Scrumptious: A Friends to Lovers Romantic Comedy (Camos and Cupcakes Book 3)

by Melissa Schroeder

  “Cause. She was trying to hook me up with a guy.”

  “Yeah, you told me about it,” I said, settling her on the mattress once more. I reach down to raise her legs to make her lay down when she drops her next bomb.

  “She thinks there is something wrong with being a twenty-eight-year-old virgin.”

  Every thought I had just stutters to a stop. I stand there, her legs in my hands, with no ability to move on. She’s a virgin? I look at her. She’s already fallen back on the bed, her eyes closed and a smile on her lips.

  Dammit. I’m still standing there holding her legs. So, I set her legs on the bed, then pull the sheet over her.

  “Savannah?”

  “Mafafump,” she says as she smacks my face, then rolls away taking a little bit of the sheet with her. Unfortunately, she gives me another great look at that ass of hers. She is also in the middle of the bed. McLovin jumps up to join her, curling up next to her. There is no way I can sleep in here tonight. If I was aroused before, I am even more aroused now. Jesus. I scrub a hand over my face as I try to order my body not to be a jerk. I know it isn’t actually twenty-first century of me, but hearing she’s never been with a man increases my desire for her.

  With a shake of my head, I shuck out of my jeans and shirt, then grab one of my pillows. Not wanting to go too far, I settle on my couch and hope for sleep; although, I know it won’t come easily.

  I look down my body at my raging hard-on. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve had a woman. I start thinking back to my last date and realize it was almost five weeks earlier. Jesus. I need a date to clear out this need that’s been building for her, because she’s a friend and doesn’t need me getting hot and bothered because I haven’t gotten laid lately.

  With that thought, I start counting sheep, hoping that I fall asleep before I reach the hundreds.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Savannah

  The buzzing sound of my phone wakes me in the morning. Sunlight flickers over me and I frown. I have blackout curtains in my room thanks to my hours. The sun doesn’t EVER wake me up. It wouldn’t dare. Maybe I left my curtains open last night. Then, I open my eyes. Oh, fuck. Where am I? I notice the furnishings, and I realize I’m in my old abuela’s room. In Fritz’s bed.

  Oh, God.

  I look over to the side table and see my phone. It’s blowing up with texts. I grab it and scroll through, laughing at the drunk rantings of EJ and Allison. Then, there are a few from this morning. I look at the time. Eight in the morning? Why am I friends with these bitches? I’m a night owl because of my job, but damn, we were out late last night. Why are they even up right now?

  Allison: Are both of you alive? I’m not sure I am.

  EJ: Yeah. Alive, but not sure for how much longer. Why did we drink so much last night?

  Allison: To celebrate my happiness. Wait…Aw, my man brought me coffee.

  EJ: Shut up.

  Allison: Not my fault Harry sucks.

  EJ: *middle finger emoji*

  Allison: I think Savannah must be dead. She hasn’t answered.

  Me: I’m here assholes. You woke me up.

  Allison: SHE’S ALIVE. Thank God because I don’t think EJ’s gran can fit in your bridesmaid dress.

  EJ: She would try, though.

  Me: I could see that. She was trying to get me laid last night.

  EJ: *laughing while crying emoji* She is one of a kind.

  Allison: So, how is everyone feeling? We have a noon appointment for mani/pedis with my mom, Lillibeth, and Gran.

  EJ: I’ll make it.

  Me: As soon as I figure out what happened last night, I’ll be there.

  Oh crap, I shouldn’t have typed that. See, that’s what happens when you drink too much and wake up in your roommate’s bed. I glance down. And wearing nothing but a tank and some panties. I’m not sick to my stomach, but my head is pounding. I look over at the side table and see the water. Ignoring my vibrating phone, I grab it and twist off the top. I guzzle down half the bottle before I look at my phone.

  Allison: What does that mean?

  EJ: Yeah, what does that mean?

  I sigh. I think about trying to get out of explaining, but EJ has some kind of freaky radar even over text. She can always tell when someone is lying to her.

