Page 29

CHAPTER 28

LIZZY

FAMILIAR

“No,” Clay says, drawing out the word. “I do not jerk off in the shower.” I huff and cross my arms as he glares at me from the driver side of my Bronco before rolling his eyes and getting out. I glare right back at him, holding eye contact as he walks around the hood, watching him still mouth no the entire time until he reaches my door.

He opens it for me and somehow the simple gesture still makes my heart flutter each time. But I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that. I turn, sitting in the passenger seat with my arms crossed, my legs dangling out. “Don’t ruin this fantasy for me. This is my Roman Empire.”

He snorts a laugh and rolls his eyes again, setting his coffee on the roof of the car. “Hate to burn Rome down for you, but I don’t jerk off in the shower. I don’t know why romance authors always do this. But I will die on this hill. It’s not happening.”

We debated this for the last hour of the drive from Salt Lake to Bend after listening to an audiobook the whole way. But he insists this trope is wrong. I don’t know why he won’t let me have this. It would be so hot to watch him in the shower. Just picturing his tattooed forearm working, his veins popping, his tattooed hand gripping his thick length, and his muscular form glistening in hot, steamy water is enough to get me worked up. I feel my thighs clench as my body reacts to my thoughts and him being so close to me.

But this is exactly what I don’t need since we’ll be staying in a house with his sister, brother, and Veronica for the next few nights. Grace knows about us, but we didn’t want to tell Veronica or Tanner yet. And after sharing a bed with him for the last two weeks, the idea of not sleeping with him every night, falling asleep in his giant arms, is almost unbearable. I’d be lying if I didn’t think about him sneaking into my room in the middle of the night.

Sitting here, I’m eye level with him. I watch as he holds his hand out to me and I eye it skeptically. I huff and grab it, hopping out and looking back up at him. “You’re no fun.”

He looks down at me, smirking and shrugs. “Already told you, I never said I’d be fun.”

“Yes. You keep reminding me.” I give him a light punch and a huff of laughter rumbles from his chest. “So, you’re still good with pretending like nothing’s happening in front of everyone, right? I’m just not ready to take that step.”

“Whatever you want. I’ll do whatever you need.” He sighs and shakes his head. “Besides, Tanner would give me so much shit if he found out and I don’t know if I have the patience for that yet.”

I let out a laugh. “That’s probably true, but thank you.” I place a hand on his chest, feeling his muscles through his black t-shirt. His gaze lingers on me and I feel my heart flutter. I inch closer to him, wanting to hug him and feel his warmth. I’m about to bury my head in his chest when a shrieking voice interrupts me.

“Oh my god! You guys are here!” We pull apart and I look to the front door of the beautiful, gargantuan house. It’s stunning but somehow so familiar. I don’t have time to place it when Veronica runs out towards us. She bolts up and hugs us both. “I have so much to tell you guys.”

“V, one sec.” I clear my throat and look at Clay, raising my eyebrows.

“Thanks for inviting me, V. Seriously, I’m happy to be here with everyone.”

“Good job.” I pat him on the back like praising a puppy that just sat down on command. “See? That wasn’t hard. ”

She pauses, her lips parting, and her eyes darting between us. “Thanks? Glad you’re here too,” she says, almost like a question. She hums to herself, looking back at me. “What was that?”

Clay drops his head, sighing, and I grin back at her. “We made a deal. Since I don’t have you around everyday anymore, I’ve been bad about working out. So Clay, my new roomie, is my accountability buddy. And I’m helping him…” I wave a hand at him, prompting him to glare back at me. “Do less of that.”

She eyes us both for a second before continuing. “Yeah. Good luck with that, both of you. Anyways, like I was saying, big news.”

“Is it about how awesome this house is? Because Tanner really came through with the hook up on this place.”

V grins back at me. “Yeah. You’re right. This place is awesome.” She looks over at Clay. “You already knew that though.”

I give him a puzzled look and he turns a little pink before V grabs my shoulders and shakes me. “Anyways, TJ’s in the house. Like literally in the house .”

Suddenly, it clicks. Tommy Jacob - TJ - is the lead singer for the band Teal Tigers. Tanner befriended him while managing his property in Jackson Hole and I guess that’s how we ended up getting this place for the week. V and I hung out there with Tanner and Collin one night there in Jackson while TJ was out of town. Now I know why this place looks so familiar. It looks so much like his house in Jackson. More importantly though, V has had a rockstar crush on TJ since before I knew her. Looking back at her, I can’t help but laugh at how excited she is.

