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I’d never been referred to as anyone’s blessing before and didn’t quite know how to respond. I thought Austin was still skeptical about me. Up until that kiss we’d just shared, he avoided me whenever possible. It was only in the last day or two that he’d had to speak to me, and that was due to Hank’s party.
“He actually said that?” I asked, turning to Austin for his reaction to his mother’s words.
“Of course he did. And don’t let him tell you otherwise,” Ben said, grinning.
I caught Austin in his dad’s smile. Austin was merely a younger version of his dad, and his dad was a very handsome, rugged-looking man in his early sixties, if I was guessing. He wore a black cowboy hat as well, jeans, and a pressed white Western shirt. There was also a pair of spit-shined black cowboy boots peeking out from under those loose-fitting Levi’s.
His mom was much more colorful, wearing swirly leggings, an oversized sky-blue top, and white booties. She even had bright-pink streaks in her grey, shoulder-length hair. As soon as I saw her, I knew we could become good friends.
They walked away then, searching out the kids, leaving Austin and me with an awkward moment.
“Did we just kiss?” I asked him. “Or was I dreaming that?”
There was a commotion of voices behind us, as we both turned towards the oncoming downpour of guests.
“You weren’t dreaming,” he said, touching my hand for a moment, sending a hot shiver over my body. “But let’s leave that for later.”
“Sure. Later,” I answered, as he went to great the guests, and I went to convince Hank it was time to get his party started.
As I walked closer to the giggles and screams of joy coming from the monster inflated red and blue bouncy castle, I couldn’t help but notice how much both Kasey and Boone were enjoying the kids. They reminded me of my own dad and all the good memories I had of him getting down on the floor with us as we would jump on him for rides or begging for tickles. I never thought I’d see that again in a modern man, yet there they were, enjoying the moments of family life.
As I came closer, and more kids arrived for the party, I knew my elaborate plans were dead on arrival. Not only couldn’t I keep business and pleasure separated, but sure as shit, there was no way I was leaving in a few days. Now that Austin and I had seemed to come to terms with my crazy behavior during our first encounter, I knew I needed a completely different game plan.
HANK’S PARTY WAS a complete success. From the harmonica lessons to the dragon costumes along with the monster dragon cake… a total fun day for everyone involved. Hank was an absolute sweetheart for the entire event, as were Emily and Annie. Not one scream to be heard.
“If you’d like, we’d love it if you drove over with us tonight,” Austin said as he stood in my open doorway. A black town car sat idled in the driveway behind him. The windows were tinted black, so I couldn’t see inside, but I knew the other guys were already waiting to go.
I was just leaving for Dirty Coyote when Austin turned up on my doorstep, looking and smelling like sex.
“Um, I don’t know. I’ve seen what happens when you arrive. You guys are swarmed by women wanting a piece of each of you.”
“Well, the good thing is they’ll ignore you,” he said, grinning.
I gazed past him at my own little red Jetta and thought about how easy it would be to just give in and take him up on the ride.
Ever since we kissed, I had to force myself not to think of having sex with Austin Sentry. I already knew what that might be like, but not having had the full experience, my curiosity had gotten the best of me, and I couldn’t seem to let it go.
“Is that supposed to help?”
“I’m hoping it does, yes. Plus, we have a driver, which means you don’t have to worry about how much you drink. You can let loose and just have fun.”
“Is that a promise?”
He took a step in closer to me. “That’s a promise.”
We stared at each other for a moment as I felt my heart pounding in my chest. I didn’t know if he would lean in and kiss me again. Either way, everything in me wanted to fall into his strong arms… until he said, “The ride comes with a minor string.”
“A string?” I asked still staring at him. “What kind of a string?”
“You’re violin. You should bring it.”
“That’s not a string. That’s a rope… the kind to hang myself with.”
“We’ve all heard you practice our songs. Sound travels when the windows are open.”
I liked fresh air when I practiced. I didn’t know why, exactly, but it helped me mentally when I was trying to learn a new song.
“That doesn’t mean I’m ready to perform in front of an audience.”
