“Thank you. I’m not sure I’ve actually said it yet. But thanks for helping me.”
“Well, you might want to hold off on your thanks until you’ve worked for a day with Renard, then you might be cursing me.”
She laughed, which is exactly what he’d been hoping for. As he ended the call, he took a deep breath, trying to calm the desire raging through him. When had a woman’s laugh ever had the power to flood him with arousal?
Never.
That wasn’t disturbing at all.
He quickly said goodbye. He had a few phone calls to make to get the guest house ready for its new guests.
She took a deep breath as she pulled into Saxon’s driveway. The club was set back from the road, with parking in the back. Surrounding the building and parking lot was a huge fence and dense shrubbery. Saxon drove ahead of her in his new-model, high-end Jeep. She’d been surprised when he’d pulled up in the black vehicle. The car he’d driven the other night had been a sports car. But he seemed at home in both.
An electronic gate opened, and he continued on. She followed him, feeling completely out of place in her beat-up Honda. Still, she was grateful to have it. It got her where she needed to go. Well, mostly. She looked in the rearview mirror to check on the boys. Both were sleeping peacefully.
Saxon had turned up about an hour after she’d called him. Then another car had driven in. Hannah, Brye, and Melody had jumped out. A third car brought Duncan and Laken. She’d nearly burst into tears. They’d quickly packed up her meagre belongings while helping her look after the boys. While the men packed up Saxon’s Jeep and her car, Hannah, Laken, and Melody had all pitched in to clean up the cabin.
She’d dropped off the key to old Mr. Peterson, and given Mrs. Peterson a hug, telling her she’d be back to visit.
Saxon had told the others not to worry about helping unpack. They’d all given her a hug and told her to let them know if she needed anything before leaving. She still couldn’t believe how they’d all turned up to help her. Well, maybe it was to help out Saxon. He was the one who’d called them.
She stared out the window as she drove up to a very modern-looking house. She’d never seen Saxon’s place before. It was well back from the road and hidden behind a large fence. But it was exactly what she’d expected. Slick and expensive. Two-stories high and white with black trimmed windows, it was quite intimidating to a girl who’d grown up in trailers and crappy apartments.
She swallowed heavily and parked beside Saxon at the front of the house. She climbed out before he could get to her door. He sent her a disapproving look. She bit her lip.
“Nice house.”
He glanced up then shrugged, as though he’d never really noticed it before. “It’s okay. I’ll have Thomas put the vehicles in the garage after we’ve unpacked. Next time, wait for me to open your door.”
“Oh, that’s okay. My car is fine out here.” It didn’t really warrant a garage and she wasn’t sure she wanted Thomas doing her any favors.
“Aspen, the car can go in the garage. What did I say about fighting me on everything?”
She blew out a breath. “If you asked me sometimes instead of always flinging out orders I wouldn’t need to argue.”
He grinned. And her whole body lit up. “Asking has never been my strong suit.”
I bet.
“Are the boys asleep?” He peered in the back window of the car.
“Yep. I was going to leave them in there until I’ve unpacked.” She looked around and couldn’t see the guest house. She bit her lip. “I don’t really like having them out of my sight for too long, though.”
“Would they wake if you picked them up?”
“They’re pretty sound sleepers.”
“Good to know.” He opened one back door. “You grab one and I’ll take the other. We can settle them into the guest house then unpack.”
She nodded. She unbuckled the straps in Jamie’s car seat, noticing Saxon didn’t fumble or hesitate with Caleb’s. Did nothing phase the man?
She drew Jamie against her chest, taking a moment to breathe in the smell of him. Did anything smell as good as your child? Or feel as wonderful pressed against you? She glanced over at Saxon, noted how he held Caleb cradled against his chest. Or maybe there was nothing better than seeing a strong man hold a child so gently.
Oh, damn her
heart. How was she supposed to resist him?
She followed him around the house and then came to a stop, nearly gasping at the sight of the glistening pool. It wasn’t just the pool though. A huge porch ran the length of the house, jutting out in the middle. There were several seating areas scattered around. On the far end of the covered area was a round table and chairs, the perfect spot for eating breakfast in the morning. Then, in the middle, there were a large, comfortable looking outdoor sofa and chairs for entertaining. Near to where she stood there were a couple of scattered beanbags. Down around the pool were more chairs and a gazebo with a pizza oven next to it.