Evie
“Would you ever have a threesome?”
For the last thirty-five minutes, my date had been having a one-sided conversation with my tits, and this was the question he’d managed to come up with just now.
It had to be the worst date I’d been on yet—which was saying something, considering how many I’d endured in the last two months. But Oakley, or whatever his weird tree name was, truly might have set a new low.
We weren’t even at a real restaurant. We were at a food truck with four picnic tables out front on the side of the highway. It smelled like beer and cigarettes, and between bites of his greasy brisket sandwich, Oakley managed to ask me a whole three questions while ogling my tits.
Granted, my tits were glorious. But I still expected some kind of tact on a first date.
What size bra do you wear? Do you actually run your own business? Would you ever have a threesome?
Why was I even putting up with this? I got all dressed up, and for what? This? I deserved way better, especially after putting in extra hours of work at my bakery so I could shut down early and make it to this date on time.
The worst part of living in a small town had to be the lack of dating choices.
I’d set the area for my dating profile wider to try and better my odds, but that just meant I often found myself driving two hours out of the way for a boring conversation with someone who just wanted to rip my shirt off.
And while I really, really wanted to get laid, I’d yet to take anyone up on that, because we couldn’t get past the first few questions without some sort of disaster.
I was picky. At least, that’s what three of my most recent dates had said. You want too much. How do you expect someone to live up to your standards? You’re intimidating.
I’d heard it all. But I wasn’t going to settle for less than what I wanted. I knew it was possible. My two best friends had proven that much with their partners. Avery and June were off living their happy sexily ever afters, and while I was so thrilled for them, I was a little jealous.
“Did you hear me, Evie?”
“What?” I asked. “Sorry, I zoned out for a moment.”
Oakley looked offended. As if he hadn’t zoned out every time I spoke.
“I asked if you would have a threesome.”
A soft grunt behind me set my spine straight. It’d almost sounded like a growl. I kept my eyes forward, though, focusing on tree-beard. “Yes,” I answered honestly.
I let the hope survive in his eyes for less than a second before shooting him down.
“But not with you,” I said. “I prefer to be fucked by men who don’t ask me my bra size on the first date. I think we’re done here.”
Oakley gawked. “What? You have huge tits. They have to be at least—”
A shadow fell over the table from behind me. Oakley looked up, his eyes widening.
“She said you’re done.” The stranger’s voice was deep and firm, and oddly familiar. For a moment, I had the guilty thought of—what if it’s him? What if the man I’d wanted for years finally came to his senses, found out I was having another date tonight, and rushed out to rescue me?
But no. It wasn’t Austin. I’d know his voice anywhere.
Oakley sputtered. “Who the fuck are you? Mind your fucking business—”
“Do you want me to make him go, Evie?”
My breath hitched and I turned around, finally meeting the dark eyes of the stranger behind me.
Oh my god.
“Nick?” I whispered in shock.
My high school wet dream was standing right in front of me.
I hadn’t seen Nick in ages. At least eight or nine years, if not longer.
He’d changed a lot since then, filling out his lanky body with hard muscles that looked really damn good under the black T-shirt and dusty jeans he wore.
Tattoos covered his forearms—an Ace of Hearts, a four leaf clover, a black cat, cherries, a couple of flowers.
His blonde hair had been cut into a mullet, and I was even more shocked by how good it looked on him.
Silver piercings gleamed on the shells of his ears, his square jaw firm, gaze searching mine.
Holy shit. He was drop dead gorgeous. Panty-melting hot.
“Hey, stranger,” he said with a half-smile.
Oakley stood up across from me, his lips curling into a snarl. “Just who the fuck do you think you are? I’m trying to get laid, you tattooed freak—”
“Leave. Now.” All the sweet warmth I’d just felt from Nick turned sharp and cold, aimed right at my date. He glowered at Oakley, his jaw ticking. “You don’t want trouble with me.”
The way he said that sent a chill up my spine. Oakley’s eyes darted between us, then he tossed his hands in the air, marching off. Dust kicked up from his boots as he stomped straight to his truck and peeled out of the parking lot.
My shoulders deflated. Well, fuck. Not that I was enjoying that date, I wasn’t. I’d wanted him to leave. But this felt like another failure to add to all the other failures that painted the ugly canvas of my dating life. “Well. I guess my date is a bust.”
