We spend the next hour and a half eating and talking—well, mostly me listening, and not so much talking. I’m finding it hard to concentrate with Raven beside me. Especially since every time our arms brush together while we attempt to eat, the all too familiar spark ignites between us, making my heart race and my dick throb in my pants.
Throughout dinner, neither of us have barely spoken more than a few words to one another. Normally by now, we’d be sparing back and forth, trying any way possible to make jabs at each another, but I’m finding it hard to say anything to her, and it seems to be the same for her.
Raven, the entire time, talks about school and what her summer plans are. Like I expected, as soon as the wedding rings are on my dad and Vivian’s fingers, Raven is on the next flight back to Long Beach for some summer internship she has there with some hippy scientist people testing pollution in the Pacific Ocean.
By the time we ask for the bill, I’m definitely feeling all the alcohol I’ve consumed tonight. Excusing myself, I head towards the men’s room to relieve my bladder. Staggering through the crowded room, I finally make it to the restroom. I’m grateful that it’s empty when I enter. There’s nothing I hate more than trying to piss with a fucking audience.
I lean against the wall, swaying as I attempt to pee and not piss all over my shoes. I get lost in my thoughts as I think about Raven. Seeing her has my head all over the place. A part of me wants to tear into her, letting her know how fucked up it was that she used me the way she did, and then didn’t even bother getting in contact with me when she returned home to try and smooth things over. Another part of me is saying, Fuck being angry. I should just do what I do best and seduce the panties straight off of her again and take what I’ve been craving for these last three months.
The sound of the bathroom door opening pulls me from my thoughts. I need to get my head on straight. She’s just a chick. She hates me? Good. That’s my goal with every chick. Fuck ‘em then move on and pray they don’t hound me with stars in their eyes as they hold out hope I’ll magically fall in love with them.
As I reenter the dining area, I spot everyone heading towards the exit—well, I spot Raven first, because for some reason, my eyes immediately gravitate towards her. I need to get out of here and get back to Taylor and those girls. They headed to Taylor’s apartment he shares with Mac while I came here for dinner. I told him I’d meet back up with them afterwards. One thing I know is I need a distraction more than I’ve ever needed one before.
“How are you two getting home?” Vivian asks as I follow them out into the warm summer evening air.
Raven glances from me back to her mother. “I took a cab here from my dad’s. I’m just going to hail one to take me back now.”
I tell her the same before she gives us each a quick hug goodbye, followed by my dad hugging Raven, and then giving me the usual ‘bro hug’.
“Thanks again, you two, for joining us tonight. We hope you’ll come by the house and visit, even though you’re staying at your father’s, sweetie. I’d love to have brunch tomorrow, maybe, to go over my wedding ideas and to see what you think.”
Folding her arms across her chest, pushing her breasts up so they are only taunting me more, Raven gives her mother a small smile. “Sure, I’ll give you a call in the morning.”
With that, they slip into their town car and disappear into traffic, leaving Raven and me standing alone together on the side of the street. I wave my hand in the air, hailing a cab, and watching as it slowly pulls up in front of us along the curb.
Turning, I gesture to the back passenger door. “You can take this one. I’ll wave down another after you go.”
Her eyes move from staring at the cab to looking at me. For the first time tonight, she’s making eye contact, and actually gazing at me instead of scowling. The weird, uncomfortable vibe I felt between us all night seems to have lifted slightly since our parents left.
“Okay—thanks, Linc,” she says, even giving me somewhat of a smile. I quickly move to grab the door handle and open it for her.
“It was nice seeing you, Spitfire.” As soon as my nickname for her registers in her head, her eyes light up for a moment as she lifts her beautiful green eyes up to mine and she slides into the backseat. She fixes the skirt of her dress that’s ridden up her legs, showing off her amazing thighs, and I notice a hint of a blush in her cheeks as she catches my eyes roaming over her killer legs.
“Goodnight, Linc.”
“Goodnight,” I say, nodding at her before slamming the door and banging on the roof of the taxi.
