All Wound Up

by Jaci Burton

  His fingers hovered on the keypad. The text felt unfinished, like there was something else he wanted to add to the message.

  A moment later he sent the text and shoved his phone in his pocket.

  Quit overthinking everything, dumbass.

  He’d been thinking a lot about her invitation to her parents’ house for dinner, about what that meant.

  A guy typically didn’t get invited to a girl’s parents unless she was invested in the relationship. They’d never talked about their relationship. It had just . . .

  Progressed, he supposed.

  Hell if he knew. He hadn’t really had many relationships, and never one that had progressed to a meet-the-parents point. And this one? Yeah, this one had the potential to be a disaster, since he already knew her parents, especially her dad.

  Somehow he didn’t think her father was going to be too damn happy that she was dating him. Or that he was dating her.

  He popped some bruschetta in his mouth and pondered it some more.

  “Planning world domination over here, Cassidy?”

  He turned to look at Trevor Shay. “More like personal shit.”

  “Oh.”

  “Aubry invited me to have dinner with her parents.”

  Trevor arched a brow. “Like in Clyde Ross?”

  “Yeah.”

  Trevor leaned against the windowsill. “That could get complicated. He doesn’t know about the two of you yet, does he?”

  “No. I mean, for a while, we were light and uncomplicated, not even really dating, I guess. And now . . .”

  “And now, what? It’s more than that?”

  “I guess. I don’t know.” Tucker looked out the window and sipped his tea, still wishing like hell he had a whiskey or a shot of tequila. This was way too much deep thinking for iced tea.

  “So if you’re not into her, don’t go to dinner with her parents. Seems a simple enough solution.”

  If only it were that easy. “Yeah, I’m into her. That’s the problem.”

  Trevor laughed. “That’s always the problem. The ones we’re not into are the easy ones. The ones we fall in love with? That’s where it gets complicated.”

  Tucker looked at him. “I didn’t say I was in love with her.”

  Trevor patted his shoulder. “You didn’t have to. If you weren’t in love with her, you’d have said no.”

  Shit. Trevor was right. He hadn’t even realized it. He’d never potentially jeopardize his job unless he had true, serious feelings for Aubry. He looked over at Trevor. “Well, hell.”

  Trevor laughed. “Good luck, Cassidy. You’re gonna need it.”

  AUBRY SHOULDN’T BE NERVOUS ABOUT HAVING Tucker at her parents’ house for dinner. It was just dinner. And her parents had both met Tucker before, of course. So it wasn’t like they were going to grill him about what he did for a living or anything. They knew him.

  But still, she knew her father and his stance on her dating . . . anyone. This was going to be a hard sell. She hoped he would go easy on Tucker because he was part of the Rivers team, he was responsible and a really nice guy.

  She had planned to prepare her dad in advance by telling him about Tucker, but he’d been stuck in meetings all day and her mom told her he wouldn’t be home until late. If she’d known that, she’d have told him about Tucker sooner. As it was, it was possible both her father and Tucker might arrive at the same time.

  She was just going to have to hope it all went as she expected it should—no big deal.

  To keep her mind occupied, she busied herself in the kitchen with her mom, who was making one of Aubry’s favorite dishes—lasagna. Aubry made the salad while her mom baked bread. The smells emanating in the kitchen were to die for. Her stomach was growling.

  “You’re awfully quiet, Aubry,” her mother said. “Did you have a bad day at work?”

  Aubry took a sip from the glass of wine she’d poured earlier, trying to calm her nerves. “Work was fine today.”

  “Then it’s something else. What is it? Are you nervous about your father meeting Tucker?”

  She sat at the island. “Yes. You know how Dad is about me and relationships.”

  Her mom looked at the oven timer, then poured herself a glass of wine. “It’s all going to be fine. He’s not the ogre you think he is.”

  “I know he isn’t. It’s just—I don’t know what it is, honestly.”

  Her mother graced her with one of her calming smiles. “You haven’t brought a man over here before. Not since high school.”

