Keep Me (28 page)

His story was so goddamn adorable, it made me love the tailor-made endearment even more. I thought it was sweet when he called me that, rather than the generic ‘baby’ or ‘sweetheart.’ But hearing the meaning behind it— “You just keeping getting better and better,” I said as I leaned in for that kiss.

His hands massaged my scalp as our tongues tangled together at a slow, gentle pace. Our kisses were usually frantic and rough, a prelude to what would come next, but with Luca at our feet, it had to stop somewhere.

He was the first to pull back, leaving me breathless and wanting more. “I can say the same about you—like a fine wine, we’re both better with age.”

I laughed, just wanting to stay in this moment. The simplicity of just being together was like a breath of fresh air—it warmed my heart and made it feel safe and cozy, embraced and protected. “Maybe we should get started on a few things before everyone gets here. How many you expecting?”

He leaned down to peek at Luca, who was starting to doze off in his bouncy seat. Kid was like clockwork—time for his mid-morning nap. Maybe we could have indulged in that kiss a little longer. “Not too many, but you never know. These things always have a tendency to get out of hand. Beck and Marissa will probably be here within the hour, but the rest won’t be around until after two.”

“Okay, then,” I said, standing. “Let’s get this party started while little man sleeps. I can get more done with two hands.”

After carrying a napping Luca and his seat into the other room, Marcus met me at the refrigerator, where I searched for the ingredients for a pasta salad I wanted to make. He spun me around and caged me in his arms. The backside of me should have been cold from the temperature inside the fridge, but my body always sizzled around Marcus.

“We have time to put your two beautiful hands to use.”

“Yes, to make my pasta salad,” I played dumb.

“I don’t mean in the kitchen, pretty girl.”

“Why whatever
do
you mean, handsome?”

In one swift, effortless movement, Marcus swooped me up into his arms and carried me into the screened room off the kitchen. The house was quiet, Luca and Riley both in their tenth dreams at this point. But when Marcus knelt before me, spread my legs, and hooked a finger inside the crotch of my cotton shorts, I prayed I’d be able to stifle the sounds that were certain to follow.

“Aaannnnnnddd… flip. HA! First try. We win. Again!” My team had won flip-cup, three times in a row. You know, the game where two teams of five people lined up on opposite sides of a table with half-full cups of beer. The object was to guzzle the beer down as fast as possible and then flip the empty cup over, where it had to land upright. Once the first person in the line completed this task the rest of the line followed suit and the team to complete the ridiculously childish mission first, was the winner. No matter what team I found myself on, I was the flip-cup champion today. I was also fucking wasted. Having minded the grill underneath the scorching sun all afternoon, I dubbed five o’clock not only happy hour, but time-to-be-shit-faced hour.

Tessa was a huge help all day; refilling the coolers with ice, cleaning up empty plates, and even mingling with some of the guys. Everyone seemed to be getting along great, accepting my new status as unavailable, and I didn’t have to deck anyone yet for drooling over her in that goddamn bikini. Now she was off somewhere with Luca and a few of Riley’s friends. And Beck, who had shown up
without
Marissa, was on the losing flip-cup team, staring a little too long in the direction of my girl.

“Hey, douche.” I chucked the mouthful of liquid left in my cup onto his shirt. “Can I help you with something?”

Beck quickly straightened up, shaking his head back and forth, as if to undo the gawking. He wiped off the tiny drops that landed on his face and narrowed his gaze in my direction this time. “What was that for, asshole?”

“For eye-fucking Tessa. Get your own girl. And speaking of your own girl, where the hell is Marissa?”

His attention was back in the direction of the girls making a fuss over Luca in his skull and cross bones printed swim trunks and a t-shirt that said
My Mom Rocks
. Beck returned to face me with a miserable look on his usually happy-go-lucky face. “I needed a break. Something’s just not clicking anymore. I can’t explain it.”

