by Eden Finley
I climbed into the passenger seat of his ute while he got out his phone and texted someone before getting into the driver’s side.
The car ride was pretty quiet. Cody was watching something on his iPad, and I didn’t know what I could or couldn’t say without him overhearing.
When we reached the turnoff for Main, I pointed. “Sara’s is that way.”
“We’re not going to Sara’s yet,” Cole said.
“Why not?”
He looked in the rear-view mirror at Cody. “Hey, bud, you going to be okay with Uncle Hunter while Dad drops off Paige at her friend’s?”
“Whatever,” Cody mumbled, not taking his eyes off his game.
Cole then gave me a “sit there and be patient” look. We were pulling up to Cole’s apartment less than fifteen minutes later.
“Wait here,” he told me, taking Cody in. He came back down after a few moments and started driving once again. Only he didn’t head for Sara’s and drove towards the beach.
Being in a small town on the southern border of Queensland, no matter where you were around town, it was always only five or ten minutes away from the ocean.
He pulled into a parking lot that overlooked the water. It was dark and I couldn’t even make out the waves crashing below us, but I didn’t think he drove me there for the scenery.
He placed the car in park and turned the engine off.
“What are we doing here?” I asked.
“I need to explain why no one can find out about us, but it’s … hard to talk about, so just bear with me, okay?”
“Okay.” I dragged out the word.
“Did Reece ever tell you why she left me?” He was still looking at the steering wheel in front of him.
“To be honest, she hasn’t said much to me at all. She hasn’t even been interested in getting to know me until they got engaged a few weeks ago.”
“So that’s how long it’s been?” he asked, finally making eye contact. “I only found out yesterday.”
“She only told you yesterday?” I asked, shocked. They had a huge engagement party last weekend. When I thought about it, though, I realised none of her friends were there, just Cody and her parents.
“Yup. I’m wondering if she would’ve told me at all had she not needed to tell me her new address to pick Cody up.”
“Why?”
“I’m really messed up,” he said, throwing his head back on his seat.
“Because you’re an alcoholic?” My voice was quiet. I wanted to ask that when we were at dinner, but I didn’t feel right bringing it up in front of Cody.
He half-smiled and shook his head. “I knew you thought that was the case when Reece said I never drink.”
“You’re not an alcoholic?”
He shrugged. “The reason I don’t drink is because I get nasty when I do. It’s the reason I shouldn’t have taken you home last night.”
“But nothing happened last night. I mean … we … you know, had sex, but nothing bad happened.”
“Maybe you were just lucky. Reece wasn’t as lucky.”
“Did you … hit her?” I almost didn’t get the question out, my voice shook so bad.
“No, but what I did wasn’t any less horrible. She still ended up with bruises, and we both have invisible scars that’ll never heal.”
“What did you do?”
“Can’t you just accept that alcohol turns me into an asshole and makes me do bad things that I’m still paying for three years later? If Reece finds out I was drinking, she won’t let me see Cody.”
“She can’t do that.”
“Trust me. She can and she will. She’s threatened to take him away from me numerous times.”
“But unless she can show cause—”
He turned his head towards me, pinning me with his piercing eyes, which I’d only just noticed were a hazel green. Just like Cody’s, I realised. He looked broken, as if he was trying to fight crumbling to pieces in front of me. But then the corners of his mouth turned up into a small smile. “What did your last boyfriend do to you?”
“What? Where did that come from?”
“It’s my attempt at deflecting. It’s not so easy talking about shit when it’s you, hey? Your dad said your last boyfriend did you a favour by …?”
He wasn’t going to let it go. I could see it in his face. “Point taken. I’ll stop asking you about your past.”
“Good. Glad we had this chat.” He went to turn the ignition to start the car again, but my mouth seemed to think we weren’t done.
“He slept with one of my friends.” Ugh. Stupid mouth. Yet, it didn’t shut up. “He was in the shower one night and he got a text. A photo of my friend completely naked popped up on the notification screen. I knew his pin to unlock the phone, so I was scrolling through his messages when he came out of the shower. Turns out, they’d slept together and she was trying to entice him to go round two. Even though he was the one who had cheated, he yelled at me for invasion of his privacy.”
“Really?” He removed his hand from his keys and sat back in his seat.
“No, I’m lying,” I said sarcastically. “Why’s that so hard to believe?”
He shrugged. “Because anyone who’d cheat on you is a fucking idiot.”
That made me smile. “Sara and I call him Dickwad.”
“Appropriate,” he said, smiling back. “And you call me Hemsworth.”
I let out a groan. “You really weren’t meant to see that text.”
“What does it even mean?”
“Last night at the bar, I may have mentioned to Sara that you look like a Hemsworth brother. It kind of stuck.”
He grinned. “I’ll take that. I realise now you must’ve been a lot drunker than I originally thought, but I’ll take it. As long as you told her my dick was as big as Thor’s hammer.” He winked.
“Maybe you should’ve taken her home last night. That was one of her first questions.”
“I like her already.”
We laughed, but it died off quickly. “We’re not ever going to be able to hang out, are we?”
