Page 19 of Vodka And Virtue

They had worked themselves from opposite sides of the yard into the same corner, where Shannon accidentally bumped into Gordy.

“Watch it, damn it!” Gordy snarled, glaring daggers at Shannon.

“Don’t get your pretty panties in a twist, Gordo. It was an accident,” Shannon replied casually, seemingly unaffected by Gordy’s temper.

Gordy, which was a nickname for Graham Junior, had teasingly been called Gordo as a child by his mother because he was on the chubby side. None of us repeated the name, knowing how much he hated it…except Shannon. He used it as a way to get under Gordy’s skin, and it worked every time without fail, sending my cousin into a rage. Gordy threw his hammer into the grass and advanced on Shannon. He probably would have taken him down to the ground if not for my uncle intervening.

“Gordy!” Uncle G’s deep voice carried across the yard. “Touch him and I’ll kick your ass.”

“Saved by your daddy,” Gordy snickered.

Shannon had the grace to ignore him, but my uncle did not. He stomped right over to Gordy, getting up in his face.

“I’m only gonna say this once, boy, so make sure you listen good. Your cousin gave up his day off to come sweat balls out here with the rest of us, in order to help your mama. She has always been good to him, and in return, he treats her like gold. And for that, if nothing else, you should be grateful to him. So dig deep down into that black heart of yours and find an ounce of respect for your cousin. If I have to come over here again and break you two up, I’ll shove my boot so far up your ass you’ll be spitting leather.”

That was the end to the physical altercation, but the dark looks continued throughout the afternoon. When Ryan showed up with a plate of treats, he was a welcomed distraction.

My brother dropped his hammer and greeted his boyfriend, planting a huge wet kiss on his lips.

“Hey, everyone,” Ryan waved. “I brought brownies and rice krispy treats, and an ice-cold jug of sweet tea. Stop and take a break.”

“You’re a lifesaver, baby.” Carson shoved an entire brownie in his mouth in one bite, moaning around the mouthful of chocolate. “Oh my God, it’s almost as sweet as you, Boytoy.”

I laughed when he blushed. What a schmoop, always falling for my brother’s cheesy lines, even after all these months together. Even I had to admit they made a cute couple.

Unlikely, but adorable.

What with all the distractions between my cousins and my brother and Ryan, I was almost able to forget about my greatest distraction. The one that had consumed my thoughts for days.

The moment Rory almost kissed me.

Although it was aborted prematurely, it promised to be the hottest kiss of my life.

I still had another date to get through with him, while struggling to keep my virtue intact.

How would I survive?

7

RORY

I leanedback in my desk chair, feeling it tilt from my considerable weight.

“Not tonight. I have a shift at Limericks. How is your assignment going?” I listened as my employee, Scott, ran through the events of his week. “Great, I’m glad to hear it. I might have another assignment for you soon. Working security at a convention. I’ll keep you posted.”

I hung up and tossed the phone onto my desk, continuing to recline as I folded my arms behind my head, stretching my back, and sighed. I liked my job. Loved the company that I was building. But all week, I’d been plagued with distractions that made it hard to focus. Really, just onelargedistraction.

Carlisle Carrick.

That kiss. Fuck. I almost had him right where I wanted him. Inside of my mouth. Seducible. Willing to give me a chance. But his brother went and blew it for us. I saw the gleam in his eye when he opened the door and watched as his brother jumped back ten feet, as if he were caught with his pants down instead of merely sharing a kiss with me.

The Carricks were going out of their way to give me a hard time. I was beginning to see how protective they were of Carlisle. Not that I could blame them. He seemed more vulnerable than his brother and cousins, more sensitive. Which was one of many things I admired about him. I approved of their overprotectiveness; I just didn’t want to be the thing he needed protection from.

I had to make a plan for our date. The more time I gave him to think about it, the more chances he had to come up with excuses not to follow through. And I simply couldn’t take that risk. I needed more time alone with him to convince him we had chemistry. After that almost-kiss, he had to feel it. But whereas I would run headlong into that feeling, I was certain that Carlisle was the type of man who would run in the opposite direction just as quickly.

That was fine with me. I was a fast runner, and I was prepared to chase him. It gave me a thrill that would have to suffice until I had him in my arms.

I closed my laptop and stood, exiting the home office down the hall from my bedroom. I needed to shower and change for my shift tonight.

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