” I hate that he looks so hot wearing it. “Since when do you wear Stetson hats?”

“Since my fan club recommended I wear one to yoga.” He smirks, buckling in.

“Yourfan club?”

“The women in the comments of my videos. They suggested I wear one. Gotta give ’em what they want, Posey!”

“You’re actually insufferable.”

“This whole thing was your idea, remember? I’m just doin’ my part to keep the classes filled.”

“Oh, you’re so full of shit. You love the attention.”

With one hand on the wheel and the other on the shifter, he tilts his head toward me with a toothy grin. “Yeah, but the only attention I want is yours.”

After an hour of Silas giving a show to the class and all the women hooting and hollering at him, I’m back in the barn with Amaya and packing up orders for delivery. It’s not that I’m jealous they thirst after him, but he’s turned my calm and relaxing yoga class into a Magic Mike cowboy-themed event.

No doubt there’s already videos of him from this morning surfacing online of him in gray sweats and a cowboy hat.

I was damn near ready to kick him out.

“So…you ready to admit your feelings about Silas yet?”

“Huh?” I look at Amaya who’s driving us into town.

“You’ve been starin’ out that window for fifteen minutes and ignorin’ me except when I said his name.” She gives me a pointed look. “I’ve seen the videos. He’s very social and charmin’.”

“He’s a nerdy extrovert,” I correct.

“Have y’all kissed yet?”

“Technically, no.”

“So that mark on your neck is…”

Dammit, I knew someone would end up seeing it.

I quickly cover it with my hair. “He sucked on my neck, but that doesn’t mean anythin’.”

She grins, glancing between me and the road, but the look on her face implies she knows I’m lying through my teeth. “And? C’mon, I won’t tell.”

“And…a few other things, okay? But he won’t kiss me unless I tell him what I want. He doesn’t do flings or whatever.”

“That’s a good thing, Posey.”

“Did you forget about the employee rules? We can’t date.”

“So fire him, problem solved.”

“He needs this job. And we live together until he moves into his own place. It’d be like skippin’ the whole talkin’ phase and jumpin’ right into serious relationship territory. Then what happens when somethin’ inevitably goes wrong? It’s a disaster waitin’ to happen.”

“Why’re you anticipatin’ the worst? And y’all already have history, so of course it’ll be different. There’s no awkward phase when you’ve known him for years. I’d take that over datin’ strangers any day. It’s brutal out there.”

“’Cause I don’t wanna be a rebound and get hurt again. It’s bad enough it happened the first time. A second time would send me over the edge,” I admit remorsefully.

“You need to stop makin’ assumptions and talk to him. Although I dunno him very well, I see the way he looks at you every time he swings by during his lunch just to say hi or when he asks if you’re ready to go. He doesn’t give off the vibes that he’d be playin’ you either.”

“No, he’s not like that,” I agree.