Chapter 11

ELEVEN

"I'm thinking we tear the whole thing down," I tell my brother, gesturing to the oversized, broken-down shed in the backyard.

"Are you wanting to build a new one?" Jude asks, wiping the back of his hand across his sweat-covered forehead. "Or leave this area open?"

His best friend and business partner Cain joins us, standing between Jude and me.

"I'm not sure yet." I stare at the broken sinking pile of wood.

The shed in the backyard looks almost as old as the house. By my guess, it was probably built to be a living space while the main house was being constructed.

The wooden planks bend as they near the foundation, as if the building is literally sinking back into the earth. The mustard yellow painted planks are peeling and littered with splinters. I've done my best to preserve the history of this place, but sometimes I don't have a choice.

I cross my arms and swing my gaze back up to the house. Specifically, Adeline's window. I can't help it. They gravitate toward her, and the longer I've stayed here, the more I find myself being conscious of her presence. Slowly, I started bringing over more of my clothes. Then the next week, I brought my toiletries. First, I was sleeping on the couch before switching to the bedroom next to Adeline's two weeks ago. After removing all the damaged parts, Jude came over to help add in new floorboards and finish patching the lower half of the drywall. I've tried to save as much of the original flooring and preserve as much of the original character of the house as possible. Having all the money in the world, a bottomless bank account, allows me to stay wherever I want. After Lennon forced me to take a break from work, and before I began moving into the house, I'd stayed at the most expensive room possible. But the claws that have a grip on the pockets of my mind exposed themselves. No matter how hard you work to leave the past behind, it still has a way of appearing in the unlikeliest of times. The good. The bad. Regret. All of it rears its ugly head, threatening to consume you.

I couldn't continue to live in solitary silence.

My moving into the house full-time was a subtle, gradual process—one I thought Adeline would have noticed or mentioned. If she has noticed or cares, though, she hasn't brought the subject up.

For weeks, I've told myself my staying here is for her safety. With Soren's threat constantly playing on repeat in my mind, I've stayed close to Adeline. The need to protect her has always been there. I want to say it's because I've always seen her as my best friend's little sister and there's this natural urge to protect her, but the feeling she gave me the night she was stranded in the middle of Boston told me otherwise. The panic and anger I felt went beyond care for my best friend's little sister's wellbeing.

I wasn't protecting his little sister. I was protecting Adeline.

Me moving into the house wasn't just for her protection. I liked being around her.

Her bedroom faces the back of the house, and from here I see her standing in front of her closet. She reaches inside, pulling out one of the hangers. Her arm stiffens as she holds the dress out in front of her, examines it, then drapes it against her body, looking down at how it looks on her. Frowning, she shakes her head and stuffs it back into the closet before pulling another one out.

She isn't standing in front of a mirror, only the closet.

I have yet to see her this morning, but from the window I see her. Her brown hair is braided and swept to the side, resting over her bare shoulder, her smooth skin catching the bits of sunlight peeking through the window.

My dick twitches, remembering what it was like to have her body wrapped around mine the night I picked her up on my bike. We haven't spoken about that night since. I haven't spoken to Archer much, either.

After making it home that night, I called him, even though I knew he was on his way to Austria and didn't have cell service. In a voicemail, I laid into him for leaving his sister vulnerable, especially given the fact Soren had threatened him with Adeline. He called me back once he'd landed, apologizing and thanking me for protecting her. He said he'd make it up to Adeline somehow, but I didn't ask for details. I didn't want to press him for more, especially given I was having thoughts about my best friend's sister. Ones that involved her long thighs wrapped around me and her near-bare pussy pressing against the small of my back.

"We'll need to take everything out of here before we can get started," Jude says, breaking my attention away from Adeline.

"Do you even know what's inside?" Cain asks, leaning in and prying the front door open.

"A few pieces of furniture and old tools," I tell him. "Mostly garden items."

"So, trash?" Cain raises his eyebrows.

"What's trash?" Adeline yells from the back of the house.

