Page 28 of See It Through
We were in front of my building now, so I jerked my chin to Phe’s place. “This is her apartment. Mine is upstairs.”
He tipped his head back to look up at my windows then swiveled to catch my gaze. Those crinkles appeared like a hidden weapon, and dammit if I wasn’t defenseless against them.
“Nice to live close. You two watch out for each other.”
It wasn’t a question, but I answered him anyway. “We do. It’s what us Kellys have always done.”
“Yeah. You were always good like that.” He stepped into my space and placed his heavy hands on my shoulders. “Are you doing all right now that you’ve had sugar and time?”
“I’m fine. It was the adrenaline before, that’s all.”
Hazel eyes darted all over my face as if searching for the truth. I wasn’t sure what he saw, but he nodded like he was satisfied.
“I’m glad I was there to catch you this time, Han.”
The way he was looking at me now was worse than the crinkles. Concerned and tender, like he truly cared and meant what he was saying—exactly the kind of thing that was dangerous to me. My dopamine-deficient brain would latch right on to this good feeling and mix it up into something more than it was. I was self-aware enough to recognize my own patterns, but somehow, I kept repeating them anyway.
Well, that wasn’t going to happen with Remington Town.
“If you could avoid telling my brother about this, that’d be great.” I retreated toward the steps, away from Remi. He slowly let his hands drop to his sides. “Good night, Remington.”
The crinkles appeared again, along with a ghost of a smile. “Night, Hannah Kelly.”
I wasn’t going to catch feelings for Remi, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t human. Standing there, I watched his very fine, muscular ass encased in a pair of snug blue jeans as he walked away. When he turned the corner and disappeared, only then did I head for my door.
But I didn’t get off scot-free for that little sneaky peek. As soon as I passed her door, Phe stuck her head out, a wide grin on her face.
“You and Remi had a moment.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know what on earth you’re talking about.”
“I know what I saw, Banana, and since my windows were open, I know what I heard too. That was a moment.”
If she were anyone else, I would have flipped her off. Since she was Phoebe, I pretended to gag myself.
“No moments were had, nor will any ever be had between me and Remington Town. And you can take that to the bank.”
At most, it had maybe been half a moment, but there was no need to admit that out loud.
Chapter Thirteen
Remington
Stiff and more thana little sore, I slid off my saddle with a groan. My boots hitting the ground sent a jolt through my head I couldn’t disguise. Caleb hopped off his saddle and was next to me in an instant, concern crinkling his brow.
“Shit, did I push you too hard?”
I tried not to wince at the sound of his voice. The past couple hours, I’d been out in the sun with him, mending fences and checking the property. It’d felt good. Like I was back where I belonged. I’d been the one to push myself beyond my limits.
It’d been a long while since work had been anything close to pleasurable, and I’d been enjoying myself so much I’d ignored the way the sun had been getting to me to have more time in the saddle, riding next to Caleb. Now that we were back in the barn and I was off my horse, there was no denying I’d fucked up.
“No. This is all on me.”
He patted my shoulder and led me to a hay bale set against a bare wall. “Sit. I’ll get you an ice pack and fresh water.”
Sitting wasn’t a choice but a necessity. My vision was blurred, and there was an ice pick lodged in my skull. When my ass touched the hay, I winced. Eyes slamming shut, I let my head fall into my palm and put pressure on my temples.
Jesus, I was out of practice. I hadn’t been on a horse since I’d left home, and I was paying for it.