She finally looked at him, a wary look in her eyes. “Uh, a few thousand dollars at least.”
He let out a low whistle. With how much he didn’t have to pay for rent, he had a good amount in savings. He’d planned on using it as a down payment for a house someday. That was the only reason he hadn’t pushed Abby harder on letting him pay all of the rent, or at least a higher percentage. He could dip into that to help out her mom.
“Okay. I can swing that.”
“No.” Her answer came automatically, almost before he finished talking.
“What?”
She shook her head. “I said no. I’m not letting you give my br—my mom money. Not happening, so don’t even think about it.” Her voice was firm, brooking no argument.
“Why not?”
“Because she’s my mom, not yours.” She looked away, her eyes unfocused, her hand coming up to play with her lower lip like she always did when she was stressed or thinking about something. Right now, both things were obviously the case.
He stepped closer and pulled her hand away. “I don’t mind helping, Abby,” he said quietly. “Really, I don’t.”
Her gaze softened when she looked at him. “I know. I know you don’t. And that’s one of the reasons I love you. But I don’t feel right about letting you do this. I’ll—I’ll figure something out.”
He pulled her close again by his grip on her wrist, and she let him, setting her glass down on the counter as she went. “How, Abby? How will you help her pay for this? You’ve already told me her budget is pretty much maxed out. And I know that you sometimes use your own money to help her pay for groceries.” He kept his voice soft and the questions curious rather than accusatory, not wanting to upset her more than she already was.
One shoulder lifted in a shrug. “I have the rest of my loan disbursement still.”
His mouth tightened a fraction at that, remembering the fight they’d had at the beginning of the semester about her getting the payout instead of letting him pay for rent and only taking what she needed to cover the cost of school. But he let it go. “I thought that money was to pay for your half of the rent.”
She winced at that. “Yeah. It was. But …”
When she trailed off, he waited for her to finish, but she didn’t. He spoke her unfinished thought. “But … you’re okay with me paying for rent so you can help your mom, but not okay with me helping her directly?”
Another one shoulder shrug. “Something like that.”
He couldn’t help the low chuckle that escaped, and she started to push back. But he tightened his arms around her. “I’m sorry, Abby. I—you have to see why that’s kind of funny.” She didn’t say anything. “Okay. Fine. Maybe not. I get that it’s important to you to pay for your own things. If you’re okay with me taking care of you so you can take care of your mom, I’m okay with that, too.”
She sighed, her arms finally winding around him, squeezing him close. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” He kissed the top of her head, and she lifted her face to his, kissing him back, seeming to go back to her normal self. The kiss deepened, turning hotter, and he found his hands slipping under her top, caressing her skin. He stopped himself before undoing her bra, gentling the kiss and pulling back. He grinned down at her, her lips pink and swollen from his kiss, her eyes glazed, her cheeks flushed. “We have reservations soon, so we’ll have to pick that up later.”
She smiled back, the tension gone now that the money question was resolved. Good. Now they could get back to the fun weekend they had planned. It was her twenty-first birthday tomorrow. She should be drinking and partying and living it up, not worrying about how to pay for her mom’s medical bills. So he made it his goal for the weekend to ramp up his distraction, showering her with gifts, plying her with delicious food and drink, and most importantly, worshipping her body and keeping her sated with pleasure. He looked forward to that part the most. And he planned on starting on it as soon as they were home again.
Lance’s hands slipped around Abby’s waist as she stood in front of the mirror swiping gloss over her lips before heading out to her birthday party at Megan’s house. He nuzzled her neck and nipped at her earlobe, sending a shiver down her spine followed by a zing of arousal.
She ducked her head, reaching for the earrings he’d given her the night before. “Stop that. We need to leave soon. And if you’re going to be nibbling on my ears, I won’t be able to wear the earrings you gave me last night.”
He held her in place with his hands on her hips, still nuzzling that spot below her ear. Almost unconsciously she tipped her head to the side, her eyelids sliding closed, enjoying his attention.
