by Jen Talty
“I’m not hung up on her, but if I had known all this shit, I would have taken that out you gave me.”
She stopped dead in her tracks, right in front of the gate to a large pool and at least 40 people mingling about the concrete deck. “Put the drink down, have a tall glass of water, and in about an hour you can leave if you want.”
He hated being called on his bluff. No fucking way would he leave, especially when he could potentially fuck with Lydia. He tossed back the champagne, coughing as soon as the glass left his lips. “How close are you to your cousin?”
“We used to be really close, but she knew about my sister and my ex and didn’t tell me, so that put a damper on our relationship, not to mention I didn’t like how she handled the situation with you, even though I knew nothing other than she used you while she strung along Alan.”
“You seem to know enough.” He scanned the party, looking for a petite girl with medium length blonde hair. It took only a minute before he found Lydia, draped over some tall dude in a dress shirt and slacks. Who the fuck wore that to a pool party?
“Want to have a little fun with both of our ex’s?” He looped an arm over Charlotte’s shoulders.
She tilted her head.
He smiled before leaning in and pressing his lips against hers a little more harshly than planned. He blamed it on the alcohol that had already gone to his head.
“What do you have in mind, my sexy firefighter?”
Chapter 6
CHARLOTTE SHOULDN’T encourage Gavin to mess with Lydia and her fiancé on any level, but considering her cousin had dumped her ‘boy toy’ right after risking his life to save a small boy, it seemed only fitting.
“Let’s give them something to talk about.” He rammed his tongue deep in her mouth, swirling harshly. He held her so tight she thought he could easily break her ribs.
She braced herself against his shoulders, trying to push her body from his, but by the way his tongue found every crevice in her mouth, her only hope to catch her breath was to relax into his embrace and roll with it.
Digging her fingers into his muscles, she raised up on tiptoe, matching his feverish strokes. The chatter in the background quickly turned to hushed whispers. She let the moan building within her, swim to her throat before passing from her mouth to his. He responded with a deep groan that rattled her chest.
“Charlotte,” a woman’s voice said with a soft, delicate tone.
Oh boy. Her mother hated it when anyone kissed in public, but this went beyond a kiss.
Sucking face would be a better descriptor.
She pressed her palm against Gavin’s chest. He took the hit and broke the kiss off, staring down at her with bruised lips and lust filled eyes.
“Are you going to introduce me to your friend?” her mother asked with a smile way too wide for comfort.
“Mom, I’d like you to meet Gavin Clark.” Charlotte took a step back, her heart pounding as Gavin wiped his lips and his cheeks flushed red. “Gavin, this is my mom, Rosie Harper.”
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Harper.” Gavin stuck his hand out, taking her mothers in a delicate shake. “Thanks for having me.”
Her mother eyed Gavin up and down as if he were on display at a candy store.
“I’m glad my daughter brought you around. How long have you been dating?”
“There’s my baby girl,” her father’s voice boomed across the yard. He took her in his arms and twirled her around like a small child. “I heard you brought a young man, is that true?”
“It is,” her mother said with a wild grin. “Ned, dear, meet Gavin.”
Her father set her feet on the ground, and took a step back to size up her date. “And what is it you do, young man?”
“Dad, do we have to start with the third degree?”
“I’m a firefighter,” Gavin said, pride glistening from every syllable.
“Noble profession,” her father said.
“May I ask if that’s where the scars came from?” Her mother had never been known for being subtle about anything.
“Mom, that’s not—”
Gavin rested his hand on the small of Charlotte’s back, drawing her close. “It’s okay and yes. I was injured on the job.”
Her mother reached out, resting her hand on Gavin’s shoulder. “I’m sorry that happened to you. Thank you for your service.”
Gavin nodded.
Charlotte leaned into him, looping her arm around his waist as she glanced around the party at all the usual suspects. Lydia had inched closer, leaning against the rolling bar just inside the pool gate. Her fiancé, Alan, stood behind her, glaring at Gavin.
“Can I get you a beer? Wine? Something stronger?” her father asked.
“A water for now, please. I loaded up on the sparkling stuff when we got here,” Gavin admitted.
“So, tell me…” Her father slapped his hand over Gavin’s shoulder. “Where did you and my daughter met?’
“We’re neighbors, Dad.”
“I want to know how long they’ve been dating.” Her mother motioned toward a table near the bar. “I’m guessing sort of new, considering the passionate kiss I just witnessed, but not so new because you seem very comfortable with each other.”
Gavin coughed as he pulled out a chair, offering the seat to Charlotte.
Her stomach flipping and flopping as she remembered the delicious assault on her mouth, wishing her sister, Jasmine, and her husband, Ralph had seen the overt display.
“It’s still new, mom.” Charlotte couldn’t say it was their second date because that would open a can of worms, which might be worse than being so accepting. “A few weeks.”
“Young love.” Her father waved a hand in the air. “I’ll be right back with some drinks.”
Gavin had maneuvered his chair close to hers, keeping his arm protectively around her shoulders. Based on the close proximity of Lydia, Charlotte couldn’t help but wonder if it was all a show.
Including the kiss.
