by Alice Ward
My cheeks simmered.
I was saved from all the questions when a group of walkers stopped at the tent and everyone got busy selling again.
Turning my attention back to the cart, I began unpacking the boxes of sandwiches I’d picked up, placing them near everyone’s seats. I glanced around, looking for Mr. Carl and spotted him sitting in a chair under a tree, an ice pack held on his head. I didn’t feel sorry for him. He deserved that one.
But still, he had to eat, so I grabbed his box and a water and headed his way. He wouldn’t even look at me, just took the box from my hand. When I turned to walk away, he muttered, “Sorry.”
I faced him. “Thank you. Apology accepted, but please keep your hands to yourself in the future.”
I turned and ran nose first into a hard chest. Strong arms wrapped around me when I nearly fell backwards.
“Grant.” I was sure he could hear my heart beating a chaotic rhythm in my chest. Not from the slight scare he gave but from the realization that, if he’d been ten minutes earlier or Nash had been ten minutes later, my two worlds would have collided.
And what would have happened if they did?
Would there have been a fight?
Or would they have high-fived and gone on?
Grant took my elbow and led me away from Carl, guiding me behind a tree. The same damn tree, I realized.
“Are you okay?”
I forced a bright smile. “Yes. Sorry, Carl did something inappropriate earlier and he was apologizing.”
Grant’s face went as blank as death. “Inappropriate? To you?”
I grabbed his arms. “Don’t worry, Miss Dorothy took care of him. See that ice pack?”
Grant’s eyes slid to the older man and nodded. “Yeah.”
“Miss Dorothy and her twenty-pound purse taught him a lesson.”
“But you’re okay? You don’t need to see a doctor?”
I didn’t think my eyes had ever rolled that far back into my head. “I’m fine, I promise. But what are you doing here?”
The hands that had been gripping me softened and stroked down my arms. “I don’t know. I was in the area and thought I’d stop by.”
He looked so different in casual clothes. A white linen shirt was untucked over khaki shorts that showed off his muscular legs. His feet were covered by a pair of loafers that probably cost more than my rent.
“I’m glad you did. I’ve never seen you in shorts before.”
“Would you like to see me out of them later?”
“Actually, I’d like that very much but…”
He lifted a brow. “But what?”
I looked around and whispered. “I’m a little sore.”
He hands moved up to my shoulders and squeezed. “I’m sorry.” Then he smiled. “I have an idea. Trust me?”
I wanted to melt into him. Instead, I lifted a hand and stroked the scar on his lip. “Yes.”
He turned his head to kiss my finger. “When do you get finished here?”
“Two.”
“Do you have yoga tonight?”
He knew my schedule better than I did. “No, I already asked for a substitute because I knew I’d be wiped out after today.”
“Good. I’ll pick you up at your place at four. Pack an overnight bag.”
I grinned. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a secret, but I promise no sex. I want you to heal.”
My face fell. “I’m not that sore.”
He squeezed my shoulders. “That’s an order.”
I stuck out my lower lip. “You’re not the boss of me.”
His nostrils flared, and he growled low in his chest. “Do you know what I’d like to do with that lip?”
I stepped closer. “Will you show me later?”
He growled again. “Yes. That, I can do.”
Our lips met, and I wasn’t unaware that I’d kissed Nash not long before, and guilt tapped at my brain. I pulled away. “I should probably get back.”
“Yes. I have some errands to run. See you at four.”
“Not if I see you first.”
I leaned back against the tree, watching him walk away.
Taking a deep breath, I rounded the tree, and yep, all eyes were turned in my direction. A pair of binoculars were staring at me too.
I sighed. Might as well face the music. Since this was my last day with them, I could ride it out.
As I grew nearer, I heard Dorothy grumble, “Pulled muscle my ass.”
“Who was that, Journey?” Miss Alpha asked in her sweet voice, her head craned sideways to see me.
Dorothy snorted. “A friend.” She air quoted the last word.
