“No, I have a ride coming. This is my fault, so I’ll make it up to you. I have a great massage therapist who does in-home appointments. He has magic hands. Do you want a massage?”
“That’s okay, you don’t have to do that. I’ll see if I can find him. Thanks for calling, Cara.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll get your massage later. No, I mean I’ll text you later.”
“No, you don’t—”
But she’d already hung up.
I grabbed my coat and went out to my car, wondering why Cara had called me of all people. Although she’d sounded pretty drunk.
Had he said something to her about me?
There was no way to know, but a sense of resolve shored up my courage. Whatever her reasons for calling, I was going to make the most of the opportunity.
I was going to do what Ginny said and go after what I wanted.
Although maybe I’d do that tomorrow. Having a conversation with a drunk Gavin probably wouldn’t work very well.
He wasn’t hard to find. I drove to the Caboose and found him lying on the sidewalk right next to where he’d been when I’d hit him with my car. He was on his back with his knees bent, his feet flat on the ground. The dark street was empty, so I just stopped in the road and opened my door.
“Gavin?”
His face turned toward me. “Sky?”
I got out and knelt beside him. “What are you doing on the ground? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m walking home.”
“You’re not walking anywhere. You’re lying on the sidewalk.”
“Am I?” He lifted his head and looked around. “I think I got tired.”
“Come on. I’ll take you home.”
“Thass so nice of you,” he said, his voice slurring a little. “Why are you so nice? And so pretty. You’re beautiful.”
I laughed. “Can you get up?”
“I think so. It’s very spinny.” He sat up and rubbed his face. “Sky, I have to tell you something.”
“Yeah?”
“I drank too much.”
“I know. Come on, let’s get in the car.”
“Iss not my fault.”
I helped him to his feet and made sure he was steady. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Cara wanted to do shots. I don’t like her.”
“You don’t? I thought you were friends.”
“We are. But I don’t like her that way.” He laughed, like he’d just thought of something amusing. “Did you think I took her out on a date?”
“I don’t know, I didn’t really think about it.” I ushered him into the passenger seat. “She just called and said you were trying to walk home.”
“She called you?”
“Yes. Are you going to fall over?”
Leaning back against the headrest, he closed his eyes. “I don’t think so.”
I reached across him to fasten his seatbelt, then got in the car. He started singing—it wasn’t a song I knew—and waved his arms around like an enthusiastic symphony conductor.
If our conversation earlier hadn’t still stung so much, it would have been pretty funny.
We got to his house and it didn’t look like his brothers were home. I helped him out of the car and he leaned on me, limping on his booted foot. He kept singing, although it was more mumbling now.
I had to fish his keys out of his pants pocket, which made him giggle like a little kid. We went inside and I shut the front door behind us.
“Princess Squeaker,” he called. “Mommy’s home!”
His kitten came out and mewed at him. He stumbled forward, leaning over to pick her up.
“I’ve got her,” I said and scooped her into my hands while she squeaked in protest. “Let’s just get you to bed.”
“This way,” he declared and pointed to the hallway.
I followed him to the bathroom and waited outside the door while he went in. Princess Squeaker squirmed, her tiny claws sharp. Gavin started singing drunk opera while he used the bathroom.
“Your mommy’s a mess.”
He came out, his pants still undone, but I didn’t worry about that. Just followed him into what I assumed was his room. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled off his boot and shoe.
Princess Squeaker thrashed, trying to get to Gavin, so I put her on the bed. “I’ll go get you some water.”
“You’re so great,” he said, absently petting the kitten. “You’re such a good friend. I really like you.”
“Thanks.”
I got him a glass of water from the kitchen and when I came back, he’d stripped off his clothes—all of them—and lay face down on the bed.
Was it bad that even though he was passed out drunk that I wanted to bite that adorable ass of his?
Probably.
The bed wasn’t made, so I pulled the sheet and comforter out from under him and covered him up to the waist. He shifted and mumbled something.
“What?” I asked.
“Don’t go.”
I slowly lowered myself onto the edge of the bed and ran my fingers through his hair. I wasn’t sure if I should touch him like this, but I couldn’t help it. “You want me to stay?”
He didn’t open his eyes. “I don’t want it to be a dream.”
“This isn’t a dream. I’m right here.”
“Okay. Good.”
I hadn’t planned on sleeping here tonight—and it probably wasn’t the best idea—but there was something about that drunk, sleepy voice of his.
“Stay with me,” he said again, his voice muffled by the pillow. “Please?”
That did it. I was sleeping here tonight.
I didn’t want to go to bed in my jeans or bra, so I took them off, but left the rest of my clothes on. That seemed like the thing to do, especially because Gavin was naked. Princess Squeaker cracked her eyes open and watched me warily as I slid into bed next to him. I had a feeling she wasn’t sure about sharing her space—or her mommy—with me. But ultimately, she went to sleep curled up next to Gavin.
And so did I.
