God, could he see Ryder written all over me? Was it obvious I’d been taken time and time again last night? Loved up so right my knees were still knocking with the aftershocks?
Keep it cool, Dakota.
You’d think I’d never been kissed before.
But the truth was, I’d never been kissed like that.
“Mornin’， everyone.” He pulled the cap from his head and tossed it to the table next to the door.
“Little sister.” He pecked a kiss to my temple as he passed.
“Good morning.” Wow, I managed it without it shaking.
Go me.
He went for Kayla and Kayden, dropping a kiss to the crown of our younger sister’s head before he turned and did the same to Kayden’s cheek, though he made a raspberry when he did.
Kayden squealed. “I see you, Uncle.”
Cody ruffled a hand through his hair. “How could you miss me? I’m as big as this house,” he teased.
“I big,” Kayden told him, giving him two of those deep nods that always panged at the center of my chest.
Cody turned to our mom, and she yelped when he swept her off her feet and hugged her hard, swinging her around.
“What in the world, Cody?” She swatted at him, even though she was laughing as he set her back onto her feet.
“What, can’t I be excited to see my family this morning?”
“A little too excited if you ask me.” She tsked, completely a tease. “Don’t tell me you’ve been off getting yourself into trouble.”
“Who me?” He exaggerated it with one of his big grins.
I finally gathered myself and started the rest of the way across the room. “Cody’s always covered his guilt with those grins. He’s definitely been up to something.”
There.
Deflection.
If I put the attention on Cody, no one would be looking at me.
He crossed his arms over his chest, brow arching for the sky. “Um, says little miss Dakota who I have on good word had a date with Brad Geller this week.”
Date?
Brad?
Right.
That felt like a million years ago.
The catalyst that had tossed Ryder and I together.
I bit down on my bottom lip.
“Now who’s looking guilty?” he challenged.
I huffed. “It was just dinner.”
“Just dinner? Think I’m going to need a few more details about how this dinner actually went.”
Kayla scoffed. “Who Dakota and I date and how it goes are none of your concern unless we offer up the information. I swear, there isn’t a single guy in this town who will even ask me out because of you.”
He grinned. “Great. Sounds like I’m doing my job right.”
“Yet, he dips it in every girl he meets.” Kayla’s eyes widened as they met mine.
Mom choked. “That is a visual I don’t need, thank you very much. But your sister is right. It’s high time you stop going around chasing off anyone who even looks their way. They don’t need you hovering over them.”
“Just looking out for them, Ma. The way I was taught to do when I was young.”
A flash of grief ran beneath the casual cloak he wore, gone so fast I wasn’t sure if I’d made it up.
Somewhere in that messed up brain of my brother’s, I knew he did think it was his duty.
To protect Kayla and me. To protect our mom.
“I’m not saying it’s not a good thing for you all to look after each other, but I think Kayla and Dakota deserve a little breathing room, don’t you? I think they can make that decision on their own.”
She dipped back into the kitchen.
“Don’t want any assholes doing my sisters wrong.”
“Asshoe.” Kayden pointed at Cody, leaning that way as he said it.
Kayla’s hand shot to her mouth to cover her laugh as she balanced Kayden in the other. “Oh my God.”
“Um, do you think you could watch what you say around my son? The last thing I need is him learning any of your bad habits.”
He covered his guilt with another of those grins. “Just teaching our Kayden over here the ones to watch out for.”
“Yeah, you,” I said, smacking his chest when I got to him. I pulled Kayden out of Kayla’s arms.
“Don’t listen to a thing that comes out of Uncle Cody’s mouth,” I told him.
“Asshoe?” He looked up at me when he asked it.
Cody cracked up.
I pressed one of Kayden’s ears to my chest and covered the other with my hand. “I am going to murder you. Don’t expect Cody to show up for breakfast next week, Mom,” I hollered in her direction. “He’s going to be buried somewhere out on Paisley and Caleb’s ranch. No one is ever going to find his body.”