Convincing Her Page 5

  Rich followed, he was curious after all. He trusted his brother, and maybe it would be good for Angie to have some female companionship other than Teresa for a change. “Where’d you meet her?”

  “At the gym, she’s an aerobics instructor where I work out. She goes to my school too, she’s a junior.”

  “You got yourself an older woman, good for you.” Rich slapped his brother on the back.

  Pete blushed, “I figured you’d approve.” He opened the garage door, “Check this shit out.”

  Rich gasped as he stepped in the garage and flipped on the light. “They got us jet skis?” He walked over to get a closer look. One was cherry red, the other a metallic grey. “These are sweet. It looks like we’re going to have to put some thought into our Christmas gift this year.”

  “I figured we could take them out as soon as the water warms up, should be fun.”

  Rich pulled out his phone, sending a quick thank you text to his mom. He shut off the light and followed Pete back up to the house, wondering if Angie was all right. They headed into the kitchen and Rich introduced himself to Charlie and Trevor, thanking them for straightening up the place and getting the wi-fi going. He grabbed a beer out of the fridge. “Did Tracy buy this?”

  “Yeah, another good think about dating an older woman.” Pete joked, leaning up against the counter. “You guys ready to fish?”

  “I should probably check on Angie, see if she wants to go.” Rich wondered where the girls had gone off to. The house wasn’t that big.

  “I’ve never known a girl who actually wants to go fishing. They’ll be okay.” Trevor motioned to the cooler, “We’ve got beer and water, what else do we need?”

  Rich knew the kid was just trying to reassure him, but he wasn’t going to leave without seeing if she wanted to come with them. He had promised her he wouldn’t leave her alone.

  Pete grabbed a bag of chips off the top of the fridge, “We can wait and see if they want to go.”

  Rich was glad his brother had his back.

  “You guys are already talking about leaving us? What’s up with that?” Tracy sauntered into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Pete’s shoulders.

  Angie caught Rich’s eye, glanced at Tracy, and rolled her eyes.

  He grinned as he took another swig of his beer, “Want to go fishing?”

  Angie made a face, but then plastered on a smile, “Yeah, that would be fun.” The enthusiasm in her voice was convincing, almost.

  Tracy gave Pete a noisy kiss, “If she’s in, I’m in.”

  “Great.” Charlie muttered sarcastically.

  “Is it still too cold to go swimming? Maybe I could just lye out and get some sun. We still have a few hours of sunlight right? I’ll go change.” Tracy raced out of the room, talking to herself the whole way.

  Rich offered Angie a beer, “You look like you need this.”

  She nodded her head eagerly and grabbed the beer, downing half of it. “I’m going to grab my Kindle.”

  “She’ll calm down eventually, I promise.” Pete called after Angie as she made her escape. He turned to Rich, “Sorry about that. Tracy can be a bit overwhelming at first.”

  Trevor snorted, “At first? Whatever, at least she’s hot.”

  “Yeah, there’s that.” Pete laughed and finished his beer.

  “Who would have thought? You’re more like me than I thought.” Rich elbowed Pete as he walked by, “I’m going to go unload our stuff before we go.”

  This vacation certainly promised to be interesting.

  Chapter Five

  “So you guys are really brothers? Like biologically?” Angie asked as she reclined in her lounge chair.

  She’d chosen a spot away from the others, and Rich had let her be for a bit as he threw in his line a few times. He’d sauntered over with a smile, offering another beer.

  “Yeah, it’s weird huh? I take after my mom’s side of the family. He looks like my dad. Believe it or not, he used to be a lot smaller. He’s really bulked up. It’s weird seeing him all grown up.”

  “He seems nice enough.” She remarked as she pushed her hair out of her face.

  “He’s a good guy. Sorry about Tracy, I didn’t mean to stick you with her like that.” He grimaced, “You don’t have to hang out with her if you don’t want to.”

  She laughed and took a sip, “She’s actually not that bad. We’ll be fine.”

