Bonham (Pushing Daisies Book 3) by Heather Young-Nichols (the little red hen read aloud txt) 📗

if he’s the kind of guy you might let up your skirt? Or both?”

I slapped a hand over my face again. “Delaney, is that all you think about?”

“Sometimes.” She shrugged. “There’s nothing wrong with liking sex and I feel incredibly guilty that your life has been the way it has because of my mistake.”

“Lily’s not a mistake,” I snapped. For some reason when that was said, it really got me angry.

“Of course she isn’t, but getting pregnant at sixteen was. Jesus, Jurnie. Calm down.”

“Sorry,” I mumbled. “I just… I do like this guy, but I don’t like the pressure to have sex with him.”

“He’s pressuring you already?” Her mom-bear voice came out.

“No.” I chuckled. “You are. Just… It’ll happen when it happens, OK?”

“Message received.”

Delaney sunk back down into the couch and unpaused the movie. That meant I couldn’t be snapping pictures of myself anymore or she’d ask more questions.

While trying to be snarky, I opened up my text and sent Bonham a quick one. Sorry, my sister started the movie we were watching again and she was asking questions. I can’t take pics to send snaps right now.

I also switched my phone over to vibrate so hopefully, Delaney wouldn’t notice.

So does tomorrow night work for you? he asked.

Sure does, I told him.

Pick you up at seven.

Holy shit, I had a date with possibly the hottest guy I’d ever seen.

If only tomorrow evening would get here already.

6

Bonham

Fuck, I wished I could’ve screenshotted one of those pictures of Jurnie. If I had, she would’ve known and while I never tried to be a creeper, after how she and I had met, I was going to be extra careful.

I’d also thought she would’ve been a little hesitant about going out with me, but she didn’t seem to be. Still, like an asshole who should’ve just accepted her out with me, I decided to ask.

That was quick, I told her when she agreed to tomorrow at seven.

Well, I figure if you wanted to do something to me, hurt me, you would have when you had me in your car.

I fucking hated it that woman had to worry about shit like that. Fucking hated it for my mom, Daisy, Jurnie, and every other woman who felt vulnerable when alone with a man. The truth was, most of the time, a man could use his strength against a woman anytime he wanted. We needed more men to choose not to.

There was no way I was getting into that over text, but flirting was still allowed.

Trust me, I typed out, hurting you wasn’t what was on my mind when you were in my car.

Most of the time I’d been thinking about her lips, but I wasn’t about to tell her that yet. And there was definitely a yet because if I had my way, and she agreed, I’d get to feel those lips tomorrow night.

I sighed and tossed my phone onto the couch beside me as Van and Lexi came into my parents’ living room. Yes, I was texting this woman from my parents’ house.

We’d had dinner, steak, and roasted potatoes with garlic green beans that Mom made for the entire group. Not only were Mom and Dad there as well as Mack, Daltrey, Van, Daisy, and me, but we’d added Lawson and Lexi. It was a decent-sized group and pretty soon we were going to outgrow the table in the kitchen. There was always the island for overflow, I supposed.

“What’s that look?” Van asked as he dropped into the chair nearest me and pulled Lexi onto his lap. She didn’t look the most comfortable with the idea at first but quickly relaxed into him. If everyone came out here, the seats would need to double up anyway.

I dropped my phone into my lap as if I hadn’t been obsessively checking to see if Jurnie had sent another Snap and glanced up at him. “Probably the same one you have.” Being identical, that was an easy out.

Van scrunched up his face. “Doubtful.”

“What look then?” I asked, sitting up straighter.

“I don’t know… It was—”

“Longing,” Lexi offered.

She wasn’t wrong. That was what I’d been feeling, but that didn’t mean I wanted it written all over my fucking face.

“And what would I be longing for?”

She shrugged, but Van snorted. “Pussy.”

Lexi gasped and slapped his shoulder. “Van.”

“Your mother can hear you,” Dad called from the kitchen, making me laugh.

Having a bunch of boys meant she heard a lot of shit, but Dad always tried to correct us. Being twenty-three or even Mack’s twenty-seven didn’t mean we got away with being vulgar where my mother was concerned.

Honestly, if Daisy, Lexi, and Mom hadn’t been within earshot, Dad wouldn’t have said anything.

“Sorry,” Van called back to the kitchen.

Still, I furrowed my brows. “And why would I be longing for that?”

“Because as far as I know, you haven’t gotten any in a while, which is crazy with all of those very willing women at every show.”

“Yeah.” Lexi cut in, but she didn’t sound all that happy. There was a hard edge in her voice. “It’s a real shame you’ve missed out on all of those women.” She folded her arms over her chest and glared at my brother.

This being his first honest relationship meant he was going to make some missteps. But Lexi was awesome and he’d fix it. He’d better fix it.

“Baby…” He ran a hand down her arm. “I was talking about him. Not me. I have no interest.”

“Better not,” she muttered.

Shaking my head, I remembered something Indie Cinderstone had told him. Indie had grown up going on the road with her dad, Vince, founding member of Kissing Cinder, and now she was with Cross Rhodes, drummer of Courting Chaos. She was well-versed in how hard relationships on the road were.

She’d told Van to never give Lexi a reason to worry. Once a woman had a reason to worry, they’d worry, and eventually they’d probably figure out that they didn’t want to think about what might be happening on the road.