“Don’t tease me…” I warn.
Just as she unbuttons my jeans, her name is called from behind us. “Hey, Hadleigh? Harper’s looking—”
Ethan stops dead in his tracks when he spots us.
“Shit, never mind.” He spins around, closing the door behind him.
Hadleigh’s head falls on my chest with a sigh. “Great.”
“See, if we were together, we wouldn’t have to sneak around,” I mock, lifting her chin, then pressing my lips to hers. “You have a decision to make. I wanna know by Saturday.”
Her brows rise. “Kaitlyn’s birthday party?”
“Yep. You either decide you’re stayin’ the night with me, or I’ll assume it’s over. Ball’s in your court.”
She snorts with a groan. “Hardly.”
I rub the pad of my thumb over her cheek. “You have six days to think about it. I’ll see you there, and you can tell me then.”
Before she can argue, I fix my jeans, grab my hat, then walk out.
Kaitlyn: Maize said she’d make the food for the party. Can I assume you’re taking care of the alcohol, or do I need to ask Rowan?
Kaitlyn: I also want a cake…can you order one from Kat? Or do I need to order my own?!
Kaitlyn: Don’t forget the decorations!
Jesus Christ.
She’s been blowing up my phone all morning. You’d think she’d know when it comes to parties, I give it my all. And hopefully, Hadleigh will tell me she’s all in too, and it’ll be the best damn day of my life.
Knox: I already ordered your stupid cake and got balloons. Rowan’s bringing the alcohol, and I even have Grandma making your favorite blueberry muffins. Anything else, Queen Kaitlyn?
Kaitlyn: Some single men on the guest list?
I snort at that. She shouldn’t be in any rush to settle down because she’s still young.
Knox: I’ll see what I can do.
Kaitlyn: You’re the best, thank you!
Knox: Now say I’m your favorite brother.
Kaitlyn: Let’s see how Saturday goes first.
I chuckle, then get back to work. The party is only four days away, and I’ve been tempted to reach out to Hadleigh about a dozen times. But I know she needs space to decide what she wants. If she chooses Kane, I’ll let her go for good because I know he’d make her happy.
But I could too.
CHAPTER TWELVE
HADLEIGH
I haven’t been able to get the words that Knox said to me in the shed out of my damn head. Especially the dirty ones. They’ve played on repeat for the past few days, especially when I’m in bed or showering, but the worst is when I’m trying to fall asleep.
I love the way my skin burns when he touches me, how warm his breath is when it brushes against my cheek, and how he gently but roughly slides his tongue into my mouth. Knox has complete control, and unfortunately, when I’m around him, I don’t have any. I’m putty in his hands. After the way he bombarded me in the hallway during my date, I should’ve shoved him away before he even touched me.
But I couldn’t.
However, I had such a great time with Kane too. He was kind and respectful when I was honest about my feelings. I’m still torn, but I can’t deny how Knox sets my body on fire. Any time he touches me, I want to lose myself in him. I want him to tear me down and build me back while he ravages my body. He knows how to tease, but damn, does he know how to please too. Just thinking about it gets me all worked up, but I bury the thoughts when I arrive at work.
As soon as I walk into the break room, Abbie walks up wearing a shit-eating grin.
“You know what I want…” She waggles her brows as I pour a cup of coffee.
“Ugh. I don’t even know where to start.”
“Ma’am, I hope you know your life is better than anything on Netflix right now. I’m invested in this story more than you know.”
“I wish I could trade places with you so you could make the decision for me.”
She smiles wide. “Damn. Me too. I’d have my cake and eat it too.”
I snort. “Stop it.”
“I’m waiting,” she sing-songs.
I talk about the date with Kane and how much I enjoyed hanging out with him. Then I tell her about Knox caging me to the wall in the hallway.
“I hate how much I wanted him.” I groan. “Arrogant bastard.”
She chuckles. “So what’d you do?”
I meet her eyes. “Pretended that he didn’t affect me and pushed him away. Then I went back to my date and avoided looking in his direction.”
“Did Kane kiss you at the end of the night?” she asks.
“Yes, we went back to his place, and things got heated…but then I stopped it. I explained that I didn’t want to hurt him or lose him, so it was best we didn’t go any further. I don’t know if my feelings for Knox are bleeding over because they’re identical twins.”