Drilled by K.M. Neuhold
Chapter 21
RIDGE
“Are we all present and accounted for?” I ask, peeking into the kitten box that Logs has happily kept since coming home last week. It’s only been in the last couple of days that the kittens have started moving around, but Mama always puts them back in their cozy box when they stray too far. “Now, I know the vet is going to seem like a scary place, but I promise they only want to make sure you’re all healthy and happy.”
Logs doesn’t look convinced, narrowing her eyes at me. Unfortunately for her, this vet visit isn’t up for negotiation. I carefully pick the box up, balancing it under one arm as I open the door.
Surprisingly, the hallway isn’t empty like I expected it to be. A very large, unfairly sexy construction worker is blocking my doorway with his giant body, his hand raised as if he was about to knock.
“Apollo. Here to save me from more big-dicked mechanics?” I ask with irritation.
He grunts and eases the box out of my hands, holding it carefully in front of him. “It’s their vet appointment,” he says as if that explains everything.
“Yes,” I agree stupidly, caught off guard by the almost tender sound of his tone.
“I thought you might want a ride.”
“Ooookay.” I look back and forth down the otherwise empty hallway, wondering if this is some kind of strange prank. We’re supposed to argue about him cock-blocking me or the fact that we both really want to keep fucking but can’t, aren’t we? “I have my car back.”
“I know.”
Of course he knows. But I’m all off-balance, thanks to the unexpected direction of this interaction. I guess if he doesn’t want to argue, there’s no reason to say no to hanging out with him. We need to figure this out sooner rather than later, and what better way than a very unsexy trip to the vet clinic.
“All right, let’s do this.” I wave him toward the stairs, closing and locking my apartment door behind me before following him out.
Like everything in town, the vet clinic isn’t far. We’re greeted by an enthusiastic young receptionist who gushes over the kittens before ushering us to an exam room and letting us know that Dr. Grant will be with us shortly.
“I thought we were seeing Porter,” I say before she can leave the room.
“Porter is Dr. Grant. He just passed his boards, so he’s official now.”
“That’s awesome. Thanks.”
She leaves us, and within a few minutes, Porter enters the room. He’s dressed in a nice pair of slacks, a white lab coat over a dark-blue button-up. Yup, he’s just as damn cute as I remember. As annoyed as I am at Apollo for getting territorial over me in front of Tallahassee, I have the sudden urge to lean over and lick his cheek just so the adorkable veterinarian doesn’t get any crazy ideas. I licked it, now it’s mine. Very mature, I know.
“Oh, Apollo, hey,” he says in surprise. “I didn’t expect you.”
“I figured Ridge could use the moral support. Kittens’ first check-up and all that.”
I dip my head to hide the smug smile that jumps instantly to my lips, reaching into the box to pet Kevin’s head. He gives a cute little meow.
“Ah, gotcha.” Porter laughs. “I guess I’m officially a layover date between hot construction workers and their soulmates, huh? Minus the lay part, unfortunately.”
“If it helps, we know some mechanics. I’m sure one of them would be right up your alley,” I offer with an apologetic smile, even though he’s not technically correct since Apollo and I aren’t together. But if Pol isn’t about to correct him, neither am I.
“Nah.” He waves me off. “Thanks, but I’m officially over set-ups. I’ve already decided that I’m just going to marry the next big, burly dude who brings in a shoebox of orphaned bunnies.”
“That’s oddly specific.” I smile.
“You’ve gotta know what you want,” he says seriously. “Anyway, we’re not here to discuss who won’t fuck me, we’re here to look at some kittens, so let’s do it.” Porter rubs his hands together and reaches in to start checking out the babies.
It’s an adorable mess of an exam, the kittens all attempting to escape as soon as they realize something strange is happening. When he picks up Nugget to examine her, she cries until Logs pops out of the box, grabs her by the scruff, and yanks her forcefully out of Porter’s hands to save her.
Eventually, they all receive clean bills of health and a plan for their vaccination schedule.
“Thanks for taking a look at them. It’s a weight off to know they’re healthy,” I say once he’s finished.