Miss Madge clapped her hands together, a sparkle lighting up her eyes. “Are you sleeping with both of these friends?” She gave Mr. Earl, who was looking very stony faced, a side eye. “At the same time?” Another side eye in Earl’s direction. “Because if you are, I think that’s absolutely wonderful. Everyone should be free to explore their sexuality however they like.”
Please ground. Please just open up and swallow me. I’m ready to go. Now.
But the earth remained securely intact beneath my sneakers.
“Stop it now,” Miss Alpha interjected, shaking a gnarled finger at the group. “You’re embarrassing her.”
I gave her a soft smile. “Well, we only have an hour or so left before we close up shop. I’ll collect our trash and haul it off.”
More shoppers stopped by, taking the focus off of me, thank goodness, and I began gathering everything I saw. As I walked away, Miss Madge shouted, “Do ‘em both!” I kept on walking. “At the same time!”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Nash
“Howdy, stranger.”
Damn, it was good to see Grant again. I thought he might be glad to see me too.
We did the manly chest bump, shoulder clapping hug before settling into a real one that felt more right for two soul brothers to share.
“You back in town for a while?” he asked and went to the bar to pull out two bottles of beer. Popping the tops, he handed me one and sat down.
“For a few days at least. I need to fly out sometime to do site checks in Texas, Arizona, and LA. Probably be gone a couple days. This concert tour is turning into a monster, and Mama hasn’t admitted it, but I’m guessing this will be her farewell tour.”
Grant laughed. “Didn’t she say that a couple tours ago?”
I grinned and lifted the beer. “She did indeed, but this time, she’s more emotional about it, ya know? Super picky about the details because she wants it to be perfect.”
Grant’s grin faded. “Is she okay? I mean health wise?”
Fuck.
I hadn’t even thought to ask about that. I scratched my chin, worry crawling across my skin.
I met Grant’s eyes. “She’d tell me if she wasn’t, wouldn’t she?”
His forehead creased. It was the look he got when he concentrated intensely. “Yeah. You’d be the first. She wouldn’t want to risk it getting out and you hearing it in the tabloids. So, yeah. She’d tell you. I’m sure of it.”
That relaxed me a little, and I laughed. “Damn, I’m a mama’s boy at times.”
I immediately regretted saying it because Grant lifted a finger to that damn scar. The man had more money than sin and he refused to fix his face or that damned tooth. It was like he wanted to punish himself for living.
To take his mind away from the path I knew my comment would lead, I diverted. “Want to catch some dinner later? Hit a bar. I’m feeling a little stir crazy.”
He looked at his watch and frowned. That would be a big fat no.
“Can’t. I have plans at four. How about tomorrow? Six or so?”
I thought about Journey. Maybe it was time I introduced her to my friend. At the park, we hadn’t put anything in stone about the rest of the weekend. I could give her a yell later. Hell, I didn’t even know when that craft thing was going to be done.
“I might bring someone with me,” I said.
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Grant’s brow lifted. “Is that so? The Wicked girl?”
I grinned. “Yep. And wicked she is, trust you me.”
He seemed pleased for me. “Yeah, bring her along. I’ll bring the girl I’m seeing too.”
I snorted. “A double date. We haven’t done that since college.”
He lifted his bottle. “There’s a lot of things we haven’t done since college.”
I kicked my shoes up on his coffee table and ignored him when he glared at me. “Those were wild and fun times, my boy. Too bad they had to end.”
Looking at the grown man on the sofa across from me, most people wouldn’t have been able to connect him to that scrawny college freshman I’d been unlucky enough, or so I thought at the time, to have to room with. And I mean scrawny. Buck fifty pounds soaking wet, and that was being generous.
Nervous.
Quiet.
Introverted.
Bookworm.
Never laughed. At least he didn’t until I’d gotten my hands on him.
By the end of the first semester, I’d gotten him to loosen up. By the end of the second, we’d ended up getting into some crazy shit.