“And was that your favorite part of last night?” His low voice rasping in her ear sent another round of shivers down her spine, the combination of his lips on her neck and his hands roaming her body ratcheting her arousal higher. Sense memories from the night before played over her skin.
He’d grabbed a little gift bag off the coffee table before leading her out the door to drive to the restaurant. He’d said that his plan to have her open the present before leaving had been thrown off by her getting home later than normal and their discussion afterward. Guilt ate at her as she remembered that conversation. She’d hated lying to him about why her brother wanted the money. But she couldn’t bring herself to tell him it was to pay off a gambling debt. It was too embarrassing. She couldn’t predict how Lance would react to that news. And Aaron was right about one thing—Lance would give her money, but he wouldn’t necessarily give more to Aaron. Especially if he knew why. Lance already didn’t like her brother, and for good reason. She wasn’t particularly fond of him anymore either, but he was still family. Letting him get hurt or worse, killed, by some lowlife bookies when she could prevent it was impossible. Even if he had abandoned them. She hoped he’d take her money and leave. Go somewhere else. Leave them alone again. Maybe stay gone for good.
Unless he got his life together. Maybe she’d be okay with some contact then.
But with the way things stood, no way in hell did she want him around. And she definitely didn’t want him at her mom’s house. She knew that if he didn’t get the money from her, he’d steal it from their mom. And her mom could barely pay for everything she needed as it was. She hadn’t realized that Lance knew that she helped pay for her mom’s groceries, but it didn’t really surprise her. He paid attention.
On the way to dinner, he’d gone back and forth on whether she should open her gift in the car. She’d laughed at his giddy excitement. He was like a little kid on Christmas morning, except she was the one getting the present. She’d finally opened it after they were seated and ordered drinks. Inside the bag was tucked a little velvet jewelry box. She’d been nervous to open it, especially in a restaurant full of people, but Lance’s smile and watchful eyes had spurred her on. Relief and disappointment had washed through her when she opened the box to reveal a pair of earrings. They hadn’t really talked about getting engaged, so she pushed both feelings aside as quickly as they came.
“Lance, they’re beautiful.” And they were, she ran her fingers over the delicate chains and leaves, causing a light tinkling sound. “I love them.”
His eyes had glowed with pleasure that she liked them. “I was worried you might think they were too much.”
“Well, they are,” she’d chuckled. “But I love them anyway.”
“Good.”
Now, the earrings slipped from her fingers, distracted by Lance kissing and nibbling his way around her neck and collarbone from behind, landing on the tile floor of the bathroom with a tiny crash. The sound brought her back to herself and the realization that they didn’t have time for another round of lovemaking before going to her birthday party.
She tried to disentangle herself to retrieve the earrings. “Lance, my earrings.”
“They’re fine. I promise I won’t step on them.”
A gasp escaped her lips as he nipped at her neck, grinding his hardness
against her ass. “We’ll be late if you don’t stop.”
“Mmm.” His lips never left her, and now his hand was working its way down the front of her pants.
“Lance.” His name came out more sigh than protest.
He stroked her, his hand sliding down farther, two fingers slipping inside, finding her already slick and ready for him. When he lifted his head to look down at her, his dark eyes had grown even darker with lust, and she knew there was no turning back. “We’ll be quick. I promise.”
With that, he stripped her pants and panties down her legs, encouraging her to step out of them. While he was crouched down, he scooped up her earrings and deposited them safely on the bathroom counter. Then lifted her onto the counter, bottles and toiletries clattering as her ass pushed them out of the way. He undid his jeans and freed himself before wrapping her legs around his waist. With his hands on her ass, he pulled her against him as he thrust forward, filling her deeply at this angle.
Quickies on the bathroom counter were not their usual, but Lance couldn’t seem to keep his hands off her today. Abby found it so hot that, combined with the angle of his thrusts, she quickly spiraled closer and closer to the edge. She clutched at his shoulders as he pounded into her, her head thrown back, eyes closed, her thighs straining as she gripped him with her legs. In her precarious position on the edge of the counter, all she could do was hold on.
