Good Girls Don't Kiss and Tell

by Codi Gary

  She actually looked down at her nails as if he was being the unreasonable one. “I was not being immature, I was busy.”

  “Horse shit! You were having a freak-out about something, but I’ve got news for you, sweetheart. You agreed to help me out with my little problem until New Year’s Day. After that, I don’t care if you never say boo to me again, but I have been keeping up with the McAllisters for over two weeks now. This isn’t some one-way street. So, whatever your issue is, get the fuck over it.”

  All semblances of calm gone, her voice rose two octaves. “Believe me, I am wondering what in the hell was wrong with me to even agree to this crazy scheme.”

  “Well, it’s too late to back out now!” he shouted.

  Dog sat up, backing excitedly, and both of them jumped. Eric had actually forgotten he’d brought him to work with him, he’d been so chill.

  Gracie looked over at him, and her face softened a bit. “Oh, you got him?”

  “Yeah, they called me yesterday to come get him.” Eric almost added that he’d wanted to call her but had been too chicken shit to.

  “That is so great. I am so glad.” Gracie cleared her throat as she faced him again. “I did have a little freak-out. I think I just got confused because all this started to feel too real, you know? I think it was a lapse, us taking the game past a mutually beneficial relationship to…”

  “Hot, pulse-pounding, extremely satisfactory fucking?” He walked toward her with a grin that felt more like his jaw was going to break, uncrossing his arms so they hung by his sides. “But I’m just a lapse? ’Cause that’s not what you were saying when you were ripping my shirt off and shoving your tongue down my throat.”

  Gracie’s face flamed, and she retorted, “Yeah, well, I was horny and you were there. But now that I’ve realized how complicated things can get, I’m thinking we should go back to keeping this professional.”

  He was standing in front of her now, and she had to lift her face up to look at him. He reached out his big hand and cupped her chin, running his thumb along her soft cheek. He felt her shiver and smiled knowingly. “It’s like I keep telling you, Gracie Lou, it’s not all about you. Maybe I’m not ready to give up on having your sweet little body under me.”

  She planted her hands on his chest and pushed. He barely stepped back, and she tried to push him again. “You’re a jackass! I’m not going to fall down at your feet like you’re God’s gift. If I say that this twisted friends-with-benefits shit ends now, I mean it.”

  He grabbed her hands, fury churning in his gut. How dare she act as though that was all there was here. “Wouldn’t it be more like enemies with benefits? I think we dislike each other too often to be real friends.”

  His words had been cutting, and he regretted them instantly. But he couldn’t call them back before she ripped her hands away. “You are so right. I was delusional to think that beneath all that macho bullshit was someone with an actual beating heart.”

  “Oh, I’ve got a heart, all right, but there is no way I’d open it up to someone as self-centered as you.”

  “You know what? Screw you and our deal. It’s off!” She turned to head for the door.

  He caught her before she got far, and pulled her slight body tight against his tall frame.

  She slammed her fist against his chest, her face a deep red. “Stay the fuck away from me.”

  Eric saw the tears hanging on the edge of her bottom lid and knew he had put them there. He was being a jackass as much as she was being a stubborn little shit. If he’d just talked to her instead of pulling that underhanded crap with the column….

  “I didn’t tell my mother anything about you except that I like you. That’s it.”

  Her lower lip trembled, and he felt the tension in her body ease slightly. “Well, I don’t like you, so…”

  Eric chuckled softly. “Oh, Gracie Lou, why do you gotta lie?”

  Before she could give him a scathing comeback, his mouth was on hers, cutting off whatever she’d been about to say. He turned her around in his arms, deepening the kiss, his hands sliding down her back and grabbing her round little butt, lifting her against his body. She moaned into his mouth, and he backed her up toward the bar, growling in response.

  He sat her up on the counter, running his hands up over her coat to unhook the buttons. He slid his hands in, over her small breasts, the hard nipples stabbing his palm as he continued a trail down to her waist.

