Just like last time, he places one sweet kiss on my core before coming out from under my dress. He rises up to tower over me and I pull him down to kiss me, tasting myself on his tongue. Again, he takes charge, picking me up and plopping me down on the desk before pulling a condom out of his pocket. He’s inside me in seconds.
“Fuck, I’ll never get tired of this. You’re crazy if you think that.” His mouth ravishes mine.
I feel the same way about Gavin. I’ll never grow tired of having him deep inside me.
It’s a done deal. Gavin Price has won me over.
It’s been two weeks of sneaking around with Posey. I’m not really a fan of this whole secret relationship thing. I moved from LA to Sunrise Bay so I could get my morning coffee without cameras in my face. I’m trying to be understanding, but a night like tonight—when all I want to do is take her back to my house and forget about the shitty day—makes it more difficult.
Marla is doing better than me in the polls. I thought she might be. My mind has been occupied lately and I need to kick it into gear. So instead of being with Posey, I walk over to Truth or Dare Brewery to pick up my take-out order.
Cade is behind the bar and signals that he’s got my order in the back when he sees me walk in.
While I’m waiting for him at the bar, Posey walks in with Mandi. I’m about to call her over, because we can pull off that we’re kind of friendly. That wouldn’t be suspicious at all. Yeah right. But I have no time before Eli Easton saunters up to her.
I watch him lean in and kiss her cheek. She smiles and they talk like the old friends I guess they are. There’s no reason I should be jealous, but maybe it’s because I want to be with Posey so badly, there’s still insecurity there. I’ve been ridiculed for everything I’ve done my entire life, so I might suck at this boyfriend thing. Then again, I wouldn’t know because she won’t let us be public with our relationship.
Mandi leaves them to grab a seat and I groan. If she’s with them, at least there’s a buffer. Eli signals to a table of guys to his right. Posey leans forward and waves.
“You’re just gonna stand there and watch?” Cade’s voice surprises me and I jolt.
“Your sister can handle herself.”
“Hey, Cade, can I get a Lucy Takes Flight? I can’t decide what I want tonight.” Mandi sits on the stool next to me. “What are we all looking at?”
“We’re looking at Gavin allowing Eli Easton to try to win our sister over again.”
I look at Mandi, who surely knows her sister better than Cade. “Don’t you think that Posey will be pissed if I go over there all alpha male, pounding my chest like a Neanderthal?”
Mandi laughs. “Posey might pretend she doesn’t like it.”
Cade pours the different beers into the flight for Mandi, and I can’t help but glance over my shoulder at Posey every second.
“Just go over there and put your arm around her,” Mandi says.
“We’re not a couple.”
“Yeah, okkaaayy,” Cade says. “This town isn’t stupid. There have been reports all over about Posey and Gavin sightings. Here’s a clue.” Cade leans forward and lowers his voice. “Don’t drive both cars to one place and then disappear on a ‘hike.’” He uses air quotes.
Shit. We did that two days ago. My ass still has scratches from the pieces of wood on the ground. Neither of us thought to bring a blanket.
“Does Posey know about this?” I ask them.
“God no.” Mandi sips her first beer. “If she did, then you’d be long gone. Don’t worry, we all know how Posey is.” She pats me on the back.
That’s… worrisome.
I look over again and find Eli writing something down for Posey. Great, his fucking number, no doubt. “Why not tell her we’ve been outed?”
“I just told you, she’d break up with you and we know she doesn’t want that.” Mandi tries another beer.
My forehead creases. “Why would she break up with me?” This whole time, I thought, so what if we get outed because the hiding would be over. She’d have to come clean with everyone, including her mom.
“Has she not told you about our mom?” Mandi asks.
“And their relationship?” Cade adds.
As I’m about to pry for more information, Chevelle bounces over and kisses Mandi on the cheek. “Can I have a hard seltzer, the watermelon flavor one?”
Cade nods and heads over to the cooler. He cracks the bottle open for her, then heads down the other side of the bar to fulfill some orders.
Mandi turns to her sister. “Chevelle, what would happen if Posey found out people know about her and Gavin?”
She puts her finger over her throat and slides it across.
“I don’t understand,” I say. “We’ve had conversations. I know how important Marla is to her, but I also know how she feels about me.”
Mandi and Chevelle look at one another.
“Mom is everything to her. She’s Posey’s one stable figure in her life. She’d give up everything for Mom.” Mandi puts her hand on my forearm. “Including her own happiness.”
Fuck. I blow out a breath. These aren’t things I didn’t know about or was worried about, but I didn’t realize her mom was as big a stumbling block as she is. But I know I’m the cause of Posey’s happiness, just as she is for me. I feel it when she’s with me.
“I’ll be right back.” I push off the bar to go over to her.
“Take this. You won’t be back.” Chevelle holds up my food order.
I snatch it and weave through the weekend crowd over to Posey and Eli. Eli sees me first and I take some satisfaction in the fact that I can tell he’s instantly pissed. It means he sees me as competition.
“Hey, you two,” I say, placing my hand on the small of Posey’s back.
She steps away and my hand drops.
“Gavin,” Eli says without putting his hand out for me to shake.
That’s fine. I wasn’t going to be a gentleman either.
“Eli.” I nod in his direction.
“Did you see Mandi? I came here with her?” Posey raises on her tiptoes to look over the crowd.
“Actually, I need to talk to you about the campaign.” I turn to Eli. “Do you mind if I steal her away for a moment?”
Eli shakes his head. “I should get back to my friends. You have my number, Posey. Don’t be afraid to use it.”
I raise my eyebrows, trying not to get possessive right now.
“Yeah. Okay. See you, Eli.”
Once she follows me outside, I walk over to my campaign headquarters and insert my key into the lock.
Inside, I toss my meal on my desk and push my hands through my hair. “I’m not sure how much longer I can do this.”
“Do what?” She juts out her hip.
“I can’t watch a guy flirt with you and do nothing about it. Do you know how bad I wanted to slam you against that wall and kiss the living shit out of you right in front of him?”
She smiles as if this is a game. If it is, it’s a game I want to end.
“I’m serious, Posey.”
“I know.” She walks toward me with a smirk that says she likes me all possessive, but I can’t claim her until she allows us to be out in the open.