  Me: Not sure what happened, but I’m in Fritz’s bed.

  Allison: What?!!!!!!!!!

  Yeah, she did use that many exclamation points.

  EJ: I will be right over to beat the shit out of him.

  Me: Why?

  EJ: He took advantage of you.

  Me: Fritz wouldn’t do that. Besides, if someone took advantage of me it’s McLovin.

  EJ: Where is Fritz?

  Me: I have no idea.

  Just then, I hear a noise in the next room and slip out of bed. Padding barefoot across the wooden floor, I peek through the small opening of the door and see Fritz rise from the couch. He’s…I gulp. He’s in nothing but a pair of grey cotton boxers that cling to that butt of his. God, he’s sexy enough in a pair of jeans, but in those boxers…his ass is a thing of beauty. The muscles in his back flex as he stretches them over his head. The Celtic tats that litter his arms also spread down his torso. My eyes stray to his ass again. God, so sexy. I just want to walk up and slap him on it.

  My phone vibrates against my hand and I force myself away from the door before Fritz sees me being a voyeur. I settle back on the bed. McLovin crawls into my lap.

  Me: He slept on the couch in his living area.

  Allison: Aw, that is really sweet. You must have been really drunk last night.

  EJ: What does that have to do with her sleeping in his bed?

  Allison: He wanted to make sure she didn’t need him during the night.

  “Good morning,” Fritz says startling me into dropping my phone on McLovin who barely notices.

  I look up and see that he’s pulled on his jeans, but he’s left them unbuttoned. Somehow, that is even sexier than the view I had before. God, what would it be like to have him kiss me good morning, easing me back on the mattress, our mouths…

  Stop that, woman.

  “Morning. How did I end up here?”

  “You were pretty gone, and I didn’t want to drag you upstairs.”

  I cock my head. “And?”

  “So, I brought you in here.”

  “How did I end up in my underwear?”

  “You stripped down and begged me to sex you up.”

  My face flames. “I did not.” Please tell me I did not. PLEASE. I will never be able to face him again.

  He chuckles. “No. You went into the bathroom, then came out without your jeans on. Probably because they were so hard to pull up and you left them off. Then you sat on the bed, slapped my face, said something I didn’t understand and passed out.”

  Okay, that might be even more embarrassing. Unfortunately, it sounds just like me. “I’m sorry.”

  He shakes his head and waves it away. His gaze dips down to my chest, then back up again. “No worries.” He clears his throat. “You don’t remember much?”

  I shake my head. “I tend to forget until it comes back to me a few days later. Mostly.” It’s why I stopped getting drunk a few months ago. I was having full on blackouts and that was a bad sign.

  “You met the Hawthornes last night, do you remember that?”

  I nod. “I didn’t start drinking until after we left the club. In fact,” I say when I see my jeans. I grab them up and search for Grady Hawthorne’s card. “Hmm.”

  “What?”

  “Grady Hawthorne gave me his business card. Wanted to talk to me about a business opportunity.”

  “Oh.”

  “I’ll ask Syd about it. She’s going to be at the wedding.”

  “So, you’re okay?”

  “I have a headache, but nothing too bad.”

  “I thought you would be sick this morning.”

  “I rarely get sick from drinking. Headaches, that’s about it.”
/>   “Ah.” He says nothing, and I wonder about the way he’s looking at me.

  “What?”

  He shakes his head. “Nothing.”

  My phone buzzes and his mouth curves. Just that little movement and my body reacts. I have to cross my arms to hide the fact that my nipples hardened.

  “I take it the other two have been texting you.”

  I nod. “Yeah.”

  “Okay, well, I need to take a shower. The coffee is ready to go if you just want to turn it on.”

