Too Distracting

by Bethany Lopez

  Sure, we’d spent the weekend together in Chicago, but that didn’t mean he was ready for sleepovers in his home. That seemed much more personal. More of a serious relationship move. So, I’d come over with only a fresh-baked apple pie, which I knew was his favorite, and hope, that at the very least, we’d have a serious make-out session on his large sectional couch.

  What I’d gotten was so much better.

  First, he’d carried me up the stairs and made love to me. I’m talking, sweet, slow, gentle love. It was amazing, and so much more tender than even I’d imagined Dillon could be. And I’d imagined having him every way possible.

  I mean, fifteen years is a long time to fantasize about someone.

  Then, we’d enjoyed our Chinese food in front of the TV while watching episodes of Saturday Night Live on Hulu. After which, we took the dogs for a long walk on his property, and he’d asked me to spend the night.

  We hadn’t done anything else other than get into bed and snuggle up next to each other before drifting off to sleep. But it was wonderful. Everything from start to finish had been more than I’d hoped for, which meant I’d spent the drive over agonizing for nothing.

  I thought it all meant that Dillon and I were definitely on the same page, and wanted to give this whole relationship thing a try. But, I didn’t want to assume and end up looking foolish, or worse, getting my heart broken, so I knew I needed to ask.

  I wanted to be a hundred percent open and honest, which meant I’d have to actually ask the question. Vocalize the words. And the thought had my eyes opening and all happy morning pleasantness flying out the window as nerves kicked it out of the way.

  “What just happened?” Dillon asked, causing me to turn in the bed to look at him.

  “Huh?” I asked sleepily.

  “You were all sleepy and soft, then you stiffened when I kissed your shoulder. Is everything okay?”

  I paused before answering. Not because I didn’t want to, but because Dillon in the morning deserved a pause.

  His dark, auburn hair was rumpled, and his stubble was dark and thick. Clad in only a pair of boxer briefs, which were covered by the sheet, he looked delectable, and I found myself distracted by the sight.

  “Laurel,” he pressed, so I stopped ogling him and gave him the truth.

  “I was wondering what your thoughts are … about us,” I began, turning until I was laying on my back. I played with the edge of the sheet as I continued, “I know, in Chicago, we’d agreed to the whole no strings thing, but, since that obviously didn’t stick, I was hoping we were thinking along the same lines…”

  Dillon picked up some of my hair and rubbed it between his fingers, his expression soft, but serious.

  “Well, if you’re thinking that being together for one weekend wasn’t enough, and that you’d like to continue to see each other and see where this thing between us goes, then, I’d say, we’re on the same page.”

  My heart leapt, but still, I pushed.

  “So, exclusively dating?” I asked with bated breath.

  He picked up the sheet and moved until he was hovering over me, which is when I realized I was wrong, he was no longer wearing boxer briefs. Then lowered himself to rest gently between my legs, his forearms holding most of his weight.

  I shifted instinctively beneath him, biting back a moan when he thrust against me.

  “Absolutely,” Dillon replied, his lids getting heavy as he moved again.

  Is it getting hot in here?

  My vision went a little fuzzy as I lifted my hips to do a little thrusting of my own.

  “Perfect,” I moaned, not sure if I was talking about our agreement to date, or the spot he was currently rubbing against.

  “You want to keep talking?” Dillon asked gruffly, his hand moving between us to shift my panties to the side.

  As he slid inside of me, inch by glorious inch, I gasped, “No, thanks,” then all chatter stopped.

  I wrapped my legs around him, the T-shirt of his I was wearing going up around my waist, and tilted my hips as far as I could, as he drove inside, his pelvis hitting my clit perfectly as I squeezed his tight ass.

  “Yes,” I moaned. “Right there.”

  “Jesus, fuck,” Dillon managed as his pace quickened. “You feel so fucking good.”

  “Harder,” I urged. So very close.

  He complied, moving faster, deeper, harder, until we were both coming, my orgasm ripping through me, causing me to cry out.

  “Oh my God,” I moaned, my body pulsing around him, my blood humming in my veins.

