“You can fuck me all you want.”
“No. If I can’t have more, then I won’t fuck you.”
“Ugh,” I groaned. The way he calmly drew the line in the sand pissed me off, but waffles did sound good, and I was so done with this party. “Fine. Feed me waffles.”
“Awesome.” If I thought his smirk was a force to be reckoned with, it was nothing compared to the full smile that almost knocked me off my feet. Damn.
“Let’s go then.”
“Wait. What’s your name?” I asked.
“Wondered if you’d get to that.”
“Playing hard to get?”
“Nah. I’m pretty easy.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” I deadpanned.
“I’m Austin.”
“Raelynn.”
“Well, Rae, let’s go eat.”
My nickname rolled off his tongue without me even telling him that’s what my friends called me. I liked it. And with less hesitation than I should’ve had, I followed him out, sending a quick message to the girls.
We were silent beyond the basics of eating out. What are you getting? What’s your favorite thing to get here? How do you like your coffee? Do you like lemon in your water? I wanted to be disappointed by the turn of events, but when the salty, buttery, sweet waffle hit my mouth, I regretted nothing.
“What are we doing?” I asked around a mouthful of waffle.
He huffed a laugh at my mumbled question, taking the time to finish his bite before answering. “We’re becoming friends.”
“Friends?”
“Yeah. I now know you like cinnamon waffles, coffee as black as your soul, and no lemon in your water. We’re getting to know each other.”
“Yeah, I’ve learned you’re stubborn as hell.”
“I can be. What else?”
“You like nasty-ass blueberry waffles, a mildly okay preference of coffee with more than enough cream but no sugar, and you like an obscene amount of syrup on your pastries,” I said, cringing at the soup-like mess on his plate.
“See. Friends,” he exclaimed proudly. “People who like each other, but don’t fuck.”
“Ugh.” I balked at the explanation because I wasn’t sure there would ever be a time I didn’t want to fuck this man. He was every fantasy come to life.
“You obviously don’t have friends.”
“Excuse me, I have plenty of friends. Asshole.”
He held up his hands, laughing. “Okay, okay. You don’t have guy friends,” he specified.
“True,” I conceded.
“Cool. Then I’ll be the one to show you the ropes—now pass me the bacon.”
“Fuck, no. I love bacon,” I said, grabbing the piece and shoving it in my mouth before he could reach it.
“You’re the worst friend ever,” he said, laughing.
“Oh, you just wait. I’ll show you.”
Chapter One
Austin
“Fuck me.”
That stupid red sports car shined like a beacon of light, screaming conceited asshole everywhere it went. And there it sat, warning me that the dinner Rae invited me to wasn’t just her family and me. No, it was me, her family, and her boyfriend.
I couldn’t even think the word without cringing.
Stalling, I pulled out my phone to check my messages.
King: Want to grab some dinner?
Me: Can’t. I’m about to walk into Rae’s house to have dinner with her family.
King: What’s it called when you’re pussy whipped without having any pussy?
Me: Fuck you.
I played football with King in college. Other than Rae, he was my closest friend, and he liked nothing more than giving me shit about my relationship with Rae. Ignoring his response, I opened the next message.
Gma: Maybe you can come visit after your weekend in Vegas.
Gma: Grandpa told me to tell you to not do anything he wouldn’t do—which isn’t much—so have fun.
Me: I’ll definitely be there.
Gma: Bring a girlfriend with you.
Me: Only when I’m serious.
Gma: Okay. We love you.
Me: Love you too.
I could feel her sigh of disappointment all the way through the text message from miles away upstate. However, she knew better than anyone how I felt about relationships.
Before I could change my mind and reverse out of Rae’s winding driveway, I killed the engine and knocked on the door.
Rae flung it open and slammed into my chest point two seconds later. On reflex, my arms wrapped around her petite frame, finding the familiar grooves of her ribs, losing myself in the points where her fingers pressed into my back. We’d hugged a million times over the years, but each one stole my breath.
Just as quick, she backed up, dragging me inside before gently closing the door.
The golden chandelier hanging high in the foyer shined down like a spotlight, illuminating her sharp cheekbones and thick lashes.
“Thank god you’re here.”
She brushed back her hair, the highlights like flashes of gold—just like her shoes. She wore all black, except for those sparkly-ass shoes. That was Rae. She appeared regal and untouchable, but when you looked close enough, when you gave her the time of day, her bold personality exploded like a fireworks finale.
“Nova is finishing up the tour, and Vera bailed on me for her adorable, chubby, little baby. Blech.”
I cocked my brow, knowing damn well that she loved that baby, and blech was the furthest thing from the truth.