Chapter 13
Haddy
My eyes open slowly as the room lights with the first glow of sunrise. Blinking slowly, the night comes blasting into my memory.
Gavin’s mouth on my body, kissing every part of me, between my legs, my waist, my lower back, my breasts. I lost count of how many times we made love, but when I move, I can feel it was a lot.
I’ve never been with anyone like him, so hungry and eager. We did it in every position, some I’ve only seen in videos. I sat on his lap, rising and falling with my knees bent as he squeezed my ass with both hands.
His cock is so big, I was certain it would hurt, but somehow it didn’t.
Now I’m lying on my side with my back to his broad chest. His palm is spread over my stomach, and I feel the beast against my right butt cheek.
Heat twists in my stomach, pulsing higher with every heartbeat, and so many feelings swirl in my chest.
It was wonderful. It was impulsive. I can’t believe I did it. I’m never like that, but when I saw him naked, I didn’t have a choice. I mean, seriously. The man is utterly, perfectly gorgeous. He’s unreal.
A low rumble comes from his throat, and panic hits my stomach. He rolls onto his back, and I slide out of the bed, falling softly to the floor in a crouch.
My white dress and bra are in a pile on the floor, and I snatch them to my chest.
His arm lifts, and I hear him inhale deeply, scrubbing his face with both hands. Without a look back, I creep to his door and slip through it, closing it softly behind me then dashing on tiptoe down the hall to my bedroom.
Patsy squeaks from her crate as I stand with my back to my closed door, trying to catch my breath. Her little front legs march side to side as she looks up at me with big, brown eyes.
“Sorry, Pats.” I speak in a soft, high voice as I cross the space to my closet. “Didn’t mean to ditch you last night. I’d blame the purple drink, but I only had one.”
I quickly put my costume dress on a hanger, then I go to my dresser and pull out a fresh pair of cotton underwear, black capri leggings, and a jog bra.
I could use a shower, but I’ll have to wait until the guys leave for Anaheim.
I don’t want to take a chance of bumping into him, or him joining me, although that might be interesting… Would he do that?
Pulling a hoodie over my head, I open the door of the crate and scoop out the tiny dog. “Let’s go for a walk.”
She’s under my arm when I step into the hall. Then I turn around, and my heart flies to my throat.
“Oh my gosh,” I gasp, slapping my hand over my mouth. “You scared the crap outta me.”
Gigi is standing in a similar outfit as I am, and she has Spanky on a leash. “Going for a walk?”
“Yeah, you?”
“Spanky needs to, and I figured I’d get some exercise.”
Gav’s door at the opposite end of the hall starts to open, and I grab her arm, pulling her to the stairs.
“Let’s go then!”
Out on the sidewalk, Gigi frowns, rubbing her eyes. “I was going to make coffee to go first.”
“We can stop at Rise and Grind. I’ve been wanting to check that place out since they opened.”
It’s a lie. I was there last week, but I had to get out of the house before Gavin said something. He and I have got to talk alone, in private, and decide what in the world we’re going to do before anyone knows what happened.
If anyone will ever even know what happened. I don’t even know what happened. Okay, I know what happened, but I don’t know what it means.
“What happened to you last night?” My cousin’s nose wrinkles, and I startle thinking she read my mind.
“What do you mean?”
“You ditched the party, and when I walked up to check on Peepee, you weren’t in your room.”
“You are not still calling her that, are you?” I’m carrying the little dog under my arm as we walk, since she’s too little to keep up with us.
“It’s funny, and you’re dodging the question.”
Spanky pulls us to a stop at a small patch of grass, and I put Patsy down so she can use the bathroom as well.
“I uhh… fell asleep in Gav’s room.” My ears are hot, and I wish I’d grabbed my dark sunglasses on the way out the door. I am the world’s worst liar.
“Whaaat?” Gina’s brows rise, and suspicion is in her green eyes. “What were you doing in Gav’s room, Princess Leia?”
“Too much purple drink.” I answer quickly. “I think I passed out.”
I did pass out, only it wasn’t from too much purple drink.
It was from too much dick.
“Well, that’s a let-down.” Her lips twist into a frown. “He was so hot as Han Solo. I thought you guys might wind up doing a little smooching before the night was over. You looked amazing.”