“It’s my pleasure. If you need help finding homes for any of them, we have a lot of cat lovers here, or you can even put a sign up on the bulletin board in the lobby,” he offers.
“No way. I’m keeping them.” I pick up the box and hold it against my chest as if someone is about to come in and take my babies from me.
He chuckles. “Sounds like you two have your hands full. Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions before their next visit.”
“Thanks, and good luck finding your bunny man.”
“From your lips to God’s ears, my friend,” he says with a grin before leaving us to check out and take the kittens home.
When we pull up in front of my apartment building, there’s a lingering tension, just like when we got home. I grab the door handle, wrapping my fingers around it but not opening the door right away.
“You can come up if you want,” I offer, and Apollo gives me a skeptical look. “No sex, I promise.”
He huffs through his nose in what I’m pretty sure is meant to be a laugh and then turns the car off.
APOLLO
I follow Ridge up to his apartment, carrying the box of noisy, playful kittens and doing my best not to notice just how good his ass looks as he walks up the steps in front of me. Inside, I set down the box, and the kittens all start to awkwardly climb out while we both take our shoes off.
“Do you want something to drink?” he offers.
“Beer if you have it.”
Ridge nods and disappears into the kitchen, returning a few seconds later with two beers in hand. “Are you hungry? We can order a pizza or something.”
“That sounds good. We can put on that show I was telling you about. It’s all hyper-masc dudes saving the world and lots of explosions,” I pitch, and he grins.
“Sold.”
We make ourselves comfortable in his living room, and he orders a pizza while I pull up the show and get it started. And before long, it’s like the fifteen years we spent apart never even happened.
We laugh and talk through most of the show, devouring the pizza one slice at a time. The one improvement over our friendship all those years ago is now Ridge joins me in ogling the jacked men on the show.
“You could bounce a quarter off that guy’s ass. Damn.” He tilts his head to appreciate the view before the scene changes.
“As much as I can appreciate a fantastic ass, I have to confess, my true weakness is thighs.” I swipe the last piece of pizza before Ridge can grab it.
“I know. You’re not all that subtle about it.” He waggles his eyebrows at me, and I chuckle.
We fall back into watching the show, seeming to unconsciously drift closer to each other on the couch until our arms brush every time either of us moves. We trade darting glances in between commentary about the show, and I start to think that it may be more difficult to unblur the line between friendship and more than I thought it would be.
I stay through several episodes until we both start to yawn. A couple of beers will knock you out at forty in a way that my twenty-year-old self would mock mercilessly.
“This was fun. Thanks for hanging out tonight,” Ridge says, walking me to the door and waiting while I slip my shoes back on.
“Yeah,” I agree. “I, uh, have plans to see Anna tomorrow.”
“Didn’t you see her last weekend?” he asks.
“No, I canceled. I wasn’t ready,” I confess.
“You weren’t ready?”
I straighten up and look him in the eyes. “I’m going to tell her everything.”
His eyebrows shoot up. “Everything?” he repeats.
“Well, not the details, but yeah.” I’ve been lying awake at night, imagining all the ways the conversation might play out. The worry that crosses Ridge’s face matches how I’ve felt most of those nights. Without even meaning to, I find myself leaning in and pressing a hard kiss to his mouth. My heart thunders at the brief contact and the way he sighs against my lips.
It takes every ounce of self-control I have not to press him up against the nearest wall and deepen the kiss. I pull away, and he teeters on the spot before catching himself.
“Do you want me to come with?” he offers. “I can explain, apologize. I owe it to her after all this time.”
“I think I need to explain on my own first.”
Ridge nods slowly. “Okay. Well, you can tell her the truth if it helps. Why I didn’t make it to the wedding, whatever you feel comfortable explaining.”
“That helps, thank you.” I had been trying to figure out how I would explain things without inadvertently outing Ridge, so it’s a relief to know he doesn’t mind her knowing.
“Let me know how it goes,” he says, his voice slightly hoarse as he reaches up to ghost his fingers over his damp lips.
I bob my head, not wanting to promise any more than that until I find out how Anna will react to the news. Not wanting to hope for anything until everything is out in the open. After that…well, we’ll see.
