Chapter Seven

AJ

The backyard is set up with tables and chairs, streamers and balloons. There’s enough food to feed an army, thanks to Levi and Abby, and coolers on the porch filled with water, pop, and beer. A few friends of my grandparents’ mill around, chatting about the warm weather and the approaching end of summer, as we all wait for the guests of honor.

Where are they?

“The guests are arriving,” Payton whispers.

“They were supposed to be here almost thirty minutes ago,” Jaime says nervously, stirring the meatballs in the Crock-Pot.

“You don’t think anything happened to them, do you?” Abby asks, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

“I’m sure they’re fine, babe,” Levi says as he comes up behind her and places a kiss on her cheek.

“Yeah, they probably got tied up in their red room,” Ryan laughs, making us all groan in disgust. It’s not every day your eighty-something year old grandparents construct their own red room of pain after seeing Fifty Shades of Grey.

“Why did you have to bring that up? I had blissfully forgotten all about the fact that my childhood bedroom now houses a Saint Andrew’s Cross and ball gags,” I reply, choking down the bile threatening to come up.

“Watch out or you’ll end up getting just that for Christmas this year,” Meghan says, a rare smile on her face. Not that she doesn’t smile, but they’re rarer than they used to be before Josh’s death. So when you see a real Meghan smile, it melts your heart and reminds you that as difficult as it can be, life goes on.

“Or I could get a sex swing, like Abby and Levi,” I sass.

“Stop talking,” Abby begs, her face turning a gorgeous shade of fuchsia.

“Yes, please stop talking,” Dad says as he joins our group and gives hugs to each of his daughters.

“They will be here shortly, I’m sure. I’d rather not think about what they could be doing in the house that would have kept them,” Dad says, shivering as he joins Dean and Ryan at the grill.

“Oh, I forgot to mention that Nick ended up staying in town, so I invited him to stop by,” Meghan tells us.

Nick would be Dr. Adams, her boss. She’s worked for him since she graduated college and came back to Jupiter Bay. Nick had just started himself at one of the few dental offices in town, and recently purchased the business from Dr. Zastrow when he retired.

“Ohhhhh, how is the good doc?” Payton asks, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“He’s fine,” Meghan shrugs. “But he broke up with Collette last week. He’s been moping around the office, so I invited him to get him out of the house.”

Dr. Adams has been absolutely wonderful where Meghan is concerned. After Josh’s accident, he gave her as much time off as she needed to grieve, and still continues to be a friend. We’ve silently wondered if maybe something more could come of their budding friendship, but there was always the factor of Collette.

But now…

“He’s here,” Jaime says, nodding to the side of the house where Nick Adams has just emerged.

He meets Meghan in the yard, offering her a friendly smile. He’s a great looking guy, with dark hair just long enough to tangle your fingers in and hazel eyes. In fact, there was a time where I wouldn’t have said no to the good doctor if he had asked me out. Meghan actually planned to set us up once, but then he started dating Collette Cartwright so nothing more became of it.

Now, even knowing that he’s single again, I don’t feel anything toward him. Yes, he’s hot with those hard muscles you can only achieve by spending time working out, but he just doesn’t do anything for me.

At least not anymore.

Now, my panties seem to become useless just by conjuring up the image of one certain baseball player. The way he kissed me back in July, like he was about to devour me and provide orgasm upon orgasm for as long as he could dish them out, is enough to keep me up late into the night. I’ve relived that kiss so many times, it’s tattooed onto my brain and shows no sign of ever going anywhere.

Then there’s the way I can feel those sexy blue eyes watching me at school. I can feel them in the teachers’ lounge and when I’m walking down the hall. It’s so intense, it’s as if I could literally feel him reach out and touch me. And then there’s the fact that he’s so freaking tall. I’ve never been attracted to someone who’s six six (that’s his height, according to his Wikipedia page). He’s like a skyscraper, all broad shoulders and rippling muscles.

I’m completely enthralled with a coworker, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

And the object of my late night self-induced orgasms just walked around the side of the house.

Shit.

“Oh my God, is that who I think it is?” Lexi asks when she waddles out the back door. Linkin is there, guiding her down the step and to the lounger he bought just for the day so she could come out and enjoy the party without having to lift a finger and be off her feet.

My heart is suddenly in my throat with excitement and nerves. Mostly nerves. Or maybe anticipation.

Sawyer stops and talks to Dean, Nick, and Ryan, and as soon as Levi and Linkin see him, they head over too. They’re all chatting and laughing like old friends, which makes me wonder how in the hell the new guy in town is suddenly buddy-buddy with my family.

“My word, that man is so much hotter in person than spread across the glossy pages of all those magazines,” Grandma says, startling us with her sudden presence.

“Grandma,” Abby chastises. “It’s your anniversary,” she reminds.

“I’m aware, Abs. And your grandpa is in a very good place right now. See that smile?” she asks, pointing to the grin my grandpa wears as he walks over to the guys. “That’s the look of a very sated man who spent the afternoon harpooning the salty longshoreman.”

“What?” Jaime asks.

“Which part did you not understand, Jaimers? The part about your grandfather being very well sated or the euphemism I used to describe the sex? That’s why we’re late, you know. When Orvie takes one of his pills, well, he turns into a ravenous madman, hell-bent on jamming the clam with his fishing pole.”

“Jesus,” I groan, looking to extract myself from this conversation.

Quickly.