And it shocked everyone I knew. Not that I could get Grant to follow my lead, but that I ended up genuinely liking the poor bastard. But I had. A fucking ton.
Grant was solid. And a steel-trap. I never had to worry about him spilling stories about me to the tabloids or anyone else. And that had meant everything to me. After growing up in the spotlight with my mother, and under the microscope of my grandparents, having one person I could trust to have my back meant everything.
And he’d never take anything in return.
If I bought beer one night, he bought it the next. Then Mom started finding him ways to earn money and force-fed him meals, and the chip on his shoulder started to slide off a little.
It wasn’t until our second semester that I learned that he’d changed his last name to Sommerfield, his mother’s maiden name, when he turned eighteen. He said he didn’t want people to be able to research his story, which had seen a heck of a lot of press at the time. He wanted a clean slate. He didn’t want to answer questions about his family or his past.
He leaned forward and clicked his bottle to mine. “Yeah. Those were good days for sure.” Then he downed it and stood. “I need to go make some calls. I’ll be gone for the night.”
“Seeing your little sweet thing?”
Damn. I hadn’t seen him grin like that in… ever. “Yeah. But we’ll be back tomorrow. I’ll show her off at six.” He pointed at me. “Be there.”
I held up my hands. “Hey, now. I’ll be there. I’ll call my own sweet little thing and see if she can make it. Hopefully, we’ll be a foursome. If not, we’ll be a…” I waggled my eyebrows at him, “threesome.”
Grant chuckled. “That’s funny. I was giving her hell about threesomes the other day.”
I spread my arms wide. “Like the good old days. All about pleasing the little lady.”
He snorted and headed off to his bedroom. When his door clicked shut, I pulled out my phone and tapped Journey’s number.
She sounded breathless when she answered. “Hey, Nash.”
I grinned. “Hey, sweet little thing. You all finished at the park?”
“Yep. Already left and heading back to my place.”
“Now, you be careful bikin’ and talkin’, you hear?” I knew she liked my Tennessee talk so I poured it on a little thicker.
She laughed, and my cock twitched. Damn, I loved that laugh.
“Alrighty, pumpkin pie, I’ll be careful. I’m using my earbuds so both hands are on the wheel. Don’t worry yer pretty little head about it.”
It was my turn to laugh. “See? I’ll be havin’ you talkin’ like you have a hayseed in yer mouth any day now.”
“What’s a hayseed?”
Fucking precious.
“I’ll have to show you all about that someday soon, but right now, I’ve got an important question for you. Want to have dinner with me and a friend around six o’clock tomorrow?”
I found myself holding my breath as I waited for her response. The seconds ticked by. Damn. She was going to say no. Why in the hell did it feel like a sucker punch?
“Nash… I…”
Pushing to my feet, I walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out at the park. “Hey, it’s no big deal. We’ll make plans another day.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were going to be back this weekend.”
True. I hadn’t known that either. “Seriously, it’s okay.”
“Will you be in town all week?”
She actually sounded hopeful. “Some. I need to do some site tours, but I don’t have the dates confirmed for that. But don’t make plans for next weekend. I want you all to myself.”
There was a long pause. “Nash, my sister is coming home on Saturday.”
Fuck.
And this was why dating the same person was so complicated.
“I want to spend Saturday with her, but Sunday, maybe we can be together then? She has a friend who likes to visit Sunday afternoons.”
The spoiled kid inside me who was used to getting what he wanted mentally stomped his foot, and I was tempted to tell her to just forget it. But, dammit, I liked this girl. And as the old saying went, everything worth having was worth working for… or something like that.
“Sunday sounds great, Journey. I’ll work on my travel schedule and shoot you off a message. Maybe we can hang out a little this week too.”
“I’d like that.”
“You would?” Dammit, I sounded like an anxious boy.