  “Good, I want you to enjoy yourself here.” He stood there awkwardly, unsure what to do now that he had her here. “I’ll leave you alone. Enjoy reading your smut.” He winked and headed back over to the guys.

  They actually did pretty well, catching eight catfish in about two hours. Years ago the lake had been stocked, but he hadn’t been sure if they’d actually get a bite. Charlie and Trevor were both pretty drunk. They’d both downed a six pack each. He didn’t want to have to babysit them all night so he’d cut them off.

  The sun had started to set, and the view was beautiful as he looked out across the lake. He glanced back at Angie and she was doing the same. She shot him a dazzling smile.

  “You ready to head out?” If she wanted to stay he’d hang out with her.

  “Sure, I’m getting pretty hungry over here.” She called, gathering her things.

  Pete grabbed the cooler and they all carried their chairs back up to the house. It was a short walk, only taking about ten minutes. Angie was at Rich’s side, seeming to enjoy the scenery.

  She took her chair to the garage and then made her way back over to him, “I’ll eat the fish but I’m not cleaning it.”

  He laughed, “We’ve got it covered. You might want to grab a sweater. It still gets pretty chilly at night.”

  She wrinkled her nose, “I didn’t bring a sweater.”

  He led her into the house, “I’ll grab you one of mine. We’ll handle the fish and the fire.” He rummaged through his bag until he found an old grey one. Walking over to where she stood leaning against the wood paneling, taking in the front room he offered the sweater, “Lift up your arms.” He lowered it over her head, pulling it down around her hips. He stood back and smiled, “It looks good on you.”

  “Thanks.” She whispered, looking up at him.

  He leaned in, unable to resist her scent, “Can I kiss you?”

  She lifted her face in answer, wetting her lips with her tongue.

  That’s all the invitation he needed. He placed his hands on the wall on either side of her head, lowering his mouth to hers. Taking his time, he brushed his lips lightly against the corners of her mouth before sealing their lips. Her tongue snaked out, licking at him tentatively, seeking entry. He let her explore, meeting the thrusts of her tongue with his own.

  “I could kiss you forever.” He murmured before dipping down for another kiss.

  “Hey Rich, you ready to clean these fish – ah shit, I’m sorry man.” Pete’s head disappeared from around the corner.

  “You should go hang out with your brother. You care if I pick my room?” Her fingers traced her bottom lip as she spoke.

  “Go ahead. I’ll take your stuff up later. Don’t be too long.” He gave her another quick kiss before forcing himself to pull away.

  After he was sure she was up the stairs he adjusted his package and headed outside. He knew he was smiling like an idiot but he didn’t care.

  Rich wiped his hands on an old towel, it’d been a while since he’d cleaned a fish but he’d done all right. Pete had been surprisingly helpful, despite Tracy making gagging noises from where she was perched on a cooler in the corner. She said there was no way she could eat the fish after watching them chop the heads off so Charlie brought out some hot dogs to shut her up.

  “Hey Trevor, can you grab the marshmallows?” Rich called, gathering up the fish to take over to the fire they’d stoked earlier.

  “Did someone say marshmallows?” Angie rounded the corner smiling.

  He returned her smile, “I thought that might get your attention.” He followed Pete ou
t of the garage, “The girl likes her sugar.”

  “Damn straight.” She followed after them, Tracy on her heels.

  “I should have stayed inside with you. That was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen. One of the fish had eggs in her. It was pregnant!” She exclaimed, making another gagging noise.

  Rich could almost hear Angie roll her eyes. He placed the old metal rack over the fire, surprised when she offered to hold the plate of filets so he could arrange them over the flames. He sat in the lounge chair beside her when they were done, grabbing her hand. She didn’t seem to mind that he was all fishy.

  The others soon followed, grabbing beers and sodas and arranging themselves in their chairs.

  “This is really great guys, thanks again for letting us hang out.” Trevor had sobered and it appeared he was sticking with soda for the remainder of the evening.

  “No problem.” Rich nodded his head, “I’m glad you thought of this Pete.”

  “So what are you guys majoring in? Rich, did you know Pete’s going to be an engineer? Isn’t that exciting?” Tracy gushed.

