Chapter Seventeen
TANNER
Un-fucking-believable.I shook my head as I walked to the couch and passed Davis another beer. “He’s so fuckin’ stubborn. I swear I need to tan his fucking hide….”before kissing it better.I flopped down on the well-worn cushions and cursed at myself. I was hopeless, and Carter was as hot as he was unbelievably fucking pig-headed.
Davis snorted. “So you keep saying.” I glanced at him, throwing him a pissed-off look. “Hey.” He raised one hand in surrender. “You’re the bastard who dragged me out of bed just so you could bitch about Carter, on repeat.” He took a pull of his beer. “You know, you’ve said the word stubborn twelve times now, and variations of fuck seventeen.”
The throw cushion I flung hit him square in the face, leaving me with a hint of satisfaction and Davis spluttering.
“What the fuck, dude!” He shook his head and wiped at his beer-splattered tee. “Wind your asshole in, yeah?”
A drop of guilt hit me. I had dragged his ass out of bed so I could vent, after all. With a sigh, I rubbed my palm over my face. I was tired and confused, and frustrated. “Sorry,” I begrudgingly offered.
“Look.” I cast an apologetic glance at Davis when he spoke. “I get that you’re all loved up and this is your first fight, but seriously, dude, what the fuck are you still doing here?”
I kept my face neutral, annoyed that he was right, and wondering why I’d allowed Carter to run me out. “You know—” I raised a brow and threw as much attitude as possible at him as I continued, “You just said ‘dude’ twice.”
Davis snorted and barely held on to his mouthful of beer. Clearing his throat, he gave me the bird. “Just fuck off already and go and kiss and make up. He was pissed because you tattled on him like a pussy.” I made to speak, but he threw me a warning glance. “You did, deal with it. Then he overreacted and got all Beyoncé on you.”
My brows furrowed. I had no fucking clue what he was talking about.
“What?” He had the nerve to look confused.
“What the heck does Beyoncé have to do with anything, and since when have you listened to Beyoncé?”
Davis rolled his eyes as he released an exasperated breath. “Whatever, dickwad. She’s got a great ass, and you know I like asses. Just… he was embarrassed and dealt with it badly, and you, genius, did a runner.”
“I didn’t do—”
“Yeah, you did. I know you’ve been staying together almost every fucking night.” It was true. We lived in each other’s pockets, and I liked it that way. “So, let me ask you this.” He looked far too cocky as he waited for what I assumed was my full attention. Seemingly he thought he had it, since he asked, “If you were really planning on going home and not heading back to lover boy’s bed, where the fuck is your monster of a dog?”
“Fucker.” My response was instant because the bastard was right. I huffed out a breath, knowing I needed to get my ass into gear and head back to Carter.
This whole thing was ridiculous. Obviously Davis knew it, I knew it, and I was hoping Carter would realize it too. There was only one way to find out, and that was to stop being a fool and go and talk it out with Carter.
This whole relationship stuff was as confusing as it was amazing. And Davis was right. It was our first argument, if you could even call it that. My shoulders stiffened, my eyes widened as a thought popped into my head. My eyes shifted to Davis’s, his laughter drawing me to him.
“You’re so fucking dick-whipped, dude.” He didn’t give me the chance to even comment on his third use of a word that I was certain he hadn’t used for fifteen years. “You just figured make-up sex was on the horizon, huh?”
My lips twitched, because once again, the bastard known as my best friend was on the ball. I stood, finished my beer, and then tapped him on the shoulder as I walked by.
“Yeah, be off with you, and don’t come back.”
I grinned as I dropped my bottle in the outside recycling bin on my way out. Once in my truck and on the way back to Carter’s, I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. My dick twitched at the thought of taking Carter hard, then washing him thoroughly in the shower and going down on him.
I was sure he wouldn’t need much convincing. Time would tell, I supposed.
A few minutes later, I switched off the engine, cut the lights, and headed to the front of the house. The door was unlocked. I entered quietly, not wanting to wake his folks. Just as I made my way to the staircase, I heard a scrape of a stool coming from the kitchen. I paused, then turned and headed in the direction. I opened the door to find Carter standing next to the kitchen counter. His hands gripped the edge, and his gaze immediately settled on mine.
I entered the room, closing the door quietly behind me. I took a couple of steps forward and then paused, giving myself a moment to rake my eyes over his body. He looked tired. I knew it was late, something like one in the morning, and I also knew he had to work in a few hours. But what struck me the hardest and had my feet moving was the pink touching the tops of his cheeks, the slight sheen in his eyes, and the way he bit his bottom lip.
He was upset.
Fuck.
As I stepped to the edge of the countertop, rounding on him, he immediately moved away from the stool. His arms flung around my waist just as I scooped him close and tugged him into my arms.
“I’m so sorry.” His voice was whisper soft and filled with such emotion that I squeezed him tighter.