Nick slid into the seat across from me smoothly. “Doesn’t have to be.”
My brows shot up.
Nick grew up in the little Texas town of Whynot, just like me.
He used to go to school with Austin, my best friend’s older brother, but the two of them were always at each other’s throats.
Austin and Nick were always rivals. I couldn’t remember there ever being someone Austin hated more than Nick, aside from Avery’s ex and a couple other bad people.
But Nick had never been bad. Maybe a bad boy, yeah, but not a bad person.
And admittedly, I’d had one too many fantasies about the two of them years and years ago.
They hated each other.
And yet here he was. Austin’s high school rival had just rescued me from an awful date.
I couldn’t believe he was sitting right here in front of me. After he graduated, he disappeared from Whynot. We’d never been close, of course. I didn’t even think he knew I existed.
“What the hell are you doing here, of all places?” I finally asked. “Also, how do you even remember me?”
“I’m surprised you remember me, actually,” he said with a grin. “It’s been a long time.”
Oh god, that grin was just as lethal as it had been back in the day. When he was in high school, Nick was all trouble. Smoking, drinking, chasing girls. I remembered hearing a rumor that he got suspended for giving someone a piercing in the bathroom.
“It’s been ages,” I said. “I think we talked once . . . maybe twice.”
“Three times, actually.” His dimples kept shining like stars.
“Sorry if I scared you. I stopped by this place on my way back from work last week and it’s been my new routine.
I overheard the two of you, and I recognized you after a moment.
You looked really out of place here, so you caught my eye, and then it clicked. ”
I blushed, looking down at myself. I was wearing one of my favorite dresses. It was a denim dress with a short skirt and a deep V neckline that looked really damn good on me. With my favorite cowgirl boots and cherry red lipstick, I’d shown up to this date with high hopes for something.
Maybe . . . just maybe Nick was that something.
“To be clear, you looked out of place because you’re gorgeous.”
I raised a brow. “Nice save.”
Nick leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands. It was a bad sign that the direct eye contact with him felt like a win. Almost like . . . almost like there was chemistry here.
Was I imagining things? Surely I was. Avery and June were not going to believe this when I told them that Nick Steele had rescued me tonight.
“So you live here now?” he asked.
“Oh, no,” I said. “No. I’m still in Whynot. I run Whynot Treat Yourself, which is the local bakery.”
His eyes lit up. “Do you really? It’s all yours?”
“It is.” My chest warmed with pride. “I started it about five years ago. I’ve always loved baking. That’s how I made extra money when I was a teen.”
“I remember you being the reason our graduation class had cookies,” he said thoughtfully.
My eyes lingered on the way his smile softened his features.
I remembered him as cute and dangerous, but now he was sexy and dangerous.
The mullet was really doing something for me.
“They were… snickerdoodle? I think? And chocolate chip, of course. But there was another one I’d never had before I still think about to this day. ”
“Maybe the chocolate mint bomb,” I said excitedly. “I still make those. They sell out fast when I have them available. You should come to the bakery some time if you’re ever out toward Whynot. Do you live in the area still, or…?”
“Soon,” he said. “I’ve been up north for a few years. Made a lot of money, decided to invest, and then realized I missed Texas. So, now I’m back.”
I found myself leaning forward, mirroring the way he propped his chin up with his hands with my own. “Now you’re back.”
“I sure am.” His eyes darkened as he cocked his head, studying me with an intensity that made my heart race. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had looked at me like that.
For the last few years, I’d been in love with someone who didn’t see me the same way. Unrequited love, as the poets said, but there was nothing poetic about it. Austin was as part of my everyday life as a cup of coffee. For so long, I wished he would come to his senses.
But, a couple months ago, I decided I was tired of waiting for him.
I needed to move on, get myself back out there.
There was no reason for me to keep waiting around.
My parents had already asked “casually” if I was seeing anyone during the last couple holiday dinners.
Everyone seemed to wonder why I wasn’t happily married.
There were many reasons, outside of secretly being in love with Austin.
Plus, all my dates had been terrible so far. I’d become convinced that I’d never meet someone.
But Nick . . .
Nick was a pleasant surprise.