  “I know. I guess this is kind of a big deal to me.”

  “Which means that Tucker is a big deal to you?”

  Leave it to her mom to get to the root of her angst. “Yes, he is.”

  Her mother’s lips tipped up. “This makes me very happy.”

  “Don’t get too excited or start planning a wedding yet, Mom. We’re just dating. It’s not serious.”

  Except it kind of was. Otherwise, Tucker wouldn’t be coming over here.

  “Which is more than you’ve done with any man for quite some time, honey. It’s been school and work and nothing else. I’m just happy to see you happy and enjoying yourself.”

  Aubry couldn’t help her own smile. “Thanks. I’m kind of happy as well. Now we just have to hope Dad feels the same way.”

  The doorbell rang, which meant it was Tucker and not her father.

  “I’ll get that.” Aubry went to the door and opened it, her heart skipping a beat when she saw Tucker dressed in black jeans and white button-down shirt. He looked so handsome he took her breath away.

  “You look amazing,” she said. “Come on in.”

  He had a bottle in his hand, but he looked around, then swept his arm around her. “And you are gorgeous.”

  He brushed his lips across hers for an all-too-brief kiss. “Just in case we don’t have a chance to do that. I’ve missed you.”

  And there went her skipping heart again. She inhaled, then took his hand in hers. “Come on into the kitchen.”

  Her mom was just pulling the bread from the oven.

  “Wow. It smells good in here,” Tucker said. “Can I move in?”

  Her mother turned around and smiled. “It depends. Do you mow?”

  Tucker grinned. “I can mow, milk cows and even take out the trash.”

  “Well, we don’t have cows, but the other two mean you’re in. Hello, Tucker.”

  “Evening, Mrs. Ross. Thank you for having me over.”

  “Please. Call me Helen. Clyde is running a little late. What can I get you to drink?”

  “I’ll have a beer.”

  “We have several different kinds. What would you prefer?”

  Aubry was impressed with Tucker’s ability to sit at the island and relax with her mother. Before long, the two of them were talking about beer of all things, since both of them were fond of dark brews. Her mother told them about the trip she and Dad had taken to Germany a couple of years ago, and all the types of beers they’d tasted there.

  “I’ve never been to Germany, but it’s on the top of my list now,” Tucker said.

  Mom gave him a list of beer pubs to stop at in Berlin. Aubry listened with interest, since it was somewhere she’d love to go someday as well.

  She heard the front door open, and her anxiety level increased.

  “Sorry I’m late,” her dad said as he came into the room. “Meeting lasted longer than I expected.”

  He kissed her mom, then turned to Aubry and smiled. “Hi, sweetheart.”

  “Hi, Dad. I believe you know Tucker Cassidy.”

  If her father was disappointed or angry, he didn’t show it. He gave Tucker a big smile and a handshake.

  “Hey, Tucker. It’s great to see you.”

  Tucker had stood when her father came into the room, and, if possible, looked more nervous than she was. “Evening, Mr. Ross.”

  “I’ve been telling Tucker about our trip to Germany two years ago,” her mom said. “He’s a big fan of beer and h
e wants to take a trip there, so I told him about the best places to visit.”

  “Is that right?” Her dad looked over at Tucker’s glass. “Looks like she gave you a dark ale. I think I’ll have one of those myself.”

  Her mother poured a beer for him. “Dinner will be ready shortly, but in the meantime, let’s move into the living room so we can chat.”

  TUCKER WAS USUALLY AT EASE WITH PEOPLE, BUT damn if this wasn’t an anxiety-producing evening. He knew spending time with her parents was important to Aubry, and getting approval from her dad was even more important.

  At first glance, it didn’t look like her dad was too upset. That was a good sign.

  “The road trip ended up decently,” Clyde said. “I was happy to see the Rivers won three out of six against two very tough teams. Especially having to pick up a doubleheader due to the rainout. That’s always tough on the road.”

  “Yes, sir. We had some issues but we’re addressing them.”

