I don’t know if Rocky will ever get over the Drake debacle. It’s one of the reasons I moved to Vegas and got a job on base, because it put Rocky’s mind at ease. Being from Florida, it just about killed him that he wasn’t able to help me through my breakup, that he wasn’t able to take care of Drake himself. Because if he’d had the chance, he would have.
I close the grill and turn toward Rocky, placing my hand on his forearm. “It’s over, I’ve moved on, and it’s time you move on too. I have a new job, a new place to live, and a guy who cares for me and would never hurt me.”
“He better not.”
“He won’t. I know he won’t.”
Chapter Eighty
COLBY
Fucking gross beer. I knew I should have brought some of my own. Balboa is all about chick IPAs that I can’t stand the taste of, usually some fruit concoction infused in them. Sighing, I take a bottle out of the cooler and read the label.
Grapefruit.
Christ.
For such a big alpha male, he sure doesn’t hide his girly side.
I take the bottle opener that doubles as a magnet off the fridge and pop the beer open. One sip and I’m gagging.
“Fuck,” I sputter, holding the beer out in front of me to take another look at it.
“Why are you drinking that?” a familiar voice asks. When I turn toward the front door, I spot Ryan. She’s holding two six-packs of my favorite beer, Sierra Nevada. I could hug her.
“Please tell me you plan on sharing those with me.” I point to the green and brown bottles, my mouth begging to free my taste buds of the hellish flavor on my tongue.
With a smile, she holds a pack out to me and says, “All yours, buddy.”
“This is why we’re friends. You bring the good stuff.”
“Is that the only reason?” She smiles wickedly, taking a beer out and putting the rest in the fridge.
I pop both our beers open. “Right now it’s the only important reason.”
Tilting my head back, I take a long swig of the beer, grateful. Grapefruit beer can go to hell.
The past few weeks, Ryan has slowly integrated into our group of friends. Whenever we have a get together like this, I always make sure to invite her. I know I don’t have to, but I feel like I need to keep a close eye on her, make sure she’s okay, especially after I talked to Stryder on the phone once I knew Ryan was living here.
He told me she’s been through the gauntlet of men, one right after the other, and she finally decided to make a change. Rory wasn’t too pleased that her best friend was moving, but Stryder, who’s spent a ton of time with Ryan, and considers her a good friend, agreed she needed a change.
I need to be her rock.
And I can see she needed it. I only saw a glimpse—the tiny amount she let me see— but it was a Ryan I didn’t quite recognize, more subdued and quiet. Since the day I saw her at the pool, I’ve slowly seen a change in her demeanor. She’s becoming the Ryan I knew at Rory and Stryder’s wedding. Outgoing, personable, fun.
She’s the girl who steals the show.
“It smells amazing.” Ryan scans the kitchen. “Your girl really knows how to cook, doesn’t she?”
I pat my stomach. “I can’t wait to find out and by the smells coming off the grill, I’m ready to gain a few pounds.”
Ryan rolls her eyes and breezes by me in cut-off denim shorts and a black tank top, her sunglasses perched on the top of her head. “Please, when your six-pack washes way, then you can start complaining to me about gaining weight.”
She exits out the door and is quickly greeted by Sage, both girls giving each other a hug. I follow closely behind.
“Dude, didn’t you see I have grapefruit beer in the fridge?” Balboa asks, tilting his bottle in my direction.
“Yeah, I saw. There’s an open bottle on the counter waiting for you.”
Grumbling, he stands from his chair and says, “Don’t waste the fucking beer.”
Once Balboa leaves, Ryan says, “How was the other night? Did you two have fun?” She wiggles her eyebrows at Sage.
How was the other night? Do these two talk more than I realized?
And is it weird they’re talking about me?
“It was good.”
“Good?” I cough on my beer, thinking back to the other night when we hung out at my house. “Just good?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “The movie was fine. We watched some documentary on flying airplanes.”
Ryan’s head whips in my direction, her eyes narrowing. “Colby,” Ryan chastises, “you did not invite her over for a flying documentary. I gave you specific instructions on what to do.”
