Lyrics of a Small Town by Abbi Glines

Thirty

I was thirty minutes late getting today’s baked items to Hillya and all I could do was apologize. There was no way I could tell her that I was late because Saul came into the kitchen this morning and we ended up having sex on the table. She was understanding but reminded me again that I needed to write down recipes so I could stop doing this on my off days. I was going to work on that today.

While I was gone, Saul had left to check on Lily and get her to a doctor’s appointment and another AA meeting. He had made sure I knew his plans after he had given me an orgasm. With him gone and the house empty, I went back to sleep until noon.

It wasn’t until two in the afternoon that Saul texted me. He said to meet him at his place after four and to bring a bathing suit. The images of us in the pool having sex with the setting sun had me smiling the next two hours. However, when I pulled up to Saul’s house, there were two trucks I didn’t recognize along with Rio’s Jeep and Saul’s truck.

The black bikini I was wearing under my sundress had been for Saul. It was the most revealing one I owned and I had bought it weeks ago, wanting to get out of my comfort zone. I’d never managed to do that though. The idea of wearing this in front of others made me consider going back home and changing.

There was a knock on my window that startled me. I jumped then turned to see Drake standing there grinning. My leaving would be difficult now. Deciding to suck it up, I opened the car door and climbed out.

“You were having deep thoughts,” Drake teased.

“I, uh, thought I forgot something,” I lied.

He didn’t believe me. It was obvious by his amused expression. “Uh huh,” he replied. “You forgot the redhead. She’s invited to the party too. Anytime she wants.”

Party. There was a party. Not what I was expecting at all.

“She doesn’t like blow jobs,” I told him.

He looked devastated. “Damn.”

“Can’t win them all.”

Drake grinned at me then. “I like you. You’re hot and you’ve got jokes. Smart mouths are sexy as hell.”

I wasn’t sure if I should say thank you or not.

“Get the fuck away from her,” Saul said with a growl as he walked down the stairs to meet me halfway. He was scowling at Drake, and I realized he was serious.

Drake held up his hands. “My bad. Sorry, man. Didn’t see you.”

He wasn’t helping things. Saul’s expression turned threatening.

Drake finally realized it and nodded. “Not joking. Got it,” he said, backing away as he reached the top step. Then he went inside the house.

Saul put his arm around my shoulders and kissed my temple. “Hey,” he said, although the gruffness hadn’t left his voice completely.

“Hey,” I replied unsure of his mood. Did something happen today to upset him or was he truly that upset over Drake talking to me? Instead of asking, I decided to get his mind off it and change the subject. “So, there’s a party?” I asked.

He glanced down at me as we walked inside the house. “Yeah.”

We headed toward the living area and voices and he didn’t elaborate but then he rarely ever did.

“Whose coming?” I asked, realizing I knew very few of his friends from the last party I attended with Rio.

He shrugged. “The regulars, maybe a few extras.”

Man of few words.

We walked into the living room and I took in the scene. Drake was on the U-shaped sofa with a beer between his legs, yelling at some game on the television. On the other side of the sofa was a guy I hadn’t met but I did remember seeing at the last party. Beside him was a blonde who was on her smart phone typing something. The guy laughed at something that happened on the television and Drake cursed.

Rio came walking inside from the balcony and he nodded his head when he saw me. We hadn’t talked since yesterday and I hoped he was dealing with everything better today.

“Benji! Fix me a drink,” Rio called out and I turned to see Benji behind the bar with a shaker and martini glasses.

“You want a fucking martini, pussy?” he asked.

“God no. Just a Jack and coke,” he replied. “Pour up that girly shit for Genesis.”

“What the fuck am I making the first book in the Bible a cocktail?” Benji asked.

Rio rolled his eyes. “Genesis is the girl here with me, dumbass.”

“Jesus, who named her?” Drake asked.

Benji burst out laughing. “Maybe Jesus did!”

It took Drake a minute to realize what he meant then he started laughing.

“Gangs all here,” I said to Saul.

He gave me a crooked grin. “Lucky us.”

“Is Saul fucking smiling? What the hell is that?” Benji asked, and I turned my head to see him coming in our direction with a martini and a Jack and coke.

“He will do that shit all night as long as she’s around,” Drake called out.

Saul didn’t appear amused. He moved his arm from my shoulders and put his hand on my lower back. “You want a drink?” he asked me.

I started to say no but decided perhaps a drink would help me tonight. I looked at the martini that Rio was taking from Benji. “Maybe one of those?” It sounded like a question and it kind of was.

Saul moved and led me over to the bar with him. He picked up the shaker and then poured what was in it into a glass. “What the fuck is this drink?” he asked Benji.

“Dirty martini. Add an olive,” he told him.

Saul took an olive and put it in the glass before sliding it to me. “Thanks,” I said as he grabbed a bottle of beer from the ice bucket.

“Don’t thank me yet. It may taste like shit. I don’t know what’s in it,” he replied.

“Vodka mostly,” Benji replied.

I looked at it, wondering if maybe I should have gone with something else. How much vodka was in this? I didn’t ask for fear of sounding like a dork.

“Come on,” Saul said and led the way down to the balcony door.

Rio was at the pool with his date. She had just gotten out of the water and was walking toward him dripping wet to take the martini he had brought her. The back of her bathing suit did not exist I realized when she turned her back to us.

“Want to swim?” Saul asked me and I thought about my bikini. It didn’t seem so bad compared to Rio’s friends. At least most of my butt was covered up. It was the little bit that wasn’t that had me nervous. I looked down at the drink in my hand. Liquid courage.

