Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
SAWYER
“I think I made a mistake,” Aiden whispers, glancing down at his cards.
“Well, too late now.” Hunter smirks at us, freshly showered now—without Noah or Bo’s assistance—wearing sweats and T-shirt.
“There’s plenty of food, help yourselves,” Jamie says to us.
“Mark, don’t forget you have a penalty.” Noah smiles.
“This is so stupid.” Mark grumbles.
“What happened?” I ask watching Mark take his shirt off.
“Mark tried to wear extra clothing the last time we played. He knows there’s a six-item maximum.”
“Who makes these rules?” Aiden looks at his cards. “This isn’t poker.”
“Can I have a drink?” I ask Hunter. I’m going to need it.
“Smart.” Hunter gets up and grabs a drink for me. “There’s plenty.”
“I want a drink too.”
“You drove. No drinking,” Jamie says to Aiden, looking at his cards, and I smirk, shrugging and taking a sip of my beer.
We sit at the table as Noah passes out cards. “So, how’s the bakery coming along?”
I catch Aiden’ eye, and I don’t know why but I can’t stop thinking about him at my house. The way he took care of me. He was . . . sweet. Well, as sweet as Aiden can be, I guess.
I’m reading into shit, that’s all.
“I enjoyed the break at first, but now I’m anxious to get the customers in again.” Before I closed, I talked to Mrs. Ramirez and gave her some things she could freeze then thaw when she visits her granddaughter. “I figured out what I’ll do for the Valentine’s—”
“ValenSlay,” Noah corrects, looking at his cards.
“Right, ValenSlay event. I’m going to do truffles—a bunch of different flavors—then some other desserts for the case and maybe samples for the tables.
“That sounds incredible! Don’t worry about anything else, we all have you covered,” Noah says. “Brianna’s working on the aprons, and the fabric she found is so cute. I have fifty people interested online.”
“Wait, really? How?”
“I did an invite on your BlueVibe page. We might need to print tickets to hand out at the door, that way we won’t accidentally overfill the bakery.” I doubt that would happen, but I see his point.
“That’s amazing. Thank you.”
“So, Aiden, you and Cam know each other?” Bo asks.
“Yeah. We’re besties.” Cam grins.
“We’re not besties,” Aiden mutters.
“I thought I was your bestie.” Jamie glares at Cam.
“You are, bro. No one can replace you.” Cam looks at his cards. “Though if you and Aiden would like to fight for my love, I wouldn’t say no.”
I laugh then notice Hunter’s eyes on me. “What?” He’s been sliding looks my way since we stepped into his house.
“Nothing.” He goes back to his cards.
Looking around the table, I watch my friends. They all have terrible poker faces, but when I look at Aiden, I can’t read him at all. He always looks bored or slightly annoyed. It should not be as hot as it is.
I guess he didn’t look bored or annoyed the other day in my kitchen . . .
“Noah, stop looking at my cards.” Jamie pulls his hand away.
“I’m not! I’m looking at your penis.”
Mark folds and we put our cards down. “Yes!” Noah cheers.
Cam gets up, winking at Bo.
“Can you not?” His boyfriend shakes his head as Cam slowly takes his shirt off. “Unbelievable.”
Cam pops his pecs, showing off. “You know, I thought my boyfriend would be more impressed with my body.”
“Cam.” Bo pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’ve known you through every awkward stage you’ve had. I’m immune to your muscles.”
Cam glares then leans down toward Jamie. “Not what he says when we’re alone and I’m pinning him to a wall.”
Jamie sighs. “Can we keep playing so this nightmare will end?”
With the heat off me, we play a few rounds. Aiden loses his shirt . . . Hello. Jamie’s in his boxers, I take my socks and jeans off, Mark is almost winning again—I literally don’t know how he does it—and Noah, well . . . Noah is in his T-shirt.
And that’s it.
Jamie keeps sneaking glances at him.
I look at my cards. “Dammit.”
“Mm.” Noah grins. “Go ahead. Show them all why I call you Bakery Booty.”
“Noah, I don’t even know why you call me Bakery Booty!”
“Cupcake Daddy would have been better,” Mark mumbles.