“Yeah, I would.” Her voice softened, and I heard a rattle. I tried to place the sound. Chaining her bike? Maybe. Just knowing that she had no better transportation made me feel guilty. If this thing stuck between us, I needed to see about taking care of her better.
“Where are you now?”
“Home. Well, running up the steps of my building. Oh…” Her breathing changed. “Excuse me, Charlie.”
I gritted my teeth. While we were in St. Thomas, Journey had told me about her asshole ex-super and his pervy son.
“Excuse me,” she said again, louder this time. “I need to get through.” My hand tightened on my phone until she murmured, “Thank you,” and I could hear her footsteps on the stairs.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Same stuff.”
“I don’t know why your asshole landlord doesn’t just kick his ass out. I need to look up the building owner, call him, and give him a piece of my mind.”
There was a smacking sound, then a rattling sound. Then she was back. “Sorry, I tripped and dropped my phone.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. But seriously, don’t bother the owner. He’s a, um, nice man. He told me if Charlie bothered me that he’d pay some fine to get him and his dad out earlier, but I don’t think it needs to come to that.”
There was a rattle of keys. A door opening. Closing. The turning of locks and slide of bolt.
I closed my eyes, picturing her dropping her purse and keys on the table by her door, maybe pulling the elastic from the ponytail she was wearing earlier. Getting undressed. Stepping in the shower. Washing those sweet little breasts, that ass, soaping between her legs.
My eyes snapped open.
For him.
She would be doing all of this for him. For some reason, it made me want to throw my phone through this window.
Which was a problem.
It smelled of jealousy. And I might be a lot of things, but jealous wasn’t one of them.
I stared at my reflection appearing like a ghost in the window.
A metaphor.
As Journey prepared to meet this other man, I was like a ghost hovering in the periphery of her life.
“Nash?”
I turned away from the window. “Yeah, darlin’.”
“I’m sorry, but I’ve got to get ready.”
&nb
sp; I closed my eyes, then opened them again. This could be fun.
“No, darlin’. I want to talk to you while you’re getting ready for your date.” I was tempted to have her FaceTime me, but I doubted she would go for it. That could be a game for another day. “Put me on speaker, and I’ll keep you company.”
She laughed. “Are you serious?”
“Completely.”
The sound quality changed. “Are you naked yet?”
This laugh was deeper, sexier, and I closed my eyes, imagining every inch of her skin. “Maybe.”
I groaned. “Tell me.”
“Well, my shoes are off, and I’m sliding my socks off now.”
“Sexy.”
“I think I need my calluses shaved off again soon.”
“Not sexy. Move right along.”
That effervescent laughed echoed through the room. “Well, now I’m removing my shirt, and… ooohhhh yes, my bra. Give me a minute. Even us flat chested girls need a moment to give praise when these things come off.”
Moving through the apartment, I sat back down on the sofa, leaning my head back against the cushion, smiling all the way. Journey wouldn’t make it five seconds as a sex talk worker, but she was funny.
“There goes the button, and yes, the zipper. Want me to take my pants and panties off separately or together?”
“I want you to take them off together, then I want you to take a picture for me, darlin’.”
“Um, no.”
“Please.”
She was silent for so long, I thought she might have hung up on me. Then, there was a click. Holy shit? Was she really doing it?
A moment later, my phone vibrated in my hand.
I about dropped it before I was able to get to the message. Hot damn. There was an image.
I clicked.
Damn.
“Very funny, funny girl,” I said, looking at a picture of her piled up pants and panties.
She laughed so hard, she actually snorted a little. “Well, you weren’t specific.”
“True. Lesson learned.”
In the background, water turned on. Her shower. She was about to be naked and wet. My cock began to stiffen, and I shifted my shorts to give Godzilla a little more room.
I didn’t tell Journey, but my only somewhat of a girlfriend in college gave him that nickname. I liked it, and it stuck. Of course, when we broke up six days later, the damn girl had started a Facebook page called Nash Douchezilla Levington. I actually kind of liked that too.