“I’ll get the fish and chips.” He throws the towel back and laughs. “Is that why you called her vanilla scoop?”
I catch it with one hand and flip it over my shoulder. “Among other reasons.”
Brinn laughs and sits back in his chair, rubbing his hands together. “But think of all the ways vanilla can be spiced up. It’s the most versatile. Unlike flavors like rocky road. What can you do with rocky road? It’s pretty limited.”
“You’re a pig.” I swipe his half-empty mug and dump the contents in the sink to emphasize my disgust.
McRae tosses his head back and produces a deep, hearty laugh. “But you don’t care or anything.”
He’s right, and I can’t decide whom I’m more disgusted by, him or me. What do I care if he sees forever with country club type girl? Now I can’t seem to abide by the rules I put in place.
He reaches across the counter and snakes my arm as I’m trying to walk away.
“Her brother is a college buddy of mine serving overseas. I told him I’d keep an eye on her and keep my brother away from her.”
I stop and face him. “Vann’s into her?”
He lets go, nods, and sits back down. “And she’s into him. You’re hot when you’re jealous. Like hotter than normal hot.”
“I’m taking my break right now. Sometimes I like to step outside and take in the fresh air.”
He sits up straighter. “What about my food.”
“Seriously?” I cross my arms.
“Yeah, now you got me all worked up to eat. Food is all I can think about.”
If his lips hadn’t twitched, I’d have had a hard time sussing out the truth. He has a clever mind. “It’ll hold.”
I walk from behind the bar and beeline straight for the back exit. I don’t have to look behind me because the current radiating through my sensory system tells me he’s a few steps behind.
As soon as I step outside, I’m pushed against the wall, McRae’s body suddenly flush against mine. The exit door bangs closed but neither of us jumps. He lowers his head.
“What flavor am I?” I tilt my head to the side, exposing the area of my neck he’s kissing, and lift my legs to wrap them around his waist. Thank heavens I’m wearing frayed jean shorts and not some confining skirt.
“You’re every flavor. You smell like fresh oranges and sweet mint, and I can’t go by an orange grove without getting a hard-on.”
I wrap my arms around his neck and grind against him. “Happy early birthday.”
“Best birthday ever,” he says, pressing his lips at the top of the valley of my breasts.
What kinds of birthdays did he have? Did his mom remember or had she been too high to care?
“What’s your best birthday memory?” I ask.
He stops blazing a trail of kisses across my chest and lifts his head. He looks at a spot over my shoulder and I try to quiet my lingering pants.
“No one’s ever asked that before.” He swings his gaze to mine.
“I’m guessing you don’t have many stories of themed parties or get away birthday trips?”
“Birthdays were never a big deal in our house. There was this one year, we were just kids, but Vann and I spent it at the beach. I’d earned enough from mowing yards that I treated us to a day out. When we came home our mom was out for the rest of the night, so we watched movies until the late hours and ate junk food all night.”
“And tomorrow?”
“Vann’s working and I’ll probably get caught up on a few things. But I got this going for me right now. How long’s your break?”
“Only long enough to leave us both unsatisfied.” I arch my hips to grind again.
“I’ll take what I can get.” He slips his hand up my thigh between my shorts and presses me to him as he crushes his mouth against mine.
Fourteen
With Jayne’s help, I devise a plan.
My alarm goes off at seven and I want to throat punch it. Then I remember what I intend to accomplish today, so I drag my lazy ass from bed and stretch with some of my favorite yoga moves before I shower. I leave my hair loose and add a few curls before I pull the sides up. I dress in long white board shorts, a gray peasant shirt with aquamarine embroidery, and accessorize with aquamarine mules and a bracelet, all items Jayne’s talked me into on a shopping spree. At this rate, I’ll need another suitcase when it’s time for me to bail.
The drive to McRae’s is quick and I’m walking to the door when his brother comes out, sees me, and does a double take.
“Your brother in?” I ask.
Vann’s wearing the uniform for the local electronics store and the moment for me to back out is gone. What I’ve planned for McRae negates the premise of booty calls and no-strings, but I want to do it for him more than I want to make sure we don’t cross some self-imposed line. I want to leave him with a good memory of me, one that’s more than us having sex.
“Uh, yeah. He’s still asleep,” he says, nodding to the house. “I’ll just—”
“No, I got it.” I flash him a smile and walk in.
It’s exactly like I thought it would be. A large-screen TV hangs from the center wall, flanked by older furniture that’s worn but clean. Wood floors appear to run throughout the house and floral curtains hang from the windows, clearly placed there by a woman who gave a shit. The place is small so it doesn’t take me but a second to find his room.
He’s sprawled on his back. The sheet barely covers his legs and I want to eat him up. His chest is toned and broad and though I’ve run my hands over his body before, it’s an entirely new sensation to see him like this. The desire I have for him is palpable and insane. I’ve never experienced a wave of this magnitude every single stinking time I’ve looked at someone like I do when I look at McRae.
I must be losing my mind.
I ease onto the bed and he doesn’t wake. The steady rise and fall of his chest speaks to how deep his sleep is. His mouth’s slightly open but he’s not snoring. What is it about this guy who works crazy hours, eats fish and chips with his fingers, and has no plans for his birthday? This guy whose lips are soft even when he’s out of control, whose touch makes me see the light, and who no one ever made a big deal about the day he entered the world?
Until now.
I straddle him and plop down. He comes awake with an oomph and grabs my hips.
“Holy shit. You trying to kill me?”
“Wakey wakey. Time to start your birthday celebration.” I run my hands across his shoulders, enjoying the feel of the dips and curves of his muscles.
He stretches beneath me, his pelvis rubbing against my girly parts, and I nearly come undone. He tucks his hands behind his head and his bemused, sleepy expression is adorable.
“Please tell me you came here to get naked. Because you keep that up, I’m pretty sure shouting out each other’s names will be in our future.”
“Ooh, predicting the future. That must be a sign.” I tickle my fingers down his pecs and bite my lip. Maybe I should go stand outside the door and yell across the space to get him moving because scrapping my idea and staying in bed with him is starting to sound like the best idea of all.