CHAPTER 13
Bailey
God, I love watching her blush. Her body really can’t hide what she’s feeling, even when she tries.
“Let’s see,” I start. “Where to begin…” I’m not sure how long I should drag the torture out.
At this point, I’m certain she thinks we slept together and part of me thinks that if I let her think that, maybe it would be true.
But it’s not, so I decide to put her out of her misery. “What’s the last thing you remember?”
Palmer wrinkles her forehead in concentration. “Honestly, I’m not super sure. I think we were playing Ring of Fire, then I stood up to go to the bathroom and that’s where it gets hazy.”
“Oooh, yeah, you might want to sit down for this.”
“Fuck.” She hops up on the counter, takes a big drink of her tea, and gestures at me to continue. “Lay it on me.”
If she only knew how badly I would like to.
I give her the full rundown of the night and her descent into drunken debauchery.
“After you got back from the bathroom, you decided everyone needed to dance. Apparently, everyone else was drunk enough they thought it was a good idea, too, because we all followed you down into the basement where you cranked up the music and started… I guess you could call it dancing?”
“Hey! I’ll have you know that I’m a very good dancer, thank you very much.”
I chuckle at the stubborn set in her jaw. “I’m sure you are, Palmer. When you’re a few drinks less than you were, because I don’t know if we can qualify what you were doing as dancing.”
She pulls her head down into her shirt. “Oh, my god, please tell me you’re kidding.”
“Nope. Pretty sure Lindy actually has video of it, if you want.”
“Dear god, I hope not.”
“Anyway, so everybody is dancing and having a good time, when you get the grand idea that we should all do a strip tease.”
“No.”
The horror on her face makes me laugh out loud. Her eyes bulge, and her mouth hangs open in a gaping O.
“Oh, yes.”
“Are you shitting me?”
“Not in the slightest.” I chuckle. “Well, I guess kind of. We all is actually pretty generous. What I mean is you decided that you would like to give a strip tease. To everyone.”
She buries her face in her hands.
“Your song of choice was ‘That’s What I Like’ by Bruno Mars.” I give her a thumbs up that she peeks at from between her fingers. “Solid choice, by the way.”
From behind her hands, Palmer releases a muffled “kill me now” that makes me smile.
I take a sip of my coffee. “And that was when I decided it was time for you to go home.”
Clearly embarrassed, Palmer lifts her head from her hands and eyes me hesitantly. She clears her throat and asks, “Um, what happened after we got home?”
“Oh, yeah. That.” The laughter is out of my control.
The look on her face makes it impossible not to.
“I promise I didn’t take advantage of you.
You just refused to keep your clothes on.
When we got here, you could hardly walk.
I helped you into your room and dug around for your pjs, but I couldn’t find a matching pair, so I grabbed what you’re wearing right now.
” I gesture toward her body. “You asked me to help you unzip your dress because you were tripping over your own feet and couldn’t exactly keep your balance.
I sat you on the bed and handed you your clothes but, evidently, your attempted activities from earlier in the evening had, uh, inspired you, because you decided to stand up and start giving me a strip tease. ”
“Oh, my god.” She groans. “Please, please tell me you’re kidding.”
“Not even in the slightest. You refused to keep your clothes on and fell asleep in nothing but your sandals. I took those off for you.”
Palmer covers her face with her hands again. “Fucking kill me. Oh, god, I’m so sorry.”
I smile. She’s cute when she’s embarrassed. “Don’t worry about it. It was entertaining, to say the least. And I promise I didn’t look.”
Much.
“Well, I would currently like to crawl in a hole,” she mutters as she hops down from the countertop and extends a hand toward me, offering a breakfast sandwich. The look on her face is adorable as she clearly tries to swallow her humiliation. “Have breakfast with me?”
“Well, obviously.” I abandon leaning on the counter next to her and hop onto the island opposite where she stands. “It’s the least you can do, considering I had to babysit your naked ass.”
Palmer swats at my chest, and I easily dodge her hand. I consider not moving just to feel her soft skin against mine but decide she’s probably had enough teasing for today so instead I take a bite out of my sandwich. “This is super fucking good,” I say around the bite.
