Page 17 of Just the Tipsy
“Yeah, Monday,” Bianca says with a slight smile.
Rose and Wes leave us alone and I give Bianca as much space as I can with her sitting on my lap. I miss her warmth almost immediately. I’ve always been physically affectionate, but I forgot how much I love casual touch. Especially when she leans into me just a little bit, like she wants my warmth.
“Moonshine is very strong,” she says with a hazy smile.
“I can tell you found that out. Want to grab a snack or something before we crash? We’ll probably be on the couches but they’re comfortable,” I say.
“Yeah, I should eat. More.” She takes a deep breath. “The food isso good. It’s been so long since I could eat a ton of bread. Bread is so good.”
I smile and guide her toward the house, where some of my family has started to take in leftovers. Am I touching her too much? My hands just naturally wandered up and down her back, gently cupping the back of her neck and playing with the soft little hairs back there. She’s been leaning into my touch more and more.
“I’m so glad I’m done with that modeling bullshit,” she says. Apparently she’s a chatty drunk. “Like, human bodies shouldn’t stay exactly the same size? I get bloated. I eat tacos. Are there tacos here?”
“Yeah, probably not nearly as good as the ones in LA though.” I peer into the kitchen. “We’re more barbecue and southern food types.”
“Barbecue is so good too!” Her face lights up and god, she’s so pretty like this. “I’ve never had it until today.”
“Never?” I raise both eyebrows.
“Never.” She shakes her head. “I like the pulled pork stuff. And the ribs.”
“Then let’s get some pulled pork. On bread.” I grab some small plates and put together some pulled pork sliders.
My mom comes into the room, her hair pinned up. She looks a little worn out but smiles when she sees us.
“Hello, hello! Getting a little snack?” Mom asks.
“Yeah. Can we crash here tonight?” I ask, grabbing us each a plate. “I can’t drive home.”
“Of course! You and Wes’s old room is all set up. Just got a new king size bed in there,” Mom says, grabbing a plate too.
I freeze for a second before I continue to put some pulled pork on a slider bun. “We’re fine with the couches if Wes and Rose want the bedroom.”
“No, they’re staying in the room above the garage. Much bigger.” Mom scoops a huge pile of Nana’s peach cobbler onto her plate. “Y’all want any cobbler?”
“No, thanks,” Bianca says.
“I’m good too.” I wrack my brain for any excuse to try to take the couches instead of the bed, but can’t think of any that wouldn’t tip Mom off. Shit.
“Okay. You know where the sheets are. And the towels.” Mom comes over and kisses me on the cheek, then gives Bianca a hug. “Good night.”
“Night.”
Thankfully Mom slips away to her and Dad’s room, leaving me and Bianca alone in the kitchen.
“I can sleep on the floor,” I say softly.
She snags one of the sliders and takes a dainty bite, studying me. I can’t quite read her, but eventually she shrugs.
“If you want to fuck up your back, go ahead.” She shrugs. “I don’t mind splitting the bed.”
I blow out a breath through my nose. I can have good self-control. Sharing a bed with a woman who I’d love to fuck in anyother circumstance, when we just agreed to a fake relationship. One that’s fake for very good reasons.
We finish eating our snack and I guide her to the bedroom. Mom must have slipped in and put some fresh towels and sheets on the corner of the bed. Duke walks straight to the dog bed that’s always lived in the corner for any of the family dogs that want to sleep in our room, and flops down. Bianca lets Sadie down and Sadie joins him, squeezing against him.
“This was your room?” Bianca asks, looking around.
“Yeah, Wes and I shared. Mom’s redecorated it though, thankfully. It used to be a whole lot nerdier,” I say. “Do you want to use the bathroom first?”