Just like that, she slowly disappears into the maze of San Francisco traffic, leaving me curbside, with my heart racing against my chest and my head spinning. It feels as if all of a sudden time has rewound and all those feelings I was consumed with after being with her are flooding back, slowly overpowering the anger I’ve been carrying around for the last three months.
The echo of voices coming from the family room travels upstairs as I exit my bedroom, dressed for a day on the golf course with my dad. As I descend the stairs, the sound of people talking grows louder, followed by laughter. I’ve heard that laugh enough times to know it anywhere. As soon as I hear her, my entire body goes numb.
Raven.
I run my hand over my face and exhale hard as I try to calm my racing heart.
What the hell is wrong with me? I need to get my shit together, or it’s going to be a long two weeks.
Passing by the doorway, I steal a glance and spot Raven and Vivian huddled together, looking at something on Vivian’s iPad. “This is all so gorgeous, Mom. It’s going to be a beautiful ceremony,” Raven says as she peers down at what I’m guessing are pictures of Chardonnay Golf Course in Napa Valley, where we’ll be staying and the wedding is happening. Thank God there’s a golf course there, because that’s where I’ll be hiding out the entire time.
“Linc! Your father is out in the garage loading up your clubs. He said when you’re ready, to head out,” Vivian shouts at me, practically giving me a heart attack because I’m so on edge. I’m a fucking mess, and it’s all thanks to Spitfire being back in town. I hate that I can’t brush her aside like every other girl I’ve met.
Stopping in the archway separating the living room and the kitchen, I force a smile. “All right. Thanks. You girls have a fun-filled day doing all that girly wedding crap. I’ll have fun drinking beer and busting—I mean hitting balls all afternoon.” I can’t help but notice Raven’s eyes stealing glances up at me.
I flash her my panty-dropping grin the ladies simply can’t resist, and laugh inside as I see her cheeks flush red. She tucks her hair behind her ear nervously before bringing her attention back to the wedding stuff, attempting to ignore me. I don’t get a word out of her, but Vivian lets out a light, airy chuckle before giving me one more all-teeth grin and going back to talking about the flowers she’s picked out for the ceremony.
Not wanting to risk falling asleep standing up, I beeline it away from them and towards the fridge to grab a beer and some sandwich meat so I can throw a quick lunch together before we go.
I find myself slowly chewing each bite as I attempt to wait and see if Raven comes into the kitchen for anything. I’m a glutton for punishment. Rational Linc would have taken the sandwich with him to the car and eaten it on the way. But rational Linc disappeared the night he fucked Raven. Instead, I’m hanging around hoping to get her alone in the kitchen…to what? Take turns glaring at one another?
I’m still pissed off at her, but I’m finding the angrier I am, the more the need to fuck her intensifies. Finally finishing my sandwich, I give up on the idea of seeing her alone and rinse my plate before setting it in the dishwasher. Just as I click the door of the washer shut and grab my beer off of the island to down the remainder of it, I hear the sound of heels clicking on the tile flooring behind me. I breathe in a sharp intake of air as I set my empty bottle in the recycling bin and turn around to find Vivian walking towards the refrigerator. I try to hide the look of disappointment as the realization it isn’t Raven hits me in the face.
It takes everything in me not to go into the living room and make up some lame-ass excuse to talk to her. Instead, I force my feet to move in the direction of the garage as I mentally yell at myself for the millionth time to snap the hell out of whatever spell she has me under. Fucking that girl did nothing to help release me from this funk I’m stuck in. Nothing works, no matter how hard I try. I need to figure out a way to get myself back to who I was before all this crazy feelings shit invaded my damn life.
I have eighteen holes to brainstorm ideas. Let’s just hope I come up with a feasible plan by the end of the day before I lose my goddamn mind and what balls I have left.
After a crappy day, I’m ready to let loose with some of my friends. I had the worst golf game of my life and now need to drown my sorrows at the local pub in town that my friends and I frequent on a daily basis. I need booze and women to quiet the endless chatter in my head. My dad couldn’t resist busting my balls all afternoon. He blamed me being hung over from all the drinking I did yesterday, but the reality of it is it’s all Raven’s fault. She has my head so fucking rattled that I can barely think straight.