Page 31 of Ruined
Both Harper and I burst out laughing. “You two are the worst.” She turned her gaze to me, “I feel sorry for you, they must be driving you nuts.”
“Oh, you have no idea,” I winked playfully and added. “I was actually thinking of getting a room at the guesthouse Kenzie stayed at that time her car broke down.”
We continued to laugh as we walked through the house to the back door that led to their deck. I absolutely adored their set up. The deck was large with comfortable looking couches arranged in a way that would allow for intimate conversations. They had a mini fridge on one side and a grill on the other.
As I lowered myself onto one of the seats, I scanned their spacious backyard. Flynn was having a ball on his jungle gym; climbing on one end, sliding down the other. Their giant rottweiler was playing along as if he was a human kid, too. I kept searching but there was no sign of Eli or Molly anywhere. The disappointment was too strong to ignore.
“We haven’t officially met—” I looked up to find the youngest Jackson brother staring down at me, arm outstretched. “I’m the prettiest Jackson brother, but you can call me Chase.” His smile was bright and wide, I was certain it’d drawn a few ladies to their knees.
I slipped my hand in his, “Zoe.”
Chase plonked down onto the couch beside mine, “Brett told us that your gallery burned down. Man, that sucks. Lemme know if there’s anything we can do to help.”
Kenzie had told me how big-hearted these people were, how willing they were to lend a helping hand. I’d always thought she was laying it on a bit thick. Guess I was wrong. “I will, thanks.”
He then proceeded to ask me all kinds of questions regarding my gallery, including what kind of art I’d showcased. It didn’t seem as if he was making conversation merely for the sake of it, he looked genuinely interested. I enjoyed explaining everything to him; this was my passion, it always brought me immense happiness whenever I talked about it.
I’d always believed that nothing could top that feeling, I was proven wrong the instant Molly appeared out of nowhere and launched herself at me. Her arms wound around my neck as she hugged me. I was momentarily stunned before I came to my senses and returned her embrace.
“I’m so happy you’re here, Miss Zoe.” She pulled back and melted my heart with her toothy grin and bright eyes.
“Wow, that was quite the greeting.” She lowered her head at my words, making me realize that she might’ve thought I was scolding her. Pressing my fingers under her chin, I guided her eyes back to mine. “I liked it a lot.”
This girl’s smile packed a punch, I felt it deep inside my chest. “Okay.” Her ponytail swished back and forth as she took in her surroundings. “I brought all my stuff, will you draw with me later?” she sweetly asked as soon as she focused on me again.
“You bet.” You know how adults always said something just to appease a child? This wasn’t like that at all. I really wanted to sit and draw or color with her. In fact, I was half tempted to tell herlet’s just go now. Unfortunately, I knew I had to adult first.
I kept my eyes on Molly as she skipped down the steps to join Flynn on the Jungle Gym. For the first time in my life, I wondered what it would be like to be a mother. Did that warmth blossom in their chests every time their children wrapped their arms around them?
My thoughts were confusing the crap out of me. I turned my gaze back to Chase to continue our conversation, but almost gasped when I found Eli’s intense stare trained on me. How had I missed him taking his brother’s seat? I took a deep breath through my nose in an attempt to calm my racing heart. Big mistake. I’d wanted to take fresh air to my lungs but ended up teasing my senses with Eli’s manly scent. It was masculine, woodsy, and fresh; I wanted to shut my eyes and take another deep whiff.
“Hi.” That rich baritone of his coated my insides with warmth, when he added a lopsided grin to the mix I feared spontaneous combustion.
“Hi,” I repeated like a moron.
That weird thing where we just stared at each other happened again. Tiny pinpricks of electricity started at the base of my neck and danced down my spine. Was he feeling it, too? My lips suddenly felt dry, my tongue darted out, licking along my bottom lip. Eli’s eyes grew darker as his gaze dropped to my mouth.
“What are you drinking?” I almost jumped in my seat at the suddenness of Logan’s voice. He was standing next to Eli’s seat with his hand on his brother’s shoulder.
With his brows pinched together, Eli cleared his throat. “Soda’s good, thanks.”
“Same for me.”
Logan looked from his brother to me, then back at Eli again. He smacked his brother twice on the shoulder before they shared a look I had no hope of understanding. With a grin, Logan then cheerfully said, “Coming right up.”
After his brother disappeared into the house, Eli’s focus was on me again. “Sorry to hear about your gallery.”
For a second I was stunned that he even knew, but then I remembered Chase telling me that Brett had told him. “I still can’t believe it’s gone,” I admitted honestly, and apparently my admissions weren’t over as I babbled on. “It’s strange, you know? It feels like I’m going to wake up at any moment and find that everything was nothing more than a bad dream.”
His eyes roamed the yard until they settled on something. I followed his gaze to where Molly was clapping her hands at something Flynn had done. “Yeah, I am familiar with the feeling.” He sounded thoughtful, I was curious to know what thoughts were running around in his mind. I couldn’t bring myself to voice that question, though.
While his attention was elsewhere, I took the opportunity to study him. He looked so…put together. Every single strand of his dark hair neatly in place, the scruff peppering his jaw didn’t look wild or unruly. My fingers twitched with the need to touch. My gaze dropped to his mouth; the way his whiskers framed his lips made them look utterly inviting. I wondered if he’d thought about the kiss or if he even remembered.
My own lips tingled as I recalled the feel of his mouth on mine, the way he’d cradled my face. The feel of his skin beneath my palms…I remembered everything. My brows drew together as I shook my head slightly. I needed to reel in my rampant thoughts before I did something stupid like act on them.
Luckily, the rest of our friends chose that moment to appear. Kenzie and Brett squeezed in beside me while Chase plonked down next to Eli. After handing me my soda, Logan snaked his arm around Harper and guided her onto his lap. Conversation flowed immediately. Since Logan owned an auto shop and Brett was his mechanic their topic of choice was cars, or rather how serendipitous it was that cars breaking down were the reason they got closer to their women.
Yeah, they lost me a bit there.
