Layer by Layer (Riggings Brothers 1)

“Okay. Here.” She hands me her phone. I’m not being nosey, but I see their text thread, and it makes me smile.Hadley: How’s the hottie boss?Sawyer: Still hot. LOLHadley: You’re falling for him.Sawyer: Yes, and it scares me.Hadley: Just roll with it. You can’t have a reward without risk.Sawyer: Says the girl who’s engaged to her soul mate.Hadley: How do you know he’s not yours?Sawyer: A girl can dream.Quickly, I type out my parents’ address telling them to park at the building and to look for a black four-door truck, and I plan for the two of us to sit here and wait for them. It gives me the perfect opportunity to steal a few kisses. “Done, now, where were we?” I ask, sliding my hand behind her neck and pulling her lips back to mine. Her body relaxes as she grinds her hips. There’s a knock at the window. “Shit,” I curse, just before the door flies open.

“Sawyer, is he holding you hostage?” Conrad asks. His grin tells me that he knows damn well what he interrupted.

Sawyer’s cheeks turn a light shade of pink. “No. We’re waiting on Hadley and her fiancé.”

“Awesome. We’re all packed up and ready to go.”

“I have a cooler in the back, and Sawyer made some cookies and brownies. She insisted we stop and pick up some more food too.”

“Sis, you don’t need to do that.”

“I feel like I’m mooching off all of you. I wanted to contribute.”

“This one—” Conrad points at Sawyer, but he’s looking at me. “—you better nail that shit down, brother, or I might.”

“She’s mine,” I growl. I didn’t mean to sound so possessive. I know my brother and his words were meant in jest, but the thought of her not being mine sends fire through my veins.

“You’re good for him.” Conrad winks and saunters away just as Sawyer’s phone alerts her to an incoming text.

“They’re here. They were not far from here when she called; she just didn’t realize it.”

“Fucking Conrad,” I mumble under my breath.

“What are you rambling on about?”

“He stole my time with you. I had plans for you.”

She laughs. “Royce, it was a few minutes at best. I’m yours, remember? You get all my time. Besides, I like your brothers, all four of them. I don’t mind spending time with them too.”

“Hell, I do.” I kiss her one more time just as an SUV pulls in beside us.

“Come on. It’s time to meet my family.” She’s smiling, but that’s the moment it really registers that Hadley really is all she has left, and they aren’t related. I have four brothers who I know have my back, no questions asked, and both of my parents, my best friend. My list is long, but Sawyer’s, hers isn’t. Hadley is it. I’m suddenly nervous about meeting her, and I’ve never been nervous about meeting someone a single day in my life. I’m also determined to share my life with hers, share my family with her. I want to give her what she lost way too young.

She climbs off my lap and out of the truck. I adjust my cock that was under the impression that he was getting time with her, and follow after her. Stepping up behind Sawyer, I place my hands on her hips.

“Had, Derek, this is Royce. Royce…” She tilts her head back to look up at me. “This is my best friend, Hadley, and her fiancé, Derek.”

“Nice to meet you.” I remove one hand from her waist, and offer it to Derek first, and then Hadley. “Glad you guys could make it.” The bright smile from Hadley and the friendly nod from Derek have my nerves calming instantly. First impression, they’re laidback just like my Sawyer.

“This place is beautiful,” Hadley comments.

“I’d never want to leave,” Derek adds.

“Thanks. This is where I grew up.”

“You should see the lake,” Sawyer tells them.

“Come on, hop in the truck. My brothers just took the boat and the Jet Skis down to the dock.”

“You fish?” I ask Derek.

“Yeah, not this year. We’ve been busy with wedding planning.”

“Sounds like you needed today. There is nothing better than a relaxing day on the water,” I tell him with a chuckle. “We have a small shed by the dock with fishing gear. Help yourself,” I say to him as we all climb into my truck.

The four of us make small talk during the short drive to the lake. I hear a gasp and can’t help but smile as we arrive at the dock.

“Wow,” Hadley breathes. “This place is beautiful.”

“My parents really outdid themselves,” I tell her.

“They have this huge fire pit, and there’s a gazebo, which feels like it’s on an island,” Sawyer gushes. I don’t get the feeling she’s bragging. It’s more of an “I’m falling in love with this place,” and hopefully, the man who introduced her to it.