Not only has she caught the attention of the three of us, but she's also caught the attention of Jude and Cain's crew working on the back patio. Raised bricks and dirt pile around the area. The men are covered in dust and grime, exhausted from the early summer heat creeping in.

Adeline is clearly thrilled for summer to show its face.

The curves of her body are on full display with her fitted white tank top and her long legs greeting the sun with her cut off jean shorts. The men's heads swivel in her direction, following her as she makes her way toward us.

An inexplicable feeling comes over me, similar to the one I had the night I picked Adeline up from the street corner. I ball my hands into fists, and my nostrils flare. It's unreasonable and brash but something I can't ignore.

I suddenly feel the need to do… something.

Adeline treads through the overgrown grass and weeds toward us, not noticing the attention she's drawn. She slips between me and Jude and pries open the door, poking her head inside. She steps back out a few short seconds later. "This furniture looks vintage."

"Really?" Jude steps closer to a small window on the side of the building. He cups his hands around his eyes, peering through the dusty glass.

"There's a desk in here." She bounces on her toes, the muscles in her legs flexing. "And a dresser." She glances over her shoulder and looks directly at me with a smile. "It would be fun to try and restore it."

I want to tell her no. I don't believe it's a good idea, considering we have an entire house that needs renovating, but the glimmer in her eye and the excitement spread across her full pink lips weaken my resolve. I also think about Soren and the threat he could still be posing. Archer has stayed relatively silent.

A month ago, I'd sent him a text asking him if he was able to pay Soren what he owes him. After reassuring me he was, I relaxed with only a bit of relief. If Archer is telling the truth, it doesn't mean Soren's threat isn't still looming. Men like him in circles like theirs don't let those types of betrayals go so easily. Not even when the debt is paid.

I'm also not foolish enough to believe Archer hasn't continued to do business with Soren.

I considered sending Archer the money he owed, but I didn't want there to be a thread or connection tying me to Archer and Soren's business dealings. I didn't need to be involved, and I didn't want to be.

I'd paid the price for that lifestyle already. I didn't need to do it again.

Restoring furniture along with this house might give Adeline a reason to stay longer than she intends. However long that might be.

Heat pools in my stomach, radiating down to my cock. I cough, clearing my throat and the inappropriate thoughts running in my mind. I scratch the back of my head and lower it, surrendering. "Fine. We can pull it all out and go through it later."

"We're going to need to get our compact excavator back here to start on the demolition." Cain turns to his crew, who are working hard at loading shovels full of broken brick and crumbled dirt into their wheelbarrows.

He lifts his arm in the air and waves them over, and they drop their shovels and join us. Cain explains the plan of unloading every item from the shed and where we're going to put them. Adeline stands beside me, listening carefully. I try to keep my focus on Cain, but I can't help watching her from my peripheral. She's impossible to ignore. Her clean scent hits me, counteracting the pungent smell of the sweaty crew surrounding us.

Her arms are folded, pushing her breasts up, the soft, pillowy flesh swelling over the top hem. My hand twitches again, and my dick swells.

Get a fucking grip, Micah.

Once the crew breaks, they spill into the shed and begin emptying it out, starting with the items closest to the entrance. The shed is packed from wall to wall, but I don't have the patience to go through the items now, only tossing ones that are clearly trash.

Jude nods to Cain before walking over to me and Adeline. "Victoria and I have a date set up tonight." He holds the bottom hem of his shirt out. "I better get home and shower or else Victoria might want a divorce if I attempt to go out like this."

"She would never divorce you," I tell him.

"You're right." He grins. "Cain is going to get the excavator over here tomorrow. That way we can begin demolition on the shed. The crew will start unloading this stuff today so you can go through it. They'll be back tomorrow to work on the patio."

"Okay." I nod. "Thanks, brother."

"Of course." He nods, too, sweat dripping from the ends of his hair. He looks down at his feet before looking back up. "I know Lennon made you take this break, but I think it's been good for you. I'm glad you're finally working on this house."

My attention gravitates to Adeline again. "I agree."

"Take it from me: it's never too late to start over."

I'm not certain his words bring me comfort, though.

