Delayed Call
Page 82
Not when he was with someone like Brie.
“I thought we were having sex?”
Glancing over at Brie, he rolled his eyes as he threw a chip in his mouth. “I thought we were watching a movie.”
She pouted. “Or we can have sex and watch the movie.”
“I can’t do both. I gotta focus on the movie or you.”
She rolled her eyes. “You came over here in nothing but shorts—no shirt, no socks, just those shorts.”
She pointed to his Assassins shorts, and he shrugged. “I wanted to be comfortable. Should I put a suit on next time?”
“Well, if you don’t want to be hit on, you might want to… Never mind, I’ll hit on you then too.”
A smirk covered his face before he fed her a chip. “Be good, and I’ll give you some loving after the movie.”
“Fine,” she pouted. “By the way, I think you need a tattoo right here.”
She moved her finger along his chest, and he laughed. “What? ‘THUG’ in big letters? I can go show it to the florist, she’d really love me.”
She laughed as she nodded. “Especially if you get, like, a pair of guns or something.”
“Yeah, or better yet, just big, bold letters: THUG LIFE.”
“Yes! That would put you on the map as the badass playboy for sure.”
“My dream.”
“Could be a reality. Just a trip to the shop.”
“Nope.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“What the hell, woman? Are you not attracted to my baby-soft skin?” He faked a hurt expression, and she laughed as she reached out to take his hand, which he playfully smacked away. “No, you don’t like my clear, beautiful skin.”
“I do, you big nerd. But it would be so hot if you had some ink.”
“Well, I think it would be hot if you let me put it in your butt.” She glared. “What? It would be so damn hot, my cock so deep—”
“You’re nasty, shut up.”
He chuckled. “Are we at an impasse?”
“Yes,” she answered, all grumpy and cute. Reaching out, he took her in his arms, laying her over his chest. “You want me to get a tattoo?”
She looked up at him, setting her chin on his chest as she met his gaze. “Yes, I thought we could go together. I want a new one.”
“Of what? What would we be getting?”
She shrugged, a smile playing on her lips. “I thought maybe we each could get something for our brothers.”
He thought it over. It was sweet. “No.”
She snorted. “You’re an ass.”
“I know,” he said, smacking her butt.
“You’d be so hot, though.”
“I’m hot now, asshole. Stop making me question my hotness!”
Snickering against him, she said, “Well, excuse me.”
“You’re excused. Now, hush, I’m missing the movie.”
Cuddling into him, she let out a breath and whispered, “You know I’m joking, right?”
“I do.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
“Vaughn.”
“Yes, Brie?”
“I’m glad you get me.”
He smiled against her hair as he nuzzled her. “Right back atcha, hot stuff.”
A moment passed, and he couldn’t help but chuckle when she started talking again. “How was— Why are you laughing?”
“’Cause you keep talking!”
“I know,” she said, reaching for the remote and pausing the movie that he had no clue what was going on in. Sitting up on her hands, her elbows digging into his chest, she said, “I want to talk. I haven’t seen or talked to you all day.”
“We’ve both been busy, and you didn’t text me.”
“I don’t like texting.”
“I don’t either.”
“So call me.”
“I was busy.”
“So was I,” she answered sadly with a loud exhale.
“Then why are we talking about this?”
“I don’t know. How was practice?”
“It was good, busy, worked on three-on-three OT.”
“Good, you guys need to.”
“Yeah, they’ve got me with Reeves and Sinclair.”
“Hmm, not you and Franklin?”
He made a face. “I don’t like Franklin.”
She scoffed. “He’s got a great pass. You don’t have to like him, just work with him.”
“He called you a hot-ass reporter.”
He held her gaze as her brows lifted. “I mean, I am—”
“Shut it, and I’m rubbing off on you.”
She snickered as she rolled her eyes. “I was joking, but why was he talking about me?”
“He was giving me shit about us.”
“He knows?”
“No, I kept it on the DL.”
“Oh,” she said sharply. “Trying to keep me a secret with everything else in your life?
He shot her a bored look. “No, asshole, we hadn’t talked about what we were going to tell people, and I wanted to talk to you first.”
“Oh,” she said with a smile. “That’s nice.”
“Jenny thought so too.”
She laughed. “So what do you wanna do?”
“Be with you?”
“Well, duh, dork, I mean with all that. People and shit?”
“Do we have to tell people?”
“We might have to. I might want to kiss you in public.”
He nodded slowly. “I’ll kiss you wherever the hell I want and I don’t care what people say, but I’m not saying we need to be Facebook official and shit.”
“I don’t have Facebook.”
“Really? I don’t either.”
“It’s a cesspool of drama.”
“Yeah, it is.”
She nodded, holding his gaze. “So if we aren’t Facebook official, what are we?”
He thought that over for a minute. “Vaughn and Brie official?”
“Why do you get to go first?”
He rolled his eyes. “Brie and Vaughn official, then.”
“I like Vaughn first.”
