“How would you know what your ass tastes like?” Tucker asked, genuinely concerned.
Ignoring him, I focused on Maddy with her bright eyes and bouncing blonde ponytail. “I thought you were going redneck chic. Shouldn’t your cake be Twinkies or something?”
“Not that redneck. Though I do feel like these are rather hoity-toity.”
“Totally real words,” Tawny said, wiping her mouth. “The vanilla does taste a bit like ass. Can’t be sure if it matches Bailey’s ass flavor, but it’s definitely in the ass category.”
“Thank you,” I said, taking any compliment or agreement I could get.
The baker ignored our ass comments and brought more samples. Through the tasting, Tucker struggled not to eat every piece. Watching him eyeballing the food, I smiled at how the fucker was always hungry. Just like Nick.
“Do you like Nick?” I asked Tucker who licked his spoon.
“He’s a good guy. Saw him giving pointers to one of the new fighters. A young loser who was actually going to fight Nick. I thought your boy was an idiot to help the guy beat him. Of course, the guy didn’t beat him, but he did go out looking less like a loser.”
“Nick is sweet.”
“Get a room,” Tawny said, handing me a tiny plate with another tasting. “I like Nick because he took on all those guys at the frat party. I love when men are brave.”
Knowing what was coming next, I waited for her to finish.
“Judd is brave like that.”
“I swear he fucked your brains out,” I said when she got dreamy-eyed next to me. “Not that you were a genius to begin with.”
Tucker laughed too hard, causing Maddy to laugh. They were nuts together. It was pretty romantic. I wanted to be nuts with Nick.
“I like the carrot cake,” Maddy announced and Tucker nodded.
“Fucking hillbillies,” I muttered. “We really do love our carrot cake.”
Once the flavor was decided, Tucker and Maddy focused on how big the cake should be and any decorative touches. I ignored those parts and daydreamed about Nick.
“Do you think Nick could be the one?” Tawny asked.
“Hell yeah. He’s going to be my Free Bird fuck. I just know it.”
“Is this a real thing or some stupid shit you made up?”
“Both,” I said and she grinned. “Free Bird is the best song ever. When I was a teenager, I had a really hot horny dream about fucking a guy while Free Bird played. No real guy has ever been worthy of the song, but Nick will be. I just know it.”
Nodding, Tawny turned my sex dream into an excuse to imagine Judd naked. I recognized the look on her face and also knew Judd had a matching one. One day, I hoped to share a ridiculous love struck/horny expression with Nick that people would mock.
Chapter Eight ~ Nick
Working hard in the gym, I remained lost in my thoughts. Bailey was at my fingertips, but I could still lose her. Needing to be smart and strong, I instead was afraid if she saw the real me I’d lose her forever. Of course, if I hid my weaknesses, she would fall for a lie. Fucked either way, I punched the bag harder until my hands were numb.
“Want me hold the bag?” Cooper said from behind me.
Never slowing my punches, I muttered, “Not really.”
Cooper took the bag like I knew he would and held it still. “We should talk.”
“Then talk.”
“You’re into my sister,” he said then continued after I remained quiet, “You were into my girl. You seem to have a thing for my stuff.”
“I’m telling Bailey you said she’s your stuff,” I grunted, punching harder. “I suspect she’ll kick you in the balls.”
“She thinks she’s your second choice.”
“I know, but she’s wrong.”
“You wanted Farah.”
“I liked Farah. She was my second choice. I wanted Bailey.”
Cooper said nothing while I pounded on the bag. Finally, he shoved it back at me. “Why did you fuck with me that day if you didn’t want Farah?”
“Because you’re an asshole and I don’t back down to assholes,” I said, taking a break. I grabbed my bottle of water and downed half of it. When I looked back at Cooper, he was frowning in a weird way. “Wait, did you not know you were an asshole? I just assumed someone must have mentioned it before.”
Cooper rolled his dark eyes. “You’re an idiot. I could have killed you that day.”
“So?”
“So you would have died for a chick you didn’t want.”
“No, I would have died standing up to an asshole.”
“I saw you always looking at Farah.”
“She seemed overwhelmed by college. I was looking out for her. She’s hot, but she’s not Bailey.”
Cooper clearly wasn’t convinced. “If you wanted Bailey, why wait so long? I think you’re full of shit.”
“Because you’re an asshole. Guys like you have shit handed to them. Guys like me have to work for what we want.”
“And you want Bailey.”