Page 41 of Smut Lovers

Chapter Three

Briggs

I woke just as confused as I’d been the night before.

The best Nova could give me was a helpless shrug before she went after Moorely.

Why Moorely had practically bitten my head off was beyond me.

So what if I’d been gone for a while? I sure as heck wasn’t the only one.

I had a career that would only last so long before I ran out of steam or my body broke down.

The flap of the dog door beeped and opened. Aspen’s massive dog rambled in from the backyard, then stared at me on the couch. I raised my brow at the beast of a Pitbull that looked fierce as hell, but was really a giant teddy bear. “What?”

Geordi let out a low rumbling bark.

“Gonna need more than that.” I rubbed my hand over my face to clear the cobwebs and continuing thoughts of last night.

My phone beeped with an incoming text. Mom.

Shit . I should have never followed Moorely to the bar last night.

Word had probably already reached my parents I was home. I groaned low.

Geordi rambled over to rest his giant head on my knee. His eyes were soft, and he rumbled a bit before giving me a solid lick to my forearm.

“Thanks for the comfort, dude. I’m going to need it when Mom yells at me for not telling her I was coming home, asking where I’m staying and everything I was trying to avoid for at least three days.”

He harrumphed again, giving me another lick before heading toward his food bowl.

The bowl dispensed his food automatically, the doggie door let him in and out.

Aspen didn’t really need me here to dog-sit.

I appreciated him letting me think he did, at least. He was good enough to give me a valid excuse to pass on to my parents when the time came.

No, that wouldn’t do. I opened the text message from my mom and told her I’d call her in a couple of hours.

I spent a good hour in Aspen’s well-equipped home gym.

Aspen had stopped playing hockey after high school, but he kept himself in shape.

Good news for me since I didn’t have to go to a public gym to keep up my regimen.

After a good, cleansing shower, I figured I’d better call my mom and face the music. The phone rang before I could make the call.

Aspen’s name showed on the screen. I connected the call to the speaker. “Hey, hoser.”

“Bite me.” Aspen’s chuckle carried through.

Geordi’s ears picked up at Aspen’s voice. He let out a loud, deep bark.

“Hey, Geordi. Is this punk treating you good?”

Geordi responded with another resounding bark.

“Your dog is fine. There’s almost nothing I have to do for him but let him slobber on me while I watch movies. He’s very needy. I thought he was supposed to be a guard dog.”

“Who needs nasty when he looks like that? Most people take one look and turn tail.”

“I get your point. What do you want? Aren’t you supposed to be on vacation?” I scratched the dog’s massive forehead as he plunked himself beside me.

“I am. It’s great. You should have come with me. I could have had Moosekie watch the monster for me, you know.”

“I’ll bet Moorely just loves that you still call her Moose.” I did my best to ignore the stab of guilt in my gut at the mention of her. It was bad enough I’d trailed her like a lusting dog to the bar last night. She was my best friend’s sister. God, I was an ass.

“It’s not like I’ve ever been her favorite person.”

“Whatever.” I knew that though they’d had the epitome of a sibling relationship, Aspen would go to the mat for his sister.

“Well?”

“What?”

“Why didn’t you come on vacation with me? The beaches here are great, and there are some hot women around here, too.”

Usually, that was enough to get me anywhere. I knew it, and he knew it. Right that moment, it was the last place I wanted to be. “I’ve been on plenty of those vacations. It’s been five years since I’ve been home. I needed the mountain air even more than I needed to get out of the city.”

“Your loss. You talked to your mom yet?”

“I was just about to call her. I made the mistake of going out last night.”

He sucked air through his teeth. “Before you told your mom you were home? Yikes. Good luck with that conversation.”

“Gee, thanks. It’s not like I wasn’t already dreading it.” I groaned, rubbing my hand over my face. “I don’t know. My only intention was to take a walk. I didn’t realize the tourism trade picked up again around here.”

“Yeah. Nova’s social media boom helped at first, and Prairie took it and ran with it for the town.

She’s splashed our ‘Dark Sky’ designation, the ski resort, and old town across every platform imaginable.

We’ve got them year-round now. It’s super annoying.

Especially when Prairie is constantly bugging the crap out of me for more photos. ”

I couldn’t help but notice the way his voice changed every time he said Prairie’s name. A weird growl mixed into the word. “Something going on with you and Prairie?”

“What? Fuck, no. She drives me up the wall.”

“Right. But she’s hot.”

“Duh. Has been for years. I’d have dated her in high school if her personality wasn’t so fucking grating. Nobody is that happy all the fucking time.”

“No one I know,” I agreed. I could remember Prairie’s constant perky behavior in high school as well.

Though I hadn’t found it as annoying as Aspen.

It had gotten her to quite a few leadership roles in high school, from cheer captain to class president and even to valedictorian.

Aspen seemed to be the only one to find her grating, as she’d inspired a lot of positive changes in the high school.

Now, apparently, she’d carried it into the community.

“Exactly.” He sighed on the other end of the line. “Well, that ruined my mood. Why did you bring her up?”

“Uh, dude. I didn’t. You did.”

“Right. Anyway.”

I clung to the silence on the line, letting him try to figure out how to change the subject.

“See anyone when you were out?”

Ah, back to me. “Obviously, that’s how word reached Mom. I spotted Moorely and Nova at Hammy’s. I just wanted a beer, should have stayed home and swiped it from your fridge. That place was a madhouse.”

“Wait, since when do you call my sister by her full name?”

“Since she berated me for using Mo last night.” That sure as shit was stretching the truth. She’d made one comment, and I’d stepped into line like an obedient dog. Then I’d walked into that bar and seen her on that bull. Her thighs clinging on, and her riding it like a—

“Don’t let her bully you,” Aspen cut right into my thoughts. “How was Nova? Any sparks there? She’s always been one hell of a piece. Why did you guys break up again?”

Nova and I had dated for all of two months in high school. It turned out we were better as friends, but everyone kept assuming we were still dating for years. “Not my type, and I’m not hers. You didn’t like her, either, looks aside.”

“She spent way too much time joining Moose in teasing me. She’s matured, though.”

“Yeah. We talked for a few minutes. No sparks.” Not with her. Just with his sister, even if it was one-sided. “Your sister yelled at me and stormed away. So, it was just great all around, and now I get to face the wrath of my mom.”

“Then I’ll let you deal with that. Listen, if you change your mind and decide to enjoy me because being home isn’t as much fun as you thought it’d be, just say the word.”

“Doubt it’ll happen, but I’ll keep it in mind. Have fun, man.”

“Back at you.”