I smile at Kyle and look toward Zander. “This little youngin’ over here tried to order a beer from me. Does he really think he looks older than 12?”
Zander smacks his brother on the back of his head. “Shithead, I told you to be on your best behavior.”
I start laughing. “No harm, no foul.” I go over to the cooler, grab Zander a water, and give it to him.
We spend the night talking and laughing in between me taking care of customers. I feel comfortable right away with Zander’s brothers. They are spitting images of him personality-wise, well, except for Jay. He’s definitely his own brand of crazy.
I walk over to Zander and wrap my arms around his waist, putting my head on his chest.
“Tonight has been great, baby. I told you my brothers would like you as much as I do, and they love the fact that you don’t put up with my shit.”
I squeeze him tighter and gaze up into his amazingly blue eyes. “They are hilarious. Your poor mom obviously had her hands full with you four. I don’t even want to think of what she went through when you guys started noticing girls.” He starts to laugh.
“I wasn’t that bad. Jayden was the worst. You would have thought his dick was made of gold with the way he strutted around the house, and the fact that he doesn’t have a filter makes it worse.”
“Did I hear my name and golden dick in the same sentence?” Jayden asks, walking over to us.
“I was just telling her how much you overshared when you were a teenager. Remember that time mom dragged you by your ear all the way down to Mrs. Stanley’s house because she overheard you talking about her daughter? She made you apologize for your crude language and less than wholesome intentions. I thought you were going to piss your pants.” Zander and his brothers are now hunched over laughing, trying to catch their breath. “At least it got you to censor yourself in front of mom.”
I hear the swinging door to the kitchen open, and I look up to see Ashlyn walking out of the back toward us. I look over to Josh, whose mouth is currently wide open, a look of awe in his eyes.
“What’s up, my little sex kitten? Why are there still so many people here?”
“Zander’s brothers just moved up here from Texas. They stayed and kept me company on my shift all night and decided to help me clean up after we closed.”
Kyle starts choking on his water. “The fuck you talking about, girl? I don’t clean, sorry.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Ashlyn says, clapping her hands. “Who wants to help me clean the kitchen?”
I hear a banging and look toward Josh, who has jumped up off his seat so fast it falls to the floor. He clears his throat, trying to maintain his dignity. “Uh, hey. Yeah, I can help you clean the kitchen!”
Zander busts out laughing when he hears how enthusiastic he is.
“I bet you want to clean, all right. I’m sure you’ll be real thorough washing her dishes, cleaning her pots…” Zander smacks Jayden upside the back of his head.
“Ash, the boy child over here is Kyle.” I walk over to Jayden. “This highly inappropriate twin is Jayden.” I point toward her. “And this eager beaver over here is Josh. Close your mouth, Josh, I think I see drool.”
Kyle walks over and gives me a high five and whispers, “Can we stop with the little boy business? I’m a badass, and you’re killing my street cred.” He’s so cute, like a little puppy. I pat him on his head, then begin to sweep the floors.
Half an hour later, we’re locking up the bar. We’re staying at our own houses tonight because Zander has to get his brothers settled in, seeing as they’re staying with him until they find places of their own. He offers to give us a ride home, which I eagerly accept. More time with him is always a yes from me. Ashlyn gets in the car, and Josh jumps in behind her. Zander looks at him, puzzled.
“What? I thought I would check out where the girls lived, then I can keep you company on your ride home.”
“Right, you’re coming to keep me company.” He shoots his brother a knowing look.
Josh shuts the door as Zander opens mine. He helps me up into his truck and leans in for a quick kiss. The short ride is full of Ashlyn’s jokes and crude remarks. I’m starting to think she’s the female version of Jay, except for the fact that she can sensor herself.
When we get to our house, Zander walks me to the door. I can’t help but overhear Josh saying goodbye to Ash and that he’ll see her tomorrow. Well, well, well…I guess her dating ban is no longer in effect.