“Well, it’s not usually the norm for a one-night stand anyway.”
I nodded. “I know. It’s just …” What I wanted to say was definitely off limits.
“Just what?”
I shrugged. “Even though it was just a one-night stand, it was kind of fun. It felt like we could’ve at least been friends.” If not more. I left that thought out, though.
“I don’t think I could be friends with you.”
“Ouch.” That stung a lot more than I thought it would.
“I just mean I don’t usually fantasise about being balls-deep inside my friends.”
Heat rose to my cheeks, and tingles shot through me, going straight to my lady parts. I had to squeeze my legs together.
He laughed, knowing the effect he was having on me. Leaning closer to me, he whispered in my ear, “Now you know how I felt all dinner. All I could think about was sinking myself into you again.”
Damn him. Two can play at that game.
“Are you sure that it can’t happen again?” I asked in a seductive tone, turning my head to meet his eyes.
He groaned as he moved back to his side of the truck, reaching into the front of his jeans to adjust himself. “Well played, Shortcake.”
I didn’t understand that nickname. Was it something he called everyone? He called me that for most of last night until we started having sex and he switched to my actual name. “I’m not that short,” I prompted him.
“You are compared to me.”
I had the feeling that wasn’t the real reason he’d named me that, and I gave him a derisive look.
It made him glance away from me as if he was embarrassed. “Your hair smells like strawberry shortcake. It’s all vanilla-y and berry like. It was the first thing I noticed about you.”
My mouth curved slowly into a giant smile. “Shortcake and Hemsworth. Sounds like a bad detective duo.”
He la
ughed, turning the ignition and driving out of the parking lot. “We should get you to Sara’s.” When we reached a set of lights, I gathered the courage to ask what I actually wanted to ask.
“I’m kind of serious, though. Are you sure it can’t happen again?” I had to clear my throat, my mouth suddenly parched.
I’d never experienced that kind of connection before, even if it was just sexual. I let my guard down with him, forgot about all my insecurities, and it felt amazing. I would’ve been insane to not ask for more. Sitting with him in his car, just me and him, it was easy to forget the rest. Like the fact he was the ex of my soon-to-be stepmother. It was as if the dinner we just came from didn’t even happen, and it was just me and Cole, two people who met in a bar and spent the night together last night.
His jaw was tense. “It’s one of Reece’s rules. No skanks.”
“Hey! I’m a lady, you asshat.”
“Clearly.” He laughed.
“I seriously hope you’re not slut-shaming me right now, considering you’re the one who was out of condoms last night. Just because a girl likes sex as much as a guy, doesn’t mean—”
“Whoa there, man-hater. I wasn’t slut-shaming anyone. I meant clearly you’re a lady with that foul mouth of yours … asshat.”
“Oh.” I couldn’t hold in my giggle, but it faded when my confusion over Reece’s rules didn’t dissipate. “Then you’re seriously telling me that Reece thinks she gets a say in your sex life? As you just pointed out, she didn’t even tell you she was getting remarried until she absolutely had to.”
“Because anything that could negatively impact Cody’s life is not acceptable in her eyes.”
“But—” I tried to push.
“It’s not just her.” He sighed. “As much as I want more of last night, and God knows I want more, it’s not right. And I don’t do relationships, so it’d only be sex, and you’re better than that.”
“How do you know I’m better than that? I went home with a complete stranger last night, I’ll have you know.”
His laugh was deep, emanating from his chest. “I do know, actually. And apparently he looked like Thor.”
“In this light, you look more like Gale.”
“Who?”
“Please tell me you’ve seen The Hunger Games?”
He shook his head.
“Well, now I agree with you. We could never be friends.”
7
- COLE -
When I pulled up to drop Paige at Sara’s place, I was fighting everything inside of me that was wanting to kiss her, making sure to keep my hands firmly on the steering wheel. I’d just finished telling her why we couldn’t have a repeat of last night, and since the words left my mouth, all I wanted to do was take them back.
I mentally urged her to grab her bag and go, but she didn’t. “I realise we’re not going to be friends or anything, but I hope one day you’ll trust me enough to tell me what happened between you and Reece. I can’t imagine the guy I had sex with last night doing anything to hurt a woman.”
“You’ve only known that guy for twenty-four hours. That’s not long enough to know anything.”
“Well, I know you tried to lose the game of pool, missing shots on purpose so you could delay the game. I didn’t know why at the time—I assumed you wanted me to win to make me feel good, or perhaps you wanted to see what it was I was going to order you to do when I won my side of the bet.”
“You knew I was throwing the game?” I asked, amused.
“You weren’t very subtle. But thinking about it now, I realise you were doing it so you’d sober up and not feel guilty about taking me home. Which also explains why after drowning yourself in beer for a full hour before you came to talk to me, you stopped drinking and switched to water.”
I swallowed hard and nodded, trying hard to hide the smile when I realised she’d noticed me before I’d even approached her.
“Then, you did actually walk away from me.”
“Only to cave less than five minutes later.”
“You’re going to fight me on everything, aren’t you?”
I laughed. “Luckily we aren’t friends, so you won’t have to put up with it for long.”
