Page 26 of Forgotten Comeback (Parisi Family #5)

Chapter

Twenty-Five

Taylor

It was a hell of a night at work. A drunk guy passed out at my table, mixing up everyone’s chips and creating the biggest headache for me. I’m ready to shower and sleep for like a hundred years.

Flipping on my bedroom light, I stop short, my heart thudding wildly.

I grab the note from my bed. It’s a sketch of the ladies’ locker room, with a rudimentary drawing of two stick figures having sex in the shower. Except Gavin’s drawn huge breasts on the female stick figure, and a huge dick on the male.

Was this your dream?

It’s so ridiculous, I can’t help but laugh. I grab my phone from my purse. Remembering that I blocked Gavin again, I unblock his number and send him a text.

Call me, or I’m calling the cops.

My phone rings, and I accept the call. “You keep blocking me, man-eater,” Gavin says with a smile in his voice.

“For good reason! How the hell did you get in?”

“Front lock needs to be replaced.”

“Why didn’t you say something when you were changing out the other lock?” I huff.

“Because I broke in through the back, not the front.”

“Ah ha! So you admit to breaking and entering!”

“More entering, less breaking if the lock’s already broken,” he says with a smile in his voice.

I march to my window and peek outside. The man’s standing at my front door with his toolbox and a bag. “Oh my God.”

“Exactly what you said when I made you see stars.”

“Ugh.” Ending the call, I march downstairs and fling open the door. Ushering a smug Gavin inside, I warn him, “I’m only letting you in because you brought food, and I’m starving.”

“I’m starving too,” he says suggestively.

“Not happening. I’m tired. I’m grungy from the casino—”

“Take a shower while I’m changing out your lock.”

“In the shower wasn’t the right answer, by the way,” I throw over my shoulder before hurrying upstairs to my bathroom.

The water heats up as I strip, glancing at myself in the mirror. Cheeks flush, a huge smile on my face, I’m nearly as ridiculous as Gavin.

After a quick shower, I throw on leggings and a tank top and join him downstairs. Taking a seat on the floor next to the coffee table, I rummage through the food bag. “Alright, now. I draw the line at kale chips.”

“What did kale chips ever do to you?”

“What have kale chips ever done for anyone?” I counter.

He chuckles, stepping outside. Testing out the new key, the door opens, and he enters dramatically. “Mi lady’s lock-ith is install-ith.” He clicks it for emphasis.

I make a show of rolling my eyes, even though I’m grinning. “Please stop-ith and come eat with me.”

He saunters over, sexy as hell in a T-shirt, shorts, and a baseball hat turned backwards. My ovaries don’t high-five each other; this time, it’s more of a subtle nod to each other.

“What?” he catches me staring.

“Are you here because I’m the only woman in the Tri-State area who hasn’t fucked you?”

“Hey, now, don’t forget about Philly,” he jokes.

I wad up my napkin and throw it at his face.

Chuckling, he easily dodges. “Figured we’d talk about body count.” He reaches into his back pocket, handing me papers folded in half.

“What’s this?” I ask, unfolding them.

“Blood work from my fight physical; all clear.”

My eyes wide, I ask, “Why are you showing me this?”

“Because I plan on fucking you bare.” His voice is a cocky caress down my spine.

“Are you now?” I feign boredom, ignoring the blast of heat between my legs.

“Yeah, I am,” he says confidently.

Somehow, we’ve scooted closer, only inches separating us. “Gavin, you’re a walking red flag.”

“I think red’s your color.” The gold rings around his eyes spark with mischief as he tucks a strand of my wet hair behind my ears.

“And once you fuck me, the game’s over, and you win,” I whisper, more to remind myself. Because that’s exactly how it’ll go down.

Gavin’s eyes flicker with emotion. “What if our game doesn’t have to end?”

“Meaning?” Butterflies take flight in my stomach for reasons unknown.

“I want you to be my girl.” He looks as surprised by his own declaration as I am.

“Have you ever been in an exclusive relationship?” I ask, having to pick my jaw up from the carpet to do so.

He lifts a shoulder. “First time for everything.”

“How many girls are you texting?”

