Love on the Lake (Lakeside 2)

At ten we pay the bill because Dillion and Tawny both work early. I stop by the pool table on our way out to say good night to Aaron.

He leans on his pool cue, his expression holding a hint of nervousness. “I’m almost done here. I could give you a ride home if you want to wait.”

“It’s kind of out of your way, isn’t it?”

He shrugs. “I don’t mind.”

I glance over at Dillion, who’s chatting with her brother, Billy. The smart thing to do would probably be to go home with Dillion and take this night for myself. Not because I don’t want Aaron to drive me home. It’s honestly the opposite.

It’s only been a month, and I already like him more than I want to admit. My tendency is to jump in with both feet and look after I’ve taken the plunge. I fall hard and fast. I like being needed and wanted. But Van has a point: I do have a hard time saying no, even when I should. Only this time I don’t want to say no; I just think I should because I’m worried that if I stay, I’m somehow giving up the independence I’m working on. Or maybe I’m overthinking it.

“Unless you don’t want to hang around.” Aaron chalks his pool cue.

“I’ll stay.”

He smiles, almost shyly. “I need to finish kicking Billy’s ass, then we can go.” Aaron pats the stool beside him. “Have a seat, babe. This shouldn’t take long.”

“You stayin’ for a bit, then, Teag?” Dillion tips her chin toward Aaron.

I nod, and she comes over to give me a one-armed hug. “We’ll talk tomorrow. Have fun, you smitten kitten.”

Aaron offers to buy me a drink, but I decline. I had one drink, and my medication amplifies the effect. I’m already tipsy; I don’t need another drink or I risk getting emotional, and today has been kind of intense.

Aaron stands beside me between shots, explaining how the game is played and what the rules are. I’m a distraction, apparently, because it takes nearly twenty minutes for them to finish, and Aaron loses because he sinks the eight ball without calling it. He doesn’t seem to care all that much. He slides a twenty into the front pocket of Billy’s shirt and gives him a pat on the chest, telling him to enjoy the victory while it lasts.

Billy tries to push him to play another game, and I don’t need to be up early, since I don’t have to work until four in the afternoon, but it’s only the middle of the week, and Aaron has early mornings. His job is often dependent on weather and daylight, so he starts with the sun most days.

His fingertips rest against my lower back as we cross the parking lot to where his truck is parked. “You have fun with the girls tonight?”

“I did. Tawny and Allie are nice, and I really like Dillion, which is good since she’s going to be my sister-in-law eventually. What about you? Did you have a good time with the guys?”

“Yeah, they’ve been hounding me to come out, and I’ve been pretty busy lately. They gave me a good razzing when they put two and two together and figured out the reason I hadn’t been around all that much was you.” He unlocks the door and helps me up into the passenger seat.

Once I’m settled, he rounds the hood and hops into the driver’s seat. I haven’t been inside his truck before. The one Dillion drives is new, with leather interior. It’s clean and smells like pine air freshener.

Aaron’s truck is older and obviously used for work purposes. There’s a layer of dust on the dash and a surfboard air freshener that, judging by the smell of sawdust and nails, probably hasn’t been changed in a while. The back seats are pushed up, making room for a toolbox and various tools that line the floor. It’s organized and tidy but dusty. The cup holder has an empty Dad’s root beer bottle in it. The same kind that’s still sitting in my fridge.

“Sorry ’bout the mess.”

“It’s not messy.”

“It’s not entirely clean either.” He stretches his arm across the back of the seat, fingers sliding under my hair until his palm rests against the back of my neck.

I shiver at the touch.

“You cold? You want me to roll the windows up?”

“The windows are fine.”

He pulls out of the lot and heads toward Van’s place, which I guess is my place now too.

“You gotta work tomorrow night, right?” His thumb sweeps back and forth along the edge of my jaw, by my ear.

“Yup, at the pub. You going to stop by and let me make you a root beer float?”

“Maybe.” He grins. “What’s your weekend looking like? You have to go to the city, or you sticking around here?”