“Did you do any smooching? That Donovan is a hottie.” The guys’ hockey captain is a massive six-foot-four brute with red hair and flirty brown eyes. “He’s got kind of a Prince Harry thing going on.”
She shakes her head. “You know I don’t like gingers.”
“But you’re a…”
“Don’t say it!” She points a finger at me as she picks up Spanky’s poo with a plastic bag.
I laugh as I scoop up Princess Petunia. “So you can say I’m just like my mom, but I can’t accurately note you’re a ginger?”
“Being just like Raven Bradford is not an insult.”
“Neither is being a gorgeous strawberry blonde.” She rolls her eyes at me, and I quickly add, “It’s the way you say it.”
A car horn makes us jump, and we both turn to see our cousin Maverick slowing down on the side of the road in his bullet-gray Range Rover. His window is down, and he waves at us.
“Can I get some fries with that shake?” He’s teasing, and I notice Gavin in the passenger’s seat looking straight at me.
His lips tighten, and his blue eyes narrow slightly. Heat rises in my chest, and I turn to search for Patsy’s poo in the patch of grass. I guess she didn’t go.
“We’ll be in Anaheim all day,” Mav tells Gigi. “But we should be back in plenty of time for dinner if y’all want to wait.”
“You don’t want to check out the bunnies in Anaheim?” Gigi teases, and her question seriously pisses me off.
I’m being ridiculous.
“Nah, I’m tired, and I expect I’ll be even more exhausted after we play.” Mav’s voice rises. “What happened to you, Princess? Too much purple drink?”
I squat down like I’m shielding the little dog from running into the street. She just sits on her little cinnamon butt and looks up at me.
“Something like that,” I call over my shoulder.
“You are such a lightweight,” he laughs. “I made yours especially mild.”
And I gave it to Gavin. I have no excuse. I only wave at him over my head.
“Okay, we gotta get out of here. See you tonight.”
I wait until the sound of his Rover fades, then I scoop up Patsy and smile at my cousin. “Let’s get some coffee!”
Rise and Grind is packed, and I put in my order for a skinny cappuccino. Gina gets a soy matcha latte. We pay, and then we walk over to a table in a crowded corner to wait.
“I hope all these people means it’s really good.” She looks around the room.
“Don’t worry, it is.” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.
“I thought you said…” Her green eyes narrow, and I panic.
“I forgot I came here a few weeks ago. It just sort of slipped my mind. Probably because I’ve been so focused on school and all. That’s all. School.”
I’m talking too fast, and if anybody knows me, it’s Gigi.
“You’re acting weird. What are you not telling me?”
The guy calls our names, and I hand her Pats. “I’ll get them.”
Walking to the counter, I do some quick mental calculations.
I could tell Gigi what happened, but then she’d be invested, wanting to know what comes next, if we’re serious, if we’re going to start dating, if we don’t start dating are things going to get weird at the house, if we do start dating does that mean I’ll move in with him and break up our happy cousin home? What about Karen?
These are all my panicked thoughts, which I’m sure I’m projecting onto my cousin. Especially since I’m the only one who knows Karen and Gav’s history.
“Glad to see you back!” The scruffy barista hands me our paper cups, giving me a flirty smile.
“Oh, thanks. We live in the neighborhood.”
He looks like he might say more, but I lift the cup in a friendly, platonic gesture. He gives me a wistful smile in response, and I head back to where Gigi is sitting, studying me suspiciously.
“It really is amazing how guys lose the ability to function when you smile at them.” Gigi takes a big gulp of her tea. “You should date more.”
“I don’t know.” I sip my coffee, wavering on telling her the truth.
“I was reading online how Jennifer Aniston is dating a hypnotist. Did you see that?” She turns her phone to me, and I lean forward to read the headline.
“A hypnotist?”
“I know.” Her nose wrinkles. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Did he hypnotize her? I mean, he’s not bad looking, but this is Jennifer Aniston we’re talking about.”
We both snort, and this feels better.
Laughing with Gigi and gossiping about celebrities helps me regain my bearings after a night of mind-altering sex with a hockey god who has the body of a Michelangelo sculpture.
Trust me, that can really throw you off-kilter, especially when you’ve spent almost a decade thinking he was not a nice guy.
He might still be bad, but when it comes to orgasms, he is all good. A bubble of laughter tightens my throat, and I have to stop thinking about it before my face turns all red.
