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Makenna
“This is not my hotel.” I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I must’ve dozed for a few minutes after we got inside Nash’s truck.
“You’re right, it isn’t,” Nash said. “This is my cabin.”
I sat a little straighter, looking around. Cabin? Really? I would not consider this a cabin. The damn place was huge. At least two stories. A mansion made of logs. The setting was stunning, though. It was nestled amidst tall pines and surrounded by mountains. It looked as if the covered porch wrapped around the house, so you would have a view anywhere you stood.
“It doesn’t look like a cabin to me. Apparently being a guide must pay pretty well.”
He shrugged. “Not great. It helps that I’m the boss. I’m a guide because I love taking experienced hikers to the backcountry. My brothers and I also own a few coffee shops.”
“Are they all like you?”
“For the most part.”
For a moment, I imagined three more Hayes brothers running around in this world. I bet there were a bunch of broken hearts scattered all over Texas.
His expression turned thoughtful. “We’re not that much alike. Maybe in looks we resemble each other, but we have different interests. Jaxson is the oldest, Ryder was next, then me. Layne’s the baby. Even though we’re not that much alike, we are always there for each other.” He pushed the button that would raise the garage door and as soon as we were inside, he lowered it.
I turned in my seat. “Why did you bring me home with you? I’m not a puppy. I have a hotel room. That’s where all my things are.”
“I can’t protect you if I’m here and you’re in a hotel room somewhere.”
My eyebrows shot upward. “Excuse me? I would have thought by now you would realize I can take care of myself.” I didn’t need a man taking care of me. Most of the time, they usually got in my way. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to go back to my hotel room.”
“Nope.” He pulled the keys out of the ignition, opened his door, and got out.
Nope? What the hell did that mean? I got out of the vehicle, slamming the door behind me. “Nope? What the fuck do you mean, ‘nope’? This is kidnapping. I could have you arrested.”
His expression turned thoughtful. “Yes, exactly what I said, yes.” He nodded. “And yes.”
Maybe he was on drugs? “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I was just answering your questions. “I meant exactly what I said, when I said nope I wouldn’t take you back to your hotel. And yes, you might technically say I was kidnapping you. And yes, you could have me arrested.” He turned and went inside the house as if he expected me to follow.
I crossed my arms in front of me. If he thought that I would trail after him like a faithful dog, then he was wrong. My brow creased. Actually, he hadn’t really given me a choice. I clamped my lips together and strode inside behind him.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” he said over his shoulder, never slowing down.
I shut the door behind me, glancing around. It was a small mudroom. I followed him to the next doorway. This one opened into a large kitchen. The cabin might look outdoorsy on the outside, but the inside had all the modern updates. The appliances were stainless steel and the counter tops granite.
The freezer was on the lower half of the refrigerator. I watched as he leaned over and slid it open. Great view, I thought to myself. I rolled my eyes. I must be more tired than I thought. Then again, maybe not. The guy did have a great ass.
He suddenly looked over his shoulder, then grinned.
“What?” I asked.
“You were checking out my ass, weren’t you?”
“No I wasn’t.” I wasn’t about to admit he was right. “I’m starving. I barely ate anything at all today. In fact, half a protein bar. I’m hungry. I only wondered what you were getting out of your freezer.”
He turned back around. “Nope, you were definitely checking out my ass. Is pizza okay?”
I opened my mouth to refute his words once more, but then decided against it. He wouldn’t believe me anyway. “Supreme?”
“Of course. Is there any other kind?”
My mouth began to water. I could live on supreme pizzas.
He turned the oven on, then got the pizza ready to put it in the oven. He returned to the refrigerator and opened the door.
“Wine? Beer? Soda? Water?” he asked.
“Bud Light?”
“The only kind of beer worth drinking, in my opinion.” He took out two beers, popped the top, and then handed me one.
I gingerly took the bottle. The palms of my hands were still sore, but the cold actually felt good, even through my bandages. I took a long drink. “This is delicious.” I suddenly felt really gross and in desperate need of a shower. Since I was stuck here, at least for the night, then he shouldn’t mind if I used one of his bathrooms to clean up. If he did, tough shit. I’d use one anyway.
“I need a shower,” he suddenly said as if our thoughts were in sync.
“Me, too.”
His gaze drifted over me. “I don’t suppose you’d want to save water and share one?”
“If you think you can get me drunk and have your way with me, then you’d better think again. I can drink you under the table any day of the week. I’ll take a shower by myself, if you don’t mind.”
“You can’t blame a guy for trying.” He grinned.
My heart did a little flip-flop. The guy had a devastating smile. I bet he used it on all the women. Well, I hated to tell him, but it wouldn’t work on me.
Okay, maybe a little. I still wasn’t going to jump in the shower with him. I glanced at my clothes. That did raise another concern. “Do you have anything I can wear? I really don’t want to put these clothes back on.”
“Follow me.”
