“There’s Ade,” Ye-Jun said. “Whatever he said got you rushin’ out the house. Tonight’s movie night.”
“You have a game on,” Ingrid reminded him. Truthfully, she’d forgotten all about movie night, too busy keying herself up for her Big Ask.
“Only until y’all finished cleaning the kitchen,” Ye-Jun returned. Then he sniffed. “I was getting my ass kicked anyway.”
An incredibly sunny grin shone on B. B.’s face, making her smile as well. “You know he sucks at the game.”
“I kick your ass in racquetball!” Ye-Jun reminded him.
“Oooh,” B. B. said, rolling his eyes. “Racquetball.”
“Don’t hate ’cause you got no game,” Ye-Jun said with a huff. “Gotta be quick on your feet!”
“The wall always wins anyway,” B. B. said conspiratorially, and Ingrid laughed despite herself. His smile widened at his success and he squeezed her shoulders. “C’mon, we can’t have you leaving in a huff. What’s wrong? You got three big men who’ll be there to fix it.”
She looked down, feeling tears sting her eyes. B. B. really was sweet, and he was right. She hadn’t realized Ade’s invitation to trivia night in a downtown pub would lead to three of the dearest relationships she’d ever had. Bonding over esoteric facts had led to weekly dinners downtown and even tighter friendships. Once, before they’d become housemates, she’d mentioned off the cuff she had a leaky toilet and a screened-in back porch whose door wouldn’t close all the way. All three had come with tools to fix them and other problem areas. She’d paid them back in much pizza, beer, and her grandmother’s Seven-UP cake she brought specially to the next trivia night. When their leases were up at their respective apartments, Ingrid had thought nothing of offering her place for their next digs. They thought she was doing them a favor by offering, but they were really doing her and her family one. The rent was well below market because the house was paid for thanks to Ingrid’s grandparents; but when the three decided to move on, there would be enough in the coffers for a major renovation.
Ingrid didn’t want to think about them leaving. In fact, she was the one trying to flee.
“Ingrid?”
“It’s really fine,” she insisted. “Nothing is wrong. And I’ll be back, Ye. I want to get out of these work clothes.”
“You can’t do that here?” Ye-Jun asked, smirking a little.
She looked at him flatly. “I’ve endured one indignity for the night; I don’t need to add a second!”
Now it was B. B.’s turn to glare at Ade. “What the fuck did you say?”
Ade shook his head, pulling level with B. B. “Nothing. Certainly not no.”
She blinked at him, her heart swelling and dropping to her stomach. He was right: he hadn’t said no. However, she felt his possible yes would come with all sorts of strings that would tangle her for eternity.
“And I said forget about it,” Ingrid hissed.
“No, you said, ‘Ignore me,’” Ade corrected, crossing toned arms across his equally toned chest. “And I can’t do that. Never have been able to—not since the first moment I saw you.”
If B. B. hadn’t been gripping her shoulders to keep her still, Ingrid was sure she would’ve swayed before falling to the floor. The look in Ade’s eyes was hot, much more intense from the banked warmth that was usually there when she looked at him. Before, she’d chalked it up to perpetual amusement; she’d always been able to make him laugh. He wasn’t smiling now. And while there was no humor in the situation, she was feeling really funny.
She had to get out of here.
“Ade—”
“She asked me to be her Valentine,” Ade told the other two, his eyes never leaving her. “Only for the night. No expectations beyond it.”
“The hell?” Ye-Jun asked, first looking at Ade, then at Ingrid. “Seriously?”
Why was he upset? “What’s so wrong with that?”
“You mean the fact you think one night with you is enough, or the fact you didn’t ask me first?”
Ingrid’s jaw dropped. It couldn’t be helped. “Ye!”
“I told you she liked Ade the most,” B. B. said, his tone disappointed even as he squeezed her shoulders gently. “We never had a shot, man.”
Her brain refused to process the words because they made no sense. Ingrid stepped out of B. B.’s hold, shaking a finger at all three of them. “See? No. Y’all not—no.” She didn’t bother saying goodnight, leaving out the front door and slamming it behind her in her fluster. She barely made it down the steps when she heard the door open behind her. Ingrid didn’t turn around to see who it was, but her body began to tremble when she heard footfalls on the stairs. They weren’t heavy enough to be B. B.’s and they weren’t rhythmic enough to be Ye-Jun’s.
“Leave me alone, Ade,” she warned.
Instead of listening to her, Ade rushed by her and stopped right in her path. They glared at one another. The light from behind her cast two shadows, indicating the others stood in the doorway watching them. The light also caught in Ade’s lenses, making them flash.