“No. Don’t give him ideas,” I hiss.
I stand and slide my eyes to Aiden, who’s own eyes seem to darken as he watches me. I’ve done this before with everyone in this room, but Aiden’s eyes on me hit a lot differently. I like my body. I work very hard to maintain what I have, but still.
I take my boxers off and cover myself as I sit.
Cam whistles. “Damn.” He leans into Bo. “You could have had that.”
“Shut up.” Bo rolls his eyes.
Noah shuffles the cards with a grin, dealing out another round. “Come on, guys. Mommy needs a full house.”
“Noah, none of this is the right way to play. I don’t understand how we get this far into the game.”
We put the cards down and look at Aiden, who stands instantly and without taking off his belt, pulls off his dress pants.
My eyes have a mind of their own as they roam over his tanned skin.
There are scars on his legs, the same as on his arms, and my eyes drag up and see tiny white lines like tiger stripes peeking out of his boxers over his hips.
I find stretch marks very sexy and I can’t take my eyes off them.
I wonder how far down they go. Do they stretch over his ass? I swallow, dragging my eyes up until they meet his.
My attention snaps back to my cards.
We play a few more rounds, and Jamie stands, taking off his shirt. The thick scars on his chest always hit me in the stomach. Not because of how they look, there’s nothing wrong with them. I just can’t imagine what he went through.
I think about six years ago now, Jamie was in a car accident with three of his friends—his best friend, his girlfriend, and his sister. They all died, and he was a mess for so long. My mother used to send food after everything happened. It was horrific. It’s nice seeing him so happy now.
“Hey now, look at that.” Cam slaps Jamie’s stomach. “That’s my hard work right there.”
Jamie slaps his hand away. “Your hard work? I seem to remember being the one on the floor dying, wheezing, and begging for mercy.
“And now look at you. The beginnings of those cum gutters you want so bad.”
“Shut up, Cam.” Jamie’s cheeks flush as he sits back down.
“Cum gutters?” Hunter cocks a brow. “You have a way to go.”
“Shut up, Hunter.” Jamie’s dark eyes pin Hunter to his seat.
“Hunter, leave Jamie’s cum creases alone.” Noah glares.
“Please, never say that ever again.” Jamie glares at his cards.
“Sorry. Cum crannies? Is that better. Cum canals? Cum crevices?”
“Noah, please stop talking.” Jamie deals out the cards. “Last round. Although once again, Mark is winning. I’m not even sure how.”
“I’m great at games.” Mark shrugs.
The game goes on. Cards get tossed, my friends laugh and tease, but it only makes the tension between Aiden and me thicker. It also makes me hyperaware of the looks my best friend keeps shooting at me.
Why is Hunter giving me that look?
Finally, the round ends, most of us groaning, and I slip my clothes back on. It’s ridiculous, but I’ll admit, it’s also fun. “I love this game,” Noah sighs.
“Well, that’s because you love seeing half-naked men.”
“Excuse me. I have a love of strategy!”
“And I think we’re done here.” Hunter smiles tightly.
“Whoever wants to smoke can join me on the porch.” Jamie gives Noah a kiss. “I want to scrub this night from my mind.”
I lean into Aiden. “Hey, do you mind if I go outside and talk to Hunter?”
“Oh, uh, yeah.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep him company.” Cam goes to put his arm around Aiden who ducks out of the way.
“I’ll be right back.”
I follow them out onto the back porch. Hunter’s been giving me looks all night and I want to ask him what’s going on.
I see a spark light up then Jamie takes a hit, and I can feel my friends’ eyes on me.
Judgement radiates off my best friend. Cam is inside with Aiden, and I wanted to join Hunter, but now I can feel his scrutiny . . .
“Just say it.”
Hunter sighs loudly. I feel it. Jamie exhales sharply, handing him the bowl, and Hunter takes a hit then blows out the smoke. Then he looks at me. I can feel the weight of his attention.
“What is it?” I love my best friend, and I get it. He’s very protective of me.
“It’s a vibe,” he says finally.
“A vibe yeah? A vibe? Really?”
