Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Nick
“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” I said as I glared over at Leif.
Leif shrugged and pointed at the windmill. “You know what to do. Just try to get it in the hole.”
“That’s what she said,” Noah and Leo said at the same time, and as the two high-fived each other, I rolled my eyes.
“Really?” I asked.
Leif shrugged. “You’re just upset because you didn’t say it first.”
That made my lips twitch. “Maybe. I do not miniature golf.”
“I’m going to have to disagree with that,” Leo put in. “You are indeed here and miniature golfing.”
I frowned. “First bowling, now miniature golfing. Why can’t we just go to a sports bar and watch some sporting activity?”
Noah snorted. “Oh, good. That sounds well-intentioned and detailed. We’re here because it sounded fun when I was about three beers in and laughing, and now here we are.”
I shook my head. “Sebastian can’t come?” I asked Leif.
He shook his head. “Nope. Marley had a sonogram today, then he had an evening class, and now I know they’re both working on homework.”
“He worked this morning in the shop going over a few things with us. That’s a whole lot on his plate.”
Leif nodded. “And it’s only going to get worse when the baby comes. But he can do it. And it’s not like he’s alone. He’s got the entire Montgomery brood on his side.”
That made my lips curl up into a smile. “I suppose that is true. There are a few of you.”
“And they’re all in mourning because Marley is no longer allowed to have soft cheeses.”
I looked at Leif and Noah, aghast, and the two Montgomerys bowed their heads in silence.
“So let me get this straight—when you marry or breed into the Montgomery family, does your love of cheese just show up? Or do you have to like, go through a whole class?”
“I don’t know. I used to think it was genetic, but then people marrying in had cheese addictions. I think it’s just subtle mind manipulation. You don’t realize it until suddenly you are in love with cheese and planning your own cheese board.”
Leif shook his head. “And, you have to be careful what you call charcuterie because that is cured meats, not a cheese board. There is a difference.”
I looked at Leo who just shrugged. “Don’t ask me, bro. They’re the ones that scare me.”
“We shouldn’t scare you. That much.”
I narrowed my eyes at Noah and shrugged. “Okay, let me try not to hit this stupid windmill.”
“Wait till you get to the pirate ship. That’s when it gets tricky.”
I paused and stared at the other man. “How many times have you played here?”
“It’s a good place to take a girl. At least when we were in high school. You can’t get into some clubs, so you come here and wrap your arms around her as you’re trying to show her exactly how to aim.”
He wiggled his brows and I rolled my eyes.
“Oh, that’s nice. So glad that I’m here to learn all this.”
“Well, you can try it out with my cousin now,” Leif teased, and Leo and Noah just grinned.
I narrowed my gaze at my best friend.
“Really?”
“It’s fine. I’m not going to say anything.”
“You said something.”
“We thought, but weren’t sure. This is good to know,” Leo said, tapping his chin.
“So, are we going to talk about it?” Leif asked, and I shook my head before I aimed. I wasn’t good at mini golf, or regular golf. I didn’t really understand using a metal—or plastic in this case—stick to hit a tiny ball towards a hole I couldn’t see. But I had been outvoted, and the next time we had a guys’ night, we’d be sitting down and doing nothing. Or maybe going on a hike. A hike could be good. We lived in fucking Colorado. There were mountains and trails everywhere.
“You’re scowling. What are you thinking of?” Noah asked.
I glared at him, then swung, letting out a deep sigh as the ball hit the wooden side of the windmill and shot off into a bush.
“I would say you weren’t really thinking of golf, were you?”
“When it’s my turn to pick, we’re going on a hike. Through the mountains, with backpacks and everything. Where we have to eat trail mix and be wary of bears.”
Noah blinked at me. “If that’s what you want. Lake doesn’t like hiking, though. So I guess that’s not something you’ll do with her.”
Tension rode my shoulders, and I let out a breath. “Really? That’s where you’re going with this?”
“Now I have questions, if we can bring it up. When did this start? How long’s it been going on? Tell us more. Tell us everything.”
I glared at Leif, who held up his hands.
“You’re the one who kissed her in front of the windows at the shop. I didn’t say a damn thing.”
After lunch, when we walked back to the shop, I had indeed kissed her right there. I hadn’t even thought about anyone else, so it was my own fault. Tomorrow night was her girls’ night, and I knew she would probably be fending off the same questions. Only without a windmill and having to search for a ball in a bush.
I scowled and bent down, cursing under my breath as I scratched my arm on some holly and pulled out the ball.
