Draw (Gentry Boys #1)(56)
But I didn’t have friends. I only had Brayden, my pseudo brother who seemed to understand that Cord wasn’t perfect but he was far from a villain. Most importantly, Cordero Gentry was more than what I wanted. He was what I needed
Bray was home earlier when I’d rolled in fresh out of Cord’s arms and practically singing. He’d just stopped by to grab something he’d forgotten. Millie was already gone, which I was sorry for. I suddenly wanted to gush all about love and sex to someone who didn’t have the same eyes as me. It was too much like looking into a mirror.
“What’s up, Say?” Bray asked and his tone implied he already guessed.
I smiled. “Everything.”
Brayden went cross eyed. “Are you giggling? Nah, Saylor McCann isn’t a giggler. She’s an astute observer of life’s foibles and circumstances.”
“She’s a giggler when she’s happy.”
My cousin sighed and looked at me, shaking his head a little. “This is a big deal, isn’t it?”
I was honest. “I think so. Yeah, it is.”
He smiled. “Good.”
Brayden merely nodded when I briefed him on my conversation with Cord. I was glad. Glad he didn’t press me all the ways my fantasy audience would have. My cousin kissed me on the cheek and set off on his day while I got ready for work.
Truly was in a state when I got there. Ed had been giving her crap about her looks, telling her she needed to comb over her hair so the shaved part of her head didn’t show.
“Bastard’s wound so tight he likely shits out diamonds,” she hissed as she swiped a table with a clean rag. Her deep southern drawl made everything she said slightly more hilarious.
“Not diamonds,” I said, filling the salt shakers. “Quartz maybe.”
“Cubic f*cking zirconia,” she laughed.
I figured now was as good a time as any to ask her for a favor. She listened with a bemused expression. Truly was really quite beautiful, a slightly smudged fairy tale princess come to life with big breasts and a whole lot of y’all’s swinging around.
“Don’t blame you one bit, sugar,” she grinned, propping a knee up on the table as she sorted a stack of menus. “He’s a mighty fine slice of manhood.”
“Can’t argue with that,” I grinned, feeling a rush of heat surge between my legs as I indulged in a brief memory of the ways Cord had acquainted me with the aforementioned manhood.
The crowds were typical but they made the hours pass quickly. I remembered Chase’s comment about dropping by for dinner and by five I was scanning the door pretty faithfully for any hint of the Gentry brothers.
Finally, when I looked up as a shadow fell across the door, I saw Cord scanning the crowd impatiently. A few of the girls sitting by the front noticed him and sat up a little straighter. I was getting used to the flush of pure pleasure which rolled through me at the sight of him. I waved him over with a smile.
Cord cut through the crowd in a few quick strides. I collided with him, feeling the shock of his hard muscles against my body. But when I moved to collect a kiss I saw he was glancing around in a troubled manner.
“What’s wrong?”
He shrugged. “Probably nothing. Just can’t get a hold of Chase. He hasn’t been in contact since he took off for the gym.” Cord gestured out the window to the austere gray exterior of the Western Fitness Gym, which was across the street. “He walked over, didn’t take the truck. We checked the gym but he wasn’t around. Creed’s taking a closer look. He hasn’t been by here, has he?”
“No,” I shook my head.
Cord looked disappointed. He absently rubbed my arms and looked around as if his brother could possibly materialize among the greasy chins. I tipped his chin up, meeting the tense look in his clear blue eyes.
“Hey,” I said gently, “I’m sure he’s fine. Maybe he found some action, just like he’s always hoping.”
“Yeah,” Cord coughed. “Maybe. Look at me, chasing after my grown brother. It’s just…” Cord sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “For a smart guy, Chase is missing a few kernels of wisdom. The fight or flight sense that’s gotten me out of trouble more than once? He doesn’t have it. He needs some looking after, you know?”
I tried to soothe him, holding him close and kissing his neck. Cord threaded his hands through my hair, sought my mouth and kissed me firmly. “Can’t wait to f*ck you again,” he whispered in my ear as I pressed my hips into his. He was so hard. I felt him against my stomach.
He kissed me one more time and backed away with reluctance. “Let me go haul that jackass out of whatever warm hole he’s crawled into,” he laughed, abruptly grabbing me, lifting me in his arms, his breath hot in my ear. “Then later I’m gonna crawl into you.”
Cord stole a quick feel of my breasts and then retreated. I hadn’t realized what a spectacle we’d created until I saw how many heads were raised from the work of dismantling their chicken baskets. Truly flashed me the thumbs up sign from where she watched behind the bar. I bit my lip and she chuckled.
As I grabbed a broom to sweep away a litter of French fries, I thought about how deeply in tune the Gentry brothers were with one another. It wasn’t something you saw often among grown siblings, particularly men. But then I remembered the awful story of the pool and how there were likely a hundred others I hadn’t yet heard. The brothers were bound by blood and by tribulation. It was a near certainty that their efforts to protect one another had gotten them out of Emblem alive.