  I could get used to waking up to this every day.

  33

  Dillon

  “Where is she?” I asked as I walked into Gabe and Zoey’s living room.

  Gabe chuckled and handed me Evie, who I cradled to my chest.

  “How’s my favorite girl?” I asked as I stared down at her precious little face.

  Did men get baby fever? ‘Cause every time I saw Evie, I wanted to be a dad so bad. I could picture it, holding a baby of my own, teaching him, or her, to walk. To ride a bike. To play ball.

  Family movie nights, pancake breakfasts, days on the lake … I wanted it all.

  “Hey Dillon,” Zoey said in greeting as she came in from the kitchen. “I didn’t realize you were here already. I just put on water for tea and put cookies in the oven, but I can get you a coffee, or beer, if you’d rather.”

  “Thanks, Zo, I’ll wait for Laurel to get here. I came a little early to get in some Evie time before her nap.”

  “How was Chicago?” Gabe asked as he sat in his recliner.

  We hadn’t seen each other since before I left, but from the look on his face, I could tell he’d talked to Reardon.

  “It was great,” I said, ignoring his eyebrow waggle. “The convention was good, I made a lot of contacts.”

  “Mmmhmm,” Gabe replied, fighting back a laugh. “And would you say the convention was the highlight of the trip? ‘Cause, what I heard…”

  “Okay, that’s enough.”

  Zoey looked from Gabe to me, then back again, and asked, “Am I missing something?”

  Gabe grinned at his wife and said, “Yeah, Dillon has a lover.”

  “A lover?” I scoffed. “Who the hell says lover?”

  “She does,” he replied, pointing his thumb at his wife. And, yeah, I could totally see Zoey saying that.

  “Oh,” Zoey said excitedly, sitting forward on the couch, her eyes wide. “Who is it, is it Laurel? Tell me it’s Laurel.”

  “What the…” I began, shocked. “How does everyone keep guessing this?”

  “Yay!” she cried. “I knew you two would realize you’re meant to be.”

  “Meant to be?” I asked, feeling suddenly panicked.

  “Relax,” Gabe told me. “Zoey’s in the middle of writing a new romance, and she’s got stars in her eyes.

  “Oh, la-de-da,” she said in a sing-song voice. “I’ve been shipping Dillon and Laurel waaay before I started writing this book. They’ve known each other since they were kids, and Laurel’s been in love with him forever. It’s better than a book.”

  There it was again. Zoey was confirming what Reardon and Serena said about Laurel and her feelings for me.

  Crazily enough, the thought no longer had me reeling with panic. Sure, Zoey’s meant to be comment had scared me a bit, but that’s just because I hadn’t thought of Laurel and marriage in the same sentence. I was still trying to get a handle on us being in an exclusive relationship.

  But, now that the thought was there, I was finding that Laurel fit into my picture quite nicely. Almost perfectly, in fact.

  “In love with him forever, are you drunk?” Gabe asked with a laugh. “They’ve always barely tolerated each other. I mean, after Laurel coming in to the office in that dress, which, by the way, baby, you need to find out where she got that, I definitely saw him look at her in a different light, but you’re acting like they’re in some sort of second chance romance.”

&nbs
p; “Second chance … dude, it’s preseason. I think you need to turn on a game once in a while,” I joked.

  “No, I’m not drunk … I only snuck one shot of patron after finishing that sex scene,” Zoey informed him.

  I shook my head at Evie and whispered, “Your parents are nuts.”

  “Quit trying to change the subject,” Gabe said. “What’s going on with you and Laurel? For real.”

  Just then the doorbell rang.

  “Speak of the devil,” Gabe said, as Zoey rose to go and let Laurel in.

  “Hey, don’t say anything to embarrass her,” I said quietly. “Yes, we are together, and I’ll tell you all the gossip later.” I rolled my eyes at that. “Just, be cool.”

  Gabe held up his hands, as if in surrender.

  I looked up as Laurel walked in, smiling at something Zoey had said, and took in the sight of her.