I woke to the feeling of weight on my chest. Was there something on me? I blinked my eyes open and found myself on my back, looking up at the ceiling in Gavin’s bedroom. Gavin slept next to me, lying on his side. He shifted a little, a smile on his face.
It was about then that I realized the weight on my chest was his arm, and he was grabbing my boob.
Under my shirt.
His hand twitched, giving me a slight squeeze. I could feel my nipples harden and I turned my face toward him.
He peeked his eyes open and they suddenly widened. He yanked his hand off me and rolled away so fast he fell off the edge of the bed with a grunt.
I sat up. “Are you okay?”
He groaned and held a hand to his forehead. “Where am I? Is this my room?”
“Yeah, you’re home.”
“Why are you here? Oh shit, why am I naked? Oh my god, did I do it again?”
I smiled. “You drank too much so I brought you home. I don’t know why you took all your clothes off. You did that while I was in the other room.”
Groaning again, he rubbed his hands up and down his face. “I’ll be right back.”
I waited while he got up and went to the bathroom, walking gingerly without his boot. He came back and pulled on a pair of boxer briefs, then chugged the glass of water I’d left on the nightstand for him last night.
“Better.” He put the glass down and eased himself back onto the bed. “I was grabbing your boob in my sleep, wasn’t I?”
“Yeah, you were.”
He winced. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay. You were sleeping.”
“Are you sure we didn’t…”
“Positive. You don’t remember last night?”
“I remember some of it. I went to the Caboose with Cara, and there was a lot of whiskey. And I remember walking home and then you picked me up.”
“I think you were trying to take a nap on
the sidewalk.”
He shook his head, laughing softly. “Way too much whiskey. Why did you come get me?”
“Cara called me.”
“She did?”
“Yeah, she said she got my number from your phone.”
“Man, I don’t even remember her taking my phone.” He glanced at me, one corner of his mouth hooking in a grin. “Thanks for getting me home.”
“You’re welcome. You were pretty funny, actually.”
“Drunk me is hilarious.”
“How is it that you barely seem hungover?”
“I’m a quick healer.” He shrugged. “Not that I’m complaining that you’re here, but… why did you stay the night?”
“You asked me to.”
“I did?”
“Yeah. I’m not surprised you don’t remember that part. I’m not even sure if you were awake. But you asked me to stay, so I did.”
The smile he gave me was different than his usual dimpled grin. It was smaller, more subtle, but also somehow more meaningful.
“Thanks.”
This is where typical Skylar would have said something awkward and left. Darted away like a scared little mouse.
But I didn’t want to run this time. So despite the way my heart started to pound and butterflies fluttered in my stomach, I took a deep breath and drew on what little bravery I could find.
“Can we talk about yesterday? Not the drunk thing, I don’t care about that. I mean what you said before. I don’t agree.”
“You don’t agree with what?”
“With going back to being just friends without… you know, without the other stuff.”
His brow furrowed.
I kept talking fast, hoping I could get through everything I wanted to say before my courage ran out. “I know you’re not interested in a serious relationship, but I’m not either. I’m not asking you to date me or be my boyfriend. But I can’t rewind and pretend nothing happened, either. More importantly, I don’t want to.”
“Then… what do you want?”
“Well…” I nervously twisted a strand of hair. “Why can’t we be friends who also sleep together sometimes? Because we’re good as friends, aren’t we? And let’s be honest, the sex was good too.”
“It was really good,” he said, the timbre of his voice dipping low.
“With where I am in my life right now, I could use a friend and I could use some really good sex.”
He rubbed his face and blew out a breath. “The problem is, this is more complicated than that. Because you’re you, and I work for your dad. He’s not going to want me messing around with his daughter.”
“It’s none of his business. Even though I’m living with him right now, he doesn’t have a say in who I spend time with or what I do behind closed doors. Besides, my dad likes you.”
He grunted. “For now.”
I laughed and shifted so I was facing him. “We’re both adults. We can be friends and have a little fun together. What’s so bad about that?”
His lips twitched in a grin. “So your mom was right and you do want to use me to get over your ex.”
I playfully pushed his arm. “No, I want to use you for friendship and sex.”
Groaning, he leaned his head back. “Friendship and sex are my favorite.”
“See? This works for both of us.”
“So basically you’re telling me you want joint custody of my dick.”
I laughed. “That’s one way to put it.” I took a deep breath. “The truth is, my life kind of sucks right now. I don’t know how I’m going to salvage my career, or how long I’m going to stay here, or where I’ll go next. But hanging out with you is fun and it makes everything feel a little less awful.”
“And orgasms are great.”
“Yes, orgasms are… very great. Is that bad?”
“No, it’s not bad. It’s kind of a dream scenario.”
“See? A little fling with the boss’s daughter never hurt anyone.”
“I don’t know, Sky. I could be getting myself into a lot of trouble with you.”
“I thought you liked danger.”
“I do. I fucking love it.” His eyes widened with excitement and he tucked my hair behind my ear. “I feel like I should be resisting harder, but you make a very compelling argument.”
“Thank you.”
“So, friends with orgasms?” he asked.
