Page 21 of That One Night (The Heartbreak Brothers Next Generation #4)

Chapter

Eighteen

He couldn’t have looked more shocked if he’d tried. His brows were pulled tight, like he was trying to take in the words.

His lack of response was killing her.

“Did you hear what I said?” she asked him.

He nodded. “Yes, Emery, I heard what you said.” Hendrix laid the shovel on the ground and stood up, like he’d forgotten all about the soil testing. Then he shoved his hands in his pockets like he needed something to do with them, before bringing his gaze to hers.

“What’s going on?” he murmured to her.

She took a deep breath. She wasn’t ready for this. But then she probably never would be. “Trenton and I broke up before I came back to Hartson’s Creek.”

Hendrix’s expression didn’t change. “So why are you pretending you’re still engaged?”

Her legs felt weak. “Can we sit down?” she asked him, afraid she might fall if she didn’t.

He nodded, watching as she pretty much collapsed onto the dry earth.

He followed suit, being sure to leave a gap between them.

For a second all she could think about was last night, the way her body felt pressed between his and the ground.

The sureness of his touch as he trailed his hands over her thighs.

When she looked up, his gaze was locked on her face. Like he was thinking the same thing.

“My life is a mess,” she whispered, trying not to cry, because this was excruciating. He watched her silently, his jaw tight. As she tried to explain the tangled web she’d managed to get caught in.

Her chest was so tight as she talked to him, telling him about the last few months of her relationship with Trenton, their split, his suggestion that they kept the end of their engagement quiet until his parents returned.

Then his jaw went hard when she told him about the lien on the farm.

Trenton’s refusal to sign off on it until he’d been able to tell his parents about their split face to face.

And when she was finally talked out, she pulled her knees against her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs like she was one of her students. “So that’s it,” she told him. “You did nothing wrong by kissing me. I’m not taken. Just a liar.”

Hendrix ran the tip of his thumb along his jaw. “So he’s blackmailing you to keep quiet?”

“Until his parents come home from their cruise, yes.”

“Why? He doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who cares that much about what they’d think.”

“He’s a momma’s boy at heart,” she murmured.

“He doesn’t want to ruin their vacation.

” She looked at him, trying to make him understand.

“I didn’t think it was a big deal when I agreed to it.

I might’ve even thought it was a good idea.

My mom is going to be devastated, too. I figured if I got everything ready for her here, got her ready to sell the farm, before I told her, things would be easier. ”

“Can’t you pay off the loan?”

“Not until the house is sold. And I can’t sell the house until the lien is taken off. It’s a catch twenty-two.” She frowned, because she hated this. “The easiest and quickest way to solve it is to do what Trenton wants. By mid August, it’ll all be over.”

“So that’s it. You’re gonna let him win?” Hendrix asked her, his brows knitted. And she understood that. She felt it too.

“It’s not about letting him win. It’s about me not losing. And if he wants to, he can make my mom’s life really difficult. It’s just a few weeks, Hendrix. That’s it. Then I can move on.” She pressed her lips together. “I’m sorry I lied to you.”

“I’m not angry about the lies. But I’m angry that you’re letting him do it.”

“I get that.” She nodded. “You’re not like me.”

“What does that mean?”

“You’re not scared of life. You’re not afraid of making the wrong choices. Of having people think badly about you.” She shook her head, looking at the cotton clouds in the sky above them.

“You’re wrong. I am afraid of making the wrong choices. Mostly because I know the consequences all too well. I’m the king of bad choices. Just ask anybody.”

“I think I just took your crown,” she said ruefully. “So that’s it. I just needed to tell you.” She exhaled heavily. “Please don’t tell anybody about this.”

“Of course I’m not gonna tell anybody.” He frowned. “I wish you would, though.”

She gave him a soft look. They both knew she wouldn’t. Then she scrambled to her feet, dusting the earth from her legs. “I’ll let you finish up here. It’s getting late. Thank you for listening to me.”

She started to walk away.

“Emery?”

She turned to look at him. He was standing, too. His arms folded in front of him.

“Yes?”

“In a few weeks. When the truth is out and the lien is gone. What happens then?”

She ran her tongue over her dry lips. “Then I put my mom’s farm up for sale.”

“And after?”

“After?” she echoed, as though she didn’t understand the question.

