exes?”
“Joke.”
With a growl, he threw her over his shoulder and strode toward the fire pit as she giggled. “Wait, I brought desert! And towels. And I need to shut my car door!”
He spun so fast it made her stomach lurch back into her kicking toes. He shouldered the bag she’d stuffed with towels and sunscreen, balanced the homemade pink lemonade pie she’d thrown together this morning, then kicked the door closed, all while stabilizing her on his shoulder with a cleverly placed hand on her ass. The sexy brute.
He leaned over and bit her waist gently, then hesitated and stopped. “What is that?”
Settling her on her feet, he jutted his chin at the pair of silver lines delving down her hips. “Did Aaron make those scars, too?”
“Yep,” she said, turning so he could see the matching ones on the other side. “Stretch marks, Keller. Your son scarred me up good.”
Cody’s eyes went round, and he leaned down to study them. Running his fingertip down one, he said, “You got these growing my boy?”
Cody was tough and the strongest man she’d ever met to shoulder what he did. But when he said things like that, words that exposed an inner and unexpected sweetness to a man so rough, it melted her. “Yes,” she said on a breath. “Do you think they’re unsightly? It’s my first time in a swimsuit in front of other people since…you know.”
He lifted his eyes to hers, and unmistakable honesty pooled in their blue depths as he said, “They’re so fucking beautiful.” A wicked grin slid over his lips. “I want to bite them. I’m going to bite them.”
A delicious shiver trembled up her spine and landed in her shoulders. “Cody,” she murmured out a warning, “you can’t be saying things like that to me when we’re about to go have a coherent conversation with your family.”
He slid his arm over her shoulders and dragged her toward the Breck Crew. Pulling her in close, he whispered against her ear, “I like when your eyes get all drunk-looking when I talk to you.”
“Yeah, well I like it when you sport public boners, so we’re even.” She arched her eyebrows at the bulge in his pants.
“I’m not ashamed,” he whispered, then patted her butt and moved off to a table of covered food.
Rory stood there watching him as her body heated from the inside out like a volcano. Cody’s jeans encased his powerful stride just right, and the shirt he wore clung to his thick shoulders. His torso tapered into a V-shaped waist. He stood tall and strong as he sauntered away, as if he knew his exact place at the top of the food chain around here—the sexy beast of a man.
“Hey,” Ma said, squeezing her neck. “Look here. I stayed up late last night trying to find this for you.” She pulled a photo album off an empty chair and handed it to Rory.
Rory took the seat in between Ma and Leah and opened the album to the first crackling page.
“Oh my gosh, Ma!” Leah squealed. She adjusted the strap of her red and white striped one-piece swimsuit and scooted closer. Tucking her dark, wavy tresses behind her ear, Leah giggled at the picture of four little boys in too-short shorts and matching shirts. Each of the brothers held little yellow fishing poles and donned matching gap-toothed grins. The Keller men were a couple years apart in age, but here, besides a little height difference, they could’ve been multiples.
Rory ran her finger across the wild grass at the bottom of the picture and grinned from ear to ear.
“You know which one’s Cody?” Ma asked.
Rory pointed immediately.
Ma nodded with an impressed laugh. “How did you know?”
“Because he looks like the spitting image of Aaron.” She looked up to see Cody watching her with the softest look in his eyes.
Rory gave him a shy, two-fingered wave, and he pulled a beer from a red cooler and canted his head in question.
“Get her one of those sweet ones I brought,” Leah called out to him. “They’re delicious. Taste just like
“Joke.”
With a growl, he threw her over his shoulder and strode toward the fire pit as she giggled. “Wait, I brought desert! And towels. And I need to shut my car door!”
He spun so fast it made her stomach lurch back into her kicking toes. He shouldered the bag she’d stuffed with towels and sunscreen, balanced the homemade pink lemonade pie she’d thrown together this morning, then kicked the door closed, all while stabilizing her on his shoulder with a cleverly placed hand on her ass. The sexy brute.
He leaned over and bit her waist gently, then hesitated and stopped. “What is that?”
Settling her on her feet, he jutted his chin at the pair of silver lines delving down her hips. “Did Aaron make those scars, too?”
“Yep,” she said, turning so he could see the matching ones on the other side. “Stretch marks, Keller. Your son scarred me up good.”
Cody’s eyes went round, and he leaned down to study them. Running his fingertip down one, he said, “You got these growing my boy?”
Cody was tough and the strongest man she’d ever met to shoulder what he did. But when he said things like that, words that exposed an inner and unexpected sweetness to a man so rough, it melted her. “Yes,” she said on a breath. “Do you think they’re unsightly? It’s my first time in a swimsuit in front of other people since…you know.”
He lifted his eyes to hers, and unmistakable honesty pooled in their blue depths as he said, “They’re so fucking beautiful.” A wicked grin slid over his lips. “I want to bite them. I’m going to bite them.”
A delicious shiver trembled up her spine and landed in her shoulders. “Cody,” she murmured out a warning, “you can’t be saying things like that to me when we’re about to go have a coherent conversation with your family.”
He slid his arm over her shoulders and dragged her toward the Breck Crew. Pulling her in close, he whispered against her ear, “I like when your eyes get all drunk-looking when I talk to you.”
“Yeah, well I like it when you sport public boners, so we’re even.” She arched her eyebrows at the bulge in his pants.
“I’m not ashamed,” he whispered, then patted her butt and moved off to a table of covered food.
Rory stood there watching him as her body heated from the inside out like a volcano. Cody’s jeans encased his powerful stride just right, and the shirt he wore clung to his thick shoulders. His torso tapered into a V-shaped waist. He stood tall and strong as he sauntered away, as if he knew his exact place at the top of the food chain around here—the sexy beast of a man.
“Hey,” Ma said, squeezing her neck. “Look here. I stayed up late last night trying to find this for you.” She pulled a photo album off an empty chair and handed it to Rory.
Rory took the seat in between Ma and Leah and opened the album to the first crackling page.
“Oh my gosh, Ma!” Leah squealed. She adjusted the strap of her red and white striped one-piece swimsuit and scooted closer. Tucking her dark, wavy tresses behind her ear, Leah giggled at the picture of four little boys in too-short shorts and matching shirts. Each of the brothers held little yellow fishing poles and donned matching gap-toothed grins. The Keller men were a couple years apart in age, but here, besides a little height difference, they could’ve been multiples.
Rory ran her finger across the wild grass at the bottom of the picture and grinned from ear to ear.
“You know which one’s Cody?” Ma asked.
Rory pointed immediately.
Ma nodded with an impressed laugh. “How did you know?”
“Because he looks like the spitting image of Aaron.” She looked up to see Cody watching her with the softest look in his eyes.
Rory gave him a shy, two-fingered wave, and he pulled a beer from a red cooler and canted his head in question.
“Get her one of those sweet ones I brought,” Leah called out to him. “They’re delicious. Taste just like
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