“Who puts pointy plants right next to a place where kids could lose their balls?”
“Kids don’t usually hit it that far off center,” Leo said wisely.
I flipped him off and Noah clucked his tongue.
“No, no, no. We don’t do that. There are children around.”
It was after seven o’clock, and I looked around the empty place. “People are either getting ready for school tomorrow, or at home doing anything else.”
“They should serve beer here. Beer would be nice,” Noah put in.
“You’re not even twenty yet kid,” Leo growled.
“I will be in a couple of months. Finally.”
I shook my head, set the ball back where it started, and hit again, this time without even bothering to look. It gently rolled down the drain through the giant hole, and the sound of the ball falling into the plastic cup echoed in my ears like a sweet relief.
“You just had to do that one-handed without looking, showoff,” Leif teased.
“I hate you all.”
“Seriously though, Lake does not like hiking. She likes sports, but she doesn’t like hiking through the bush where anything could come and eat her. Not her thing.”
I glared at Noah. “I know that. I’ve known Lake for a damn long time. I know what she likes and dislikes.”
“Oooh,” Leo said under his breath, and I moved forward, Leif holding me back.
“Okay. That’s enough of that.”
“Enough of what? You all teasing me?”
“We’re not teasing you. We’re just genuinely interested.” Noah stared at me.
“I thought you guys didn’t like each other. In fact, whenever the four of you came up with that scheme to start the business, I thought you were insane. I mean, you and Leif made sense, even Sebastian made sense, and I understood Lake wanting to be part of it because she’s brilliant and understands business, but her and you? I didn’t see it.”
“Then you are blind,” Noah laughed.
I looked over at my friend. “What?”
“You guys fought because of the sexual tension.”
I stared at him blankly.
“That couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Leif whistled through his teeth. “I don’t know. I mean, I’m not exactly surprised the two of you are finally doing whatever it is you’re doing. And no, I do not want details.”
“I want details,” Leo said quickly before he held up his hands. “But not creepy details. Respectful details. And it’s not because I’m afraid of you. I’m actually quite afraid of Lake.”
I stared at the lot of them and just shook my head.
“You guys are insane. I really don’t want to talk about this.”
“Then don’t. I think it’s kind of cool,” Noah said, and I stared at him.
Leif cleared his throat. “The two of you are two of the most important people in my life. I love you both. And I trust you both. And it’s none of my business.”
I stared at him. “You’re being very careful with your word choices right now.”
Leif snorted. “So damn careful. It’s not my business. It doesn’t need to be my business. You don’t need me in your head when you’re doing this. Like when I first started dating Brooke, you didn’t get into my head. You were there if I needed you, so I’m going to do the same with you. I will just happen to do the same with Lake, and it’s weird. I’m not in the middle. If I was in the middle then I’d be placing myself there and it’d be on my own shoulders.”
“You’re talking in circles now,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Maybe. But I love you both. So I guess I’m happy for you both.”
He nodded as he said it, as if that was the end of the conversation, and frankly, it was as much an end as I wanted.
“Okay, since Nick finally finished this hole, it’s time for the pirate ship.”
Leo shook his head. “No, the waterfall is next.”
Noah snapped his fingers. “You’re right. We shouldn’t miss the waterfall.”
I looked at Leif, wide eyes. “There’s a waterfall? How long is this?”
“We paid for the full eighteen holes, bud. Better get used to it.”
I rubbed my hands over my face, barely holding in a scream. “Why isn’t there beer?”
“Because it’s a family-friendly and dry establishment.”
“Next time one of your family members forces me to come here, I’m bringing a flask.”
Leif snorted. “We’ll bring two flasks.”
Noah called out. “I heard that. This is a rocking-good time. Let’s have fun.”
I mouthed the phrase rocking-good time , and Leif threw his head back and laughed as we headed to the next hole.
I was not a miniature golfer. Not even in the slightest. I lost by a staggering amount and knew I was going to continue to lose until the end of my days.
And since I lost, I got to pay for dinner, even though I hadn’t agreed to that. But I didn’t care. Not when I knew we would take turns.
We ended up at a sports bar, with baseball of all things, on behind us. None of us cared about the game, but we watched a little bit anyway and gorged ourselves on wings, while I dug into a salad.
Noah looked at me, confused. “Why are you eating that green and leafy thing at a sports bar? You’ve only had a couple of wings.”
I swallowed my ranch-covered lettuce and followed it with a sip of beer.
“I’m in my thirties now. I’m trying to take care of myself.”
