relief, he felt in control of the situation. As they started driving out to Amanda's house, he was overwhelmed by the same wave of emotions he always had when he got close to her.
He stared out the passenger window, trying to reel himself in, when Cole spoke up for the first time since leaving the ranch. "You sure you're up for this?"
Drew glanced at his brother, hesitating between spilling his guts and turning the cab of the truck into an episode with Dr. Phil or brushing it off. The second option seemed much safer. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Oh, I don't know, Drew. Because doing this means spending a lot of time with the woman who broke your heart, maybe?"
Drew took a deep breath. "I'm fine, Cole. We were kids back then. She did what she needed to do and I did the same, but I won't miss the opportunity I have here. She's back, and I intend to use that to my advantage." Saying it out loud made him feel a little better, but he still didn't have a clue how he was going to go about it.
"You still love her?" Cole asked as they pulled up to Amanda's house.
He didn't hesitate to answer. "Never stopped. Now, are we going to stay here and braid our hair, or are we going inside?" Fuck, they were turning into a bunch of women.
"Asshole." He watched as Amanda stepped outside onto the front porch that could fall down any minute. He stopped dead, blown away by how beautiful she looked. She wore cut-off shorts with a pink t-shirt and one of her black aprons, which was covered in flour. He found himself fighting for air. Even with her hair all messy on top of her head, and streaks of flour on her face, she was the most gorgeous woman he'd ever seen.
"Hey, guys." She waved to them and he couldn't tear his eyes away from her.
"Amanda, are you all right?" He bit back a laugh at the look on his brother's face because if you didn't know Amanda, you'd think a hurricane had hit her apron and face. He always enjoyed seeing her all dirty from cooking; it made her look so happy and beautiful. Well, that was how she looked to him anyway. To others, she just looked like a mess.
She glanced between Cole and him before looking down at herself, and when she blushed, he groaned loud enough for his brother to glare at him. He loved seeing her blush, but he would enjoy it even more if she were naked and beneath him. Shit, his cock was also down with that scenario. He shifted his weight, trying to ease his erection as he listened to her speak. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I was just messing around with a recipe for the wedding, and I get messy when I cook. Are you guys hungry or anything?"
"We're good, Mandy," Drew said, probably a little too fast and too rough because she looked at him like she'd just done something wrong. Shit, this was not going the way he had planned.
Before he could try and redeem himself, she stepped up to them. Her eyes avoided him as she focused on Cole, and that just pissed him off. "All right then, so what's up first?" Amanda queried.
He stepped between her and Cole as he spoke up. "We need to fix the foundation before we start doing anything else. It's going to take a while because we can't be here full time."
She blushed again. Her breathing sped up, which told him everything he needed to know. She felt it as much as he was, and that was when he figured out his plan. She was clearly still attracted to him, and he wasn't past using her attraction to get to her. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she looked up into his eyes as she spoke. "That's okay. I really appreciate you guys doing this, and I don't want to be a burden to anyone."
The word 'burden' needed to be permanently deleted from her vocabulary; every time she used it, it made his skin crawl. He moved toward her, their lips close enough to touch if he wanted to. "You could never be a burden, Amanda." He made sure to reflect how pissed off he was about her using the term.
She stayed silent for a minute. He thought he might have taken it too far, but when she
He stared out the passenger window, trying to reel himself in, when Cole spoke up for the first time since leaving the ranch. "You sure you're up for this?"
Drew glanced at his brother, hesitating between spilling his guts and turning the cab of the truck into an episode with Dr. Phil or brushing it off. The second option seemed much safer. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Oh, I don't know, Drew. Because doing this means spending a lot of time with the woman who broke your heart, maybe?"
Drew took a deep breath. "I'm fine, Cole. We were kids back then. She did what she needed to do and I did the same, but I won't miss the opportunity I have here. She's back, and I intend to use that to my advantage." Saying it out loud made him feel a little better, but he still didn't have a clue how he was going to go about it.
"You still love her?" Cole asked as they pulled up to Amanda's house.
He didn't hesitate to answer. "Never stopped. Now, are we going to stay here and braid our hair, or are we going inside?" Fuck, they were turning into a bunch of women.
"Asshole." He watched as Amanda stepped outside onto the front porch that could fall down any minute. He stopped dead, blown away by how beautiful she looked. She wore cut-off shorts with a pink t-shirt and one of her black aprons, which was covered in flour. He found himself fighting for air. Even with her hair all messy on top of her head, and streaks of flour on her face, she was the most gorgeous woman he'd ever seen.
"Hey, guys." She waved to them and he couldn't tear his eyes away from her.
"Amanda, are you all right?" He bit back a laugh at the look on his brother's face because if you didn't know Amanda, you'd think a hurricane had hit her apron and face. He always enjoyed seeing her all dirty from cooking; it made her look so happy and beautiful. Well, that was how she looked to him anyway. To others, she just looked like a mess.
She glanced between Cole and him before looking down at herself, and when she blushed, he groaned loud enough for his brother to glare at him. He loved seeing her blush, but he would enjoy it even more if she were naked and beneath him. Shit, his cock was also down with that scenario. He shifted his weight, trying to ease his erection as he listened to her speak. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I was just messing around with a recipe for the wedding, and I get messy when I cook. Are you guys hungry or anything?"
"We're good, Mandy," Drew said, probably a little too fast and too rough because she looked at him like she'd just done something wrong. Shit, this was not going the way he had planned.
Before he could try and redeem himself, she stepped up to them. Her eyes avoided him as she focused on Cole, and that just pissed him off. "All right then, so what's up first?" Amanda queried.
He stepped between her and Cole as he spoke up. "We need to fix the foundation before we start doing anything else. It's going to take a while because we can't be here full time."
She blushed again. Her breathing sped up, which told him everything he needed to know. She felt it as much as he was, and that was when he figured out his plan. She was clearly still attracted to him, and he wasn't past using her attraction to get to her. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she looked up into his eyes as she spoke. "That's okay. I really appreciate you guys doing this, and I don't want to be a burden to anyone."
The word 'burden' needed to be permanently deleted from her vocabulary; every time she used it, it made his skin crawl. He moved toward her, their lips close enough to touch if he wanted to. "You could never be a burden, Amanda." He made sure to reflect how pissed off he was about her using the term.
She stayed silent for a minute. He thought he might have taken it too far, but when she
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