Page 28 of Wrecked
"Oh." Her eyes darted from one item to the next as she scanned my kitchen, and I couldn't help but wonder what she made of its simplicity. A counter ran along the length of one wall with cabinets above it; although the rest of the cabin was furnished with dark stained wood, I'd gone for a light one in here.
The island on which I was working also held the stove, and behind me was my favorite part of the cabin. An entire wall made of glass ensured that I'd never felt caged while in here. The endless stretch of trees, beyond the window, calmed me almost as much as running or working with glass did.
"You don't mind, do you?"
I blinked. Was she speaking this entire time? "Mind what?"
The slightest pink tinged her cheeks. Man, that brought back a whole lot of memories. I swallowed them down and willed something else to go down too.
"There was an unopened toothbrush in the bathroom cupboard," she pulled her lip between her teeth for a second before she hurried on, "I'll replace it."
I knew I was a bastard, but for some reason, I didn't want Kenzie to know the real reason why there was a boxed toothbrush under my sink. "You should drink that," Ignoring the tug inside my chest, I pointed to the poured orange juice on the counter. "If your stomach can handle food, I'll make coffee."
She gave me a quick nod and padded toward the counter. I couldn't help staring after her. There was something about having her in my space that felt…Right?I shook my head at the thought. Clearly, I'd gone and lost my damned mind.
"It's not that I don't appreciate what you've done, 'cause I do," My gaze locked with Kenzie's. "I just think it's best I get going. Last night things already seemed heated, and I really would hate if I caused any trouble between you and—"
Biting back a smile, I cocked my head to the side while she rambled on. Maybe it was because my mind had already left me, but her going on like that had to be the cutest thing I'd ever seen. If I'd had a little less willpower, I'd march over there and kiss the words right out of her mouth.
That thought had my eyes dropping to her moving lips; I swear I could already taste the orange juice on them. My tongue snaked over my own lips, and hers stopped moving. Slowly, I lifted my gaze to hers only to find that she was staring atmymouth.
Maybe she was as affected by me as I was by her? "Lola and I aren't dating," and before I could check myself, I continued, "We just…"
My voice trailed off, and as realization set in, her eyes grew wide, and her head snapped toward the bedroom. "Oh."
I planted my palms on the smooth wooden surface and sighed. There was nothing to be ashamed of; I was a grown-ass man with needs. And I had every damn right in the world to have those needs tended to.
So why the hell did I feel like a piece of shit?
She was right. She should leave. Only, I couldn't tell her that because I knew that when she walked out that door, I'd never see her again. She'd go back to her perfect life, and I would still be left behind.
Chapter 15
"So…" I looked everywhere except at Brett. The entire morning had been filled with nothing but awkward moments; this one the worst of them all. We'd gone from screwing each other with our eyes, to not being able to make eye-contact within a second flat.
I was still reeling from the heat in his eyes that set my pulse on fire from across the room when he'd announced that Lola wasn't his girlfriend. Obviously, that news shouldn't make me want to smile, but dammit, it did. I hated myself a little for it, too.
My reaction also confused the heck out of me. It had me questioning not only my loyalty, but my entire relationship with Dean. If he was the one I was supposed to be with, would Brett still have affected me this way? Or did Brett affect me this way because I had never truly let him go? I mean, checking up on your ex regularly was not exactly moving on.
"So…?" Brett echoed my one-word sentence.
I should say something…anything. "Nice place you have here."Really?That's what my brain came up with? Resisting the urge to roll my eyes at myself, I brought the juice to my lips and swallowed down the tangy sweetness, that way my mouth was too busy to spew out more word-vomit.
His sandy brows pulled together, and his lips twitched, almost as if he was holding back a smile. "Thanks," he grabbed the bowl of eggs and continued to whisk them. "It'd taken a lot of convincin' and a few of Mrs. Jackson's pecan pies, but eventually the town council agreed to sell me this patch of land to build on."
"You built this cabin?" I couldn't hide the surprise in my voice.
Pride softened his features, and his eyes turned the color of honey. "Sure did," he set the bowl back on the counter and pulled a pan from the cupboard beneath it. "Logan and his brothers helped with some of the heavy lifting."
It wasn't difficult to imagine the four of them working on the cabin, drinking beers and just being men. Again, I found myself envious of the life he'd built in Willow Creek.
A life he'd built without me in it.
I turned and pretended to inspect something on the countertop to hide the sudden sadness that had fallen over me. I was being silly. It wasn't his fault that I was holding onto the past with both my hands.
When I looked up, the big window behind him caught my attention. It wasn't so much a window as it was a wall of glass, but the view was magnificent. I moved without thinking, I only stopped when I was close enough to brush my fingers over the glass.
Trees stretched as far as I could see, slivers of light filtering through here and there. I felt a sense of freedom wash over me as I took in the breathtaking panorama. Even with all the foliage surrounding it, the cabin didn't seem dark or gloomy.
