“Well, I have the baby, and Eva might want to come. Tim is camping with Levar with the church this weekend.”
I roll my eyes and wait for her to mention my sister.
“Mom, Sylvie doesn’t want her kids around me.”
“Well, I don’t like that, and I’ve told her, but fine. Lunch will just be you and me. I’ll get your father to distract the kids. I miss you, Dandy.”
“Okay, I miss you, too,” I say slowly, not fully trusting her. I believe those are her intentions, but I doubt the execution. Sylvie has made my parents the default co-parents to her kids instead of their father. “Let’s meet at noon.”
With only two hours until our date, I go in search of my man.
“Rip!” I yell and hear nothing back. I check for any texts from him, and there are none. He would let me know if he was going out. When I don’t hear anything back, I text my friends in our group chat.
Me:You guys want to come for a swim later?
Selene:Can’t. My colleague is getting married today.
Me:Cori?
After several minutes, Cori doesn’t reply, so I call Selene.
“When was the last time you talked to Cori?” I ask without a hello. The last conversation I had with my best friend was the day Lexi made a scene at my job, and that was days ago.
“Um, Thursday, I think,” Selene says with a yawn. That was the same day I last talked to her. She met me for lunch, and wehad a good laugh at Lexi’s expense. I haven’t heard from her since.
“I’m worried,” I say. “She never ignores my texts. Not for this long.”
My phone buzzes, and I sigh in relief when I see a text from Cori.
Cori:Can’t today. Sick. Contagious so don’t come over. Going back to sleep.
“Did you see the group text?” Selene asks. “She’s fine. I have to go. I’m getting a mani/pedi before the wedding. I had a dream that I met a handsome groomsman.”
Selene ends the call, and I sag in relief and search the entire downstairs. I open the door that leads to the basement and call him. “Ripley?” No answer, and the light is off. I’ve never been down there, so I shut the door and go to the other side of the house.
“Baby!” I yell as I reach the door that leads to the garage. The garage door is up, and I spot him in the driveway. He’s in nothing but a pair of black basketball shorts. His naked back is to me, and I admire it while he wipes down his motorcycle. I notice that my car is also wet, so I assume he’s already washed mine.
“Hey!” He finally faces me.
Our eyes lock, and his eyes rake over my body. I’m in nothing but one of his plain black tees. It comes to the middle of my thighs. The first thing I notice is that he’s wet. The second thing is how he licks his lips when he looks at me.
“Mm,” he says softly.
He gestures for me to come over with his index finger. As if in a trance, I take slow steps toward him.
“Don’t get me wet,” I warn. “I’m meeting my mom for lunch soon.”
He tosses the rag in his hand to the floor and picks up the hose. I take a step back, but all he does is wash his hands.
“Come here,” he orders, and I go without argument. Stopping just a few inches from him, I put my hand on his chest. His skin is cool to my touch. He puts a strong arm around my waist and presses me into his wet body. Despite how cool his body is, I feel warm. His lips touch mine, and he kisses me gently enough for a butterfly.
His hand glides up my thigh until it lands on my bare butt cheek.
“What have we here?” he whispers.
I lick his stubbly chin, and he inhales. My hand finds its way down his damp shorts and around his hardening dick.
“Oooh,” I murmur.