“Oh, don’t be a stick in the mud. I promised Grandpa oral for our sixtieth. That’s much better than the traditional diamond gift we should give.”

“Oral. The gift that keeps on giving,” Lexi giggles, holding her massive stomach while it shakes.

“You better watch it, Lexi, or you’re gonna pee your pants,” I retort, making my sister stop laughing immediately.

“Shit, you’re right,” she grumbles.

“Seriously, ladies, check out the ass on that man. Do you think he’d give us a private replay of that naked photo shoot?” Grandma asks, fanning her flushed face.

“Us, probably not, but AJ? I’d say the chances of that happening are looking pretty good,” Meghan says, taking her eyes off the celebrity long enough to glance my way.

“I agree with Meggy. He keeps glancing over here with that I want to fuck you against the side of the house look, and I’m pretty sure it’s only directed at one of us,” Jaime adds, giving me a wink and a smile.

“He probably just wants to finish what he started before the puking,” Lexi chimes in, reminding us all of the reason I didn’t sleep with him the first time.

“You should be lucky he’s even still interested, AJ. Puking usually makes men run the other direction,” Jaime says.

“How do you know he’s interested?” I ask, glancing back at the guys and finding those blue eyes still on me.

“He’s interested,” they all say in unison.

* * *

“Hey.” His deep, husky voice sends shivers down my spine.

“Hi,” I reply with a squeak, turning my attention away from the food and toward the tall drink of water standing beside me.

“Beautiful day,” he says, reaching forward and grabbing a handful of pretzel sticks.

“It is.” I feel his eyes on me as I keep stirring the pasta salad that doesn’t need to be stirred. The silence stretches on for one minute, then two, and starts to unnerve me. “So…” I start, and let the word trail off.

“So…” he mimics, giving me a cocky smile.

“So, what are you doing here?” I finally blurt out.

“I was invited,” he says, popping another pretzel stick into his mouth with a smile.

“Invited?” I ask, trying to recall if I ever talked about my grandparents’ anniversary celebration while at school. I know I talked about it with Brandy while we ate lunch earlier in the week, but I don’t think any of the other teachers paid us any attention, and I don’t recall Sawyer being in the lounge at the time.

“Yeah, I had beers with the guys last Saturday night, and they invited me. Since I’m new in town, and all, they thought I’d enjoy coming over and hanging out for a while. Is that a problem?” he asks, his gaze intent as he stares down at me.

“No, no problem. I was just surprised to see you, is all.” My voice sounds unnaturally pitchy and breathy.

He leans forward and invades my personal space. I can smell the detergent on his shirt and the soap on his skin, and it takes everything I have not to lean forward and run my nose along his neck and inhale. “A good surprise, I hope.”

I don’t confirm or deny, which makes him smile. I, of course, find myself grinning back with a wily little smirk.

“Come on, buttercup, I’ll let you sit by me at dinner,” Sawyer says, sliding his very large hand along my lower back and escorting me to the food line.

My family gathers around, along with the extra guests here to help celebrate, and it’s like no one cares that we’re eating dinner with a former pro baseball player. I mean he has a World Series ring in his jewelry box, for crying out loud. Yet my family is chatting with him about the difference between an inlaid brick patio and stamped concrete, and whether Lexi’s twins will be boys or girls.

“So, Randall, what are your intentions with my granddaughter?” I hear my grandpa ask from across the picnic table.

“What?” I gasp, my eyes as wide as the paper plate holding my hamburger. “There are no intentions,” I insist, everyone in the yard suddenly paying close attention to our conversation.

“Actually, there are, sir. I intend to date your granddaughter,” Sawyer replies casually, yet directly to my grandpa.

Grandpa stares down the man sitting beside me with a critical eye. My face flushes with a rare blush while I watch, mouth agape, as they continue to stare each other down. Hell, even my sisters sit back and watch the show.

“Good deal, son. Make sure you don’t skimp in the bedroom department. Women love a good wine, dine, and romp in the sheets, you hear?”

I make a gargly, gaspy noise that resembles me choking. “I’ll make sure not to withhold, sir,” I hear Sawyer reply over the blood swooshing in my ears. And, damn it, if I don’t catch the humor in his voice.

“Oh, I’m pretty sure a big, strong man like yourself would never disappoint in the bedroom. I’ve seen your stance and that big Louisville Slugger you carry,” Grandma practically coos.

“Dear God, kill me now,” I grumble over the laughter of my sisters. “This is what you went through?” I ask Jaime, seeking confirmation. “I laughed when we all showed up at Ryan’s place and Grandma called the Coast Guard, and now this is my payback, isn’t it?”

“It is,” my sister confirms.

“And for when she found the butt cheek prints on my workstation and called everyone to find out if they were theirs,” Payton adds.

“That was funny,” I retort.

“Or how about when she gave me a sex swing and you thought it was the funniest thing in the entire world?” Abby asks.

I shrug, fighting the smile, as everyone snickers at the memory.

“And when she thought Linkin was a stripper and had him dance for me while I was blindfolded and tied to a chair? You laughed.”

I did. I laughed then, and I’m laughing now. Turning to the man sitting next to me, I plead, “We’re completely crazy. You should run away screaming, quick. No one would think less of you if you did,” I tell him, not even close to joking.

“Are you kidding? I’m kinda digging your brand of crazy,” he says with that smile that makes my heart flutter and my panties wet.

“Then that must make you a little crazy, too,” I say with a matching smile.

“That I am, AJ. That I am.”