  Gracie ran her hands over his head, down his shoulders, and gripped his arms as she gave as good as she got. His body pressed between her legs, and she locked her ankles behind his back. All that was driving him was raw need and desire. He moved his hand up to tangle in her hair, his fingers massaging the back of her neck, and nearly crowed when he felt her melt against him. He took her surrender and ran with it, sliding his other hand up under her pink sweater and trailing his fingers over her skin. God, he had missed her. Her taste, her scent. Once he reached the mound of flesh, he squeezed it gently in his palm and she made a soft sound against his mouth. She reached down and pulled him closer by his belt, rubbing against him like a cat.

  A loud cough didn’t even register in his one-track brain.

  “Man, that is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in this bar.”

  Gracie pulled back, sucking air and looking horrified. Eric cursed and turned with a glare. “Get the fuck out of here, Grant!”

  Grant threw up his hands. “Hey, sorry to interrupt, I just forgot my wallet.”

  Gracie grabbed Eric’s wrist and yanked it away from her breast and out of her sweater. He didn’t even protest when she pushed him back and scrambled off the bar. She tried to smooth her hair, and wiped angrily at her mouth. Pointing her finger at him, she punctuated her words with a bite to her tone. “Stay away from me.”

  “Not a chance, sweetie.” She ignored him as she hit Grant on the arm and marched past him.

  Grant rubbed his arm with a hurt expression. “I don’t know why you’re mad at me! I saved you from my big brother’s nefarious intentions.” Grant got a feminine middle finger for his troubles

  Eric walked up behind his brother and whacked him on the back of the head. “Dumbass.”

  “Ouch. Hey, just for that, I’m not getting you a burger! You can starve!” Eric ignored his brother’s threat and took off for the storeroom for more beer.

  Eric shook his head and gritted his teeth against the throbbing pain in his groin. Damn woman should come with a warning label. One hot kiss and some light petting could leave man painfully hard for long periods of time. She was hazardous to his health, but he couldn’t stay away from her.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “Sometimes, a simple kindness can go a long way in repairing an old wound. So how about we be nice to each other, people, huh?” - Miss Know-It-All’s Gossip Column.

  “So how’s it going?” Gemma asked.

  Gracie was sitting on the side of Gemma’s bed, flipping through a Babies“R”Us catalog. It was Saturday, and Mike and Gracie had come over to stay with Gemma while Travis was at the bookstore and Charlie was sledding with some friends. Gracie’s mom had gone to Boise to visit Gemma’s mom for the weekend and Gracie’s dad was at his buddy’s cabin, catching up. Which had given Gracie more incentive to ignore Eric. She got her bed back for a few nights.

  “With?” Gracie knew very well what Gemma was asking about, but she had no interest in talking about what was going on with Eric…mostly because she was too confused to suss out the situation herself.

  Gemma blew out a heavy breath. “With life. With Eric. You two seemed happy according to all reports, and then that Miss Know-It-All column came out and Callie and Ryan said the two of you seem to be avoiding each other.”

  Gracie concentrated really hard on an adorable Pack ’n Play with bumble bees on the page, instead of meeting her best friend’s gaze. “We’re fine.” She slapped the magazine down and yelled for Mike, who was in the kitchen supposedly making them food. “Mike! How long d
oes it take to make a freaking sandwich?”

  “Don’t rush me, this is art!” he hollered back.

  Gracie snorted. “He is more of a girl than me sometimes.”

  “Yeah, we’re all aware of Mike’s anal retentiveness when it comes to sandwich prep. But back to you and Eric.”

  “We’re fine, Gem, I already told you.”

  Gemma gave her a disbelieving look. “Really? No issues whatsoever?”

  “Nope.”

  “Good, good. I’m glad you two are working out, ’cause I guess Kirsten was staring at Eric like I stared at chocolate cake last night.”

  Gracie’s head whipped around. “And how do you know that?”

  “Travis went to Buck’s last night with Chase and Gabe. You know how men gossip.”

  Although her stomach was grinding and churning in irritation, she refused to play Gemma’s game. “Well, it’s not like we’re actually together or anything. I told you, we were just faking it. He can do what he wants.”

