A second later Noah came out of the guestroom. I know because I heard the click of the door, not because I turned around. I refused to turn around.
“It’s a Christmas miracle,” Ellie joked. “Sleeping Beauty awake before ten? I better go get my camera to mark this momentous occasion. C’mon, Georgie and I are going to the store to buy rat poison. Let’s go.”
“Can I go get dressed first?” Noah asked.
“If you must,” my sister answered. Then she said to me, “Go get dressed, kiddo. I don’t have all day. Noah and I both have to work again today since we had to fire one of our employees yesterday. Bummer, huh?”
Tentatively, I glanced back at Noah. His expression was unreadable, so I looked back at Ellie. As much fun as buying rat poison sounded… “I can’t go with you guys. I’m going to go see Sonya about working at her dad’s restaurant this summer.”
That hadn’t been on my agenda for the day—nothing had, actually—but I needed something other than nothing to do. Anything had to be better than spending more time hopelessly thinking about Noah.
“Cool. Cool,” Ellie said and let me pass. “See you later this evening then. Maybe if you’re home early enough we can hit the beach together. Or not. We could always go get ice cream or something instead if you’re more up for that than the ocean.”
“Sure,” I muttered, getting the distinct impression that she was well aware of my aversion to the beach. Either way, it was really nice of her to offer to hang out with me. But I hurried upstairs, because if I lingered any longer I would only give in to my impulses and stare at Noah some more.
* * *
The Fletcher family’s all-you-can-eat crab place, the Blue Pelican, opened at ten thirty for lunch, but if Sonya was working she’d surely be there earlier than that. I wanted to get ready and be there to meet her before her shift started. A good number of the kids in our close circle of friends worked at the Blue Pelican too. Tips were high and since it was a buffet and people served themselves, the work was easy. I’d be stupid not to work there again this summer. Especially since it would be wise to start saving up before my first year of college—not that I was even sure what I was going to do about next year. I’d been accepted to my dream school, but the things I used to think were my dreams had kind of changed in the last four months.
I took a long, hot shower down in the basement after Noah and Ellie left. Then I spent a good hour and a half blow drying my hair and perfecting my makeup. I found one of my old Blue Pelican t-shirts and put that on—it was too tight over my now bigger chest, but it would have to do until they issued me a new one. I’d picked out a new pair of black shorts with Mom yesterday, so I changed into those too, completing my uniform.
It was five after ten when I arrived at the Blue Pelican. They weren’t open yet, but I went in through the back like all the other employees anyway. My stomach was a little uneasy since Logan Tyler (my soon to be ex) worked summers here too. I wasn’t exactly sure what I’d say to him when I saw him again. Maybe I’d tell him off for being such a douchebag of a boyfriend, but probably not.
I found Sonya chatting with one of the cooks. She looked exactly the same as I remembered—straight blond hair framing her delicate, heart-shaped face. Her eyes were a stunning blue color and her body…skinny. I used to think her figure was perfection, but now I wasn’t so sure anymore.
“Hi, Sonya,” I said, getting her attention. I thought it would be hard seeing her again—since she used to date Ben. I thought the sight of her would remind me too much of my brother, but I felt none of that seeing her.
“Gina,” she squealed. Surprise lit up her face, telling me she definitely hadn’t expected me home anytime soon. But she recovered quickly from her surprise and then gave me air kisses on both cheeks, acting all European. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m home now. I came to see you and to see if I could get my old job back.”
Her blue eyes flitted over my body. “You look…different. What were they feeding you at that psycho place anyway?”
Psycho place? “Food,” I answered.
“Well, at least your boobs are bigger,” she added.
I smiled, mock feeling my chest for a quick moment. “I know. It’s awesome!”
Sonya forced a small, resemblance of a laugh.
“Is Mr. Fletcher in today?” I asked, feeling uncomfortable all of sudden. This wasn’t going as easy as I’d imagined. “I’d love to talk to him and see if he’ll give me my old job back for the summer.”