  Clyde leaned back in his chair. “Yeah? What kinds of issues?”

  This was a conversation Tucker knew Clyde should be having with the coaches, not him, so he was treading very treacherous waters. “Pitching was a little off and bats got cold when they should have been hot. But we have a stretch of home games coming up, and I expect we’ll do really well.”

  Clyde took a sip of his beer. “That’s good to hear.”

  It was nothing he wouldn’t say to the media, so he figured his ass was safe there.

  “And what did your coaches say about some of the issues?”

  “Clyde. You’re grilling the poor boy,” Helen said. “Less shop talk at home, okay?”

  Clyde instantly relaxed his demeanor and smiled. “You’re right. Baseball’s in my blood, so you’ll have to forgive me for getting so intense about it. I love that team and want what’s best for them.”

  “I understand,” Tucker said. “I love the team, too. I’d like us to win every game.”

  “And that’s the kind of competitive spirit I like all our players to have.”

  “And on that note,” Helen said, “I’m going to go check on the lasagna, which I’m sure is done.”

  Aubry stood as well. “I’ll help you.”

  “Clyde, Tucker, why don’t you two make your way to the dining room?”

  Tucker lifted the bottle he’d brought. “Uh, I brought wine in case anyone is interested. I’m sure it’s not as good as the awesome stuff you have in the wine cellar.”

  Clyde frowned. “How do you know about the wine cellar?”

  Shit. Tucker realized as soon as the words left his mouth that he’d made a critical mistake. He shot a quick glance over to Aubry.

  “I took him down there that night of the team party,” Aubry said. “I’d run into him when we were restocking the chardonnay and I needed an extra set of hands, so he followed me down and helped me carry the bottles upstairs.”

  “Oh,” Helen said. “Well, thank you for bringing a bottle, Tucker. We’ll open it and have it with dinner.”

  Clyde didn’t say anything, but didn’t seem suspicious, either, which to Tucker’s way of thinking was a very good thing.

  Thank God for Aubry’s quick thinking. He needed to remember to engage his brain before he opened his mouth.

  He followed Aubry’s father to the dining room, certain he was going to get grilled about his intentions toward his daughter. But by the time they took their seats, Aubry had come in with the salad and bread, and Helen followed shortly thereafter with the lasagna, leaving them no time alone.

  Tucker had to admit he wasn’t sorry for that. The man intimidated the hell out of him, not because he was Aubry’s father—though there was that—but mainly because he was the boss.

  Fortunately, conversation at dinner was fairly innocuous. They discussed Clyde and Helen’s travels, Clyde’s upcoming business deals, which had nothing to do with baseball, and Aubry’s work. Tucker was glad to be kept out of the equation. He finally relaxed enough to enjoy the amazing dinner Helen had fixed.

  “So how long have the two of you been dating?” Helen asked after she brought out dessert, a spectacular looking cheesecake.

  Damn. And things had been going so well. Tucker looked over at Aubry.

  “Almost two months,” she said.

  “What? And I knew nothing about it. You are very good at keeping secrets, Aubry,” Helen said.

  “How are you juggling dating with your work?” Clyde asked.

  “Just fine, Dad.”

  “But you’re so busy. You work a tremendous amount of hours. I just don’t see how you manage to have a social life with everything else you have going on.”

  Tucker so wanted to say something, but this wasn’t his argument to have.

  “Well, as you know, Tucker is busy as well. He’s on the road a lot, and when he’s in town he has games, too.” Aubry looked over at Tucker and smiled. “But we carve out time to see each other.”

  Tucker figured Aubry could handle her father.

  “And you two have obviously made it work, since it’s been two months and you’ve brought Tucker over for dinner. So is this serious?”

  Aubry shot her mother a look. “Mom.”

  “I’m sorry. But you know I get anxious about these things.”

  “I’d say for both of us, considering the stage of our careers, it’s serious.”

  Aubry looked over at Tucker, probably as surprised at what he’d said as he was.

  Helen beamed. “That’s great to hear. Isn’t that great, Clyde?”