“Come on, Abby. Are you there? Please tell me you’re close.”
She opened her eyes to find him staring down at her, lust and strain in his face as he picked up the pace, unable to hold back any longer. He pushed into her hard once and again, grinding against her, his climax triggering her own. They shuddered together, hanging onto each other until they both relaxed in the afterglow, sharing a leisurely kiss before cleaning themselves up and putting themselves back together. Abby couldn’t suppress her grin as they finished getting ready, not even caring anymore that they’d be late.
Everyone else was at the house when she and Lance arrived, rushing into the house from where they’d parked on the street to get out of the cold February drizzle as quickly as possible. The scent of dinner cooking greeted them when they walked in.
Chris got up and came to the door, slapping Lance on the shoulder by way of greeting and leaning in to give Abby a quick kiss on the cheek. “Happy birthday, Abs.”
“Thanks, Chris.” Since he spent so much time with Lance and Megan, Chris had adopted the nickname that she only let those closest to her call her. Matt didn’t even call her Abs, though she’d be okay with it if he did.
They moved into the living room, Abby and Lance shedding their coats, when Megan came out to greet them. She grabbed Abby in a fierce hug. “Happy birthday! You’re twenty-one! Now we can go to bars and you can buy your own drinks! I’m so excited!”
Abby laughed. “Because you’ve had to buy me sooo many drinks in the last few months since you turned twenty-one.”
Megan pulled back with a grin and a shrug. “Well I would’ve if you’d have ever come out with me.”
“Yeah, right. You’d have made me get Lance to buy my drinks, and you know it.”
Megan poked out her lower lip in a faux pout. “Not if it was a girls’ night.”
Before Abby could respond, Matt came forward, his arm around a blonde, her hair more wheat colored than Abby’s own strawberry blonde. The new girl took them in, trying to hang back a little, chewing her lip and fiddling with her fingers like she was nervous, a slight pinkness to her cheeks that could be explained away as heat from working in the kitchen, where she’d just come from, but Abby guessed she might be blushing. She sympathized, being a chronic blusher herself. The curse of fair skin and light hair.
Matt, on the other hand, looked proud. He urged her toward them. “Lance, Abby, this is my girlfriend, Hannah. Hannah, this is Lance and Abby.”
Abby returned Hannah’s tentative smile and, with a glance at Lance out of the corner of her eye, gave Hannah a welcoming hug. She remembered how awkward she’d felt meeting Lance’s friends, and that was when they were both single. How much harder would it be to be in Hannah’s place—trying to break into an established group of friends? “I’m so happy to meet you. Megan’s told me all about you.”
Hannah hugged her back. “Uh, good things I hope.”
“Abby’s my best friend,” Megan interjected. “We talk. And another girl spending lots of time in my house merits discussion.”
Abby stepped back and smiled at Hannah, noticing how green her eyes were now that they stood this close together. “Don’t worry, it’s good. At least the stuff about you is. The stuff about Matt, on the other hand …” She rolled her eyes and glanced in Matt’s direction, who was so easy to needle.
He immediately jumped in with, “Hey! What lies are you spreading about me, Megan?” just as Abby could’ve predicted.
Megan laughed. More of a cackle, really. “What makes you think they’re lies? You do enough stupid stuff all on your own. I don’t need to embellish it.”
Feeling a little sorry for him, Abby gave him a placating pat on the arm. He wasn’t placated and glared at her instead of Megan. “Aw, don’t worry, Matty. She tells me about the sweet stuff you do, too. Like all your Valentine’s Day plans.” She couldn’t resist needling him a little more by calling him Matty. She knew he hated it. It was so easy to get a rise out of him. But she did think his Valentine’s Day plans to pull out all the stops for Hannah with a fancy dinner were sweet. She and Lance had kept it pretty low key this year. He’d wanted to go out, but she’d had a hard week full of tests and essays and had convinced him that staying in would make her happier than dealing with a crowded restaurant.
