Page 30 of While You're There
“It really does. Why do you think I tried to hold him at arm’s length for so long?”
Jake let out a grunt of resignation. “Hey, can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“Did you end up hanging out with Field the other day?”
She sensed it was a leading question. The warning bells in her head told her she was walking into a trap. But she refused to feel like she was doing anything wrong by being friends with Fielding, so she replied truthfully without hesitation. “Yeah, why do you ask? You were here when we made those plans,” she reminded him.
Jake held her gaze for a few beats, as if he was considering what to say next. She returned his stare with a cool, even scowl as she noted the judgement in his eyes.
“Be careful there, baby.”
Tori bit down on her lower lip as she considered his words. Jake had had a front row seat to the way her friendship with Fielding had unfolded over the last few months. He also had the unique perspective of someone who had watched her and Rhett run circles around each other for the last ten years. There wasn’t anyone else who understood the intricacies and complications of the tangled web of emotions between them.
Jake’s warning wasn’t unwarranted. Tuesday night’s confrontation all but confirmed that Field had feelings for her. His reaction to her engagement was so intense—so painful to witness and experience firsthand—that there was no doubt in her mind that Fielding Haas had been hopeful that they could be more than friends one day.
But now that she was engaged to Rhett, it was a nonissue. She would make sure of it. Fielding knew where things stood, and she wouldn’t let him forget it. It would have honestly been easier to cut him out of her life, but she had her reasons for wanting to maintain her friendship with Fielding. There was something nice about having a friend who wasn’t connected to Rhett—having a friend who she knew was on her side one hundred percent of the time, no matter what. As much as she loved Jake, she never questioned where his ultimate loyalties laid.
She was confident she could maintain a friendship with Fielding without letting him get too close or think she wanted anything more.
“I will. I promise,” she replied.
Jake blew out a long breath of acceptance before changing the subject. She knew if she didn’t push back, he wouldn’t force the subject. “Okay, good. Let’s get this party started then, yeah? Locks are turning in twenty. Cory’s working this morning, too, but he doesn’t come in until eight. It’s Market Day, so Mike will be on the Green most of your shift. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Will do,” Tori confirmed before heading back into the kitchen to start the coffee pots.
Chapter twelve
Rhett
“Finally,”heexhaled,hisarm extended up and over his head in a wave as his parents coasted up Willow Drive in his dad’s Mercedes S-Class Coupe. Maddie’s limo had just pulled away from the house ten minutes prior. After a full day of wedding planning and a few tenser-than-expected moments with his parents, Rhett was relieved to see them go. This was what he’d been looking forward to all week. They finally had the house to themselves. They were finally alone.
Tori sighed as she moved her body into his side and wrapped her arms around his waist. He lowered his raised arm and draped it on her shoulder, bowing down to kiss the top of her head in the process. “Hi,” she greeted him as she nuzzled into his chest.
“Hey, you,” he murmured, letting his fingers brush up and down her arm. “Why does it feel like we haven’t been alone in weeks?” Rhett swept her hair off her shoulder and brought his mouth to the pulse point right below her ear. He savored the sensitive spot and relished that there was no longer any concern for who could see them.
A month ago, Tori would have recoiled from this kind of public affection. Now, he could kiss her in his driveway anytime he wanted. It felt so damn good to get to love her out loud.
“You slept over at my house last night,” she reminded him before sighing softly and tilting her head to the side, exposing her neck and granting him more access. He felt her go soft and lean into him. He gladly accepted her weight, wrapping his arm tighter around her as he continued to trail kisses along the column of her neck.
“You’ve gotta know by now that I won’t ever get my fill, beautiful. With you, I’ll always want more.” He spun her around so he could pull her into a hug.
“Well, we’re finally alone, and I’m all yours tonight.”
“You’re all mine tonight,” he confirmed, working his hand to the nape of her neck and squeezing gently for emphasis. “I’ve been dreaming about tonight all week. I plan to make the most of it.”
“You and your plans,” she teased. “I’m sure you’ve got the whole night already mapped out for us, so let’s hear it.”
“Dinner,” he whispered as he ran his tongue from the edge of her collarbone up the side of her neck.
“Dessert,” he breathed his intentions into the shell of her ear.
“And a show,” he promised, hooking a single finger into the front belt loop of her jeans and pulling her body into his own.
Her breath hitched in response to his promises, the energy between them charging the air with an intensity that matched the incoming storm.
“You feel that, beautiful?” he murmured as he wrapped an arm around the small of her back and held her close. “That’s because of you. That’s what you do to me.”