Since I still didn’t have a choice, and I did want to change out of these nasty clothes, I followed.
He led me up the stairs and down a long hall, then opened the door at the end. His bedroom. He better not get any ideas. I had a beer bottle in my hand, and I could use it as a weapon if needed.
Except he didn’t try anything. For just a second, I felt a twinge of disappointment. Which was stupid.
My gaze skimmed over him. Maybe not that stupid. He was sexy as hell.
He went to his closet and opened the door. “Just a minute and I’ll see if I can find you something to wear.” He disappeared inside. A few minutes later he came back out and handed me a pale blue, silk robe.
I took it, studying it for a moment. “It doesn’t look like your color.”
“It belonged to a...friend. She left it here.”
You don’t think she’ll mind if I use it?”
He gave me that sexy ass grin again. “I don’t think she’ll be back, or that she would mind.”
“Okay then, thanks.”
He continued to stand there.
“The bathroom? Shower? Remember?” I reminded him.
He stepped to the side, waving his arm. “Through that door,” he said.
I quirked one eyebrow up. “That’s your bathroom.”
“I’ll use the one in the guestroom.”
No way was I going to let that happen. Now that we were back in civilization, I could think a lot clearer. I didn’t want to get involved in another relationship. It was too soon. Maybe in another few months I would feel differently. Just not now.
“How about you use your shower, and I’ll use the one in the guestroom,” I told him. “I like that idea even better.” I was definitely not going to get comfortable in his bedroom.
“If you insist, but I have a better shower. Lots of jets and an overhead rain thing.”
It sounded tempting, but I would remain strong. “I do insist, and the guestroom shower will work just fine.”
I followed him once more as he led me to the door next to his and opened it.
“I still have a better shower for soothing aching muscles...”
“No thank you.” I stepped past him, then turned back around and smiled. When he took a step toward me, I shut the door in his face. As I walked toward the door at the far end of the bedroom, I was shaking my head. Nash was way too full of himself.
I smiled as I went inside the bathroom. But definitely hot. I would have to watch myself around him. I had a feeling he was a one-night-stand kind of guy. Not that I wanted a long-term relationship with anyone. Absolutely not! But yeah, a one-night-stand with him was tempting.
I set my beer on the counter, turned on the water, then stripped out of my clothes. The bandages would have to go as well. I unrolled them, then examined my palms. They didn’t look that bad.
By the time I stepped under the spray, the water was warm. Oh God, this was so nice. It felt as if I wore two or three pounds of dirt and dust. I stuck my head under the water, getting my hair wet.
Nash was right when he said I would have everything I needed. On a shelf in the shower was shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. I carefully lathered my hair, then rinsed the soap out and massaged in a dollop of conditioner. It stung, but was so worth it to have my hair washed. The body wash smelled like peaches. I inhaled the aroma as I lathered my body. By the time I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, I actually felt human again.
And starving.
The fluffy white towels were wonderfully soft. I dried off, then towel dried my hair. There was a brush on the counter so I dragged it through the tangles, getting them out. One of the disadvantage to having long hair. It could be a pain in the ass to deal with. My mother had always loved my long hair. She used to sit at her dressing table. We would talk for hours on end while she brushed my hair. I always felt if I cut my hair, I would lose that memory. I know, borderline crazy, but I didn’t care. I set the brush down, then pulled on the robe before bandaging my hands again.
My stomach rumbled, calling out to be fed. I grabbed my beer, took a drink, then left the bathroom. As I neared the kitchen, I could hear Nash moving around. I stood at the doorway for a moment and watched him. He looked fresh and clean from the shower. He wore a pair of plaid red and black PJ bottoms and a white t-shirt.
I watched as he bent over in front of the stove to check on the pizza. When he turned to grab a potholder, he noticed me in the doorway and grinned. I knew what he was thinking. “No, I was not checking out your ass. I was inhaling the aroma of the pizza.”
His grin widened. I just shook my head.
“Do you want me to do anything?” I asked as he pulled the pizza from the oven.
“You can grab us a couple of more beers if you want.”
I nodded, then finished the last drink in mine before going to the refrigerator. I grabbed two more bottles of beer, but I couldn’t twist the damn lids off. My hands were still too sore.
“Here, I’ll get that,” he said and took the beers away from me. He easily twisted off the tops before setting them back down on the counter. “If you want to take them to the living room, I’ll bring some pizza. I hardly ever eat in the kitchen at the table. Unless you want to.”
“No, I rarely eat at the table either.” As I walked toward the other room I realized how much our tastes ran in the same direction. We never ate at the table, we both loved the outdoors, we preferred supreme pizzas, and Bud Light beer. Definitely weird.
I found coasters to set our beers on, and put them on the coffee table in front of the sofa. That’s when I noticed he’d started a fire in the fireplace. Hmm. Alcohol and a glowing fire. All he needed was soft music to set a romantic atmosphere.
