ONE MORE TIME

by Reynolds, Aurora Rose

  “I guessed that by your scream.” He takes a seat on the side of my desk. “Did you come up with a series idea?” He leans over to look at my computer screen, and I slam my laptop closed.

  “Nope, not yet.” I clear my throat and push my chair back when I see how close we are. “Is everything okay?”

  “I finished with the carpet.”

  “You did?” Really, I shouldn’t be surprised. Yesterday when I helped him paint, I learned firsthand how efficient he is when he’s working.

  “I did.” He stands, then walks around the desk to the bookshelves that line the wall, grabs one of my books I unpacked this morning, and flips it over to read the blurb. I watch him, fighting the urge to rush across the room to smack it out of his hand. “This sounds good.”

  “You sound surprised.”

  “Not at all.” He looks up and grins at me. “Can I have this one?”

  “If you want it.”

  “I want it.” He walks toward me, and my pulse starts to race as he grabs a pen from the holder on my desk and hands it to me. “Can I get your autograph?”

  “You’re ridiculous.” I laugh.

  “Can you write, ‘Tide, you really know how to lay some wood. Love, Aria’?”

  “I’m not writing that.” I shake my head as I sign my name with a heart and a quick XOXO. Closing the book, I hand it back to him, then meet his gaze, unsure what the look in his eyes means. I do know it makes me feel warm all over. “So.” I move my chair back, because once again, we’re too close, then stand and head for the door. “Can you help me move my couch out of the kitchen?”

  “Already done,” he tells my back as I step into the hall.

  “I would have helped you.” I walk past the kitchen, then stop at the edge of the living room. “I don’t even want to step on the carpet it looks so good,” I whisper, taking in the light-gray soft plush carpet, feather-gray walls, and pure-white baseboards and windowsills that makes the bay window look like a piece of art. “I didn’t plan on starting any kind of remodeling or upgrades for a while, but now looking at how beautiful this room is, I’m thankful I was forced to.” I carefully step into the room, and like I thought they would, my feet sink into the carpet. “This is so nice.” I bend at the waist, then get down on my hands and knees before rolling to my back, spreading my arms and legs wide like I’m making a snow angel.

  “I gotta say, you’re the first client I’ve had who’s done that.”

  I look at Tide’s smiling face upside down, and my cheeks warm. God, I’m such a dork, and I didn’t even think about what I was doing.

  “It’s really nice carpet,” I admit, and he surprises me by joining me on the floor.

  “You’re right. It is nice.” He turns his head my way as his fingers brush mine. “Have you put anything in your stomach besides the Coke I saw you grab earlier?”

  “I had a candy bar.”

  “A candy bar?” He raises one brow.

  “It had nuts in it,” I inform him, then hold my breath as he rolls to his side and looms over me.

  “That doesn’t make it a meal.” He smiles, touching his fingers to my cheek. “You have really soft skin.”

  “Umm… thanks.” I dig my nails into my palms to keep from touching him, then relax when he pushes up off the ground.

  “Let’s go eat.”

  “Do you mean let’s go pick up food?”

  “No, I mean we are going to a restaurant, parking, and going inside to eat.”

  Nodding at first, I then start to shake my head. “I’m not dressed to go out to eat.”

  “Babe, we’re going to get burgers at Banger’s, not lobster at…” His brows drag together. “Fuck, I don’t know where you can get lobster around here besides the grocery store and Red Lobster. But wherever you can get expensive-ass lobster, we’re not going there.”

  Pressing my lips together to keep from laughing, I nod again. “All right, but at least let me brush my hair and put on jeans.” I head for the mouth of the living room without giving him a chance to stop me.

  When I get to my room, I quickly strip out of my yoga pants that I don’t actually wear to do yoga in. I change into a pair of jeans that are a little snug, but not so snug I won’t be able to eat, then I grab a slouchy sweater from my closet and slip it on while pushing my feet into a pair of flats. Dressed, I go to the bathroom to pull my hair out of my ponytail and run a brush through it. Then, because I’m going out with Tide to a restaurant, I add a couple of swipes of mascara, a little blush, and some gloss before I grab my bag and head downstairs. When I reach the living room, I find him lying on the couch, and I have to admit I could get used to finding him there.

