Draw (Gentry Boys #1)(42)
I swallowed. “Well now you know otherwise.”
Saylor smiled faintly. “You told me once that Cord Gentry was a lot of things.”
“I did. And he still is.”
She pursed her lips for a moment and her next words emerged slowly. “Is he a boyfriend?”
“Boyfriend?” I laughed at the word. It sounded childish, frivolous. But then I saw the way her eyes clouded as she pulled away slightly. “No, hey, come here. You may as well hear it. I’ve never been that kind of guy before.” I cupped her face in my hands. “But I want to be with you. I want to f*ck you senseless every night and wake up with you every morning. If that’s what a boyfriend does then I’m all over it.”
She circled her arms around my waist and rested her cheek against my shoulder. “Good enough,” she said, and then swatted my ass. “So what’s for breakfast?”
Chase was already in the kitchen. He gave us a huge shit-eating grin as we walked in holding hands.
“When’s the wedding?” he laughed.
“Knock it off,” I told him. “Big C still hibernating?”
“Nah, he’s out for a run. I’m gonna issue fair warning; the beast is pretty grumpy today on account of not getting any sleep.” He raised his eyebrows meaningfully.
Saylor fell for it. “Why didn’t he get any sleep?”
“Well, girl,” Chase laughed. “You’re awful f*cking loud.”
I thought Saylor would shrink from embarrassment but instead she only smiled. “Only when the f*cking’s good,” she said cheerfully and Chase spit his juice all over the counter.
I was rifling through the cabinets. “Don’t we have anything besides this Marshmallow Mates crap?”
“Sure we do. We have potato chips. And don’t call my cereal crap. It’s got calcium and folic acid in it.”
Saylor sat in the nearest chair and crossed her long legs. “What does folic acid do, anyway?”
“It’s a key nutrient which prevents birth defects during the course of fetal development,” Chase answered as I threw a towel at him.
“Clean up your mess. And how the hell do you know that?”
“Because,” Chase answered jubilantly, “I am the smart one, remember?” He tapped his head. “There’s all kinds of useless junk which stores itself up here.”
“I remember,” Saylor spoke up. “You got moved to my honors classes for about ten days in middle school.” She giggled. “You were an absolute menace.”
Chase grabbed me around the neck. “Didn’t anyone tell you, love? Every Gentry is a menace.”
“So I’ve heard,” Saylor said, looking at me.
I put a bowl of cereal and a glass of juice in front of her. “You got to work today?”
“Yeah.” She popped a spoonful of cereal in her mouth and looked around in exasperation. “What’s the deal? You guys don’t have a clock?”
I stretched, yawning. “Don’t need one. My inner timekeeper assures me it’s somewhere between eight am and noon.”
“It’s nine fifty seven,” Chase said, peering at his phone.
Saylor nodded. “I’ve got to be in at noon. Get off at nine tonight.”
I reached under the table and ran my hand up her leg. “Want to do something after?”
She squeezed my hand between her knees. “I could do something after,” she said in a low, sexy voice.
Chase groaned. “You fools are making me nauseous. And hard. I’d be curious to see which urge would win that battle. Fuck it. I’m heading out to the gym.”
“What gym?” I asked. “Didn’t we buy all that crap sitting out back so you could lift out there?”
Chase shrugged. “I have to have nice things with tits to look at while I lift. Gives me motivation. I got a membership to Western Fitness, up by campus. I’m gonna get as bulky as Creed so that * can’t screw with me no more.”
“Well,” I laughed, “don’t hurt yourself.”
Chase stopped joking and stared at us earnestly. “This is good,” he nodded. “The two of you are all kinds of cute together. I mean that.” He whistled on his way out the door and Saylor smiled at me.
“I like seeing you this way.”
I looked down. “Bruised and bed-headed?”
“Yes. But I meant I like seeing you with your brothers.” She paused. “Back in the day I never really thought about what it must have been like for you guys, growing up in Emblem the way you did with the odds stacked against you.”
I stirred the milk at the bottom of my bowl. I didn’t want to dredge that crap up right now. “Everyone has their challenges,” I muttered.
Saylor took my hand. “You beat yours though, Cordero. ‘He conquers.’”
“Did I?” I said rather flatly and she blinked, taking her hand away. “Hey,” I snapped. “Just don’t go pitying me, okay?
Saylor bristled a little. “I don’t feel pity for you, Cord. I admire you. If that sounds patronizing then I don’t f*cking care.”
Well that wasn’t something I’d ever heard from a girl before. Or anyone else for that matter. I sat motionless, expressionless, as Saylor sighed and continued.