“As soon as you hit thirty, your body starts to fall apart?” Noah asked, and Leif reached around and smacked the back of his cousin’s head.
“When you’re twenty-five, you hit a new low. Your body starts to break down. Then thirty, then thirty-five.”
I nodded. “In other words, every few years, your body breaks down just a little bit more.”
“Yes, soon you’re going to know when rain is coming because of your joints,” Leo added, and I snorted.
“And I wanted a salad. Mostly because I get heartburn if I just eat french fries and wings. And I don’t really like fries.”
The three guys stared at me.
“What?”
“How did I not know about this?” Leif asked, aghast.
“I’ll eat french fries if they’re there, but they’re not my favorite thing. I like steak fries, and sometimes I’ll eat freshly cut fries cooked in peanut oil. But they have to be really good for me to want them. If I had a choice, I’d pick onion rings, but they don’t have the beer-battered onion rings here anymore, so I went with the salad. Yes, I’ve hit a new phase of my life—get over it.”
“So I guess gone is the era of rare steaks, a cigar, and a bourbon?” Noah asked as he drank his chocolate milk.
“First off, you’re drinking chocolate milk right now.”
“It’s actual chocolate milk. Milk where they add chocolate to it. I’m going to drink this. It’s damn good.”
“And you don’t have a dairy allergy, at least yet,” Leif put in.
Noah’s eyes widened. “Wait. I could have a dairy allergy?”
I nodded. “A lot of times you can grow into a dairy allergy or a lactose issue. You do realize that half of your family, even with their cheese boards, pop a pill so they can enjoy cheese to the fullest.”
Noah looked between us. “Am I getting older?”
“Oh shut up,” I growled. “I’m not even old. It’s just we’re actually taking care of ourselves. And bourbon and a rare steak sounds fucking amazing. Not so much the cigar.”
Leif grinned at me. “Probably because we stole one from our friend’s older brother, and smoked it in my backyard when we were ‘camping,’ and threw up because it tasted like socks.”
Leo and Noah both laughed as I shuddered.
“It was horrible. The worst thing I’ve ever had.”
“What did your dad do?” Noah asked.
Leif winced. “I was grounded. But he and mom both agreed that Nick and I were practically green, along with our friend Jordan.”
I nearly gagged, thinking about it, and took a sip of my beer. “Seriously, everything that we’d eaten for dinner, and all the junk food, came right back up. Haven’t had a cigar since, and I don’t plan on it.”
“So I guess no cigars when Sebastian’s baby is born?” Leo asked.
I laughed outright. “First off, I’m so glad that is out of style. Second, I’m pretty sure Marley’s parents would disown the Montgomerys even more than they’re already trying to.”
I gave Leif a look, who just rolled his eyes.
“Sebastian’s been telling me some about it, and I hate that for him. But no matter what, Marley’s parents are just going to have to get used to the Montgomerys. We’re a force.”
I nodded and finished my salad. “Pretty much. Don’t worry. That kid is going to be taken care of no matter what.”
“Okay, so let me get this straight, when I hit thirty, I’m going to have to actually start taking care of myself. I’ll take note. And you and Lake are dating, but you’re not going to talk about it. Fine, anything else I missed?” Noah asked, and I flipped him off.
“You are just a ray of information and sunshine, aren’t you?”
“Maybe. But I like that you’re the center of attention instead of me right now.”
Leif leaned forward. “Is there a reason you should be the center of attention?” he asked.
Noah stiffened before he shook his head. “Me? Not at all. Everything’s fine.”
I looked at Leif, who shrugged. Everything wasn’t fine with Noah, but he wasn’t about to share. And I wasn’t going to bug him about it because, frankly, that meant that Noah would find an opening to find out more about me.
And I didn’t want to talk about it.
I didn’t want to talk about Lake, didn’t want to talk about my mom, didn’t want to talk about anything like that.
When we finished eating and I paid, despite the fact that all three of them tried to pay for their meals anyway, I headed back home feeling weird.
I was usually the one in the background, the one that people didn’t really notice. I didn’t like the fact that people were up in my business now. Wanting to know more about me and caring what I was doing. It was weird.
When I got home, I quickly showered, tired from the day, and got into bed, wondering if this was going to be my life now. An odd night with the boys when I could, work, and being home alone.
I frowned, knowing that wouldn’t always be the case. I could text someone. And maybe I would. Even if I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing.
I pulled out my phone and sucked in a breath.
Me
You up?
Lake
Is this a booty call?
I laughed outright, my whole body shaking.
Me
If you want it to be.
