Page 42 of Ridin' Solo
“Was the sex good though?” When I rolled my eyes, she gripped me harder. “No, but seriously. We need to know before we can focus on anything else.”
Esme nodded. “It’s true. I’m going through a dry spell right now and need to live vicariously through someone. And no offense, Amelia, but we grew up with Titus too, so he feels like a brother to me. I can’t hear about your sex life.”
Amelia folded her arms across her chest and pouted.
I swallowed a laugh, feeling better than I had in days. Feeling like all that tension between Wyatt and me was floating away on a cloud of spiked tea and sister talk. I drained the rest of my tea and set it down with a smack. “Fine. The sex was crazy good. Out of this world. Toe-curling, mind-blowing, slobbering-into-the-pillow good.”
The girls squealed, and Vee dropped low to whisper, “Big dick, right?”
I put my hands about ten inches apart in the air. Funny, they were kind of blurry. “Massive.”
Esme shoved me good-naturedly in the shoulder and I almost fell off my chair. Izzy leaned into me on the other side and kept me upright. Scratch that. She wasn’t helping me, she was laying her head on my shoulder to rest her eyes. Amelia stood up, a big grin on her face.
“As amazing as this conversation is, my bladder is protesting. I’ll be right back. Don’t spill any more details until I get back!” She ran to the bathroom and Polly arrived with more tea.
“I brought a plate of finger foods too. Those teas’ll knock you on your ass if you aren’t careful,” Polly warned.
“Pssh. What does she know?” Vee mumbled, unzipping her vest and stripping down to her tiny tank top and jeans. “Is it hot in here?”
Amelia came back and drilled me with a look. “Let’s recap: the sex is fabulous, but he has a secret. So, do you love him? Or do you just want to bang him?”
I wiggled my shoulders, feeling like my shirt suddenly became scratchy and uncomfortable. “I don’t know. That’s the problem. I think it could be that first one, but maybe I’m just blinded by the second one?”
Vee nodded sagely, taking another swig of tea. “Blinded by the dick.”
Izzy opened her eyes and snorted, still leaning on my shoulder despite the bumpy ride that was turning out to be. “Jeez, Vee. Are you like the dick whisperer or something? All wise in your twenty-one years of experience?”
Amelia leaned over the table, drawing attention back to her. “Hey, I get your point, Izzy, but we don’t shame here. If Vee has more dick experience than any of us already, that doesn’t make it wrong.”
“Dick-sperience,” Esme drawled, giggling into her cup of tea. “We should trademark it.”
I couldn’t help but giggle, which made Izzy snort-laugh. Even Vee sported a smile at that. Amelia sighed, for the first time having to be the sane one of the bunch. Usually she was the drunk skunk we had to manage with kid gloves and a healthy dose of patience. Turnaround’s fair playback, bitch.
Or something like that. In truth, my brain was a little fuzzy at the moment.
“Okay, so this is what you have to do. Stay away from the dick-straction—get it?—and analyze if you really do have feelings for him. If you do, then it’s worth giving him some time to get with the program. You’re a gem of a woman, Oak. If he can’t see that and be willing to address all the skeletons in his closet, then he’s not worthy of you.”
My eyes filled with tears. “Thank you, ’Lia.”
Esme fumbled with her bag, spilling most of the contents before getting her notebook and pen out on the table. “I gotta write these down. You ladies are coming up with words like little genius wordy wordsmiths.” She scribbled something on the page, but I couldn’t make it out because of the tears in my eyes.
Izzy lifted her head finally, swaying a bit in her seat with the motion. “I bet it’s hard to be a tough cop by day and yet keep your lady heart soft for a man at night. I think you’re doing great, sis.”
“More gold…” Esme muttered, scrambling to write down Izzy’s words.
“I know what you mean.” The voice came from just over my left shoulder. I turned, seeing Penelope Fines standing there in her orthopedic shoes, socks pulled up to her knees, hands on her hips. “Female officers of the law have to be stoic. It can take a toll on you after a while. I feel your pain.”
I grinned, thinking Penelope was adorable in her little meter maid uniform. She flicked the plastic badge that sat on her chest. Amelia was either holding back a laugh or going into labor behind me.
Yedda pushed her way next to Penelope, the cat hair stuck to her sweater in clumps. “You make sure that man treats you like a princess, you hear me? I told my granddaughter, Hazel, if he can’t get you off, you get off him. Know what I mean?”
Poppy popped her head over Penelope’s shoulder. “What guy are we talking about?”
I shook my head. “Nobody, Poppy. Nothing to see here. Move along.” I didn’t want to end up in the gossip grapevine by nightfall.
She narrowed her eyes at me, a sly little grin on her face. I knew that she knew what man I was thinking of. She’d delivered similar brown paper packages to both of our doors recently. I’d play it cool, though. The last thing I needed was Poppy Strauss butting her nose into my business. That’s what I had sisters for.
Vee stood suddenly, holding her tea in the air. “To Hell women. May we sip spiked tea under a giant vagina and rule our men with the same honey trap.”