  I hadn’t seen her since she left my house that morning, wearing her clothes from the day before. With her hair pulled back, wearing a tight skirt that hit right below the knee and a sheer button-up blouse, she looked nothing like the tousled vixen I’d had in my bed this morning.

  “You look beautiful,” I said without thinking.

  I heard Gabe snicker, and saw Zoey turn to me, pleased, but my eyes were on Laurel.

  So, I saw her cheeks redden with pleasure, and her lips turn up.

  “Thank you,” she said softly.

  “So, I hear you and my cousin are star-crossed lovers,” Gabe said, in that maddening way he had. “I gotta say, it took me totally by surprise. Reardon, Serena, and Zoey seemed to know something was brewing, but I was blindsided.”

  Laurel watched him warily, obviously unsure how to respond.

  I was about to tell him to shut his mouth, but he stood up, crossed to her and pulled her in for a bear hug.

  “It’s the best news I’ve heard since Reardon knocked up Chloe,” Gabe told her.

  Seriously, I have to get a football in my cousin’s hands again. Zoey’s turning him into a sap.

  34

  Laurel

  I’d been touched by Gabe’s hug and sweet words, heart warmed to have his blessing.

  Afterwards, he’d taken Evie from Dillon to put her down for a nap, while Zoey, Dillon, and I went into Zoey’s kitchen to sit down with tea and snacks and talk shower(s).

  “I love this tea set,” I said, looking at the adorable cup and saucer with books all over them.

  “Thanks, it was a Christmas present from Reardon.”

  “Speaking of Reardon, he’s texted me a list of requests,” Dillon said, sitting back in his chair. He’d opted for black coffee, rather than tea.

  I pulled my notebook and pen out of my purse and placed them in front of me.

  “Shoot,” I said.

  “BB8 cake, Deathstar Puzzle Contest, white and black themed decorations, with a splash of Yoda, Star Wars themed desserts, and a bonus prize for whoever brings a Star Wars onesie for the baby.”

  I scribbled furiously as he spoke, not stopping until he was done, then I read back what he’d said.

  “You know, I could have forwarded you the text.”

  “I like my notebooks,” I said, then chuckled at Reardon’s demands and looked at Zoey. “How will Chloe feel about all this?”

  “She said, whatever makes him happy will make her happy. Honestly, she’s pretty low key about this kind of stuff, which is why she’s cool with lumping them all together. All she wants is to get married and have the baby. She wouldn’t be having a party at all if I hadn’t bugged her until she’d said yes.”

  “So, no input for the invitations, decorations, overall theme,” I said, wanting to confirm. When Zoey nodded, I asked, “What about the food? Does she have a favorite, least favorite, anything that’s making her sick in this pregnancy?”

  “She loves Italian food and Mexican food, and, luckily, hasn’t had anything make her sick since the beginning of her pregnancy.”

  “Okay,” I stated, making a note. “What about you two? As the Maid of Honor and Best Man, is there anything special you want to do?”

  “Well, I haven’t run it by Dillon yet,” Zoey said excitedly, shooting a glance at Dillon, then grinning at me, “But, I thought it would be awesome if we sang them a song. A duet.”

  “What’s that now?” Dillon asked, sitting forward and gaping at Zoey.

  “C’mon, it would be so sweet. We could sing, Islands in the Stream, or I got you, Babe, something like that.”

  “That sounds terrible,” Dillon said, obviously not on board.

  “Told you he wouldn’t go for it,” Gabe said as he walked into the room. Evie wasn’t with him, so I assumed naptime was a success.

  Zoey pouted and looked up at her husband.

  “Can’t you make him do it?”

  Dillon scoffed.

  “Shit, he hasn’t been able to make me do anything since we were in sixth grade and I found out he was terrified of spiders. All I had to do was threaten to throw one at him, and he always backed down.”

  “That’s not funny,” Gabe said, shivering at the mention of spiders.

  I laughed and said, “I’ll write it down and we can come back to it later, okay?’

  “Okay,” Zoey said.

  At the same time Dillon said, “No need, I’m not doing it.”

  “Spoilsport,” Zoey said, and stuck out her tongue at him.

