“Are you going somewhere?”
“Yeah, I’m just going for a run. Dean said they have a trail that’s lit up near the entrance.”
“But you’re away,” I remind him, my eyebrows pinching together.
He smirks, running his gaze over my body, making me feel naked.
I wish.
“You really don’t like exercise, do you?”
Well duh, I’m not a masochist. “Not even a little. The only time I run is if someone is chasing me or I’m chasing one of my relatives.”
He pulls a black hoody over his head, laughing, and I inwardly sigh, my jaw dropping at the sight of his muscles flexing.
“I shouldn’t be long. There’s beer in the fridge.”
“Is there food?” I ask, turning towards the kitchen area briefly.
“All stocked. I took the initiative to get all the cabins stocked for our stay.”
I sag against the side of the doorframe, smiling at his thoughtfulness, when a thought occurs to me and I stand up straighter.
Paisley.
Landon is probably freaking out and Googling the nearest shop to make sure she has plenty of food to eat.
“If that worried expression has anything to do with Paisley, she’s fine. I made sure they have a range of foods for her. I emailed Charlotte in case someone had any allergies and she explained Paisley is diabetic.”
“Thank God. I didn’t want to deal with my brother tomorrow if that wasn’t the case,” I lie. “He’s overprotective.”
“Looks like he isn’t the only one.”
I roll my eyes behind his back when he leaves, heading towards the kitchen. “Before you go, do you know where the towels are?”
“There are some in a cupboard beside the sliding doors that lead onto the patio. I think they’re for the hot tub because there’s a towel dressing gown.”
I run my hand over the fleece of my own dressing gown, relieved it won’t be getting wet. “Thank you.”
I head over, pulling open the cupboard, and grin when I run a hand over the beige cotton and find it warm.
When I turn around, he’s grabbing his iPod out of his bag on the counter and a bottle of water out of the fridge.
I drop my dressing gown to the floor before turning to grab the gown off the hanger.
The crinkling of plastic has me turning back around.
“Fuck!” Clayton rasps, staring open-jawed at my swim-clad body. Water spills out of the bottle he’s squeezed tight.
I walk over, putting more sway in my hips, and press myself against him, watching him swallow. I lean around him, grabbing an apple out of the bowl before standing before him, taking a bite out of the fruit.
“Have a good run,” I tell him, before stepping away, hearing a groan behind me.
I tilt my head up a little, grinning.
He might not want to want me, but he does.
By the end of this week, I’ll make sure he wants me so bad he regrets pulling away from me.
Or at least admit that he wants me.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Clayton and I trek up the path to the café the next morning. It rained through the night, yet the promise of more is in the grey clouds above. The wind picks up, stirring strands of hair in my face. I brush them off.
Clayton takes the lead when we reach the door, grasping the handle. However, instead of pulling it open, he pauses, turning slightly towards me.
“Don’t leave me alone today. I’m man enough to admit that I’m worried your father will kill me in the process of trying to scare me away.”
Laughing, I pat his shoulder. “If you want to win my dad over, either supply him with unlimited food or play him at his own game. He respects nothing more than someone who can give as good as they get.”
“So, you’re telling me that if I accidently kill him, you’ll still like me?”
“Who said I like you?” I drawl, and he arches his eyebrows in reply. I roll my eyes, exhaling. “You’re underestimating my dad. You’ll never be able to get one up on him.”
He shoots me a roguish smirk, winking. “And you’re underestimating my ability to get what I want.”
“What do you want?” I mumble.
However, he ignores me, pulling open the door to the café, different aromas hitting my senses.
“You’ll see,” he taunts.
The noise in the café is deafening when I stomp inside after him. “Clayton, what do you mean?”
“Your dad and mum are here,” he announces from the corner of his mouth.
He’s right. In fact, I think we’re the last to arrive. Our entire group has congregated to the left of the room, taking up a majority of tables.
We traipse over to Mum and Dad, and I lean down, kissing Mum’s cheek before reaching over to Dad, giving him a one-arm hug.
“Morning,” I greet.
“Morning, baby.”
“I need food,” Dad whines, dropping his head down on the table.
Laughter spills out of me as we move over to the next table, where Jaxon and Lily are cuddled together. Seeing them sitting alone is surprising to say the least. I would have thought someone would have jumped at the chance.
I search the room for Maddox as Clayton and I take a seat, finding him sulking into his coffee cup, every so often peeking in our direction.
I’d never admit it, but I do feel sorry for him to an extent. But still, I’m kind of fed up of him being pathetic. It needs to end.
I set my icy gaze on Jaxon, waiting for him to take notice before saying, “You should let him spend some time with her.”
“What?” Clayton asks, glancing up from the menu.
I ignore him, continuing to stare blankly at Jaxon. He exhales, dropping his mug on the table. “He’s infuriating.”
“So are you, buttercup. I guess you have it in common.”
“What’s going on?” Lily asks, biting her bottom lip.
I roll my eyes when Jaxon doesn’t answer. “It’s Maddox. He’s really missing you. I think he feels pushed out.”
“Hayden,” Jaxon growls.
I stick my tongue out, shrugging.
“I told you he was upset when he left before dinner the other night.”
“He wasn’t. He really wanted to go,” Jaxon lies.
Lily glances over her shoulder, her lip trembling. “I miss him too. I didn’t mean to hurt his feelings.”
“Why don’t you do something tomorrow? We’ve all got the morning free until we go Go-Karting.”
I wave Maddox over. He nearly tips his coffee all over Liam’s lap in his haste to get up.
“Everything okay?” he asks, pulling out the chair from the next table over—the one Mark was about to sit down on—and dragging it over to ours.
“Take a seat,” Jaxon grumbles, shifting his phone and cup away to leave room for Maddox’s.
“Lily wanted to ask you something,” I declare.
“Yes, I did. I know we’ve not spent much time together in the past couple of months, and that’s no one’s fault but my own. I’m really sorry.”
Maddox’s jaw clenches as his gaze flickers to Jaxon. “We’ve been busy, that’s not your fault.”