“Yes. Friends with orgasms.”
The way he smiled and knuckled my chin sent a little tingle through me. But more than that, I felt proud. Maybe this wasn’t a new agent or publishing deal, but I’d gone after what I wanted. I’d taken a risk, told him how I felt, and it had paid off.
I hadn’t felt this good about myself in a long time.
26
Gavin
Even though I was stuck on the sidelines of the football field for today’s game, I was in an awesome mood. My boot was coming off for good soon, which meant I could go back to full duty at work. And the Baileys were playing the Pines, which meant I wasn’t missing the big Bailey-Haven game.
Plus, Skylar had been at my place last night. That probably had a lot to do with the smile on my face.
I totally had a handle on the whole friends with benefits thing with Sky. It kind of felt like we were dating, only we weren’t really. I was back on light duty at work—none of the fun stuff, but it was something—so when I had free time, I met her at the coffee shop or at her house so she could write. Or we’d just hang out and talk a lot.
And sometimes we’d wind up back at my place, particularly when my brothers weren’t home. There was an element of sneaking around that seemed to make us both hot for each other.
As far as I could tell, Chief didn’t know, which was probably for the best. She’d insisted it wasn’t any of her dad’s business who she slept with, and I could respect that.
Jack stood next to me with his clipboard, squinting in the mid-afternoon sun while our team lined up on defense. Since I couldn’t play, I’d appointed myself assistant coach. I was pretty sure Jack appreciated my help.
“They’re going to try another pass,” I said. The game was almost over and our team was ahead, twenty-one to fourteen. But if they scored, they could tie it up and then go for an on-side kick to get the ball back.
“Evan and Levi see it,” Jack said, nodding to them as they adjusted their positions.
The other team’s center hiked the ball. Sure enough, it was a pass play, but Levi was there to bat the ball out of the air. Incomplete.
I whistled while Jack tucked the clipboard under his arm so he could clap.
The bleachers behind us were full of people, including Fiona, Cara, and Grace. It kind of made me wish Sky was here. She was doing something with Ginny today. And of course, it didn’t really matter. I couldn’t play anyway, and it wasn’t like Skylar was my girlfriend.
But it would have been fun to have her here.
The bleachers on the other side of the field were full too, with Pines or people related to them.
Plus a few fucking Havens.
Josiah, Zachary, and Theo were over there, probably scouting for when they played us later in the season.
Assholes. I glared at them whenever I caught them looking at me.
The Pines attempted another pass, but Evan had their number. The ball hit him right in the chest and a second later, he was running in the other direction. The crowd cheered behind me, Fiona loudest of them all, as Evan ran it back for a touchdown.
That was it. The game was over.
I slapped Jack on the back. “Nice work, coach.”
“Thanks, Gav. Think you’ll be ready to play next game?”
“Should be.”
“Good. We could use your speed against the Town Team.” He shot me a look. “But your doctor has to give the okay.”
“I know, I know. Why does everyone keep telling me to listen to my doctor? Doesn’t anyone trust me?”
He raised his eyebrows.
“I’
m still wearing the damn boot, aren’t I?”
“Yeah, you are. I’m just not convinced you feel pain the way the rest of us do.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“The first time I met you, you fell off a roof, then got up and walked away like nothing had happened.”
I shrugged. “I’m just lucky, I guess.”
The rest of the team congregated on the sidelines, exchanging high-fives. Winning was awesome.
I turned around and bounced backward like I’d hit an invisible wall. Chief stood behind me dressed in a TFD jacket. Where the hell had he come from?
“Careful there, Gav,” he said.
“Hey, Chief.”
He eyed me for a second. Every time he did that, I tensed up, waiting for him to tell me to stay the fuck away from his daughter.
But he didn’t. Yet. Just gave me a nod and moved past me to talk to Jack.
I let out a breath.
“Hey, broagie.” Logan smacked me on the back. “We should get some filming done today.”
We’d started working on the movie we were going to film to hijack the Haven’s drive-in—a Bailey remake of Dirty Dancing. Since the drive-in would close for the season soon, we’d decided against a full scene-by-scene remake and opted for more of a highlight reel. But we still had a lot of work to do, and not a lot of time to do it.
I glanced up at the clear sky. “Yeah let’s do it.”
Logan called our other brothers over. “I need you guys for a few hours.”
“For what?” Evan asked.
“We have a lot of filming to do.”
Evan’s expression didn’t change, like his face was carved from stone. But he didn’t say no, either. That was progress with him.
“Don’t punk out on us now,” I said. “This will be way fucking funnier if we’re all in it.”
“Who do I have to play?” Evan asked.
“The grumpy dad,” I said. “That’ll be easy for you.”
“What?”
“Damn it, that’s right, you assholes are making me be the mom, aren’t you?” Asher asked. “Why don’t we get the girls to play the girl parts? Grace and Fiona will help. I bet Cara would too.”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t suggest Lunatic Ginger,” Logan said. “Besides, it’s funnier if it’s just us.”
Rushing In: A Small Town Family Romance Page 21