She huffed past me, stumbling over a huge pile of hay in the process before quickly regaining her composure.
“Oh to be young again,” Gavin said with a chuckle. “I remember the time Maria and I—”
“Stop right there,” I told him, holding up my hand in the air. “There are some things I never need to know, and your dirty adventures with my aunt are among those things.”
I moved into the stall and grabbed the rake. “Since you’ve managed to run off my help, grab a shovel.”
“I didn’t run her off,” he added as he stepped in and began to help. “But I know what it feels like to be in the doghouse, so I’ll help ya out. You’ve got some groveling to do.”
***
I showed up at AJ’s house with a tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream in one hand and cookie dough in the other. They were both her favorite and there was no way I was taking a chance of bringing the wrong one.
I stood outside the door waiting for her to answer, knowing that most likely she’d still be agitated. I also had full confidence that I would soon be able to weasel my way through that irritation and make everything all better again. She had a hard time resisting me, and, yes, I did use that to my advantage. But she also had the ability to make my knees buckle, so it was fair game.
When the door came open I looked up fully prepared to start on my way to apologizing, only it wasn’t AJ in the doorway.
“Evening, son,” a tall, dark-haired man greeted me. “You must be the Rhett boy I’ve been hearing my daughter grumble about unhappily for the last couple hours.”
Oh shit, I thought as I forced a smile. “That’s me,” I replied. “Though I’m thinking maybe I should deny the fact.”
Great first impression, I thought to myself as he pushed open the door and motioned for me to come inside.
“You sure got her feathers all ruffled up,” he added as I stepped past him. “Seeing her flipping through all the cabinets while she mumbled and wrinkled up her face, I knew I shouldn’t have found the humor in it, but I did.”
I turned around and watched as he closed the front door and then walked back toward the recliner only a few feet away.
“Word of advice, son, do not laugh at her when she’s irritated.” He let out a low whistle before chuckling once more. “I was waiting for fire to shoot out her nose and her eyes to start glowing red.”
“She threw her car keys at me the other day when she found me smiling.” His eyebrows lifted in curiosity. “Barely missed my forehead, had I not ducked at the last minute. She’s got a little fire inside her that’s for sure.”
It’s then he looked down and saw the bag I was holding. “Reinforcements?”
“Ice cream,” I said in response.
“Mint chocolate chip?”
“And cookie dough.” He nodded, and suddenly I feel a little less tense.
“Good man,” he stated, picking up the controller and began to flip through the channels. “I would have went for both options too. She’s in her room, third door on the left.” He points toward the hallway. “Knock, open, and duck. Those are my suggestions. If you get a pillow or hairbrush to the head, remember I warned ya.”
I walked in the direction he pointed, thinking how much I liked her father. Hell, I’d just met the man and found at this point I would have much rather hung out watching football with him than dodging bullets with AJ. I adored the girl, there was no doubt, but I preferred the sweet and cuddly versus the angry and dangerous version.
So, I took his advice—I knocked, turned the handle, and hid off to the side, with only my arm extended outward holding the bag in view. “I brought sweet stuff,” I said with a smile, “and I’m not just referring to myself. There really is something inside this bag.”
When she didn’t respond, I took a chance and peeked around the edge of the door frame with extreme caution. The moment she came into view, I swear my heart slammed against my chest cavity. AJ was curled up on her bed, atop the comforter. Her dark hair fanned out around her as her legs were all tucked up near her body. A soft snore filled the room as I moved in further, allowing myself to take her all in.
She was so damn beautiful.
Her lips were puckered up, one hand tucked beneath her cheek while the other reached out for the pillow at her side. Covering her body was my blue Georgia State University team shirt. It looked like it was four sizes too big for her. I’d seen her in my shirts before, but that was when I’d convinced her she was staying at my place and it was the only thing she had to wear. Now, seeing her here in her home, wearing my clothes, it was an even stranger feeling.
Lifting my hand, I trailed my fingertip along her jaw and over her lower lip. Her body shifted, and I couldn’t keep myself from smiling as I leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips.
As I pulled back, I watched her eyes flutter open as she attempted to refocus. “Hey, baby,” I whispered. “I came in here fully prepared for you to toss something hard and dangerous at my head, but I found this sweet version of you, all