  Gemma burst out laughing. Gracie gave Gemma a hostile look. “It’s not nice to mess with your best friend. Who knows what kind of secrets I might let slip next time we’re in an awkward social situation?”

  Gemma slipped her hand into Gracie’s and gave it a squeeze. “But I know that my best friend would never do anything like that. Besides, I’m just having a little harmless fun. I’ve waited a long time for you to fall hard for a guy. The least I can do is enjoy it.”

  Gracie spluttered. “I have not fallen hard. In fact, I’m back to loathing him.”

  “So, the two of you aren’t still hooking up?”

  “I told you…it was all fake.”

  “That is such bullshit, Gracie Louise McAllister! I have known you forever, and I can tell when you’re lying.”

  “No you can’t.”

  “Yeah, ’cause you do that thing with your hair.”

  “What thing?”

  Gemma pointed, and Gracie realized she was pulling on a strand of her blonde hair. Dropping it as though it burned, she scoffed. “Oh, for the love of chocolate, it doesn’t mean—”

  “Who’s ready for the perfect sandwich?” Mike asked as he came through the door with a TV tray. On it were three plates holding four perfect sandwiches, three bags of chips, and three soda cans.

  “You better not have made me two sandwiches. There isn’t enough room in my stomach for that much food. I may explode,” Gemma warned.

  Mike set the tray down on the dresser and handed her one of the single sandwich plates, kissing her on the cheek. “Nope, the two are for me. I’m a growing boy.”

  Both women snorted. Mike had always had a big appetite, but the man had stopped at just under six feet tall, and he had a total swimmer’s body.

  Gemma gave Gracie a pointed look, signaling she wasn’t done with their conversation. “Hey, Mike, how can you tell when Gracie’s lying?”

  “She pulls her hair,” Mike said around a giant bite of sandwich.

  Gracie got up from the bed in disgust and grabbed her food off the tray. “Don’t talk with your mouth full, you animal.”

  Mike howled in response.

  “Gracie is lying about sleeping with Eric,” Gemma said.

  Mike made a face. “Good, because I don’t need to hear about it.”

  “God, you are such a baby.”

  Mike shook his head and used his sandwich as a pointer. “Why in the hell would I want to hear about either of my best friends’ sex lives?”

  “Seriously, you’re always the one telling me to mind my own business when I interrogate people on private issues, so why are you suddenly so nosy?” Gracie asked.

  Gemma popped the top on her caffeine-free root beer. “Because it’s about time you got a taste of your own medicine.”

  Gracie dropped a chip into her mouth, chewing it slowly. Finally, she shrugged. “Fine, we slept together.”

  When Gracie didn’t continue, Gemma prodded, “And? Come on, you can’t leave me hanging without a complete list of Eric’s…attributes.”

  “Fuck, I’ve got to stop hanging out with girls,” Mike grumbled.

  Gracie’s cheeks flushed with annoyance. “Oh, knock it off! If we were guys, you’d be asking how big the girl’s breasts were.”

  Mike actually looked affronted. “I am a gentleman!”

  Gemma pointed at the door. “Whatever. You don’t want to hear, then leave the room, but as a very bored pregnant woman who has been cooped up for a month, I want details.”

  “Gemma, I am not giving you sex details.”

  “Thank God for that,” Mike said.

  “Fine, fine! At least tell me what went wrong! If things were getting hot and heavy, why do you loathe him?”

  Gracie didn’t know how she was going to put into words what she didn’t even understand herself.

  “It’s hard to explain. Besides you and Mike, I’ve never really had anyone who believed in me. My parents love me, but I spend more time defending my life to them than I think is necessary.”

  “Talking to the girl who got pregnant at eighteen, kicked out of her parents’ house, and spent years trying to make amends with pretty much everyone she loves.”

  “Yeah, see, I know you understand.”

  “I don’t, I’m perfect.” Mike took a snapping bite of his chip, smiling smugly.

