Size Matters (11 page)

CHAPTER
Eighteen

B
RYN SAT
on the back patio watching the kids play in the yard. Sometimes they actually did act like they loved each other.

But then Zach came up and sat on the edge of her chaise. “Mom, when are we gonna see Eli and Austin and Amelia again?”

She’d already answered this question with Jaxson, but it wasn’t any easier the second time. “I’m not sure, honey. Sometimes people get close and then realize they can’t spend as much time together as they used to. Do you understand what I mean?”

“No. I miss them. Don’t you?”

“Yes.” It wasn’t a lie. She still couldn’t get the vision of him the night before at the restaurant out of her head. And then the visions her brain had made up. Him in bed with the beautiful woman. His lips doing wonderful things to her. “But it’s best if we just spend some time apart, okay?”

“Come on, Mom. Just call them up and invite them over.”

“It’s not that simple.” But surely to a kid, it was.

Lucky for Bryn, Jax and Cammie lured Zach back to the yard with a new game to play and he forgot all about their conversation. She rested her head back and relaxed, wishing she’d brought her book out to read. Too lazy to go get it, she let her thoughts wander instead. And they went right back to Eli.

She did miss him. He was a fun guy to be with. They’d been good friends and she really missed the ease of their relationship. They had connected on so many levels and he understood her need to go so slow. She knew not many other men were going to get that.

Her cell phone rang on the little table next to her, and for a brief moment she was excited at the thought of it possibly being Eli. But it wasn’t.

“Troy. Hi. How are you?”

“Good. How’s your head? Did you get rid of that headache okay?”

The sound of his voice made her chest tingle and reminded her of how much fun she’d had with him before she’d seen Eli. “Yes, I did. I’m sorry I had to end the night so abruptly like that.”

“It happens. But I was hoping for another try tonight. Can we do dinner?”

“I’d love to, but I have to see if I can get a sitter on short notice.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about them. You have a list of teenage girls, right? Isn’t that what parents do?”

“Yeah, but it’s not always easy. I’ll have to call around and get back to you.”

“Sounds good. Talk to ya later.”

He hung up and Bryn dialed Lindsey’s number. Please answer. Please answer. Please answer. And be free.

“Hey, Mrs. Harper. What’s up?”

“Hi. Any chance you can babysit tonight?”

“Wow. I’m making tons of money off you this week. But no. I can’t. Me and Stinger have tickets to the Corpse’s Crush show tonight.”

“Corpse’s Crush?”

“Yeah. They’re a really awesome band. The lead singer is our friend. We go to every show we can.”

“Cool.”

“Sorry. Maybe next time.”

Bryn hung up. Who else could she call? She really wanted to go out with Troy. And yes, it might have partially been to help push Eli out of her head. But there was nothing wrong with that. She could probably try Mia. Surely she’d jump at the chance to give Bryn and Troy an opportunity to get to know each other better. She dialed and it went to voice mail. Okay, who else?

There weren’t really any other friends she could call. She didn’t have time to hang out much and it felt wrong to call and ask a favor when she never called these people any other time.

That left family. Bryn’s siblings had moved away and Johnny had been an only child. His parents still lived in Kenville, but Bryn didn’t see them often. They’d been upset with Johnny for joining the military, and when he died, they’d been even more mad at him for his choices. The army had taken their only child from them. You’d think that would make them want to see their grandchildren more, but it hadn’t. Bryn figured they just reminded them of Johnny, seeing as Jax was the spitting image of his father.

That left Bryn’s parents. How badly did she want to go out with Troy tonight? Bad enough to lie? She knew her mother would refuse if she knew Bryn was going out on a date. But what if she thought it was for something else? Bryn hated lying. Maybe she could just omit the details of whom she was actually going to dinner with. Maybe make her mother think it was a business thing.

It was wrong. She knew that. But had her mother given her much choice?

“Hey, Mom. It’s me. I have this dinner thing tonight. I know it’s last minute, but can you take the kids?”

“I guess. What’s it for?”

“We’ll be discussing the fall line for the shop.” It could happen. They might discuss what things the shop should stock next season. Maybe getting a straight man’s opinion would be good anyway.

