In Your Dreams, Holden Rhodes: Chapter 20

“I HEARD you’re into some weird alien sex stuff,” Olivia said at the bar that night.

“Oh my god.” I rolled my eyes. “This town is ridiculous.”

She smirked at me. “People talk.”

“That was a mixup from a store. I didn’t buy that. It’s not for me.”

She shrugged. “You don’t need to be embarrassed.”

“It’s not mine.” I started laughing out of frustration. “If it was mine, why would I throw it in the garbage? Wouldn’t I keep it?”

Olivia glanced over her shoulder from where she was cutting limes. “I don’t really want to think about what you’d do with it.”

I grinned at her. “Now you’re messing with me.”

She grinned back. “A little.” Something caught her attention over my shoulder and she nodded. “Hey.”

Holden took his seat at the bar and nodded at me. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

My heart gave a strange flutter.

Stop that, I told it.

A few minutes later, Hannah and a woman with shoulder-length auburn hair took the seats beside Holden.

“Emmett’s wife,” I said when Avery introduced herself. “Elizabeth told me all about your restaurant.”

She smiled. “How are you liking being back in town?”

I leaned on the bar. “You know, I had this image in my head of Queen’s Cove being so boring and sleepy, but I was only sixteen when I visited. The guys were always working and besides spending time with Katherine, there wasn’t that much for me to do.” I tilted my chin at Holden, whose eyes were on the TV. “And this one was such a dickhead, no wonder it took me fifteen years to come back.”

The corner of his mouth turned up but his gaze stayed glued to the TV.

“How are the inn renos going?” Hannah asked.

I filled her in on the progress. “I did another bathroom today and I’ll probably finish by the end of the week.”

Holden’s gaze shot to mine. “You tiled a bathroom today?”

I nodded. “Was I supposed to wait for you?”

He frowned. “It’s a lot of work for one person.”

“I have lots of time on my hands.”

He gave me a long look over the rim of his beer before he glanced back at the TV. Was he disappointed I worked ahead without him? It was more fun working alongside someone else, but he had a full-time job. He couldn’t be at the inn every day.

I raised my eyebrows at him. “Are you hungry, honey?”

His gaze returned to mine and his eyes flashed with interest.

I don’t know why I said it like that. I called a lot of people honey here but calling Holden that felt different. Intimate and special.

“Thought you didn’t like that name,” he said, heat flaring in his gaze.

“I don’t.” My face warmed and I thought about the way his erection pressed against me the other night. “I call everyone honey here.”

He held my gaze and the side of his mouth ticked up. “Sure you do.”

I huffed. “Food, Holden. What do you want?”

“Burger, please.” His eyes flared with amusement like he knew how flustered I was.

“Be right back.” I whirled around, dropped the order off with the kitchen, and told Olivia I’d be in the washroom. Once inside the tiny space, I wet a paper towel and pressed it to my neck. My skin heated.

Okay, so I had a teeny tiny thing for Holden. Of course I did. He was so hot. He had that stoic, silent thing going on. We’d been spending a lot of time together. His eyelashes were fascinating, and so was the curve of his mouth when it did that twitching thing I loved so much. He smelled incredible and kissing him was the hottest thing I had ever experienced, but it didn’t mean I had to lose my head over the guy.

I’d done that before and look where it got me. Grant swept me off my feet, and I missed all the flags.

A thought entered my head and I frowned. What flags were I missing with Holden?

He was a workaholic, I knew that. He stood me up on a date. He was obsessed with getting married.

I thought back to the boat, and him rubbing my back in the bathroom while I barfed, and holding my hair back. He didn’t have to do that. A lot of guys wouldn’t have done that.

Unease spread through my stomach at the thought that Holden may not be who I thought he was.

That kiss? It was a slip up, and I wouldn’t let it happen again. How could I find him a wife when I was making out with the guy?

No way. I was in Queen’s Cove still for one reason, and I was sticking to the plan.

When I returned to the bar, Avery and Hannah were whispering to Holden while he scowled. They spotted me and sat up straighter with big smiles.

“We want to come visit the inn,” Avery told me. “Can we do a girls’ night?”

“We want to see all the progress you’ve made.” Hannah gave me a shy smile. “And we want to get to know you better.”

Avery leaned forward, chin on her palm. “We’re fascinated by you, Sadie.”

I flushed with happiness. “Of course.” Olivia passed behind me and I gestured at her. “You’re coming, too.”

She raised an eyebrow at us. “Fine.”

I clapped. “Oh, yay.”

We made a plan for them to come over the next week, on Monday night.

“We watch cheesy reality TV on Monday nights.” Hannah sipped her soda water. “Join us, please.”

I shrugged. “You’ve given me no choice, and I accept this rose.”

She beamed at me. Holden’s mouth curled up and I flushed again with delight. Emmett and Wyatt walked in and both Avery and Hannah’s heads turned.

“Causing trouble?” Emmett said to Avery, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

She shot him a flirty smile. “Always.”

Wyatt slung his arm around Hannah and kissed her cheek. “Hey, bookworm.”

“Hi.” She shot him a shy smile and leaned back against him.

My heart gave a little yearning tug. That looked nice.

“We’re going to grab a table.” Avery nodded to Holden. “You want to join us?”

He shook his head. “I’ll stay here.”

She glanced between me and him with a sparkle in her eye. “Okay.”

Once they were set up at a table and Emmett and Wyatt had drinks, I returned to the bar.

“Your family rocks.”

His gaze flicked down to me. His eyes were warm as he nodded. “Yep.”

I took a sip of my flavored soda water, holding his gaze. My face and neck felt warm. “That’s it? Yep?”

He smirked. “They like you. How’s that?”

“I already know they like me. I could tell you were talking about me while I was away.”

The corner of his mouth turned up higher. Bingo. My chest sparked and fizzed.

“Are you going to tell me what they said?”

He kept his eyes on the TV. “Nope.”

“Sadie,” Olivia called down the bar, holding up a bottle of raspberry cordial. “Do you need this?”

I nodded and reached for it to tuck it out of the way. “I’m mixing it with soda waters. Have you tried it? It’s amazing.” I slurped up the last of my drink. It was fizzy, sweet, and tart.

“Uh.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “How many have you had?”

I shrugged. “A few.” A song came on over the bar and I gasped in delight. “Oh my god. Olivia. I love this song.” I reached up to the stereo system and turned the music up before I danced towards her.

She laughed and backed away from me. “No way. No dancing in here.”

“Come on.” I grabbed her arms and made her dance with me like a rag doll while she laughed and tried to fight me off. “You’re like Holden. You need to have more fun.”

I glanced over my shoulder at him. His eyes were on my backside, heated and focused, and a twinge hit me right between the legs.

“You’re next,” I told him. “I’m going to make you dance.”

He held back a grin and my heart flipped over.