“He’s a miracle worker,” Abby says, staring dreamily at her husband as he goes off to referee between their two sons.
“It certainly seems like he usurps book boyfriends.”
“He so does. I’m a lucky bitch.” She loops her arm in mine again. “Come on, let me introduce you to the others.”
ChapterTwenty-Two
Drew
“There you are, sweet cheeks,” Athena says, dropping onto my lap uninvited. “I got you another beer.” She hands it to me before smoothing the creases in my brow with her thumbs.
My skin tingles from her touch, adding to the general aggravation I’ve been feeling all day. No matter how many times I tell everyone we are not together and this is all one big joke to her, they refuse to believe it. I know my friends are just going along with it to wind me up, but Mom actually buys into it, and she’s going to be upset when she finds out it’s not real. Somehow, it’ll all be my fault even though I have not encouraged this one little bit.
“Don’t frown, darling,” Athena adds, moving on my lap in a way that is not helpful.
My dick has struggled to get the memo today, and I’ve been hiding semis and stiffies from the kids all afternoon because she keeps touching me and pressing up against me and treating me like her own personal chair. “If the wind changes, your face will be stuck like that.”
“Athena,” I growl, grabbing her hips and warning her with a sharp look. “I’m close to my breaking point, and I really wouldn’t test me any further if I were you.”
Her warm breath fans across my ear as she leans in and whispers, “What if I want to be punished?”
“Trust me, you don’t want that,” I say before knocking back a mouthful of beer. If I had her somewhere private, I would paddle her naughty ass until it’s bright red before fucking her into next week.
My thoughts shock me, and I knock back more beer, unwilling to analyze them.
“You don’t know what I want.” She squirms on my lap again, and I curse under my breath.
“And I’ll never find out,” I say in case she’s buying into any of this.
“If you say so.” She purses her lips and grins as she plucks the beer bottle from my fingers and takes a swig from it.
Joaquin smirks at me from his seat on the couch across from me, and I snarl at him. It’s usually just the two of us who are dateless at family events, but he doesn’t seem to mind being the only solo male here today. Charlie, Demi, and Xavier have been riling me up all day while Sawyer is scrutinizing Athena like she’s some alien species. And I get it. I don’t do this—even in jest.
I haven’t spoken much to Shandra and Rick, apart from a brief congratulations when we first sat down to eat. I’ve picked up Shandra’s curious stares a few times though, which makes me a little uncomfortable.
I don’t know why I thought it was a good idea to invite Athena or why I’m going along with this bullshit.
Her arms wind around my neck, and her tits are all up in my face as she drapes herself around me and buries her face in my neck.
My body stiffens all over. “What are you doing?”
“Smelling you,” she says, audibly sniffing me.
Charlie is sitting beside me, and he heard every word. He’s laughing and holding his stomach, and I visualize punching him repeatedly in the face because it’s the only way I can calm myself down.
Athena abruptly sits up. “What is that cologne?” she asks, wearing a deep frown.
“What’s it to you?”
“Nothing.” She wets her lips and shakes her head before scrambling off my lap and standing. “I’m going to head home.”
I should feel relieved. I mean Iamrelieved, but there’s disappointment there too that I don’t understand. “Let me call you a car,” I say, rising to my feet. I’ve had too much to drink to drive her home, and I’ll probably just crash at Mom’s tonight.
“I can call my own car.”
“You’re my guest. I’ll make arrangements while you say goodbye. I’ll meet you at the front door.”
I stand outside while I wait for her, welcoming the cold as it whistles around me. I brought Athena here today to learn more about her, but it backfired in a major way. All I learned is she has a good sense of humor and she’s great with strangers. She bonded with all the kids and the adults. It’s easy to tell she comes from money because she carries herself with grace in social settings. However, as much as I admire that in her, I’m not used to being played, and she has pissed me off a lot today. Even if I can admit it was funny as fuck at times. I’ll try to remember that when I’m consoling Mom because I already know she loves her, and she’s probably planning our wedding in her head.