“After you’ve told everyone that you ended things with him? Then you’ll be a free woman, right?”

Her heart thumped against her ribcage. “That’s right.”

He stepped closer to her. Enough that she could see the covering of dust on his skin. “Good. Then I’d like to take you on a date. After .”

“I’ll be back in Charleston after. I have to work.” Her lips parted. His gaze dipped to them, like he was thinking about kissing her again. He reached out and tipped her face up, his thumb beneath her jaw. She swallowed hard at the intensity in his eyes as he stared down at her.

And for a moment all she could hear was the blood rushing through her veins. She looked at his mouth, the same mouth that had kissed her like she’d never been kissed before. The one she stayed awake for most of the night thinking about.

Wishing he’d kiss her again.

“We’ll work it out. But you need to go now,” he told her, his voice thick. His message was clear. He wanted her, but not enough to get involved in this mess. And she couldn’t blame him. It was hers and hers alone to deal with.

But after? The thought of it sent a shiver down her spine.

“I’m going,” she whispered. And then she stepped back from his touch.

He couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t do much of anything. Truth was, he’d been a mess since he’d gotten back home, carrying the bucket of dirt with him. He’d taken a shower, made his dinner on autopilot, then he’d headed into his bedroom.

It was almost eleven. He should be asleep. After last night's tossing and turning, his body craved oblivion more than anything else.

And yet he couldn’t stop thinking about the way she’d looked as she’d whispered what a mess she was.

Like she was so damn alone. God, he knew how that felt.

It was like listening to a song you know all the words to even though you’ve never heard it before.

And damn, how she called to him. He ached for her. He was hot and hard and his heart felt like it was too big for his chest.

Sighing, he climbed out of bed. He’d get a drink. Take another shower. Try to push her out of his mind. At least for a few weeks.

He could wait that long, right? The end of her deal with her ex wasn’t exactly a lifetime away.

But it felt like it was. He felt like he couldn’t go on like this for another minute, let alone for longer.

“Fuck.” He dropped his head into his hands.

He was losing his mind. That was it. Driven to distraction by this aching need.

He strode to the window that overlooked the lane and pulled back the curtain, his gaze drawn like a magnet to her house, to the room he knew was hers.

It was dark. The whole place was. She was probably fast asleep.

But that’s when he saw it. The movement. At first he thought it might be an animal. A dark shadow was moving along her yard, toward the lane. It was only as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the night that he realized it was a person.

Her . Walking toward his house. Like she was as messed up as he was.

Releasing the curtain, he strode to his front door, wrenching it open, before he stepped out into the sultry night. She was clearer now. Still walking fast, as she crossed the road, then walked into his yard.

Without saying a word, he started striding toward her. Like his mind had been washed of all reason, replaced by pure desire. And when their bodies met, he scooped her into his arms, lifting her up, his mouth pressing against hers as he lifted her against his chest.

This kiss wasn’t soft. It wasn’t gentle. It was hard, full of need. Full of the desire they’d both repressed for way too long. She let out a sigh, her hands curling around his neck, her fingers tangling, as he turned around and carried her into his house.

“You came back,” he murmured, kicking the door shut behind them.

“I couldn’t stay away.”

The way she said it, her voice so full of honesty, sent a shot of desire through him.

“I couldn’t either. I was coming to get you. Throw stones at your window until they woke you up.”

She smiled against his mouth. “You could have called.”

“Yeah, well I hadn’t thought that part through.” He put her down on the ground. Brushed the hair from her face. “Do you know how beautiful you are?” he asked her.

“Do you know how beautiful you are?” she said back to him. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”

Her words felt like the softest balm on his rough soul. He dipped his head, kissing her neck, feeling the drum of her pulse against his mouth.

“Come to bed.”

Her breath caught. “What about waiting until after ?”

“I’ll take you to bed then, too.” He looked up at her. She was staring at him, her gaze dark. Full of the same desire that pulsed through him.

“Okay then,” she murmured. “Take me to bed.”

And that was all he needed to hear.

He carried her into his bedroom, his muscles tight as he put her on the bed. Emery looked around. He kept a neat bedroom. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but not this.

“Oh, your room is pretty,” she said to him, trying not to sound so surprised. It was simple, that’s for sure. Old furniture he’d found in resale stores and refinished. The walls were whitewashed and the curtains were some flowery fabric.