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at them.
    Xavier took a deep breath. “She doesn’t have you?”
    Eli shrugged. “Come on. She’s great in bed and available. I was crazy about her in high school, but we all grew up.”
    “Please, you’re not over her,” Jackson said flatly. “You’re holding onto some crap from high school and not letting her apologize for it. Her parents were overprotective and so were her older brothers. You asked her out in front of them. She didn’t have a lot of options.”
    Xavier folded his arms. “She said something about her family today—her mother and all that standards stuff. You two should have it out, do some great makeup sex and we can move on.”
    “Invite her to dinner tonight.” Fred tapped Eli’s phone.
    Eli ignored it. “I’m all for the sex. You invite her over.”
    “No, you do it. That might show her you’re interested in talking to her and that you want her around.” Jackson tapped his foot.
    “It’s been a couple weeks since she’s been back in Lucky Springs. We’re not proposing to her. You want the sex. You like having her around,” Xavier said.
    Eli picked up his cell then texted Ash and copied the other guys. Seconds later, she accepted and insisted on cooking dinner and bringing the stuff.
    “Happy? She’s getting all domestic,” Eli said.
    “Damn right we’re happy!” Fred kissed Eli. “Don’t hide that you are, too. Hot food and sex. Plus it was your night to cook.”
    “What makes you think she’s a good cook?” Eli asked.
    “A southern girl with a mama like hers who can’t cook?” Jackson rolled his eyes. “Just forget about the past and enjoy the now. No one is shopping for a set of rings or anything.”
    Eli stared at Jackson. “But you’re thinking about this crap, and it’s freaking me out.”
    Fred leveled a serious glare at Eli. “I knew I’d be with you forever after one night.”
    To Xavier’s gratitude, that shut up Eli on the matter. It wasn’t over, but he couldn’t argue with the desire to explore Ash more. Or the fact that love could hit hard and fast.
    * * * *
    Standing in his kitchen with smells of dinner tempting him, Eli hated that he couldn’t let go of the Ash situation. The sex was amazing and the woman he dealt with daily at work was friendly. However, high school ranks and cliques never really left the world. The company had groups that hung out together—the guys at the top who made huge money, the admins who were on the low end but knew what was going on, the customer service girls, the salesmen who always tried to one up each other, and so on.
    It wasn’t hostile or overt like it had been high school, but Eli saw it. He knew he could confront Ash, and they’d have it out. Venting wouldn’t prove anything to him. The guys would have to be patient. Seeing changes in people took time.
    As Ash took baked lemon pepper chicken out of the oven, Eli watched her bend over. The other guys were conveniently busy so Eli could have her alone. It was a setup and a bad one. Eli fully admitted he was tough to impress. Once he formed an opinion, it took a huge shift to convince him otherwise.
    Ash smiled at him over her shoulder. “You’re really quiet. Don’t like healthy food?”
    “No, Fred makes it all the time. Just wondering why you didn’t marry some jock from Lucky Springs and settle down.” He was lighting the fire and wanted to see her temper.
    “I’ve got dirty rice, cheesy potatoes and a salad. Plus homemade sourdough rolls. But I can’t take credit for the bread. Crystal made too much.” Ash turned off the oven and leaned on the counter facing Eli. “All my life I was a good girl. My mom was a housewife, I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to keep doing what my parents told me, but if things got rough, I wanted to be able to take my kids and be okay. A lot of the girls were going away to college, so I did, too—most women don’t want factory jobs. ”
    “So you want kids?” He understood family expectations. His had