Page 59 of Crash

“Deedee, I didn’t know you were coming with trouble and little trouble,” she says as she leans down and kisses my cheek. She walks away and says something to my brother. Next thing I know, he’s taking Sandy’s place behind the counter, and her mom is dragging her to the table, pointing to a chair for her to sit.

“You have to relax. I go get you cake. You and the troubles can take the dessert for Lil’s party now, so good thing you come in. You save me phone call.”

We stay at the bakery until the women leave for their hair appointments. Vivi and I stand awkwardly while Jake kisses Sandy as if they’re going to be apart for years instead of hours. After declaring his undying love, Jake helps Sandy in the car, and I open the driver’s door for Vivi, giving her ass a discreet squeeze as she climbs in.

“You got anything you want to tell me?” Jake asks once he’s pulled out of the tight bakery parking lot.

“What?” I ask, as I take a huge bite of a cinnamon roll Vivi had handed me as we were walking out.

“Don’t play dumb. You and Vivi, and why the hell are you two keeping it a secret? And you’re lucky Sandy’s been so preoccupied with the pregnancy because it’s been pretty obvious to me for a while now.”

I finish chewing, and I tell him the story. I tell him how I realized I liked her and figured the only way to get her to be with me was to pretend we would only be together sexually, and over time she would change her mind and want more.

“Jesus,” Jake says as he runs a hand over his face. “You have no idea how stubborn the women in Dee’s family can be. Let me give you some advice. You need to be direct with these women.”

“Yeah? Were you direct with Dee?”

“Fuck, yeah, I was. And guess what? I had to chase her around like a damn puppy for weeks.”

“Well, considering what happened that first night, that’s expected,” I say, giving him a smug look. “So, you don’t have a problem with me and Vivi being together?”

“No. Why would I? I like Viv, and I’m happy you’re finally moving forward after that shit with Tori.” He reaches over and messes my hair just like he used to do when I was a kid.

“Troy said you’d be mad.” When he looks at me with a questioning look, I say, “He figured it out and was worried you and I would have issues because she’s Sandy’s cousin.”

“Troy’s a moron. If you mess with Vivi, I won’t have to do a thing to you. Sandy, Tash, and their mom would take care of it, not to mention Vivi would kick your ass.”

“Like I’m scared of a bunch of women.” He gives me a disbelieving look, and I shrug. “Well, maybe just a little.”

He reaches over and pats my shoulder. “Good for you, man. Here’s some unsolicited advice. Find your balls and tell her you want a real relationship, not come clandestine affair. Dee would walk all over me if I let her, so take it from me.” I nod at him, pretending to heed his advice. I should tell him that his wife walks all over him anyway, but I’ll let him believe he’s in charge.

CHAPTER 32

VIVI

I was unsure how I looked until Luke’s eyes landed on me. The minute I walked into his parents’ huge house and took off my long wool coat, his eyes never left my body. Even from across the room, my body responds to his smoldering look. I’ve been responding since I walked through the door. As sexy as he is, he looks ridiculous in a Rudolph sweater with a lit nose. I laughed out loud when I saw he was wearing matching sweaters with Tristan, Travis, and Emma.

“Is this an ugly Christmas sweater party?” I whisper to him as I wait for the bartender to pour me a red drink. “Did I not get the memo?” I lean over the counter. He stands a few feet from me, his back against the counter and his eyes straight ahead.

“There’s some serious competition with Jake for best uncle. This sweater is all part of my master plan.” He rubs his hands over the sweater. I look around the room and see Travis and Tristan all over Jake. Travis is on his back, and Tristan is holding onto his hand. “But forget about my sweater. Let’s talk about that dress.”

I had originally planned on wearing a red shirt and black leggings, but I found this short red dress with a full skirt in the back of Tash’s closet. She gave me the matching shoes, and I completed the outfit with a Santa hat. The way his eyes travel up and down my body gives me a boost of confidence.

“Oh, this old thing,” I say. “Tash gave it to me.”

He returns his gaze to me, and despite the desire I see in his eyes, he’s also angry.

“I told you I wanted to buy you a dress. I’ll buy you anything, so you don’t have to take hand me downs from your cousin.”

I lay a hand on his arm and rub it gently. “Your family has done so much for me already. You don’t have to buy me things, Luke.”

“Well, I want to do for you, okay?”

I open my mouth to say more, but Aunt Gabrielle, Tash, Chris, and their kids walk through the door. Aunt Gabby’s sharp gaze lands on me. She looks from me to Luke, shakes her head, and starts a conversation with Tash. Tash looks over at us and laughs. When she calls me over, I leave the bar and walk to them, and to my surprise, Luke walks with me.

This party has a different vibe from all the others. There are no business associates, only family, friends, music, food, and laughter.

After an hour of dancing, I finally get a reprieve and find myself a drink of water. As soon as I’ve quenched my thirst, Luke takes my hand, pulls me into his arms and we dance to Silver Bells. Our bodies are pressed together so tightly, there is not a breath of space between us. I feel him against me, hard and wanting. When the song ends, my need for him is so strong, I have no choice but to walk away from the dance floor.

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