He grabs his phone from his back pocket, his thumbs flying over the keyboard. “Delete. Delete. Delete. Delete. Block. Block. Block. Block—”

“That many deletes and blocks aren’t helping your case,” I say dryly.

“I’m texting one girl: you.”

I toss his medical records on the table, ignoring the way my pulse has quickened. “So you want me to be your trial run? Your beta girlfriend?”

He smirks, pocketing his phone. “You’re not going to be my alpha girlfriend, but we can jockey over that position later. Right now, I’m trying to get over you. Under you. Behind you. How do you want it our first time?”

His cockiness is beyond off-putting, and yet my ovaries won’t stay the hell out of this. Armoring up against his seductive words, I say, “Why pretend to want a relationship just to fuck me? That seems twisted, even for you.”

Gavin grabs my chin, jerking me inches from his face. “You don’t get to tell me what I want.” His words ring with sincerity, but my brain’s telling me not to be a fucking idiot.

The trance is broken with the ring of my doorbell.

“You expecting company?” Gavin asks, brushing my bottom lip with his thumb.

“No,” I murmur, my mind and my body at war with one another.

My mind says this is a bad fucking idea.

My body says, Mmm, yeah, it is.

The bell rings again, and I duck out of his hold and walk to the front door, glancing out the peephole.

“Taylor, open up. I know you’re there,” Mia calls.

I hurry to Gavin, grabbing his hand and yanking him away from the door. “Go hide in the bathroom,” I whisper.

“What?” he practically shouts.

“Shush,” I whisper-hiss.

“I won’t fucking shush.”

“This is already messy as fuck, please don’t make it worse,” I plead. “I’m going to see what Mia wants and send her on her way.”

“Fine,” he bites, storming to my half bath.

Gavin

Taylor’s treating me like a dirty side piece, and I fucking hate it.

“Sorry to just show up, but you blocked my number, and I had no way to get in touch with you,” Mia says. “The way we left things, I don’t like it…”

“We’re no longer together, Mia. It’s not my concern if you like something or not,” Taylor tells her matter-of-factly.

“Don’t be that way,” Mia says in a pouty voice. “I thought you were game with another threesome. Gavin told me that he talked to you, and you said yes. I would’ve never fucked him had I known you weren’t down with it.”

I step out of the bathroom, and Taylor sighs heavily. “You lying cunt.” I point to Mia.

“What are you doing here?” Mia looks to me, and then to Taylor, her eyes wide. “I get you an introduction with Sal, and you fucking ghost me?” Mia fumes.

“What is she talking about?” Taylor asks me.

“Didn’t Gavin tell you? Thought he was so slick, playing me to get an in with the Parisi family through my cousin. Gavin wants to be a big, bad mafiaso.” Mia smirks at me. “But the joke’s on him. He’ll never be a part of the family because he’s not Italian. Whoops.”

Taylor marches to the door, flinging it open. “Leave.” She motions.

“You dumped me for Gavin?” Mia turns to Taylor, disbelief in her eyes.

Taylor bristles. “Actually, Mia, it was your cheating and gaslighting that did it for me. Last time I’m going to ask nicely. Leave.”

“Are you really this desperate, Taylor, that you’d be with the man who fucked your girlfriend behind your back?”

“Ex-girlfriend,” Taylor corrects her.

“You’re crazy if you think he isn’t playing you too,” Mia says, storming out.

Taylor narrows her gaze at me. “You too.”

“What?” I ask.

“Leave,” she says coolly.

“Give me a chance to explain,” I plead. “I swear Mia’s lying. I never told her that I talked to you—”

“I don’t give a shit about that right now,” she snaps. “What I care more about is you lying to my face. When I asked you point-blank why you fucked Mia, you fed me BS to stroke my ego. Lesson learned.”

“Taylor, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t tell you the whole truth. It’s family business.” Dammit, I’ve woven this huge fucking web, and now I’m stuck in it.

“Bye, Gavin.”

I toss her key on the coffee table, grabbing my toolbox. As I walk out, I turn around—to say what, I don’t know—but Taylor slams the door in my face and locks it. And thanks to my handiwork, it’s a lock I can’t pick.