  “Ready,” I call, and when he doesn’t answer, I slip off my shoes and walk toward him, smiling when I hear his soft snore. “Tide?” I lean down to grab his shoulder, and his eyes flutter open. “Hey, you fell asleep.” I start to move back, but he grasps my wrist, startling me, then leans up, bringing our faces closer together. “We don’t have to go to dinner,” I whisper as his eyes roam over my face and hair. “You’re obviously tired. You should just head home and go to bed.”

  “I’m taking you out to eat. I’ll sleep later tonight.” He lets me go as he sits up, and I step back to give him room to stand.

  “Are you sure?” I ask, and he eyes me again, then nods.

  “I’m sure.” He pulls his keys out of his pocket as he walks toward the door, and I slip on my shoes, then follow him out of the house, wondering what the hell is going on the entire drive to town.

  “So I thought you were joking when you said we were going to Banger’s Burgers.” I break the silence as he pulls into a packed parking lot, finding a space on the side of the glowing red building. “But it’s an actual place.”

  “Banger’s is owned by Lucas Brown. I don’t know if you remember him, but his nickname when we played football was Banger.”

  “So this is his place?” I ask, suddenly feeling nervous about the idea of running into my old classmates, even if it’s likely they won’t remember me.

  “Yeah, a few years ago, he and his wife moved back to town and opened this place up. I think they have another Banger’s Burgers opening up in Nashville soon.”

  “That’s impressive.” I unhook my seatbelt when he does, then open my door to get out, only to find him there the moment my feet hit the pavement. When he takes my hand, it’s on the tip of my tongue to ask if he holds his sister’s hand, but I swallow down the snarky question and let him lead me into the restaurant. The moment we step inside, I know why the place is such a hit. The atmosphere feels like a party, upbeat music is playing through the speakers in the ceiling and people are up and about playing at the arcade machines around the room, with laughter filling the air.

  “The back is a little quieter,” Tide tells me as he pulls me behind him through the crowd to a corner table away from the video games. After I slide into the booth, he takes the seat across from me and hands me a pad of paper, which I realize is actually a menu I have to fill out with one of the tiny pencils in a cup on the table.

  “Do you know what you’re having?” I ask as I look over the options to top my burger, including a list of specialty fries and drinks, while he fills out his own.

  “I always get the same thing—double burger, bacon, all the regular toppings except onions, and then a shake. What are you getting?”

  “A cheeseburger, plain, with spicy fries and a Diet Coke.”

  “Did you say a plain cheeseburger?” he asks, and I look up at him.

  “Yes, why?”

  “You have a world of burger magic at your fingertips, and you’re just choosing cheese?”

  “I like plain cheeseburgers, and if this place is as great as you say it is, it should be the best cheeseburger I’ve had in my whole life.”

  “This is true,” he mutters, then pulls out his phone when it beeps. As he looks at the screen, he sighs, making me curious, then grits his teeth as he types a quick message.

>   “Is everything okay?” I ask when he lays his phone face-down on the tabletop.

  “Yep.” He doesn’t say more, and I frown at him as he takes the menu slip I just filled out and stands. “I’m gonna drop off our orders and hit the restroom. I’ll be right back.”

  “Sure,” I agree, turning to watch him over my shoulder as he walks across the room and hands our orders to a cute brunette standing at the counter, who giggles and blushes as he talks to her. Not wanting to be caught watching him, I turn back around and tap my fingers on the top of the table, attempting to talk myself out of feeling jealous, which is exactly how I feel, even though I know it’s ridiculous.

  “Sorry.” A hand lands on my shoulder, and I look up, coming face-to-face with Jake, my mom’s best friend’s son—a guy I dated when I was sixteen, because he was the only guy my parents approved of. A guy who is still, unfortunately, good-looking with his dirty-blond hair, deep-brown eyes, and a jaw so chiseled it looks like it could cut glass. “Aria, shit, I thought that was you.”

