“I don’t like her anymore,” Wren decided and Jensen nodded.
“Yeah, me either.”
Vaughn scoffed as Wells beamed. “I still love her.”
As Brie looked up at him, her face bright with happiness, Vaughn decided he liked her a little more than he did when they got there. When he realized that didn’t scare him, he leaned forward, kissing her lips as his eyes drifted shut. When he pulled back, smiling down at her, he whispered, “I like her just fine.”
“Just fine, huh?” she asked.
He nuzzled his nose to her. “Just fine.”
Exhaling hard, she rolled her eyes. “I guess that’s good.”
“It is.”
“And don’t think I’m letting go of what I just learned.”
He groaned loudly as the table snickered at his expense.
“I’m so suing you, Wren Lemiere.”
But they all knew he wouldn’t.
What they didn’t know was that Vaughn didn’t give two shits about what they thought about his secretive dry spell. Because, in the end, he was getting enough sex to make up for that dry spell and then some with the beautiful woman sitting beside him.
And that was all that mattered.
“So.”
Rolling his eyes, Vaughn knew what was coming as he looked over at Brie while they drove to the gay club where they were meeting everyone. “Yes, Ms. Soledad?”
She snickered. She knew that he knew what she was about to ask, and she was a bit drunk, while he was stone-cold sober. He had a game the following afternoon, and because of that, he only had about two hours at the club before curfew. Not that he was letting that spoil his night. Dinner was a blast. He had missed Wells, and while Wells was dating a dud when it came to Alex, Brie was right. Wells was happy, so whatever. At least Vaughn wasn’t dating a dud. Even if she was a pain in his ass.
“So nine months is a long time not using that cock you speak of daily.”
He chuckled as he turned, heading toward the club he didn’t frequent unless he was with Wells. “I was busy. Didn’t need to use it.”
“Busy?”
“Yeah, with NateWay Two and I got a dog and Jensen came to live with me. I had things going on.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“So would you really be considered a true playboy, then?”
Shaking his head, he laughed. “I mean, yeah.”
“Or maybe someone who was holding out for the right one.”
He scoffed at that. “See, the problem with that is that I was never looking. I was good. I didn’t want anyone.”
“And now?”
He reached over, taking her hand in his, kissing the back of it. “Now, I can’t imagine my life without you.”
“Well, isn’t that the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
He pursed his lips at her. “I tell you that your pussy is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen, daily. So hush.”
She giggled. “You know what I mean.”
He kissed the back of her hand again. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
She squeezed his hand, and he felt her staring at him. “You know, that kind of takes away some of my stress that you’d leave me for that life. Since that life really wasn’t in play anyway.”
He shrugged. “You had nothing to worry about before you found that out, or now. It’s me and you, babe. Me and you.”
They rode in silence, but he didn’t miss the smile on her sweet face. She had been so awesome at dinner. She’d joked with Wells and Jensen, fit in like family. Hell, even Wren liked her, and that made him feel good. In a way, he felt like he had their blessing. Not that he needed it, he did what he wanted, but it made him feel good to have it, nonetheless. Which surprised him. But then, a lot of things about himself surprised him lately. He was changing, and it felt right. It felt good. Though, it did scare the living shit out of him. It was good.
He hoped.
When they arrived at the club, it was packed for a Thursday night, but Wells said it was dead. If this packed club was dead, then obviously, Vaughn had been out of the club scene way too long. Either way, they had a blast from the moment they walked in. Brie was bouncing around like a little kid, dancing with Wells and Alex, no cares in the world. As he watched her, Vaughn couldn’t help the grin that played on his lips. She looked beautiful, and he swore he felt it in his bones.
As they stood around the table, the music pumping and the drinks flowing, well, for Brie and Alex, Vaughn realized something.
Pointing to Wren, he accused, “Hey, why you aren’t drinking?”
Wren looked up from the water with lime she was drinking. “Because y’all can’t.”
Brie looked around, a little guilty. “Shit, am I an asshole for drinking?”
Vaughn shook his head. “No, and usually, she doesn’t care.”
“Yeah, what’s going on?” Wells asked. “You always have a glass of wine in your hand, sometimes both hands, but you didn’t drink at Mom’s either.”
Everyone looked at Wren, and her face scrunched up. “I’m trying to be nice, and I get treated like this? Nice, guys, real nice.”
“Answer the question,” Vaughn said, his eyes burning into hers. “Is something going on?”
She laughed nervously, he noted as she shook her head. “What the hell could be going on?”
Wells eyed her. “Are you knocked up?”
She burst out with laughter. “Please.”
“No, are you?”
“No, dumbass, I’m not,” she laughed, rolling her eyes. “I got superdrunk and woke up next to a dude I didn’t know, and it freaked me out. So I’m taking it easy.”
She was lying. Through her fucking teeth. But when her eyes met his, Vaughn pressed his lips together, unsure if he should call her on it. But then he didn’t have to make that decision.
“You’re lying,” Wells accused, and she rolled her eyes.
“How?”
“I know you, and you’ve woken up plenty of times next to different people you didn’t know well—family trait. It didn’t freak you out before, why did it now? What the hell is going on? Are you pregnant?” Wells yelled, and Alex’s eyes widened as Jensen watched, holding his breath.
But Wren just got madder. “Am I married? No. So, no, I’m not pregnant. You guys know the deal. And, Wells, since you can’t get the money because you’re gay, it’s up to me to get it for us, and I’m not ruining that.”
