“You smell so good...” My eyes are fixed on his neck, where he must’ve sprayed the cologne earlier this morning.
I have the sudden urge to bury my nose there and inhale him. Maybe there’s more to that scent? An undernote I missed.
My panties dampen as if on cue. There’s nothing as stimulating as a good-smelling man. I glance up, catching his almost cruel smile that makes it painfully obvious I spoke my mind aloud. I’m eye level with his neck, and he’s so big and broad, built like a predator, that I feel tiny, even though at five feet seven, I’m not short. I am, however, defenseless against the masculine energy buzzing around him. But controlling my urges is easier today than it was on Saturday when four drinks coursed through my system, and his good-smelling body moved against mine on the dance floor, our fingers threaded together on my stomach most of the time.
His warm breath on my neck.
The thumping of his heartbeat beneath his ribs.
Long fingers digging into my hips.
I was feverish. Vulnerable and safe at the same time.
“Good, huh?” Theo’s smile widens, snapping me out of the vivid memories.
I stumble back a step. “Sorry. Thank you, and sorry for barging in I-I should go.” As if my comment wasn’t shameful enough, stumbling over my words sure is.
“You got fired from the Country Club?” he asks.
I pause, one hand firmly on the handle, holding tightly as if it’ll keep me in place, grounded, freaking anchored, so I don’t nuzzle my face in the crook of his neck. God, I really need to stop ogling him as if he’s a lollipop I’d like to lick and suck.
“No, why?”
He hikes up one skeptical eyebrow, folding his arms over his chest again. “So why are you here?”
“I’m interviewing for a job.”
“You have a job, Thalia. You won’t make half of what you make at the golf course waitressing for Sandra. What happened? Are the golfers too much to handle?”
Oh, he thinks I’m trying to replace one job with another. Of course. Workingtwojobs must be a foreign concept to Theo Hayes. I’ve only been around here a week, but a week is more than enough to learn about the ins and outs of this town if you pay attention to what people say.
In Newport Beach, gossip is the bread and butter of the elite. TheHayessurname is mentioned a lot. Robert Hayes is the city’s beloved mayor, while his wife—a former Miss California title winner—is heavily involved with charity work, organizing various balls, auctions, and galas to raise money for causes close to her heart.
The power couple of Newport Beach.
They brought to the worldsevensons—elite troublemakers.
Entitled.
Spoiled.
Arrogant.
Hot.
Fuckable.
At least that’s the consensus among the cart girls. The bar staff has a different take on the Hayes brothers. And so do the Country Club’s members. They’re highly respected by most. Envied, too. From what I learned, every description of them is valid to an extent, but not all brothers fit in one bag labeled with the same tags.
Theo’s hot, fuckable, and a little spoiled. Not arrogant. At least I’ve not seen that side of him yet.
“Nothing happened. I don’t want to quit working as a cart girl. I want a second job. My evenings are free, and I don’t work Wednesdays or Thursdays. I’ve got time.” I glance at my wristwatch, tugging my bottom lip through my teeth. “Just not right now. Sorry, but I need to get going. I’ll see you on Sunday. Water, isn’t it?”
He smirks, holding the door open when I step away until my back finds the wall on the other side of the narrow corridor.
So,sograceful.
“Unless Nico buys another toy I want to test-drive, it’ll be a Bud Light. Barge in here again when you’re done with Sandra. I’ll take you out for coffee.”