Lag (The boys of RDA #2)(71)

“Not today.” His words startle me by how close they are and I turn to find him standing next to me.

I turn back to the fridge. “When did you become a ninja?”

“One is born with the skill. One must only seek to use the skill.”

“Dork.” I smile at his small show of nerdiness even if he can’t see it with my head in the refrigerator. “So you want a pop then?”

“It’s so cute how you call it pop.”

“Whatever.” I pass him the cold can of pop I’ll never be able to call soda and reach toward the cupboard to get two glasses.

Trey beats me there but stops. He turns and in his hand holds the neon green cat cup from the little bar where we were met.

“You kept yours?”

I turn a little red for some reason. “Yeah.”

He sets the cup in question on the counter and opens his pop pouring some in. “I still have mine too.”

I laugh, but it sounds nervous for some unexplained reason. “Yeah, I know.”

He looks up from his pouring business and cocks his head at me.

“I saw it during sweatergeddon. It wasn’t a good night to bring it up.”

He laughs for a moment but doesn’t turn back to his glass. A heavy sigh leaves his body making his shoulders slump more. I hate seeing him so defeated and I frown at whatever thoughts are passing through this mind.

Trey takes two steps to my side of the kitchen and his arms wrap around me until he has a tight hold on me. Instinctively I wrap my own arms around him and return his squeeze.

He pulls back and lays his forehead on mine so we’re eye to eye. “Promise me you won’t leave over this.”

A hand reaches up to rub the spot on his jaw he normally loves so much, and I scrape my finger across the prickly stubble. “Trey, we’ve made it this far. We have to stick it out to see how it ends.”

His head falls to my neck and he buries his nose there. “Who knew I’d fall in love with the girl who elbowed my junk one fateful day.”

I go stock still at his full declaration. This is beyond calling me his girlfriend. I think Trey may have used the L word, but I don’t want to call attention to it in case he isn’t sure. “Yeah, she sounds like a real ball buster.”

“Well as long as it’s only my balls she’s busting for the rest of our lives, I’ll be okay.”





EPILOGUE


** Trey **



My girlfriend is hot.

Grant follows my eyes as they track Simone across the room. Her bright pink skirt’s short enough to give me a view of the long legs I hope to have wrapped around me later tonight. Of course the shoes with straps wrapping around her ankles will need to stay on.

“Those legs go on forever. You better not mess it up with her.”

I turn and slug Grant in the shoulder for his comment, and he sways with the force. A hand comes up to rub the spot and he shoots me a dirty look.

“What the f*ck was that for?”

Like he has to ask. “Don’t look at Simone.”

He raises both hands in a surrender gesture. “Okay, okay. Point taken.” Grant rubs the spot on his shoulder one last time and then turns and walks to where Simone’s set up food on a table.

Simone comes to stand beside me and I snake a hand out to catch her around the middle and pull her closer. She looks up and smiles at me. Her lips stretch across her face and cause her bright blue eyes to squint like there’s sun in them. It makes her whole face scrunch up, and it’s my favorite look on her.

“You look wonderful. How long do we have to stay?” I ask. I’ve never wanted to leave a business event so badly before.

“Trey.” She slaps me on the arm, but the rest of her sentence is interrupted by Aspen as she stops in front of us.

“The place looks marvelous, Simone. You did a great job,” Aspen comments on the room and I move my eyes off Simone to look at it for the first time.

“Thanks.” She tries to step away from me, but I tighten my grip. “The boys all helped. Even Melvin.” She comments on the decorations she bossed us into putting up today for the holiday party. I’m not sure where the sweet and shy girl I met on vacation went. I blame it on Marissa. Of course I also might owe Marissa a thank you. I’m learning to like this feisty side of Simone.

The room looks mostly the same to me except each desk hosts a small poinsettia on the edge and the tables are covered in holiday cloths. For a holiday party to a bunch of gamers, it’s top of the line. Much better than we’ve ever done for these small events in the past.

The girls talk back and forth about the decorations as I slowly move my hand up Simone’s side until it rests right under her bra. She squirms and I stop but run my finger on the space right below in a rhythmic motion. I need her to hurry the f*ck up and get out of here.

Two weeks have passed since Mari’s scandalous exposé was released and as much as I hate to admit it, Finn was right. It’s calmed down here. There are no longer reporters parked outside the building or my house night and day. The smell of gossip and scandal faded and they lost interest, off to chase the city’s actual rich and famous.

Like a coward I hid out at Simone’s place for a week but reluctantly went home a few days ago. Much to my surprise sharing a space with Simone was pleasant. Of course, it helped that I was able to f*ck her hard before bed every night and then softly in the morning before work. I still have some clothes stashed in her closet for those emergencies when I don't have it in me to leave the warmth of her bed.