Page 88 of Knockin' Boats
Shua shrugged. “Can’t you just be a friend?”
“I sure can.” I tossed a few more pieces into the bag and swept my gaze over the ground for more.
Audra squeezed my shoulder, the heat of her hand making me aware I’d come over here without putting on a shirt.
“Thank you again, Sawyer,” she said. “If there’s anything we can do…” She hesitated. “Would you maybe want to join us for dinner tonight?”
I glanced up, and yeah, Audra was a pretty woman. A little older than me, but she was a young mom. Probably early thirties.
She had the same big eyes as Shua, set in a heart-shaped face, and blond hair. And when our eyes met, I saw something in her gaze. An invitation.
“Sawyer’s got plans with me tonight.”
I whipped my head to the side, near falling. Ash leaned against a tree, dressed in his board shorts and tank top from yesterday. Not that you’d know it. As always, he looked like a damn catalog model.
“Mom, this is Ash,” Shua said. “Sawyer’s boyfriend.”
Audra’s eyes flicked from me to Ash and back again. “Oh.Oh.I didn’t know you were…”
“I’m not,” I said automatically, then inwardly cringed. “Or not always.”
Did that make sense? It didn’t, really. You couldn’t be straight some of the time, right? Even if you weren’t always with a guy.
“We’re not boyfriends,” Ash said casually. “But I do have plans for him tonight.”
A dark thrill ran through me at those words. Whatkindof plans did Ash have? Dick-sucking plans? Get naked and come-our-brains-out plans?
I stood up. “I think you’re all set here. Thanks for the invite, Audra. Maybe a raincheck.”
“Yeah, sure,” she said, sounding uninterested now.
Shua’s pronouncement and my fumbling admission we weresomethingsome of the time had put her off the scent. Not that I was sad about that. I had absolutely zero intentions of ever hooking up with Shua’s mom.
Shua was a good kid who needed a friend. I wasn’t about to ruin that for them.
We said our goodbyes and headed back toward the camper.
“What was that?” Ash asked through clenched teeth.
“Nothing.”
“If you’ve got the hots for the neighbor kid’s mom, it’s fine. Whatever. Woulda been nice to know that’s why you hang with Shua.”
I grabbed his arm to stop him. “That’s not why I hang with Shua.”
Ash carried on, eyes hot. “But you could atleastwait until I’m not fresh from your fucking bed to go flirt with a woman.”
“That’s not what happened,” I growled.
“What’s wrong? Freaking out because you liked my mouth on your dick, Saw? Need to go validate your masculinity?”
I shoved him up the stairs to my camper and followed him inside. “Shut the fuck up.”
“Or what? You going to make me?”
“Yeah, I fucking will.” I pushed him against the door. “As many times as it takes.”
“What are you waiting for then?” he challenged.
