Hanging On (Jessica Brodie Diaries #2)(99)

“Christ, you guys, how are you not used to a clumsy girl? Jessica must have shown you the ropes by now!” Lump said in exasperation.

“They always catch me,” I expressed, out of breath.

“No touching,” Lump stated, also out of breath.

“What the hell is wrong with y’all?” Adam exclaimed, stopping, half-bent, at Lump’s comment. “Ain’t you never walked up steps?”

“Just…go get a shirt,” Lump scolded, getting off me and helping me up, throwing a finger out to stop William from stepping closer.

“And I do not care for your slang!” I yelled after him. Lump chuckled.

“You girls have lost it,” William said with sparkling eyes.

“I know you are but what am I,” I replied, not caring that it didn’t fit.

Adam’s house had a few things similar to Williams; weird paintings, a leather sofa and a bachelor feel. That was where the similarities ended. As opposed to William’s over decorated interior, Adam’s was bare. There was a beer sign or two, and a rug over the hard wood floor, but that was about it. It was to the point where he didn’t even know to buy a lamp to solve the lack of light problem. The guy was definitely a boy, and his place proved it! It was a shame, too, because the house had such potential; high vaulted ceilings, glossy hard wood, decorative trimming on the doors and windows.

“Why doesn’t he decorate?” Lump asked, having the same thoughts as I did.

“He has a penis,” William supplied.

“I’ve been to your house, Willie—are you saying you don’t?”

“I hired someone.”

“Okay, if I must pull each sentence out of you one at a time, why hasn’t he hired someone?”

“His mother doesn’t live within twenty miles to constantly tsk at his lack of decoration.”

“She must tsk at the decoration you’ve chosen, though,” I said, sitting on the couch.

“Yeah, that weird goat statue, especially. Your taste is worse than a blind lady,” Lump sat next to me with a smile.

Where I rarely picked on William, opting to annoy his friends instead since they were more fun, Lump picked up the slack. Only fair—all the guys thought so.

“No pleasing women.” William smiled in exasperation, standing by the large mantle above the fireplace.

“Amen,” Adam affirmed walking in—thankfully with a shirt.

“Adam, doesn’t your girlfriend give you shit about your…decor?” I asked.

He sat down on his leather recliner to put on his worn-in cowboy boots. “She won’t stay here. Says I need to do something with it.”

“So why don’t you?”

“Got too many rooms. Just seems like too much work, and I’d rather put the effort into the ranch.”

“Why did you buy such a big house just for yourself, then?” Lump asked.

“What is this, an interrogation? Ain’t always just gonna be me, is it? Don’t want to buy a house now then have to sell and buy another when the Mrs. moves in.”

“What Mrs?” I asked, leaning forward.

“Jessie, now don’t you start.”

“Future wife, Jessica, not current,” William clarified, enjoying Adam’s discomfort.

Adam walked out of the room, shaking his head.

“Where’s the el bano?” Lump asked.

“Down the hall, to the left,” William answered.

After a pause, when the others were out of the room, William asked, “Like what you saw, then?”

I looked at him in surprise. He’d noticed.

Shit.

Instead going the route of denial—William knew me too well for that—I chose to be honest. "Muscles. Girls like muscles. Just like boys like boobs. If Lump answered the door without a shirt, and you weren't expecting it, you would react the same way."

William nodded slowly, not taking his eyes off me. Caution was prevalent in his eyes. "And if you were expecting it?"

"I would look serendipitously when you weren't aware.”

Anger flashed across his face, then understanding. He blushed.

"Exactly. Just like men do when they don't think their girlfriends notice... I must say, though, you are more discreet than most."

He sighed and walked over to sit down next to me, caution replaced by an apologetic grin that had me chuckling. "I shouldn't be looking at all. And I don't try to! It's just that sometimes my eye is drawn before I know I am looking."

"William, men aren't the only ones that like eye candy. I look, too. I shouldn't either. But as long as there is no looking at friends, and certainly no touching, such is life."

"Is that what you were doing when he was trying to help you? I was wondering why you kept flinching away from him!"

I laughed. "Felt wrong—like you but not like you. And it is Adam for Christ's sake! He is A-sexual as far as I am concerned. Yuck!"

Lump walked in, her face troubled.

"What's up?" I asked.

She shook her head as Adam walked in. "Oh, nothing. Phil wants to meet up with me tonight about something."

"Oh? Is it serious?"

She just shrugged me off, following silently when Adam led the way to the door. Once there he opened it and waited patiently.