Of course, it was. Not a single thing since they stepped from his truck had been real. It had all been about proving they were both okay in regard to their ex’s.
“Let me help you with those.” Gavin leaned in, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before standing and following her father toward the bar.
Where Lydia sat.
Wonderful. What the hell had she gotten herself into?
“Have you seen your sister?” her mother asked in a low whisper.
“No, mom. I haven’t. And before you ask, I haven’t spoken to her either.”
Her mother leaned back, pursing her lips. “When are you going to really forgive her?”
It wasn’t that Charlotte hadn’t forgiven Jasmine for her indiscretion or Ralph for cheating on her, because if Charlotte were being completely honest with herself, not only had she been relieved to end things with Ralph, but things had been bad for a few months. She didn’t love Ralph the way he deserved and obviously, he hadn’t truly loved her. In the end, everyone was better off.
It didn’t make the sting any less painful.
The problem with her sister was that she’d betrayed the sister-code. Jasmine shouldn’t have let things go as far as they did with Ralph and not tell Charlotte about it. Or at the very least, let Charlotte know how much Jasmine cared for Ralph.
Just because Jasmine had been carrying a torch before Charlotte had even gone out on a date with Ralph, didn’t make it okay.
“It’s not about forgiving her for falling in love with Ralph, or wanting to have a life with him. It’s about not trusting our sisterhood and going behind my back. I’d been talking to her for weeks about my problems with Ralph and the entire time, she’d been having an affair with him.”
“It wasn’t an affair.”
She certainly didn’t want to get into a discussion with her mother about the fact that Jasmine had slept with Ralph while still technically involved with her. Charlotte hoped her mother never heard the ugly truth.
“It doesn’t matte
r. I’m over Ralph and in time, my relationship with Jasmine will continue to get better and better.” Charlotte would be lying if it didn’t bother her a little bit as to how quickly they’d gotten pregnant. Not that she was anywhere near being ready to have children back then, or even now, which had been part of the problem. Ralph was all about kids and having them right away and having a half dozen.
Charlotte wanted maybe two or three, but she had no desire to start in her twenties, when she’d been dating Ralph.
“Please, make an effort to spend some time with her tonight. Maybe having Gavin with you could ease some of the tension.”
Charlotte wanted to remind her mother that the friction between her and her sister had more to do with her sister’s guilt than anything else, but Jasmine had always been the good girl, so why blow her cover now that she was actually settled and happy. “I will. I promise.” She patted her mother’s hand, glancing over her shoulder.
Gavin stood at the bar with her father, chatting with her two older brothers, while Alan continued to scowl in his direction. Unfortunately, Lydia sashayed across the patio, eyes set on Charlotte.
“Hi Aunt Rosie,” Lydia said, smiling, showing off her glow-in-the-dark white teeth. Her breasts stood at attention a little higher than what looked normal. “You look lovely this evening.”
“So, do you,” Charlotte’s mother said with a nod. “So glad you and Alan finally set a date.”
“We’ can’t wait.” Lydia pulled back the seat that had been occupied by Gavin. “Do you mind if Charlotte and I have a minute? I have something I need to ask her.”
“I bet I know what that is.” Her mother stood with an all-knowing smile and glided toward the bar like she could float across the air.
Charlotte swallowed. She could only imagine what Lydia wanted to talk about.
“It’s been a while,” Lydia said, leaning back in the chair, folding her arms across her chest. “Our mothers are expecting me to ask you to be a bridesmaid.”
“Is that your way of asking me?” Charlotte couldn’t believe how much Lydia had changed over the last few years. She’d gone from being a sweet, down to earth young woman, to a selfish, self-centered lady who only thought about herself.
“I won’t hurt my mother by not asking, so yes.”
“Are you implying I’d hurt mine?”
“Is that a no? Or a yes?”
Charlotte laughed. “I’m going to say no and when I tell my mother how you left Gavin practically dying in the hospital after saving the life of a little boy, she’ll understand, especially when my plus one is Gavin.”
Lydia narrowed her eyes. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Really? You didn’t string him along? Use him to get a final fling out of your system and then leave him when he needed you most because you couldn’t deal with the realities of life?”
“You really have no idea what you’re talking about.” Lydia stood, pressing her knuckles against the table. “I’d stay away from Gavin. He’s not who you think he is.”
***
The daylight slowly turned to dusk. Gavin sat in a lounge chair by the pool, nursing a cold longneck, staring at Charlotte, who chatted with her very pregnant sister. The party had dwindled down to Charlotte’s immediate family and a few lingering relatives, including Lydia, who made her way across the deck.
He’d been hoping he could avoid actual contact, though he did enjoy making her cringe every time he chose to kiss Charlotte, which had been every time Lydia glanced their way.
“Gavin,” she said in a hushed tone as she sat down next to him. The smell of flowers infused with rubbing alcohol stung his nostrils. He’d tried a few times to get her to wear a different perfume, but she chose to smell more like a cheap bottle of whiskey than a warm summer’s night.
“You look really good.” Her kind words fell flat and he chose to ignore them.
