Page 37 of Stud

“Yeah, weirdo. Like that.” I dropped a kiss to the end of her adorable nose. “A friend’s in San Francisco for a visit, and we have plans. Then I’m heading out of town for a few days.” The way her face fell shouldn’t have made me grin. The defeated slump in her posture shouldn’t have had me wanting to run a victory lap. I was in trouble. “I need to head back to D.C., tie up some loose ends there.”

Meaning I had to surgically remove Tessa’s talons from my neck.

“Work stuff?”

My lungs stilled. Each nob of my spine scratched into the coarse tree bark.

Ainsley had never asked about my past. She’d obviously assumed I was seeing Emmett and left my romantic history at that. I should open my mouth and tell her about the clusterfuck of a divorce chasing me, but it had taken me months to tell Nana the lewd details, worried she’d believe the slander. Ainsley and I were just finding our feet. If I told her about my divorce, there would be questions, and I’d have to explain the extent of Tessa’s accusations.

I offered her a partial truth. “I have a house that hasn’t sold yet and some furniture pieces I have to ship.”

“That sucks.”

“It does.”

Unaware of my unease, she pushed away from me and flopped on her back, pouting like a child. “I am not disappointed at all. I will not be using Blue Bunny while wishing you were between my thighs. Won’t happen.”

Leave it to this hellcat to ease my discomfort with her ridiculousness. I straddled her, pinning her wrists by her sides. “Who is this Blue Bunny? And do I need to be jealous?”

“You do. His stamina is remarkable.”

“Explain yourself, doll.”

“He’s my fuck buddy, and he’s rechargeable.”

My blood burned hot again, and my grip on her wrists tightened. “Sounds like a busy bunny.”

She tried to blow away the blond hairs streaking across her face. “You know what they say about rabbits. Plus I’ve had some issues to work through lately.”

Her and me both. My recent evenings made my teen masturbation-athons seem amateurish. I could swing by her place later, after drinks with Jimmy, steal a few hours with her before sleep and waking for my flight. But that’s not how I wanted things to begin with Ainsley. “If I can cut my trip short, I will.” I pushed to my feet, then helped her up. “You need me to dust off your ass?”

She shoved at my chest, and her belly rumbled. “What I need is food.”

What I needed was to get my life in order.

By the time I walked into The Blue Door, most of the unpretentious wine bar was full. Luckily, Jimmy and Emmett had already secured a table. The dim lights cast a glow on the wine collection filling the back wall as Eric Clapton drifted from the speakers. I found an empty place at the crowded bar and nodded to Cameron. “Hey.”

He reached for a bottle of Pliny. “The usual?”

I’d been here enough that I could order with as little as a head nod, but my impending trip and my slight deception with Ainsley had me craving something harder. “Double Scotch on the rocks.”

“Coming right up.” Cameron was as tattooed as Jimmy, but instead of sporting a mess of wavy black hair, his blond pompadour was neatly styled. He poured my drink, then pushed my tumbler of amber liquid toward me. “Who’s the new guy?”

I glanced at my friends. Jimmy had been a fixture here awhile, introduced me to it when I’d moved back, but it was Emmett’s first night here. “My brother.”

“Seriously? You look nothing alike.”

Emmett’s wavy dark hair, olive skin, and darker eyes gave him a European look. As a kid, my sandy hair and square jaw often had people labeling me All-American Boy. “You mean I’m much better looking?”

His gray eyes cut to my brother, an appraising perusal that had my eyebrows inching up. Emmett attracted every available man in sniffing distance. I picked up my glass. “He’s trouble. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Cameron was a good guy, and I dug hanging out here. Last thing I needed was my brother the manwhore making the place uncomfortable.

Still, Cameron cast a searching glance at him. “Noted. You can settle up after.”

I made my way to the boys and sunk into a seat opposite them. “Here’s to a crazy day.”

“Good to see you, too.” Jimmy clinked his wineglass with my tumbler, Emmett following with his beer bottle. Jimmy swirled his glass. “To what do we owe the crazy?”

After the day I’d had, that was a loaded question. I hadn’t mentioned Ainsley to Jimmy yet. Emmett didn’t have much more dirt on the subject. Neither knew about Tessa’s accusations and how painful seeing her would be on tomorrow’s trip.