Chapter 44

WALKER

A few hours later, I woke up to the sound of feminine laughter.

I pulled on some sweatpants and wandered into the kitchen. Tayla and Jess were perched on the kitchen island, sipping wine and laughing.

My cold seemed to have disappeared. I took a deep, steady breath.

Both women paused and looked at me as I entered the kitchen.

I could feel their eyes on my bare chest as I went to the fridge and took a swig of milk straight from the bottle.

I turned around and flashed them both a smile.

“Good morning,” I said, noticing Tayla’s quickened breath.

“I might reconsider my sexuality if I keep seeing hot guys like this around,” Jess joked.

“I’m the only hot guy here,” I retorted, smirking.

“Well, Dominic isn’t bad to look at, right?” Jess said, earning a playful jab from Tayla.

“Is that so?” I asked, noticing Tayla’s blush.

“Can Jess stay for dinner tonight?” Tayla quickly changed the subject.

“I don’t see why not,” I replied.

“We’re going to need more wine,” Jess giggled.

“Hayden and I can go grab some. How about Chinese food for dinner?”

Jess clapped her hands in excitement. Hayden walked into the kitchen, his eyes immediately landing on Jess.

He wasn’t a fan of visitors in our home, and I saw him frown.

Suddenly, Jess placed her hand on Tayla’s thigh, and I noticed Hayden’s reaction.

“Coffee?” I offered him.

He shook his head, and I took another swig of milk from the bottle.

Tayla sipped her wine, and her eyes lit up as Dominic entered the kitchen.

“I’m going to head out for a few hours before I do that delivery later tonight,” he informed me.

I kept my eyes on Tayla, nodded at Dominic, and he left the house.

Did Tayla like Dominic?

Was she attracted to him?

I turned to Hayden.

“Make sure you pay him his money later,” I instructed.

Hayden nodded and shot another glance at Jess, who was giggling next to Tayla.

“Want to go for a jog on the beach with me before we go shopping?” I suggested.

He looked hesitant, glancing back at Tayla.

He nodded, pulled off his shirt, and tossed it on the island.

Tayla’s eyes immediately landed on Hayden’s body, and she smiled, her cheeks turning a little pink.

“How do you manage to be around them and not be soaking wet?” I heard Jess ask Tayla.

“Who says I’m not?” Tayla replied.

They both giggled, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Hayden and I moved out onto the deck and stretched before starting our jog on the beach.

“Why is Jess here?” Hayden asked as we ran side by side.

“She’s Tayla’s friend,” I explained.

“Is it smart to have her here when you know what’s going to happen later?”

I frowned.

I could feel the wet sand splashing up on the back of my calves as we ran.

Picking up my pace, I pulled ahead of Hayden.

“Fucking jerk!” he called after me.

I slowed down so he could catch up.

“I’m not sure if I can do it,” I confessed.

“We have to,” he reminded me.

Normally, I wouldn’t hesitate to do what needed to be done, but ever since Tayla came into my life, I found myself doubting for the first time.

“You can’t let this go,” he reminded me again.

I growled and sprinted ahead, feeling my gut tighten.

Suddenly, Hayden jumped on my back and clung on as I continued to run.

I stopped abruptly and tossed him off my back, sending him splashing into the water on the shore.

I laughed as he jumped to his feet and tried to tackle me.

I sidestepped him and tripped him up.

I kicked off my shoes, dropped my sweatpants, and ran into the sea in my boxers.

The water was cool, and the sun was beating down from above as I swam out a bit.

I heard splashing behind me as Hayden swam after me.

I lay on my back and floated, waiting for him to catch up. But before he did, he suddenly went under the water, his hand flailing above the surface.

What the fuck?

I waited for him to resurface, but I couldn’t see him.

Shit!

I took a deep breath and dove under the water, trying to find him.

Nothing but water.

I reached out my hands, trying to grab something, but there was nothing there.

Where was he?

I broke the surface of the water and looked around for him.

“Boo!”

I spun around, and he was right behind me.

I grabbed his arms and pulled him close.

“Fucking bastard! Don’t you ever do that again!” I yelled at him.

He laughed and splashed water in my face.

“That’s for flipping me in the water,” he said, smugly.

I pushed his head under the water and swam back to shore, pissed off at him.

Laughing, he followed me, and once on shore, I pulled on my sweatpants and shoes.

Hayden was like a little brother to me, and the thought of losing him didn’t sit well with me.

I didn’t wait for him and headed back to the house, his laughter still ringing in my ears.

He caught up with me on the deck of the house, holding his shoes and shorts.

He was standing there in just his wet boxers, still dripping and still laughing.

I slid the door open and saw Jess and Tayla preparing some kind of lunch in the kitchen. My stomach growled in response.

Hayden went straight to his room to change.

“We made ham and cheese wraps with salad,” Tayla said, noticing me.

Jess placed the food on the island, and Tayla poured orange juice into glasses.

All this feminine energy was new to me, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it.

This was to be expected once Tayla moved in with us, I thought.

I glanced up at my girl and watched her sexy ass in her black shorts.

There was no way I could ever let her leave, and if having Jess over every now and then made her happy, then so be it.

My cock hardened as I watched Tayla move around the kitchen, chatting with Jess.

I was itching to be with her, and I had a hunch Hayden was feeling the same way.

As if on cue, Hayden sauntered into the kitchen and claimed a stool.

We sat side by side, watching the women join us. We all dug into our meal.

These wraps were really good.

Hayden was eating so quickly he ended up with hiccups, causing the women to giggle.

Hayden shot them an annoyed look, and I couldn’t help but smile to myself.

Once we’d all finished eating, I gathered the dirty dishes and started washing up.

“A man who does dishes? Can I move in?” Jess joked.

“Hell no!” Hayden grumbled.

“Logan can be a real slob sometimes,” Jess added.

At the mention of Logan’s name, I froze. I turned to see Hayden’s face twisted in a scowl.

Tayla bit her lip and looked up at me.

I hated how that jerk still managed to affect us.

I grabbed a towel and dried my hands, glancing at Hayden.

“Let’s go do some shopping while these ladies chat away,” I suggested.

“We don’t cackle,” Jess objected.

“Can you bring back more wine?” Tayla asked.

I watched as they both slid off their stools and headed out to the deck, deep in conversation.

Hayden moved closer to me.

“Can I shoot Jess?” he asked.

“Are you jealous of her or something?”

“More like wary of her,” he clarified.

“Why?” I asked, puzzled.

“You know how I feel about other guys checking her out, right?”

I nodded.

“Well, it’s the same with Jess.”

“You see her as a threat?”

Hayden shrugged, his gaze still fixed on Tayla outside.

“Trust me. Our girl loves us and all you have to do is keep showing her what you can do and have a little faith in her,” I reassured him.

He turned and looked at me intently.

“You’d better hope she still has faith in us when she finds out what we have to do.”

I grimaced, feeling that familiar knot in my stomach.

“Meet me in the jeep,” I muttered, heading to my bedroom to change.

Once I was ready, I grabbed my phone and snapped a picture of the wine Tayla had been drinking. I wanted to make sure I picked up the same one for her before heading out.