Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
~JORDAN~
“ E xtra salt on mine,” I say as Sidney lines the rim of a glass for our margaritas.
“How do people drink ‘ritas without salt?” she asks as she follows suit with a second glass and then holds them out for me to fill.
I pour the blended goodness into our glasses, add a straw to each, and then Sidney leads me to her living room. She sits on her couch, and I curl up in a chair across from her, sipping my tart drink.
“These are seriously delicious.”
She smiles and dips a chip into the guacamole.
I frown at the little designer handbag sitting on her coffee table. “What, exactly, do you use that for? It’s not big enough to actually be a purse.”
“It’s a clutch,” she says around another chip. “A conversation piece. And it’s big enough for a credit card, a bit of cash, and some lipstick.”
“And a condom,” I add with a sly smile. “Don’t forget that.”
Sidney giggles and sips her margarita. “It’ll totally hold a condom. Not that I need one lately. Boys are dumb.”
“Totally dumb.”
My lips are starting to tingle, and I’m only halfway through my first drink.
I’m a lightweight.
“Speaking of idiot boys, tell me about Jeremy.”
I scowl into my tequila concoction. I was diplomatic when I spoke about my ex-boyfriend to Nick. I don’t have to be quite so nice with Sidney.
“Well, it turns out, he’s a dick.”
She smirks. “Honey, Jeremy was always a dick, going all the way back to high school.”
“But he wasn’t a dick to me ,” I reply. “It was a bad couple of years. He got more and more controlling.”
I tell her about the last big blowup, where he smacked me across the face, sending me into the dining room wall.
“Motherfucker. I’ll take his balls off the next time I see him,” Sidney says.
“Anyway, I honestly don’t care about him. I saw him at the gym the other day and felt nothing. I don’t even feel sorry for him. I mean, I don’t wish bad things on him, but I just don’t care.”
“Why would you? He’s a dick.” She walks into the kitchen and retrieves the pitcher of margaritas and refills our glasses. “Okay, enough about him. He’s ruining this pleasant buzz I have going.”
“Me, too.”
She plops back onto the couch, and her black cat, Luna, jumps onto the arm of the sofa next to her, eyeing me suspiciously.
“I feel like your cat is judging me.”
“Yeah, she judges everyone.” Sidney reaches out to scratch the feline behind her ears. “Don’t you, baby?”
And, just like that, Luna jumps down, flicks her tail, and saunters away.
“She’s a diva,” Sidney says with a shrug. “Now, tell me the juicy news.”
“I have juicy news?” My lips are all the way numb now, and I’m floating on a delightful buzz. “These drinks are potent. And delicious.”
“We’ll keep making more,” Sidney says and passes me the basket of chips. “And yes, you have news. Who is this Nick? And why didn’t I know about him before?”
“Ah. Nick.” Just the sound of his name has my blood warming in my veins.
Or maybe that’s the alcohol.
“He’s a hottie,” Sid says.
“Right? Like, why does he look like that? He must have hit the genetic jackpot. He’s kind of my client.”
I explain how I know him, and then cover my mouth with my hand and stare at my cousin in horror.
“You can’t repeat that. It’s confidential.”
“I’m not going to tell anyone,” she says. “So, does this mean you can’t have sex with him?”
“I don’t know. He kissed me.” I shove a chip into my mouth. “And I liked it.”
“Yeah, I can see where that wouldn’t suck, Jordan.”
I giggle and sip my drink. “I would kiss him again. He’s hot. He’s also very grouchy.”
“That’s not hot.”
“But then I called him out on it, and he got better.”
“Did he apologize?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, that’s progress. You should do him. He can be your rebound sex since the odds are you won’t marry him.”
I blink at her. At both of her. “Why can’t I marry him?”
“I don’t know. I mean, you probably could. If you want to. Do you want to? Jesus, we’ve had too much to drink.”
“I don’t know if I want to marry him. He doesn’t like Christmas.”
“Is he a Nazi?”
I grin at her. “I don’t think so. Maybe he had a tragic childhood where his parents died in a fire, and he lived the rest of his life in an orphanage with no Christmas presents.”
“Oh my God, did he tell you that?”
“No, I’m just guessing.”
“You’re so dramatic when you drink,” Sid says. “You could probably talk him into liking Christmas a little bit. What else do we know?”
“Not a lot,” I admit, and I don’t like that realization. “I’m going to get to know him better. He’s my patient, after all.”
“And you can get to know him while you’re naked.”
“Yes. No. Wait.”
Sidney dissolves into laughter. “This is going to be fun.”
I yawn. “I should probably head back. But I can’t drive.”
“I can’t drive either.”
I nod, thinking it over. “It’s not that cold out. I can walk. The snow is nice.”
“Take my flashlight with you,” she says, gesturing to the end table with a drawer. “It’s in there. The bears are sleeping, so you should be safe.”
“That’s what I was thinking.”
Sidney’s stretched out on her couch, and she’s falling asleep when I take our glasses and the last of the chips into the kitchen. I shrug into my coat and lean over to kiss her cheek.
“I missed you.”
“Mm-hmm,” she says. “Be careful.”
