Gavin’s mom patted Sonja’s hand. “It’s nice that she had all the family to help support her.”
“It was.”
And Liz could tell Sonja was uncomfortable.
“Hey, how come the guys never help with the dishes?” Liz asked, sliding off the bar stool. “Sonja, let’s go track down Nathan and my husband and find out where they’re lurking.”
“Sure. If you all don’t need me in here.”
“We’re fine. We’re just about done anyway,” Tara said.
As Liz led Sonja down the long hall toward the back of the house, Sonja turned to her. “Thanks for that.”
“For what?”
“For pulling me out of that conversation. I miss my dad for sure. But I just don’t like to talk about it.”
“Understood. Especially with a bunch of people you don’t really know.”
She smiled. “Right. Not that I don’t like all of you. You’re all . . . great.”
“Hey, you don’t have to sell me. I get it. We’re all pushy and nosy and overprotective, and we’ll ask you a million questions if you let us. So don’t let us and feel free to tell us to back off.”
“Oh, I’d never do that. But I might have to ease my way in. Things with Nathan and I are just getting started. And we both have our priorities, which are school and career first.”
The more she talked to Sonja, the more she liked her. “Those are good priorities to have.”
“Yeah, I mean we’re just eighteen. Plenty of time for all that romance later.”
Liz laughed. “Yes. Much later.”
***
Give a guy a game room, and the world is a happy place. At least a guy’s world is a happy place. There was pinball, pool, video games and even a foosball table, which reminded Gavin of college and of old times in their family basement, when he and Mick would go at it for hours. Gavin, of course, was the Riley foosball champion.
Mick, on the other hand, remembered it differently, claiming he consistently kicked Gavin’s butt. So they had to have a rematch.
Gavin won. Until Ty joined in and kicked his ass. And then Nathan took over and trounced all of them one by one.
Damned kids.
He sat back drinking a beer and watched Nathan and his girlfriend Sonja flipping the handles as they faced off against each other. She was pretty good at it, and Nathan didn’t let up just because Sonja was a girl. It was a pretty fierce competition, but in the end, Nathan won again.
Garrett rubbed his hands together. “I’m going to take you down this time, kid.”
“You’d like to think so, wouldn’t you?” Nathan asked with a gleam in his eye.
Sonja sat at the bar with a soda and grinned as Nathan took Garrett down easily. And then the women came in and started their own tournament. Tara faced off with Liz, and then Sonja hopped in. It was clear that Sonja and Nathan were going to be the foosball champions tonight.
“She’s cute,” Gavin said to Mick as they watched.
“Who? Your wife? She’s all right, but I’d have to say I prefer my own.”
Gavin laughed. “I meant Sonja.”
“Yeah, she is. Nathan really seems into her.”
“I assume you’ve had a long conversation with him about sex and birth control and not screwing up his future in that way.”
Mick shot him a look. “I’ve had lengthy conversations with that kid about everything that could screw up his life. Including that. He’s tired of seeing me head his way. He knows what’s what. He’s not stupid.”
“I figured, but just thought I’d throw it out there.”
Mick took a swallow of water and laid his glass down on the table behind them. “Could you ever have imagined the day we’d be the old men talking to kids about not knocking up their girlfriends?”
“No. I never saw that one coming,” Gavin said with a wry smile. “Time goes by fast and your kid has really grown up a lot in a few years. He’s a man now.”
“He is. And with that comes responsibility. The kind I blew off in college. So he’ll just have to get used to my Dad lectures.”
Gavin laughed. “I guess so. Hopefully someday I’ll be able to give a few of those to my own kids.”
“Any of those coming soon?”
“We’re working on it.” He shifted his gaze across the room to Liz, who caught his gaze and smiled at him, a hot, I-know-what-you’re-thinking smile.
She made a motion with her head and went upstairs. As soon as Ty came over to talk to Mick, Gavin eased his way upstairs. She was in the kitchen.
“Do you want another beer?” she asked.
“No, I’m good right now.”
“Okay. Then why don’t you join me over here?” She pulled him into one of the downstairs bathrooms and shut the door, clicking the lock.
“Really, Liz? In my brother’s house?”
She wound her arm around his neck and pushed him up against the wall. “I just want a kiss. It’s been a long afternoon and evening of separation while you were hanging with the guys.”
“You could have kissed me in the kitchen.” He brushed his lips across hers, but lingered, enjoying the taste of her mouth, the way she leaned into him, pressing her body against his.
“It’s more fun in here,” she whispered against his lips.
He laid his hand on her butt and squeezed, his dick responding. “You make me hard.”
She reached between them to palm his erection, rubbing back and forth. “Take me here. I’m wearing a dress. It’ll be fast.”
“What if I don’t want fast? What if I want slow?”
“We’ll do slow when we get home. I want you now.”
Liz’s sense of adventure never failed to get his motor running. She wasn’t shy about having sex just about anywhere, including the bathroom of Mick and Tara’s house. Plus, he knew she was eager to make a baby. They’d been doing it damn near every day, sometimes more than once a day.
He had to admit, he was on board for that. He lifted her dress and slipped his hand inside the sexy silken underwear to find her wet and ready for him. With his other hand, he reached for her br**sts, sliding his hands over the full mounds to tease her ni**les.
Her breath caught and she looked up at him with eyes that flashed with heat and desire.