Chapter 17 #3
He rolls his eyes with a grin, and it’s so strange to see. Not just because Reed tends to be grumpy as hell—though that happens a lot less often now that he’s with Auden—but because he’s smiling at me . We’re joking around. We’re getting along . It’s weird, but I like it.
Guilt swirls in my stomach, and it’s so much different than the butterflies.
It feels icky, and I wish I could reach inside and pull it free.
I suppose technically I could. It would just mean coming clean about what’s going on with Gavin, and there’s no way I’m ready to do that.
So I swallow it down and pretend I never felt anything at all.
“Hey, have you seen Locke around? I thought for sure he’d be here first.”
I don’t know why I do it, but I look right at Auden…and she’s staring back.
I quickly divert my gaze back to my brother, then point toward the bathrooms. “Think I saw him go back there.”
Reed nods, then shifts from right to left. “So, uh, how’s work going?”
Holy shit. He’s inquiring about my life!
“It’s, uh, it’s good,” I say. “I make great tips when you guys are playing well.”
He snorts cockily. “We always play well.”
“Not always,” Lawson says, slinging his arm around Reed’s shoulder. My brother shrugs him off, glaring at him. The guy doesn’t look the least bit deterred, putting his arm right back where it was. “Sometimes we suck. We sucked the other night in Texas.”
I grin, thinking of Gavin’s goal that shocked the crowd.
“We still won, though,” Reed points out, shaking Lawson away yet again.
His arm goes right back where it was until Rory reaches over and yanks her boyfriend away, and I have a feeling she does it often. I also have a feeling Lawson doesn’t mind her being mean to him one bit, based on the lovesick grin on his face.
Warmth spreads over my back, and I know instantly it’s Gavin. His fingertips graze so softly across my lower back that I wonder if I’m imagining it.
“Hey, guys. Auden, you look as beautiful as ever,” he says, and a flicker of jealousy sparks through me, though I know it’s pointless. I have no reason to worry about Gavin having feelings for someone else. I mean, not that he has feelings for me , but still.
“Locke! There you are!” Lawson yells, shoving his way into our space. “Settle this debate: Who is the best kisser? Me or Keller?”
“Are you… Are you asking me to kiss you both?”
Lawson shrugs. “Sure.”
When he steps up to Gavin—lips puckered, eyes closed—he’s met with a palm to his face.
“Get the fuck out of here, Lawsy.”
“Aww, but you’re missing out. I give great smooches!”
“Lawson!” Rory hisses at him, wrenching him away once more. She glares at Hayes. “I told you to stop giving him smelling salts. It makes him an idiot.”
“I think you mean an even bigger idiot,” Keller corrects, and Rory shoots him a dirty look, too.
I want to reach over and high-five her just because of how Keller’s been since he’s known about the secret Gavin and I share.
That day in the elevator was so unbelievably awkward.
Not enough to kill the sexual tension, which led to some incredible sex on the couch since that’s as far as we made it, but still uncomfortable.
“Please tell me you at least got our booth since you got here so early?” Reed says to Gavin, as if what just happened is an everyday occurrence, and I think maybe it is.
Gavin tenses behind me. “I, uh, I?—”
“I snagged it as soon as I saw him walk in,” I say brightly, rescuing him. It’s not entirely the truth, but it isn’t exactly a lie either. “Come on.”
This time when he touches me, there’s no way I could possibly mistake it for imaginary, not when his hand latches on to my ass cheek and he gives me two squeezes. Thank you , they say.
I roll my lips together and follow my brother and his teammates over to their favorite spot.
I finally take my apron off, folding it up and setting it in my lap as the gang slides into the booth one by one.
There’s nowhere near enough room for everyone, but we all squeeze in anyway, Lawson and Keller pulling up two chairs at the end of the U-shaped space.
I’m highly aware of Gavin sitting next to me, and not just because I imagine sitting next to him is the equivalent of sitting next to an oven.
It’s so much more than that. I swear there’s an electric current that’s bouncing off him and me, over and over.
There has to be. There’s no other reason for the way my body tingles.
Everyone launches into different conversations, and I chime in here and there, but it’s hard when all I can focus on is Gavin.
Gavin and his toned arm that keeps brushing against mine.
Gavin and his laugh that rumbles through me.
Gavin and his sparkling hazel eyes that turn me into mush.
I try my damnedest to pay no attention to them, but it’s fruitless.
Then I feel it—his fingers on my thigh, and I curse myself for wearing a skirt tonight.
His touch is soft and hot, instantly making me need to catch my breath.
It dances closer to where my thighs kiss.
We’re sitting at a crowded table. If everyone weren’t so caught up in their own conversations, they’d easily see what was happening.
Still, it doesn’t stop Gavin from dragging his touch upward, and it’s so damn frustrating how he continues to talk with Fox as if he isn’t torturing me right now. His fingers graze me right there , and I jump.
“Oh my god!”
Everyone’s eyes fall on me, and I pray they can’t see Gavin’s hand between my legs, the back of his finger sitting against my throbbing pussy.
“Sorry. I just, um, I realized I forgot to clock out. Excuse me,” I say to Gavin, shooting daggers at him.
