“I believe it,” Cheyenne agreed.
“Well, I can tell you that things seem to be lookin’ up for Brendon these days. He’s not so … intense.”
Oh, Cheyenne wouldn’t agree with her there. Brendon was just as intense as always, just maybe not so confrontational. She happened to like this side of him, yet she had no idea what—if anything—to do about that.
“Well, I better get. Gage is at home with Kate and Travis is in meetings at AI. I promised Gage I wouldn’t be gone long.”
“How is she?” Cheyenne asked, referring to Kylie’s six-month-old daughter.
“Perfect.” Kylie’s proud grin lit up her entire face. “She’s so animated now. She gives her daddies a run for their money.”
“I bet she does. Wait till she’s walkin’. They won’t know what to do with themselves.”
“I don’t think they know what to do now.” Kylie laughed. “Anyway, Bill will be by in a bit to get those rooms taken care of. Or the floors anyway. We’ll be out of your hair before you know it.”
Cheyenne didn’t tell Kylie that she couldn’t wait for that day. She didn’t need to.
“Make sure you call if you need anything,” Kylie said, getting to her feet.
“Oh, I will.”
Kylie offered Cheyenne a hug and then disappeared as quickly as she’d appeared, leaving Cheyenne staring after her with a million questions now running through her head.
And not a single one of them pertained to the renovations taking place on her house.
chapter FIVE
By the time Friday night came around, Brendon had given up on trying to talk to Travis. Seemed some higher power was working against him, snubbing every attempt he made. He’d even made an effort to stop by Alluring Indulgence Resort twice during the week only to find out that Travis was in a meeting. Both times.
Apparently his brothers were in the process of working out a summer schedule for their BDSM classes and Travis had been talking to Xander and Mercedes Boone, the power couple from Dallas who were investors in the resort, during their weeklong visit. Evidently it was a big deal to get this program nailed down soon, so Brendon hadn’t had a chance to meet up with his oldest brother.
Brendon was only partially tempted to stop by Travis’s house that night to talk to him but figured he’d get farther if he took on this issue with Cheyenne on his own. After all, she had requested that he not tell Travis, and despite his need to get someone’s expert advice, Brendon was a little relieved that he hadn’t revealed the secret as of yet.
The last thing he wanted to do was violate Cheyenne’s trust when it seemed as though they might be making progress.
Plus, by taking on the task himself, it gave him an excuse to see her.
He wasn’t sure how she’d feel about that last part, but he was going to find out in a few minutes. Pulling into her driveway, he noticed her truck—an impressive red four-door Chevy that rivaled his in size—was parked near the garage. Shutting off the headlights and the engine, Brendon climbed out.
“Slummin’ tonight?”
Brendon smiled in the twilight as he glanced up at the front porch to see Cheyenne sitting in a white wooden rocking chair, her bare feet up on the matching white railing.
“Somethin’ like that,” he responded, praying he’d injected the right amount of humor in his tone so that she knew he was joking. Based on his history with her, he had to wonder what was going to come out of his mouth and how it was going to sound when it did.
“Can I get you somethin’ to drink? I’ve got a few beers left or I made lemonade.”
Well, that was a good sign. At least she didn’t sound offended.
“Lemonade sounds great,” he told her.
“Sit.” Cheyenne nodded toward an empty rocking chair as she got to her feet. “I’ll be right back.”
Brendon sat, keeping his gaze from sliding to Cheyenne as she passed him on her way into the house.
A few minutes later she returned with two glasses. She handed one to him before resuming her position in the chair, her feet once more going up to the railing, small, pink-tipped toes curling around the edge. He did his best not to look at her smooth, tan legs but failed.
Christ. The woman took his fucking breath away.
But he wasn’t going to think about that now. Nor was he going to think about the fact that they were alone together, her house was empty, and he really, really fucking wished they were in her bed.
Naked.
Instead, he sipped his lemonade and silently surveyed the area, admiring the quiet of the evening.
“I remember back when Sawyer was in high school, he TP’d this place.”