“Did she?” Sage turns toward me, a playful hand on her hip.
Why do I feel like these two will gang up on me? It feels like I’m in an interrogation room with both of them staring at me, ready to catch me in a lie.
Not answering right away, I take a sip of my beer and swallow. “She might have texted me the other day asking if the boys and you wanted tickets to the variety show. I might have said it wasn’t our thing, and she might have suggested an idea for us to do.”
“Wait, hold up.” Sage raises her palm to the air to stop me. “You told Ryan that variety shows aren’t our thing?”
I nod, feeling my face start to flame.
Sage walks up to me and circles her arms around my waist, a huge smile on her face. “Aww, you said our thing. That’s cute.”
“Oh hell,” Ryan groans from the side, taking a large gulp of her drink.
Just as I’m about to lean down for a kiss, Sage playfully swats my stomach and says, “And if someone offers you free tickets, you take them. Don’t be rude.”
“Yeah, don’t be rude,” Ryan chimes in, lifting her bottle toward Sage. “Those tickets are a hot commodity.”
“What tickets?” Rowdy steps outside and takes a seat next to Ryan at the table. He leans back in his chair and puts his arm over the back of hers. I eye him, giving him a non-verbal warning. He just smirks at me.
Turning toward him, Ryan says, “I asked Colby if you all wanted tickets to the variety show I work at, and he said no.”
“What the fuck, man? I want tickets. I love a good variety show and those things aren’t cheap.”
“I didn’t want to put her out,” I groan, getting irritated.
“She offered,” Rowdy counters. “If someone offers, that’s not putting them out. Maybe it would have been good for you to get out of your house, do something fun. What’s with the flying documentary, man?”
I give a long side-eye to Sage who has her hand covering her mouth, chuckling.
“He’s got you there, Colby,” Ryan adds, a devilish grin on her face.
Motherfuckers.
“Hey Sage, how about we don’t talk about our relationship with these fools?”
“Don’t listen to him.” Rowdy throws his bottle cap at me. “Come and talk to me anytime; I’ll tell you exactly what he’s doing wrong.”
Shaking my head, I sip from my beer bottle. “Thanks, man.”
He tips his head in my direction. “Chalk it up to the all-you-can-eat buffet.”
“Damn it, Sage.”
Turned toward the grill, I can’t see her face, but I can see the way her shoulders are shaking. Yeah, my girl’s laughter is ripping through her.
Well, I’m glad someone else is getting pleasure out of this besides the two handing it out.
* * *
“Are you seeing anyone?” Leaning back into my chest, Sage poses the question to Ryan, who is sitting next to us around the fire pit, the orange glow lighting up our faces.
“No, not right now. I think I’m taking a little break on the man front.”
Colt groans off to the side. He arrived an hour late with Bent but quickly took down enough food for four men. “Women who say they’re quitting men always find a man the next day. It’s logic. Let me save you the time. I’m right here, sweetheart.” He opens his arms wide in greeting.
/> “Watch it, Colt,” I warn. “Off limits.”
“You know, you’re going to give Sage a complex if you keep protecting Ryan.”
My face blanches but is quickly recovered when Sage squeezes my hand that’s gripping her stomach, keeping her close to me. “No, I agree with Colby; Ryan is off limits.”
Chuckling, Ryan shrugs her shoulders. “Sorry, Colt, although I think your Texas accent is hot.”
“See”—Colt points—“she thinks I’m hot. Why are you pissing all around her, man?”
“Because you’re an idiot,” I answer without skipping a beat. “She doesn’t need an idiot, she needs a good guy who’s going to treat her well and stick around.”
“Is that right?” she asks, curling her legs in close to her body. “When did you become the know-it-all on my love life?”
I can’t say Stryder, because I’m pretty sure she won’t like that, so I say, “I just know you.”
She studies me for a few beats, and I avoid all eye contact with her, not wanting her to read the truth on the tip of my tongue. “Oh my God, you talked to Stryder, didn’t you?”
