Chapter 26 #2
He looks around the table. Then he looks at Jack.
And I get the feeling I’m not going to like where this is going.
“You going to say it or should I?” he asks, eyes on Jack.
Jack leans back in his chair. “It’s your house,” he responds. “Go ahead.”
Ariana and I look at each other, confused and a little worried about what the fuck these two old guys cooked up.
My dad nods, raising his glass. “When Jack and I were still the head guys in charge, ruthlessly competing against each other, we used to joke that at least one of our kids was going to end up together.” He pauses, looking between me and Ariana.
“We meant it as a joke…but eventually it turned into a bet.”
Jack briefly stands and retrieves his wallet, where he pulls out a hundred-dollar bill, and hands it over to my dad.
The table laughs when my dad accepts it. “You see,” he continues. “I bet it would be one of my sons with one of his daughters and he bet just the opposite.”
Jesus Christ. Both our families are batshit crazy.
My dad makes eye contact with me. “Now if you two get hitched I get another hundred.”
Everyone laughs, everyone except me and Ariana.
He raises his glass higher and everyone lifts their own along with him. “To winning bets and who knows, we might have to make one on some future grandchildren.”
Fuck me.
Leave it to my dad to make this situation even more uncomfortable.
I should’ve known dinner would go this way, anticipated the meddling and the pressure, and yet I think it’s decidedly worse than anything I could’ve imagined.
Ariana is stiffer than stone beside me and while I can’t actually read her thoughts, I can only imagine how much she hates this. Being the center of this, all the attention. I just know she’s miserable and I blame myself for getting us into this mess.
Sneaking my hand under the table, I give hers a squeeze and she flashes me a tight, thankful smile.
We just have to make it through this dinner and then I’m going to distract the hell out of her. Make her come so hard, she’ll barely remember any of this.
After dinner, Ariana got trapped in the kitchen with our moms and Nora and Wela. I’d planned on getting us the fuck out of here as quickly as possible, but we weren’t able to make a clean escape.
Exhausted from everything, I make my way into the sitting room for a moment alone, but as soon as I sit down, Jack joins me, silently sitting across from me.
I barely greeted him when we got here, just an acknowledging nod.
Truthfully, I’m a little terrified of the man. And I’m ashamed to admit I’ve been avoiding him.
Since Whitney is the only girlfriend I’ve ever had, and she was raised by a single mom, I’m not experienced in meeting dads. In having to impress them. And I’m sure Jack is aware that I’m not some squeaky-clean guy.
“How you doing tonight, Cole?” Jack says, his voice pleasant to anyone listening, except I hear the disapproval in his tone.
That, or I’m imagining it.
“All things considered I’m doing okay. Tired,” I tell him honestly. “Sorry about the bet,” I add.
He waves his hand through the air dismissively. “It’s no big deal. Bill and I have had all sorts of bets over the years. I’ll win the next one.” He winks.
Awkward silence settles between us and my shirt collar starts to feel tight. Suffocatingly tight.
“She’s a smart girl, you know.”
I nod, unsure of where he’s going.
“And I trust her to make her own decisions. You’re not on the chopping block, Cole. I’m not that kind of man. You hurt her, now that’s a different story. But she looks happy. You look happy. That’s good enough for me.”
I don’t necessarily feel relieved…but I feel better.
We’re not even in a real relationship. I shouldn’t care this much. But I can’t help that I do.
“Not planning to hurt her, sir.”
He chuckles. “Just call me Jack.” He stands and pats my shoulder. “Now go save my daughter from that gaggle of women before she ends up with some family heirloom ring on her finger before you’ve gotten the chance to ask.”
After he exits, I follow his advice, choosing to ignore his not-so-subtle reference to me and his daughter getting engaged someday.
I find Ariana wedged between my mom and Leanne at the kitchen island, Nora and Wela sitting across from her.
Her gaze collides with mine the second I walk in and I waste no time coming up behind her and pulling her off the stool. I take advantage of the fact that we’re supposed to act like a couple, snaking an arm around her waist, holding her flush against my body.
“Cole,” my mother says, watching me act like a total caveman. “We’re in the middle of something.”
“I can see that. But I think we’ve had our fill of family for the evening.” I look at Ariana. “You ready to head out, baby?”
Her cheeks tinge pink. I’ve only ever called her baby when I’m trying to make her come.
“Why the rush, Cole? What’s more important than spending time with family?” Nora says, being a little brat.
“Actually, I’ve been working on some continuing education for winemaking and Ariana has been helping me with the lessons. I’m hoping to go over a couple tonight before it gets too late.”
Ariana goes rigid in my arms, choking on a cough.
We both know exactly what I meant. I clamp down on my bottom lip to keep from smiling and being too obvious.
It’s not a total lie.
Nora tosses me an unimpressed look that tells me she knows I’m full of shit. And I just don’t give a fuck.
All I care about is getting lost between Ariana’s thighs.
I release her long enough to give a round of hugs to everyone and then I’m dragging her out of my parents’ house like a man on a mission.
“Where are we going?” She giggles as we walk toward my truck.
“My house. It’s just around the hill.”
We stop by the passenger door, where I move to open it for her.
“And what are we going to do at your house?” There’s a gleam in her eyes I was worried would be dimmed by the dinner from hell.
I palm the side of her cheek, angling her head to look up at me. My thumb brushes across her cheekbone. “I think you’ve earned some orgasms, don’t you?”
She nods, lips slightly parted.
“That’s my girl.”