Dropout (The Good Guys Book 3) Read online

  “That’s lovely,” she continued, then her gaze shifted to my girl. “And who is this beautiful young lady?”

  Seeing an opportunity to screw with Mackenna, I looped an arm around her shoulders and flashed the older women a toothy grin.

  “My girlfriend, Mackenna Connelly. Honey bear,” I started, and her head whipped toward me at the unfamiliar term of endearment. I tried not to laugh at her startled expression. “What do you think of this venue? Nice, huh?” Gesturing around the hall of the Tolson Community Building, I stroked the side of her neck with my thumb. “Better write that down in your planner.”

  Her eyebrows furrowed. “My planner?”

  “Yeah, that wedding notebook you keep around. This venue—you like it, right?”

  “Venue?” she croaked, catching on to what I was implying.

  Alma squealed. “Beverly didn’t tell me you were serious with anyone! When are you two getting married?”

  A strangled sound came from the shocked girl next to me, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see her mouth open and close several times.

  I smirked. “Nothing official yet. It’s just so fun to talk about the possibilities.”

  A round of ‘aww’ and a ‘bless your heart’ came from the enamored women, and Mackenna’s hand landed back on my crotch under the table. The squeeze she gave my balls wasn’t so gentle this time.

  “You’ll have to excuse me,” she said sweetly. “I need to use the ladies’ room.”

  After she stood up, I kissed the back of her hand. “Hurry back, sweetheart. We don’t want to miss the first dance.”

  Playing along, she sent me a dreamy smile. “While I’m gone, why don’t you tell everyone how much you love Sweet Pea.”

  My grin dropped.

  With a victorious smirk, she walked away. I couldn’t help the way my eyes followed the mesmerizing swish of her hips.

  Alma grabbed my forearm. “Oh, I’m so glad to hear that bird has a good home. It’s what Bernice wanted.”

  I nodded stiffly. “He’s really something.”

  “I would’ve taken him,” another woman chimed in. “But I don’t think he likes me. Every time I went over to Bernice’s house, he called me horrible names.”

  “Oh, that’s just how he says hello,” I told her.

  “Well, he pooped all over my handmade quilt,” a woman across the table complained. “I was supposed to enter it in the county fair. Six months of hard work, gone!”

  I laughed because it was kind of funny when it happened to someone else. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, it wasn’t personal. He does that to everyone. But I think he and I have come to an understanding. I feed him peanuts, and he doesn’t crap on my stuff.”

  They all giggled.

  Alma glanced at me. “Well, Beverly is a saint for taking him in. If it wasn’t for her, who knows what would’ve happened to him.”

  Nodding, I looked up at the main table. Grandma was sitting there like a queen on her throne in her light-blue satin dress. It wasn’t her wedding, but from the look on her face you’d never know it.

  I’d never seen her this happy. She took a sip of her Champagne—pinky out—and seeing her have such a good time made me happy, too. If there was anyone in this world who deserved a moment to shine, it was Beverly Louise Johnson.

  I endured some more flattery from the knitting club before they found a different topic to talk about.

  I tuned them out as my mind went to how amazing Mackenna looked today. That dress. The red lipstick.

  Absolutely stunning.

  My phone vibrated with a text on the tabletop, and when I opened the message I almost choked on my water.

  Mackenna sent me a cleavage shot. If her dress was pulled down any lower, I’d see nipples.

  Another one came through.

  Those full red lips were wrapped around her finger.

  Me: Well played, honey bear

  Mack: Meet me outside the bathroom

  Trying to hide my stiffy, I discreetly adjusted myself before standing up. The hallway was empty as I approached the restrooms. Suddenly, a door swung open to my right and Mackenna grabbed me by the tie. Before I knew it, I was in complete darkness, my back against a door while my girlfriend’s lips went to my neck.

  I turned on my phone, using the light from the screen to see better.

  “Is there a light in here?” I looked around. I saw old shelves with cleaning supplies and paper towels. A mop and bucket in the corner. Dust bunnies and cobwebs. But no light switch.

