Chapter 25
twenty-five
EDEN
West grips the steering wheel like it’s personally offended him. He’s freshly showered – clean-shaven, hair still damp, wearing jeans and a soft black T-shirt that makes his biceps look like sin wrapped in cotton.
“Tell me again why I have to go to Parker’s place for drinks when I could be spending my night making you scream my name,” he asks me, like this whole arrangement is my fault.
I blush. Mostly because I haven’t told him about Autumn knowing yet. I’m a coward and I want to get through tonight first before he decides to bury my body somewhere deep in the Atlantic.
“Because my sister decided girls’ night is mandatory, and Parker misses you so it’s a chance for you two to catch up,” I say instead.
West shoots me a look. “Mandatory? What is this, a seventh-grade sleepover?”
I shrug, trying to ignore the butterflies somersaulting in my stomach. “You’ll survive. You’ll have beer. Snacks. Male bonding. It’ll be fun.”
He makes a low noise in his throat. “I’d rather be bonding with you.” He slides his hand along my thigh, squeezing it tight. And I immediately feel dizzy at his closeness. The man doesn’t just look good, he smells good. “Fuck it, let’s go home.”
“We can’t.” I smile at him, because he’s really doing that grumpy thing again. Nobody would ever believe West could act like this. Maybe I should video it and post it on social media. “Let’s just get it over with and then you can pick me up and show me exactly how you like to bond with me.”
“Hard. Fast. Multiple times. Until your skin is flushed and you’re unable to catch your breath and you’re begging me not to make you come again because you’re not sure you’ll survive it.”
“Wow, you’ve really thought about this.”
His hand slides higher, his thumb brushing the soft skin of my inner thigh. “All damn day.”
Heat rushes through me, pulling low at my belly. “Me too,” I murmur.
He pulls into the gravel lot of The Salty Dog, the tires crunching as he brakes hard, like the car itself is protesting this whole evening.
His fingers dig into my thigh, possessive and warm. “If you’re not waiting outside for me the second this thing’s over,” he murmurs, his voice like smoke and sex, “I’m coming in there and carrying you out. Over my shoulder. No matter who’s watching.”
My pulse jumps and I shake my head, pushing open the car door and making my way to The Salty Dog, official home of tonight’s girls’ night. There’s a rumble through the silence as West pulls away.
The party has already started without me. Skyler is halfway through a pink cocktail, perched on a barstool. Francie is surreptitiously trying to read a book on her phone, her lips moving as she reads.
Autumn’s rearranging a charcuterie board with military precision, muttering something about the cheese-to-cracker ratio.
Sadie is standing in front of the jukebox, flipping through the choices, her long red hair curled in soft waves as it tumbles down her back.
“Where is everybody?” I ask, looking around at how empty the most popular – and only – beach bar in town is.
“I closed for the night,” Skyler says, taking another sip of her cocktail. “It’s my bar and I’m in charge. And the kids are in the back sleeping, I couldn’t get a babysitter at this short notice and Hudson was desperate for a boys’ night.”
“Asher was too,” Francie says, putting her phone down to look at me. “They’re like little kids scared of missing out. Seriously.” She shakes her head.
“So Asher and Hudson are at the lighthouse?” I send a dirty glance over to Autumn, because what the hell? It was supposed to be just Parker and West, but now the whole gang is going.
Did Parker tell them anything? Oh God, if I was worried about West’s reaction before, now I’m in full panic mode.
“And Jesse,” Skyler adds. “And he picked up Bennett. Apparently, the two of them have bonded.”
Oh Sweet Baby Jesus. This is not good. “Autumn,” I say, keeping my voice as calm as I can without spontaneously combusting. “Can I have a word?”
She looks up from the charcuterie board and sighs, beckoning me over.
“Relax,” she murmurs when I stalk over to her.
“Everything’s fine. Parker’s not going to tell them.
He promised.” She picks up a cracker and loads it with Monterey Jack like she hasn’t just spiked my anxiety.
“And if he’d asked Hudson and Asher to stay at home, don’t you think that would have looked more suspicious?
They’re not idiots. They’d know something was up. ”
I let out a long breath and grab a margarita from the tray. It tastes like tequila and shame. “I still don’t like it,” I mutter, mostly to myself.
“Don’t like what?” Francie asks from behind me.
She’s appeared out of nowhere, her phone now in her pocket.
“The charcuterie? Because honestly, Autumn’s gone full dictator over it.
