03 – Flirting With Disaster – Tobias
The Wedding LotteryOf course, she would be bubbly and a hugger. I definitely am not minding all her voluptuous assets being pressed against me. That will not save Trent from his untimely death for putting this girl in my care. Thankfully, she broke away before she could wake the beast. I clear my throat and keep my composure as I give her a once-over.
This girl is something else. First she accosts me. Then, as if I were the creeper here, she demands my credentials. So I nip this whole thing in the butt by face-timing Veronica.
The squealing sounds of delight between these two is another language entirely.
“’Kay Bye. Don’t ride him too hard!” Veronica immediately disconnects.
“VERONICA!” Clara shouts at my phone as she turns a lovely shade of scarlet.
I definitely missed something when I tuned out their high-pitched chatter.
“Satisfied?” I smirk at her.
“I am,” she huffs in the most adorable way, if she weren’t so annoying. “Well, we ain’t gettin’ any younger. I guess we’re headin’ to your place.” She motions to the door.
“Wait. My place?” I narrow my eyes at her and hold up a hand to stop her in her tracks. Growing more irritated by the minute, I clear this mess right up. “You’re not staying at my place.”
“Didn’t you just hear Roni? The place they rented for me is being tented for roaches. She said you told Trent it was alright.”
“Well, it is New York. But my place? Wouldn’t you rather stay with her?”
“Of course I would,” she growls at me and rests her hands on her hips dramatically.
I’m distracted by her curves, and don’t realize I am not being very gentlemanly.
“Eyes up here, buster,” her Texas twang rings out as she snaps her fingers in my face.
A slow grin forms as I purposely look her over from head to toe, letting her know full-well I am enjoying what I see before I wriggle my brows at her. The blush returns to her cheeks, and I’ll be damned if it isn’t the cutest thing I have ever seen. “I guess you can take the couch,” I sigh and put my hand on my chest like she’s putting me out. All the while, I know I have a guest room.
“What? No. Look, Tobias. I really appreciate you comin’ all the way out here. But I think I’ll just get a cab and a hotel room.”
“You’re going to get a hotel room in New York City for three weeks?”
“Three weeks? Darlin’, I’m here for the rest o’ the year.”
“Even more reason for me to take the couch and you can have the bed.” I walk away with her luggage, heading towards the exit for the parking garage.
“Oh no! I couldn’t put you out like that. Really. It’s alright. I got Roni’s card to put it on.”
I snort but keep walking. “Well, you know there’s another solution to this problem, right?
She barrels into me as I stop suddenly.
“We could just both use the bed,” I flash a cheesy grin at her.
“I… Your… Bed?” She squeaks. “Oh, honey. I don’t think that’s such a good idea. I mean. How big a bed you got?”
She realizes her mistake too late and her eyes grow wide as my grin grows lecherous.
I lean in close and whisper in her ear, unable to help myself with this bit of teasing. “It has plenty of space for you to sleep on top of me.”
“Well,” she hesitates and the flush runs down from her cheeks over her fair skin. “I mean… if you don’t think I would squish… I mean… if you really thought we could fit.”
My cheeks turn red as I realize she didn’t get I was teasing her and now the idea of her on top of me is something I will never get out of my head. I cough and extract myself from her for the second time in ten minutes.
“We’ll work it out,” I mumble, as I can’t think of anything witty in reply.
“Oh, alright then, I can make the couch work.” The hurt shining through in her voice as her tone drops, and the way she shifts her gaze away as she takes one of her suitcases in hand is all too familiar to me.
Now I feel like a complete asshole as we walk to my truck.
I load her luggage into the bed of my pickup truck, being careful to not damage it on any of the toolboxes. She doesn’t wait for me to open the door and climbs into the cab on her own.
As we pull out of the airport, I try to get her talking again. “You hungry?”
“Nah, I’m good.” Her reply is quiet.
I can tell by her lack of bubbly sunshine I’ve put my foot in my mouth, and she isn’t willing to let it go yet.
“Suit yourself,” I shrug and crank the music.
I’m going to kill Trent and Veronica. I know for a fact they aren’t tenting the guest house at his mother’s estate. Roaches my ass. I cut side glances at the woman as we head down the interstate to my place.
She’s buried in her phone, with a small frown dancing on her lips. I can only imagine all the shit she is talking about me to Veronica.
This is going to be hell.