He claps me on the shoulder and walks over to gather up a few of his tools by the back door, then Jude and Cain head out.

They've already made their way to the gate on the side of the house leading to the front yard when Adeline stands in front of me, grinning.

"What is it?" I ask, laughing under my breath.

She looks down at her feet, dragging her toe along the grass. When she looks back up, she squints against the bright sun. "I just wanted to say thank you."

"For what?"

"For agreeing to go through this stuff." She points to the shed. "I just think it would be a shame to throw it all away instead of giving it a second chance at life."

Warmth spreads in my cheeks. It could be the heat from outside or it could be the sight of Adeline standing this close to me. My body vibrates with the memory of her behind me on the bike. A twenty-minute ride home I'll never forget.

"You're welcome." Seeing her happy sparks a light in me. A piece of my soul that's been dead for the longest time is suddenly revived, and she's the one holding the paddles.

I'm terrified of what it means.

Her smile fades when she reaches out and swipes her thumb across my jaw. The small soft pad of it grates against my stubble-lined chin.

"Dirt," she says, pulling her thumb away.

I lift my hand and wipe the same place she just touched.

Leaving me, she spins on her heel and heads into the shed. I walk over to the patio and grab my work gloves.

When I step into the shed, the crew is already hard at work getting everything done before evening hits. Two of the men are lifting an old, dark blue, velvet upholstered sofa. The fabric is torn and weathered across all three cushions. It isn't salvageable. I tell them it's trash before turning my attention elsewhere.

They carry it outside but place it in a separate area from where the other items will go.

I spin around to get a view of what I'm in for when I find Adeline on the opposite side of the shed. She's climbing a rickety old ladder propped against the wall. I don't know how old it is, but I can see the weathered, fragile rungs from here. Every other one is crooked, barely hanging on to the supports. She looks up at a framed picture of a beach, with a lighthouse in the distance hanging on the wall, keeping her eyes on it as she steps onto the next unsteady rung.

A member of Cain's crew drops the large clock he was working on carrying out, weaving in and out of the furniture to get closer to Adeline.

He slinks his way through, all the while keeping his attention on her. I step closer, too, and with my hands fisted, I walk around a large dresser, bumping my hip into it. I groan, the pain shooting across the right side of my body.

The crew member asks Adeline if she needs help, his attention dropping to her legs. She glances over her shoulder long enough to give him a smile, telling him that she has it.

He's now standing less than a foot away from her, in front of the ladder, offering to spot her in case she falls. He has a perfect view of her from where he is. Her ass cheeks peek out from the hem of her shorts. The man shifts on his feet, tilting his head to the side as he examines her like a piece of meat.

Again, my body is telling me to do something. I don't know what, but it needs an outlet. The way he's admiring her isn't sitting right with me. Fury rages inside me.

"Hey!" I yell, my vision turning red.

Adeline reaches up, trying to reach the frame, not hearing my booming voice. Her tank rises up the length of her stomach, exposing the small of her back. The man shifts on his feet again and leans forward, placing his hands on either side of the ladder. They slowly slide up the sides, growing closer to the backs of her legs.

"Addy!" I say, blood draining from my face. My pulse races, watching as he slips his hand low, between him and the ladder, adjusting the hard on I'm certain he has.

What in the actual fuck?

My feet move, and before I know it, I'm standing directly behind him.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I yell, seething with anger.

He spins around, lifting his hands up like he's innocent. "Nothing. I was just keeping the ladder steady for her… in case she fell."

Fucker stands in front of me, panicked and wide-eyed.

"Micah?" Adeline says, standing on the ladder about eight feet from the ground. She's looking down at us, half turned. Every curve of her body is on full display at that angle, while the picture remains hanging on the wall, untouched.

I cut the man in front of me a sharp glare. "I have it handled over here. I'm sure your help could be more useful elsewhere."

He sighs, pressing his mouth into a thin line, and his nostrils flare. The fucker knows I caught him in the act and now he's pissed he can't finish what he started. Fucker.

Without a word, he stalks away, his cheeks red with embarrassment.