“After I drink this,” I replied then took a sip. It was a miracle I didn’t choke. I didn’t know what Benji had been shaking up with the vodka because I tasted nothing but vodka. Possibly a hint of olive but that was it.

“Bad?” Saul asked, and I lifted my gaze to see him watching me.

I shook my head and he laughed.

Unable to keep from smiling, I added “Maybe a little.”

He took a drink of his beer but continued smiling. I turned to look back at Rio then and saw the girl was looking at Saul. She wasn’t just looking; she was checking him out. I couldn’t blame her. He was hard not to look at. Especially when he was smiling.

I took a bigger drink of the martini. I was going to need it and possibly more.

Saul took my hand and led me over to the teak lounger that was wide enough for two and had a table for drinks on each side.

“Where’s the music?” Drake’s voice rang out.

He was walking down to the pool patio, wearing a pair of baby blue swim trunks with a beer in each hand. Behind him was Benji and a guy I hadn’t seen inside. He must have just arrived.

Saul sat down on one side of the lounger then patted the spot beside him once. I put my drink on the table before sitting down. Saul rested his hand on my thigh and I reached for my drink, deciding I might just need another one after all. This wasn’t so bad. Country music came over the speakers and Rio groaned loudly.

“You shouldn’t have let me pick it,” Drake said then dove into the water sideways.

We sat there silently and Saul traced patterns with his fingertips on my leg. It was peaceful, even with the music and other partygoers. I finished my drink and felt very relaxed.

“Do you have on sunblock,” Saul asked me.

I nodded. “Always. Have you seen my skin?”

His hand slipped between my thighs. “Yes, all of it,” he replied.

I smiled at him and he sat up from his reclined positon. His lips brushed mine and then he bit my bottom lip. “We need to swim or we are going to have to go inside,” he told me.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because I can’t fuck you out here.”

“Oh,” I gasped, and my body immediately reacted to his words.

He stood up then and pulled off his tank then looked down at me. “Let’s get in.”

I joined him and pulled the sundress over my head, realizing the vodka was to thank for my inhibition. When I dropped it on the lounger beside his shirt, he was staring at me. His gaze was appreciative but he seemed unhappy.

“Fuck,” he muttered then took my hand and we walked to the water.

When we got to edge, I saw Saul glaring angrily at Drake. “Not one motherfucking word,” he warned.

Drake held up his hands. “I didn’t say shit.”

“He’s making sure you don’t,” Rio called out from the other side of the pool.

“Why aren’t you threatening Rio?” Drake asked defensively.

“Don’t,” Saul said again.

Thankfully Drake let it go. Saul pulled me farther in then he let go of my hand and he went under swimming across the length of the pool. The cold water was a relief from the sun and I walked in until it was over my breasts.

“You’re new,” the guy that I hadn’t seen before said. He had just walked over and sat on the edge of the pool.

“Yeah, I guess I am,” I replied.

He nodded his head toward the other end of the pool. “How do you know Saul?” he asked me.

“We, uh, well.” I wasn’t sure the proper answer for this.

Saul’s head came up beside me but he didn’t look at me. He turned to the guy. “She’s with me, Hills,” he said.

The guy shrugged. “I assumed that. I just didn’t know if this was a one night only thing since Fleur wasn’t here.”

Saul tensed beside me and his jaw clenched. The guy was making an assumption based on what normally happened here. Saul had no reason to get upset over it. Unless he thought it would upset me. I touched his arm and tried to get him to look at me.

“No, that’s not what it is,” he replied.

His tone made it clear he was angry. “I get it. No worries,” Hills said and stood back up.

Saul turned to me then and his hands went to my waist. “I’m done out here,” he said and I followed him out of the pool. He grabbed two towels and handed me one from a large teak cabinet.

I wrapped it around me and watched as he picked up our dry things. No one said anything as we headed inside. I wondered if he was always like this at parties. I didn’t want to be the reason he didn’t enjoy them.

When we were back in the house, I grabbed his arm to stop him. “Hey. What’s wrong?” I asked.

He turned to look at me. “Nothing.”

I wasn’t letting him off that easily. “Yeah, there is. You were angry the entire time we were out there.”

“I’m dealing with shit,” he said.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked him. Was something going on with his mom again that he hadn’t told me?

A smile that didn’t match the frustrated look in his eyes crossed his face. He shook his head. “No, I don’t think I do.”

That stung. I was just trying to help. “Okay.”

His gaze stayed on mine for a few more moments and then he reached out and took my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “I warned you I was damaged. This is a part of it I didn’t realize I had an issue with.”

“What does that mean?”

Saul took a step toward me and closed the space between us. “Until you, I didn’t know I had a problem with jealousy. I do. I’m dealing with possessiveness and that’s new to me.”

“I’ve not done anything to make you jealous,” I pointed out.

His gaze dropped down at the towel covering me up. “That bikini,” he said.

“It covers up more than what the other girl out there was wearing did,” I pointed out.

“I don’t care about who sees her body,” he replied.

But he cared who saw mine. I wanted to be mad at him. I really did. I tried to get mad at him, but I couldn’t. He was being honest with me and he said he had never felt like this before. I felt it then… the falling.

And I fell a little more.

“I thought it was just going to be us,” I told him.

He pulled me to him. “You wore it for me then?”

I nodded.

“I wish they would all fucking leave,” he said.

“I thought you liked parties.”

He pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth. “I’m finding I don’t like them at all.”

“Why?”

He kissed the other corner of my mouth. “Because the void I tried to fill with shit like that isn’t empty anymore.”

His mouth covered mine then and I kissed him with all the words I couldn’t say.