Ingrid sighed. It was too cold to be out here like this. Her carriage house was a few yards away, full of heat and solitude so she could reflect and get her mind right. How could a simple request blow up in her face so spectacularly? She couldn’t even give credence to what Ade, B. B., and Ye-Jun were implying, not if she wanted to keep her sanity.
She had work in the morning, after all.
“Of course you’d be braver than all three of us,” Ade began, a smile turning up a corner of his mouth. Ingrid rolled her eyes, but she felt an answering tug at the corner of hers.
“Shoot your shot, y’know?” Ingrid said with yet another shrug. At least her shoulders were getting a workout as she tried to get her bearings during the bizarre turn of the evening.
“And now you’re freaking out because you hit three bullseyes?”
Ingrid winced and wrapped her arms around herself. When he put it that way…
“I wasn’t going for three,” she mumbled.
“You weren’t going for any,” he challenged, raising an eyebrow. “You were expected to be let down gently.”
Maybe, or at least be given a yes she could handle, the type of yes that was safe and kept them as friends where she continued to nurse her one-sided attraction but with longer hugs and sweeter kisses on the cheeks and foreheads. Maybe even a nice cuddle on the couch. Not this…this heat in their eyes, or the disappointments in their voices that what she offered still wasn’t enough. And here she thought she’d be overplaying her hand.
Ingrid remained perfectly still as Ade approached, but instead of grasping her shoulder like B. B., he cradled her jaw in his wide hands. She sucked in a sharp breath at the contact. It was the first time he touched her with romantic intentions instead of platonic, and it made her shiver.
Was it still cold outside? Ingrid couldn’t tell.
“As much as I want to say yes,” Ade said, his eyes roaming her face. “I have to say no. Not under the terms as presented.”
She jerked. There was the rejection she’d anticipated, though it wasn’t nearly as gentle. The one thing she liked about Ade—his frankness—was biting her hard in the ass right now. “I understand. Rain check on movie night, yeah?”
“Yes to the rain check, but you don’t understand,” he said, smiling softly. “You will, though.” He drifted a thumb along the swell of her cheek. “We’ve got two weeks, remember?”
She pulled her face out of his hold. “Two weeks for what? You gave me your answer!”
“You and your selective hearing,” Ade said, frustration sharpening his smile. He looked above her and shook his head. “She’s still not getting it, fellas.”
“Two weeks!” Ye-Jun yelled.
“I’ll get the laptop,” B. B. announced, and more light streamed out into the front yard thanks to his big body leaving the door. Still not looking behind her, Ingrid attempted to walk around Ade, but he stepped into her path again.
Their bodies met. His hands held her arms so she wouldn’t go bouncing to the ground. He then drew her closer, his lip grazing her ear.
“Sometimes you have to say no to get the yes you really want, Ingrid. Remember that.” He kissed her cheek, something he’d done before, but this was the first time her entire body liquified because of it.
“Sweet dreams.”
Somehow, she made it into the carriage house without falling on her ass. As soon as she entered, she turned on the A/C and the ceiling fans on high.
It took her hours to cool down.
Get Be Mine: https://geni.us/sjfbooks_bemine
Also by Savannah J. Frierson
AJ’S SERENDIPITY
He isn’t in the market for the love of his life, yet that’s exactly who he finds.
BE MINE
For once in her life, she wants to experience a romantic Valentine’s Day. Her three roommates are willing to make that happen.
BEING PLUMVILLE
They’re not supposed to be friends, let alone lovers, but how can their relationship rekindle and bloom without succumbing to Plumville’s status quo?
GO WITH YOUR HEART
Before, he was the Confederate soldier who helped her escape slavery. Now, he’s the Choctaw emissary who has her heart.
MANNA TREE
Brought together by mutual sadness, they forge a friendship where the possibility of love and loss looms on the horizon.
RECONSTRUCTING JADA CHANNING
An Ames woman in love is a precarious place to be, but her heart remains his . . . even three years later.
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New Blessings: A Reconstructing Jada Channing Short
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About Savannah J. Frierson
Savannah J. Frierson is a USA TODAY best-selling and award-winning author who crafts full, happily-ever-afters for the independent women who are late-blooms in love. Savannah taps into women’s softness to show this vulnerability as a strength to be embraced and celebrated, enabling her characters to find empowerment through love.
Grounded for Christmas
Copyright © 2019 by Savannah J. Frierson
Editing by Katherine Jones
Cover Art by Savannah Frierson
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
ISBN-13: 978-1-945568-21-3 (ePub)
Website: www.sjfbooks.com
Newsletter: https://geni.us/sjfbooksnews
Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Epilogue
BE MINE: Chapter 1
Also by Savannah J. Frierson
About Savannah J. Frierson
Grounded for Christmas Page 6