  My face flushes at the phrase turn it on, but he doesn’t seem to notice. He just turns away and heads to the bathroom. I sit there, my brain still slowly trying to piece together what happened after I got home last night. He said I didn’t say anything embarrassing, right? I hope he’s not lying. Or if he is lying, I hope that he keeps lying until the day he dies. I want to live in my little ignorance bubble. With a sigh, I slip out of the bed, gather up my clothes and water, then walk out of the bedroom, through is living space and to the kitchen. I turn the coffee on and then go upstairs. I need to take a shower myself since I have to be in public.

  My phone buzzes continually as I walk up the stairs. I ignore it so I can relieve myself, turn on the water for the shower, and brush my teeth. God, I’m amazed Fritz didn’t pass out from the smell of my breath. I take a quick shower, then slip on some comfy clothes. If I have to be nice and be dressed up today and tonight for the rehearsal dinner, then I am going to make sure I get to be comfortable until then.

  I remember the card that Grady Hawthorne gave me and wonder where I left it. I hope no one gets hold of it and sends him rude texts. Of course, he wouldn’t know who it was because I lost the card. I head back downstairs, the scent of coffee calling to me. I can hear Fritz talking to someone and I worry there’s someone in the house, then I hear Allison’s name.

  “Yeah, she’s fine. Taking a shower.”

  Then he’s quiet.

  “No problem.” I must have made a noise because he looks back over his shoulder at me as I stand in the doorway. His gaze drops down to my feet, then makes the journey up my body. Licks of heat follow the path of his gaze. By the time he makes eye contact, my entire body feels as if it’s on fire. How does he do that?

  “She’s right here.” Is his voice deeper?

  He rolls his eyes. “There’s nothing going on with me. Why?” Another eye roll. “Here’s Savannah. I need more coffee if I’m going to have to talk to you.”

  He hands me the phone.

  “I can call her back on my phone.” Although I left it up in my room to charge.

  “Naw, she’s already on mine.” I take his phone as he walks back over to the coffee pot. I try not to look at his ass, but damn, it’s difficult. The man has a great ass and I know it is even sexier now that I’ve seen his cotton boxers cling to it. There’s a buzz of conversation and I realize that Allison is still talking. I close my eyes and bring the phone to my ear.

  “Savannah? Are you there?”

  “I am now.”

  “God, I have been trying to get you to text me back.”

  “Yeah, sorry. I needed a shower.”

  She chuckles. “Yeah, I get that. I’m sure we all smell like a trashcan this morning.”

  I hear a murmur in the background. “We did drink and dance a lot,” she says. I know she’s talking to Ed.

  “Is there a reason for this phone call?” I ask, opening my eyes when I sense Fritz setting something on the counter in front of me. There is a mug of black coffee—the only way I drink it—and some pills. I look at him, and he points to his head. I mouth the word thank you. He gives me a thumb’s up, then retreats to the kitchen table. He has his tablet there and he settles in to read, apparently.

  “I just wanted to check on you. I thanked Fritz for not taking advantage of you.”

  “Please tell me you didn’t do that.”

  “I did. He’s a good guy and good guys should be acknowledged.”

  “Well, I’m fine. I’m going to drink my coffee, take something for my headache and be at the nail place at noon.”

  “Okay. You really don’t remember anything?”

  “No.”

  “Let me guess, he’s still there?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay, we’ll chat later. Love you.”

  “Love you,” I say, then end the call.

  “Everything okay?” Fritz asks, his voice a rumble of tones that shoots straight to my center. God, when did this start happening? I’m happy I’m wearing a pair of panties and some sweats—although, there is a good chance my panties will be wet. I force myself to turn and face him. He’s still looking over things on his tablet.

  “Yeah. Allison being a worrywart.”

  He nods.

  “Thanks again for the coffee and the pills.”

  He waves it away and looks up at me. The moment we make eye contact, my clit actually throbs. Like actually, a beat to the rhythm of my libido that has decided to rear its ugly head at this moment in my life. Not when I was at the CIA in Napa and I had my pick of young guys who would have happily let me jump on board. Nope, this reaction is for the man who is known to be the king of one-night stands.