I’m about to walk in the house when Zander grabs my hand, stopping me. “Savvy, I have something I want to ask you.” He looks really nervous. “I want you to come with me to Vegas for my fight in two weeks.”
My heart is beating so fast. I can’t believe he wants me to go to the biggest fight of his career. To be truthful, I don’t know how I will react when I see him get hurt, but I know he wouldn’t ask me to come unless it was important to him. I keep saying in my head over and over that we barely know each other, that we’re moving too fast. I need to throw caution to the wind and jump into this head first.
“I don’t think I heard a question in there.” I laugh. “I would love nothing more than to be at your fight, rooting you on.”
Reaching up on my tippy toes, I meet his lips with mine. He brings his hands up and grabs a fistful of my hair, pulling it back and angling my face the way he wants it. The kiss starts to get deeper, hotter. I moan when his tongue enters my mouth, dueling with my own. The front porch light starts to quickly flash off and on. What the hell? We pull back, and I let out a deep sigh.
“Fuck off, Ashlyn!” I yell.
“It’s okay, I have to get home to let my brothers in anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams, baby.” Before he walks back to his truck, he leans in and gives me one last kiss that ends all too soon.
I walk in through the front door and slam it shut out of frustration, shooting a glare at Ashlyn. “Just because you’re not getting any doesn’t mean I can’t!” I stomp over to the couch and sit down, crossing my arms. When did I start throwing temper tantrums? Uncrossing my arms, I gesture for her to take a seat next to me.
“I know, I know, okay? I’m sorry. But I have a crisis on my hands! Josh asked me out…and I said no.” She buries her face in a pillow.
“Well, then why did I hear him say he’d see you tomorrow?”
“I told him we can hang out as friends and see if it goes somewhere. I swore off men because they have led to nothing but heartache for me. This is my turn to sit back and focus on myself, be happy with who I am before I add someone else to the equation. You know how badly it ended with Liam. I need to learn to trust myself again, as well as other men.”
“You know, not all guys are like Liam. They don’t always raise their hands to women. He was a fucking coward that had to bully his girlfriend to feel better about himself. One day, you will realize that none of it was your fault, and you will find the right person. I just know it.”
“I know what you’re saying makes sense, but I need to get there, and maybe someday I will. When Josh was helping me clean the kitchen, there was just something about him, Sav. I can’t even explain it. It was just so easy to talk to him, almost like I’ve known him forever instead of just an hour.”
“I know exactly what you’re talking about, because I feel the same way when I’m with Zander. My advice is to take it as slow as you need to, but don’t throw the idea out. I don’t want you to miss out on a connection because of an asshole who wasn’t worth your time. What if it does lead to heartache again? I will always be here with ice cream and alcohol, sometimes both together. You’ll regret it if you don’t at least give it a fighting shot.” I give her a hug as we talk for a little while longer.
“All right, whore, it’s time for bed. You need your beauty rest before you hang out with your friend tomorrow,” I say, waggling my eyebrows up and down. I notice a blush creep up her cheeks, which never happens and just solidifies the fact she already likes Josh a lot.
“I don�
�t need beauty rest. I wake up like this!” She busts out singing Beyoncé.
Laughing, we walk up the hall, arm in arm until we get to my room. I give her a bear hug, trying to squeeze the life out of her, and then wish her a good night.
I get ready for bed, and I shoot off a text to Zander to let him know I’m thinking about him. He sends me one back right away.
My Sexy Fighter: I miss you, baby. Wish you were here instead of my shitty brothers.
Laying snuggled in my bed, I go to sleep with a smile on my face.
CHAPTER 10
“Holy shit, this is going to be a disaster!”
“Calm down, Sav, it’s just football.”
“Yeah, with Zander and his brothers. My luck is not that great. You know something bad is going to happen.”
