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He laughed and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “You won’t regret this, Abs.”
When he reached the laminate flooring in a stack against the wall, he bent over, giving her a fine view of his perfect ass, grabbed a couple of boxes, and disappeared into the main room.
Abby raised a hand to touch her cheek, which tingled from where he’d kissed her. She might live to regret his help, but one thing was for sure…things were heating up between them.
And she was powerless to stop it.
Worse, she was no longer sure she wanted to.
Tonino’s Pizza and Pasta had been a popular hangout on Pelican Bay for as long as Connor could remember. As soon as he was old enough to get working papers, Connor had applied for a job and started delivering food, either on foot or using one of the bicycles to carry pizza boxes and takeout bags. It was the perfect job because Mr. Tonino would give all the staff a free meal per shift and leftovers for them to take home.
Which often meant the difference between eating the next day or not.
Now the place was run by Mr. Tonino’s sons, Mick and Steve. Mick was Connor’s age and had been someone he used to party with. Steve was in Jason’s grade. They had a younger sister, Nikki, who was closer to Tyler’s age, and Kylie, who was somewhere in her early twenties.
From what Connor had observed the past few months, the changes Mick and Steve had made were paying off. They’d leased the lot next to them, doubling their space, and added a second story with a deck, providing an oceanfront view. Plus, they had a bar, jukebox, and stage area. Each day they rotated events, such as trivia and game night. With a stage, they brought in local bands and even had karaoke once a week. Now, the place was packed both with Pelican Bay natives and tourists—a sign that business was picking up.
Connor, Jason, Evan, and Tyler were regulars on Tuesday nights, since it was game night. They shot pool, threw darts, and even played poker when the mood struck.
Connor lined up his shot, pulled the stick back, and hit the cue ball into the stack of balls he’d racked up. The colored solid and striped balls scattered across the pool table, two of the striped balls sinking into pockets.
“He does it every time, man,” Evan said before taking a swig of beer. “Takes the lead on the break.”
“And cleans our asses up,” Jason finished. “Tell me about it. I’ve had to deal with him my entire life.”
Connor ignored them, lining up his next shot and pocketing two more before missing.
“You’re jealous because it always got me the girls,” Connor said.
“True dat,” Jason said, and clinked beer bottles with him.
“Maybe you can share your tips,” Evan said, lining up his own shot. “Jace is taken, and the well’s been dry for me.”
“You and me both,” Connor said.
“Make that three of us,” Tyler added, joining them.
Evan took his shot and missed. “In fact, your overall cheerfulness since you’ve been getting laid is downright annoying.”
Connor and Tyler murmured their agreement.
Jason laughed. “Regular sex has definitely improved my quality of life.”
Tyler winced. “Let’s not talk about how you’re sleeping with my sister. I live in the same house and don’t need to think about what you two do down the hall from my bedroom.”
“There’s another pretty lady living in the same house,” Jason said.
Tyler took the pool stick from Evan. “Dylan’s a little young for my taste. Besides, I prefer someone who doesn’t wear half her food on her face and doesn’t smell like apple juice.”
“What about Dylan’s mommy?” Evan said. “She’s a fairly neat eater, unless spaghetti is involved, and she looks and smells a lot better.”
Connor smirked at the subtle-not-subtle way Evan was attempting to pump Tyler for information. It was impossible not to notice the sexual tension between them, but neither would admit to being into each other.
“Then why haven’t you ever gone after her?” Tyler said, and lined up his shot.
“I made a move in high school,” Evan said.
Tyler had just started to shoot but missed the cue ball completely. He tried to laugh it off, but Connor caught the flash of jealousy in his eyes before proceeding with his shot, which sank the cue ball.
