Page 17 of Hurry Up And Wait

“Hey, who’s this?” Riley asked, her voice dripping with seduction.

“Since you’re moving in, I brought a few single friends to help out.”

Single friends? There were more of them? I searched frantically for something to use to check my appearance, but there wasn’t a mirror or toaster in sight. I cupped my hand around my mouth and blew, grimacing at the fruity flavor from the candy I’d eaten on the way home. Shit, I should have brushed my teeth instead of arguing with Riley.

“Hey.”

I spun, smacking a box on the edge of the counter and sending a cascade of boxes crashing to the floor. My face burned as I quickly ducked and gathered the boxes in my arms. But Kavanaugh, being the gentleman that he was, bent over and helped me pick them up.

“Hey, when did you get here?”

“About a minute ago, but you already knew that. Why are you hiding in the kitchen from me?”

I couldn’t look at him now, which made absolutely no sense since I drove out here specifically to be near him. But I had expected my Kavanaugh, not this hunk of a man who made me want to monkey climb him and do unspeakable things.

With jerky movements, I set the boxes on the counter, then grabbed them as they started to slide. Kavanaugh took my hand as I was aboutto stop another cascade, and only then did I let my eyes meet his. He was staring at me with a charming smirk plastered on his face. He knew exactly what he was doing and he liked it.

“Are you gonna answer my question?”

“I’m not hiding,” I scoffed, feeling my cheeks flame. “Alright, I was hiding.”

“Why?”

He shifted closer.Tooclose. I was on fire, burning up under his intense scrutiny. Man, I really wanted to kiss him. Was that so wrong? I really had to pull it together.

“Because you’re extremely…handsome.” I went with anything other than sexy, alluring, seductive, provocative, tempting, tantalizing, or gorgeous…to name a few. Those were all too telling.

Not that it helped matters any. His grin spread wider across his face, only enhancing those gorgeous features. “You think I’m handsome.”

“Among a few other things. When I moved here, you were supposed to be Kavanaugh.”

“I still am.”

“Yes, but you’re…not the skinny kid with glasses that I once knew.”

“I wear contacts,” he grinned. “But I could put glasses on if that would do it for you.”

This man in glasses? Hell yes. Secretly, I was always a little in love with him as a kid. He was smart, and that attracted me more than anything. Now, he was the whole package.

He shifted closer, his hand resting on the counter in a seemingly casual move, but it put him closer to me. Much closer. I could feel his chest rising and falling against my own. His hot breath brushed over my skin like a caress, and I couldn’t help it as my eyes drifted closed and took in the sheer masculinity and sex appeal of the man in front of me.

A throat clearing had me backing up, flushing bright red. I narrowed my eyes at Riley. She knew exactly what she was doing as she stood in the doorway of the kitchen.

“Isles? There are some men to help us unload the trailer.”

Her eyes were begging me for details, but that was impossible with Kavanaugh still pressed up against me, his hand drifting up my side. It all seemed innocent, but I knew better. He was taunting me.

“We should…”

“By all means,” he stepped aside. “Let’s get to work.”

Hmm, Kavanaugh all hot and sweaty. I think I could add that to my list of daydreams. He chuckled as if he could read my thoughts, then grabbed my hand and dragged me to the front door.

His friends were already at work, unloading boxes from the pod we’d pulled behind us. Each of them was just as sexy as the last, but I only had eyes for one man. Riley, however, was taking it all in, admiring them all equally.

This was going to be a very long afternoon.

A very long…very hard afternoon.