Page 96 of Tequila Tuesdays

Olivia squinted at me. “You just made my point.”

I grinned and shrugged. Ava walked in a few minutes later. She glanced down at Gary who was lying next to me and tensed a little but didn’t say anything.

“Good morning, you two. Harley, you have black on and it’s Christmas Day. Where’s your Christmas spirit and holiday fashion?”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t have any Christmas clothing. Why should I buy something I can only wear a few times a year? Unless it’s pajamas. And if they’re comfortable, I’d wear them in July.”

“I know you would,” Ava said. “That’s the problem.”

We jabbed at each other and chatted during breakfast, then we opened a few gifts by the Christmas tree. I walked back home with Gary around noon.

A couple of hours later, Damien let me know he’d made it home.

Damien: Just got home. A few work issues came up. Don’t know about tonight.

My stomach clenched a little when I read his text. I wondered for a split second if he was trying to distance himself after he’d gotten sex.

My heart throbbed when I thought about Trevor’s bet. I tried to objectively analyze Damien’s text and then sent what I hoped was an appropriate reply.

Me: No worries. Another time.

I walked out to my backyard and gazed at the white flowering rose bushes lining my back fence while I thought about Damien. My phone buzzed with an incoming text.

Damien: You up for a drive out to Palm Desert again?

My stomach unclenched, but a little of my anxiety remained. I struggled to understand the roller coaster of emotions I’d experienced from a couple of innocuous texts. IlikedDamien, and he already had the power to hurt me. My heart ached a little at the thought of him brushing me off like he’d done to the hostess at Jonathan’s birthday brunch. I tried to shake it off and texted him back.

Me:Sure, unless it’d be better for you to go alone.

My phone rang a minute later. Damien’s name popped up on my screen.

“Merry Christmas,” I answered.

He paused before responding. “You too, Legs. Everything okay?”

“Yes. I just got home from Ava’s house, and we had a nice morning. How about you?”

“It was good, but you sound a little off. Talk to me.”

I didn’t know how to respond. “I’m fine, really. We had a nice Christmas Eve and Ava behaved herself. Then we had breakfast together this morning and opened a few gifts. How was your Christmas?” I tried to keep my voice light.

He sighed. “It was fine, but I’d rather be with you today. I’m sorry. The last thing I want to do is work.”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize.”

“I want to. My first thought when I woke up this morning was to get the Christmas shit out of the way so we could get on the road.”

I smiled. “I’m sure your dad loved that.”

“He didn’t know. But Brock did. In between spending time with you and having Christmas dinner, I planned to fuck you senseless in about twelve different positions.”

My stomach dipped, and my face went hot. “Okay.”

“First, I want to bend you over the back of your couch, then have you on all fours under your Christmas tree—”

My insides jumped and my nipples tightened as I visualized what he’d just described. “Okay! I get it. This is kind of new to me, and I thought maybe you needed some space. Anyway, I’m fine.”

He growled over the phone. “Harley, I’m so fucking far from needing space it’d probably scare the shit out of you.”

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