“Yeah.”
He grabbed my hands and pulled me close. “Maybe we should stick around here and take advantage of it?”
Biting back a smile, I stared at him innocently. “What do you mean?”
“I think you know exactly what I mean.” He leaned forward and kissed me. When our lips parted, he brushed the side of my hair back. “You know, now might be a good time to show me around the house. Starting with your bedroom.”
“Is that so?”
He slid his hands over my hips and pulled me against his hard-on. “Yeah, although… this is as good a spot as any for what I’m about to do to you.”
I knew that there was no way we’d have sex in the living room, surrounded by my grandmother’s figurines. I could almost feel their eyes watching. Judging.
“Let’s go.” I grabbed his hand and led him to my room.
“Interesting. I honestly expected a pink bedroom with unicorns and maybe some kitten posters,” he said, when I locked the door behind me.
I looked around the bedroom, imagining it through his eyes – the walls were covered with pictures of old maps and ships. The bedspread was gray and black, pretty masculine. It was actually my father’s old room and hadn’t ever really been updated. I only planned on staying there myself for a couple of years.
“This used to be my dad’s bedroom,” I explained. “He’s really into history and ships.”
“Ah, makes sense.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned back. “Where are your parents again?”
I told him.
“You didn’t want to move out there and attend college?”
“No. I feel more at home here. I like visiting Florida, but I’m definitely not interested in living there.”
“You miss your parents?”
“Yeah. They fly up here about once a month, which is nice.”
“What do they do?”
I walked over to him. “My dad works for a travel agency and my mom is a photographer.”
“That’s cool.” He pulled me onto the bed and slid his hands under my top “You know what’s even cooler? Being here with you. In your room. All alone.”
“It is pretty cool,” I whispered before our lips met again.
We made love in my bed and then afterward, had pot roast and pasta salad. He helped me with the dishes and then we watched some Netflix together. A couple of hours later, Grandma called and told me that she was staying overnight at John’s.
“How did he react when you told him you’d marry him?” I asked.
She snorted. “He said he knew it was just a matter of time before I realized what a great catch he was and said ‘yes’.”
I laughed. It sounded like John.
“What are you up to?” she asked.
I told her that Adam was over and we were watching television.
“Oh, okay. I’ll be back in the morning. Watch for Mackenzie. She should be home around midnight.”
“Will do.”
After hanging up with her, I told Adam that she was going to be away all night.
He grinned. “So, maybe I should stay here all night? You know… to make sure you and Mackenzie are safe.”
I chuckled. “How heroic of you. But, you’re going to have to leave before she gets home. She’d flip if she caught you in my bed.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll just set an alarm and leave by six. That early enough?”
“I would think so.”
He sighed in content and pulled me against him. “This is nice, isn’t it?”
“Yes It is.”
There was already a familiarity between us that was comforting. Yet, still exciting at the same time. It felt so… right.
But, did he feel the same way?
I hoped so. I hoped it was more than a fling. The more time we spent together, the more attached I found myself getting.
“You’re still coming to the party next weekend?” he asked.
“Yeah. Saturday, right?”
He nodded.
“Of course I’ll be there.”
“Good. Blair, too?”
“Yeah.”
He smiled. “Rory really likes her.”
“They make a cute couple.”
He tickled my waist. “Not as cute as us.”
Giggling, I grabbed his hands. “Is that what we are? A couple?”
“We’re whatever you want us to be.”
“What do you want?”
He put my hand on his groin. “You have to ask.”
I raised my eyebrow. “So, just sex? That’s all you want?”
“No. If that was all I wanted, I wouldn’t be here right now. Watching chick-flicks with you.”
I looked him in the eye. “Tell me the truth – you’re not doing this to make everything less awkward in California?”
He looked hurt. “I hope you don’t really think that.”
I sighed. “I’m sorry. My last boyfriend cheated on me. That, along with our crazy history together, has made me a little paranoid I guess.”
He slid his hand through mine and brought it up to his lips. He kissed around my knuckles slowly. “Your ex is an idiot. Anyone who cheats on you is a moron. But, I have to say that I’m not totally pissed at him. Now I have a shot with you.”
I smiled.
“And as far as our history goes, let’s bury it for good.”
“I’m sorry. I know you’re probably sick of talking about it.”
His eyes were both soft and sad. “I wouldn’t say sick. Just… ashamed. I was different then. An asshole. I won’t ever hurt you again like that again. I promise.”
“I promise I won’t give you any more bloody noses either.”
He touched his nose and grinned. “Let’s hope not. You have a mean right hook.”
“It was my left hand. I’m actually left handed.”
“Ah. That explains why I didn’t see it coming.”
I shoved him playfully.
“You’re kind of violent. You know that?” he teased.
“You just bring it out in me.”
We began wrestling on the couch and soon, things started heating up again. We took it to my bedroom and eventually, fell asleep in each other’s arms.
27
Adam
From that moment on, Chloe and I spent every free moment together. Except for Tuesday when I went tubing with Rory and his sister April. That day was for April alone. Long ago Rory and I had agreed to never bring along dates when we took her out. She enjoyed the extra attention and it was nice seeing her so happy.