I knew something was up; this week he had mentioned something about them not spending as much time together, but hell if I was the one he should be soliciting advice from. “Well, if you’re looking for answers to your dilemma, you’ve come to the wrong place. Don’t you remember it was
me
not too long ago asking
you
for the deal on relationships? And, by the way, I took that advice, so does this mean Tessa and I are doomed, too?” This was way too serious of a conversation to have while I this inebriated. One more beer or another shot of Patron and the slurring of speech would ensue. I needed to slow down. I didn’t want to be sloppy in front of Tessa.

“Dude, grab me that water?” I motioned to the cooler sitting right behind Beck.

He tossed it to me and I gulped it down, hoping to dilute some of the poison that was turning me back into the person I used to be just a few short months ago—wild, loose, irresponsible, and reckless.

Refreshed, I stood up to make my way back toward Tessa, deciding that whatever was eating at Beck was something he’d rather not talk about. Kid usually had diarrhea of the mouth when it came to shit like this, but maybe he just wasn’t in the mood to unleash all his dating woes on me now that I was happily dating myself.

When he stood up and started to follow me, I was surprised. “I thought you were wallowing? I’m gonna go see if Tessa and Luca need anything—you can sit here and continue your pity party if you want.”

“Oh fuck off. I just want to talk to Riley about something. She… uh… she dropped her lipstick in the cab last week so I picked it up and brought it here to give it back to her.”

“Oh, how sweet of you.” I elbowed him in the gut with a sarcastic singsong reply.

When we got to the girls, everyone’s chatter stopped instantly. From what I understood, women were far more inclined to dish about their sex lives then us men were. Sure we would boast about a good lay or brag about a blowjob, but women were brutal when it came to locker room talk. They went into detail about cock size, orgasm strength, spooning frequency… “Sorry to interrupt ladies, but mind if I grab my girl for a little while?”

Two of the other girls practically swooned. The redhead’s eyes never left my shirtless torso and the plump brunette was actually wiping drool from her mouth.
Ah, I still had it
—and something told me that being unavailable added to the appeal. I winked at my admirers, realizing I probably shouldn’t have—shit, old habits died hard.

Tessa sat up from her lounge chair—unaffected—and lifted Luca from the toddler pool I had bought at the mini-mart and inflated at the gas station. She dangled him in front of her and I quickly grabbed the towel with the red hoodie made to look like a lobster’s head. I draped it around the wriggling, dripping wet Luca and took him from her arms. “Come here, little dude. Mommy’s getting all wet.” Her bathing suit stuck to her in all the right places. I could see that her nipples were hard through the skimpy fabric. I wanted to take one in my mouth, play with it between my teeth. I tried to ignore the fantasy because Luca was snug in my arms, but I arched a brow and stifled a groan as I watched the water trickle from the swell of her tits down to her tanned navel. “Holy shit, you look hot, pretty girl.”

“Marcus!” she scolded me, embarrassed by my bluntness in front of so many people. “See you girls in a bit. Luca needs a new diaper and Marcus needs to sober up.”

I pulled her close to me with my free arm, hooking it around her neck, and nuzzling my nose behind her ear. “Sobering up won’t help, Tess. I’m drunk off you.”

“No,” she giggled, “it’s the alcohol. Now, quit pawing at me like that. Everyone’s watching.”

Pawing at her
? Since when did she mind my hands on her body?

She must have sensed I was offended because an apologetic smile splayed across her blushing face. “I’m sorry. It’s just that Riley’s here and I know she’s uncomfortable and,” her expression changed from calm to heated, like all of a sudden she remembered something unsettling. “All those girls… you had to hear the way they were talking about you, Marcus. Did you know you hooked up with Natasha’s sister? She thinks you’re a total dog!”

I knew it was only a matter of time before my past came back to haunt me. I just expected Tessa to be more forgiving. I backed away from her, still cradling Luca on my hip, and narrowed my gaze, frustrated. “Hey, Natasha’s sister,” I searched my brain for a name… not being able to remember it wasn’t going to help my cause. When I fell short, okay flat, for an answer, I just continued. “She has nothing to do with us. You’re going to let those girls get in your head? Ruin everything?” For the first time since we solidified our feelings for each other, I worried that what Beck said about not being good enough for her was right.

