“Do you even know what you just said?”
“Kline!”
“Okay.” I laughed. “Just tell her we used our own because she failed to get magnum.”
Her body shook with laughter despite her stern face.
“Get cleaned up for dinner!”
“Yes, ma’am,” I agreed with a wink, sliding my body all the way down hers and pushing my face to the front of her pants.
“Mmm.” I inhaled. “I think I should help you clean up here. I’ll lick up all of my mess,” I promised, pledging my truth with a hand at my chest.
She just shook her head and smiled, sliding a hand into my hair and yanking up on my head. “Go get changed and throw some cold water on your face, you bad man, you.”
I reached into my pants with a grin and adjusted my dick to a more comfortable position.
“I can’t help it, baby,” I teased. “It’s the house’s fault.”
She shook her head again, climbing to her knees and pushing her lips softly to mine. She spoke softly right there. “What am I gonna do with you?”
“Keep me.”
“What am I gonna do with me?” she whispered. “So lost in you.”
I squeezed her tight and answered with a prayer.
“Stay there.” Forever.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Georgia
“Let me show you one of my favorite places in the house,” my father instructed, leading Kline toward the garage. This was another one of his tests.
Hell, he’d been testing my boyfriend all weekend.
There had been the beer test. Dick had offered Miller Lite and Guinness. Kline had chosen Guinness, and my father had patted him on the shoulder, adding, “I’m happy Georgie didn’t bring a light-beer, piss-drinking pussy into my home.”
There had been the liquor test. Dick had offered him a martini. Kline had politely declined and asked if there was any bourbon or whiskey in the house. Dick’s response: another pat on the back.
There had also been the pizza test. Last night, my mother hadn’t felt like cooking, so Dick had handed Kline a menu from Pappadoro’s—a mom and pop pizza shop up the street—and told him to order a bunch of pies for everyone. Kline had gotten another pat on the back when he ordered three large meat lover’s supremes and cheesy garlic bread.
Sports. Cars. Politics. You name it, and Dick tested. Surprisingly enough, Kline had passed every one with flying colors. How’d I know this? The pat on the back, of course.
We stepped out into the three-car garage, and Kline immediately removed his arm from my shoulder, walking over toward one of my dad’s cars.
“A 428 Cobra Jet Mustang. Wow.” He let out a low whistle, eyeing my father’s car with an appreciative gleam in his eyes. “She’s a beaut.”
“Probably my favorite person in the house.” My father patted him on the back, chuckling.
“Bought her in sixty-eight. She’s in prime condition. Engine was restored a few years ago.”
“Tell me you kept the Low Riser cylinder heads,” Kline added, moving around the car with his hands on his hips, his eyes plastered to the red paint of my father’s most prized possession.
Sometimes, I wondered if he loved this car more than he loved his own kids.
“Of course I did.”
“Thank God.” Kline skimmed his fingers across the paint, light enough that he wouldn’t leave a mark, and a giant smile consumed his face. “This, right here, was the game changer for Ford.”
Dick stared at my boyfriend like he was falling in love. “She redeemed the Ford name in the factory of horsepower.”
Kline nodded and glanced up at me, a boyish smile still etched on his handsome face. “Why didn’t you tell me your father had this in his garage?”
I shrugged. “I had no idea you’d get such a hard-on for a car.”
“Are you kidding me?” Kline laughed. “This is one of my favorite cars. Ever. My father’s a Ford man, through and through. He’d lose it if he got his hands on this car.”
“I think your dad and I would get along just fine,” Dick said with a smile.
Jesus. I’d never seen my dad smile so much in my life. The pulsating vein in the center of his forehead, yeah, I’d definitely seen my fair share of that, especially when I’d missed curfew in high school. But this giant smile that had taken up residence on my father’s face? It was so rare that it was almost creepy.