  Gemma glared while Gracie threw a chip at him. “Ass.”

  “Anyway, besides me and, for some reason, Mike, Eric gets you?”

  Gracie turned to Gemma, worry etched in her face. “I think so. Otherwise, why would he basically call my mother out on her lack of enthusiasm for my career choices? I mean, you should have seen him, Gemma. He was so calm, but he didn’t back down and just kept going. I’ve never had a guy do that.”

  “Maybe because you’ve never let them get close enough to know you.”

  “Hey, I’ve had other relationships,” Gracie defended.

  Gemma squeezed her arm. “Gracie, your longest relationships were all with men your parents approved of, and you were miserable and uptight during the brief relationships. And every other guy you’ve sent packing before they know your favorite color. But with Eric, you’re you, warts and all.”

  “Dude, I haven’t had warts since kindergarten,” Gracie joked.

  “You know exactly what I mean! You fight with him and aren’t afraid to tell him exactly what you think and feel. I have never seen you like that with anyone besides the people closest to you and very few men.”

  “So, you’re saying that when I’m myself, I’m outspoken and rude?” Gracie said.

  “No. Outspoken, maybe, but also open, loving, funny, and loyal. I am so proud to have you in my life. All I was saying is that of all the guys you’ve ever been around, Eric is one of the few that you can be free with. As much as you may loathe him, that’s something to consider.”

  Gemma had never been stingy with the praise, but still the love and approval in her voice sent little tears spilling over Gracie’s lashes. She started waving her hand in front of her eyes and cried, “Well, shit, now you’ve done it!”

  Gemma moved her plate out of the way and struggled to lean forward with her arms outstretched. Gracie met her halfway and hugged her with a laugh.

  “Such a softy,” Gemma said with a definite sniffle. “You need to watch that, or people are going to think your bladder lies too close to your eyes.”

  Gracie snorted at the old euphemism Gemma’s mom used whenever the girls would cry over any little thing. “That’s still disgusting, I don’t care how long the saying’s been around.”

  Gemma grabbed a napkin from the tray and handed it to her. “So you’ve said.”

  Loud slurping interrupted their Kodak moment, and both of them turned to look at Mike, who raised his can to them. “Don’t mind me, just the last guy in this pissant town destined to be single.”

  The deep bitterness in his voice made Gracie reach out to squeeze his shoulder. “Hey, what’s up with you, gloomy Gus?”

/>   “Nothing, except now Gracie and Eric are going to hook up for good, and I’m going to be the last single man in our little group.”

  Gemma and Gracie exchanged amused looks before Gracie slid over and put her arm around him. “I never said I wanted to be with Eric. Did you miss the whole loathing thing?”

  “Still doesn’t change the fact that I’m repulsive to women.”

  Gracie squeezed him to her affectionately. “That’s because most of us are idiots. You just need to find a girl who’s smarter than the rest of us.”

  “And avoid drama queens at all costs.”

  “Except as friends? Friends who make you whatever you want in the form of chocolate?”

  “Except for those.”

  “Oh good, because besides Gemma, you’re the only one who will put up with me.”

  He chuckled. “Well, I guess we all have our uses. You better get started on some chocolate goodies, though, to keep me happy. I’ve always wanted to be paid to be someone’s friend.”

  She laughed. “I’ll make you so many goodies, you’ll be round as Santa Claus.”

  “If you make me fat, I’ll never get a woman.”

  His statement sobered her, and she held his cheek in her palm. “Yes, you will, Michael. You’ll get someone awesome. Wait and see.”

  The sound of Gemma’s loud chewing broke through their tender moment, and both of them turned toward her. She stared at them for a minute, her cheek full of food, and waved at them.

  “Carry on, nothing to see here. Just a preggo woman trying to get her nourishment.”

  * * *

  Around four that afternoon, Gracie pulled up to the small house in Filer that belonged to Margaret, her stomach fluttering with butterflies. It had been over two weeks since she’d seen Pip, and she wondered whether their short time together had really made that much of an impact on her.