  “Doesn’t matter,” Mackenna replied, pulling my face back to hers. After sucking on my bottom lip, she mumbled, “You’re such a troublemaker. Within ten minutes, the entire town is going to think we’re engaged.”

  “So?” I challenged.

  “Have fun explaining that one to Beverly,” she responded while undoing my belt.

  She kissed me, slow and deep, before kneeling in front of me. It felt wrong to have Mackenna all dressed up and on her knees in a dirty broom closet. It also turned me the fuck on.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, frozen in place.

  With a flick of her fingers, the button on my slacks popped open and the zipper came down, giving sweet relief to my straining erection. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

  “Uhh… Ah…” I sputtered. She took my cock in her hand, stroking up and down a few times before running her thumb over the tip.

  I heard muffled cheering and clapping outside the heavy wooden door, reminding me that we were in a public place.

  “Mack, are you sure—”

  “Jimmy.” Licking her lips, her eyes bounced up to mine. “Let me?”

  “You’re asking permission to suck my dick? Un-fucking-believable.” I laughed and raised my hands in surrender. “Have at it, baby.”

  The light from my phone went out, and I swiped the screen to turn it back on. I wanted to see everything. Eyes, lips, tongue. I didn’t want to miss a second of it.

  Music started up, and I could only assume we were missing the first dance. But as Mackenna’s warm, wet mouth closed over my tip, I lost the ability to care. She gave a gentle suck.

  “Oh, fuck,” I breathed out.

  Her fingers clumsily grazed over my length as she licked at my sensitive skin. The way she wrapped her hand around me was unsure. Curious and tentative.

  It was obvious she wasn’t experienced at this, but it didn’t make it any less awesome. If anything, it made me impossibly harder. Watching her taste me as she ran her tongue over my slit. Watching her pull back with a gag when she took me in too far. Watching her discover how to make me moan.

  Like always, I let her take control.

  A grunt left me when she found a steady rhythm, her hand at the base of my shaft while her head bobbed back and forth. She glanced up at me, her eyes questioning.

  “It’s good, baby,” I praised. “So fucking good.”

  The light on my phone went out again, and I growled. When I got the light back on, Mackenna reached for my other hand and put it in her hair, encouraging me to guide her. Gently gripping the back of her head, I made her go faster.

  She moaned, and I felt the pressure build.

  “I’m close,” I told her as I tried to pull her off my cock. Sucking me harder, she wouldn’t budge. “Baby,” I warned. “Fuck. Fuck. I’m gonna come.”

  Her free hand came up to lightly squeeze my balls, and I couldn’t hold back anymore.

  With a hoarse shout, I emptied into her mouth. Mackenna’s eyes got wide at the amount of cum I gave her, but she swallowed it down.

  Releasing the hold I had on her hair, I sagged back against the door and the light on my phone went out again. I didn’t have the energy to turn it back on. Mackenna started giggling before she even got off the floor, and I blindly reached out to help he
r up.

  Falling onto my chest, she laughed, and I couldn’t help but join her. I sighed as I held her, probably a little tighter than necessary. My fingers flexed around her back as I kissed the top of her head.

  Mackenna found my mouth in the darkness and gave me a peck.

  “Better get back out there,” she said against my lips. “I don’t want to miss the cake. I’ll go first.”

  Before I could stop her, she was out the door.

  A bit dazed, I staggered out of the broom closet and made my way back to our table, probably looking just as satisfied as I felt. Mussed-up hair. Loosened tie. My shirt partially untucked.

  And a shit-eating grin I couldn’t seem to wipe off my face.

  Alma did a double-take when I sat down. She smirked, then dipped one of the cloth napkins in her water. She handed it to me and leaned in to whisper, “You’ve got some lipstick on your neck, dear.”

  I took it from her and wiped at my skin until she gave me a thumb’s up.

  Mackenna looked to the front and clapped as Travis and Angel kissed in front of the three-tier cake.

  Alma winked at me, like we had a secret between us now. Pulling Mackenna close, I placed a kiss at her temple.