“You’re literally losing it, aren't you? But also, are we sure it’s still ok for us all to stay here?”

She nods eagerly. “Yeah, I might be fangirling hard. He wasn’t clear on why he’s here, but I’m really not complaining. And he was more than happy to have us.” She looks back to Clay, tilting her head. “But that does leave us a bedroom short. ”

“It’s fine. I’ll take a couch,” Clay says in his gruff deep voice, before forcing a smile. He turns back to grab our bags before adding, “Princess needs the last bedroom for her beauty sleep anyways. Make sure it has plenty of pillows.”

“There he is.” Veronica looks at me, raising her eyebrows. “Seems like you still have some work to do with him. I don’t know how you’ve managed to live with him for weeks.”

I feign a laugh, but deep inside I feel for him. I’ve loved almost every second I’ve been around this very misunderstood man. Suddenly I feel possessive, protective of him, remembering how being dismissed hurt him, something I can relate to all too well.

I look down at the hand held out in front of me, noticing the musical notes tattooed around the ring finger and the leather bracelet around the wrist. Then I take in the tall, fit man it’s attached to. All of it, from his shaggy unkempt hair to the silver and leather necklace to the cut off sleeves of his plaid flannel shirt showcasing his biceps and muscular forearms. It all screams grungy rockstar.

Tommy Jacob is here in the flesh, holding his hand out for me to shake, in the entryway of his house. I’ve seen pictures of him before, but they don’t do him justice. On camera, he always looked lean and slender, but in person, he’s built with well tanned skin and muscles everywhere I can see. The hair that always looked light and blonde in videos and pictures is more of a light auburn. It’s trimmed down to a medium length now instead of the shoulder length I remember from the poster Veronica had in our apartment in college. Instead of the beard I remember from that poster, he has a light stubble covering his square jaw with a few distinguished grays .

I mean he’s no Clay Chapman, but I get why Veronica fangirled over him for years.

“Hey, it’s good to meet you,” he says in a raspy yet silky, well worn deep voice. He smiles and huffs a laugh. “But I feel like I know you already with how much Veronica has told me.”

He takes my hand, kissing the back of it before shaking it in both of his. I laugh, feeling my cheeks go a little pink with his playful tone and gesture. “Thank you so much for letting us stay for the week.”

He scoffs and waves me off. “Nah, it’s nothing. Anything for the Chapman brothers.” He leans in closer to me, holding a cupped hand in front of his mouth. “But seriously, Veronica hasn’t stopped talking. Is she always like this?”

A giggle escapes me and I cover my mouth and whisper. “Actually, between you and me, normally she’s the quiet one.”

My attention is pulled away when I see Grace and Tanner walking in from a hallway and over to Clay. He drops our bags, bumping his fist with his brother before bringing his sister in for a hug. I look back at TJ who’s also tracking their movement. He clears his throat and steps over to Clay.

“Long time, no see man,” TJ says, before Clay holds out a hand.

Wait. Do they know each other?

TJ scoffs and shakes his head, making his shaggy blonde hair sway. “Oh no, friends don’t shake hands in this house.”

I watch, half in horror for Clay, half laughing to myself as he wraps his arms around him, pulling him in tight for a hug.

Clay lets out a muffled groan, patting TJ on the back. There’s something amusing about seeing a Chapman caught off guard by an even bigger bear hug. “Good to see you too.”

I make eye contact with Clay, making an exaggerated smile at him. He rolls his eyes at me. “Thanks for having us.”

I make an OK gesture at Clay, who just rolls his eyes again as TJ lets him go. “Are you serious? It’s the least I can do. Look at how this place turned out man.” TJ turns and waves one hand towards the rest of the house.

I take a second to look at the rest of it. Beautiful polished concrete floors and a mix of exposed wood and steel beams. Floor to ceiling windows with views of Mount Bachelor, the evergreen forest around us, and the Deschutes River. A beautiful fireplace sits right in the center of the main wall of windows. All of it feels familiar. Too familiar.

I look back at Clay when the realization sets in that he designed this house. His eyes meet mine and his cheeks turn that boyish pink before he looks away, giving his attention back to TJ. Somehow this cocky, grumpy man is capable of adorable, admirable humility too.

“Glad you love it, TJ. But really, thanks for having us. Looking forward to seeing how you decorated the place.” I mouth there you go to him , mockingly clapping my hands together, prompting a playful scowl.

“For sure. I’ll catch up with you later.” TJ pats him on the back before heading down the hall, leaving us with Grace, Tanner, and Veronica.

