8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Nick

G oing to lunch at Fox’s with my sister was a bad idea.

Mostly because all I could think of was the last time I’d been at Fox’s…and had sucked Jordan’s cock, which started this whole mess. If it could even be called a mess. Everything between us had been so drama-free I could barely believe it. Sure, Jordan wasn’t walking down Main Street with a bi flag plastered to his chest or anything, but he also wasn’t hesitant to touch me in the slightest or awkward after our hookups.

This would crash at some point when he got bored and found the next woman to date, but for now, I couldn’t help but indulge. Not only was Jordan nuclear-grade hot, but he also was the sort of excitement I’d craved for a while. Yeah, the guy had some hijinks that had gotten us in trouble over the years, but I’d never met anyone who embraced living more. Truthfully, I admired the fuck out of him.

“Why don’t we do this more often?” Amanda leaned back in her seat. “I miss being in town.”

“You’re a half hour over, not like a different state. You could do this any time you like. ”

Amanda stirred her iced tea around with her straw, the cubes clinking. “I know, but after work, it’s not just an easy hop into the car or hit it on my lunch break type of thing.”

“Well, you answered your question.” Maybe a little part of me was salty. We’d been best friends since we were kids, but Amanda was in full-blown relationship mode with Brian. Which was good, since they were getting married. Yet her absence had left an imprint. “If you want to celebrate your love for the town, we could host your bachelorette party at Jake’s.”

Amanda let out a disgusted noise. “No bridal showers and no bachelorette parties. We’re doing a holiday wedding to distract people from the extra nonsense. Bad enough I’ll have to be the center of attention for that.”

“How dare people look at the bride,” I teased. “I’ll keep some pepper spray on hand in case anyone stares too hard.”

“You might be joking, but I like the idea. Slip that into the pocket of your tux.”

I rolled my eyes, unable to help my grin. I hadn’t finished my coffee or my omelet, but I was pretty full. However, I didn’t want to head back to my empty house. The idea of finding a roommate or a smaller place tempted me, but every time I went to take a step forward on those plans, I froze. So I remained in this weird holding pattern as if I were waiting for someone to drop into my lap.

Truth be told, I was waiting for the relationship I’d been wanting a while now.

Every year, the chances grew slimmer, but the hope hadn’t dimmed. Even though I was banned from the hardware store due to the blowup with Kyle, and Drew from Jake’s watered down my drinks after our relationship went south. So dating around town had far too many drawbacks .

“Speaking of the wedding, who are you bringing as your plus-one?”

Ugh, gut punch.

I tried to keep the wince off my face, but Amanda narrowed her beady little eyes at me.

“If you’re stressed about trying to find someone, show up solo.”

I passed her an arch look. “With our family? I’ll spend the entire wedding interrogated by Aunt Stacey and Aunt Karen. They started a pros and cons list of every available guy in town last time.”

“Okay, so show up with a friend.” Amanda shrugged. “I just want you to have fun, not worry about our family or a random date. However, you do deserve a Brian too.”

“Ew, Mands. I’m not going to sleep with your husband.”

She glared at me. “You’re nasty. You know what I meant, so I’m not justifying you with a response. Just maybe…widen the radius from the guys in town. Clearly, that hasn’t landed the best results.”

“You’re just trying to move to town with you and Mom and Dad.” I folded my arms across my chest. Some days the idea appealed, but then others I liked the comfort of the house I grew up in, the spaces I’d made mine over the years.

“I want you happy, Nick,” she said firmly. “However you end up finding that.”

I knew she was trying to be supportive, but the statement hit me square in the gut. Call it older sibling envy because I was supposed to do major life events first, or hell, plain old envy, but I’d been dancing around my misery for the past few months. Getting my reality brought up plain and simple sucked.

“Let’s get through the holidays and your wedding first,” I said. “Then I can worry about the other bullshit. ”

“True, you’ve got a heaping of community service to handle right now.” Amanda shook her head. “How’d you let Jordan drag you into that mess?”

All it took was Jordan’s wicked grin flashing in my direction, and I’d follow him anywhere, but the truth lay deeper. “Sometimes I get so sucked into the grind that it’s nice to live a little. To escape the monotony.”

“Well, living a little got you landed in trouble with the sheriff,” Amanda warned.

I arched a brow and brushed aside my irritation. “Okay, Mom. I think I can handle getting the town ready for the Christmas Bash.”

“Aww, the Christmas Bash brings back so many good memories,” Amanda said, a dreamy look in her eyes. “Mom and Dad used to steal extra candy canes for us to take home.”

“Why the fuck do kids even like candy canes? It’s like eating crunchy toothpaste.” I chugged the rest of my coffee, even though I wouldn’t finish my omelet. As much as I’d been wanting to see Amanda, the reminder of the wedding and my miserable state of loneliness hit me harder than I liked. And walking down memory lane would only drop me into a shittier headspace.

“Okay, then more for me.” Amanda rolled her eyes. “Is something else going on, Nick?”

The image of Jordan’s head tilted back, his lashes fluttering while he came, blazed in my mind.

Yeah, definitely couldn’t tell Amanda that.

She’d known Jordan as long as I had, and he wasn’t out. Hell, I didn’t even know what all this was beyond fumbling from one encounter to the next.

“Just my normal shitty luck when it comes to men. I’ll pull through. ”

Amanda pursed her lips, a serious look on her features. “You’re aware I can suss out your bullshit face, right?”