I could practically hear her laughter as she texted back.
Lake
I have had the longest day, I had to be up for a meeting on European time zones. I wish this was a booty call. Maybe I could release some of this tension.
I quickly called her, not in the mood to text with my giant thumbs.
“Okay. Do you want to talk about your day? Or more about your booty call?”
Her laugh did something to me. What? I didn’t know, and it should worry me.
“How was the night with the boys? Did you go to a strip club or something?”
“First off, I’m never going to go to a strip club. Not my thing. So you don’t have to worry about that.”
She let out a breath. “You know I really wasn’t worried. That doesn’t seem like your thing at all.”
“It’s not. No, we went miniature golfing.”
She was silent for so long that I wasn’t surprised when she broke out into laughter.
“Shut it.”
“Did you at least win?”
I was silent for so long that she continued to laugh.
“I didn’t. I failed. Whatever.”
“It’s okay. I’m decent at miniature golf. I can show you the ropes.”
That made me smile. “You know, Noah was telling me how he uses it to pick up women. So he can wrap his arms around her and show her how. Guess you’re going to have to wrap your arms around me.”
Who the hell was this guy flirting? This was not me, but I didn’t mind it. It was new. Different. And fuck, this was Lake.
“I can try that. I’m sorry that I haven’t really seen you this week. It’s been a little busy, getting the café up and running. And just all those meetings after the event.”
We had only been on a couple of dates since we had gotten back, and I had only kissed her a few times. We hadn’t done more beyond kissing. But I knew this was our life. We were busy, so we were getting used to it.
“It’s okay, Lake. You don’t have to apologize for being a high-powered kick-ass boss.”
She laughed like I wanted her to. “That’s nice to hear before bed. I really wish I was there. Which is not something I would normally say over the phone. But for some reason whenever I talk to you, I get all this courage.”
I smiled. “Oh yeah? What would you do if you were with me right now?”
She sucked in a breath, and without thinking, I slid my hand over my boxer briefs, squeezing my dick.
“I’ve never actually talked dirty on the phone before. I don’t know what to say.”
I hummed. Low, deep. “I haven’t either, but I’m sure we can figure it out. Should I ask you what you’re wearing?”
Her laugh was soft. “A tank top and panties. The tank top’s old, it has a few holes in the bottom, and my hair’s piled on the top of my head. So sexy.”
I groaned, slowly slid myself out of my boxer briefs.
“Tell me more.”
“Are you touching yourself?” she breathed.
“Yes, I am. I’m already hard thinking of you, and I have to squeeze the base of my shaft, so I don’t come right on my stomach.”
I heard her swallow hard, then a shift of fabric.
“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice barely above a breath.
“I pulled down my tank top and I have my breast in my hand, playing with my nipple.”
“Am I on speaker phone?” I asked.
“You have to be. Because I’m sliding my other hand down my stomach, and I’m playing with the edge of my panties.”
I licked my lips, stroked myself some more. “Slide your hand underneath the hem of those panties and feel those swollen folds. Tell me if you’re wet.”
“I already know I’m wet,” she panted.
“Tell me anyway.”
She did as she was told, and I groaned as she let out a small little moan.
“I’m soaked just thinking of you.”
“Stroke yourself. Gently at first, imagine it’s my fingers, just a brush of the tip of my forefinger along your clit, and then lower down your seam, before I slowly, oh so slowly, insert my finger inside you.”
“Nick,” she breathed.
“That’s my girl. Keep going.”
Her breathing came in pants at the end of the line where I knew she was doing as I told her. My strokes got faster as we panted together, telling each other to keep going, and then she let out a little cry, and she was coming, and I smiled, squeezed my cock again, and pumped myself, coming on my stomach, hard, fast, and sweaty.
I lay there, trying to catch my breath.
“I’m sad I didn’t get to see you come. Your nipples go this beautiful shade of pink when you do.”
“Really?” she asked, as out of breath as I was.
“Really. And next time, I’m going to have those nipples in my mouth as I fuck you hard. And you’re going to clamp around my cock, squeezing me until there’s nothing left, and I’m going to hold you close and kiss and bite every single inch of you.”
“I don’t know if I’m ready for bed or all riled up.”
I grinned. “I think I need to take a shower,” I growled.
She let out another laugh. “That sounds good to me. Goodnight, Nick. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
I swallowed hard. “Yeah, Lake. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
It took a second for her to hang up, and then I was staring at a blank phone. At the stickiness on my stomach.
I knew I was in trouble.
So much fucking trouble.