I step towards the three of them, one hand on my hip.

“Alright. Can we skip the rest of the greetings and figure out dinner? I missed you guys, but that was a long drive from Utah and Clay apparently doesn’t like to stop unless it’s for gas or a bathroom break.” I look to Tanner and V, raising my eyebrows. “And I don’t know about you guys, but I’m getting a little hangry and I know you don’t want to deal with that.”

Clay lowers his brows and glares at me. “I offered to get you chicken tenders at the gas station. They’re the perfect passenger princess snack, easy to eat on the road.”

I glare back at him, turning up a hand. “Do I look like a child? No. I wanted real food. ”

He grins back. “Well you’re about as tall as a child and wear a lot of pink.”

Tanner laughs and turns to Veronica. She wraps an arm around him and leans against his shoulder. “I can’t imagine how that ten hour car ride was. Surprised you two survived.”

The jokes on her because we listened to a book the whole way and it was great. I stare her down, bringing my hands to my face like I’m eating a sandwich. “Enough chit chat, V. Food. Think about food .”

As always, V’s food suggestions are on point. We’re sitting on the patio and it’s perfect after the long drive. Plus we have a prime view of the Deschutes River and the surf park in the center of town, able to watch the wetsuit clad surfers ride the man-made rapids. I will never complain about food with a side of eye candy.

“Alright. These aren’t quite Frisky Fox spicy margs, but they’re a very close second.” I put my drink down and grab a taco and take a bite. My eyes roll back in my head at how good the al pastor is. Ok. I was definitely hungry.

I dab the corner of my mouth with a napkin and look at V and Tanner. “So skiing tomorrow then dinner out?”

V takes a drink of her margarita and nods, setting it down. “Yeah, get up early and get out for first chair. We’ll probably call it an early day though and come back a little bit after lunch when the temperatures warm up and the snow gets a little slushy.”

“Sounds good to me.”

She quirks an eyebrow at me. “Really? That easy? It’s normally impossible to pry you out of bed that early. ”

I give her a healthy dose of side eye before tipping my chin to Clay. “My accountability buddy here has been making sure I’m up early for our morning workouts.”

Veronica lets out an amused hum as her eyes go back and forth between me and Clay.

Tanner shakes his head and grabs his brother’s shoulder. “Are you still doing your crazy crack of dawn runs in the snow?”

Clay huffs a laugh and nods. “You know me.”

“Yoga’s one thing. But I’m not crazy enough to join him and Ani on those runs.” I lift my drink and take a sip. I will probably never want to go on a run like that, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t mind watching. The way his shorts show off his thighs is criminal.

“OK, cool,” V says, snapping my mind back to the conversation. “So, we could come back to the house, get ready, and go out for happy hour before dinner.”

“Perfect.” I nod and lick the salt off the rim of my glass. I catch Clay’s eyes watching me. I grin back at him, but he frowns and grabs his phone.

Grumpy Roommate: You should have said something if you were that hungry. I’m sorry.

I read the text again, getting a warm and fuzzy feeling knowing that he’s still worried after I complained about being hangry.

Me: It’s fine. Just laid it on a little extra to sell it to them. But yes, future reference, I will never turn down real food.

Grumpy Roommate: Noted. For the record, you’re the perfect passenger princess.

I put my phone away and look across the table at him. I spent all day in the car with him and still, I already miss being close to him. His eyes meet mine again, his frown gone. I watch him lift his drink, admiring the way the muscles tick and shift under his tattoos. I feel my cheeks heat, wishing his hands were on me right now .

I shift my eyes to Grace sitting next to me, her eyes are already on me. She grins at me knowingly and winks before turning to Clay.

“So what are you going to do tomorrow while we’re out at the mountain?” she asks.

He reaches an arm across the table, scooping some salsa onto a chip. “Probably just hang around the house. TJ said he was going to fly fish in the morning.” He nudges his brother in the side with an elbow. “So I might join him after one of my c razy crack of dawn runs. And I’m definitely going to check out the rest of the house to see how it turned out, since I never actually got to see it in person.”

I feel fingers graze my elbow before Grace leans in, whispering to me. “I honestly can’t remember the last time he’s smiled this much.”

She squeezes my arm before letting go, turning her attention back to the conversation. Something about what she said is both heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once. There’s so much I don’t know about their family dynamic, but I do know from V that they all used to be so close. And seeing Clay now, smiling and laughing with his siblings, all I can think about is how much he had to have been hurting when he felt left out. I’m glad he’s here.

And I’m glad I have him in my life.