“I hear congratulations are in order.” Gavin barely glanced in her direction. He hated admitting the humiliation of her leaving him still stuck in his mind and emotions. When he looked at her today, he felt nothing of the love he thought he once felt for her. All he saw now was a shallow shell of a woman who cared more about what people thought of her and how her life looked, than what really mattered.
Her poor fiancé.
“What are you doing here?” Her accusatory tone grated on his last nerve.
He swigged his beer, downing the last gulp, waving it at Charlotte when she glanced his way. She nodded, holding up her finger, letting him know it would be a minute.
“I’m meeting my girlfriend’s parents and family for the first time.”
“That’s bullshit,” Lydia said with venom dangling from her lips. “Yesterday is the first anyone has ever heard of you dating Charlotte.”
“So? Charlotte had her reasons for not telling anyone about me.” Yeah, because he didn’t exist until yesterday.
“If you can’t be honest with me, at least be honest with yourself.”
“Honest about what?”
“Why you’re really here.”
He jerked his head in her direction. “What the hell does that mean?”
She narrowed her eyes and wrinkled her forehead. “To try to ruin my wedding, but I won’t let you do that.”
He stared at her, blinking a few times. “What? Are you fucking nuts?”
“You’re out for revenge.”
He burst out laughing. “I’m sorry, but I can’t believe you just said that. I had no idea you were related to Charlotte.”
“Oh, please. She and I are like sisters and we tell each other everything.”
He leaned closer to Lydia, making her coil backward. “Like you told her about my accident and why you really broke up with me? Seriously, Lydia, you’re delusional.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Charlotte approach with two beers in hand.
“Here you go, babe,” she said, handing him a cold one.
He rested his feet on either side of on the lounge chair, patting the fabric between his legs, grateful, Charlotte snuggled herself against him. “Thanks.” He kissed her cheek, letting his lips linger. He thought he’d done it just to irritate Lydia, but when he inhaled Charlotte’s sweet berry scent, he could only think of her and how she made him feel more alive than the day he’d walked out of the hospital after his accident. “Lydia here is under the impression I’m here to ruin her wedding and something about the two of you telling each other everything?”
“Maybe when we were five, but I distinctly remember her knowing my sister was sleeping with Ralph while I was still technically dating him and not saying a single word to me.”
“Your relationship with Ralph was on the verge of ending anyway.”
“All the more reason to just tell me instead of letting me walk in on them fucking.”
Gavin chomped down on the inside of his mouth, praying he didn’t make a single sound, or that his body didn’t jerk out of shock.
“You’re still bitter,” Lydia said with a smug grin.
Charlotte shook her head. “I’m actually not. But I’ll tell you the same thing I just told my sister. You broke my trust. It’s up to you to earn it back. She is doing her best to make things right where you, on the other hand, seem to only care about saving face. Tell me Lydia, does Alan really know about you and Gavin and what happened?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lydia rose and stormed off like a toddler being told they couldn’t have a cookie.
Gavin set his beer down, circling his arms around Charlotte, drawing the back of her head to his chest. “Do I want to know what her fiancé knows or doesn’t know about me?”
“When they got back together a few years ago, she told him that she never had sex with the guy she sort of dated.”
“And I take it she told you otherwise.”
“Let’s just say I hope some of what she said isn’t an exaggeration.”
He dropped his forehead to her shoul
der. “We have a problem. I’m too drunk to drive, and I suspect you are too.”
“I’m not drunk, but yeah, I wouldn’t drive.” She craned her head, facing him as best she could from this position.
“My parents said we could have the pool house.”
He nearly choked on his own breath. “Excuse me?”
She pointed to the other side of the pool and a quaint building that looked like a mini replica of the main house. “There is one bedroom and full bath.”
“And your parents don’t care if we sleep there…together?”
“Nope. According to my sister, they like you and think your long-term material.”
“Interesting.” He reached for his beer, taking a good long swig of courage. “So, are you looking forward to sharing a bed with me?”
“I’ve been thinking about it for hours.”
“So, what are we waiting for?”
Chapter 7
CHARLOTTE STEPPED from the bathroom into the bedroom of the pool house. The light blue curtains had been drawn shut. All the white and dark blue throw pillows had been tossed to the floor and the comforter had been pulled back, but Gavin was nowhere in sight
She smoothed down the oversized T-Shirt that she’d found in the drawer, her gaze darting around the room. A large lump had formed in her throat.
“I found these,” Gavin said.
She gasped, lurching forward, knocking over the lamp on the nightstand.
He stopped in the doorway. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He held up a bottle of wine in one hand and two plastic glasses in the other.
“It’s okay, and just a small glass.” She climbed up on the queen-sized bed, fluffing a few pillows behind her head. She squeezed her hands into tight fists, hoping it would stop them from trembling as she reached for the glass.
She watched him as he set the glasses down on the dresser next to the other side of the bed.
The smell of a vineyard on a hillside during a misty fall day filled her nostrils. She took the glass, sniffing the full-bodied liquid. “Thanks for coming with me tonight.”
“It’s been my pleasure.” He clanked his glass and took a small sip before twisting his body, showing off his tight muscular frame and setting the glass down. “For wealthy people, your parents seem pretty cool.”