“What did you think, April?” I asked, when we were finished tubing. “Was that fun or what?”
She smiled. “Yes I loved it.”
My back was a little stiff, but I’d enjoyed myself too. “Good. I had a blast. Thank you guys for inviting me.”
“Thanks for coming,” Rory said. “We’re a team. We have to invite you or it’s not quite the same.”
“Yeah!” April shook her fist. “We. Are. A. Team.”
I laughed. “Yes. We definitely are.”
“So, who wants pizza?” Rory asked as we pulled out of the parking lot of the tubing resort.
“Me. I want pizza,” April said.
I nodded. “Yeah. Me, too.”
“Good.” Rory yawned. “Seriously, though, someone’s going to have to feed it to me because I’m wiped out. Tubing takes a lot more energy than I remembered.”
I grinned. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I’m feeling like an old man right now.”
“How’s your back doing?” he asked.
“Stiff, but I’ll live.”
“Maybe you should drop by Chloe’s for a little TLC?” Rory said. “I bet that’ll make you feel young again.”
I smiled. “Yeah. I might have to do that. But, after pizza.”
He chuckled. “Oh, of course.”
After we dropped off April at his mom’s place, Rory thanked me again.
“Dude, you don’t have to keep than
king me all the time. I love doing this. She’s like the little sister I never had.”
“She loves you, too. And, for the record, we are family.”
Out of all the friends I’d had in high school, Rory was the only one I’d kept in my life. And it was easy to see why. The guy had a heart of gold and wasn’t fake. He wasn’t a show-boater and didn’t need to prove anything to anyone. Those were the friends I’d left behind. The ones who reminded me of the guy I used to be. Someone I wanted to forget.
“Yeah. We definitely are.”
When Saturday arrived, the guys and I spent most of the day cleaning up and getting ready for the party. After picking up the keg and booze, I went to check on the snack situation and found Tony in the kitchen. He loved cooking and had already prepared a ton of appetizers.
I stared at the food, my stomach growling. Besides the cold apps, there were spicy wings, barbecue meatballs, and his famous Rueben dip.
“You made enough food for an army. You did invite only ten people, right?”
Tony scowled. “You said I could invite fifteen.”
“Yeah.” I grabbed a ham and creamed cheese pickle wrap and popped it into my mouth. “Just making sure we’re on the same page. These are good.” I grabbed a couple more of the pickle wraps.
He slapped my hand away from the food. “Wait until the guests start arriving. I know you. You’ll eat everything before they walk through the front door.”
I grinned sheepishly. “Sorry. I should have probably picked up some Mc Donald’s or something. I’m starving.”
“There’s some leftover Fettucine Alfredo in the refrigerator.”
“That will work. Thank you.”
I opened up the fridge and noticed Robert’s strawberry rhubarb jam. I grabbed the container of pasta. “Hey, Robert isn’t coming, is he?”
“We broke up. Remember?”
I raised my eyebrow. “You’re still not talking?”
“No.”
I put the food container in the microwave. “Good.”
He sighed and leaned against the counter. “No, it’s not good. I’m lonelier than hell.”
“It’s only been a week. Give your love life a break for a while. You don’t need to always be dating someone. Find a hobby or something.”
He grunted. “You mean like ghost hunting?”
“You know what I mean.”
“We’ll see,” he said, still sulking.
Rory walked into the kitchen smelling like aftershave. His hair was wet and he had some knicks on his face from shaving.
“Oh, yum. I’m starving,” he said, reaching for a pickle wrap.
Tony smacked his hand away. “For shit’s sake, leave the food alone until the other guests arrive.”
Rory began to pout. “I just wanted one.”
“Have some of the Fettucine Alfredo that Adam is heating up.”
“Yeah, man. There’s enough for both of us,” I added.
Rory nodded. “Cool.”
Tony looked at the clock. “I need to go and take a shower. Don’t touch anything until I get back downstairs. I mean it.”
Rory and I both laughed.
“You’re turning into a little old lady, Ton,” I teased. “The next thing you’ll be spying on the neighbors and yelling at people to get off of our lawn.”
“He already does that,” Rory said.
He flipped us both off.
I ruffled his hair. “We’re just messing with you. Relax.”
He snorted. “Relax. I doubt I’ll be able to do that unless someone brings some smoke tonight. Which reminds me.” He pulled his phone out of his hoodie pocket. “I’d better make sure to order those pot brownies.”
Rory grinned. “Pot brownies?”
“Yeah. You interested?”
He nodded. “Sure, why not.”
Tony looked at me. “What about you?”
I shook my head. “Nah. Pot and I don’t mix well.”
“Your loss,” he replied, texting someone.
From where I was standing, the loss would be my cookies if I tried one of those brownies.
“Speaking of puke, I ran into Terry at the grocery store,” Tony said with a scowl. “I know for a fact that he’s responsible for the graffiti. You should have seen him walk by me with a smug look on his face.”
“Did you say anything to him?” I asked.
He sighed. “No. I just glared at him. I didn’t want to make a scene in the store.”
