Into the Tide (Cottonwood Cove #1)(7)

“The gossip mill is still rampant in Cottonwood Cove, I see.” I raised a brow and moved toward him as he wrapped his arms around me.

He smelled like leather and cedar and sexy man.

Was that a thing?

No one had ever smelled sexy to me, but it didn’t surprise me that Hugh did.

And I probably reeked of day-after tequila and nachos.

He pulled back and smiled. “Come on. Take a seat and fill me in. What can I get you to drink? I heard you’re a tequila girl now.”

He made his way around the bar, and I sat on the stool and dropped my purse onto the marble bar top.

“Please don’t say that word,” I said as I rubbed my temples. “A water would be great. How do you know what I was drinking?”

“I stopped by to help close down Garrity’s last night, and Marcy said you all had just left and that you were having a good time. I think that’s good for you, Snow. You deserve to cut loose for once in your life.” He slid the water toward me and then unbuttoned the cuffs of his white button up and rolled them up a few times, exposing the inked muscle on his forearms as he leaned forward. His veins bulged against his tanned skin, and the move was so sexy that I squeezed my thighs together in response.

Hello, hormones.

What the hell was that about?

The man shows me his forearms and my body finally reacts for the first time ever?

It must be the remnants of tequila left over in my body.

I’m guessing booze and sexy boys go together—maybe that’s where I’d gone wrong.

All work and no play had landed me with a college degree and no life experience.

“I think you’re right about that, Bear. Time to live a little, huh?”

“I think that’s a good thing. I still can’t get over seeing you win that national title,” he said, as the corners of his mouth twitched, and he smiled. Had I ever paid this much attention to a man’s movements before?

“I still can’t believe you all came for my final race.” I shrugged.

“Damn straight. I followed your career pretty closely. Looking up all your results online and watching you kick ass over the years,” he said. “It’s amazing. You deserve it all. How do you feel being back here?”

“Aside from my brother having a temper tantrum about it, it feels really good to be home.”

“He’s worried about you being pulled into your dad’s mess. It’s fair, right?”

God. Why did Hugh have to be so logical?

“My dad’s not perfect, but he’s human. We’re all flawed, aren’t we? I don’t know why Trav can’t ever give him a pass.”

Hugh’s tongue dipped out, sliding along his bottom lip, and he tucked his hair behind his ear. I sucked in a breath and had the sudden desire to run my fingers through his hair.

“You still want to save the world, huh, Snow?”

“I’d be fine just saving my father.”

He studied me for a long minute before he nodded. “I get that. So, you’ll spend the summer here and then head back to that big-time job you’ve got waiting for you.”

Travis was so determined for me to leave. But I liked being home. I’d missed it.

“That’s the plan. Thanks for offering me a job. So, when can I start?”

“Of course. I mean, you’re slightly overqualified, but I could use the help. Maybe you can figure out how to get things running smoother because I’m fucking tired.”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” Why was my voice all husky and breathy?

Thank you, hangover, for making me sound like a cat in heat.

He smiled. “Well, good. Because I need you, Snow.”

Oh, yeah. This man definitely gave a woman three orgasms in one night.

No doubt about it.

“Good. Because I’m all yours.”

What? Did that sound as inappropriate aloud as it sounded in my head?

I’d been home for two days, and my dad seemed happy to have me here.

I had a job and a sexy-as-sin boss.

Obviously, nothing could ever happen with him.

It was Hugh Reynolds, for God’s sake.

But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t enjoy spending my working hours with him.

Things were looking up in Cottonwood Cove.





three





Hugh





“How’s it going in here?” I asked, as I came around the corner and paused in my office doorway. Lila had been working here for a week, and she’d already eased my workload tremendously. She was a numbers girl. So, she was going through all the books to see where I needed to increase and decrease my spending. I was more of a people guy. I enjoyed the customers and the employees. The creative part. The books, the money—I’d never been great at that end of the business.

“You can definitely afford to bring on more help and cut back your hours. It’s Sunday, and you should have at least one day off a week.” She raised a brow, and her dark gaze locked with mine, and I swear my dick responded like she was directly looking at him. Her long, brown hair fell in waves down her shoulders, and a speckle of freckles was scattered around her nose. I didn’t know when Lila James grew into the sexiest woman I’d ever seen, but she had. And that did not sit well with me. She was Travis’s little sister for starters. Completely off limits. She wasn’t sticking around for long. And I’d never been great at the relationship game anyway. I was selfish. I worked a lot, and when I wasn’t working, I liked to do what I wanted to do. Take out the boat in the summers and ski in the winters.