  He eyed his little brother, “No, I didn’t know that. I’m proud of you. I’m majoring in business finance – dad pretty much insisted.” He wondered how Pete had gotten their dad to relent on his major. Their old man had always had it stuck in his head that they’d both follow in his footsteps.

  Charlie chimed in, “I’m a business major too. It’s boring as shit right?”

  “I would have failed business calc if it wasn’t for Angie, she’s a great teacher.” Rich squeezed her hand.

  “You would have done fine.” She squeezed back. “I’m still undecided. I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. I’m getting all the basics out of the way.”

  Rich was surprised at that. He couldn’t believe he’d never asked her what her major was.

  “I’m majoring in kinesiology. I want to be a physical therapist.” Tracy opened a bag of chips, “It’s going to take forever, but it’ll be worth it.”

  Angie raised her brows in obvious surprise, “That’s pretty impressive. What made you choose that career?”

  “When I was thirteen I was really into gymnastics. I tore my ACL, twice, and during my recovery I had the most awesome physical therapist. She was so enthusiastic and positive. I wanted to be just like her.”

  “I’m with you Angie. I don’t have a clue what I want to do yet.” Trevor interjected, “Right now, I want to eat this fish. I’m fucking starving.”

  Rich had already flipped it once, “Just give it a couple more minutes, you want to make sure it’s done.”

  “You could always start a cleaning business. That was pretty impressive last night.” Charlie joked.

  “Maybe I will.” Trevor answered, stretching in his chair.

  Tracy stuck a hot dog onto a skewer before holding it over the flames. She blew a kiss at Pete, and he blushed when he saw Rich watching his reaction. He reached for his beer, taking a long draw. “So what do you guys want to do tomorrow?

  “I want to sleep in. It’s been too damn long since I just woke up when I felt like it.” Rich stood and grabbed some paper plates, using a fork to plate the fish.

  “You’re a man after my own heart. If there was a way I could sleep for a week I’d so do it.” Angie leaned back in her chair, fiddling with her braid.

  “That’s no fun. We didn’t really grab much on the way here. I figure we’ll head into town, you guys should make a list tonight of anything you want or need.” Pete stuck his own hot dog into the fire, giving it a good char. He shot Rich a look before commenting, “We’ll probably be gone for a while.”

  Rich chuckled, “Way to be obvious little brother.” He glanced at Angie, relieved when she didn’t look bothered by his brother’s innuendo.

  He devoured his fish, realizing that Angie had to be starving too. She picked at hers, eyeing the marshmallows the whole time. Tracy grumbled about not having everything for s’mores but she quieted when Pete pulled her onto his lap and nuzzled her neck.

  “That’s our cue man. Let these lovebirds have their romantic evening by the fire.” Charlie stumbled a bit when he stood, balancing himself by grabbing Trevor’s shoulder. He’d started drinking again after they’d lit the fire. Trevor laughed and shook his head as he stood, saying a quick goodnight before leading his friend into the house.

  Angie grabbed a skewer, shoving three marshmallows on the end before shoving them in the flames. When they caught fire Rich pulled them close and blew out the flame, waiting until they were cool enough to touch before slipping one off the end and popping it into his mouth.

  “Hey! Don’t you know ladies are supposed to be first Dick?” Angie stuffed the other two in her mouth whole, her cheeks bulging.

  He laughed, dipping a paper towel in the water from the cooler to help her clean her face. When he glanced up he noticed Pete and Tracy watching them with big smiles on their faces.

  Angie giggled, still licking her fingers, “Hey, Pete Remington sounds sort of like a porn star name too. Is your full name Peter?”

  His brother nodded and chuckled. Tracy ran her fingers through his hair, “Maybe you missed your calling.”

  “That’s what he said.” Angie grabbed another soda and pointed at Rich.

  He settled into his chair, happy that Angie had finally started to relax. They sat and talked for another hour or so, finishing off the marshmallows and chips. Angie yawned and they excused themselves to head to bed. He wrapped his arms around her as they entered the house, giving her a big hug. “See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

  She nodded her agreement, yawning again. “I was serious about sleeping in tomorrow. You want to jot a few things down on a list while I take a quick shower? I smell like smoke.”