Dick Cummings was a pretty happy guy, but he didn’t usually pass out smiles and giddy looks on a daily basis. Honestly, I think the last time I’d seen him smile like this, my mother had brought home three bags from Victoria’s Secret.
“I’d let you take her for a spin, but I’ve gotta take her into the shop come tomorrow morning. She’s having issues when I try to crank her.”
“Mind if I take a look?” Kline asked.
By the sounds of their conversation, you’d think my dad’s car was an actual person, a female, at that. Men were so weird.
“By all means.” My dad gestured toward the car. He grabbed the keys from the hook and tossed them to him.
Kline hopped in the driver’s seat and attempted to turn the engine. It didn’t start, and I’d never claimed to know car sounds, but whatever abnormal sound was coming from the car couldn’t have been good.
“See what I mean, son?” Dick asked, elbows resting on the driver’s side window.
Son? One bonding moment over his car and my dad was calling him son. I was sure any minute he’d give Kline his blessing and tell my mother to start planning my bachelorette party. No doubt, Dr. Savannah Cummings would prefer picking out penis straws to floral arrangements.
If anyone bought me dicks for my bachelorette party, it would be my mother. Cassie would provide the liquor and gift bag filled with crotchless panties. Now that I thought about it, it was a wonder I’d stayed a virgin for as long as I did. I was surrounded by a bunch of horny floozies.
“Dick, I think it’s the starter motor relay.”
“Really?”
Kline nodded. “I can hear the high-load relay engaging. Mind if I pop the hood and take a look at the engine?”
“Of course.” My father stood back from the car as Kline hopped out and busied himself under the hood.
After a few minutes, my boyfriend was convinced he knew the issue and could fix it. And by the look on Dick’s face, I was starting to wonder if he would be the one to marry Kline.
“I’m grabbing something to drink. You guys want anything?” I offered.
“I’m good, babe,” Kline declined, while my father merely mumbled, “No,” too damn entranced by what was going on underneath the hood of his car.
I walked out of the garage and into the kitchen, leaving them to their man time. Popping the tab on a can of Coke, I leaned my hip against the counter and took a gulp from the sugary soda.
To say I was shocked by the open-armed, constant-back-patting greeting my father had been giving Kline, would be the understatement of the century. My dad was never this nice to any guy I brought home. Growing up, it had been a common occurrence for Dick to clean his guns in the living room if he knew a boy was picking me up.
Sheesh. No wonder I’d fallen so fast for Kline’s charms. He practically had my dad, the boyfriend ballbuster, eating out of the palm of his hand.
I walked past my mother’s office, finding her typing away on her laptop. She paused, sliding her glasses to the brim of her nose. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing much. Dad and Kline are in the garage talking car shit.” I shrugged, leaning against the doorframe.
“Seems like they’re hitting it off.”
“Pretty sure Dad’s going to propose to my boyfriend before we head home.”
“I hope he lets me plan his bachelor party,” she joked.
See what I mean?
She smiled a wistful smile. “It’s always been a dream of mine to jump out of a cake and do a sexy striptease for your father. The closest we ever got to that was when I—”
&n
bsp; I held my hand up. “For the love of God, I do not want to hear about you and Dick doing the nasty.”
“Georgia, sex is a normal human urge. It doesn’t matter how old you are or how many kids you have, you’ll still want to do it.”
“Are you finished psychoanalyzing my views on human sexuality, Dr. Cummings?” I asked, raising a skeptical brow.
Her smile turned curious and I braced myself for the next question that would come out of her mouth.
“Speaking of sex, how are things with you and Kline?”
“I’m not talking about my sex life with you.”
She pouted. “Oh, come on, sweetie.”
“Nope.” I raised both hands. “Not happening.”
My mother cupped her mouth, whispering, “Last night, it sounded like things were going really good.”
I groaned. “I get that you’re a sex therapist and you’re extremely open when it comes to talking about sex, but it’s a little creepy you were eavesdropping.”
