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“Nero…” This was ridiculous. What should have been a simple road trip to deliver a cake was turning into a day and night that cost more than my bakery’s rent and my mortgage combined.
He held his hands up. “Hey if you want to put on the same pair of underwear and that cake smushed bra, I won’t stop you.”
The thought of Nero in a store picking out undergarments for me was as terrifying as the Shining twins appearing in the hallway. “You are not buying me undergarments.”
“Why not? I bought you tampons before.” He’d always been good like that ever since we were teenagers. A few times when Sherry and I had a sleepover as teens, I’d unexpectedly gotten my period. Usually the house was well stocked between Sherry and Chardonnay, but Char had been away for the summer and Sherry forgot to restock. I panicked, and was embarrassed to ask Sherry’s parents to drive me to the store, especially since I didn’t have any money on me. I was fifteen. Nero had found me pacing the hallway. I lied, and he saw right through it. Now I know it was because I touched my damn ear. I didn’t want to tell him, but he figured it out. He told me to grab Sherry, and he brought us to the store. He didn’t just bring me there, either. He paid for the tampons and two pints of ice cream.
Not once did he make me feel uncomfortable. But tampons came in multiple sizes and, for the most part, it was easy to determine what size you needed on that day. Depending on the brand, the cut, the material and so many other factors, I could be four different sizes in underwear. Not to mention tampons were hidden away in a box. I did not need Nero holding up a pair of panties big enough to cover my luscious ass in the middle of a store.
“Underwear is more intimate,” I said.
“More intimate than an item you shove up your—”
“Okay!” I held up my hand as if it were a stop sign and not stopping wasn’t an option.
The jerk laughed. “You’re cute when you’re flustered.”
“Bottle that charm up and put it away. It’s not going to work on me.”
“Are your panties in a bunch? You should probably get out of them.”
“Smooth,” I said, giving credit where credit was due.
“I thought so.” He stepped toward me, resting a hand on my arm. “How about this? There are two big fluffy robes hanging in the bathroom. What about you go take a bath and put on the robe? I’ll go get a few bottles of acceptable wine, and we can rent whatever movie catches your fancy and we can get drunk here in the room.”
Hopefully the robe would cover the girls. Still, I didn’t want to be in a robe while Nero was fully clothed. “Will you put on a robe, too?”
“If that’s what you want.”
I nodded. “That’s what I want.” There was no way in hell I was going to be wrapped in a robe while he was fully dressed. It was all or nothing.
“Deal. Now go in the bath. I’ll be back before you get out.”
“How do you know?”
“Just a hunch.” He winked, then headed out.
I turned toward the bathroom and gasped as I took in the tub and the view surrounding it. The water came out in a hot stream, and I added some of the complimentary soap to make bubbles. The scent of lemons with undertones of bergamot and rosemary filled the air.
My eyes drifted to the closed door. I thought about locking it but decided not to. I slipped out of my clothes, sinking beneath the hot, deliciously scented water.
I inhaled, letting out a long breath as the weight of the day melted off my shoulders. The view made it feel like I could be on display for the whole world, but I knew up here, I was in my own world. All of my problems were sixty stories below, waiting for me to return, but for now, I closed my eyes, forgetting about the broken car, the unpaid bills, and all the other worries that followed me around on a daily basis.
I would return to reality tomorrow.
It wasn’t hard to find a good wine in this hotel, so I acquired two bottles, spoke with the bartender about the winery—Gramps always said to shoot your shot every chance you had—and I did. It made me feel like I was contributing more to the family business and to Gramps’ legacy.
A short while later, I headed to the room, expecting Lainey to be out of the tub and already robed up and under the covers. Instead, the bathroom door was still closed, and the mumbles of singing floated into the main room.
Lainey never could carry a tune. Not that it ever stopped her from belting out every lyric. As long as she was having fun, she never really cared what people thought of her. It was a confidence I admired. There was nothing sexier than a woman who exuded self-assurance and was completely comfortable just being herself.
Jesus. I shoved my hand through my hair. Sexy and Lainey was not something I ever thought to put together. I’d always looked at her like a little sister, but after that kiss… she ripped down my blinders, stomped them into oblivion, and now it was taking everything I had not to picture Lainey on the other side of that door, naked and covered in soapsuds.
My dick twitched as the thought entered my mind. Then Franc’s words drowned it out.
She’s too good for you. You don’t want forever. You never have. It’s not who you are. You get bored too easily. Move from one woman to the next.
I hated the words, but what I hated more was how right they truly were. Though, I couldn’t imagine a world where I’d get bored with Lainey. For most of our lives, she had entertained me, made me smile and laugh, brought joy even on my darkest days. Lainey was many things and boring simply was not one of them.