It’s Sunday, and my boys are ready to take the field as they head off against Zander’s team, the Texans. My nerves are a little on edge because this is Zander’s first time at my dad’s house. My dad tries to get down to the gym as much as he can during the week to watch Zander train, so they have spent quite a bit of time together since they first met. He told me he actually enjoys it because my dad has some good advice, and apparently, he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to MMA. To say I’m happy they get along is a definite understatement.
My dad also invited Zander’s brothers, who’ve been up here for a little over a week now, and I’m beyond excited that everyone gets along so well.
Ash made an obscene amount of food for today. I know she’s trying to impress Josh with her best stuff, and it’s wicked obvious. Who makes macaroons and lobster for a football game? You won’t find me complaining; I love her lobster. I will, however, be egging her on every chance I get.
We head into the living room with chips and dip in hand, placing them on the coffee table before sitting down. I go for the spot next to Zander, but he surprises me and pulls me down onto his lap. He places his hand on the back of my head and pulls me toward him, connecting our mouths. Almost immediately, we hear a throat clear. Slowly looking over my shoulder, I see my Dad glaring at Zander. Faster than I can comprehend, I find myself dropped on the couch next to Zander, and just like that, we have five inches between us.
“Dad, I’m not a teenager. I can’t even touch my boyfriend around you?”
“You guys can touch. I don’t mind high fives or handshakes. I can even deal with a quick hug, as long as you guys don’t get too handsy. What I don’t like to see is this barbarian mauling my baby girl on the couch. We’ve discussed this before, son.” He shoots a glare at Zander, and I can hear Ash start to snicker. Wait, they’ve talked about this before? This is news to me.
“Would you like to accompany us on a chaperoned stroll around the house too, Dad? I’m 24 years old, for crying out loud.”
“Sorry, sweetie, I would have never guessed from your three-year-old temper tantrum.”
I reach over, grab Zander’s hand, interlock our fingers together, and place them on my knee. I hear Zander mutter an “oh shit” as I stare back at my dad, giving him a “what are you going to do about it?” look.
“Savannah…”
“Something wrong, old man? We’re not breaking your rules.” I see his eye twitch when I give him the sweetest smile I can muster. I must maintain a poker face, even if it kills me.
“You most certainly are, young lady. Holding hands was not on the list of approved touches. Do I need to write you a list?”
“Oh, this?” I hold up our intertwined hands. “This isn’t hand-holding. This is a prolonged handshake.” I can feel Zander trying to pull his hand out of mine, but I just squeeze his fingers even harder.
Jay clears his throat. “Hey Savvy, you do realize that you’re crushing his moneymaker, right? You might want to ease up on the death grip over there.”
“Shit, I’m sorry!” I yell as I let go of his fingers. I pull them up to my face to examine them, making sure they are not disfigured or broken.
“Baby, they’re fine.” He pulls my hand to his mouth and gives it a delicate kiss. Another throat-clear from my dad has him throwing my hand away like it’s a hot potato. I narrowing my gaze at him, and he at least looks a little sheepish.
“Sorry, I can’t in front of the general. I like my balls where they are. I have been told repeatedly what appropriate behavior I should display all week.”
I can’t help but laugh out loud. “Well played, Dad. I’m going to remember this when you have a lady caller at the door. Don’t expect me to be nice, oh no. The embarrassing stories will be coming out in full force.”
My dad’s face loses some of its color, making me question what I said to make him nervous. I’ll tuck that thought away for later. Dad never looks nervous, so something must be going on.
I grab Zander’s hand and start to look at it again to make sure I didn’t cause any permanent damage.
“Savvy, you’re not the Hulk. I’m pretty sure your baby strength barely caused him any pain.”
Narrowing my gaze on Jay, I begin to fume. I hate when people assume girls are the weaker gender. “Is it because I’m a little girl, Jay? Does my baby strength not measure up to yours?”
“Hell no, it doesn’t. It’s a known fact that guys are stronger than women. Am I right, guys?” He looks around for any signs of solidarity. He’s met with Josh looking at the ceiling, Kyle jumping up as he yells he needs to use the bathroom, and my Dad and Zander looking extremely interested in the commercial on TV.