“Why can’t you talk to Mia tomorrow at work?”

“It’s too hard to do it at the shop. We need to get our orders in with the designers real soon, and we’re still preparing for our summer fashion show.” She hoped the babbling would distract her from asking any more questions.

“Well. Okay. You might as well bring their pajamas and a change of clothes and have them stay overnight since they’re coming here tomorrow anyway.”

“Oh. Thank you. That will work out great.” A whole night to herself? This would be a treat. And maybe she wouldn’t spend it alone. “I’ll bring them over soon.”

This had worked out way better than Bryn had thought. Yeah, she’d fibbed, and she felt bad about it, but she was very excited about the night that lay ahead of her. Until her mother could accept the fact that she was dating, she might just have to keep making up these little white lies. They really were to help her make a better future, not only for herself, but for the kids, too.

BRYN SLIPPED
into the shower. She used her fancy scented body wash and her favorite shampoo. She reached for her razor and started on her legs, but when she got to her thighs, she wondered just how high she should shave. Would a specific someone be seeing her naked tonight? Did she want to have sex with Troy?

The answer was a definite “Hell, yes!” But it was more of a question of should she. Maybe, just maybe, some of what Mia had said the night before had dug its way into her brain. If she and Troy didn’t work out, did she want to be a notch on his bedpost? She wasn’t a stupid kid who got her kicks by having sex with random people, never to see them again. She was looking for more than just sex. But oh, God, did she need a good fucking.

Best to shave everything. Just in case.

Bryn sifted through a drawer of lacy things she hadn’t worn in forever. Her lingerie life had been reduced to cotton panties and beige bras. She pulled out a pretty pink bra. Perfect. By some miracle, she managed to locate the matching thong. If—and it was still an if—she decided to sleep with Troy, she’d be prepared.

But then Bryn slipped the lacy things over her skin, and looking at herself in the mirror—so sexy, so ready, and wanting to show herself off—the “if” part was quickly morphing into a definite.

The bell rang just as she stepped into her shoes, flutters filling her belly The possibilities that awaited her were exciting.

“Hi. You look gorgeous,” Troy said as he stepped to her, his lips meeting hers, the heat like a five-alarm blaze. Her panties may have incinerated. She wasn’t sure. Her whole body was engulfed.

“Thank you.” She stepped back before she melted to the floor in front of him. Or ripped off his clothes. She wasn’t sure which would happen first. “I just need to grab my bag.”

The next two hours were a mix of flirty looks, touches, conversation about first kisses and the most outrageous places they’d had sex. Troy’s sly smiles said exactly what Bryn wanted them to. He wanted her. He would have her. They were consenting adults, and honestly, if he did do her and ditch, she didn’t care. He was sexy as hell and confident. She had no doubts that he knew what he was doing in the bedroom, and could do it over and over. All. Night. Long.
I so need me some of that!

The waiter came back after clearing their dishes. “Would you like to see the dessert menu?”

Troy glanced at Bryn and she tried her damnedest to send a telepathic message. It must have worked. “No, thank you. Just the check, please.”

He took her hand as they exited the restaurant, and as they walked toward the car, he pulled her to him. Right there in the middle of the sidewalk, people talking, laughing, walking past them, he kissed her. It came so fast she was stunned for a moment, frozen, but then she relaxed into him. Plump lips pressed hard as his tongue slid past to mingle with hers. Bryn let go of his hand and both of hers traveled up his chest and around his neck, pulling him closer.

It had been too damn long since she’d had a kiss like that.

“Get a room,” someone mumbled, and Bryn giggled against Troy’s mouth.

He sucked in his bottom lip for a second, and with a quick raise of his eyebrows asked, “Ready to go?”

“You better believe it.”

They got into Troy’s car, and Bryn’s seat belt had barely clicked before he pulled away from the curb. But she didn’t care, the faster they got to his house the better. She’d put her own foot on the gas pedal if she could.

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath.

“What?” Bryn caught the reflection of blue and red in his side-view mirror. Her mother had been a beaver blocker, Mia, too, and now some cop was going to make her wait longer for satisfaction. Was the entire world out to prevent Bryn from getting laid?

