Page 19 of The Grinder

Chapter Three

“So.” Vivi drew the word out to about fifteen syllables the second Aly stepped into the kitchen Saturday morning. “How’d it go?”

Aly didn’t bother to answer right away. Yes, she was one of those disgustingly cheerful morning people though she did need coffee before she became fully functional for the day.

So she walked past her sister, got her mug and poured coffee that Vivi, amazingly, had already brewed. Since Aly was almost always the first one up in the morning, she usually made the first pot.

Bracing herself, she sipped…and managed to avoid a full-body shudder. Vivi made legendarily strong coffee. Aly was a little surprised she didn’t immediately sprout hair on her chest.

“Holy. Shit.” Aly managed to suck in a gasp of air before sliding into a seat at the little table by the window where Vivi sat. “How the hell do you drink this?”

“With my mouth.” With a sarcastic grin, Vivi lifted her mug and saluted her before gulping down half of her mug. “And what’d you do with your mouth last night? Not much, I’m guessing, because he left without coming in.”

Aly smiled, thinking about exactly what she had done with her mouth last night. And yes, all they’d done was kiss.

“But,” Vivi continued, “I guess something happened or you wouldn’t be smiling like a lunatic.”

Aly wrinkled her nose. “I’m not smiling like a lunatic. I’m just smiling. It was a nice night.”

“Nice?” Vivi hmphed. “How ‘nice’ could it’ve been if he didn’t even come in the house? What’s wrong with him?”

Aly took another sip of coffee and glared at her sister over the rim of her mug. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with him. He was a total gentleman.”

“So he didn’t touch you.” Vivi shrugged. “Sorry.”

With a huff and a roll of her eyes, Aly set her mug down. “Not every guy’s just looking to get laid, you know. Sometimes, the foreplay’s just as much fun as the actual sex.”

Vivi’s turn to roll her eyes. “And maybe the guy’s got…” She held up her pinkie and wiggled it.

Aly laughed, shaking her head. “Yeah, no. I don’t think Riley has to worry about that. From what I could feel, that’s not even remotely a problem.”

“So what happened?” Vivi leaned on the table. “Why’d he leave? Did you not invite him in?”

“I did but he had practice this morning and he needed to sleep. He has another game tonight and I’m going to that and meeting him afterward again. He’s an actual nice guy, Viv.”

“Did he even kiss you?”

She smiled and let Vivi figure out the answer to that on her own. “I’m starving. I think I’ll make pancakes. You want some?”

“Sure, if you’re making. But I gotta leave in an hour. Double shift at the studio today and I’m picking up a shift at the bar tonight. Hey, why don’t you guys come over after the game? Chet won’t be there tonight so you won’t have to deal with his shit. And tell Riley to bring his team. The girls will love me if you do.”

One of Vivi’s three jobs was waitressing at The Bomb Shelter, one of the most popular bars in the area.

Aly didn’t usually go there. The music sucked, it was always crowded on the weekends, and a lot of the guys who went there were douchebags who thought women existed for their personal pleasure.

“I’ll check but I don’t know what he’ll want to do tonight.”

On the other hand, she had some great ideas about what she wanted to do tonight. Last night, she hadn’t been ready for anything really physical and somehow Riley had known that. She been a little worried, not that he’d force her, but that he’d push for something she wasn’t ready to give.

They’d been so in tune and she’d almost convinced herself to give him whatever he wanted.

Or maybe she was kidding herself and he’d decided he didn’t really want her and he’d text her today and tell her something had come up and—

Okay, she needed to stop.

Shaking her head, she ladled batter onto the skillet just as her phone rang.

She grabbed it off the counter, ignoring her sister’s laughter, then sighed when she saw the screen.

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