“Actually, I wasn’t eavesdropping. You were just that loud.”
I gaped.
“I can’t tell you how happy this makes me.”
“You realize this isn’t a normal mother-daughter conversation, right?”
“It’s not the normal conversation society thinks we should be having, but I know it’s the conversation we should be having. Just know, I’m beyond thrilled you’ve found someone who makes you happy in every facet of your life. Not just in bed, which I have to say, from the sounds of it, Kline knows what he’s doing.” She winked. “But it’s obvious he makes you really happy. And anyone who can make my daughter walk around with a constant glow and a gorgeous smile is someone I hope she keeps around.” She paused as I smiled, and she considered me closely. “He seems like a really good man, Georgia. And he’s extremely lucky he found you.”
Although my mom was her own type of crazy, she was still my mom and I loved her. I’d always want her acceptance. And I’d definitely want her to like the man in my life.
I walked toward her, leaning down and wrapping her in a tight hug.
“I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too, sweetie. I’ve missed having you home. I hope you’ll start visiting more often.”
“Consider it a done deal.” I squeezed her tighter. “As long as you promise not to eavesdrop.”
“Deal,” she agreed, laughing.
As I walked out of her office, she added, “But seriously, sweetie. I was a little jealous. That orgasm must have lasted a good two minutes.”
“Three minutes,” I called over my shoulder. “It was three minutes and it might have been more, but I’m pretty sure I lost consciousness.”
I heard her laugh the entire way to my bedroom.
The second I stepped into my room, I threw my body onto the bed, my back hitting the mattress, causing pillows to fall onto the floor. My eyes took in the many nuances of my childhood stronghold. My parents hadn’t changed a thing since I’d left for college. Everything was as I had left it. Old pictures of prom and homecoming littered my desk. My graduation cap hung next to the door. And the pink and yellow flowered wallpaper still lined the walls.
It was hideous by all accounts, but it was still my room. The bedroom I had grown up in. The place I’d had sleepovers and gossiped with friends about our latest crushes. The place I’d had my first kiss with Stevie Jones, even though we were supposed to have been studying for our algebra exam.
Nostalgia was potent, filling my lungs and plastering a reflective smile on my face. So much in my life had changed from the day I’d grabbed my last suitcase and headed to college. I had a great job, amazing friends, and now…Kline. It was funny how two years ago, I’d thought of him only as my boss, refusing to see him as anything else, and now, he had become this fixture in my life, one I was starting to hope would be permanent.
The sound of a phone vibrating across the surface of my nightstand caught my attention. I picked it up, tapping the screen, wondering if Cass was getting ready to harass me about using the last of the coffee creamer and leaving a sink full of dishes before heading to my parents’.
The screen lit up with a TapNext notification.
TAPRoseNEXT: Hey you, how’s your day going?
I tilted my head, confused. Why was I getting messages from my account? The one I’d told Cassie to take over?
Turning over the phone, my mind registered the case. Not the glittery sparkle one I’d bought a few weeks ago, but plain, old, simple black.
Kline’s phone case.
Not mine.
Kline’s.
I dropped the phone like it had caught fire. It hit the hardwood floor with an awful thud and I cringed, wondering for a brief second if I had broken his phone.
But then the shock of the entire situation took over.
If he…
Wait a minute…
Is this?
No way.
NO WAY.
I just stood there, staring down at the screen and the profile name TAPRoseNEXT glaring back at me. If he was getting messages from my TapNext account, then that meant…
I gaped, my eyes popping wide. Jesus Christ in a peach tree, did this mean that when I had been messaging Ruck, I had really been messaging Kline?
My heart pounded in my chest, erratically enough that I was a little concerned I might go into cardiac arrest.
Slowly, I bent down and picked up the phone. My mind warred between my options. I could either do the right thing and set the phone back down and act like I had never seen it, or I could swipe the screen, put in his passcode, and see if it was really what I thought it was.