My friend stuck her hip out and leaned against the counter. Her eyes flickered to the cook for a moment, a guy I didn’t know, and then they settled on me once more. “That’s the thing,” she said. “We’ve already hired all our summer help. You’re out of luck.”
“What?” I was dumbfounded. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
My stomach churned. She was giving me the fucking brush off! And to make this moment worse, her eyes then glanced down at my arms. I’d worn a short sleeve shirt today, momentarily forgetting that the scars on my arms from my botched suicide attempt were still very noticeable. And she’d noticed them. Not only that, she’d made a point of noticing them in front of her cook friend and anyone else who was watching us right now.
I had to get out of there!
Mumbling a quick goodbye, I fled the restaurant as quick as possible. We’d been friends since kindergarten. How could she suddenly treat me like I meant so little to her? I rushed to my car. Tears threatened to pour out, but just like the other night, they never came. Come to think of it, I was not sure if I’d cried since Ben’s funeral.
Getting in my car, I cranked the air conditioning and the music. Several minutes, maybe even a full hour passed. I was lost in a bunch of negative thoughts, counting each breath I took, waiting for this moment of pain to pass. All I really wanted to do was to call Patty, my roommate from The Cove. But cell phones weren’t allowed, and I couldn’t remember the landline number to our room. And then it occurred to me—I didn’t need Sonya.
I didn’t need my old life either.
High school was freaking over. Logan and I were freaking over. And I had a pretty good feeling that Sonya and I were pretty much dead too. Just like Logan, she hadn’t bothered calling or visiting me even once over the past four months. I’d almost died! A true friend would have been there for me.
Maybe I didn’t have my bestie since kindergarten anymore, but I did have someone else. Ellie. Patty had been my ‘ally’ at The Cove—my support system and my rock. My family had frequently visited and called, but they were too far away to be that constant I needed while I was there. I’d leaned on Patty when I’d needed her. I knew she was still only a phone call away, but in this moment, I needed someone closer. I needed Ellie. And Ellie had mentioned that her mini golf place recently fired one of their employees. Maybe I could apply for a job there this summer. That sounded like a better idea than the Blue Pelican anyway.
Putting my car in drive, I headed for The Presidential Swing.
CHAPTER 7
NOAH
Perfect. And now I was imagining things. I was sitting in the back office, putting the finishing touches on next week’s schedule, when I swear to Christ I heard Georgie’s voice. But it wasn’t her voice because she wasn’t here. It was merely Jill helping some customers and me losing my fucking mind.
Reaching for my bottle of water, I took a giant swig and blinked my eyes at the computer screen. I needed to focus and get my work done. It was past lunchtime, and I was starving. Only problem was the words on the computer screen kept blurring, as did my thoughts—it had been over two hours since I started what normally took me less than a half hour to finish.
Shit. The issue was…I was breaking all my damn rules. Rule Number One: No cuddling. Teddy bears were for cuddling (and dogs, apparently) and that was one big fat rule I’d thrown out the window last night. I wasn’t keen on relationships—they were just messy. And if or when I was ever with a woma
n, I sure as hell never cuddled. And yet, breaking my rules, I’d made an exception for Georgie.
Or maybe I’d made an exception for me.
I was having trouble deciding which.
All I knew was: fuck snuggling with a damn dog. That sounded plain miserable and I still wasn’t sure why Georgie had suggested it. If the way she’d rubbed against me and held onto me was any indication of her feelings—our enjoyment of last night had been mutual.
Seriously, fuck the damn dog.
“Noah?”
Someone called my name and I jumped a little in my seat. My arm bumped my water bottle off the desk, sending it straight into my lap. Liquid soaked the front of my pants. Son of a bitch. Now it looked like I pissed myself.
“Oh my, God! Noah, I’m so sorry,” Jill gasped from the doorway. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s fine,” I told her, patting my shorts with some computer paper. Yep, it still looked like I pissed myself. “Did you need something?”