A small smile plays against her lips. “Thanks. I went ahead and gave you bacon because the sausage ones never turn out right.” She takes a bite of her own sandwich, and we chew in comfortable silence.
What I don’t tell her was that she tried to seduce me.
Having her naked body so easily in reach and those lips reaching for my own had been a temptation I’m not sure Jesus himself could’ve walked away from.
She had shoved me to a seated position on the bed and stood between my legs, hands fumbling at the buttons of my shirt.
“You know you want to fuck me,” she had slurred. “You have since the day I brought Mouse home. You know you want to. C’mon, Bailey.”
I gripped her wrists, stabilizing them but stopping her progress on my shirt.
Standing up, I spun us so that the backs of her legs brushed the side of the bed.
I was careful not to brush my fingers against her full breasts, because if I had, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to stop touching her.
“Trust me, baby, I do. I wanted to fuck you the day we brought Mouse home, and I want to fuck you now.” I leaned in, and my lips grazed the shell of her ear.
Her body stiffened against me and my cock had strained against the zipper of my jeans.
“When I fuck you—because that’s what it is: a matter of when, not if—it’s going to be when you have all your faculties about you.
You are going to know I’m fucking you, and you’re not going to forget it. ”
Palmer’s breath had been ragged, and her body leaned into mine, but I had taken a step back. “Get into bed, Palmer. Now.”
The disappointment on her face had been obvious, but she didn’t argue with me. She slid into the bed, and I pulled the blankets up to her chin and tucked them against her sides after slipping the sandals from her feet. “That’s a good girl.” I pulled her hair out from under her head.
“Mm, that feels nice. Keep going,” Palmer had moaned as I ran my fingers along her scalp.
Playing with her hair seemed like a fair compromise, and within thirty seconds, she was snoring.
The hardest part had been forcing myself to pry my body away from hers and move to the couch to sleep, just in case she needed me.
Or wanted me in the morning.
But she doesn’t need to know that. Not right now.
I suddenly feel the need to explain myself a little bit more. “I slept out on the couch.”
Palmer looks at me, confused.
“Last night. After I put you to bed. I just wanted to be here. You know, just in case you needed anything.”
If her blushing makes me want her, Palmer’s smile makes me absolutely feral. “Thank you. So why the shower?”
It dawns on me that being half naked in her house, if we didn’t sleep together, was probably a little weird. “Oh! That’s because Mouse peed on me in her sleep.”
“She didn’t!”
“She did.” I laugh. “She was crying in her kennel, so I took her potty then she hopped right up onto the couch with me, and we fell asleep. I woke up to her curled up on my chest and pee running down my sides.” I gesture at the robe.
“Hence the attire. Don’t worry though. I cleaned up your couch, and my shirt should be about done in the dryer. ”
Palmer shakes her head while looking down at Mouse. “What are we going to do with you, crazy girl? Are you trying to crush Bailey?”
I crouch down in front of her, and Mouse rubs her face against mine. “She could never. She’s a dainty little flower.”
“She’s over eighty pounds.”
“The tiniest little princess to ever exist.”
The scoff that Palmer lets out is paired with a smirk and an eyeroll. “Sure she is.”
I stand to face her and study Palmer’s face. She is so fucking stunning. How anyone could ever do anything to hurt this woman is beyond me. “Do you want me to take Mouse on a walk so you can get a shower?”
“No, that’s okay.” Palmer gathers our used dishes and stacks them in the sink. “The fresh air will be good for me anyway.”
I hear the dryer ding across the house. “That would be my shirt. Be right back.”
Without thinking, I put my hands on either side of her hips to slip behind her.
She stiffens against my touch, and she’s not the only one.
Mentally smacking my hand against my forehead, I use the walk across the house to resituate my own situation and remind myself to keep my hands off her unless I plan on doing something about it, because the rest of my body sure as shit didn’t get the memo.
I finish buttoning the last button as I re-enter the kitchen. Palmer is slipping on her crocs.
“Hey, Bailey?”
“Yeah?” I set to work pulling on my boots when I feel her arm on my bicep.
