By the time he headed back to the barn from clearing the field, he was exhausted in every way. What he needed was a shower and a good meal. He dusted himself off the best he could then headed into the mudroom. Gabe unbuttoned his padded jacket, hanging it up next to the others, then he began unbuckling his belt. He’d grab a quick shower, then head down for dinner. He could smell the food in the air, and it made his stomach rumble. The boys were definitely right about hiring on Annalise.
“Oh, sorry.”
He turned to find Annalise in the doorway of the mudroom, a pink apron wrapped around her curvy body. “It’s okay, I’m just heading upstairs for a shower.”
“I wanted to tell you dinner’s ready whenever you are. I didn’t mean to walk in on you like this.” Her voice was almost a whisper.
He felt the burn of her gaze on his skin. Gabe was just in his tank top, and luckily, he hadn’t dropped his jeans yet. He had to remember it wasn’t just the three of them anymore.
“No problem. I won’t be long.” Gabe gave her a friendly wink, but her cheeks flushed red almost on cue. He didn’t have to be told she was a virgin. They seemed to be scarce in their part of town. That fact only made her more of a temptation.
Chapter Three
Archie looked around Annalise’s mundane possessions and was shocked by how little she had.
“I thought women were supposed to be … you know…” He pointed at the room without finishing his thoughts.
“You think women are known for packing six hundred bags for a couple of days away?” Vinny asked.
“Well, yeah, look at this place. This woman doesn’t have a whole load of shit, and if memory serves, her family is supposed to be pretty well off.”
Annalise was in the other room, gathering stuff together, and he didn’t want her to hear him talking about her. The truth was that whenever he used to watch her at the diner, she always looked sad, out of place. People seemed to treat her as if she didn’t exist, unless something was wrong with their meal.
He always made the effort to bring a smile to those luscious lips. Damn it, just thinking about her mouth made him want to kiss her. Having her living with them was supposed to make this easier for him, but it was only proving to be incredibly difficult.
Archie’s feelings for her were not going away, not any time soon. It was very frustrating. In the past week, their lives seemed to change. The food she cooked was amazing, and he’d stopped visiting the diner simply because she wasn’t there to serve the food he wanted. Why go to a place when the person of his desires was living with him?
He wanted to claim her.
Gabe tried to play down his feelings for her as well. Archie had seen the way they had all looked at her, and each one of them wanted her.
Vinny was clearly smitten.
Gabe was in deep.
And himself, he wasn’t ashamed to admit how he felt about her—to himself anyway.
“Hey,” she said.
Her lips were slightly swollen from all the nibbling she’d been doing. A cute nervous tic of hers. She walked in, and he was enraptured by the sway of those full hips. Did she even realize how sexy she looked?
Archie picked up one of her suitcases, as did Vinny.
“Are you doing okay?” Vinny asked.
“I’m fine. It’s just an apartment.” She glanced around the room. “I did move in here straight after high school, you know.” She blew out a breath. “It’s just a place I’ve called home for a long time.” She turned her back, and Archie looked at her space.
It wasn’t much by any stretch of the imagination, but he understood what Annalise felt. This was probably her first real home. The one place she called her own.
He left the apartment, heading downstairs to load up the case into the back of the truck. Vinny did the same. Gabe had to check on some fencing back at the ranch, which was why he couldn’t come. The landlord was on the doorstep, and Annalise placed the key into his palm and even offered him a smile.
Archie watched as the older man squeezed the key within his fist, looking downright fucking gutted.
He wanted to know what was going on there. A landlord shouldn’t look unhappy when they were given a damn key and the room was still in decent shape.
“You see that?” Archie asked, looking toward Vinny.
“See what?”
Annalise came toward them. Her sweet smile stole his heart.
“I’ll be right back,” Archie said. “I’ve just got to check on something.” He nodded at Annalise, then at Vinny, before heading toward the building. The door was still wedged open. The summer they were experiencing was a fucking killer. He was constantly sweating his balls off.