Those hormones really are a thing. Last week she cried because I wouldn’t write her a sex scene,” Francie continues, stealing a grape.
“And it wasn’t just any scene she wanted.
It had to have a pregnant heroine, an ex-football hero, and him dressing up as a wolf and making her his omega. ”
“His omega?” I repeat.
“It’s hot. You should read some omegaverse books.” Autumn glances at me. “Actually, don’t. You’re already oversexed enough.”
Um, hello? People aren’t supposed to know about that. I kick her softly in the shin and she frowns.
“What?” she snaps at me.
“I’m not oversexed, remember?” I say, through gritted teeth. “No sex over here at all.”
“What about that Bennett guy?” Sadie asks, walking over and grabbing a drink.
She’s wearing the cutest outfit, cotton floral patterned shorts and a matching shirt, open over a tight tank.
The blue of the pattern contrasts with her red hair.
“I thought you two were a thing when you came into the bookstore together last week.”
“Me and Bennett?” I shake my head. “No, we’re definitely not a thing.”
“And she’s not a thing with West either,” Autumn adds.
The whole room goes silent. Francie gives me a strange look. Sadie takes a sip of her drink. Autumn shoves two more crackers in her mouth.
Then Skyler walks out of the apartment at the back of the bar where she’s been checking on the kids. “Everything is quiet,” she says, then she stops and looks at us all. “What’s going on?”
“Eden absolutely isn’t sleeping with anybody,” Sadie says, sounding amused at the whole situation. It must be her first experience with a Fitzgerald Girls’ Night. Otherwise she’d know it always descends into complete chaos.
“Okay, wow.” I lift my hands. “Can we please redirect the spotlight away from my lack of sex life?” I look at Sadie. “How about you? Is there somebody significant in your life?”
She lifts a brow. “Absolutely not. I prefer book boyfriends.”
“One day she’ll tell us what happened to her,” Skyler says, giving Sadie a grin. “And more importantly, who we need to beat up.”
Sadie laughs. “Nobody. And that’s the way it’s going to stay.” She sips her drink like she’s unwilling to say anything more.
And that’s when my phone buzzes. And then again. And again. I pull my phone out and try to look at it surreptitiously. I have four messages. All from West.
Your brothers have arrived. I’ve no idea why. I hate everyone here. – West xx
Trying to make small talk with your brothers like I haven’t done filthy things to you on every surface of our bedroom is interesting. – West xxxxxxxx
Jesse brought Bennett. And fucking artichoke dip. – West xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Remind me, why am I not at home buried inside of you right now? – West xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The amount of kisses he’s putting at the end of each message are like an insight into his psyche.
Chill. It’s going to be fine. You can bury yourself in me all night once we’re home. – Eden
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, GIVE ME A DAMN KISS! – West XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I swallow a laugh. The man needs professional help.
Here. x. Now go talk to your friends. I’m busy. – Eden
“Oh,” Autumn says, and I realize she’s reading our messages over my shoulder. I quickly lock the screen, but from the expression on her face, I can see she’s already read enough. Her eyes meet mine and she looks more worried than ever.
“He likes you,” she whispers, like it’s the worst thing to happen.
My stomach twists, because I hope it’s true. I want him to, and that’s the scariest thing in the world.
Because I don’t know what to do with that.
“Okay, is it just me or are we all out of tequila?” Skyler calls from the bar, sounding almost panicked. “Because if so, I’m invoking emergency procedures and opening the backup gin.”
“Gin works for me,” Sadie says, a grin on her face. “It always leads to the best bad decisions.”
My eyes meet Autumn’s again. This woman is going to fit right in. She already feels like an honorary Fitzgerald.
WEST
I’ve spent the last two hours checking my phone like a hormonal teenager. Every time Eden messages I get a stupid grin on my face. Or at least, I keep getting asked why I’m smiling so much.
Well it isn’t because I get to spend the night with you motherfuckers.
Don’t get me wrong. I love my boys. All of them.
Even the ones who arrived without letting me know that my bro night with Parker morphed into a full-on whiskey around the firepit night complete with Hudson, Asher, Bennett, and Jesse – who are apparently friends now, and of course, Parker, who’s regaling us all with stories from his time playing professional football.
As everybody laughs at a punchline, I take another surreptitious look at my phone screen. And quickly write out a message to Eden.
Did you know that Bennett and Jesse are friends? How did they even meet? – West xxx
Yeah, I limit the kisses now that she’s actually responding, and also I don’t have a lot of time before I get called out for being on my phone. Again.