Thankfully, Gina’s eyes are on her screen. “I’ve actually been looking into this whole area of pet hypnosis and how it can be used to help dogs with emotional issues… Which leads to the whole area of pet psychics.”
“Wait…” I take a too-big sip of coffee and squeal from the burn. “What the hell?”
She’s not fazed at all by my near spit-take.
“I agree with you, the psychic part is ridiculous. I mean, how can anyone even prove that? Are they speaking dog language? It’s silly.
” She shakes her head. “But the hypnosis part is very interesting. They say it can soothe behavioral problems related to stress, that it can help calm anxiety and promote relaxation.”
I can’t drink any more coffee now that I’ve scalded my entire mouth and throat. “I guess it makes sense. Therapy can be calming”
We stand and start for the door. “I wonder if it would work for humans.”
I’m mostly teasing. I actually wouldn’t mind having a psychic tell me what’s going to happen when the guys return this evening, or even what’s going to happen, period.
Do I dare to trust Gavin Knight? Is that even what he wants?
Is he really a player who’ll break my heart as easily as he’ll snatch a puck?
“I think Gavin is working out well.” Again, it’s like she’s reading my mind. “I mean, it was a big surprise to have a fourth roommate all of a sudden, but he’s a big help. He seems like a really nice guy.”
“He seems that way.” I look ahead at the sidewalk, trying to reconcile the past and the present.
“Mav said he went to UNC. Did y’all know each other?”
I shrug. “Not really. He dated my roommate Karen, but it didn’t last.”
“I can see that.” Gigi polishes off her latté and drops it in a bin. “She always struck me as sort-of a loose cannon. Can you say that about a girl?”
I frown at her. “I don’t know. Why would you say that?”
“That time she came home with you for spring break? She was hitting on all the guys at the beach.”
My throat tightens. “Are you sure? She’s really a friendly person.”
“She wasn’t very friendly to me. I got the impression she wished I would take the dogs for a long walk and not come back.”
The tightness in my throat moves down to my chest. “You think she wanted something bad to happen to you?”
“I think she wanted me to get lost so she could have all the boys to herself.”
I snuggle Patsy under my neck unsure how to take this. “You didn’t know her very well.”
“No, but I’ve met the type before. Why are you defending her?”
“I’ve known her a long time. She’s an International Princess Woman, so every summer, we spent a few weeks together. It was like camp.”
“Maybe you didn’t know her as well as you think you did.” Gina arches her eyebrow, pushing the front door open with her back.
“I thought I did.” Only now I’m feeling less confident. “And we shared things.”
My cousin frowns. “Like what? Clothes?”
A knot is in my throat. I’ve never told anyone this. “Remember Rob Westcoat?”
“The guy you dated in college?”
I nod. “I found out he was cheating on me junior year.”
Her jaw drops, and she reaches over to grab my wrist. “No!” I nod, and she steps closer to hug me. “That bastard. I knew I hated him.”
“The same thing happened to Karen, and I guess it sort of made us closer.”
“You bonded through trauma.” Gigi nods, giving me another squeeze before stepping back to meet my eyes. “I guess if she was a good friend to you when you needed her…”
“Don’t tell anybody that.” I look down at my hands. “It’s so embarrassing. It kind of messes with your head, like why didn’t I see it? Or why wasn’t I enough?”
She grabs my hands in both of hers. “Hayden Lucille Bradford. You are gorgeous and kind and smart and the best person I know. That guy was never good enough for you, and he always had some dumb opinion on everything.”
“He was a knob.” I exhale a bitter laugh, thinking of what Gavin said about his pompous ass.
“Rob the knob. Is he the reason you stopped dating?”
I shrug. “Numbers, data, wind currents, these are all things I can understand, things I can control. Men are… unknown variables.”
She gives me a tight hug. “You don’t have to convince me men are rats, but not all of them, right? Mav’s doing pretty well, and Gav…”
“Maybe.”
“At least he’s no love bomber.” She exhales a sigh, walking ahead of me into the house.
I don’t argue with her. I think about college and everything that happened. I think about what Maverick said and how Gavin has acted since he’s been here.
I built my hypothesis on the evidence I had at hand. But new evidence keeps emerging, and I’m not so sure things were the way I thought they were in college.