“Yeah. There’s a girl here who wants to apply for a job. I need an application to give her.”
I stood up from my chair. Maybe I hadn’t imagined Georgie’s voice after all. I left the office and Jill, walking toward the front of the building. I found myself simultaneously relieved and apprehensive, while also pissed off and slightly turned on, when I spotted a stunning brunette standing with her arms crossed over her chest. Her blue eyes met mine.
Jesus, I had to catch my breath.
It was her hair. Georgie had this long, dark brown hair—straight, silky, and begging to be touched. It had been wet the first night she’d slept in my bed and in a ponytail last night, but it was down now. I’d always been partial to blondes, but I chucked that preference out the damn window, just as fast as I’d chucked out my no cuddling rule.
Or maybe it wasn’t her hair. Maybe the thing about her that had me so strongly wound up was her tight little body. She currently wore a faded, worn-out t-shirt that fit snugly over her tits. I’d been thinking she’d gained a few pounds the other day and that previously she’d been too skinny. But maybe she’d always been this fucking adorable, and I’d just been the jackass who never bothered to notice.
Well, she had my full attention now. That was for damn certain.
My eyes moved back up her body and met hers once more. I’d been openly staring at her tits and instead of calling me on it or acting embarrassed, she simply smiled. “Hi Noah,” she said, huffing out a little breath of air. She seemed almost relieved to see me.
My thoughts (and my open gawking) were interrupted by the sound of the bell on the front door chiming—followed immediately by Ellie’s laughter. “Noah Clark, did you pee yourself?” She hung on the glass door, our lunch from Subway in her hand, giggling her ass off. “I swear, you’re turning into the biggest klutz lately. Seriously, I need to buy a camera.”
I glanced down at my pants. They were still soaked. I stepped behind the counter where the cash register was, because in all honesty, my dick was semi-hard. I’d reacted so easily to the mere sight of a clothed Georgina that I was sporting not only wet pants but an erection, too, both of which did not need to be Ellie’s entertainment for the day. Good thing my friend was the perfect buzz-kill.
“If you buy a camera just to take embarrassing pictures of me, I will break it,” I deadpanned to her.
Ellie frowned, plopping our bag of lunch down on the counter. “Relax,” she told me. “It was a joke.” Then she turned to face Georgie. “What’s up, kiddo? How did seeing Sonya go?”
“Not as I expected,” Georgie muttered, crossing her arms a little tighter over her chest. “I came to apply for a job here instead. Do you have an application I could fill out?”
“You don’t have to fill out an application,” Ellie answered. “You’re my sister; you’re automatically hired.”
What?
“Thanks,” Georgie said. “You have no idea—”
“Wait.” Part of my brain was yelling at me to shut the hell up, which was usually what I was good at. The other part was yelling at me to do something about this. Georgie spending the entire summer working for me—that sounded like a horrible fucking idea. I was already moving into very dangerous territory with her. I needed to slow the hell down. “Maybe Georgie should have to fill out an application like everyone else,” I suggested to Ellie. “Seems unfair otherwise.”
If looks could kill then I’d be a dead man, because Ellie was gouging out my brain with her eyeballs. But still, being the complete asshole that I was, I reached into the cabinet below the counter where I knew the applications were and pulled one out. I handed the paper to Georgie. “You’ll have to fill this out just like everyone else. Oh, and we check out references so please make sure you list updated phone numbers.”
She nodded and took the paper from me.
Then I opened the Subway bag and grabbed (hopefully) what was my turkey sandwich. “I’m going to head over to the house and check on the rat traps,” I told Ellie, moving away from the counter and toward the door. “If you decide to hire Georgie, then you can be in charge of her training and whatnot.”
And with those closing words, for the first time in my life, I cut out of work early.
