Page 42 of Allison

“I swear I don’t know what’s wrong,” Virus laments, throwing his hands up in the air. “You guys know I’ve always been able to beat you in the gym. I have always been able to do more sit-ups, push-ups, and chin-ups than any of you in a challenge. It must be the thin mountain air.”

“We’re not on the mountain,” Mercury supplies. Virus shoots him an ungrateful look. “Sorry, man, I’m just pointing out facts.”

Virus groans, shaking his head. “Still something has to be off. I can always best you!”

“If you hadn’t gotten wasted last night, you could’ve kept up with us,” Russell gives him a little shove to the upper arm. “You can’t show up with a hangover and think you’re going to out do me in the gym.”

“Well, if you’d gotten wasted with me, then we’d have been even,” Virus counters, pushing back on Russell’s upper body. Russell stumbles a couple of steps turning in such a way, he catches sight of Allison.

“Sugar? What are you doing here? I thought you’d be helping Emma get ready?” Russell waits for her to catch up with him. The other guys stop and wait, too.

“Aunt Margaret, Emma’s mom, kicked us out,” Allison giggles remembering the look on Leslie’s face. She’d been in a full-on lecture about how Emma should wear her hair and makeup for the ceremony. “Only the best friend and mother of the bride allowed!” Allison does her best Aunt Margaret impression. “Walk me to my room?”

Russell’s concerned face melts into a gorgeous grin. “I’d be delighted.” He holds out his arm bent at the elbow for her to grasp. “See you guys later,” Russell calls over his shoulder as he leads Allison down the hall. “Missed you last night,” Russell murmurs when they’re several steps away from his friends, causing her heart to skip.

28

WORM

Worm is feeling on cloud nine as he walks Allison to her room. He’s been dying to have Allison all week and he’d thought it would finally happen last night, but he’d been cock blocked by a prude wanting to have a fucking slumber party. He’d had a hell of night, fighting a serious case of blue balls and missing this woman.

I did miss her and not just because I want to fuck her. This is serious shit. I’m getting in too deep, but I can’t walk away. Maybe once we do the deed, this ache for her will go away. I’ll get her out of my system. Yeah, that’s what’ll happen.

They reach Allison’s room. He takes her key card, opening the door for her and ushering her inside. The instant the door is closed behind them, he’s on her, backing her into the wall beside the bathroom door and kissing the hell out of her.

Allison just does it for him, like no one else ever has and he fears like no one else ever will, but he doesn’t have time to focus on that. His tongue swirling inside her hot mouth with her body pressed up against his is too much of a distraction. Allison moans, sinking into his embrace, giving as good as she’s getting. He could lose himself in her sweet kiss.

All too soon, she pushes against his chest. “I’ve got to shower and try to look like something.” Worm rolls his eyes at the worry he can hear in her voice. She’s perfect whether or not she’s freshly showered and made up or not, but he knows she doesn’t see it.

“We could shower together,” he suggests, tugging her toward the bathroom. “You know, save time, water, and all that. It’s good for the environment.” Allison giggles, but pulls out of his reach.

“Oh, no, you don’t,” she scolds. “We can’t shower together!”

“Why not?”

“Because you know we can’t keep our hands off each other,” she replies in an exasperated tone. “We’d end up fucking. My parents could show up and catch us. Then my father would be demanding it be a double wedding. Trust me, he’d have the shotgun and everything.”

Worm laughs at the very serious tone in Allison’s voice. “I’m serious!” she exclaims, vehemently. He laughs harder.

“I’m sorry, sugar,” Worm finally manages to get out. “I know you’re serious, and I do believe you, but I’m fairly certain I can handle my own.”

He sobers when he sees, the tears forming in her eyes. “You don’t understand, Russell. You’ve not lived your whole life, not meeting your parents’ expectations, being the black sheep of the family.” Allison’s voice hitches. A single tear rolling down her cheek.

“Don’t cry, baby. I’m clearing out. I’d never do anything to cause you trouble.” Worm cups her face, wiping her tears away. “You’re going to be a beautiful bridesmaid. I’ll see you soon.” Allison nods, tilting her head back for his kiss. He keeps it tender, sweet, and much too short for his liking, but he needs to get his ass out of her room before her parents show up.

Worm peers through the peephole of the door, but doesn’t see anyone around. He eases the door open, checking for any movement as he pokes his head out to look both ways, but the coast is clear. He steps into the hall and closes her door. He hurries to his room, pulling his keycard from his wallet.

Just as he is stepping into his room, he hears voices coming from the direction of the elevators. He catches sight of a man and woman rounding the corner, with Bridget and Leslie right behind them. “I’m telling you, Uncle Bill, Allison isn’t the sweet, innocent, little girl you think she is,” Leslie declares. Her voice carries down the hallway.

“She spent the night with one of Curtis’s friends the first night we were here,” Bridget chimes in. “She swears they were watching television and just fell asleep, which I suppose is possible, but it sure doesn’t look proper.”

Worm hurries into his room, closing the door softly, before any of them look his way. He is thankful they hadn’t seen him, especially after the way Leslie and Bridget were talking about them. He blows out a frustrated breath.Don’t those women have anything better to do than gossip about their cousin?

Worm hopes her parents aren’t too hard on her when they get to her room. He’d hate to get into a heated argument with them, but he won’t allow anyone to talk down to her, not even her parents.

Worm strips out of his clothes and hurries into the shower. He gets ready in record time, feeling an urgency to get back to Allison. As soon as he has donned his monkey suit, he heads out into the hall. He pauses, indecision hitting him. He wants to go to Allison’s room, but doesn’t want to make things worse with her parents if they are in there.

If they are in the room, though, Allison might need backup, someone to be on her side. Decision made, he takes the few steps toward her door and knocks. The door flies open to reveal Allison wrapped in a towel. “I told you I’d be down in a minute!” she exclaims, a look of fury on her face that melts away the instant she sees him. “Oh, hey. I thought you were my parents again.”

---