“Yeah, me either.”
Vaughn scoffed as Wells beamed. “I still love her.”
As Brie looked up at him, her face bright with happiness, Vaughn decided he liked her a little more than he did when they got there. When he realized that didn’t scare him, he leaned forward, kissing her lips as his eyes drifted shut. When he pulled back, smiling down at her, he whispered, “I like her just fine.”
“Just fine, huh?” she asked.
He nuzzled his nose to her. “Just fine.”
Exhaling hard, she rolled her eyes. “I guess that’s good.”
“It is.”
“And don’t think I’m letting go of what I just learned.”
He groaned loudly as the table snickered at his expense.
“I’m so suing you, Wren Lemiere.”
But they all knew he wouldn’t.
What they didn’t know was that Vaughn didn’t give two shits about what they thought about his secretive dry spell. Because, in the end, he was getting enough sex to make up for that dry spell and then some with the beautiful woman sitting beside him.
And that was all that mattered.
“So.”
Rolling his eyes, Vaughn knew what was coming as he looked over at Brie while they drove to the gay club where they were meeting everyone. “Yes, Ms. Soledad?”
She snickered. She knew that he knew what she was about to ask, and she was a bit drunk, while he was stone-cold sober. He had a game the following afternoon, and because of that, he only had about two hours at the club before curfew. Not that he was letting that spoil his night. Dinner was a blast. He had missed Wells, and while Wells was dating a dud when it came to Alex, Brie was right. Wells was happy, so whatever. At least Vaughn wasn’t dating a dud. Even if she was a pain in his ass.
“So nine months is a long time not using that cock you speak of daily.”
He chuckled as he turned, heading toward the club he didn’t frequent unless he was with Wells. “I was busy. Didn’t need to use it.”
“Busy?”
“Yeah, with NateWay Two and I got a dog and Jensen came to live with me. I had things going on.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“So would you really be considered a true playboy, then?”
Shaking his head, he laughed. “I mean, yeah.”
“Or maybe someone who was holding out for the right one.”
He scoffed at that. “See, the problem with that is that I was never looking. I was good. I didn’t want anyone.”
“And now?”
He reached over, taking her hand in his, kissing the back of it. “Now, I can’t imagine my life without you.”
“Well, isn’t that the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
He pursed his lips at her. “I tell you that your pussy is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen, daily. So hush.”
She giggled. “You know what I mean.”
He kissed the back of her hand again. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
She squeezed his hand, and he felt her staring at him. “You know, that kind of takes away some of my stress that you’d leave me for that life. Since that life really wasn’t in play anyway.”
He shrugged. “You had nothing to worry about before you found that out, or now. It’s me and you, babe. Me and you.”
They rode in silence, but he didn’t miss the smile on her sweet face. She had been so awesome at dinner. She’d joked with Wells and Jensen, fit in like family. Hell, even Wren liked her, and that made him feel good. In a way, he felt like he had their blessing. Not that he needed it, he did what he wanted, but it made him feel good to have it, nonetheless. Which surprised him. But then, a lot of things about himself surprised him lately. He was changing, and it felt right. It felt good. Though, it did scare the living shit out of him. It was good.
He hoped.
When they arrived at the club, it was packed for a Thursday night, but Wells said it was dead. If this packed club was dead, then obviously, Vaughn had been out of the club scene way too long. Either way, they had a blast from the moment they walked in. Brie was bouncing around like a little kid, dancing with Wells and Alex, no cares in the world. As he watched her, Vaughn couldn’t help the grin that played on his lips. She looked beautiful, and he swore he felt it in his bones.
As they stood around the table, the music pumping and the drinks flowing, well, for Brie and Alex, Vaughn realized something.
Pointing to Wren, he accused, “Hey, why you aren’t drinking?”
Wren looked up from the water with lime she was drinking. “Because y’all can’t.”
Brie looked around, a little guilty. “Shit, am I an asshole for drinking?”
Vaughn shook his head. “No, and usually, she doesn’t care.”
“Yeah, what’s going on?” Wells asked. “You always have a glass of wine in your hand, sometimes both hands, but you didn’t drink at Mom’s either.”
Everyone looked at Wren, and her face scrunched up. “I’m trying to be nice, and I get treated like this? Nice, guys, real nice.”
“Answer the question,” Vaughn said, his eyes burning into hers. “Is something going on?”
She laughed nervously, he noted as she shook her head. “What the hell could be going on?”
Wells eyed her. “Are you knocked up?”
She burst out with laughter. “Please.”
“No, are you?”
“No, dumbass, I’m not,” she laughed, rolling her eyes. “I got superdrunk and woke up next to a dude I didn’t know, and it freaked me out. So I’m taking it easy.”
She was lying. Through her fucking teeth. But when her eyes met his, Vaughn pressed his lips together, unsure if he should call her on it. But then he didn’t have to make that decision.
“You’re lying,” Wells accused, and she rolled her eyes.
“How?”
“I know you, and you’ve woken up plenty of times next to different people you didn’t know well—family trait. It didn’t freak you out before, why did it now? What the hell is going on? Are you pregnant?” Wells yelled, and Alex’s eyes widened as Jensen watched, holding his breath.
But Wren just got madder. “Am I married? No. So, no, I’m not pregnant. You guys know the deal. And, Wells, since you can’t get the money because you’re gay, it’s up to me to get it for us, and I’m not ruining that.”