  He kissed her forehead, “Sure, what do you need?”

  “Surprise me.” She walked up the stairs, looking back at him over her shoulder, “Thanks again for inviting me Rich.”

  “Thanks again for agreeing to come.” He hurried to the kitchen, grabbing the notepad that was always in the junk drawer. He wasn’t sure what all she’d brought with her but she only had one bag so he tried to cover all the basics.

  After carrying their stuff upstairs he stripped off his shirt and settled into the chair in his room, waiting for his turn in the shower. It was the same room he’d always stayed in as a kid with Pete. It was huge compared to his tiny dorm room. His eyes drifted closed as he looked back on the day. All in all everything had gone extremely well.

  A soft knock sounded on his door and he opened his eyes to find Angie peering in at him, looking adorable wearing nothing but a long t-shirt.

  He stood, “I’d ask you to stay with me but I know you’d shoot me down.” He took in her face, clean of make-up, not at all surprised that she was as beautiful as ever.

  “You are a smart one.” She walked over to him, “I wouldn’t refuse a goodnight kiss though.”

  How could he resist that? He brought her into his arms, “How about a few goodnight kisses?” He started at her nose, moving to each cheek before finally placing a soft kiss on her lips.

  “Goodnight Angel.”

  “Goodnight Rich.”

  This was going to be the best vacation ever.

  Rich woke up to the smell of coffee brewing. Glancing at the clock on his bedside table he smiled, it was after eleven. Damn it felt good not having to wake up to an alarm. The others were probably gone by now so he could only assume Angie was the one assaulting his senses with the delicious scent. He didn’t bother with a shirt, throwing on a pair of sweats and making a quick stop in the bathroom to brush his teeth and relieve the pressure on his bladder.

  He found her standing near the sink drizzling syrup on a rolled up pancake. He took a moment to drink in the site of her. Her hair was wavy and it appeared she hadn’t done much more than run her fingers through it before coming downstairs. She was still only dressed in her baggy t-shirt which exposed a fair amount of thigh. “Go
od morning.”

  Angie jumped with surprise, “You’re just in time for coffee. And someone made pancakes. They’re cold but I don’t care.” She took a huge bite and walked over to him as she chewed, “Want some?” She mumbled as she gave the syrup bottle a little shake.

  “I’m good, thanks.”

  She swallowed and tipped her head at him, licking her lips. How could he resist that? He leaned in for a kiss surprised when she beat him to the chase, pressing her mouth to his before biting his lower lip playfully. He gasped and she shoved the remaining pancake in his mouth, laughing.

  “You play dirty. I like it.” He finally said when he’d swallowed. He tried to grab the syrup, all sorts of naughty ideas popping into his mind, but she twisted out of reach.

  “Oh no you don’t, I don’t want to get all sticky.” After opening a few cabinets she grabbed two coffee cups, filling them both before offering one to him.

  “Did you sleep well?” He took his first sip and eased into a chair at the small breakfast table in the corner.

  “Yes, better than I have in months.” She joined him at the table after finding an almost-empty bag of sugar, pouring the contents into her coffee. “Sorry, did you want some?”

  “I’m good.” He sipped, the realization dawning on him that they were completely alone. He shifted in his chair, attempting to adjust his hard-on.

  After several long moments of awkward silence Angie tipped her head to the side and narrowed her eyes, “What are you thinking about?”

  “What would you like to do today?” He deflected her question, not sure she was ready to hear the answer yet.

  “As your not-so-subtle brother pointed out, we have the place to ourselves for a while.” She met his gaze, “I’m sure we could think of something to do.”

  He chuckled, leaning back in the chair until the front legs lifted off the floor, “Are you trying to seduce me Angel?”

  “Maybe, what if I am?” She challenged, standing.

  His coffee forgotten, he focused on her mouth, “This isn’t a race. You don’t always have to beat me to the finish line.”