“We came for the shopping list,” Rachel answered from behind the guys.
Adrian looked at her and averted his gaze, as if he were embarrassed. She knew that kind of expression. It was regret. The beer and the pain medication had worn off. “There’s really no need. I’ll manage—”
“Nonsense. I always pay my debts, Boomer. Go, write down the list.”
“Unless you want to come with us,” Ash offered. “You can sit on one of those carts with a car for children. If you don’t fit, there are always the electric bikes for seniors.”
“Ha. Ha.” Was Adrian’s response as he limped inside and started scribbling on a piece of paper. XL, Ash, and Monti glanced around the house. They didn’t seem to find anything interesting except for a PlayStation 4.
With the kids busy checking out his games, Adrian motioned for Rachel to come to the kitchen. Once there, he wasn’t able to meet her eyes. Or find the right words. “Listen, Rachel.”
Wow, he’d never called her Rachel before. She was intrigued now. She crossed her arms, stifling a smile. Let’s see how the cocky sheriff is going to blow me off.
“About what happened the other day. You know, in the bathroom. I…” He passed his hand over his hair and started pacing awkwardly. “I’m not sure we should have…” He stopped and lifted his hands as if trying to placate her. “Please don’t misunderstand me. I enjoyed it, of course, you were fantastic, but this could turn complicated, so I was hoping we could behave like adults and…”
Poor guy. He was sweating bullets. “Don’t worry, Boomer. I’m good. We’re good. It’s already forgotten. It was nothing. Just a mistake, a lapse of judgment. We got carried away. Now the list, Sheriff. And the credit card,” she finished, stretching her hand out to him. “Oh, and the deal doesn’t include cleaning your place. You aren’t a neat freak.”
His gaze was somewhat confused, but his smile appeared to be one of relief. Rachel, again, wasn’t sure if she should feel offended or amused. She’d go with the latter. After all, she’d known this was going to happen. She and the sheriff: water and oil. He’d been trying to let her down gently, but there was no need for that. She wouldn’t get clingy. It was what it was. They’d had a good time—too short, but good nevertheless. It was enough. Any further entanglement was off the table. Besides, she was too overbooked to add regular humping sessions to her extracurricular activities, never mind how rewarding those sessions were.
“A cleaning lady comes once a week,” he said.
She looked around. “You’d better ask her to come twice a week, or she’ll find you buried in your own mess.” Being at home with nothing to do was clearly not Adrian’s forte.
“Yo, you have two game controllers?” came from the living room.
“Yes,” he answered.
When they came back from the kitchen, the kids were playing rock-paper-scissors. XL won and turned to Adrian. “I’m staying, and you and I are gonna play Mortal Kombat—deal?”
Laughing, Rachel walked out, taking along two pouting kids and leaving behind a rather dumbfounded Adrian. Not in a million years would he have expected that reaction from her.
Once the door closed, he linked his fingers at the back of his neck, sighing out loud. “Fuck my life.” Had she booted him? Or worse, friend-zoned him? That wasn’t what he’d meant. She’d misunderstood him.
“Why? What’s wrong?” It was XL, frowning. Adrian snapped out of his bewilderment and turned to XL, slapping him on the back of his head. Hard. Adrian had to process Rachel’s words, but first things first.
“Ouch, what the fuck, man?” XL complained. Adrian stared at him, giving the kid his most severe glare and crossing his arms over his chest for effect. “What? What did I do wrong?”
“Ever heard the expression ‘don’t shit where you eat,’ you punk?”
XL seemed confused. “What do you mean? I didn’t put a finger on Grease Barbie.”
“No, you used ten of them. On Sara,” he punctuated, hopping toward the couch.
“How do you know?” XL asked, following him.
The how was too embarrassing, so Adrian skipped it. “It doesn’t matter how. What matters is that Sara is a Haddican, Mike’s little sister. You play with her and Mike will come for you. The Bowens too. You won’t be able to set foot in Alden without getting your ass kicked. And don’t think Grease Barbie will side with you, because she’ll be the first in line to beat the shit out of you. I’ll be second.”
“I’m not playing,” XL explained, looking at the floor and shuffling his feet.
Crap. That was even worse. “What do you mean?”
“I’m meeting her tonight. We’re going out on a date.”
“Where are you going, mister? Because I remind you, you can’t enter a bar.”
“We’ll think of something.”
That was what Adrian was afraid of. He sighed in resignation. “For your information, dry humping is second base.” He’d checked it. XL looked stunned, but Adrian shrugged it off. “The kitchen isn’t as private a place as you think.”
He took one PS4 controller and gave XL the other. It was going to be better if he limited himself to kicking the punk’s ass virtually. But his heart wasn’t in Mortal Kombat; it was on the petite blond dressed in coveralls who had just left his place. The more he thought about her words, the more pissed he was. “A mistake”? “A lapse of judgment”? That wasn’t what he’d meant. He’d wanted to tread with caution, make sure she didn’t get her hopes up about what sex would lead to, but he hadn’t had any intention of blowing her off. If she had waited for him to finish talking instead of jumping the gun, she would have known that—but she didn’t, because she’d blown him off. And seemed damn happy while she was at it.
Thank God he hadn’t finished talking; he would have ended up looking like a moron.
He’d wanted her like crazy. Had been so turned on it had been a miracle he hadn’t come in his pants in Max’s bathroom, but sex with Rachel could turn complicated, and he didn’t want that. To say nothing of a relationship, of course. That was out of question. She wasn’t his type, not a woman he’d want by his side in the long run. Now, if only his dick could get the memo, all would be good.
“Man, you’re shit at this. What’s up?”
Adrian shrugged. “I hate being cooped up in here all day.”
“Rachel said she owed you and that as long as you were injured, she’d run errands for you. Take her up on it.”
Sure, because having her around was going to improve matters. Then again, maybe it would. If they could forget Saturday ever happened, they could go back to their previous relationship. Bickering friendship, uncomplicated by sex. He’d have a rampant case of blue balls, but whatever. Not the end of the world. That was what she seemed to want. He could manage that, right?
They played until there was a knock on the door. “Home delivery!” Ash yelled. “Open up!”
The guys were carrying shopping bags and Rachel held two extra-large pizzas. “Kids insisted,” she said.