40. Thirty-six
Thirty-six
Beau
S oft, warm hands spread over my back, rousing me with gentle, revering caresses.
“Mmm,” I moaned, my feet flexing beneath the sheets as I stretched and smiled. So good, that touch. So good, and…
“Fallon?” I blinked, peeking open an eye. So soft and gentle. So, not Jake.
“Morning,” she said, her voice smooth like honey as she lay propped on her side and rubbed my back. “How are you feeling?” Her hand drifted to pat my ass cheek as she bit her lip. “You survived.”
Sitting up and scrubbing my eyes, I tried to get my bearings. Tarp-covered walls in an empty bedroom… no question that I woke up where I’d fallen asleep. “What are you doing here?”
Her eyes flickered to the doorway, and she spoke quietly. “He called me. He’s worried about you.”
“You weren’t supposed to see this,” I hurried, glancing around wildly.
She sighed, kissing my shoulder and sliding those delicious lips along my neck until she whispered in my ear, “I’m sorry I missed seeing it.”
“No.” Despite the distraction of her mouth, I laughed. “The house, I mean. It’s not ready. You can watch him fuck me anytime, sweet girl.” I winced. “Maybe give me a couple of days, though.”
She nodded solemnly. “I hear you. Feels like he’s tunneling in there sometimes.”
We broke into laughter, and I rolled over to tackle her, tickling her ribs and tummy and that spot in the pocket of her neck on the left side that had her crying about peeing her pants.
“Okay,” Jake said, strolling into the bedroom with his eyes fixed on a pad of paper and not the delightful scene before him. An early morning wrestling match with Fallon? What a fool!
He scratched his head with a pencil, his hair messy and slicked flat on one side. It’d been a good night.
“Dog walker. Babysitter,” he said, sitting on the end of the bed. Fully dressed. Not a fan of that. “One of those people who dress up in costume for kids’ birthday parties.”
My hands abandoned Fallon’s soft body. “Huh? ”
“Oh!” She sat up, clapping. “Coaching sports. Trail guide for tourists in the summer. Ski instructor in the winter!”
I glanced between them, not understanding this game but wanting to play. “Grocery bagger. Skydiver. Escort.”
Fallon gaped. “Excuse me? I’ll not be lending out any man of mine for an evening, no matter the pay.” She bit the inside of her cheek and studied me for a moment. “Bet you could fetch a pretty penny, though. Let’s table that one.”
“Me?” I pointed to my chest. “Are you talking about things I can do? I’ve never skied a day in my life.” Or the other stuff.
“Line cook,” Jake continued, moving down the list on his paper. “Data entry.” He chewed on the tip of the pencil, his eyes drifting to mine as he smiled. “You could stick with construction. You love laying pipe.”
I fell back on the bed, clasping my chest. “Jokes! The guy finally figured out jokes!”
Half a second later, they had me sandwiched between them, squeezing, kissing, and teasing me about all the things I could do in town—not because I was qualified, but because Jake said he would figure out an answer to my questions. Ever determined, he started right away.
“Our girl deserves the credit,” he said, fingers twisting in Fallon’s hair. “She loves an organized list and bossing me around. She refused to stay home this morning, ruining her own surprise at this disaster.” He waved generally. “I’m behind schedule.”
“We’ll get there, baby.” She leaned across my chest to kiss him. I watched, pleased with the view. “I can’t believe you’re doing all of this. It’s so much work.” She traced his jaw and met his eyes with an adoring look. “Thank you.”
That look. Everything lived in the shine of her eyes when she looked at Jake like that—the entire universe, all of existence—like there was nothing else.
No one else.
I swallowed hard. “I’ll help,” I said quietly, drawing circles on Fallon’s hip as she settled at my side. “Let me be useful. Do something for you guys.”
Last night had been emotional and complex. I worried about stepping into their established life and unsettling things, knocking shit over like a kid in a china shop. Wait—bull in a candy store.
I puffed my chest. “Let me earn my keep.”
“You don’t do something for us, dipshit. You do it with us.” He punched my arm and slid out of bed.
No, let me earn my keep. Otherwise, you won’t keep me.
A tingle swept up my neck and across my face, a heat of embarrassment.
“I’m scared I won’t be enough. For you, for her.”
The confession slipped in a moment of desperation last night, an ardent and immediate need to have him when he allowed me into his bed .
The excitement of dirty sex and the seduction of someone novel would inevitably wear off. I had to have something to offer them. A way to prove I deserved to be in that bed once my dick lost its luster.
Hard to believe it would, but I still needed to prepare for some apocalyptic failure of my allure.
Because the man beneath didn’t match the one striding confidently in this house with his plans, renovations, and efforts for those he loved. His sacrifices.
Jake was a good man, and Fallon loved him for it. Their security, certainty, and acceptance should have anchored me, but it destabilized my confidence. It felt good, but I didn’t want to touch it for fear of ruining it—like it would slip from my dirty hands and shatter.
“Get dressed. We’ll swing by your folks’ place to grab your stuff before I drop you at Fallon’s,” Jake said.
Fallon bounced off the bed, blowing a kiss and hurrying out for a head start. I gestured at that speed racer.
“Drop me at Fallon’s? We gotta be at work…” I glanced at my phone on the floor. He needed a nightstand. “Shit. Now. We’re late.”
“I called in. You, anyway. Palmer will chew me out if Danny tattles on me, but I sacrificed a weekend to dog sit in exchange for a late start.” With a snap of his fingers, he said, “Dog sitting. All those dog-walking clients will need a sitter, too.”
I stood up and yawned, scratching my belly with a lazy smile. Insecurity and inadequacy might comprise a solid portion of my DNA, but their efforts helped ease my fears.
They were working hard for me, and while it didn’t erase all of my doubt, it touched those sensitive pieces of my heart that ached to belong somewhere—somewhere with them.
“Why’d you call out sick for me?”
His eyes raked brazenly over my naked body. Nothing shy about that look now. Scrubbing his hands over his face, he dropped his head to stare at the ceiling, his jeans giving away his half-chub.“It’s still Fallon’s weekend. You’ve got a date with our girl.”
Good morning to me.