When I arrived home, I found that the rat traps were empty. Go figure. Ellie and I had gone to the store and bought eight of them this morning in hopes of catching my fictional rat. All eight traps were set up with different kinds of food as bait—peanut butter, cheese, raisins—in various locations around the house. At this rate, I was probably going to have to go to a pet store and buy a damn rat to release in our house. That seemed cruel though, and I hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
I didn’t feel bad about lying about a rodent. Ellie would probably only tease me if she knew the truth. I did, however, feel like the scum of the earth for way I’d treated Georgie this morning. With more time to think, I wondered now what had happened with her friend Sonya. Why hadn’t her morning gone as ‘expected?’ I’d been so busy worrying about myself when I should have thought of her.
So when nine at night rolled around, and I’d cleaned our house twice—excluding Ellie and Rhett’s rooms—I decided fuck it and headed straight over to the Turner’s house. I came in through the lower level (Mrs. Turner had given me a key a few years back) and met a silent downstairs. I heard the faint sounds of people upstairs, but decided I wasn’t in the mood for conversation with anyone but Georgie.
Scribbling a quick note to Ellie, apologizing and letting her know I’d be crashing here again, I popped into my friend’s bedroom and left the note on her desk. I brushed my teeth in the downstairs bathroom, then crawled into the waterbed, hoping Georgie would come to sleep in this bed again.
And if she didn’t come sleep down here…then I was going to go upstairs and get her myself. Last night had been unexpected and not something I was used to, but it had also been special, and I wasn’t ashamed to admit that.
* * *
I’d dozed off—for how long, I couldn’t be certain. But I opened my eyes to a pitch-black room.
No Georgie.
I rolled over, grabbing my phone off the nightstand. The time read just after two in the morning. Hell, I guess I was going to have to make good on my threat and bring her downstairs myself. Crawling out of the warm covers, I left the guest bedroom behind. And I was just about to head upstairs when I noticed someone asleep on the tiny couch. Even in the darkness I could tell that someone was Georgie. She was curled up in a little ball with no blankets.
Fuck, I was such an asshole.
I walked across the room and had the girl cradled in my arms a second later. She woke up, mumbling something against my chest.
“It’s only me,” I whispered, using my backside to push open the guest bedroom door and bring her into the room with me.
I gently placed her down in the middle of the water bed and climbed in beside her. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I then pulled that sexy little body of hers against my chest.
Screw boundaries. Screw the moral compass inside me that kept screaming at me that this was wrong. Screw my no cuddling rule. I wanted her close to me. I wanted to breathe in the sweet scent of her all-night long. And I wanted her pretty blue eyes to be the first thing I saw when I opened mine tomorrow morning.
She didn’t protest or push me away but instead nuzzled closer against me.
My fingers tingled with the need to trace up and down the curves of her body, but I fought off the feeling. Closing my eyes tight, I tried to fall back to sleep. No such luck. I was hyperaware of the girl in my arms. She seemed to be having a similar problem and kept shifting against me.
My cock twitched and strained against my pajama pants. If she was going to keep rubbing against me like this, then pretty soon I was going to act on the impulses that were begging to take control of my body.
“Georgie, sweetheart, you’ve got to stop moving,” I whispered.
Just as I said the words, her leg accidentally brushed against my length. I was so hard I could pound nails. And now she understood why I needed her to stop moving. She sucked in a sharp breath and moved out of my embrace.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
“I’m not. But I certainly don’t want more than cuddling to happen tonight.”
“Maybe I should just stay on this side of the bed then…since you don’t want me like that.”
Did I hear a trace of anger in her voice?
I laughed, surprised. I guess this proved it. I hadn’t been mistaken that first morning. Georgie Turner did want me—exactly the same way I wanted her. I caught her waist and pulled back to where she belonged. My erection pushed against her hip and I let it. She needed to know how I felt. “Of course I want you like that. But I’m trying to be a gentleman.”
“Maybe I don’t want you to be a gentleman,” she whispered, so low I almost missed it.
I kissed her shoulder—because it was the closest part of her body to my face and because I wouldn’t dare kiss her mouth. Too many lines had already blurred between us.
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