Crazy About the Baumgartners by Selena Kitt Page B

but…” She picked at one of her cuticles. Her nails were painted a pretty
shade of turquoise. “Well, I told you something that wasn’t exactly true.”
    “You
lied?” Why wasn’t I surprised?
    “I
just… I wanted you to know that I thought about it.” She looked over at me in
the light of a street lamp, half her face in shadow. “What you wanted.”
    “You,
me and him?” The unholy trinity.
    “Yeah.” 
She nodded. “The thing is... I didn’t say no.”
    “I’m
pretty sure screaming ‘are you out of your fucking mind’ and slapping me across
the face is a pretty standard, universal sign for ‘no.’”
     “I
didn’t,” Ronnie pleaded. “I mean, I know… I know I said that. I did a horrible
thing. I’m sorry. I said I was sorry.”
    “You
did,” I agreed.
    “But
after… I thought about it.” She lifted her face to mine and I saw the tears she
was trying to hold back. That melted me a little. “I missed you so much. And…
so I asked him.”
    This
I hadn’t known. Ronnie, as far as I knew, had made the choice herself. She
didn’t want me, she wanted Vince. She’d made that absolutely, stingingly clear.
    “And
what did he say?”
    “He
said he didn’t want to share me.” She dropped her head again and I saw tears
fall into her lap.
    “Well…”
I couldn’t help it. I touched, her, reaching out and running a hand down over
her scalp, through her long, dark hair, letting my fingers get tangled. “I
guess I can’t blame him.”
    “You
mean that?” She sniffed, glancing up at me.
    “No.”
I snorted, my hand falling to her lap, squeezing hers in mine. “I think he’s an
insecure asshole, but what do I know?”
    She
smiled. “He’s talking about marrying me.”
    “Whoa,
that was fast.” I blinked in surprise. You’d think Mr. Monster Porn Cock would
want to take his pony on a few more rides before putting on a saddle and
bridle.
    “I
know.” Ronnie’s hand trembled in mine.
    “Are
you cold?” I asked, reaching to turn up the heat.
    “No.”
She shook her head, meeting my eyes again, still shy.
    “Why
are you shivering?”
    “I
don’t know.” She dropped her gaze again, shaking her head. More lies. But I
didn’t press her. I just said what was true.
    “I
miss you, Ronnie.” I lifted her hand to my cheek, turning and kissing her palm.
“I still love you. I always will.”
    “I
miss you too,” she said, but pulled her hand back into her lap, swallowing and
looking out the window at a car pulling into the lot. “So are you still in the
apartment?”
    “No.
I’m living with the Baumgartners.” I knew that would surprise her, and it did.
    “Really?”
    “Yeah.
They’ve got a baby.” Another surprise. “They needed a live-in nanny.”
    “Mrs.
B had a baby?” Ronnie’s jaw was practically on the floor.
    “Foster
care,” I explained. “Adopted. Or, she will be.”
    “Oh.
Wow.” She looked like she didn’t quite believe me. “So you’ve got the night off
then?”
    “They
went to Doc’s parents’ place for Thanksgiving.”
    “Oh.”
She licked her lips and then asked, “When do they get home?”
    I
knew that look in her eyes and my body responded instantly.
    “Not
until Sunday.” I waited, my breath held. I knew I shouldn’t encourage her. I
should have lied. But I couldn’t help myself. Just looking at her legs, crossed
like that, her skirt riding high, made my heart race.
    She
hesitated, biting her lip. “So you’re all alone?”
    “I’ve
been alone since you left.” I put one finger on her knee, sliding my fingernail
up her pantyhose. It left a long run in her stockings as I traced up her thigh,
pushing her skirt as I went.
    “Let’s
go,” she whispered, shifting, squirming in her seat. “Drive, Gretchen.”
    We
left the club, my hand cupping her thigh the whole way, massaging her flesh.
I’m not sure how it happened, but we ended up in the Baumgartners’ bedroom, on
the Baumgartners’ bed. We’d done this before, way back when