“You’re a pain in my ass, woman.”
“I thought we were having sex?”
Glancing over at Brie, he rolled his eyes as he threw a chip in his mouth. “I thought we were watching a movie.”
She pouted. “Or we can have sex and watch the movie.”
“I can’t do both. I gotta focus on the movie or you.”
She rolled her eyes. “You came over here in nothing but shorts—no shirt, no socks, just those shorts.”
She pointed to his Assassins shorts, and he shrugged. “I wanted to be comfortable. Should I put a suit on next time?”
“Well, if you don’t want to be hit on, you might want to… Never mind, I’ll hit on you then too.”
A smirk covered his face before he fed her a chip. “Be good, and I’ll give you some loving after the movie.”
“Fine,” she pouted. “By the way, I think you need a tattoo right here.”
She moved her finger along his chest, and he laughed. “What? ‘THUG’ in big letters? I can go show it to the florist, she’d really love me.”
She laughed as she nodded. “Especially if you get, like, a pair of guns or something.”
“Yeah, or better yet, just big, bold letters: THUG LIFE.”
“Yes! That would put you on the map as the badass playboy for sure.”
“My dream.”
“Could be a reality. Just a trip to the shop.”
“Nope.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“What the hell, woman? Are you not attracted to my baby-soft skin?” He faked a hurt expression, and she laughed as she reached out to take his hand, which he playfully smacked away. “No, you don’t like my clear, beautiful skin.”
“I do, you big nerd. But it would be so hot if you had some ink.”
“Well, I think it would be hot if you let me put it in your butt.” She glared. “What? It would be so damn hot, my cock so deep—”
“You’re nasty, shut up.”
He chuckled. “Are we at an impasse?”
“Yes,” she answered, all grumpy and cute. Reaching out, he took her in his arms, laying her over his chest. “You want me to get a tattoo?”
She looked up at him, setting her chin on his chest as she met his gaze. “Yes, I thought we could go together. I want a new one.”
“Of what? What would we be getting?”
She shrugged, a smile playing on her lips. “I thought maybe we each could get something for our brothers.”
He thought it over. It was sweet. “No.”
She snorted. “You’re an ass.”
“I know,” he said, smacking her butt.
“You’d be so hot, though.”
“I’m hot now, asshole. Stop making me question my hotness!”
Snickering against him, she said, “Well, excuse me.”
“You’re excused. Now, hush, I’m missing the movie.”
Cuddling into him, she let out a breath and whispered, “You know I’m joking, right?”
“I do.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
“Vaughn.”
“Yes, Brie?”
“I’m glad you get me.”
He smiled against her hair as he nuzzled her. “Right back atcha, hot stuff.”
A moment passed, and he couldn’t help but chuckle when she started talking again. “How was— Why are you laughing?”
“’Cause you keep talking!”
“I know,” she said, reaching for the remote and pausing the movie that he had no clue what was going on in. Sitting up on her hands, her elbows digging into his chest, she said, “I want to talk. I haven’t seen or talked to you all day.”
“We’ve both been busy, and you didn’t text me.”
“I don’t like texting.”
“I don’t either.”
“So call me.”
“I was busy.”
“So was I,” she answered sadly with a loud exhale.
“Then why are we talking about this?”
“I don’t know. How was practice?”
“It was good, busy, worked on three-on-three OT.”
“Good, you guys need to.”
“Yeah, they’ve got me with Reeves and Sinclair.”
“Hmm, not you and Franklin?”
He made a face. “I don’t like Franklin.”
She scoffed. “He’s got a great pass. You don’t have to like him, just work with him.”
“He called you a hot-ass reporter.”
He held her gaze as her brows lifted. “I mean, I am—”
“Shut it, and I’m rubbing off on you.”
She snickered as she rolled her eyes. “I was joking, but why was he talking about me?”
“He was giving me shit about us.”
“He knows?”
“No, I kept it on the DL.”
“Oh,” she said sharply. “Trying to keep me a secret with everything else in your life?
He shot her a bored look. “No, asshole, we hadn’t talked about what we were going to tell people, and I wanted to talk to you first.”
“Oh,” she said with a smile. “That’s nice.”
“Jenny thought so too.”
She laughed. “So what do you wanna do?”
“Be with you?”
“Well, duh, dork, I mean with all that. People and shit?”
“Do we have to tell people?”
“We might have to. I might want to kiss you in public.”
He nodded slowly. “I’ll kiss you wherever the hell I want and I don’t care what people say, but I’m not saying we need to be Facebook official and shit.”
“I don’t have Facebook.”
“Really? I don’t either.”
“It’s a cesspool of drama.”
“Yeah, it is.”
She nodded, holding his gaze. “So if we aren’t Facebook official, what are we?”
He thought that over for a minute. “Vaughn and Brie official?”
“Why do you get to go first?”
He rolled his eyes. “Brie and Vaughn official, then.”
“I like Vaughn first.”
“You’re a pain in my ass, woman.”