  “Jake?” I force a smile.

  “My mom said you were moving back, but I didn’t expect to see you here.” He shakes his head and takes a seat across from me. “How have you been?”

  “Good,” I mutter. “And you?”

  “I’ve been great.” He nods, then continues with a smug smile. “I’m working for my dad now.”

  “Good for you.” I barely stop myself from rolling my eyes. I mean, I know there is nothing wrong with working for your family, but his dad is a lawyer in town, and I know for a fact that Jake was kicked out of college after spending three years partying, and for the last few years, he’s been doing nothing but traveling the world, gallivanting like the trust-fund kid he is.

  “Yeah, it’s been cool. Lots to learn.”

  “I bet,” I say, and he laughs.

  “Babe, scoot over.” At that order, my heart skips a beat, and I glance up to meet Tide’s gaze and bite the inside of my cheek when I see the look in his eyes. I can’t say I know him well, but if I had to guess, I would say he’s annoyed. As I shift over a few inches to give him room, my breath freezes when he puts his arm around my shoulders and asks, “Jake, what’s up, man?”

  I watch Jake’s eyes ping between Tide and me, knowing he’s making a million assumptions, and worse, he is going to tell his mom every single one of them. “Nothing much. I saw Aria sitting here alone and stopped to say hi.”

  “That’s nice.” Tide’s arm seems to tighten around me, and I glance at him out of the corner of my eye, not sure what the hell is going on for the third time today.

  “I should go. I’m sure you two want some time alone.” Jake scoots out of the booth and stands. “It was good seeing you, Aria. I’m sure I’ll see you at your parents’ party.”

  After giving him a noncommittal nod, I watch him disappear, then shove my elbow into Tide’s side, listening to him grunt. “Do you think you could not take your time flirting and leaving me alone for so long the next time we’re out?”

  “Flirting?” I hear the humor in his voice, but I don’t turn to look at him. I can’t, because I never meant to say that. I don’t even know why I said it. “You mean like you were flirting?”

  I swing my head around at that comment and narrow my eyes on his. “I was not flirting with Jake.”

  Grinning, he touches his finger to my nose. “So I guess you don’t like him?”

  “I get that some people have nothing but good memories about their first relationships, but I don’t have that problem.” I lift my hand and start to tick off my fingers. “Jake was the first worst guy I ever dated. The first guy who cheated on me, the first guy to make me feel like I wasn’t pretty, and the first guy to make me feel like I wasn’t good enough. And I mean I know my family is bad, but his is…” I let out a deep breath. “His family is worse.”

  When he starts to laugh, I raise a brow. “Sorry, it’s just I knew him when we were in school and know him now, and not much has changed. He’s still a dick who thinks with his dick.”

  “You’re not wrong about that,” I mumble my agreement, then jump slightly when a small disk sitting in the middle of the table starts to buzz.

  “Our food’s ready,” he says, grabbing the buzzer while scooting out of the booth, and I start to scoot out with him but stop when he shakes his head. “I got it.”

  “I can help.” I slide the rest of the way out, then feel like an idiot when we get to the counter and he picks up the single tray there. Ignoring the smug “I told you so” look he gives me, I make myself useful by grabbing some extra napkins before following him back to the table.

  “So about tomorrow,” he starts while passing me a red plate with my burger sitting on a mound of fries. “Gia and Colton are gonna stop by sometime in the afternoon to help unpack.”

  Pausing with a crisp fry close to my mouth, I blink, sure I heard him wrong. “Pardon?”

  “Colton and Gia are gonna stop by for a couple hours to help unpack.”

  “Oh.” My stomach churns. Like with Tide, I wasn’t friends with Colton, but I do know that he and Tide were close and obviously still are. Which means that if Colton or his wife don’t like me, my friendship with Tide will come to a grinding halt, and that is not something I want to think about. Not when he’s the only person I feel like I have here, no matter how sad that is, since he is only really hanging out with me because I’m paying him.

  “They’re cool.” He reaches across the table and places his hand over mine. “And you’re gonna love Gia. She’s sweet, and I think if you give her a chance, you two could be friends.” His thumb smooths over the top of my wrist, the contact making my belly flip.