  What is going on with me? He’s gorgeous, yes, but I have never had this kind of attraction for him. Okay, so I have been thinking about him here and there. He’s a pretty boy and I know the rumors about him. It’s hard to avoid them with his two friends around telling everyone what a manwhore he is.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  The concern in his deep blue eyes hits me square in the chest. I nod.

  “Yeah, just sort of out of it. Been awhile since I got that drunk.”

  “You needed to blow off some steam.”

  “What’s that mean?”

  “Nothing. Just, with all the stress at work, then what your mother unloaded on you, a night of drinking was called for.”

  I draw in a deep breath and release it on a sigh. “Yeah.”

  “Have you heard from anyone in your family?”

  I shake my head. Granted, I didn’t expect to, but I haven’t heard from any of my brothers. Or whatever they are. Gah.

  “I can see a bunch of thoughts happening behind your eyes there.”

  I focus on him again. “Sorry. I haven’t heard from any of them.”

  “Them?”

  “My brothers. My cousins. I don’t even know what to call them now.”

  “Not even Austin?”

  I shake my head. “He’s on a trip.”

  Fritz’s eyes narrow as he studies me. “Wait, you can’t take off for a few days for your best friend’s wedding, but Austin can just take off the same week?”

  I thought the same thing when he decided to go out of town, but I pushed it away. There had been no reason to argue about it because it would have been futile. I shrug. “Not sure what the difference is.”

  “Yeah, the difference is your brother is an asshole.”

  “What?”

  “All of them, if you ask me. They all see how you’re treated differently but none of them seem to care.” He sounds angry and I don’t get it. I mean, I used to get really pissed about the injustice of it, but then I realized that we are all sort of products of our upbringing. My parents—whatever—programmed us with some really shitty behavior.

  “No reason to get angry.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it won’t change a damned thing.”

  I see something pass over his expression that looks a lot like pity and I can’t stand it. I’ve done a good job of not thinking about my family situation over the last few days. If I have to deal with his pity, I won’t be able to do it.

  “Well, I gotta get ready to do girl things today,” I say, slipping down off the barstool.

  “Savannah,” he says, but I stop him by holding up my hand.

  “I don’t have time. Not today or tomorrow. After the wedding, I can deal with it. All I have to do is make it through the next two
days, then everything will be cool.”

  He sighs, then nods. “What are you all doing today?”

  “Nails,” I say turning to walk out of the room, but I stop. “I appreciate your support, Fritz. I just have to compartmentalize, mainly because my parents will be there tomorrow night.”

  Then I hurry away, worried that if he says anything I will break. I don’t have time for that. I was being truthful. Tonight is the rehearsal, the dinner, and then the wedding tomorrow. After that, I can sit and think and decide what my next move is.

  But for right now, it’s all about my best friend and her happily ever after.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Fritz

  The rehearsal went off without a hitch and a couple of hours later, we’re all filled to the gills with some of the best BBQ we’ve ever had. Ed and Allison decided to have the dinner catered at their house, and I say it was a really great idea. They have lights strung outside and mellow music playing. In my Irish family, I’ve been to a lot of rehearsal dinners and this has to be one of best. Relaxing, with great food. Perfect.

  Because it was at their house, there were other people invited in. Our Army buddies all made it, along with EJ’s mom and Gran. My sister Avery was planning on being here, but she ended up with the same stomach flu my sister’s kids had and decided to ride down with my parents early tomorrow.

  “So,” Pappas says, “tell me about your landlady.”

  “Yeah, tell all of us,” Blue says.

  I roll my eyes. All three of them have been trying to get Savannah’s attention, but she’s ignored them. I don’t think it’s on purpose. I actually think she’s completely oblivious. Men often pay attention to her, but she seems completely unaware. That might be the reason she’s a virgin. I still haven’t wrapped my mind around that one. How does a woman like her, one that I know would be passionate in bed, still have her virginity? It shouldn’t make me want her even more, but it does. It makes me kind of a dick, but it has to do with the untapped depths of her passion. This is a woman who lives for cooking, and I’ve seen her go after people before. Lots of heat there.