Instead of softening like she’d expected, Matt’s face shuttered, all expression gone. She looked at Hannah, who shifted uncomfortably, her smile also gone, avoiding eye contact with anyone. What was going on? Had something happened on Valentine’s Day? She threw a questioning look at Megan, who widened her eyes and gave a tiny shrug. Matt and Hannah remained frozen in their discomfort. Abby’s eyebrows came together. “What—”
Before she could finish her question, Matt cut her off. “I hate when you guys call me Matty. My name’s Matt.”
Eyes wide, Abby looked at Megan, not sure what to make of this whole thing. Megan just chuckled, cutting through the sudden tension that had sprung up from Abby’s innocent comment. She stepped to Matt’s other side, looping her arm through his and laying her head on his shoulder. “I know, Matty. That’s why we do it.”
Matt looked down at her and relaxed, a low chuckle coming from him as he patted Megan’s head affectionately. “I know.”
After that they sat down, Megan going back to the kitchen to finish getting dinner ready. They chatted some more, getting to know Hannah. Matt was so obviously smitten. Lance tried to interrogate the poor girl at one point, but Abby glared at him. “Be nice, Lance. This isn’t an interview. She’s Matt’s girlfriend, and she has Chris and Megan’s approval.”
The weird tension from before had gone, Hannah sitting on Matt’s lap across from her and Lance on the couch, Chris in the chair by himself until Megan announced it was time to eat. She produced a bottle of wine with a flourish once they were all at the table.
“We’re all here instead of out getting crazy drunk because Abby doesn’t like wild and crazy parties. And I’m not even sure she’s ever been drunk.” Megan said that like it was a bad thing.
Abby just shook her head and laughed at her friend.
“But, what’s a twenty-first birthday without alcohol? That’s just un-American. And we can’t have that. So we’ll have wine with dinner and pretend to be proper adults.”
Matt watched Megan pouring wine into Abby’s glass first, then Lance’s. “Well, Lance and I are proper adults, with jobs and everything.”
Megan stuck her tongue out at him. Chris laughed. “Yeah, but you still share a house with two college students, so I’m not sure that counts.”
“Whatever,
man,” Matt grumbled, staring at his glass as Megan filled it.
Lance shrugged. “I’m okay with not being a proper adult yet. Adulting isn’t much fun. I’ll put it off a while longer if I can.”
Abby shot him a grateful look. She didn’t want Matt’s propensity to be moody and pissy lately to bring down her birthday party. Hannah leaned over and whispered something to Matt, who gave her a look, the corners of his mouth tugging up. He kissed her. The new girlfriend really did seem to be good for him. He was here, after all. He’d been avoiding them since the spring semester had started in January. Even before he’d met Hannah. Or met her again. Abby wasn’t all that clear on the timeline there. He’d gotten more distant and moody throughout the fall semester, which she attributed to him feeling like a third wheel. But the comment about him being a real adult made her wonder if there was more to it than that. Either way, Hannah made him smile, and that was a good thing. Matt was a good guy. Laid back and friendly, she’d always known him to be ready with a smile or a joke until recently. Hopefully that came back now that he wasn’t a third wheel anymore.
They did presents and cake after dinner. Nothing fancy. Megan got her a round silver pendant with concentric bands of filigree alternating with solid bands etched with a swirling design. It hung on a slim chain.
Abby held it up for everyone to admire. “It’s beautiful. Thanks, Megan.”
“A friend of mine works with silver, and I saw it and thought it was perfect for you. I’m glad you like it.” She got up and gave Abby a hug.
“Hey! It’s from me too,” Chris put in. Everyone laughed, because it was clear that Megan had picked it out, and he’d just signed his name to the card.
Matt and Hannah gave her an iTunes gift card. But from the look Hannah gave Matt, Abby didn’t think Hannah had been involved with the purchase.
Matt didn’t seem phased by it. “I heard you got a new iPad for Christmas. I thought you might want some more apps or books or something. I know Lance would’ve gotten you a bunch, but you might’ve worked through it all by now.”
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