“Maybe.” I move Sage in front of me as a shield.
“Don’t use your girlfriend to protect yourself. Be a man and tell me what you talked about.”
“Yeah, be a man,” Colt says, egging Ryan on. I could fucking punch him.
I peek past Sage, and when I see Ryan a little more intrigued than angry, I relent and hand over the truth. “You happened to come up when I talked to Stryder last, and he told me you’re starting a new chapter in your life. I wanted to respect that, and I think with what you’ve gone through in the past, you don’t need someone who’s going to dick you around. Even though I would fall on a sword for my boys, I haven’t seen one of them hold a relationship past a few months.”
“The girls don’t like the long hours,” Colt says, tossing a shuttlecock in the air that he snagged from the badminton set we’ve yet to play with.
“Sage seems to be able to do it,” Ryan says, giving Sage some credit.
Snuggling into my side, Sage says, “I’m used to it. Our dad was in the Army, and he was always gone with deployments or long hours at work. It doesn’t really faze me. I take what I can get.”
And it’s why we work so well together. The girl is a saint. She never complains, never makes me feel guilty, and is one hundred percent there when I need to unwind. And it’s why I think we’ll work well together.
“Let me ask you this,” Colt says. “If you had to choose between the five of us, who would you choose?”
“Five?” I question. “Only three of us are single.”
“Bent is still to be determined.”
“Leave me out of this,” he says from the side, keeping quiet, spacing out for most of the conversation. He’s the silent type, only speaks when he really wants or needs to, but it’s odd to see him this quiet.
“Okay, so if you had to choose between me, Balboa, and Rowdy, who would you choose?” Colt asks. Like the idiot he is, he sits up in his chair, lifts his hand over his head, and starts pointing at himself while mouthing, pick me.
Leaning back in her chair, wearing one of Rowdy’s sweatshirts, she studies all three men, her hand to her chin. “If I had to choose one of you? No foursomes?”
“I’m up for anything, baby.” Colt winks.
I point to him. “See, exactly what I’m talking about.”
Chuckling, Ryan tilts her head to the side and apologetically says, “Sorry, Colt, but that was a test and you failed. You’re out of the running. I want a guy all to myself and who doesn’t want to share me.”
“This thing was rigged.” He throws his hands up in the air, irritated.
“You came up with the question, moron,” Rowdy states, leaning forward in his chair. Staring Ryan in the eyes, he says, “Let me remind you whose sweatshirt you’re wearing.”
“I offered,” Balboa cuts in.
“You offered, I went and got her one, so who’s more chivalrous?”
“He’s got a point,” Sage chimes in.
“What the fuck, Sage?” Balboa complains. “I’m your brother.”
Wincing, she lets out a low chuckle. “I know and I love you, but you’re a man-whore. Sorry.”
“So is Rowdy.”
“Not that I’ve seen,” Sage adds, surprising me. If anyone is the center of attention, bringing many women home, it’s Rowdy. Is he having a dry spell? I feel like that would be the end of the earth if it were true.
Rowdy and Balboa start arguing about who brings the most women home, both defending themselves stating they’re not that bad, when Ryan stands and quiets every one down.
All eyes are on her, the fire lighting up the humor in her face, and that smile puts me at ease. I must have a soft spot for Ryan in my heart, because it’s really nice to see her smiling, laughing, having a damn good time.
Even at the wedding, when we were laughing and drinking the bar dry, I sensed a haunted soul behind her eyes. That she didn’t want to go home the next day spoke volumes. She was struggling, a bruised human looking for something other than the life she was leading.
But now, she’s vibrant, and it makes me damn happy.
“Since this has become a debate, I’m really going to insist that the last two candidates make a speech.”
“Not a problem.” Balboa stands and tips his beer toward Ryan, a glint in his eyes. “Six foot four, that’s all I’m going to say.” He winks and takes a seat.
“You’re disgusting.” Sage boos him and starts rooting for Rowdy.
