Beyond What is Given(44)

“Right.”

“You’re cool with it?”

“I’m not thrilled, but I’m not ready to kill you over it.” I was a little nauseous about my parents finding out exactly what I’d been up to, though. “I’d really like you guys to not mention what we’re doing here though, and not ask why.”

“I know you like to keep shit separate. Come hang when you can, and when you can’t, just be…you know…you. We’re not going to be pissed.”

“Who is this we?” I asked.

He cleared his throat. “Josh and Ember are going to Colorado to see her family, so it’s you, me, Paisley, Sam, Morgan, Carter—”

I hit the brakes a little too hard at the red light just to toss him against his seat belt. “You invited Carter?” I nearly growled as I took off at the green light.

“Morgan insisted. Said he was lonely or some bullshit. So now I get to vacation with my girlfriend’s ex. It’s glorious.” He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “He’s really not all that bad.”

Okay, that earned a half smile. “He’s growing on me. Josh?”

Jagger laughed and shook his head. “Hell no. Those two glare at each other more than high-school girls.”

We pulled into the driveway, and I nearly bolted to the door when I saw Sam’s car. Relax, it’s only been ten hours. I tossed my keys as I walked in the door and Jagger sang out, “Honey, we’re home!”

“Oh!” she squeaked from the kitchen, but I didn’t see her as I looked over the half wall. “You guys are early!”

“It’s after five,” I answered, coming around the wall to see—Holy shit. The floor was covered in water, as was Sam with her bare legs extended from beneath the kitchen sink. All the cleaning crap that was normally kept under the sink lay scattered around her.

“Samantha.” I gripped her warm calves and pulled gently, dislodging her from the cabinet. She grimaced and then gave me a really f*cking cute smile as she waved a wrench.

“Grayson.”

“What the hell happened?” Jagger asked, leaning over the wall.

I raised an eyebrow at Sam as I pulled her to her feet. Her soaked red tank top clung to her skin, and I pried my eyes away from her hardened nipples before I decided to suck on them. Get a grip, you’re not there yet.

I held out my hand, and she wrinkled her nose but put the wrench into it. “Samantha?” I asked again, loving the way her name sounded.

She reached in her back pocket and then handed me a very wet four of hearts card.

“I tend to get in over my head before I ask for help.” She blinked up at me.

I took her card and pocketed it. “Apparently.”

Jagger burst into laughter. “She is all yours.”

She grinned shamelessly up at me. “I kind of am,” she admitted.

“I know.” My voice dropped, and I stood there like an idiot for another minute, a breath away from her, standing in a giant puddle of water, craving her mouth. “What happened?”

“I…uh…lost my ring.” She licked her lips.

“So you ripped apart the kitchen sink.”

She nodded enthusiastically. “Seemed the most logical path to getting it back.”

“Right.” I unzipped my uniform top and hung it on the back of the dining room chair before taking Sam’s place under the kitchen sink. “Only a few more turns and you would have had it,” I said as I finished removing the U-bend. “What’s the story with the ring?”

She took the pipe out of my hands and dumped the contents into a bowl. “Thank you.” She sighed, taking the sapphire ring out of the mucky leftovers. “It was my grandmother’s. Mom gave it to me when I turned sixteen. My grandparents are dead, so it’s the only link I really have left.”

“I’d rip the sink apart for that, too,” I answered, putting it back together. As I washed my hands, Sam hopped onto the counter and swung her feet.

“You know I could have done that if you’d explained how. You didn’t have to get gunked up or take over all man-style.”

I grimaced, reached into my pocket, and handed her the eight of spades. “I overstep boundaries to fix problems the women in my life can probably handle themselves. Maybe it’s from growing up with four sisters, or maybe I’m overprotective.”

“That’s hardly a sin,” she said with a grin, “but I’ll take it.” She hopped to the floor and tugged her shorts down so they covered her to mid-thigh. “So, Friday date night?” she asked.

My fingers tightened on the counter. “I know we usually go out on Friday…”

“Are you canceling on me?” She shot me a look so full of sass that I almost kissed it off her.

“Hell no. I was thinking we’d keep it low-key tonight? Jagger is headed to Paisley’s, and Josh—”

“Is out!” Josh called as he passed by the kitchen. “I can make it to Nashville by ten if I leave now, so I’ll catch you later!”

“Right,” I finished.

Sam swayed toward me. “Are you trying to get me alone? Maybe score a little make-out session?”

My stomach muscles tightened as she ran her fingers down the lines of my abs. “Sam, we’re not fifteen, and if all I wanted was a make-out, I’d carry you upstairs and shut my bedroom door.”