He fixed his clothes with shaking hands and then he was completely purposeful about stripping my jeans down, as I’d done to him. “Spread,” he rasped.
My knees pretty much melted, dumping me on the towel. Rob dropped to a penitent position and eased his mouth onto me, gradual enough that I didn’t tense up, but once he was there, he went at it, licking until I couldn’t stop screaming. Then he added a couple of fingers, working me from the inside while he sipped at my clit. The idea that we could be caught actually turned me on more. I imagined people walking in, seeing us like this, and I lifted my hands, humping against his face. The pleasure spiked fast since I was already worked up from sucking him, and he knew just how to touch me.
“Come on, beautiful. No thinking.” His words, growled against my slick flesh, bumped it up a notch. “Just feel this, feel me.”
He hooked his fingers, pressing upward, and I arched up, astonished by the orgasm slamming through me. Rob licked until the shivers stopped, then we stumbled to the bathroom to wash up. We’d just hidden the towel in the bottom of the hamper, sprayed a little Febreze and settled on the couch when his family pulled into the driveway. I picked up my phone to make sure I’d turned the alarm off; that might be hard to explain.
“That was insane,” he whispered. “I don’t think I have the strength to stand up.”
“So they’ll think you’re tired from work.” I settled next to him, feeling just about as wrung-out. Maybe that was just as well, or I might be nervous about seeing Nadia, given the significant secret I was keeping from her.
The elder Conrads came in first, with Rob’s mom steadying Ned. Nadia and Mr. Hot Ginger followed. I had to admit, he was attractive, all aquiline nose and sharp, ascetic features. He was leaner than Rob and more austere, though his eyes were a warm brown, topped by the copper hair. Trailing behind, Ty’s son looked just like him, plus overexcited from the trip, so that should make for a fun night. I smiled at all of them, but I didn’t get up. Instead, I waited for Nadia to get settled. Seeing her again evoked a complex wash of emotions: nostalgia, vague anxiety, regret that I hadn’t been 100 percent honest with her before I left Michigan. Mostly, though, it was so good to see her, even if I was a little worried about how she’d react to finding out that I was now Rob’s girlfriend.
Eventually Nadia plopped down beside me while Mr. Hot Ginger showed his son around upstairs. I gave her a hug and she made small-talk noises.
“You’re in summer school?” she asked.
“Yep. Most of my credits transferred. I’m basically a sophomore, but I’m happier in computers. I can do something useful, something concrete. There are still problems, of course. I’m the only girl in a lot of my online classes and you wouldn’t believe how much crap I get.”
“And you dish it right back.”
I smiled. “Hells, yeah, I do. So tell me, is Courtney your new best friend?”
When I moved home, Courtney had taken over my half of the room I’d shared with Nadia; she’d bought my furniture, too. I hadn’t known her well, but I hoped she was dependable and didn’t argue with any of them. It was weird to imagine her wandering around the apartment in my place. Does she snuggle with Angus, play video games with Max and bake cookies when somebody’s down? A pang went through me; though it wasn’t the life I’d chosen, I missed everyone a lot.
“Friend,” Nadia said. “Not best. That’ll always be you.”
Soon after, her mom asked if they were hungry. I noticed she didn’t ask about Rob and me, though we’d both skipped dinner to get here on time, coming straight from work. He just got up and put the leaf in the table without being asked, quietly taking care of things like he always did. You absolutely do not get enough credit around here. The distance between Nadia and me had been building for a while, but thinking about it hurt. I couldn’t blame her for all of it, either. Like the fight I had with Rob, when I told him he couldn’t expect me to know things without being told? Nadia was in the same situation with me, mostly because I couldn’t stand to admit how fucked up I was.
I’ll talk to her, I promised myself. We’d been friends too long for us to wither and die.
Over soup and sandwiches, Nadia and Mr. Hot Ginger dominated the conversation, but that was understandable. Her parents had known me for years; they were trying to figure out if he was a good guy or not. For the most part, Rob was quiet, but I could tell he was still super relaxed because nothing made any impact on his smile. Yeah, fooling around was the best idea ever. After dinner, Rob made an effort with the boyfriend, extending an olive branch about the construction business, though Ty worked on the office management side. Since he seemed to make Nadia happy, I was glad they were back together.
By nine, though, I was so ready to leave. Work, quickie sex, the strain of trying to decide when and how I should tell Nadia about us...damn. That was enough for one day.
I whispered to Rob, “I’m heading out.”
Louder, I said goodbye to everyone else and went out to the car to listen to the radio. Five minutes later, he joined me. “That wasn’t as horrible as expected.”
“Nope. And we have all day tomorrow, too. Can’t wait to watch the fireworks with you.”
“Don’t tell my family about the internet stuff, okay? I don’t think they’d get it.”
“Whatever you want.” I never meant anything more in my life.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Rob and I met his family at the fairgrounds the next day at three.
Nadia was really distracted by Mr. Hot Ginger and offspring, or I suspected she would’ve noticed the new vibe between her brother and me sooner than she did. As it was, we ate lunch together, napped in the sun—Rob’s head in my lap—played Frisbee and then put away the leftovers as the sun went down without her saying a word. Rob got a blanket out of his truck and we followed everyone else to get comfortable for the fireworks later.
Today, more than usual, I noticed the change in Ned Conrad. He held on to his wife’s arm, and I glanced up at Rob, checking his mood. His jaw was set, his eyes blazing with helpless pain. I slipped my hand into his and he squeezed tight, telling me wordlessly that he wanted so bad to fix it, and there was nothing he could do. Nadia and her boyfriend walked ahead, next to her parents, while the kid bolted off, until MHG called him back.
Eventually we found the perfect spot, and Rob spread out our quilt, then he went to see if his parents needed anything. For some reason. Mr. Hot Ginger went off on his own and when he returned, he radiated sorrow. With peculiar gravitas, he shot off a confetti bottle rocket, but the little dude seemed to think it was awesome. When Rob came back, I shifted to make room for him beside me.