Nodding, she frowned at Tawny who had caught Judd’s gaze. Even with the gym separating them, they shared a silent message. Tawny lifted her hands and wiggled her fingers. Turning back to us, she smiled.
“I need to leave in ten minutes.”
“Eww,” Bailey said, hitting the bag. “You’d think his dong would bore you by now.”
“Are you kidding? I love his dong,” Tawny murmured, glancing at Judd.
“Double eww,” Bailey snorted. “I wish I could find a dong that didn’t bore me after a few fucks. Why must men bore me so much?”
Tawny and I shared a look then shrugged in unison.
“So,” Tawny said, holding the bag for Bailey, “there’s no dress code or anything for the wedding.”
“Screw that. You should get matching dresses like Farah did.”
“I don’t want to wear a dress.”
“Nope, you’ll do it,” Bailey said, grinning. “Or I’ll tie you up and force you. I’m feisty that way.”
“Yes, but I don’t like dresses.”
“Because you have weird legs?”
Tawny nodded and I could see she wasn’t lying. Bailey snorted again.
“It’s a wedding dress. Your weird legs will be hidden. You could also make your bridesmaids wear ugly dresses to distract from you. That’s what my fat cousin did. We had to wear these lime green horror shows. She looked like a fucking princes next to us. That’s what I plan to do when I get married.”
“I don’t think you’ll need to distract anyone,” I said. “You’ll make a beautiful bride.”
Bailey loved that comment and nearly hugged me to death. I was still in her death grip when Judd appeared next to Tawny. She stared up at him and grinned casually.
“I said ten minutes.”
Brushing Tawny’s hair from her sweaty neck, Judd kissed just over the collarbone. “My watch is fast. Let’s go.”
Tawny laughed and wrapped an arm around his waist. She waved at us before quickly disappearing out the door.
Bailey frowned then shrugged. “Everyone is horny and in love. It’s pretty gross. Now, you’re going to be horny for Aaron. Who the hell am I going to be horny for?”
“Maybe you should play hard to get and make the boys chase you,” I suggested, sitting on a bench.
“Did you just call me a slut?”
Staring up at her, I thought she might hit me. “No, of course not.”
Bailey rolled her eyes. “I don’t believe you. I’ll hit your stupid stepdad, instead of you though. I don’t hit my friends,” she said then added, “Anymore.”
Grinning, I tugged her next to me. “I am crazy about Aaron, but I worry he’ll move on if I don’t find a way to be with him.”
“Aaron is loyal. He’s not a pussy though. Like he fucks a lot of chicks, but when he’s with a girl, he’s only with her. He is a sucker though. Like with Kristen.”
“Who?”
“His old girlfriend. She had a bunch of guys on the side and they all thought she was faithful. It was stupid as shit because everyone knew she was cheating, but no one said anything. Cooper didn’t even say anything. Coop hated Kristen, so I guess he figured Aaron wouldn’t believe him or something. I was the one who spilled the beans. I tell shit the way it is and that bitch was making Aaron look like a punk. I wanted to kick her ass for him, but Aaron was too nice. Huh, what was my point?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Me either. Anyway, Aaron is a great guy and once killed a cricket that jumped in my hair during a camping trip. I was screaming and everyone was laughing at me, but Aaron killed it for me. That’s a nice fucker and you better be nice to him. Oh, you are nice. Never mind. I think I exercised too much and it made me dumb. Want to get some ice cream?”
“Sure. Then, will you come over and scare Larry for me?”
“Who?”
“My stupid stepdad.”
“Oh, yeah. I’m going to put the fear of God in him. It’ll be fun, but first I need sugar so I can keep my train of thought.”
Chapter Sixteen - Aaron
All my life, I’d wanted a muse. My artist’s heart demanded a woman who inspired me. Even when I had no trouble creating art, I longed for someone who would make it fucking perfection. Now, I had met her and she was just out of reach.
Finishing my beer, I stood in the studio at the back end of my property. Before I bought the house, the structure was a rundown one car garage. I rebuilt it for my studio, even adding an air conditioning unit in the window. I now stood in front of it and cooled down. Spring had gotten hot fast.
Nearby, my English Terriers panted in each other’s faces. I didn’t blame them. Even in nothing more than boxers, I was hotter than hell.
“One day, you’ll meet Lark and you’ll understand,” I told Professor when he whined and wanted back into the house. “You’ll be crazy about her and wish you could paint her face a million times.”