“Okay, how about this. While we were having sex, you didn’t just fuck me like all the other one-night stands. You were gentle where it counted most and made sure to kiss me and touch me while you were fucking me. That guy wouldn’t hurt a woman.”
I sat, stunned. My mouth opened to say something but closed again when I couldn’t come up with anything.
She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened her door.
I didn’t want her to leave like that, but I knew I couldn’t do what I actually wanted to do, which was take her home to my bed.
“How many one-night stands have you had?” I called out mockingly.
She laughed as she climbed out of the ute and turned to me. “Out of everything I just said, that’s the thing that stands out the most?”
“I’m just wondering if the list of jackasses is a long one or a short one. Because you don’t deserve anything less than what I gave you last night. You deserve more.”
“You’ve only known me twenty-four hours. That’s not long enough to know what I deserve.”
“Shortcake, I think you just proved that only knowing someone for twenty-four hours doesn’t mean shit.”
She smiled a gorgeous smile that lit up her entire face. “See ya ‘round, Hemsworth.”
****
The taste of her lips haunted me all week. I’d hoped when I dropped Cody off on Sunday that she’d be there. Just to see her, even if it was only for a minute. It was probably for the better that she wasn’t home.
I kept telling myself that I’d be able to see her when I went to pick Cody up for my next fortnightly visit, and then I’d remember that was another week away and I’d inwardly groan. I’d managed to stave off from messaging her so far, but I think that had more to do with not knowing what to say more than knowing I had to resist.
So when Hunter asked if I was going to the bar for our regular Friday night, I jumped at the chance for a distraction from thinking about her.
Paige was just meant to be a distraction, and now she was like an addiction. After just one taste, I was craving more. Maybe tonight I could pick up a healthier addiction. Like crack. It’s good to have goals.
Arriving at our usual spot at the pub, Hunter went and got himself a beer and me a Coke while I grabbed our usual table.
Philippa and Gage were the first ones to arrive, Pip giving me her usual glare as they took their seats at the table. I’d learned to ignore her over the years.
The night was casual, as usual, and it was easy going. I hadn’t thought of Paige once … Dammit. We were all sitting around, talking about work, about life, and about why the hell Pip and Gage weren’t having sex when it was clear they wanted to.
Pip was used to that kind of talk considering our group was made up of all guys except for Reece and her, and Reece never came on nights I was here because she had Cody.
Until tonight.
When she walked in, my breath caught in my throat, and my heart started beating so hard, I was sure Hunter could hear it beside me, and my mouth was drier than a desert. But my eyes weren’t focused on Reece. They were on Paige who trailed in behind her.
Reece reached the table first. “Hey, guys, I want you all to meet Paul’s daughter, Paige.”
Paige stepped forward and I had to avert my gaze, staring down at my glass of Coke instead.
“Holy shit!” Hunter exclaimed.
It was only then that I remembered he met her. The next morning after we …
I nudged him hard with my elbow.
“Ow, shit, Cole. What the hell?”
I met his gaze. “Sorry. I slipped and didn’t mean to do it.” My words were slow and purposeful. I know you’re a model, Hunter, but please read between the lines. He narrowed his eyes, looking confused as hell.
“You guys are
still weird,” Reece said with a laugh, making us turn back to her.
“Paige, this is everyone. Spence, Blair, Philippa, Gage, Cole—who you already know—”
“Yeah she does,” Hunter mumbled, only loud enough for me to hear. I elbowed him again.
“And Hunter,” Reece said, introducing him like Paige had won a prize.
“What are you doing here, Reece?” I asked as calmly as I could manage.
On the inside, I was fuming. Not only for her blatantly trying to set Paige up with Hunter after Paul—and okay, I—said no, but because if she was here, where was Cody?
“It’s Friday night,” she said, as if that was an actual answer.
“Where’s Cody?” I asked, trying not to sound bitter but completely failing.
“With Paul.”
“You didn’t think to call me to see if I wanted to take him? Why’s it okay for you to leave him with nearly a complete stranger, but if I leave him with my mum, it’s the end of the world?”
“He’s going to be his dad, Cole.”
“What did you just say?” Did I seriously just hear her correctly?
“Can we not have this discussion here?” Reece said, actually sounding shocked that I was acting this way.
I shook my head in disbelief. She’s such a fucking hypocrite.
“Can I talk to you outside for a sec, bro?” Hunter asked me.
“No.”
“Dude, I’m not screwing around here. Outside. Now.”
Sighing, I stood and made my way out of the booth, continuing to avoid eye contact with Paige, even though the only thing I wanted to do was stare at her … in a non-creepy way. Okay, maybe in a little bit of a creepy way. But Hunter had his lecturing voice on, so I knew I was in for an earful and I needed my head on straight.
We left the pub and walked to the end of the building where he turned on me. “Did you seriously have sex with your ex’s stepdaughter?”
I shoved my hands in my pockets, looking down at my shoes. “Soon-to-be stepdaughter and I swear I didn’t know when I did it.”
Instead of the lecture I was expecting, Hunter started laughing. “Really? That’s so awesome.”
“How is that awesome?”