“No, of course not, but—”

“But nothing.” I pulled her closer again and kissed her on the mouth, hard. Luca squirmed, sandwiched between us, but giggled. “I’m all yours. And have I ever been a dog to you?”

She shook her head and bit her bottom lip, smiling. Her eyes sparkled with desire, her beautiful features relaxed again.

“Good.” I kissed the tip of her perfectly upturned nose. “Now, let’s loosen you up a bit. Pick your poison: wine, beer, shots, or vodka?” I headed in the direction of the bar, but she tugged my arm, loosening Luca from my grip.

“Nothing for me, yet. Let me get him changed and then, later when he’s asleep for the night, I promise I’ll indulge in a cocktail or two.”

“Suit yourself.” I turned back in the direction of the bar and then shouted over my shoulder. “Need help inside with little man?”

“No, babe.” She winked. “We’re good.”

We’re good.
I knew she wasn’t just talking about her and Luca and the diaper change. Happy we averted the issue of past fuck-ups and fuck buddies, I headed off to find Beck for another round of flip cup. Scouring the yard and searching the dock, I finally spotted him with Riley. The two of them were alone, feet dangling off the dock, having what seemed to be a heated conversation. Riley’s arms flailed all about as Beck’s face was all up in hers. What the fuck was that all about? She couldn’t possibly be that angry about leaving her lipstick in the cab. I started to march over to them when a cold, familiar hand tapped me on the shoulder.

“Nice party, City.”

City?
No fucking way! “Skylar. What are you doing here?”

She planted her hands on her hips, pouting. “Not the reception I was expecting. Did I overlook my invitation?”

No! She didn’t overlook anything. This party was by invite only. Naughty neighbors were not on the “sure, come to my party and meet my girlfriend” list. “Um, sorry. Oversight, I guess. Had no idea you’d be around this weekend. I’m here with…”

“Oh, I know exactly when you got here and I’ve seen all the things you’ve been up to. Who was the lucky girl with her head between your legs on the dock the other night?”

Shit! She saw that?
I didn’t like the idea of her spying on Tessa and me, especially while we were intimate. It made it all seem cheap and no amount of explaining could rectify the image of a naked woman on her knees out in public. It wasn’t cheap and neither was my girl, and the whole idea of Skylar being here made me very defensive. “That would be my girlfriend. We thought we were alone.”

She flashed a catty, evil smile. “I enjoyed the show. Very much. In fact, I came long and hard watching.”

I gulped. Not that I was affected by her obvious intentions, but because this was going to be hard to explain to Tessa. “Well, good for you then.” I started to back away, and then noticed Tessa stepping out onto the patio from the sliding doors. Wonderful! Why couldn’t Luca have taken a messy shit this time?
Way to buy me some time, buddy!

She walked over to me, sizing up Skylar in her black string-bikini, covered up—barely—by a mesh shirt with fringes that dangled over her midsection. “Hey, babe,” she said, staking her claim.

I tried to fight it with all my might, but dammit a smile crept on my lips at the sound of Tessa being territorial.

“Tessa, this is Skylar. The next door neighbor.”

Tessa extended her dainty hand to Skylar who hesitated for a second and then clasped her claws around Tessa’s fingers. “Pleasure to meet you. Marcus failed to inform me there’d be a party when I last saw him, so I just took it upon myself to come on over and join the fun.”

Tessa’s eyes darted between Skylar and me. I simply shrugged my shoulders and smiled, while Skylar’s eyes never left Tessa. Once over was an understatement. Skylar examined every single inch of Tessa’s hair, clothing, skin, even her pretty little toes. The awkwardness was palpable.

When Skylar finally released her grip, I let out the breath I was holding, hoping Tessa didn’t notice. “Well, I’m going to go mingle. It was nice meeting you, Tessa. Marcus, maybe we’ll catch up later.”