  Clyde nodded, his smile not as pronounced. “Yes. I’m very happy that you’ve managed to make this work, given both of your hectic schedules.”

  But Aubry seemed ecstatic. She got up and hugged both her parents. “Thanks, you two.”

  After they ate cheesecake, Tucker helped Aubry take the dishes to the kitchen. They loaded the dishwasher while Helen put the leftovers away.

  Aubry laid her hand over her stomach. “I am so full. I could use a walk. Are you interested, Tucker?”

  “Sure.”

  “Why don’t you walk him around the grounds?” her mother suggested. “It’ll help your digestion.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Aubry said. “It’s perfect weather tonight. We’ll be back in a little while.”

  “All right.”

  Tucker followed her out the back door. He grabbed her hand as they strolled through the gardens.

  “Thanks for having my back earlier when I screwed up.”

  She looked over at him. “Oh, you mean about the wine cellar?”

  “Yeah.”

  She laughed. “Not a problem. I could see the panic on your face when you blurted that out.”

  “Not my finest moment. I’m glad you can think fast.”

  “It comes from being grilled by attending physicians. You have to always have an answer on the tip of your tongue.”

  He squeezed her hand. “And you did tonight. Thankfully.”

  She looked beautiful tonight in a blue sundress that highlighted her blond hair and gorgeous eyes. Of course, he thought anything she wore made her look beautiful, but tonight, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. Or her legs as they strolled past the pool house he’d checked out for her the night of the party.

  “Did you ever find your uncle that night?”

  She frowned. “My . . . oh, right. Yes. He was upstairs in one of the guest rooms. He’d had a lot to drink and had wandered up there to lie down and had fallen asleep.”

  “Alone, I assume?”

  “Yes, fortunately.”

  “I’m sure that made your aunt happy.”

  She nodded. “Very. At least that night, anyway.”

  He put his arm around her. “I’m sorry you have a straying uncle.”

  “Not much I can do about their relationship if my aunt’s the one who insists on staying with him. If it were me, I’d have kicked him to the curb a long time ago.”

  He stopped and pulled her against him. “You can
rest assured there hasn’t been anyone but you for me ever since I met you.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “Really?”

  “Well, yeah. Like you told your dad inside, we both have really heavy schedules. It’s not like I have a lot of time to date a bunch of women.”

  Her lips curved. “I see. So it’s not that you were all that interested in me. It’s just that you’re too busy to date more than one woman.”

  Shit. “That’s not what I meant, Aubry. Let me rephrase. I was so blinded by your intelligence and your beauty that no other woman could compare.”

  “Much better.”

  They started walking again.

  “Plus, you have a great ass.”

  She laughed. “You always say the sweetest things.”

  They wandered around the gardens for a few minutes, until Aubry started back to the house. He assumed she was taking him back inside, but she surprised him by going toward a set of stairs that led down.

  “Is this where the millions are hidden?” he asked.

  She laughed. “Actually, kind of.”

  She pulled a set of keys out of the pocket of her dress and unlocked the heavy wood door, then gave it a hard push.

  “No one really uses this entrance since you can get in here through the back stairs from the kitchen. But I used to sneak in this way, because I know where the keys are hidden.” With a secret smile, she led him through a chilly, dark passageway.

  That led right into the wine cellar. As soon as they made their way into the room where he’d been that first night he met Aubry, his balls quivered. He could still visualize Laura’s knee-to-the-balls reaction to his refusal to move in together.

  “This room pains me.”

  She laughed and cupped his crotch. “Well, that’s not a good thing. We need to replace your awful memories of the wine cellar with something a little more . . . pleasant.”

  His cock sprung to life, hardening as she rubbed back and forth. “You’ve got my attention now.”

  “Good attention, I hope.”

  “Definitely the good kind.”

  She unzipped his pants and pulled his cock out. “I promise to be gentle. No harm will come to your cock down here.”

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

  She paused, her brows lifting. “My hand on your cock is not a good idea?”