Chapter 9

The mattress bounced under the weight of an object. It didn't take me long to realize who did the jumping. I covered my head with the pillow and tried to block out the light of day and Masyn's exuberance. Nothing could quiet the pep in Masyn's voice. She was a morning person. I was not, especially not after drinking.

"You have omelets to make. Hop up."

"If you don't stop that shit, you're going to break the bed. Then I'll have to sleep in the guest room with you."

She stopped bouncing and grabbed the edge of my shield. "I can't understand you with that pillow over your head."

I held on, and the tighter I squeezed, the more she tugged and leaned backward, trying to use her weight as leverage. Then I let go. A smile spread across my lips when she stifled a squeal and then harrumphed when her ass hit the bed. Even though I knew she watched me, I couldn't help it. I skimmed my gaze up her bare legs until my eyes reached the hem of my boxers, high on her thigh. She always had to roll the waistband down to keep them from falling off, which made them more like booty shorts. I let my gaze crawl higher and my breath caught in my windpipe. My shirt she wore had ridden up, exposing her flat stomach. The amount of restraint it took not to tear my clothes off her proved unreal. Something about seeing her in anything that belonged to me made my dick twitch and my mouth salivate.

She sat up, crossed her legs, and covered her lap with the pillow she'd stolen. "We have two hours before we have to leave."

I snatched the pillow back and stuffed it under my head. "Good. That means I have another hour and a half to sleep."

"Nope, nope, nope. You promised me eggs. And you definitely need to shower. The stench is oozing from your pores. No bueno."

I lifted my forearm to my nose. When I smelled nothing, I raised my wrist a little higher. The stout aroma wafting out of my armpits would make even a mother cringe and doubt her love. "Fine," I conceded. "But I'm showering before cooking."

Masyn rolled off the end of my bed and then sprang up like a jack-in-the-box. Naturally, she felt better than I did this morning. Of course, she hadn't consumed the amount of alcohol I had last night, either. I would never admit that she might have been right. I'd pay for it all day today, and likely into tomorrow. There was an open bar at the reception, and I'd need to visit it frequently to keep from killing Felicity.

"Sounds good. I'm going to jump in and rinse off, too. I'll meet you in the kitchen."

Fifteen minutes later, we were both barefoot in front of the fridge. Masyn had put my boxers and T-shirt back on, and I had donned a pair of sweatpants minus a shirt. There was no point in getting anything out when I was going to have to change again in an hour. The two of us moved around each other like we cooked together daily. Everything about being with Masyn was natural. Other than hiding how I felt about her, things between us were always perfect.

"You should ask Peyton out while she's in town."

I turned from the eggs I was cracking into a bowl to stare at her.

She looked up from the veggies she was chopping and lifted her eyebrows. "What? She's completely into you. And you wouldn't have to worry about her wanting a relationship. It totally works for your lifestyle."

"So what, you're playing matchmaker now?" I didn't like it. Not one bit. And I bit my tongue to keep from arguing with her about what she believed my history was like.

She shrugged. "The two of you had chemistry."

"What? The fumes from the machine shop have affected your brain."

"You were nice to her."

"I'm nice to you, too. Should I ask you out?" It slipped from my tongue before I could stop it.

"Pfft. As if I'd ever date you, Lee Carter."

Dagger. To. The. Heart.

"So you want me to date Peyton Holstein? That's just mean."

Masyn grabbed the vegetables she'd chopped and tossed them into the frying pan in front of me. "Oh, please. She's gorgeous. Comes from money. Has a degree. Would it be so horrible to end up with someone like her?"

"Masyn, girls like Peyton don't date guys like me. Ever." And I had zero interest.

"You should ask. I bet she wouldn't turn you down."

Masyn had never pressured me, or even encouraged me, to ask out another girl.

"She's leaving Sunday." Not that I cared. "And we have wedding crap planned for every minute until her plane takes off."

"Maybe she'd change her flight."

"Or not."

"You won't know until you ask. How cool would it be if you ended up related to Beau because you two married sisters?"

It would be fantastic if Masyn had a sibling that didn't have a dick that Beau could suddenly betroth, but since she didn't, it would never happen.

"He's making a mistake."

"So are you."

"By not asking out someone I don't know who doesn't live here? Have you been drinking this morning?"

"Nope. Just want to see you happy."

"I am."

"Okay. Then do what you want."

There was something off between the two of us. A tension that never existed before. We ate in silence and then did the dishes the same way. She excused herself to change, and I watched her walk down the hall and disappear into her room.