“Would you care to make a little bet?”
“I can beat you in anything, so sure, I’ll take that bet, Savannah.”
I stand and leave the room with Ash close on my heels. I need to come up with something I know I can win that also involves some strength so he doesn’t think I cheated.
“You know what you have to do, Sav. It’s been a while, but we can do it just like we did in high school.”
Psyching myself up, I start to turn my neck side to side. I can do this. We scammed so many people when we were teenagers. We made a lot of money until we got caught, and nobody would bet us anymore.
“It will be like taking candy from a baby. They just moved here, so there is no way they have heard the stories yet.”
“Fucking right! This is going to be epic! I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he loses!”
We walk back into the room with a table and set it up as everyone watches.
“All right, Jay. I assume you know how to arm wrestle?”
“Fucking hell, I still have nightmares of the mob, Savvy!” my dad bellows out. I quickly shush him.
“Not another word. I’m going to teach Jayden here a lesson. You should never underestimate a girl, asshole.”
“Baby, you are so strong, we know you are. Why don’t you come sit down? Halftime is almost over.”
“Do you think I’m going to lose, babe?”
“Now, I didn’t say that—”
“Sit back and watch the master, buddy!”
Jay and I assume the position. He plants his elbow on the table at a wide angle, his hand up and facing toward me. I look over to Ash, and she slightly nods her head toward his feet. He has no idea what he’s doing. It’s all in where you plant your body to ensure a win. I would know; I learned how to cheat at arm wrestling.
I plant my right foot forward under the table, slightly leaning my hip right up against it. I make sure to place my elbow close to my body and keep my hand as upright as I can. When we clasp hands, I make sure to grip high so as not to give him a chance to grip my knuckles and curl my thumb in. I smile inwardly, knowing this is going to be easy as pie.
Ash walks over to us as we hold our hands together in the center of the table. She does the countdown, lets go of our hands, and we begin.
Now, the trick is not to push to the side but to pull his hand slightly toward me. The fact that he has horrible posture and bad hand and elbow position are all points against him. He’s definitely strong, I’ll give him that, but not st
rong enough to beat me. I start to pull on his arm, making it move toward my side of the table.
“What the fuck? Do you have superhuman strength? Ahhhhhhhhh,” he groans out as he tries to use even more strength. It’s no match for my technique, and I push his hand into the table in victory.
“What a pussy! You couldn’t even beat a girl, son? And you call yourself a man.” My dad laughs, adding gas to the fire.
“I don’t know what happened. I need to go to the gym. What the fuck, dude? Your workouts are definitely not building my strength. What, are you scared I’m going to be stronger than you? I demand a refund!”
“Sit the fuck down, asshole. A fucking refund? You don’t even pay to workout with me.”
Zander comes up to me, grabs my hand, and pulls me into the kitchen, where he picks me up and places me on the counter. He captures my mouth in a delicious kiss, and when I pull back, I’m a panting mess and completely ready to throw down right here on my dad’s kitchen counter.
“Your dad told me about the mob that swarmed your house after they realized you and Ash cheated your way through arm wrestling in high school. I didn’t believe you could beat grown men, baby, but fuck. You beat Jay, and it made me so fucking hard. It makes me think about wrestling you in bed later.”
Groaning, I pull him back to me, attacking his mouth. After a few minutes, we separate and try to gather our composure.
“You thought he had a chance, even though my dad told you the story? I’ve won against people more than double my size before. What made you think he was different?”
He places me back on the floor and kisses my forehead. “I thought it was a made-up story that your dad tells people. I should have known it was true from the pride in his voice when he talked about it. My girl’s beautiful and smart; I won the lottery with you.”
I smile shyly up at him as we walk back into the living room. Jay still looks dejected in the corner while everyone else is back to watching the game.
“Jay, meet me at the gym in the morning before you head to work. I’ll strengthen up those arms for you, bro.”
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