Adeline is still looking down at me.

"Get down from there, Adeline."

"What?" She gapes, her mouth falling open. "Why?"

"Because," I clip. I know I'm being short with her, but after catching that asshole practically beating his dick to her in front of her, I'm at a loss for words.

Her eyebrows shoot up. "Because…?"

"Because I said so."

Her eyes flare with anger before she makes her way down the ladder, her feet landing on each rung with deliberate force. I know I've taken it too far the second her Converse land on the dusty, wooden floor.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She glances at the man who was eye fucking her only seconds before, as if he wanted to devour her, and now I'm the asshole.

With a fiery glare, her cheeks flame red.

I step closer to her, closing the space between us. The men filter out of the shed, carrying varying pieces of furniture.

"That guy was about to touch you," I tell her in a low voice, my face close to hers as she looks up at me.

"No, he wasn't. He offered to spot me. He was being nice."

I inhale a deep breath. My neck tightens, and my veins bulge. I step closer, drawing myself to Adeline like a magnet. My resolve wears thin, practically disappearing. I've broken a barrier between us, crossing over into her circle. I expect her to push me away or step to move around me, but she doesn't. Instead, she takes a step back.

I step forward.

She takes another back until her spine lands against the broken ladder, and her hands wrap around the loose rung, pushing her chest out.

I press my chest into hers, towering over her as she looks up at me with wide eyes. Two glassy, caramel-green flecked eyes stare up at me. I get lost in them, savoring the sensation they give me. My anger dulls to a simmer, and the fury I had is replaced with another kind of heat. The type that wants more than the inch of space between us. Her eyes soften slightly, her anger with me transitioning. Her breath deepens. I'm fully aware of how close we are, how this is the closest we've ever been, but I don't care.

"I watched him, Adeline." I growl. "That guy was a fucking pervert. He was practically jerking off to you."

She scoffs, blinking and shaking her head in disbelief, na?ve to her beauty. "Come on. Why would he do that when you and all the other guys were in here?"

"You tell me." I pop an eyebrow, keeping the truth to myself because Adeline is stunning. There's no denying her beauty, but I can't help feeling this possessiveness over her. Like she's mine.

"I'm not a child, Micah." She breathes out, the redness fading to pink. "Not anymore. You don't have a right to tell me to get off this ladder just because you demand it."

"Trust me," I sneer. "I'm fully aware you aren't a child, Adeline."

"Then, stop treating me like one." But the shift in her voice isn't a simple command. She's challenging me. Silently daring me to show her the truth of the thoughts I've clearly been thinking.

The jealousy. The desire building inside me.

She clouds my thoughts and my judgments. I shouldn't be feeling this way about my best friend's sister. I know she's a woman, but I can't give in. Heat pools in my lower belly again. The pressure builds, and I want nothing more than to sink myself into Adeline.

My eyes fall to her mouth, wondering what it would feel like to crash mine against hers. I want to devour it and every inch of her body.

I reach up and wrap my hand around the ladder, gripping onto the wood for support. My mind is going a mile a minute. I'm supposed to protect Adeline, not want her. But fuck, how I want her.

I need to get out of here before I do something I might regret.

"Are you going to stop?" she asks, her eyes searching mine.

I'm not sure if she means stop treating her like a child or stop what I'm doing right now. Something tells me it's the latter.

Dammit.

I inhale a deep breath, expanding my lungs with as much oxygen as possible.

But a loud crash snaps us out of the trance we're in. My hand falls away from the ladder, and I snap my head toward the front of the shed. The crew is carrying out one of the large dressers, with one of the guys kicking the door open with his foot. The fragile wooden door claps against the wall. I didn't even realize they'd come back into the shed. The man who was starting to beat himself off to Adeline is nowhere in sight. The rest of the men carry the dresser out, leaving the two of us alone again.

When I turn back to Adeline, she's already moved around me and away from the ladder. Her back is the last thing I see before she disappears out of the shed, returning to the house.

While I'm left with my chest split wide open, and the truth staring me directly in the face.