Built

He pushed off the counter when Hyde came rushing back into the room. His eyes didn’t give anything away and his mouth was unsmiling when he bit out, “You’re still my only plan, Sayer. That never changed.”

That made my heart swell because I had no intention of letting him down this time around either. We could both win and this time it would be a victory that lasted forever.

CHAPTER 18

Zeb

I wasn’t sure what to make of Sayer’s sudden revelation that she was trying to make her way to me through the viscous water of her past and I wasn’t sure I could do what she asked and simply trust her. But when the weekend rolled around I found myself calling her and asking if she was still game for taking Hyde for the day. He hadn’t stopped talking about her since I picked him up at her house, so I figured it couldn’t hurt anything to let them spend the day together. She told me of course she would watch him, then caught me off guard by asking me what my favorite color was.

Obviously the answer was blue. Sparkling, turbulent ocean blue. She got quiet on the other end of the phone for a second and then told me she would come pick Hyde up and drop him off if that was okay. She said she had a few errands to run and would take him with her. I tried to warn her that a five-year-old, even one that was as well behaved as Hyde, added at least an hour onto the time it took to get errands done. She laughed it off and said they would be fine. I tried to warn her again when I moved Hyde’s car seat from my Jeep into her Lexus. She just smiled at me and told me it would be okay. She also looked at me like she wanted to pull all my clothes off and have her way with me right there in the parking lot of the condominium complex. It was all pretty confusing, and only head and heart were at war with what it all meant.

I sent her a text to let her know I was heading home from the jobsite. I had recently bought an old Victorian not too far away from where her house was and was working on switching it over from multiple apartments and living spaces back into a single-family home. It was a massive project, but I knew once the work was done, the return on my investment would be huge. I told her I could just come get my kid since I was so close, but she texted back NO! in all caps and said she would drop him off within the hour.

When she showed up at the condo both she and Hyde looked a little wilted and worse for wear, but my son’s green eyes were alight with mischief and glee. He also had splotches of what looked like blue paint in his hair and on his hands. He hugged me around my knees and took off running for his room so he could ditch his coat and gloves.

Sayer also had blue streaked across her cheek and splattered in her pale hair. Her normally sharp appearance was nowhere to be found as she hovered in my doorway in stained jeans and a too-big-for-her sweatshirt.

“Did you guys get into a paint fight?” I reached out and plucked a colored strand of her hair up and let it fall.

She laughed a little and shook her head. “Kind of. We’re working on a secret project.”

That piqued my interest, so I leaned against the door and crossed my arms over my chest. I had to admit it was a stroke to the old ego when her eyes widened at the motion. She stuck the tip of her tongue out to trace her bottom lip and I growled at her. I wanted to follow the trail of moisture with my own tongue and then bite on the lush curve that pouted out. Aside from my time locked up, this was the longest I had ever gone without sex and it was starting to make me a little crazy. Every move she made seemed like a come-on or like it was designed to entice.

“What kind of secret project?” My voice was gruff and I saw her shiver.

“You’ll find out soon enough. Can I come get Hyde next Saturday, too?”

I wanted to tell her she could only have my son if she was willing to take me, too, but I understood whatever she was working her way through was thick and snarled. She was slowly picking her way through it, though, and all I could do was wait on the other side.

“Yeah. You can come and get him next Saturday. I think my mom actually likes having a day for herself. Do you want to come in and have dinner with us? I’ll probably let Hyde order pizza.”

She cocked her head to the side and then nodded. “Sure. I would like that.”

The three of us spent the rest of the night eating pizza, watching some silly family-friendly movie, and laughing. I tried repeatedly to get Hyde to tell me what special project he was working on at Sayer’s house and each time he just giggled at me and shared a conspiratorial look with Sayer while telling me over and over again it was a surprise. He also told me his favorite color was red, that Sayer’s favorite color was green, and that Poppy liked purple. I wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything, but when I walked Sayer out to her car when it was time for her to leave, I pushed her up against the side and trapped her between my body and the chilly metal.

“Your favorite color is green, huh?”

The corner of her mouth kicked up in a grin and she lifted a hand and put it on the side of my face. Her fingernails raked lightly through the side of my beard and it made my entire body go tight. “Your favorite color is blue, huh?”

I grinned back at her. “Touché. I hope you figure your shit out sooner rather than later, Say. I sure do miss the fuck out of you.”

I pushed back from her car and watched her long lashes drop over her eyes. “I’m working on it,” she said.

I sighed and my breath fogged up in front of me. “I know you are. Renovation takes time and there is always something unexpected behind the walls when you knock them down. I’ll see you next weekend.”

WHEN SHE SHOWED up the following weekend she looked different. She was dressed like she had raided the Salvation Army for their most used and abused jeans and I recognized the T-shirt she had on as the one I left at her house on our last night together. She seemed so much less polished and worried about being put together than she typically did. Even though her clothes were casual and even slightly sloppy, she still made it all look really good and I wanted to peel her out of it.