“Have the cops called about the prints or any suspects yet?” Rory asked.
Tony grunted. “Oh, hell no. They’re not going to do anything.”
I had to agree. “Good thing we have a security camera now.”
The owner, Barney had been pissed when he’d seen the graffiti. We, of course, didn’t mention the party. He assumed it was just some asshole punks screwing around. Then, on Sunday, he stopped by and set up a security camera while Rory and Tony painted over the graffiti.
“I doubt he’ll strike again, but you never know. Einstein he definitely is not,” Rory said.
I agreed.
Chloe and Blair showed up before everyone else, around seven. Of course Chloe looked as hot as ever, this time wearing a low-cut beige sweater, a jean skirt, and tall brown leather boots.
Inhaling the familiar scent of her perfume, I grabbed her ass and whispered in her ear. “Damn, girl. You wanna take this party to my bedroom?”
She giggled and elbowed me playfully. “Stop.”
“That’s not what you were saying last night,” I whispered, smiling.
“Get a room, Knight,” Blair said, smirking.
“I have one. I’m trying to check in but she’s not cooperating.”
Rory showed up and put his arm around Blair. “Who wants a Margarita?”
Both girls told him they did.
“Your wish is my command.”
The doorbell rang.
Rory nodded toward me. “Wanna get that and I’ll start blending?”
“Sure.”
Blair and Chloe trailed after him and I grabbed the door.
The party picked up around nine and everyone seemed to be having a kick ass time, including Chloe and Blair.
As the night went on, Tony took out his karaoke machine and almost everyone got behind the mic at one point. Even Rory, who actually had a great voice, sang a couple of songs.
Around ten-thirty, Tony and I were in the kitchen with Chloe, and he was talking about Robert again. I’d had several margaritas, and was feeling absolutely no pain. I was also getting aggravated that Tony wouldn’t stop whining about Robert.
“Just, let him go,” I said. “Seriously. The more you talk about him, the more negative energy surrounds you.”
“It’s not that easy. I have to talk about Robert. When you love someone, you just can’t stop thinking about them. Or wanting to talk about them. If I don’t get my feelings out, I’ll explode.”
I sighed. “Enough. Jesus. He’s a fucking douchebag who cheated on you. You should be thinking about that and how much better you are without him.”
“Believe me. I wish it were that simple. You’ve never had your heart broken. You have no idea,” Tony said, his eyes filling with tears.
“He’s right. It’s really not that easy,” Chloe said.
Knowing that she’d been in love, with someone other than me, filled me with jealousy. “Good riddance to your ex. It’s obvious that you’re better without him.”
“Yeah. I’m just saying that I understand where he’s coming from,” Chloe said.
“Thank you,” Tony said. “At least someone does.”
“I’m sorry. You’re right.” I patted him on the shoulder. “Just ignore me. It’s the tequila talking.”
He nodded.
“You know I love you, man. I just want you to be happy,” I said.
“Yeah. I know. I appreciate that,” Tony replied.
A loud knock on the door startled us.
“Oh. That’s prob
ably the brownies,” Tony said, perking up. “I told them to come to the back door.”
I answered the door and wasn’t too happy when I saw who was standing on the stoop.
Stephen-fucking-Fisher.
He was holding a covered plate of brownies. Seeing me, he looked a little startled himself.
“Tony here?” he asked.
“Yeah.” I stepped out of the way so he could walk in.
“Oh my God, Stephen! What are you doing here?” Chloe asked.
Seeing the smile on her face aggravated me.
He grinned at her. “Delivering these for my sister.”
Tony walked over with a handful of cash. “Oh, yum. I didn’t think the brownies were ever going to show up. Where is Jackie?”
“She had a headache so I volunteered to bring them over. They’re fresh. She just made them, that’s why it took so long,” he replied.
Tony paid him and then invited him to stick around before I could say anything.
“Yeah. Sure. Thanks,” Stephen replied, shoving the money into his wallet.
“The brownies look delicious,” Chloe said as Tony removed the cellophane from the plate.
“They are. I’ve had them before. These are extra special, too,” Tony said, smiling. He held the plate out to her. “They’re pot brownies.”
She hesitated. “Really?”
“Yeah. Try one,” he said, nodding toward the brownies. “They won’t kill you. You might fail a drug test in the morning. But, other than that, they’re safe.”
Chloe looked at me. “Are you going to have any?”
“No. Pot doesn’t agree with my stomach,” I replied. Not to mention, the tequila was starting to kick my ass.
Dammit Rory.
He was notorious for adding too much booze to the drinks he made. Especially, margaritas. I should have known better.
“They’re good,” Stephen said. “You should try one.”
Chloe grabbed a brownie and took a bite. She groaned in approval. “Yum. They have caramel inside too.”
“You want one?” Tony asked Stephen and smiled. “Consider it part of your tip.”
“Sure.” He grabbed one. “Thanks.”
“Time to really get this party started.” Tony took the brownies and headed into the living room to pass them out.
“So, how do you know Tony?” Stephen asked me.
The Prize: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance (Diamond Lake Romance Book 3) Page 14