  “Okay,” I agree quietly, hoping he’s right.

  “Okay,” he says just as quietly before he lets my hand go. When he picks up his burger to take a bite, I follow suit and sink my teeth into the soft, warm bun, juicy meat, and melted cheese. I can’t say it’s the best cheeseburger I’ve ever had, but I’m pretty sure I’d enjoy just about anything as long as I was sitting across from Tide.

  Chapter 7

  Tide

  “BABE, WHO THE hell packed this shit?” I hold up the box of tampons I just found under a stack of pots and pans and watch Aria’s face turn a pretty shade of pink that quickly travels down her neck.

  “I was in a hurry.” She reaches over to grab the box out of my hand, but I hold it up above my head. “Give it to me,” she orders, resting one hand on her hip while wiggling her fingers.

  “I have a mom, a sister, an ex, and a daughter. Tampons are not something you need to be embarrassed about.” I shake the box, and when I do, the tampons fly and something hard hits me on the top of my head before hitting the floor with a thud.

  “No!” Aria cries, bending down quickly and ignoring the tampons in order to find whatever it is she’s looking for. When the toe of my boot bumps against something, I lean over and pick it up, wondering what the hell it is. It’s about the size of a tube of lipstick, but it’s plastic with a Power button. Curious, I press it, and when I do, it starts to vibrate. “Oh God,” Aria whimpers, and I look down, finding her on her knees, her head tipped back, covering her face with her hands.

  “Is this—”

  “Don’t,” she cuts me off, standing quickly and snatching it out of my hand, then turning it off.

  “Aria,” I start to reassure her that she has nothing to be embarrassed about, but end up grabbing her when she trips over the tampons still littering the floor as she tries to get away. Off balance, I go down with her and land on my back with her against my chest, straddling one of my thighs.

  “Tide,” she breathes, placing her hands against my chest and putting pressure there as she starts to sit up. “Are you okay?”

  “Fine.” I grab hold of her hip to keep her from moving against my dick that is really fucking happy in this new position with her. “Are you okay?’

  “Yes, are you sure you’re all right?” Her eyes search mine as my gaze dro
ps to her mouth that is just inches away. I listen to her breath catch as my cock jumps and expect her to run, but surprising me, she leans forward, placing her mouth against mine. Not wanting to give her a chance to pull away, I do what I’ve wanted to do since the moment she answered her door over a week ago, looking beautiful in her nervousness. I kiss her back, lashing my tongue against her lips, groaning when she moans and opens for me.

  This kiss isn’t like one I’ve experienced before. It’s filled with hunger and longing, and as her tits press tightly against my chest, my hands separate, one sinking into her soft, thick hair, the other traveling to her hip to hold her closer.

  Ripping her mouth from mine, she shakes her head and moans. “This is a bad idea.”

  “It’s not.” I lean up and nip her full bottom lip, then kiss down her jaw, her neck, and my cock throbs when she leans her head back and digs her nails into my shoulders. We both stand, and as soon as we’re on our feet, I pick her up, my mind blank of everything but getting her somewhere I can strip her down.

  “My room,” she pants, wrapping her legs around my hips as her mouth finds my neck, making my knees weak and my cock fight against my zipper. When my boot lands against the first step, the doorbell rings, and I close my eyes, praying Aria didn’t hear it but, knowing she did by the sudden rigidness of her body. “Tide.” Her worry is audible.

  “Do not freak out.” I place her on her feet two steps above me, which brings us eye-to-eye.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. I just—”

  “Stop,” I cut her off, cupping her jaw in both my hands before she can say something that will piss me off. “We’ll talk after Gia and Colton leave.”

  “Talk?” She looks both mystified and horrified.

  “Talk. And no thinking about what just happened until then.” I touch my lips to hers quickly when the bell rings again, then let her face go, only to take her hand and lead her down the steps and around the boxes in the kitchen. When we reach the door, I pull her in front of me before I swing it open, hoping that Colton and Gia will be able to distract her for the next couple hours.