“Thanks.”
“For what?”
Palmer shrugs and bites her lip. “I don’t know. For taking care of me. For getting peed on by Mouse and not being angry. For not taking advantage of me last night. Honestly”—she squeezes my arm—“for everything. I mean it.”
Despite the promise I made to myself mere moments ago, I straighten and open my arms to her. Without a second thought, she steps inside, and I wrap my arms around her body. “Of course,” I reply into her shoulder.
Palmer winds her arms around my neck, and I freeze.
Her hair smells like campfire smoke, and the scent of her perfume lingers on the skin of her neck.
The curves of her body fit perfectly against me, and she melts into the hug.
The warmth and security I feel in this moment are unlike anything I’ve ever felt before, and I would do anything to stay in this moment with her forever.
I don’t need kissing or sex or food or air as long as I have this right here.
That’s a new and more than a little scary thought I’ll have to sort through later.
“You sure you’re good?” I ask.
She nods and releases her hold; it’s everything I can do not to squeeze her against me tighter, so I release my hands, and she steps back.
“Yeah, I’m good.” Palmer rubs her fists against her eyes.
“Just super fucking hungover. I haven’t drank like that in a hot minute.
And rest assured, I won’t be doing it again any time soon.
” She makes her way over to the back door and grabs Mouse’s leash.
She slides on a pair of oversized sunglasses and a floppy sunhat, then grabs a tumbler filled with water from next to the sink and takes several large gulps.
“Probably shouldn’t have waited until today to start hydrating, but here we are. ”
Unable to stop myself, I tease, “You know what fixes a hangover?”
Palmer wrinkles her nose. “Sure as shit isn’t going to be continuing to drink.”
I laugh at the look she pins me with.
“Come on,” she gestures toward the door with her hand.
“We’ll walk you out.” Mouse trots ahead of us both spinning as she stops in front of the door.
I can’t help but think about how I would do anything to stay here and take care of her.
Walk her dog, run her a bubble bath, wash her hair, and do anything just for a chance to see that smile.
I’m not really sure where all this is coming from, but somehow, someway, a sunhat and sunglasses suddenly has me fit to be tied and locked down. Who is this guy, and what has he done with me?
Mouse shakes, and the noise of the leash clinking against the collar brings me back to reality.
“I know, Mouse. Come on, girlfriend, let’s go,” Palmer croons at the dog, whose whole body seems to be wagging. We step outside, and Palmer puts her house key in her pocket and slides her sunglasses down her nose. “See you around, Bailey.”
The slickest thing I can muster is a quick “see ya” as I climb into my pick-up, which Phillips and Rhodes had dropped off for me since I had driven Palmer’s car for her.
See ya? That’s the best I’ve got? What is this girl doing to me?
As I turn the key to my truck, there’s movement out of the corner of my eye. Palmer taps on the glass and gestures at me to roll the window down.
“Sorry to stop you. I ju—I was wondering if maybe—” She stumbles over her words, fidgeting with Mouse’s leash.
Palmer closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, then speaks as if she’s afraid that if she doesn’t say it now, she won’t say it at all.
“I was wondering if you maybe wanted to come to our cheer practice tomorrow.” She pauses for a moment then almost as an afterthought adds, “With me.”
I have no idea about cheerleading beyond seeing them on the sideline at football games, but that doesn’t stop me from giving an enthusiastic “yes.”
Despite trying to play it cool, Palmer beams at me. “Okay, cool. It’s at six p.m. at the middle school gym. The side door will be unlocked, so just come on in.”
We stare at each other, both wearing big, dopey grins. She’s the one who breaks the spell. “All righ, well… see you tomorrow.”
“Sounds great. See you tomorrow.” I roll my window up and raise my hand in a wave that Palmer returns before she starts in the opposite direction with Mouse, and in some strange twist of fate, I can’t help but feel as if a part of me is walking away with her.
I watch her shape grow smaller in my rearview mirror until I turn the corner and she’s completely out of my view.
And still, the feeling and the smile on my face doesn’t fade.
Fuck.
I’m in way over my head with this one.