Page 4 of Adore Her
Heat blooms over the back of my neck, the way it does when I’m watching a movie and a sex scene comes on.Great. Am I seriously turned on by one of my brother’s friends? This is the last thing I need. It has Incredibly Bad Idea written all over it.
Behind me, in the kitchen that I just walked out of, the guys erupt in laughter over something I didn’t hear. I’m sure they’re not laughing about me—my brother would never stand for that—but still, it reinforces my decision to let them have their space.
Right. Time to focus on the cabin. It really is a gorgeous dwelling: wide, dark hardwood planks have been laid from one end of the cabin to the other, there’s a huge stone fireplace as a focal point in the living room, and rugged-yet-cozy oversized furniture fills each space. The ceilings are high, the lighting is warm and inviting, and the view of the lake is ridiculously pretty.
As I explore further, I find the first of the cabin’s bedrooms, which I curiously peer into from the open doorway: inside is a large sleigh bed, a personal fireplace with a thick sheepskin rug in front of it, and French doors that lead out onto a private balcony.
I’m officially jealous. Since there are only four bedrooms, I’ll be sleeping on one of the couches in the living room. Which, let’s be honest, is only fair. Still, as I gaze longingly into one of the lavishly outfitted bedrooms, I can’t help but whisper under my breath: “Lucky bastards.”
“I know,” a voice says behind me. “We sure are.”
I spin around and find myself face-to-face with Maddox. Or face-to-chest, rather. I’m not petite in any sense of the word, but Maddox still towers above me. I tilt my head back against the doorframe as I look up into his face. My gaze lingers on his square, solid jaw for a second before his gorgeous dark eyes demand my full attention.
“Hi,” I whisper. I don’t intend for it to come out as a whisper, but it does.
“Hi,” he says, and gives me the most perfect smile I’ve ever seen in my life.
I suddenly, and ridiculously, feel a little faint.
“Hey, listen,” I say, pulling myself out of it. “I’m sorry to crash your weekend like this. I know it’s not cool. I promise I’m going to stay out of your way, though. You guys won’t even know I’m here.”
Maddox’s smile fades. “Are you saying that because of Kurt? He’s a jackass. Don’t let him make you feel bad about being here.”
“You and Graham don’t feel the same way as him?”
“Not at all.”
“Still. It’s a boys’ weekend. I don’t want to ruin that for you guys.”
“You aren’t ruining anything.”
I chew on the inside of my cheek, unsure of what to do with the kindness he’s showing me. “Okay. Thanks.” Then the corner of the sheepskin rug in the bedroom enters my peripheral vision and I realize something. “Sorry. Is this your room?”
“Maybe. Haven’t picked one out yet.”
“Oh. I thought maybe that was why you came up here. To get something from your room, I mean.”
He shakes his head. “I wanted to check on you. Make sure you were okay.”
I blink at him. “You what?”
“Can I get you anything? Do anything for you?”
I’m at a loss of what to say. Maddox seriously left the guys to come find me and see how I was doing?
And the way he’s looking at me…it’s almost…possessive, in a way.
Oh. Wait. I get it. It all makes sense now. He’s just acting like an overprotective older brother—like Jude. Now that I think about it, Jude has mentioned how close he and Maddox are, and how he’s practically like a brother to him. So of course Maddox is going to view me as a little sister that he needs to look after, too.
Great. Just what I need.
“Thanks, but I’m good,” I say, straightening my shoulders. “You don’t need to worry about me.”
“You sure you don’t want me to kick Kurt out of the cabin?”
I smile. “I’m tempted to take you up on that. Especially after seeing what the bedrooms are like. But no. I’m okay.”
“Well, for the record, if he says anything else even remotely bad about you, I’m going to make him regret it.”