My mind goes back to earlier when we were standing in my hallway, both of us with our hands on my dick. Fuck, her hands felt good. I think my body tried to keep her hands on me even when she tried to pull away. That’s the only explanation I can think of for why I held her hands on my dick for longer than necessary. Not that her hands on my dick were necessary at all. Fucking amazing, yes. Necessary, no. Hopefully to her it just felt like I was trying to keep myself covered.
I shake my head and laugh. “I doubt that very much. Probably just make her more persistent. She’d try to get me into the shower when I visit, hoping I’d come out naked so she could do the same thing.”
“Damn.” Rhea’s eyes light up with a smile, her face still red. “I was hoping my embarrassment could at least serve a purpose. There’s gotta be a reason we were standing there holding your dick awkwardly, together.”
“Well, you know, sometimes you just need to hold a dick with someone just because. There doesn’t always need to be a reason for awkward dick holding between near strangers. I mean, the situation presented itself and we did what needed to be done. But now that it’s happened, we’re going to have to admit that we’re more friends than strangers.”
Rhea’s face brightens, her smile turning into a giggle, which then turns into a full on laugh. God, she’s gorgeous. Ryder’s usually the one being a funny guy and if this is how it feels, I can see why he’s always trying to make Denise laugh. I could listen to Rhea laugh all day.
But that’s exactly why I need to get away from her. She deserves love and happiness and that’s not something I can give her. I need to stop this before it can get any further. There’s no way I can be what she needs.
“OK, are you ready to go find your keys now?”
“Oh, um, yeah sure.”
The lightness in her eyes is gone now, replaced with a look of disappointment. Yeah, we were having fun, but I can’t allow it to continue. I feel bad but it’s better this way. I’m not fit to be a partner for anyone, that’s why I don’t do relationships.
“Alright, I’ll just pay the bill and I’ll meet you outside then. Take the keys and let yourself in the car.” I stand up and take the keys from my pocket.
She just nods and takes the keys from my hand. I watch as she walks to the doors before leaving the booth myself.
“You dumbass,” Gran says as I walk by her table. “What did you do to her in five minutes to put that frown on her face?”
“You two looked like you were starting something. What went wrong since we left you?” Lana adds.
“Nothing happened,” I say, pulling cash out of my wallet. “She’s obviously amazing. She’s just way too good for me.”
“Well, now that’s definitely the truth.”
“Thanks, Gladys. I knew I could count on you to make me feel better,” I deadpan. “I don’t do relationships; I’m not made for them. Rhea deserves more than what I can ever give her, so it’s easier for everyone if I just shut it down before it begins. Plus, she’s not even interested in me, anyway.”
“Oh geez, and here I thought Ryder was the dumb one of all you boys. You’re giving him a run for his money, kid.” Gran shakes her head. “You are made for a relationship. You just need to find the right person. But you can’t do that if you push away anyone you have a connection with. And if there’s one thing I can tell, it’s that you have a connection with Rhea.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Gran. Gladys, Lana.” I nod my head at the three of them. “You ladies have a nice day.”
I drop money on the counter for our breakfasts and head out to my car. Rhea is already in the passenger seat waiting for me. I strip off my wet shirt and throw it into the back seat. Good thing I brought her tank from last night. Looks like I’ll have to bring it to her some other time since I need to wear it right now.
“I was going to give this back to you today,” I say as I get into the vehicle, “but I need to borrow it for a bit, if that’s OK?”
“Well, it is your shirt, after all, right?” She laughs, remembering what I said to her at the club last night.
“Yeah, yeah, funny. You know what I meant.”
“I do now, yes. It’s good that you don’t look like that when you’re just out walking around,” she says, pointing at the picture of me on the shirt. “It would look a little silly if people could tell that you’re wearing a shirt with your own picture on it.”
“Yeah, my ego isn’t that big. Ryder might do something like that, though.” I laugh. “Or even Johnny, if he weren’t currently being neurotic about someone who’s playing him the way he usually plays women. Getting a taste of his own medicine isn’t sitting well with him. It works out for me though, because when he’s upset, he bakes, and he brings a lot to me.”
“Who’s Johnny?” She asks.
“Oh, he’s in the band with me. He plays guitar. If you’ve ever seen anything of ours, he’s the one covered in tattoos pretty much head to toe. He’s basically the last person you’d expect to be a stress baker.”
She smiles. “I wish I had friends who brought me baked goods. At least I have Xena, though. I can always get coffee. She even tried to give me donuts yesterday when she found out I got fired, but then she freaked out and threw them through the window when Devon showed up and reminded her of the whole cops and donuts thing.”
I snort out a laugh. I can just picture Xena panicking and trying to get rid of the evidence by throwing donuts all over. “At least coffee is always a good thing.”
She looks out the window, so I don’t bother to continue the conversation. I suppose I was a bit of a dick at the diner, so I can’t blame her for not wanting to interact right now.
We drive in silence the rest of the way to Bump & Grind. I want to keep talking to her, because I’m enjoying her company. Maybe we can just be friends? She seems like someone I could have a good time with. I’m not sure I could handle just being friends, though. I feel like I’d always be wishing for more.