  Dillon just laughed and said, “Call me all the names you want, there’s no way I’m going to embarrass myself by getting up and singing in front of my family, friends, and possibly strangers.”

  “What strangers,” Gabe asked. “Everyone knows everyone in Cherry Springs.”

  “I didn’t know if maybe some of Chloe’s friends from North Carolina were going to show up.”

  Zoey shook her head. “No, no one can make it. Not even our parents are coming … which is why the duet would be such a nice touch.”

  “Wow,” Dillon said, looking at Zoey with mock disappointment. “I can’t believe you’d use that to try and get me to agree to doing something you can tell I really don’t want to do. I thought you were better than that.”

  “Fine,” Zoey said with a sigh, then perked up and added, “I’ll just make Gabe do it with me.”

  “Hey,” Gabe complained, and Dillon and I laughed while she worked on getting her husband to do the duet with her.

  While they continued their banter, I wrote up a rough schedule for the night of the party, including bits of information about theme, decoration, and food ideas. Excitement and adrenaline coursed through me at the thought of finally having my first party with my new business.

  I’d dropped off the business plan and loan paperwork at the bank that afternoon, so I was just waiting to hear back from them, and Reardon, and then Party with Laurel would finally be in business.

  “Okay, this is great. I’ll shoot this off to the two of you, and Chloe to get final approval, then get started. As I said before, if you want to help, I can put you on the schedule, but if not, my team and I, minus Chloe, of course, have it under control.”

  “I’d like to help,” Zoey said.

  “I trust you.” This was said by Dillon, who I already knew was planning on taking more of a hands-off approach.

  “Perfect,” I said, rising from the table, then going to give Zoey and Gabe, hugs. “Thanks so much for meeting.”

  “Thank you for agreeing to meet here,” Zoey replied.

  “No problem,” I said, then turned to Dillon and asked shyly, “You wanna come over for dinner?”

  It wasn’t the first time I’d propositioned him, so that wasn’t what made me shy, no, it was doing so in front of Gabe and Zoey. Even though they knew about us, it was still hard to get used to being a couple in front of other people.

  “I thought you’d never ask,” Dillon said, standing, then shocking the heck out of me when he pulled me in for a kiss.

  I was so caught up, I barely heard Zoey cheering in the background.


  35

  Dillon

  I’m not going to make it back for the shower. I have a meeting I need to take and the only day they can do it is today. Tell Ass and Chloe that I’m sorry, and I’ll make it up with a big gift.

  Although it sucked that Jazzy wouldn’t make it back in time for the showers, I knew she’d only miss a family event if it meant great things for the company. Which meant, her instincts about Boise had been correct.

  Bummer, but I’ll let them know. Thanks for doing good work.

  Did you ever doubt it? she asked, causing me to smile. My twin was nothing if not sassy as hell.

  Not for a second. I’ll save you some cake.

  You’d better.

  Promise.

  I read back through the texts from Jasmine, surprised I hadn’t received any further texts in the last couple days.

  She must be really busy in Boise.

  I parked and hurried into the bowling alley, eager to see Laurel.

  Yeah, bowling alley. My cousin was a nut and Chloe a saint for putting up with him.

  It felt like it had been forever since I’d gotten to spend any real time with Laurel. Sure, we’d spent a few nights together, and got a little time in the mornings before we went our separate ways, but we’d both been busy with work and it never felt like enough.

  I’d just closed the deal with San Francisco, and Laurel had been hard at work on Chloe and Reardon’s party, so we’d had a lot of late nights and working lunches. Luckily, Reardon had proved my theory about the flower shop, so Laurel had been working with the knowledge that she owned the shop, free and clear, which had been a huge relief.

  Plus, she’d messaged me to let me know that the bank loan had gone through, which meant more hard work on the horizon. Luckily, Chloe and Reardon had wanted an afternoon shower, so the night was ours to celebrate.

  The bowling alley was empty, save Laurel and her team. We’d rented the place out for the day, giving them time to get in and set up before the party started. I’d come early to see if I could be of any help, and to see Laurel in action.