“Well, if you want to call me on my bullshit, how about you show up around town more?” I challenged. “At least after the wedding.”

She thrust a hand across the table. “Deal. We’ll have a standing dinner date, just you and me.”

My chest squeezed tight at what she offered. Part of me had worried that once she got married, she’d check out of my life, so I’d take what little relief I could manage.

“All right.” I stood and grabbed the check, which Fiona had left on the table. “I’ll get this. Tell me when you need help for the wedding.”

Amanda shook her head. “Mom and her squad are on that. You focus on your community service with Jordan. That’s got to be a handful in and of itself.”

Heat rose to my cheeks, and I exercised all my willpower not to crack a comment. Amanda was sharp too. She’d catch me in a second. Instead, I squeezed her in a hug and then made my way to the front to pay.

My phone buzzed with a text, and I pulled it out of my pocket to check it.

Speak of the devil.

You around later?

A chance to escape my lonely house? I sent a text back.

Yeah, what’s up?

I flagged Fiona down and forked over some cash. She grinned and gave me a shoulder pat, probably pitying me, as most of the town did. If Jordan’s text hadn’t distracted me, I might’ve cringed. The number of sympathetic looks and tuts I’d received around town lately summoned up a whole lot of irritation.

Instead, I waved at her and slipped out the door .

My phone buzzed again.

Meet me at Rockvale Lake at seven.

I shot him a quick response back as I headed to my car. The chilly air smacked me in the face, but it didn’t permeate the rush of warmth flooding me at the thought of seeing Jordan again.

If I were smarter, I should be guarding my heart and steering clear of him.

However, I never claimed to be smart.

The sky was pitch black by the time I wove my way down the back roads to Rockvale Lake. It was one of the smaller lakes in the area, a glorified pond really, and the locals used it for skating in the winter or swimming and skinny-dipping in the summer. Why Jordan wanted to come here at night was beyond me, but after the lunch with my sister earlier today and the pack of Christmas carolers I got stuck in the middle of later in the day, I needed some escape. Not only did my sister’s wedding rouse feelings of loneliness, but so did the holidays. Nothing like attending the five thousand holiday events and family obligations to make my singleness ache more than ever.

I pulled to a stop next to Jordan’s car. I’d prepared extra for the cold weather with more layers than needed, but after the harrowing experience of streaking in this weather, I didn’t want to get close and personal with it again. I hiked my messenger bag over my shoulder, filled with a few snacks and a handle of whisky, since I wasn’t sure what the vibe even was for this excursion.

Knowing Jordan, he’d gotten his hands on fireworks or some shit and planned on setting them off out here .

I began my trek to the side of the lake but didn’t have to look hard to figure out where he’d gone. A heavy-duty lantern lit up a figure cast in shadow. I veered toward him, my heart thumping in double time. Usually if Jordan and I were hanging out, it wasn’t just the two of us—more like whoever happened to be around. However, Jordan had texted me to come out here by my lonesome, and I couldn’t sort out what that meant.

If the rendezvous meant anything at all.

I shoved my insecurities to the side. “Hope you weren’t planning on fishing. Pretty sure the lake’s frozen over.”

Jordan pushed up from his spot by the lantern. The golden light carved out his familiar features, including the curve of his grin. His dark brown hair was windswept, and he wore a thick coat and boots meant for staying warm. “Well, yeah, if it wasn’t frozen over, this wouldn’t be nearly as fun.”

A silent thrill rose inside me at the unknown, whether it was what Jordan and I were getting into or what he had planned for the night. After the daily grind of the same old, the unpredictability of Jordan’s plans hit me like ice water on a hot day. I couldn’t get enough.

“Just forewarning you, my dick’s going to turn into an icicle if I try to get it out here,” I said. “In case you’re looking to check something else off your list.”

“Uh, my dick still hasn’t recovered from the Great Streaking Incident, so it will be staying snugly inside several layers while we’re outdoors.” He closed the distance between us, and I held out my arms, preparing for a hug, back slap, whatever.

Instead, he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine.

A moan slipped out, and I didn’t have it in me to be embarrassed. The heat of his mouth contrasted with the ice cold of our surroundings, and when he slipped his tongue into my mouth and devoured, fuck, my insides burst with color, with warmth, with electricity. I wrapped my hands around his waist, our bodies plastering together as I lost myself in the kiss. My cock woke up at the way he clutched me back, the way his tongue stroked against mine. His scent of metal and diesel oil seemed crisper in the cold.

When he pulled away, the breaths puffing between us were visible.

“You know, if you wanted to make out, there are warmer locations,” I said. My head still spun, but I was always equipped with sarcasm.

“I’m so down for that, but right now, I want to go skating.”

I blinked, then stared out at the frozen lake. “And did you happen to summon ice skates from nothing?”

Jordan shrugged. “I figured we could shuffle our way around the ice. Not the first time I’ve done it.”

I lifted a brow. “And why the fuck at night?”

The slow curl of his lips, the gleam of his teeth, the sinful arch of his brows, his wicked smile would be my downfall. “Why not?”

That there. That was why Jordan Ellis was the most addictive thing on this planet. Because he offered spontaneity when I’d been craving it the most. Because his mere presence injected me with life in a raw and real way I’d been longing for.

“All right.” I shook my head, even though my heart already thumped a little harder. “Let’s hit the lake.”