“It’s there for you to use. I’m serious. Whatever you need, all you gotta do is pick up that phone and ask,” I said.
She wrapped her arms around me one last time before she headed to the dining hall. I had no idea what had come over me. It was like my body had picked up where it left off all those years ago. I wanted to follow her and have breakfast with her. I wanted her to sit and get off her feet while I fixed her a plate. I wanted to do all the things for her I knew that asshole Michael hadn’t been doing for her because she deserved that and so much more.
I watched her until she turned the corner, and she chanced a glance back at me. Her eyes sparkled with her smile as I waved, trying to find something for my brain to do other than fantasize about her naked.
She waved at me before she disappeared, and I drew in a deep breath, trying to clear my mind of all the impure thoughts.
Down boy.
CHAPTER 3
CALEB
I was boarded up in my office working on some logistics for a new resort we were opening in South Carolina. It was our first resort out on the East Coast, and so much needed to go right.
When it came to expansion, I was a beast.
Dominate the market.
Leave them wanting more and more.
It was our code.
That’s why we were so damn good at what we did.
I needed to agree on a layout for the building and figure out how many people we’d need to hire. I needed to figure out how much of a workload it would add to everyone and what kinds of animals we’d have on the resort property. I had to plan out amenities and figure out what was going to set this resort apart from all the other ones.
Every new resort needed a ‘wow factor’.
But I couldn't concentrate. With all the guests pouring by my office, I could hear them snickering and gossiping about Katie. Wondering how she could let a catch like Michael go and wondering if she had been cheating on him.
Fucking morons.
Theorizing she was a lesbian or a gold digger that couldn’t keep up with the lifestyle or whatever. Made me sick.
What kind of people had she fallen in with at college? The city was supposed to broaden her horizons, not close her up into this petty little group.
I couldn’t take it anymore, so before I unleashed my wrath on the cowards, I decided to get myself a drink.
Dylan wouldn’t like the fact that I was drinking on the job, but I didn’t care. My mind kept swirling with how Katie was doing. I hadn’t seen her since we’d helped her get settled into her room last night. I wanted to know how she was, but I was trying to respect her need for privacy.
I doubted she wanted to see anyone after what happened last night.
When I entered the bar, I watched Katie’s brother raise his beer in the air. Hunter was tall like myself, with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes like his sister. Though where Hunter was long-legged and lanky, Katie was all luscious curves and femininity.
“Hunter, my maaaan! What’s got you day-drinking?” I asked.
“It’s celebratory,” he said as I sat down next to him.
“A beer, thanks,” I said to the bartender. “Celebratory, huh?”
“Michael was a fuckin’ prick, and now he’s gone. No more havin’ to pretend I like the son of a bitch just so Katie could stay longer.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Every time they came to visit, it was on his schedule. And things had to be like he liked them. Shit in the fridge. Healthy food on the table. Nothin’ fried, greased, or cooked in oil.”
“Sounds like a good time,” I said flatly.