I let myself out of her condo and take a deep breath. The cold air feels so good. It doesn’t even feel too frigid. It snowed all day today, leaving about six new inches of powder on the ground, but the sky is clear now and full of stars.
I’d walk on the sidewalk, but it hasn’t been plowed. Neither has the street, actually, but I can walk in the tire ruts.
I wore my big, puffy jacket over to Sid’s, and as I walk, I feel warm, so I unzip it and let the air flow around me. I can’t feel my toes anyway, and my nose starts to drip just a bit.
But it feels fantastic.
I love Montana.
I love Sidney.
And I love margaritas.
The air around me is hushed from the snow and well-lit from the moon. It’s an easy walk to the lake house where the sexy-as-all-get-out Nick is.
I want to jump his bones. Bad. Like, I just want to strip myself naked and tell him to come ‘n’ get it. Which is so not like me. I’ve only ever been with Jeremy, and that wasn’t really anything fantastic or worth writing home about.
But I think Sidney’s right. I could totally have sex with Nick. He could be my rebound. It sounds fun.
I walk up the driveway and see that only Nick’s car is here. I have no idea what time it is.
I try to open the door but then remember that my keys are in my purse.
And my purse is still at Sidney’s condo.
“Damn it,” I mutter and ring the doorbell. It’s like deja vu from the day I first arrived.
Nick pulls open the door and frowns down at me. “Oh, my God. Are you okay? Did your car break down?”
“No. I walked. Because I’m drunk.”
He blinks, and then his frown turns into a scowl. “You walked ?”
“Sure. It’s not far.”
“It’s the middle of the fucking night,” he says and then takes me in from head to toe. “And you don’t have boots, gloves, or a hat.”
“Nope. Isn’t it great? It felt so good. And you’re killing my buzz, so let me inside.”
He steps back, and I walk past him.
“I have to remember to call Sid tomorrow. I forgot my purse there. She has a condom purse.”
“A what?”
“A purse that’s only big enough for condoms. Because, you know, a girl has to be prepared for anything. Do you have condoms?”
I let my coat slide down my arms and land in a heap on the floor. Before I can bend over to get it, Nick does it for me, and his hand brushes mine.
“You’re fucking freezing. Come on.”
He leads me into the living room in front of the fireplace.
“Do you?” I ask again.
“Do I what?”
“Have condoms.”
He shakes his head. “I think so, yeah. Do you need some?”
“Maybe, if things go well. It’s good to be prepared, you know?”
“So you said.” His jaw clenches. Maybe the thought of having sex with me isn’t a good one. It seems to have made him grumpier.
“Why are you grouchy again?”
“Because you walked home in the middle of the damn night. If you needed a ride, you should have called me.”
“I don’t have your number,” I say, realizing that for the first time.
“Give me your phone.”
“Bossy,” I mutter as I take my cell out of my pocket. After it’s unlocked, I pass it over. He taps the screen a few times and then hands it back. “Now I have your number. But I was perfectly safe.”
“You were alone after midnight.”
“Yeah, in Cunningham Falls, Montana, Nick. What did you think would happen? The bears are asleep.”
“Just call me next time.”
“I don’t do this often,” I say with a sigh. “And you might have totally killed my buzz. It was so nice. I don’t remember the last time I had drinks with Sid. Also? Her cat is a judgy bitch.”
He raises a brow.
“I mean, all I did was drink margaritas and talk about having sex with you.”
Both brows raise.
“We haven’t had sex.”
I sigh. “I know. It’s sad. But it’s okay. I guess the thought of having sex with me makes you grouchy, because all I did was mention condoms, and you looked like you wanted to punch someone.”
“Only because I thought you wanted to use the condoms with someone else.”
I blink at him. “Who?”
“I have no idea.”
“Me either. So, it’s not a bad idea?”
“Oh, it’s probably a colossally terrible idea,” he says with a laugh. “But I’m having a hard time keeping my hands to myself.”
“You’re actually doing a very good job of it. You haven’t touched me much. Is it because I’m a pressional?”
“A what?”
“A pressional. You know, a nurse.”
“A professional?”
“That’s what I said.”
He laughs, his shoulders relax, and his eyes warm up. “No. That’s not why.”
“Oh. Why, then?”
“Because I’m not going to sexually harass you.”
I frown. “I don’t feel harassed.”
“Good.” He takes my hands and pulls me to my feet. “On a scale of one to ten, how drunk are you?”
“I’d say I’m still solidly around a five.”
“Damn.” He sighs, his eyes are on my lips. “Because when I take you, it won’t be when you don’t have all your wits about you.”
“You’re an honorable guy.”
His lips twitch. “It’s a damn shame.”
“Nah, it’s good. Because if you were a dick, I wouldn’t be thinking about taking all of my clothes off right now.”
“Fucking hell,” he whispers and clenches his eyes shut. “You’d tempt the pope.”
“He’s too old for me.” I press in closer, wanting to feel the heat of him. I want him naked, and I want him to do things to me.
Sexy things.
But it’s not going to happen tonight.
“Nick?”
“Yes.”
“I think I might throw up.”