She followed him out but once they were in the truck, the scent of soap and shampoo drifted to him and he wanted nothing more than to put his nose against her neck and breathe it all in.
“Are you okay?”
He looked over at her as they rumbled down the dirt road toward Ellie’s. “Yeah.”
“You look stressed.” She looked pointedly at his fists gripping the steering wheel.
“Tryin’ to keep my hands to myself,” he said honestly.
She gave a surprised laugh. “Oh. Well, no need on my account.”
His gaze dropped to her bare legs and then shifted back to the road. “You could have chosen jeans.”
“No way,” she said. It was clear she found all of this amusing. “I don’t even own a pair of denim shorts so I have to wear these as much as possible. I’m getting some of my own as soon as I can.”
He couldn’t keep his eyes from running up her legs again. Her skin was pale and creamy. Definitely not sun-kissed or tanned. “You spend a lot of time indoors?”
She nodded, not offended. “I do.”
“We’ll have to be sure you don’t get a bunch of bug bites.”
“Am I going to be outside a lot?”
She really shouldn’t be a lot of anything here. She should only be here for another day or so. “Crawfish boils and skinny dipping happen outside,” he said anyway.
“Does everything you mentioned earlier happen outside?”
He looked over and found her watching him. “Fishing happens outside, yes. Or are you asking if we’re going to…drink moonshine outside?” He watched her cheeks get a little pink and found that turned him on as well.
She nodded. “I’m asking about all of that.”
“Yep. Moonshine in the moonlight is the best.”
“Okay.”
He grinned. Was he going to fuck her in his truck bed? Yep, maybe. But he also wanted to have her in his bed. And maybe his shower. And on his kitchen table. And…
This woman was getting to him in a way that was unprecedented and now that he’d just decided to go with it, he was having a hard time reining anything in.
He pulled up in front of his grandmother’s bar and took a quick inventory of the other vehicles. It looked like Jill was there, as was Griffin, and Donovan. Fiona was back too. Or had she not left? Maybe the info he’d given about big cats being illegally dealt in the state had given her a reason to stay.
Spencer’s truck was parked along the side too. Good. The animal experts were here and could give both Spencer and Caroline a lot of useful information.
Zander shut the truck off and looked over at Caroline. “Even if you don’t have denim shorts, you’re still a grits girl, right?”
She nodded. “Love grits.”
He wasn’t sure that was a good thing actually when she gave him that grin. It would be easier to resist her if she was the stuck-up rich girl he’d first assumed. But there were layers to this woman. She was softer, sweeter, and more real than he’d guessed.
And fuck, he wanted her.
Her gaze dropped to his mouth and he made himself turn away and push his door open before he leaned over and kissed her. He had to quit doing that. They were going to get things going with Spencer and then he’d take Caroline out tonight, they’d burn up his truck bed, and he’d send her sweet ass on out of town.
That was the plan and it was a very good one. Even if there was a niggle in the back of his mind telling him that one night wouldn’t be enough.
Too fucking bad. He was in no position to have multiple nights.
11
As Zander pulled open the door to Ellie’s and let Caroline step through in front of him, he was reminded of why he didn’t get to have multiple nights with anyone. The sights, smells, and sounds were the most familiar of anything in his life. This was his life.
Ellie’s was the hub of…everything. It had been here since his parents had been kids. The family gathered every night for dinner here as if this was the dining room at Ellie’s house. She claimed she kept the restaurant and bar going because she couldn’t fit them all into her house and she’d never give up feeding the whole big group. He knew she also loved being a staple in this town that meant the world to her, but Zander believed that a lot of what kept her behind that bar was that it was the perfect place for her kids and grandkids to stop in during the day for food, drink, gossip, advice, and just to be taken care of for a little bit.
It was late enough in the morning that the majority of the people in Ellie’s were relatives. The regulars from town who came in for breakfast had come and gone and a lot of the family had headed out to work as well. The guys who ran the swamp boat tours would be out on the bayou already, Mitch would be working on whatever projects he had today, Paige was teaching class, Zeke would be at a construction site, and Jordan would be at the petting zoo. There were a few tourists at tables closer to the front, but the back tables were full of Landrys and adopted Landrys. As always.
But everyone present at the moment was here for Zander. Jill would usually already be up at the penguin enclosure, Griffin would be at the vet clinic, Charlie would be at the Gone Wild offices working on whatever next big promotional project they had coming up, and Naomi and Donovan would be at the wildlife rehab center with whatever animals Donovan had under his care currently. Like the lion cub.
They’d all come in this morning because Zander had asked for their input. And to reassure Caroline, again, that the lion cub would be fine. With Spencer here too, they could also assure her that the whole situation with Brantley and whatever he was into was going to be handled.
Yesterday Zander would have said he wanted to reassure her because he wanted her to be willing to leave Autre as soon as possible. Now he was pretty sure it was because he just wanted her to be happy. And to trust him. He wanted her to know that he’d take care of what he said he’d take care of. He didn’t want her to worry.
Jesus. He was on day six. Only day six.
This Fate stuff was crazy.
Ellie was refilling coffee cups while Leo set down a new plate of bacon in between Griffin and Donovan as Zander and Caroline approached the table.
“Mornin’, everybody,” Zander greeted.
They all looked over with smiles, greeting Caroline as if she’d been a part of the group for years instead of days. Donovan gave Zander a knowing wink.
Yeah, yeah, Caroline was gorgeous and was fitting right in and Zander had called a bunch of people together for her sake. So what?
But Zander was glad his brothers weren’t here. Especially Zeke. There was no way he’d get anything past his twin. They had that weird connection identical twins always talked about having. It was why it felt so fucking strange that Zander was keeping secrets from his brother.
Hell, Zeke was one of the reasons Zander had been determined to keep that darkness from encroaching on Autre. Even before Zeke had met Jill, Zander had wanted love and family and a happily ever after for his brother. Both of his brothers. And now that Fletcher was married to Jordan and talking about babies and Zeke and Jill had their twin girls, Poppy and Allie, Zander would do anything to keep Autre the haven they deserved.
Zander gave Donovan a lifted brow. Donovan just smirked. He knew Zander had feelings for Caroline. Zander sighed inwardly and looked at his grandmother. Ellie gave him a smile and a little nod. Yeah, Ellie had noticed the vibe between him and Caroline too. Of course. Ellie Landry saw everything. The rumor was that nothing happened in Autre without Ellie knowing about it. Or sensing it. Or guessing it. Zander believed it. He’d witnessed it all his life.