youthful escapades. After we eat, Romy and Julie leave together to use the ladies’ room.
“That’s how chicks bond,” Garrett says. “They go to the bathroom together.”
I grin. There may be truth to it.
“She’s great, man,” Garrett continues. “And you’re nuts about her.”
I rub my temple. Again, there may be truth to that. “I like her.”
Garrett smirks. “This is fun.”
I frown. “What is?”
“Watching you get all boo’d up.”
I roll my eyes. “That’s not what this is. I think. I don’t know.”
Garrett’s still laughing when the women return.
“What’s so funny?” Julie asks, sliding into the booth.
“Trace just told me a joke. But it’s totally inappropriate, so I won’t repeat it out of respect for you ladies.”
Julie snorts. “Sure.”
Garrett can be a dickwad, but he’s a good friend. I meet his eyes briefly, and he nods.
Yeah, I’m a little addled about me and Romy. We just met each other’s friends, which is a very couple thing to do. Notwithstanding the embarrassing stories, it went great. She’s great. And I’m an idiot because I can’t shake a foreboding feeling that things could get epically fucked up.
20
Romy
“Oh, you have got to be kidding me.”
I stare at the letter in my hands. The Board of Elders has changed the requirements for me to pass my WED exam. They’ve made it harder.
“This is nuts.” I look up at Trace, who’s at my place. We met after work for dinner and came back here.
“Let me see.” He reaches for the letter, and I hand it over.
“Argh.” I shove my hands into my hair and sit on the couch.
“Huh.” He looks up. “I’ve never seen this.”
“It’s me. They hate me.”
“No, they don’t.” He drops the paper on my coffee table. “You could appeal this.”
“Really?” I straighten.
“You could. But I think it would be a waste of time.”
“Oh for the love of dogs. What do I do then?”
“Keep studying.” He smiles and pulls me closer against him. I shift and snuggle in, peering up at him. “I’ll help you.”
I drop my forehead against his chest. His big, strong, protective chest. “I’m sick of studying. And I’m sure you’re sick of it too.” I’ve been working so hard, feeling the pressure of the deadline I have.
“No, I’m not.” He smooths a hand over my hair and down my back. “You’ve been busting your butt. Your cute butt. I’m sorry.”
I sigh. I’m skeptical of his denial. This has to be a huge pain in the ass for him. Not for the first time I question whether this is worth it. But if I don’t keep studying, I might not get to see Trace as much. Also, I freakin’ hate it when people doubt me. “I’m going to go to the board again. I want to apologize and explain more.” I hesitate to tell Trace about the other women who are coming with me. I appreciate that they’re with me, but I have a feeling Trace might not like it. It’s turning into a bigger thing than I ever anticipated. There’ve been all kinds of posts in the Facebook group about it. So many are enraged about this. “I can ask them to reconsider this.”
His eyebrows fly up. “Okay.”
“I can do it.”
“I know you can.”
“Thank you for your confidence. And for helping me.” I lift my head. “I couldn’t do this without you.”
His eyes soften. “Sure, you could. There are others who could tutor you. And you’re learning lots from Joe too.”
“I know I wasn’t very receptive at first, but you stuck it out.”
“Only because you have a cute ass.”
“Ah!”
He laughs. “So hey… if you’re feeling down… I can feel you up.” His hand drops to my butt and squeezes.
I respond instantly, my belly doing a flip. “Mmm… that might help.”
“By the way, your boobs are perfect too.”
I huff out a laugh. “Thank you.”
“I’ve heard that when your girl has a rough day, you should give her a rough night.” He kisses my jaw.
“I like it rough,” I whisper, my head falling back.
He sucks the skin of my throat into his mouth. “Yeah? I can be rough with you…” He kisses my neck. “In so many sweet ways.”
“That sounds perfect…”
Grabbing my ass in both hands, he stands, lifting me with him. I wrap my legs around his waist as he strides to the bedroom. He comes down onto the bed with me, his weight pressing me into the mattress, and kisses me. His mouth is hard, demanding, hot… His tongue sweeps inside my mouth, and I slide mine along it and suck on