“Sure.” His lips twitch as he scoots out of the bench, and though I want to punch him for that, I refrain, making my way to the bar.
I walk around the back of it because it would be really weird if I didn’t, and Josh tips his head at me when he notices me back there.
“I didn’t clock out,” I explain.
“Oh, I took care of that for you.”
“Oh, well, thanks,” I say, but I don’t leave. I can’t. I’m scared they’ll be able to see right through me if I walk back out there.
Instead, I order an amaretto sour, then down half of it in one go. Josh arches a brow at me.
“What?” I glower at him. “I’m thirsty.”
He laughs, shaking his head as he walks away.
“Funny you should say that—I’m thirsty too, and, baby, you look like you’d quench my thirst.”
I turn to my right to find a guy who looks to be about the same age as me. He has one of those modern mullets that are all the rage, but all they do is remind me of a kid who got hold of their daddy’s electric razor. He’s also rocking a goatee that’s uneven—double ick.
Hideous hair choices aside, I wouldn’t be interested in him based on that horrible pickup line alone.
“No.”
He snaps his head back. “No? What the hell do you mean no ?”
“ No ,” I repeat, sterner this time. “Which is something you should have said to your barber when he decided to give you that hideous haircut.”
He takes a step toward me, and I scoot back, not at all liking where this is going. It’s not the first time I’ve had to deal with someone hitting on me in the bar, but it’s the first time I haven’t had the counter between us to give me protection.
“Come on, baby. Don’t be like that,” he says, reaching out for me, and I stumble backward to dodge his touch.
It’s pointless because suddenly, the guy isn’t anywhere near me. No, he’s pressed against the counter, his face turning red as Gavin stands over him, hand around his throat.
“She told you no, dipshit. More than fucking once. What about that is hard to understand?” he snarls, his nose inches from Creepy Guy’s.
“I-I-I…” the guy tries to say, but I imagine it’s hard to get anything out with how tightly Gavin is holding on to him.
“Yo, Locke, let him go, man.” Hayes grabs him by the shoulder and tries to pry him off.
Reed is there too, pulling at him from the other side. “Come on, old man. Let him breathe. He’s turning purple.”
“Fucking good,” Gavin says, still holding on.
And while I’m still pissed at the guy for being a total asshat, I’m now worried about Gavin doing something he can’t undo.
“Gavin!” I yell, and he instantly whips his head my way.
“What?” he shouts, eyes wide, like he’s in some sort of trance.
“Let him go,” I say calmly, like I’m trying to talk someone down from the ledge, and I might as well be. It feels like that’s what he’s teetering on right now. “ Please. ”
The last word is what breaks through to him, and he does.
He drops the man so suddenly that he crashes to the floor, holding his throat as he gasps for air.
Gavin just stares at me, his eyes raking over me, like he’s looking for damage.
I want to reach out to him so damn badly and reassure him I’m okay, but I can’t with Reed standing behind me.
Especially not when he’s looking between me and Gavin like he’s missing something and we’re the answers he’s looking for.
“You good, man?” Hayes asks, clapping him on the back.
He nods, never once taking his eyes off me.
“All right.” Then he looks at Josh and points to the door. “Get this fuck out of here, yeah?”
Josh stands there wide-eyed for several beats before nodding and scrambling around the counter. He picks the guy up and shoves him toward the door.
“You’re banned,” Josh tells him.
“Banned?!” Creepy Guy says, as if he’s genuinely shocked by this turn of events. “I didn’t do shit! That fucking bitch is just being dramatic! I wasn’t even doing anything to her!”
Gavin takes a step, ready to go after him to finish what he started, but I step into his path. He stares down at me, eyes hard, jaw set.
“Are you okay, Van?” Reed asks, stepping up next to him.
His eyes are still darting between us, and it makes me more and more uneasy by the second.
Does he know? Did Gavin’s reaction just give us away completely?
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I answer, finally pulling my gaze from Gavin’s. He still looks like he’s seconds away from going after the guy, but I think he’s calmed down enough that he won’t. “Just some creep hitting on me.”
“Sorry, I didn’t even see it. I just saw Locke jump out of the booth. Everything else happened so fast. Are you sure you’re okay?”
There’s genuine concern in his voice, and I think it’s the first time I’ve ever experienced that from him.
I nod. “I’m okay. I promise.”
He pats Gavin on the back. “Thanks for having her back, man. You’re a damn good friend.”
Gavin tenses at the words, though I don’t think Reed notices. At least I hope he doesn’t notice.
“Sure,” he says. “Nothing I wouldn’t do for anyone else.”
I don’t doubt his words for a second. That’s just the kind of man Gavin is. But he didn’t do it for just anyone else. He did it for me .
He took care of me— again .
He stepped up for me— again .
He was simply there for me— again .
It’s starting to be a pattern with him, and I’m beginning to realize that whenever this thing between us, this fun we’re having ends, I’m not just going to miss the sex.
I’m going to miss this feeling of being cared for by someone who wants nothing else in return. I’m going to miss being somebody’s.
I’m going to miss him .
And that scares me to no end.