“Sawyer—”
“Your boyfriend thought he set fire to my mom’s restaurant in college. A vibe.” I shake my head.
His eyes soften. “Hey. That’s not fair.”
No, I guess it’s not. While Mark thought at first that he was responsible, he soon realized he wasn’t and tried his hardest to get the asshole who was responsible to confess. Unfortunately, my friend ended up in the crosshairs of the entire thing. It almost ruined their relationship. “I’m sorry.”
Hunter squeezes my arm. “I’m not trying to be a dick about this. There’s just something off about him.”
“You say I’m too picky and that I need to give people a chance.” Frustration starts to creep in. “Then I give someone a chance, it’s ‘a vibe’.”
“Your employee, though?” Jamie cuts in, taking the bowl back from him. “You need to be careful with that. You’re his boss.”
“Boss feels weird,” I murmur. I barely even know what I’m doing.
“I don’t know if you can call it a power imbalance when I feel powerless.
” I have zero clue what I’m doing. They’re right, I know, technically.
Aiden needed a job, and I needed help. Simple as that.
“It’s not like I’d fire him if he didn’t like me.
” Which he doesn’t, and that’s what I need to understand.
“You sign his checks. You’re his boss. And so what? He was nice to you. It doesn’t mean he’s a good guy.” My best friend sighs.
I want to stop talking about this. Hunter doesn’t get it. He’s happy. So fucking happy. Dating is hard. I’ve tried. I don’t feel anything when I go on them. I know they say feelings grow, that attraction can take time, but I don’t really believe that.
With Aiden the sparks were instant. I feel that little tension-filled caress to my chest when I like someone—really like someone.
“Isn’t this exactly what Mark was doing to Noah?” Jamie stares ahead with wide eyes ignoring the glare Hunter has on him.
“Besides . . .” I already know by Hunter’s tone that I’m about to be pissed. “You’re going through a lot right now.”
“Don’t.” I look at him.
While most of the time I can escape the gaping hole my mother’s absence has left in my life, I can’t escape it when I’m with Hunter. He means well, but he doesn’t get me. He thinks I need to feel it, sit with it, let grief destroy me. I prefer to run from it.
I’m not really a crier. Sometimes I think maybe there’s something wrong with me.
When serious things happen, I’m sad or hurt or angry, I feel it. I just don’t cry. Yet I can watch a sad movie or read something and it affects me that way. I have no clue why.
Maybe it’s why I haven’t hung out with him much outside of us going to the gym. He’s a constant reminder. The one person in our friend group who knew and loved her as much as I did.
Hunter lets it all go for a minute and gathers me in a hug. “If you need anything, please ask. I know Noah’s helping, but ask me too.”
I give him a hug back. “You’re busy.”
He pulls back with a smile. “Never too busy for you.” He pats my shoulder.
And while all that sounds good on paper, I know it’s not true. Hunter’s job is demanding and leaves him emotionally drained. Being a social worker is hard. For someone like him who feels so much, I know it’s got to be tough. I admire him for doing it. I know why he wanted to.
I won’t add my baggage on top of that.
“Hey.” Aiden opens the back door. “Um, when do you want to go?”
While I like hanging out with my friends, I think I’m done now. I can see by the shadows in Aiden’s eyes he’s had enough people for one night.
“I’m ready.” I ignore Hunter’s looks as I say goodbye to my friends and follow Aiden through the door. I say my goodbyes to everyone else and follow Aiden out to his car.
“So, that was weird,” he says, putting his seatbelt on.
I laugh. “Honestly, it could have been worse.” I know from experience.
“Your friends are weird.”
I smile as I slide into his car and hear the rumble of the engine come to life.
“Are you in a hurry to go home?” he asks.
I look over to Aiden as he backs out of the driveway with ease. One arm slung around my head rest. He smells so good. Why is that so hot? “No. I’m not in a hurry. Why?”
He smiles ahead, and I admire the harsh lines of his face, wondering again about the scar and how he got it. Does it have the same story as the ones on his arms and legs. “Do you want to go for a drive before I take you home?”
Hunter’s warning comes to mind but I push it away. I want to be reckless.
Maybe I want a bit of trouble.
“Yeah. I want that.”