“Country,” I whispered. “I really need you to tell me what to do here.” She looked up at me, and through her sorrow she still managed to gift me with an are-you-kidding-me arched brow. “Don’t look at me like that. Fuck, I’m not good with crying. I’ve got two brothers for Christ’s sake, and Bradley is as good as a brother so make that three. Women crying out in pleasure, I got that down, crying in sorrow, I’m a fucking mess, baby. What do I do here? Do I put my arm around you or would that be considered tasteless? Do I pat you on the shoulder? Should I make you coffee and drug you like Casey? Ice Cream!” I clicked my fingers as I said it. “I should get you ice cream.” I went to stand and Andi grabbed my hand.
“Cork your pistol, city boy,” she murmured. “Ice cream is for hangovers. If you drug me, I’ll also cut your man bits off. I need to be consoled, not tapped on the shoulder as if you were tapping me into a WWE fight.”
“So, cuddles?” When she nodded, I relaxed. I could do cuddles. And this was obviously a cuddle without wandering hands. I was down with that. A non-sexual, comforting hug. Should I hold her tight, or let her control the hug. Fuck! Maybe I could just cheer her up by going down on her.
“Decker, you’re going to give yourself an aneurism over a damn kug.”
I settled down beside her but halted at the word kug. “What the hell is a kug?”
“You know, a kiss and a hug.” She said it like I was a moron, though I was fairly sure the word didn’t exist in the English vocabulary.
“Kiss and a hug, I can do that.” My eyes automatically dropped to her lips.
“Not a sexy-time kiss, Decker, a kug kiss which means the kiss must fall in the safe zone.”
I was beginning to wonder if the drugs Casey had slipped her had messed with her brain a little. “Country, here in New York we speak English.” I pronounced the word English slowly. She slapped my chest.
“You really suck at this comforting business.” She sniffled with a sigh. I wrapped her in my arms, marveling at how well she fit against me. She was so much smaller and softer, yet her legs, arms, and head all found a perfect place to rest on my body. There was no awkwardness or disjointed irritation as I held her as close as I possibly could, it was perfection. She was made for me, and I was made for her. I turned my head and kissed her temple which earned me a soft sigh.
“Your father wasn’t all you had Andi. You also had and still have Bradley and his family. And now you’ve got me and my family.”
Andi chuckled. “My cousin Mr. Chivalry and the porn star. It sounds like a movie title.”
“Ex-porn star,” I corrected her. “And you’ve got Casey and Lionel too, even though Casey’s recent roofie attempt makes his friendship seem dubious.” I thought Andi might have gone back to sleep when her quiet voice broke the silence.
“Will you help me do something?”
“Anything,” I replied without hesitation.
I followed her downstairs, and when she started tugging on the box with her father’s books in the storage room, I picked them up and followed her back out into the front of the book store. She stood with her hands on her hips, eyeing the large bookshelf right in the front.
“I want them up here, where everyone can see them.” I glanced at the books nervously. I wasn’t sure this was what she really needed. If she opened this box and started losing it again, I would most likely join her. Noting my hesitation, Andi knelt down and grabbed the first three books. With trembling hands, she began to fill an empty space at the end of the shelf. I immediately began helping her.
“Would you mind if I read one of these?” Andi seemed surprised, but her hand lingered on the first book she had slid onto the shelf.
“This was his first published book. It’s called Web of Lies. It’s about a woman who kills her husbands for their life insurance policies.”
I took the book from her. “Oh, good, a happy story,” I said sarcastically. Andi smiled; it wasn’t filled with the same carefree beauty I had witnessed in the last couple of weeks, but her cheeks remained dry as she continued to fill the shelf. Once we had finished, we made our way back upstairs and Andi pulled me into her bed. Instead of jumping her bones like I wanted to, I pulled her back against my chest and enjoyed the simple act of spooning. Her perfect little ass nestled into the valley of my hips earned an instant reaction from my cock. “Sorry,” I whispered. I wasn’t really, but I thought I should say it anyway.
“I’m not. I like to know your body appreciates mine,” Andi answered me.
“You have no idea, Country,” I said, before we both promptly drifted into sleep.
*