Page 26 of Beau & Autumn

“Here I was thinking you were the precious princess all along,” I muse.

He shakes his head. “See, I told you getting my hands dirty was second nature, and I wasn’t lying.”

I screw up my nose. “You smell.”

He leans toward his tank, pulling the fabric up slightly and sniffs. “Yep, dirty old water stinks like smelly feet. Mind if I strip this off?”

Why would I mind?

I shake my head, trying to act normal.

His strong hands reach for the hem of his shirt and peels it off his body.

And I’m shook.

Holy crap. Beau is stacked.

He has abs. He has pecs. He has the whole damn package. He really is Superman under those clothes. The muscles you can’t quite detect underneath are deceiving and I’m wondering when he finds the time to work out? I didn’t know he went to a gym. I can’t be sure, but I may hum in semi-silent appreciation.

“My eyes are up here.” His voice has also dropped an octave.

My eyes flick to his, embarrassed I’ve been caught gawking. “I should get you a towel.”

“That’d be great.”

I tear my eyes away from him and head inside. Panic hits me from all sides as I enter the house.

What is this?

Do I have a crush on Beau?

I mean, he’s been flirty this past week, but he’s always poking fun at me and having a joke at my expense. That’s nothing new. Is it just my imagination, or is he different somehow?

I can’t work it out.

I groan, the frustration coursing through my body only means one thing; I have a date tonight with my battery boyfriend. Courtesy of Beau Bassett.

8

Autumn

I’m getting ready for the Sunday roast, well aware that I’m taking a little bit of extra time with my hair and makeup tonight. Not that I don’t usually, but I want to look good at the Bassett family dinner. If I’m being honest with myself, I want to look good for Beau.

I can’t stop thinking about him covered in mud at my house. And the conversation at the farm. He makes everything better just by being himself. Again, he’s proved what a sweetheart he is and how considerate he was to come and help me out. The boys wouldn’t take any money for it, so I ended up getting pizzas before they left which was the least I could do.

Beau’s scent seems to be permeating my senses. Even all this time later. it’s freaking everywhere. He smells so damn good that I need to find out what cologne that is. It must be newish because I don’t remember him wearing it before. All I know is that it makes me weak at the knees.

I’m trying to piece together when I first started noticing Beau differently. More recently? Yes. But also at the auction months ago; he looked so cute up on stage panicking for his life. If I remember accurately, I didn’t want anyone else getting a date with him. And not just because we arranged it.

All of a sudden Beau being strong and stable, loyal and smart — not to mention sexy as hell — invades every waking moment.

I pause in the mirror and take a long, hard look at myself as I smooth my hair out. Why am I thinking like this? Beau isn’t interested in me in that way. We’re buddies, we always have been. Okay, he was flirting a little, but he’s always kinda done that from time to time.

Not like this. Never like this.

He’s busy creating his new app with Fletcher, gaming, and working a million hours in the distillery. I’ve also noticed he hasn’t dated in a while. Beau has never been the kind of guy who just goes to a bar and picks a girl up. That’s not his style.

I’m also trying to understand these reactions inside me ranging from excitement and heat to confusion and doubt. He’s been such a great friend to me over the years. If anything happened — and that’s a big if because I still think this is one-sided — I would never want it to ruin our friendship. And it would. How many people stay friends after they bang? Not many. The dynamics always change.

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