Wallbanger(59)

was up here, and I’d forgotten how beautiful it was. I loved Tahoe in the summertime—al the water sports and everything—but in autumn? Autumn

was beautiful.

“Thank God. I need to pee,” Simon groaned, as he’d been doing for the past twenty or so miles.

“That’s your own fault for drinking that Big Gulp,” I admonished, stil bouncing away.

“Wow, is that it?” he asked as we turned into the drive. Lanterns lit the way to a sprawling, two-story cedar house with a giant stone fireplace up

the left side. Cars were already in the driveway, and I could hear the music spil ing out from the back deck.

“Sounds like our friends have already got their party on,” Simon observed. Squealing and laughter joined the music coming from the back side

of the house.

“Oh, I don’t doubt it. My guess is they’ve been drinking since dinner and are half-naked in the hot tub by now.” I walked around back to grab my

bag.

“We’l just have to catch up, now won’t we?”He winked, pul ing a bottle of Gal iano from his bag. “I thought we could make some Wal bangers.”

“Now isn’t that interesting. I was thinking the same thing,” I countered, pul ing an identical bottle from my duffle.

“I knew you were dying to get me inside you, Caroline.” He chuckled and grabbed my bag as we headed to the door.

“Please, you would make up a drink and cal it a Pink Nightie just to have me in your mouth—and don’t even try to lie,” I taunted, nudging him

with my shoulder.

He stopped midway up the walk and looked at me fiercely. “Is that an invitation? Cuz I’m a hel of a bartender,” he stated, the eyes glowing in

the darkness.

“I’ve no doubt,” I breathed, the space between us now crackling with tension that was becoming ridiculously hard to ignore. I took a deep

breath, and noticed he did as wel .

“Come on, let’s get sauced and start this weekend.” He chuckled, nudging me with his shoulder and breaking the spel .

“Sauce away,” I muttered, walking up the path behind him.

Finding the front door open, Simon stashed our bags, and we made our way through the house to the back deck. There the lake spread out

before us, just barely lit by the tiki torches dotting the dock and pathways that led to the shore. The entire back of the house was flanked with brick

patios and decks, and that’s where we found our friends.

“Caroline!” Mimi screeched from the hot tub, where she and Ryan were splashing each other. Ah, we’d made it to Drunky Loud already.

“Mimi!” I squealed back, looking around for Sophia. She and Neil were perched on the stone bench by the firepit, roasting marshmal ows. They

both waved merrily, and Neil gestured obscenely with his stick.

“Making them see the error of their ways might be easier than we thought, fel ow matchmaker,” I whispered to Simon, who was already mixing

a cocktail at the patio bar.

“You think its gonna be that easy?” he whispered back, giving his friends the international guy head nod that said, “What’s up, man?”

“Hel , yes. They’re almost already there without our help. Al we have to do is show them what’s right in front of them.”

He handed me a cocktail. “So, how am I?” he asked, winking.

“Is this a Wal banger?”

“It is.”

I took a sip, swirling the taste around my mouth and over my tongue.

“You’re as good as I knew you’d be,” I whispered, taking a dangerously large swal ow.

“To things staring you right in the face,” he added, clinking my glass and taking his own large gulp.

“To things staring you right in the face,” I echoed, our eyes locking over the rims.

Damn Banger Voodoo.





Chapter Twelve


“WHOSE FOOT IS THAT?”

“It’s mine, Neil. Quit rubbing it.”

“Dude! Quit trying to play footsie with me, Ryan!”

“You’re the one stil holding my foot.”

Ryan and Neil tried to look nonchalant as they disengaged from their footsie session under the bubbling water. I laughed as I caught Simon’s

eye across the hot tub, and he grinned back at me.

“Want another?” he mouthed, nodding to my empty glass.

“I have had enough for tonight, don’t you think?” I mouthed back, as our friends cackled al around us.

“I thought you were girl who always wanted more,” he mouthed. The characteristic smirk returned.

I looked at him, the image of Hot Tub Simon that had been in my head for the last few weeks actual y paling in comparison to the real thing.

Strong arms stretched across the back of the hot tub, hair wet and artful y swept back. If I thought seeing him wet and half-naked on my kitchen floor