And Nick was really hot. Even just sitting across from him made me feel flustered. He had an intensity about him that was a little unnerving, but it also left me wanting to know more.
“Okay, hotshot. Lightning round of questions,” I decided.
He raised a brow. “Shoot.”
“What’s your secret hidden talent?”
Nick smirked, his piercing glinting as he tilted his head. “All my hidden talents are in the bedroom.”
Oh god. I did my best to ignore the throb between my thighs. “I don’t think I believe you.”
“I’ve never been with someone I couldn’t make come within five minutes.”
“And how would you know that?” I ask. “Women fake orgasms all the time.”
Nick tipped his head back with a throaty laugh and then looked directly at me. My stomach immediately flipped. He had the smugness of a man who knew what a real orgasm was, and that . . . that made me curious to find out if he was telling the truth.
“Not with me,” he said. “I know what a fake one looks like. Next question.”
Oh god. What did I ask next? Was talking about sex like this even okay? It was ironic given I’d been annoyed Oak-beard had asked about my tits, but our conversation didn’t feel sleazy.
It just felt . . . nice.
I tucked a blonde wave behind my ear. “Well, since we’re already talking about sex, what’s your favorite position?”
Nick cleared his throat. “I should mention I didn’t take your date’s spot just because I want to have sex with you.
I just saw you and couldn’t resist once I heard how he was speaking to you.
But to answer your question…” He leaned forward, lowering his voice as he held my gaze.
“My favorite is missionary. And before you get up and run away from me for saying something so vanilla, let me tell you why.
I like looking into my partner's eyes. I love sucking their nipples as I fuck them. I love seeing their expression as they take all of me. I love being able to kiss them while their legs tighten around my hips and I can see their body shake beneath me as they come around my cock.”
I was barely breathing. I was pretty sure I was wet. In fact, without a doubt, I was. Between the deep voice and deep eye contact, my entire system was going haywire. This was probably a bad idea, but who cared?
“All the other positions have their perks though. What’s yours?”
“What?” I squeaked.
“Your favorite position. Or did I scare you away? If you want to go—”
“No,” I said. “No. Not at all. I’m not leaving after hearing you say that. Just let me find my brain again.”
Nick’s grin was contagious. “Take your time. I’m gonna go grab my food real quick. Do you want anything else? You didn’t touch your sandwich, although, admittedly that’s the worst thing on the menu here.”
I glanced at the basket to my left and the untouched food. “Well . . . If there is something good on the menu, then sure. I am hungry.”
“Okay. Think about your sex position answer and I’ll be right back.”
Well, then. I watched him go, wondering if he was going to get in his truck and take off like that other guy. But, no. Nick ordered food for me and waited for it, occasionally glancing over at me. Every time our eyes locked, my breath hitched.
What were the odds of running into him? I wasn’t sure, but I wasn’t going to waste the chance to get laid if it came up. Especially when the partner looked like Nick. And maybe there was a tiny part of me that wanted to be with him as a fuck you to Austin. Was that petty? Absolutely.
Am I doing this? Every part of my mind and body screamed yes.
Nick returned and spread our food out on the table and wiggled his brows. “The sausage roll is always the way to go.”
I laughed. “Oh, I see. Clever.”
“Did you think of your answer?”
“Yeah. I say cowgirl. I like being on top and controlling the pace.” What I didn’t tell him was that I wished there would be a second person there too behind me.
Or even a third. That I wanted more than one partner.
But that wasn’t exactly a great way to start a date, especially if this was going to just be a random fling.
“I like smothering someone with my tits. It’s really that simple. ”
Nick grinned. “It’s that simple, huh? I think my mind could be changed about missionary with that argument. I’ve always hoped I’d die during sex, but like, right after coming. You can smother me with your tits anytime.”
I laughed again and picked up the roll, biting into it. And damn, he was right. It was good.
Nick watched me with a dreamy look in his eyes. “Where are you going after this, Evie?”
“It depends,” I said. “Where are you going, Nick?”
I felt the tip of his boot bump mine under the table gently. The casual touch felt good. Friendly. Sexy.
“I was going to head back to my hotel. It’s about thirty minutes from here.” He paused for a moment, then asked. “Want to come with me?”
Did I want to jump in bed with my crush’s high school rival?
“Yes,” I decided. “I do.”