Taking the stage, Rowdy gives Sage a nod and turns to Ryan. Bending at the knee, he looks up to her, pleading like an asshat.
“You can always count on me for a sweatshirt, someone to pop open your beer, and to eat all the scraps off your plate.” Standing, he takes a bow and returns to his seat.
Ryan taps her finger against her chin. “Tough choice, can I consult with the judges?” She turns to Sage and me for help. Sage jumps right on it.
“Yes, come consult.”
“Remember I’m your brother,” Balboa shouts.
Squatting in front of us, Ryan holds on to the arm of my chair while she speaks. “I don’t know, guys, it’s a tough competition.”
“You realize you’re not permitted to date either of them, right?” I dutifully remind her.
She rolls her eyes dramatically and moves her attention to Sage. “What do you think?”
She doesn’t even bat an eyelash. “Rowdy. One hundred percent; go with Rowdy.”
“I think you’re right, but this needs to be a consensus. Colby . . .”
Ryan places her hand on my forearm, drawing the ridiculousness out of me. “Come on, Colby. I need you on board. Are you team Rowdy?”
“I’m team whatever makes you happy in this imaginary scenario.”
Blinking a few times, Ryan looks me in the eyes, and even though this is pretend, it’s true. I really want what—or who—makes her happy.
Clearing her throat, she stands and says, “My decision has been made.” She turns toward Balboa, who is casually drinking, thinking he has this in the bag, and Rowdy, who’s on the edge of his seat, ready to celebrate.
“Well, get on with it,” Colt says, annoyed with the entire production. He’s such a sore loser.
Holding her hands in front of her, she addresses the guys. “First, I want to thank both of you for giving such eloquent speeches. It was a very tough competition, but what it came down to was true passion, and one of you had it more than the other. Rowdy, you’re the winner.”
“Fuck yeah!” He jumps in the air, pumps his fist, and then walks over to Ryan, picking her up and carrying her toward the house. “Time to make this official.”
Chapter Eighty-One
COLBY
After a long goodbye in the front yard, I gave Sage one last kiss and headed home, wishing she was with me, getting ready for bed, smiling at me through the mirror, and wearing what I can only imagi
ne is some sexy lingerie to bed. That’s what in my head, at least.
We’ve taken our time when it comes to getting intimate, but with each passing night we say goodbye, the need and yearning in our kisses grows tenfold. Tonight, when her hand glided down my stomach to the top of my jeans, I thought I was going to lose it. The last time I had sex was with Ryan, which is a weird thing to think about, but it’s been that long, and I’m about to explode.
I strip out of my clothes, noticing the smokey smell engrained in the fabric, and brush my teeth before hopping into bed, naked. The sheets feel cold against my skin, and silky, so fucking silky that with each move I make the fabric rubs against my aching cock.
I’m so fucking horny right now.
I can’t stop thinking about what it would be like to take the next step with Sage, to feel her body under mine, writhing as I press my lips across her skin, sucking and licking her nipples into my mouth. What will she sound like? Taste like? Feel like?
And even though it might just kill me, I will wait. I’ll take it slow and instead visualize what it would feel like to have her next to me in this bed, her tiny frame eclipsed by mine as I tell her all the naughty things I want to do to her.
My phone beeps next to me.
Sage. Perfect timing.
I take no time in reading it.
Sage: How would you feel if I snuck over to your place right now?
My eyes widen, my dick immediately hardening into a full erection.
Colby: Are you serious?
Sage: Yeah, I want to cuddle you so much right now.
A low hiss escapes from between my teeth as the excitement of finally sinking myself inside of Sage fades away. God, what I wouldn’t give to at least move past first base. A little second-base action, and third would be fucking perfect too. But cuddling? I don’t think my dick could take that right now.
And I’m usually not this fucking horny, but Sage has me twisted in all kinds of knots, when it comes to her sweet kisses and petite body.
Instead of beating around the bush, I decide to go with honesty because unless she’s ready, she can’t step foot in this house tonight, as there is no way I’ll be able to control myself.
The Duets Page 65
