Page 97 of In Your Dreams, Holden Rhodes

Cold trickled down my back. “Looking for apartments?” I kept a light tone.

She shot me a tentative smile. “This is the place I’m moving into in March with Willa.” She scrolled through the photos. It was an older style of apartment, which meant big rooms, original hardwood floors, and a strange layout, but big bay windows. Lots of sunlight.

“It’s an amazing price, and I’m excited about living with Willa again. I miss my bestie.” A smile lifted on her features, and when she nodded, her ponytail brushed my shoulder. “Things are finally aligning for me back home.” She shrugged and glanced at me. “And in life.”

My chest ached at the idea of her going home but I shoved it away. Sadie had been clear in what she wanted: friends with benefits. No attachments, just sex. I swallowed past a knot in my throat, staring at the picture of her living room. Thoughts of her snuck into my head more and more. I looked forward to seeing her each night at the bar, counting down until I could return to the inn to work on the place with her by my side. Sadie couldn’t be more clear, though.

Any feelings I was having were one-sided. Sadie wasn’t getting swept off her feet. She was planning the rest of her life on the other side of the country.

She put the movie back on and settled against me, pulling a blanket over us and relaxing into my chest. She cuddled against my chest and my hand fell to her arm. I inhaled her hair and she sighed against me, relaxing.

I was falling for her. Or maybe I’d fallen for her years ago and never gotten over her. I’d never liked a woman the way I liked her. While she was in town, there was no way for me to tear myself away from her. She was too addictive, too sweet, silly, fun, and interesting, and spending time with her made me the version of myself I wanted to be.

She saw something special in me, even if she didn’t want me for herself.

Friends with benefits was a terrible idea, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to stop.

36

Sadie

“Holden tellsme you made him watch Twilight,” Elizabeth said with a smile as we sat on the couch in her living room. It was his parents’ anniversary party, and laughter and conversation filled their home as their friends and family gathered on this Monday evening.

I grinned. “Whatever he says, he loved it. Women my age loved that movie. He needs to know all the references. I’m helping him.”

Her warm gaze lingered on my face for a moment. “You look so much like Katherine.”

I brightened up. “I do?”

She nodded. “She was about your age when she moved to town.”

“Oh, yeah.” I smiled at my hands. Thinking about Katherine at my age made my heart tug.

Elizabeth readjusted on the couch and leaned her chin on her palm. Her gaze turned distant and she smiled. “She fell in love with that place right away.”

I thought about the forest the other day, so serene and quiet, like a little slice of heaven. “I can see why. I didn’t get it when I was sixteen, but I get it now.”

“How are the renovations going?”

“Great.” I twirled my hair through my fingers. “I’ve never been so hands on with a project and I love it.”

Her eyes lit up. “Holden said you’re a force with that sledgehammer.”

A laugh burst out of me. “I don’t know about that. He supervises me pretty carefully.”

Across the room, Holden’s gaze met mine. He was talking with Emmett and his dad but watching me. He shot me a wink and my stomach flopped. A dozen butterflies fluttered inside my stomach.

I turned back to Elizabeth, who glanced between Holden and I with interest.

“Holden takes care of the people he cares about,” she said. “He’s always been so serious and responsible like that.”

I studied him. Tonight, he wore a black knit sweater and jeans. His hair was unruly like he had run his hands through it. His sweater fit perfect across his broad chest and the color made his eyes stand out even more. Every time he glanced over at me and gave me that warm, appraising look, my skin tingled.

“He’s not always so serious,” I said, studying him. I thought about him laughing at the bar as he lifted me up to detach the dildo from beside the TV.

“That’s why you two are so good together. He smiles more with you. Avery said she saw him laugh the other week.”

“He laughs all the time.” I was still studying him with a small smile. I liked that I brought out his fun side and made him laugh.

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