Troy pulled to the side of the road and Bryn tried to calm her libido. Just a little while longer.

The vagina-blocking cop stepped to the window, but Bryn refused to look his way.

“License and registration.”

Shit. She knew that voice. Of course it was Eli. Troy handed his paperwork through the window and Eli looked it over. This was stupid. Bryn needed to do something.

“I know him. I’ll take care of this.” She opened the door and stepped out.

“Ma’am, please return to your vehicle,” Eli said without looking at her.

“Eli, it’s me.”

That got his attention. “Bryn, I didn’t know that was you.”

She crossed in front of the car. “You’re not really gonna give Troy a ticket, are you? We can go, right?”

“I can’t do that. He was going almost twenty miles over the speed limit in a residential neighborhood.”

“Come on. Just give him a warning and let us go.” Her body begged to be touched, ravished, and now there was a slight possibility it was not just because of Troy. Perhaps maybe part of it was seeing Eli in his uniform, being all official and everything. It was so much hotter than she remembered. Like fantasy hot—something she’d imagined while masturbating.
Put your hands on the hood of the car and spread ’em
had taken on quite an erotic meaning.

Shake out of it. She needed to find a way to calm herself down. He’s insecure, remember? But he was such a good kisser. And so damn sexy.

“Bryn, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” Troy said, breaking into her lusty vision, which was a good thing. A very good thing. “Let’s just get this over so we can go back to my place.”

She made the mistake of looking back at Eli when Troy said that. His lips had gone flat, his jaw tight. Was he mad? He had no right to be. She could go home with whomever she wanted. He had no say in who enjoyed her vagina, especially since he’d been too . . . whatever . . . to enjoy it himself.

“Sounds like a plan.” She walked back to the passenger side and got in.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” Eli said, and disappeared from Troy’s window. And he sure took his sweet time doing it.

He came back twice, asking for clarification on something. Then he made Troy get out and walk a straight line, touch his nose, and touch his thumb to each finger and count forward to four and then backward. When he’d finally determined that Troy was sober, he went back to the patrol car.

“This is fucking ridiculous,” Bryn said. The momentary fire of lust she’d had for Eli in uniform had been replaced with the fire of annoyance and aggravation. “He’s doing this to piss me off.”

“Well, it’s working.”

Shut up, Troy.

Bryn rested her arm on the armrest, her head in her hand. Her burning loins were most definitely not hot and ready anymore. Talk about icy. She could probably keep a polar bear comfy for a week.

Eli was back at the window. “Here’s your license and registration. I’ll be back with your ticket.”

“He couldn’t bring the damn ticket with him?”

“It’s fine. We’ll be out of here soon.”

Troy managed a half smile for her, but it did nothing. The moment had passed. Her vagina had closed up shop for the night.

Finally Troy had his ticket.

“Next time, don’t be in such a rush to get home,” Eli said, looking right at Bryn when he said it.

And she knew what he really meant. Don’t be in a rush to get laid. By someone other than him.
Well, buddy, you don’t have to worry about that now.

Troy pulled away from the curb. “Sorry about that. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

She looked at him, hunger still in his eyes even after being detained for a good forty-five minutes. “Can you just take me home?”

His smile fell. “Of course. There’ll be other chances.”

She hoped so.

ELI GOT
back into his patrol car and shut off his lights. That sucked. It hadn’t been the first time he’d pulled over someone he knew, but it was the first time he’d pulled over the woman he loved on her way to have sex with another man.

Troy Nathansen. He’d pulled up everything he had on the guy, not that there was much. No arrests. One ticket for turning on red at a no-turn intersection. He lived in a good neighborhood, so he must make decent money. He could see why Bryn had been with him. Two nights in a row. And from the looks of it, she couldn’t wait to hit the road and get to his place.

So yeah, Eli had been a huge pain in their asses. He knew the guy was fine, but he did the roadside sobriety check anyway. It gave him perverse pleasure watching Troy touch his nose with his finger. And he took his time writing up the ticket. Made them wait while he checked his voice mail, too. Anything to make them stay longer, to make Bryn lose her libido. And from the looks of it, she was pretty damn pissed when they’d finally left.