I didn’t want to be that girl. The one that demanded labels and clarification of the relationship after a single night. I knew what this was. I knew we were taking it a second at a time. The nasty unsettled feeling churning in my gut demanded to make its presence known, though. “Jared just ruined my morning glow,” I replied with a shrug and a half smile. “He called me an unclefucker.”
“We should absolutely get you a shirt that says that,” Hamilton replied, trying to lighten the mood. “Do you have plans today?”
“Nope. Jared invited us to Throwback Bar tonight, though. But I wasn’t sure if that was a thing we were doing,” I rushed out.
“What do you mean?”
“Us things. Like going places as an us, or a we, or a th-they. Plurals. Are we doing the plurals, Hamilton?” Sonofabitch, I was rambling.
Hamilton grinned at me, like my uncomfortable behavior was amusing to him. “I have to go see a friend today for a few, but afterward, I really want to do all sorts of plural things with you, Petal.”
My ears perked up. “You do?” I asked, my voice a squeak.
He grabbed my hips and pulled me closer to him. “I want to do us things privately. Publicly. I want to kiss you in front of Jared and see him rage. I want to put you up on this counter, spread your legs and lick your clit until your entire body shakes. I’m all for us things.” His lips found my temple, and he left a trail of heated kisses there, leading down along my jaw.
“Let’s do the plurals then, Hamilton,” I replied before pulling at the waistband of his pants and letting him do exactly as he described.
18
I didn’t have time to really get ready, mostly because Hamilton and I were insatiable. We barely made it out the door, my wild hair spun up in a messy bun on top of my head and our clothes wrinkled from sitting in a pile on the floor by my bed. Hamilton invited Jess and Infinity to go out with us, and I was looking forward to seeing them again.
“So, Jared legitimately invited us, hmm?” Hamilton asked while turning into the parking lot of the bar. He had one hand on the steering wheel and one on my upper thigh, his thumb massaging me lightly as he drove. Ever since he got here, he had to be touching me somehow. “He must be up to something.”
“Why do I find your jealousy so sexy?” I murmured mostly to myself.
Hamilton pulled into a spot and turned off the car. “Because you’ve never had someone fight for you before, Petal,” he whispered while leaning over the center console and kissing me on the mouth.
A palm slamming against the hood of his car made me jump. Jess and Infinity were standing outside, both wearing identical smirks. I blushed. Jess already knew something was up between Hamilton and me, but I still felt that instinctive need to keep this thing a secret.
We got out of the car, and Jess immediately hugged Hamilton. She was in black skinny jeans that were ripped at the knee and a bright red flannel shirt. He wore a genuine smile as she squeezed him tightly, then punched him on the arm. “Now I know why you aren’t replying to any of my texts. I invite you to breakfast at our local spot and don’t hear from you for hours.” Jess smirked at me before looking at her best friend once more. “Then, you tell me we’re going to this damn pretentious bar. I saw a man wearing a suit go inside, Hamilton. A suit!” Jess scowled for effect.
Hamilton chuckled. “Don’t blame me! Vera’s boyfriend invited all of us out. You know I’m more about kickbacks at the house than overpriced beer with overpriced clientele.” I didn’t like that Hamilton was calling Jared my boyfriend. Was my friendship with him bothering Hamilton more than he let on? His possessiveness and jealousy was hot, but it seemed to run deeper.
“I thought you dumped that dude when Hamilton got you off in the bathroom?” Jess asked.
At that question, Infinity elbowed her girlfriend in the ribs with a huff. She was wearing jeans and a see-through flowy blouse. Luckily, Infinity changed the subject efficiently, with her ethereal voice and soft smile. “Sooo, how have you been, Vera? It’s so good to see you again!”
I swallowed and blushed, still thrown off from Jess’s question. Hamilton wrapped his arm around me and kissed me on the temple while I tried to come up with an answer. Jess and Infinity stared at the subtle display of affection, their mouths parted in shock as they watched me.
“I’ve been really great,” I answered before looking at Hamilton. He met my stare with a heated intensity that made me waiver.
The smoldering moment was short-lived. “Oh, girl, we are so discussing this later,” Jess interrupted with a squeal before grabbing my wrist and looping her arm through mine. Infinity grabbed my other arm, and the three of us started walking inside, Hamilton chuckling as he followed behind us. There was a line to get into the club.
“Did you see that?” Infinity asked Jess in a whisper. “That was genuine affection.”
“Totally genuine affection,” Jess echoed.
“I can still hear you. And I’m capable of genuine affection, you know,” Hamilton called at my back. “Also, can I have my girl back? This is worse than when I told you I slept with our history teacher senior year. Gossipy hen.”
Jess stopped to gag. “I still can’t believe you slept with Miss Gladde. She was engaged to the football coach! Doggy style behind the bleachers, no less.”
I looked over my shoulder, feeling a bit out of my element as we got in line to