The only reason I knew his passcode was because I’d had to retrieve a few emails for him while we were in the Hamptons. He had remembered he needed to check on a time-sensitive contract and just so happened to be elbow deep in soapy water and dishes. So, he’d told me the passcode, and I just so happened to still remember said passcode.
I scrubbed my left hand down my face while my right white-knuckled his phone. I was sure the correct choice was to act like I had never seen it, set his phone down, and walk away, but I needed to know if what I was seeing was real.
Which was why my fingers slid across the screen and pulled up the TapNext icon. I took one glance at his profile, and when the username BAD_Ruck met my confused gaze, I refused to invade any more of his privacy and immediately locked his phone, setting it facedown on the nightstand.
He. Was. Ruck.
My hands went into my hair, resting on top of my head, as I paced my bedroom. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, the four walls closing in on me. I had been messaging Kline the entire time, without even knowing it. And he had been messaging me, but he didn’t know it was me.
But wait, he had met my best friend. He knew her face was Rose’s profile picture, but he hadn’t known I was the one to put it there.
Irrational jealousy and anger started to build inside of my chest.
Had he still been chatting with Rose after meeting Cassie?
Fuck.
I picked his phone back up and quickly unlocked the screen again, pulling up the TapNext app within seconds. My heart threatened to thrash its way out of my body as I found the lone conversation in Ruck’s message box.
I felt insane, completely off my rocker, as I found the last few messages and scrutinized the timestamps.
Relief robbed the breath from my lungs as I met the realization that the last message Ruck sent Rose had been before we had met up at The Raines Law Room.
Before he had met my best friend.
The edges of my anger, my jealousy, still shook my hands. I couldn’t deny I felt betrayed over the fact that he had been chatting with another woman, while dating me.
But I breathed through it, slowly talking myself off the illogical ledge as I set Kline’s phone back on the nightstand.
How could I be mad at him when I had been doing the exact same thing?
Of course, I was upset he had been chatti
ng with another woman, not really knowing that woman was me. It hurt. A lot. But I couldn’t deny it made sense. It made sense why we would continue to talk, even though we were dating other people. We were drawn to each other, in every possible way.
I was filled with this odd feeling of relief, but it was quickly pushed aside when I started to realize the consequences of my decisions.
My world had officially turned on its axis. I was in the Twilight Zone and playing the star role in a weird, modern remake of You’ve Got Mail. The only difference was that I wasn’t Kathleen Kelly in this scenario. I was Joe Fox.
Holy. Fox.
And I had gone off script. I hadn’t planned a big grand gesture where I would unveil it had been me the whole time.
No.
Not only had I given my best friend free rein to message my boyfriend, I had all but forced her to do it.
Holy. Foxing. Shit.
Finding my phone on my desk, I dialed Cass’s number and went into the bathroom, shutting the door and sitting in the bathtub fully clothed.
“Hey, sweet cheeks, how are the parental units?” she answered, her voice too goddamn cheery for the shitstorm that was my life.
“Do not message Ruck ever again.”
“Huh?”
I shut my eyes, resting my head on the edge of the tub. “I fucked up, Cass. I fucked up big time.”
“Whoa, slow down, Susie. What’s going on?”
“Thatch isn’t Ruck. Kline is Ruck.”
The phone was dead silent.
“Do you hear me?! Kline is Ruck!” I shouted, my voice echoing in the bathroom. I clamped my hand over my mouth, realizing anyone walking by my bedroom would be able to hear me screaming like a lunatic.
I listened closely for any sign I wasn’t alone and was relieved when I didn’t hear anything but my erratic breathing.
“Okay,” Cassie started. “I’m officially confused, so please, spell it out for me in slow, clear sentences.”
I rambled on for a good two minutes, giving her the step-by-step details of how I had discovered my boyfriend was Ruck.
“What are the fucking odds?” she asked, sounding just as shocked as I felt.
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