Page 72 of Ghosted By Texas

I got ready to protest, but he kissed my words away. “Not tonight,” he muttered against my mouth a moment later. “I promise, we’ll talk through everything and more than that, I’ll prove it with my actions, but can we just be together for tonight?”

I nodded my head at the same moment Austin slipped inside me. It felt like I’d finally come home and that made a tear slip free from my eyes. He kissed it away and slowly withdrew and thrust back into me in a languid push and pull that built in that delicious slow burn way that you could luxuriate in for hours.

“Missed you so much,” he whispered in my ear. I felt the same but couldn’t bring myself to say it back. “I love you, Becs. Never stopped. Never will.”

Ah shit, he was really trying to rip me wide open on an emotional level while he decimated me in the best way on a physical one. I didn’t know how I was supposed to resist falling for him again. Not that I’d ever gotten over him the first or second time.

That was not the last time Austin and I ended up tangled in my sheets together. It happened every night leading up to the family dinner we were supposed to attend together.

“Are you ready for this?” He asked as I hopped into his truck.

“No,” I replied honestly.

“Why did Houston tell me that Clea doesn’t know you’re coming to dinner tonight?”

“Because I didn’t tell her.”

“Yeah, I gathered that. Why didn’t you tell her?”

“I didn’t want her to…” How the hell could I tell him that I didn’t want my best friend to get her hopes up that there was more between Austin and me than there was? I still didn’t trust him, and I had a boatload of issues to work through before we could ever be anything more than friends, who fucked nightly. I wanted to smack myself for being so stupid as to fall back in bed with him, but it always felt so right in the moment.

“Didn’t want her to…?” He prompted me.

“I don’t know. I’m nervous enough,” I changed tack, not wanting to explain my feelings because I didn’t even understand the damn things myself.

“You know you have nothing to be nervous about, right?”

“Says you,” I argued.

He chuckled. “Yeah, says me. I promise, everything will be fine.” His hand rested on my thigh for the entirety of the drive and if I was being honest with myself, it helped. His warmth felt like a security blanket, even if it was just wrapped around a small portion of my leg.

When we finally got to his house, I noticed someone peeking out the window of whatever room was nearest the front door. Austin got out and came around to my side before I could even think of moving to get myself out of the car. There was no reason for me to be so nervous. Austin was right. I’d already met over half his family. The only people left who I hadn’t been introduced to, were his younger sister, Katy and his father.

Austin held his hand out for me, and I immediately placed mine in it and allowed him to gently pull me out of his truck. He kept pulling, until I stood there in his embrace as he wrapped his arms around me and leaned down to whisper in my ear.

“Everything is going to be okay, promise.”

“I’m going to hold you to that,” I mumbled against his chest.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way, Becs. Let’s go introduce you to my dad since he’s standing on the porch watching us now.”

“Oh man!” I whined much to Austin’s amusement. He turned us around, and it was only then that I realized his dad was not the only one standing on the porch waiting. Clea’s jaw was damn near to the deck while Houston seemed amused by her reaction. Dallas rolled his eyes and went back inside, probably to steal all the food while no one was watching over it. There was a younger version of Victoria standing on the porch next to her mother and then Austin’s Dad stood on her other side. All of them, minus my flustered best friend, had giant smiles on their faces.

I noticed the lack of Victoria but didn’t say anything about it. I figured it was better she didn’t show up, than be there and cause a scene that everyone ended up blaming me for.

“I’m so glad you finally agreed to come to a family dinner,” Mrs. Mercer gushed as she moved forward to give me a hug. I met Clea’s questioning glance over Austin’s mom’s shoulder and mouthed, ‘Later’ to her.

She nodded and took Houston’s hand and led him back inside. “Come on, before Dallas eats everything,” she commanded her fiancé.

“Shit, I didn’t even realize he slipped away,” Houston complained.

“Watch your mouth, Houston!” His mother called after him before she handed me off to her husband. “This is my husband and Austin’s father, Jacob.” I held my hand out, but the man ignored it and pulled me into a hug, too.

“Glad to see you show up with my boy, even if he is a pinhead,” he teased.

I laughed. “Thank you.”

Once he let me go, Austin’s sister pounced and hugged me. “I’m Katy, the only normal one,” she announced.

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