And that was going to be a problem.
She’d been here for about twenty-four hours with the clear understanding that this was temporary and casual, and he was already thinking about how he wished she’d want to get married.
Fuck.
“Anyway, I think I could help the girls with some stuff. But I want to go on a swamp boat tour before I know for sure that my idea could work.”
He straightened on the chair, surprised. “The boat tour is to figure something out for the girls’ weddings?”
“Yeah.”
“Paige?”
“What?”
“You hate the idea of weddings and getting married and all of that.”
She focused on the paper in front of her and colored in a loop on one of her doodles. “Not for other people.”
“Paige?”
She sighed. “What?”
He waited for her to look over at him. “Have you become the wedding planner for my family?”
12
Paige’s cheeks got a little pink, and she pressed her lips together, shaking her head.
Mitch felt his grin stretch wider. “I think you have.”
“I…” She wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t mean to.”
He laughed.
“And I’m not officially. I haven’t told them any of my ideas. They didn’t ask me to help. I haven’t done anything.”
“Yet.”
“I just was thinking about it after we all talked. I couldn’t help it.” Her voice dropped to almost a mutter on the last four words.
“And you came up with a bunch of ideas to help them out.”
“They’re just so busy. Helping each other out and helping the family out, and keeping everything going. That’s really admirable. And I can’t really help with Juliet’s law practice or Bennett’s foundation stuff or operating on a cow or anything. But—” She blew out a breath that seemed resigned. “I do know a lot about weddings. Even if I don’t want to.”
Mitch was torn between laughing and wanting to bend her over right here on his porch.
But, while his road was quiet, his neighbors were Fletcher, Zeke, and Zander, who had also inherited family homes. Well, Zeke had built his own a little way down. But they shared this road that jutted out at the end of Autre and butted up against the wide-open land that ran from their back porches to the bayou.
The family and several of the locals affectionately called it Bachelor Row.
It meant he always had three of his best friends nearby.
It also meant he had three of the most obnoxious members of his family nearby.
Driving right past his front porch.
“Okay, come on.”
Mitch leaned over, scooping Paige up out of the hammock as he stood.
She gave a little gasp, then a giggle as her arm went around his neck. “Come on where?”
“The bayou. But first, I need a shower.”
She ran her hand up the side of his neck to his face. She wiped his cheek. “You are dirty.”
“I am.”
“I like you dirty.”
“I know.” He gave her a naughty grin as he headed into the house with her.
“Am I helping with this shower?”
“You are. I really did intend to snuggle with you on the couch and be sweet and romantic tonight, but you blew it.”
“I did, huh?”
He started up the steps. She was totally comfortable in his arms and with the idea of being in his shower, and he loved that.
Yes, loved.
He knew that was dangerous, but it was true.
“You did.”
“By helping out with the weddings?”
“Yep.”
“Because you know that’s kind of not my thing?”
“Yep.”
“And because it only took your family a few hours to get to me.”
He kicked open the door to the bathroom and swung her feet to the floor. He immediately stripped his shirt off. “Yep.”
“And because I’m still here even after being with them and talking about weddings all day?”
“Yep.”
Paige’s eyes ran over his naked torso. There was immediate hunger there that made Mitch’s body heat and tighten. The way she wanted him was as much an aphrodisiac as seeing her naked. This woman could have any man. Hell, she could have literally been married to five or ten guys just in her own hometown. But she wanted him. Maybe she didn’t want to get married, but she’d come to him when she needed a place to go. He couldn’t let go of that.
And his family hadn’t scared her off. Yet.
She hadn’t had a full dose, but she was already ass-deep in wedding plans, and if that didn’t do it, there was a decent chance she’d stick around.
He reached for her tank top, stripping it up and over her head.
She hadn’t put a bra on when she’d changed clothes.
They might have to talk about her going braless and wearing these cock-hardening clothes with Griffin sharing the house. At some point. Right now, Mitch needed to get his hands on his favorite pair of breasts in the world.
He stepped close, backing her up against the wall between the towel rack and the shower. He cupped her breasts, and her head fell back against the wall.
“You make me feel so good.” Her hands covered his as he kneaded and teased the hard tips.
“I’ve been thinking about you all day.”
“Me too.” Her eyes met his, and she reached out, running her hands over his body too. “But not just the sex.”
He crowded closer, sandwiching their hands between their bodies. “What else?”
“Your life. The people in your life. How the people I hung out with today are a part of your every day. A part of who you are. They know things about you, have stories about you that I don’t know… but I want to.”
Mitch’s heart slammed hard against his ribs. He ran his hands down her sides to her hips. “I’m sure they’ll tell you.” He tried to keep his tone light.
She smiled. “I’m sure they will. And I want to hear them.”
He wasn’t sure what to do with that. What to say or think or how to feel.
But this felt like something. Like she was realizing this was something.
“I want to hear stories about you too,” he said. He meant that with all his heart. He wanted to know everything about her. “Even the stories about Garrett.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I mean, I hate him. I will probably always hate him.” He said it with a teasing tone. But seriously, the guy had almost gotten Paige down the aisle. Mitch did not like him. Even if that was completely irrational. “But he’s a part of your story. He’s part of who you are right now, and I really fucking like who you are, and I’d like to know all the things that made you.”
Something flickered in her eyes, and her lips opened, almost as if she was surprised or touched. Then she nodded. “Okay. Let’s tell some stories. On the boat. But right now…” She ran her hands down his abs to the button on his jeans. “I’m feeling pretty dirty too.”
Lust licked along his nerve endings. He liked her. He wanted her stories. He wanted her. He fucking loved that she wanted to help with the weddings. He had definitely not been expecting that.