Millie trotted into the stall, and I hiked my leg over and slid down until my feet hit the ground. The smell of hay and wood flooded my senses, along with the slight mix of pine that was present this time of year in Cottonwood Cove. The crisp air was just starting to get too cold to go without a sweater. I was thankful that I’d slipped on my black cashmere turtleneck before I went out because when Millie broke out in a full run, the wind did nothing to keep me warm.
“Hey, how’d she do?”
“I think she missed me,” I said as I gave her one last hug and ran my fingers across her gorgeous brown and amber mane.
“I think we all did,” he said, closing the stall as we made our way toward his house.
“Yeah? It feels good to be home. I still think it’s a bit much that all my stuff is in your bedroom and bathroom,” I said with a chuckle. Brinkley was always one step ahead of everyone else, so we’d decided to trust her suggestion to make it look like we were staying in the same room.
“It doesn’t really matter where your stuff is. Hell, you could sleep in my room if you wanted to.” He pulled the door open, and I stepped inside.
“No way. With you not having sex, you’ve got a chronic issue going on in the morning, and I can’t subject myself to that.”
He barked out a laugh as I grabbed my purse and glanced down at my cowboy boots, which I’d planned to change out of, but I was still chilly, so I decided to leave them on.
As we made our way out to the garage, I paused at the door. Finn caged me in with both arms. “You haven’t stopped talking about my morning wood since we left London. Does Carl never get an erection? Why do I feel like the only dick you’ve seen, aside from mine, was less than impressive?” He smirked.
“I told you that Carl has that issue with the medication he takes.” I cleared my throat. “So, I guess seeing how… excited your penis was, well, I suppose that was new for me.”
His gaze searched mine. Finn’s gray eyes were like none I’d ever seen before. They were this steely pewter with a ring of citrine gold around them.
“That’s a shame, Miney. The excited penis is not something anyone should go without. It’s my favorite quality about myself.” His knuckles rapped against the wall above me, and he stepped back and tugged the door open. I’d been living far away from my best friend for a year now, and something about him was different.
Or maybe it was me.
I’d always known that he was good-looking. There was no question there.
But he was… just more.
Sexier.
More confident.
Sexier.
Did I say that one already?
It could also be the fact that I hadn’t had sex in over a year. It would be normal to notice the opposite sex, even if it was Finn.
I felt the need to defend Carl because this tinge of guilt was sinking in that I was looking at my best friend and noticing things I hadn’t noticed before.
How about we focus on the man you want to marry, huh?
“Well, I’m not saying that it isn’t excited sometimes. It just doesn’t show off the way yours does. Some can be more understated,” I said as he pulled open the passenger door, and I climbed into his big red truck.
“Mine has always liked to show off,” he said when he settled into the driver’s seat and winked at me before turning on the engine.
“Of course it has,” I teased as we drove toward town.
“Did taking Millie out help settle your nerves?” he asked as we turned down Cottonwood Cove Drive, where all the shops and restaurants sat. The town was decorated for fall. Tall corn husks were tied around every light post, and most of the shop windows were decorated with pumpkins and harvest décor.
The small town was not lacking charm, much like the man beside me.
“Yeah. Your house is on such a beautiful lot. You’ve got all the pines on one side, and we made our way down near the water. It’s gorgeous. It felt good to be outside. I’ve been spending most of my days going between an office and a tiny studio apartment.”
“See, you did the right thing coming home.”
He parked in the side lot of Cottonwood Café, and I let out a long breath as I tugged my braid over one shoulder. “So, how are we going to play this?”
“You want to show everyone we’re together, so that’s what we’ll do.”
“And if we run into Carl?”
“Then I’ll show him what he’s missing,” he said, waggling his brows before hopping out of the truck. He came around and opened my door, helping me out.