Mikayla. In a bikini top with one of those wraparound things on the bottom.
Her eyes land on mine at the same time Jett points her out. “Kayla!”
Hayden’s shoulders come back as her spine straightens.
Shit.
Mikayla says something to her friend, then starts our way.
“How are my two favorite Enders—” The rest of her sentence dies on her tongue when she spots Hayden, holding Jett’s hand. “Oh, hi. Hayden, right?”
The crowd around us buzzes with conversation as cheery pop music plays from the speakers placed around Sweetie’s lot, but I can hear Hayden swallow hard above it all. And then she steps forward like the badass she is and offers her hand.
“Yes. And you’re Mikayla, right? I saw you last weekend at Janice and Al’s.”
Mikayla looks from Hayden to me and back again before accepting Hayden’s hand. “Right. I was just recruiting one of our favorite Polish families for the annual heritage festival. It’s only a few weeks away. Will you be coming as well or…?”
“Oh, absolutely. I hear there’s a pie baking contest.”
Mikayla’s eyes widen and I groan. Jesus Christ, Ma recruited her now, too? “There is. I just happen to be the reigning champ.”
“Uh huh, I heard about that, as well. How does one go about entering that contest, exactly?”
“Well, there are sign-up sheets all over town. In fact, Sweetie should have some at the window.”
Hayden shifts to the side just enough for me to see the wide, entirely put-on smile that stretches across her face. “Perfect. Look for my entry soon.”
Mikayla blinks. “O-okay.” Then to me, says, “I should get back to my place in line. It was nice seeing you again.”
“Uh, yeah.” If awkward is nice, then sure. “You, too.”
She retreats and Hayden faces forward again, chin held high, as the breeze teases her hair back against my chest.
“What the heck was that about?” I mutter, not entirely sure if what just transpired is a good thing or a very bad thing.
“Just a little friendly pie competition,” she says easily.
“You sure about that?”
She glances back with an appalled frown. “She used store-bought apple butter, Jesse. Who does that?”
Oh, good Lord.
I laugh and send a quick thanks to the man upstairs for his help in not making this the other kind of awkward.
Then I slide my arm around Hayden’s waist, pull her back to me, and lean into her ear, because there wasn’t a single part of that conversation I missed.
“A few more weeks, huh?”
Her hand glides along my forearm until our fingers tangle. “Two weeks wasn’t enough last time. I don’t expect it will be this time, either.”
Fuck yes.
I kiss her cheek as a possessive growl rolls in my chest. “Good, because I wasn’t about to let you leave, anyway.”
HAYDEN
“Done already?” I ask when Jesse emerges from the hall less than five minutes after he took Jett to bed.
“He’s out like a light. In fact, I think he was sleeping before his head even hit the pillow.”
“He had a lot of fun today.” I hand him a beer and tip my head toward the front deck. “Want to sit outside with me?”
“Would love to.” He threads his fingers through mine and leads the way.
After we had ice cream, we took a drive out to one of Jesse’s jobsites, so he could show Jett what he was working on. He got to sit up in one of the big machines with Jesse and pretend he was operating it. He talked about it the entire way home and all through dinner, which was just hot dogs and burgers on the grill that Jesse had to fix first. Mental note to tell Dad we need an upgrade. Then again, if I’m going to be here for a while, maybe I should invest in one myself.
Jesse drops down onto the old wicker loveseat, which is in dire need of new cushions—another mental note—and pats the spot next to him.
“I had fun today, too.” I twist to face him with one leg bent beneath me so I can reach the back of his neck and play with his hair.
“Yeah?”
“Mmm hmm. Thank you for the ice cream and for manning the grill.”
“Not a problem, city girl. But one of these days, I’m going to cook you a real meal. In my fancy ass kitchen that I never use.”
“Oh, you are, huh?”
“Yup.” He dips his chin and the dark hairs in his beard glitter beneath the glow of the light mounted above us. “Hey, Becca asked if Jett could come over sometime for a sleepover with Max and Joey. What do you think about that?”
“A sleepover? He’s never been on one, but I’m all for it and, if it doesn’t work out, we’re not that far away.”
He nods and places his hand on my knee. “I like this ‘we’ stuff.”
“Me, too.” My fingers slip beneath his ball cap and he shivers.
“You keep doing that and you’re gonna make me friggin’ hard.”
I do it again and he groans.
“Hayden…”
“You want me to stop?”
“No.”
“Then hush and enjoy it.”
He gives me a sidelong glare, but it’s futile with his lashes already lowered and his eyes hazy.
We’re quiet for the next several minutes, just listening to the crickets and the loons on the lake, while I make him melt in the palm of my hand.
“Baby, you’re killing me,” he says thickly, discarding his drink onto the patio table and tugging me into his lap.
“Yeah?” I press my lips to his and, in seconds, the simple gesture becomes a frantic battle of tongues and teeth and hungry moans. “Should we do something about that?”
“Don’t tease me, if you don’t mean it.” His fingers dig into my thigh and I smirk against his mouth, loving that I can still make him so desperate.
“Oh, I mean it, frat boy. I definitely mean it.” And I show him by shifting my legs to either side of his, so I’m straddling him right there on the deck for the neighbors to see.
“Fuck.” He groans as I roll my hips and grind against the hard ridge of his erection. I changed into a thin pair of cotton shorts when we got home, so it feels as good to me as it does him, but getting myself off is my last concern. Tonight, I want to blow his mind.
Fingers in his hair again, I guide his head back so I can pepper slow, wet kisses along his jaw and the cords of his neck, all the while riding against him in a slow, taunting rhythm.
His hands grip my hips, almost to the point of pain, as he begins to match my movement until I think I might come from the friction alone.
“I’m going to embarrass myself if we don’t stop this,” he mutters, his legs shaking beneath me.
“Let me fix that for you.” I kiss him one more time, long and slow and wet, before sliding down to the deck and wedging my shoulders between his knees.
“Babe…” Eyes locked on mine, his fingers push back into my hair as I tug down his shorts and free his cock. “You don’t have to do that. We can—fuuuck.”
Hand wrapped around him, I lick from root to tip, swirling my tongue against that sensitive spot right at the base of his crown.