Was he seducing me?
He strolled into the living room carrying two plates with a slice of pizza on each, and a handful of napkins. He set the plates on the coffee table and picked up a remote. After he pushed a button, a moment passed before the room was filled with soft music.
“It won’t work.”
He sat near me on the sofa and picked up his plate. “What won’t work?”
I waved my arm around the room. “Alcohol, a roaring fire, and romantic music. You’ve set quite the seduction scene, but I won’t fall for it.”
He smiled that disarming smile again. “You think that’s what all this is?” He shook his head. “The alcohol is because I prefer beer with pizza. It just goes together. Nothing else will do. The roaring fire is because it was a little chilly. We’re higher up in the mountains, and it gets colder. And the music? I like music. Did you think I was trying to seduce you?”
I could feel the warmth creep up my face, and it wasn’t from the fire. Had I misjudged him? I thought about it for a moment. Now, I wasn’t so sure. “You asked me to share your shower,” I reminded him.
His grin only widened. “No, I asked if you would like to use my shower. I was going to use the guest shower.”
Maybe I had misconstrued his actions. No, absolutely not. “You said we could save water and shower at the same time, remember?”
He thought about my words for a moment, then brightened. “I did, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did. Now you’ve set up this whole seduction scene, but it won’t work. I’m not going to sleep with you.”
“I actually didn’t create this scene to seduce you. I like a cold beer every once in a while, and there’s just something relaxing about a fire in the fireplace. I usually have the music or the TV on when I eat.”
I studied him for a moment. He looked believable. Okay, maybe he wasn’t trying to seduce me. That was kind of disappointing. I took a bite of pizza and decided to let the matter drop.
“But you will end up in my bed. You and I both know it’s only a matter of time. I know you’ve felt the chemistry between us as much as I have.”
I choked on my pizza and grabbed one of the napkins, then glared at him. I finally got the pizza down and took a long drink of my beer. “I will not end up in your bed. I’ve sworn off men.”
He leaned back against the corner of the sofa and casually took another bite of pizza. He thoughtfully chewed, then took a drink of beer after he swallowed. “Forever?”
I finished my pizza. I was still hungry. I glanced his way. “Forever what?”
“You said you’d sworn off men. I asked if it was forever. I mean, do you plan on entering a convent or something? One failed marriage and you’re going celibate, except for the occasional vibrator?”
It was a good thing I didn’t have another bite of pizza in my mouth or I would’ve choked again. Now he was just being a smart ass. “No, I haven’t sworn off men forever, and I’m not going to enter a convent. Right now, I don’t want to be in any kind of relationship—even if it’s only one night. I’m still hungry. Do you want another slice of pizza?”
He glanced at his plate. “Sure thing, but I’ll get it. I need another beer anyway.” He glanced at my bottle. “You do, too.” He stood and followed me to the kitchen, setting his plate near the pizza as he went to grab us another beer.
I slid another slice of pizza onto each of our plates. He opened the beer, then held them by the neck, and picked up his plate. He didn’t say anything until we were sitting on the sofa again. I took a bite of my pizza.
“So,” he started. “You’re not opposed to using a vibrator.”
I choked again. I so wanted to kill him right now. He was screwing up a perfectly fine dinner by asking stupid questions. I took another quick drink of my beer to wash down the pizza. “What the hell are you talking about now?”
“You said you weren’t swearing off men forever and you weren’t entering a convent, but you didn’t say anything about not using a vibrator. I was just curious if you used vibrators.”
My face felt as if it was on fire. “No, I don’t use vibrators,” I lied. It was only a little lie, though. I didn’t use them very often.
“Never?”
“Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”
“Then you do use a vibrator.”
I raised my chin and glared at him. “I no longer want to have this conversation, and I refuse to discuss my sex life with you. I don’t even know you that well. I’m not sure I even like you.” There, let him digest that.
“Fair enough. We won’t discuss vibrators anymore. I see how uncomfortable it makes you.”
I opened my mouth, ready to tell him that talking about vibrators didn’t make me uncomfortable at all, but then I realized he was baiting me. I snapped my mouth closed, then reached for my beer. I would not play his games.
“But you do like me,” he said. “I can always tell when a woman likes me, and you like me.”
He reminded me of an annoying gnat that wouldn’t go away.
“You might as well admit that you like me or you won’t be able to sleep very well tonight.”
The gnat was buzzing again. I really needed him to shut up. If he didn’t, I was going to squash him with my beer bottle. “I might like you a little,” I finally admitted.
He smiled. “I knew you did.”
“I said a little.” The man was absolutely impossible.
“And we’re going to end up having sex. You might as well go ahead and get in my bed tonight.”
“You’re full of shit.”
He really had to stop smiling like that or his prediction would come true, and I’d end up in his bed. Nope, I was not falling for another sweet talking man.
Absolutely not.
Never going to happen.