Since I’ve taken three times the normal amount of time to change, I adjust my ponytail and fluff my bangs out of my eyes before forcing myself to return to the living room.
I don’t even look in Nash’s direction, but I can feel his heated stare on me as I cross the room and retake my seat next to him. Again, my knee and his thigh connect, but this time it feels different because my legs are nearly bare. I can feel the rub of his denim pants on my flesh, the heat from his body. And of course my gaze is lowered to his thigh and not whatever is on the television, which leads me directly to his crotch. I’m pretty sure there’s a notably raised ridge down the right side of his jean leg.
Nash’s leg bumps mine to get my attention before he says, “I need another beer. Want one?”
“S-sure,” I agree. Liquid courage is exactly what I need because I’ve never been in this situation before, where I want to jump the man sitting next to me but not sure how he would react to that. Barry and I started dating as teenagers and had all of our sexual firsts together after discussing and researching the logistics thoroughly like the dorks we were back then and still are.
Nash returns soon, offering me one of the open bottles. I stupidly take a sip before he sits down. His weight causes the cushions to sink in the center, the bottle to hit my tooth, and beer to dribble down my chin.
“Ow, shit!” I shout. Jeez, I am so out of my element here.
“You okay?” Nash asks with a quiet chuckle as he sinks back down, now with my knees ending up on top of his thigh so that he has to rest his arm over them. I’m so embarrassed I can’t look him in the eye.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I reply as I swipe my fingers over my chin to dry it off before trying again.
As I tip my bottle back, I finally sneak a peek at Nash’s face and find him watching my lips that are pressed to the opening. Intensely. Like the kind of look that makes me wonder if he’s about to jerk the bottle out of my hand, throw it across the room and then press me down into the sofa to kiss me until we’re humping each other through our clothes and have to tear them in half to get him inside of me. Because I’m pretty sure that’s the type of man Nash is. He’s not the kind to kiss a woman after a date, then wait a few weeks to run the bases before finally sealing the deal. No, when he’s in, I bet he’s all in, taking everything he wants at the same time whether it’s the first date or a woman he met at a bar.
But then I unfortunately remember that he’s not the kind of man to just pounce on me or anyone else because he’s been celibate for years! Ellie ruined him. If not for his ex-wife, I bet he would be that aggressive, horny male who enjoys throwing his big dick around wherever and whenever he wants. And yes, I’m almost certain it would be thick and long.
Lowering the bottle once I’ve nearly drained it, I turn my attention to the television to pretend to watch whatever is on.
Before my disappointment can wash over me, though, I feel the slightest twitch from Nash’s thumb brushing over my knee, the bottom one, which is so close to my inner thigh I stop breathing.
Suddenly, my phone rings, causing both of us to startle like two teenagers getting caught making out by their parents. Nash jerks his arm away as I jump up to search for my phone. Thankfully, my bottle is nearly empty or it would’ve spilled all over us.
My phone is still in my purse that I left on one of the stools at the counter. So, with my back to Nash, I put the bottle down and pull it out to see who is calling me at nine o’clock at night. The word “Mom” flashes on the screen with a photo of her in the background.
“Sorry but I better take this,” I say to Nash before I answer since she doesn’t usually call so late.
“Hey, Mom. Everything okay?” I ask, my voice shaky from whatever was happening on my sofa before she interrupted.
“No, everything is not okay!” she exclaims in my ear. “I just got a call from Lorraine who said you still haven’t RSVP’d to the wedding, and today was the deadline!”
“Oh, well, I’m not sure if I’m going or not,” I reply softly.
“But you have to, Lucy! Your only cousin wants you to be a backup bridesmaid. And I know you two have had your ups and downs, but there’s a baby on the way! It’s time for us to all put the past behind us and move on!”
“Easy for you to say,” I grumble.
“This is your chance to be the bigger person, sweetheart. Show them that you’re doing just fine even after everything that happened.”
“Fine, I’ll go,” I say, mostly just to get her off the phone and get back to Nash who I look over and find sitting up on the edge of the sofa like he’s getting ready to leave. “I’ll call you tomorrow, Mom. Goodnight.”
“Night, sweetie! I’m so glad you’ve agreed to come. Goodnight.”
After making sure the call is ended, I toss my phone on the counter.
“Everything okay?” Nash asks.
“Yep, just my mom telling me I have to go to my cousin’s wedding in a few weeks.”
“I hate weddings,” Nash grunts.
“I can’t say I’m real fond of them right now either,” I say when I go over and start to sit back down. Before I lower myself to the sofa, Nash says, “There’s one more person I need you to find. Do you mind?”
“No, of course not,” I say, even though I have a feeling who it is and wish he didn’t feel the need to go there. “Let me grab my computer. What’s the name?” I ask as I go retrieve the device from my bedroom.
“It’s…” Nash starts when I return. He abruptly stands up from the sofa and says, “You know what, forget it. Maybe another day.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind,” I tell him.
“Nah, I, ah, I’m going to head back upstairs.”
“Okay,” I reply with my shoulders slumping with disappointment.
“See ya,” he says, taking the beer in his hand as he starts for the door. Faster than I can blink, he’s gone.
Chapter Ten
Nash
* * *
After the night I stupidly gave Lucy the names of all the men who were killed by the Aces, and I almost, pathetically, asked her to track down my ex-wife which would’ve ended in disaster, I considered never speaking to her again.
But then, the next morning, she showed up in my apartment and cooked pancakes for me and I changed my mind.
Sure, I could’ve told her to fuck off, regardless of what Malcolm had asked her to do.
I told myself that I needed to keep her around to make sure she didn’t become suspicious about the dead men and start digging into how they died in that fire. So, I let her come and go whenever she wanted.
In fact, over the next week, Lucy and I spend several hours a day hanging out binge watching several episodes of American Horror Story and eating lunch and dinner together most days. That meant I sometimes tagged along with her to the grocery store to help pick out the ingredients for our meals. The weight I lost from my two-week attempt at alcohol poisoning has started piling back on, and I’ve even found myself waking up earlier each day, even though Lucy never comes over before eleven. She seems to think I prefer to sleep in and doesn’t want to wake me.