12. Graham

12

GRAHAM

I stir awake, the pain in my hip throbbing after going hours without pain meds. The sex last night probably didn’t help matters much, but you can’t blame a guy for that. I reach over, expecting to find a warm, sleepy Savannah, but instead, I find cold sheets. That has me bolting up and looking around. Her clothes are still on the floor of the bedroom, so she couldn’t have gone far. I slip out of bed, wincing as I walk to the bathroom to take a piss.

Once I’m done in the bathroom, I slip on a clean pair of boxer shorts, a pair of gym shorts, and a T-shirt, then go in search of my pain meds, coffee, and Savannah.

When I enter the kitchen, I find everything I’m looking for. Savannah is sipping on a cup of coffee while cooking. She’s got on one of my T-shirts, which hits her mid-thigh. The vision before me has my cock swelling, and damn, if I don’t like this feeling inside my chest right now.

The closer I get, I realize she’s got her earbuds in and is listening to music. The little sway of her hips as she tends to whatever it is that she’s cooking on the stove is cute as hell. It’s also why she almost hits me in the face with a spatula when I wrap an arm around her torso and press a kiss to her neck.

“Holy shit,” she screams out.

“Baby, it’s just me.” I chuckle and hold her tighter.

Savannah puts the spatula down on the counter and turns in my arms. She slips her earbuds out of her ears and places them back in the little container. “You scared the shit out of me. How’s your hip this morning?”

“Sorry about that. You looked sexy as hell over here cooking in my T-shirt. Is that all you have on?” I smirk as my hand drops below the T-shirt and then slides up underneath it to investigate. I slide my hand up her thigh and onto her hip, feeling nothing but bare skin.

“Oops, did I forget to put on panties this morning?” the little vixen asks as she winks at me.

“Just all the easier to bend you over the kitchen island and fuck you after we eat.”

“Mmm, I was hoping you’d think of that. Now, back to my question that you ignored. How is your hip this morning?”

I wipe a hand down my face before I answer her. “It’s throbbing. I need to find the pain meds Whitney sent me home with.”

“Then you find them while I finish plating up our food.” She gives me a quick kiss before spinning back around to tend to the stove. “Shit,” she says as she moves the frying pan off the burner.

“Everything okay?” I ask.

“Just burned the food, that’s all.” She harrumphs.

“What are you making? It smells amazing.”

“I have bacon and sausage, scrambled eggs, and was just finishing up on some cinnamon roll French toast.”

“You found stuff in my kitchen to make all of that?”

“No, I ordered some groceries and had them delivered first thing this morning. I was starving but didn’t want to leave, so delivery it was.”

“No wonder you teach little minds. You’re resourceful.”

She turns to look at me with a huge smile on her face. “I think that is the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me, so thank you.”

I pull out the prescription bottle of pills and read the label. I can take one every four to six hours, as needed, so I tap one out and into my palm. I snag the cup of coffee on the counter and knock back the pill with the warm liquid.

“What is in that?” I ask as I set the cup down, the sweet taste hitting my taste buds.

“My coffee creamer.” Savannah laughs as she starts a new pan of the cinnamon roll French toast.

I shiver and squirm as I try to get rid of the taste. I need my coffee black with two sugars, sometimes with room for a splash of cream, but that is it.

“Let me guess, you’re a black coffee kind of guy?” She quirks an eyebrow at me.

“Almost. Two sugars, sometimes a little cream. But none of that flavored shit,” I say.

At that moment, my alarm alerts me to the front door opening. Very few people know the door code, and none are due to be walking into my house this Saturday morning.

I head out of the kitchen to investigate who is invading my space, when I come face-to-face with Lucas and Carly. Fuck me.

“What in the hell? I thought you were on a road trip!” Lucas says, shocked to see me just as much as I was surprised to see him.

“I came back early from the road trip last night due to my injury. Easier to rest and recuperate at home. What are you guys doing here? When did you get into town?”

“We landed and came straight here. We thought we’d get a few days alone while you were out of town and then stay through next weekend to catch your home game. Is that going to be a problem?”

“Who’s here, babe?” Savannah calls out just then.

Lucas’s eyebrows shoot up. “Are we interrupting something?” He smirks.

“Just breakfast,” I get out.

“I told you to text him to make sure us showing up was okay.” Carly smacks Lucas in the chest.

“Y’all are fine. You know you’re always welcome to the guest wing of my house,” I try to calm Carly down.

“Who’s he…” Savannah asks again as she comes out of the kitchen and into the foyer.

“What in the hell?” Lucas yells. “Someone want to explain why my sister is here in nothing but a T-shirt making breakfast?”

“Honey, calm down. I’m sure there is a great explanation, but let’s let them talk before you lose your cool and say or do something you’ll regret later,” Carly says to her husband.

“Well, this is not the way I thought this would happen,” Savannah says as she lowers her hand with the spatula in it.

I close the distance over to where she’s standing and wrap an arm around her shoulders, being cautious that I don’t do anything that will make the T-shirt she’s wearing rise up, since I’m majorly aware that she’s got nothing else on underneath said T-shirt. “We’re dating. That’s what’s going on here,” I tell my best friend. I give him a death stare, letting him know I’m ready if he reacts in a negative way.

“You’re dating,” he repeats. I’ll give it to him, he does so in a calm voice.

“Yep!” Savannah chimes in. “We reconnected a few weeks ago at the charity night at my school and have been hanging out since then. We just made it official last night,” she tells him. “I’m going to go put on some more clothes. I’ll be right back,” she whispers into my ear, and then turns and runs upstairs.

“Are the two of you hungry? Savannah was making us some breakfast. I’m sure she can make some more when she gets back down here.”

“I’d love some,” Carly says as she practically floats over to me and wraps me in a hug. “I love that the two of you are a thing. I don’t know why I never thought of trying to hook y’all up before now.”

“Carly,” Lucas groans from across the foyer, where he is still planted.

She turns and rolls her eyes at her husband, and I do my best to hold back the laugh that bubbles up at her take-no-shit attitude. She leaves us alone, going in search of the kitchen and the food Savannah has already prepared.

“So when were you going to tell me you were fucking my sister?” He levels me with the question.

“My plan had been to call you today. Not to tell you I was fucking her, but to tell you that we were in a committed relationship. Look, Lucas. Savannah and I are both consenting adults. You might want to tell yourself that she’s still a little girl or a teenager, but she’s far from that. She’s a grown woman with a career and ambitions. She can and will make her own grown-up decisions.”

“You’re ten years older than her,” he says, and I can tell he’s pissed but also knows everything I just said is one hundred percent right.

“I’m glad you know how to do math,” I deadpan. “Age means shit once you’re over twenty, maybe twenty-five. Don’t make this an issue. Please, man, I’m asking you, not only as her brother, but also as my oldest best friend. What’s the one thing you want most in this life for your sister?”

“For her to be happy,” he quickly says, his head falling forward until his chin hits his chest.

“All I’m asking is that you allow her to decide what and who makes her happy.”

“Alright, I get it. I’ll give you my blessing under one condition.”

“Name it,” I say, willing to agree to almost anything.

“I don’t ever want to hear about your sex life. Not one word, got it?”

“Got it.” I chuckle.

He walks over, and I pull him into a man hug. “Nice talk, bro,” I say before we let one another go.

“Aw, did the two of you find common ground?” Savannah asks as she walks back down the stairs. She’s got on the sweats she wore last night when she picked me up, but still has my T-shirt on.

“Come here,” Lucas says as he opens up his arms wide. She walks right into them, and they embrace in a big hug.