  Hands down, it was the best wedding I’d ever been to.

  CHAPTER 34

  JIMMY

  Numbness settled in my fists as I pounded the bag over and over again. The distinct smell of sweat and rubber permeated the small gym, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

  Over the past couple of weeks, I’d become familiar with the Daywood workout center, building my endurance by running on the treadmill, then pummeling the punching bag until my arms couldn’t take anymore.

  Since Mackenna started spending Saturday nights at her parents’ house, I had several hours to come here to train in secrecy.

  And sometimes I worked out during my lunch break, like today.

  “Damn, Jimmy.” Colton’s voice came from the bench press. “You got a beef with that bag?”

  Part of the reason I was on edge was because the fight with Jaxon was in two weeks. No matter how much I trained, I felt like I had to be better, faster, stronger. There hadn’t been anymore incidents since the car vandalism, but I knew Mackenna was worried.

  I was worried, too.

  The other reason I wanted to beat something to a pulp? Guilt.

  Whenever Mackenna asked me what I did while she was gone on Saturdays, I told her I watched movies with Grandma—which was the truth. Part of it, anyway.

  The lie didn’t seem like that big of a deal at first, but as time went on, it got bigger. As my feelings for Mackenna grew, it expanded. Every time I went to the gym to train, it multiplied.

  I told myself it was for her benefit, and that might’ve been true, but I still felt like shit about it.

  Also, I hadn’t been up front with Mackenna about my feelings. After a lot of internal debate, I decided not to tell her I loved her, mostly because I didn’t think she’d say it back. My fragile ego couldn’t handle that. So, I just kept it to myself and held onto the unlikely hope that she would say it first.

  But time was slipping through my fingers. My summer in Tolson was more than halfway gone now.

  Chest heaving from exertion, I stepped back and pulled off the gloves protecting my knuckles. “Nah,” I told Colton with a forced smile. “Just feeling a little wound up is all.”

  “Alright.” Getting to his feet, he made a ‘come at me’ gesture before balling his fists. “Let’s duke it out.”

  I had to laugh at his bad form. Colton was in good shape, but bulk had nothing to do with fighting. Strength meant nothing if you didn’t know how to use it.

  “I think by ‘duke it out’, you mean get your ass kicked,” I said with a laugh.

  Fists still raised, he shrugged. “I’ve always been a lover, not a fighter. Now show me some moves.”

  “Well, first of all you need to bring up your left hand,” I told him, moving it in front of his face. “You can’t leave yourself wide open like that.”

  I kept my motions slow as I showed him a right hook and how to block. After a few minutes of circling each other and pulling punches, Colton was out of breath.

  “Holy shit,” he heaved. “I had no idea I was so out of shape.”

  I chuckled. “It’s just a different kind of workout. We’ll build up that endurance.”

  We headed to the locker rooms to change back into our coveralls, then went out to Colton’s blue Ford pickup.

  Just as I buckled my seatbelt, he spoke.

  “Jimmy… I want to let you know we’ll take care of Mackenna when you leave.” He glanced over at me as he started the ignition. “After what happened with her car and everything… I know you’re probably concerned.”

  “I’m terrified,” I admitted, needing to confide in someone. “When I think about leaving her here—unprotected—I feel sick.”

  “I understand,” he said with a nod. “But we’ll look out for her. I promise. And if you ever need to talk about anything, I’m all ears.”

  “Thanks.”

  It made me feel a little better. It was nice to know Mackenna wouldn’t be alone after I left.

  I still had no idea what would happen to our relationship when the summer was over. I hadn’t brought up the subject of long-distance since that night in the hotel, partly because Mackenna was so against it at the time.

  I hoped she would change her mind, but the guilt I was feeling made me have doubts about that. I had successfully gained Mackenna’s trust while also deceiving her, and I knew that was messed up.

  How would she feel once she found out about the secret I’d been keeping? I wasn’t foolish enough to think I could come out of the fight unscathed. I wouldn’t be able to hide the bruises on my body, and I didn’t want to. Once it was over, I had every intention of coming clean.

  But would it be too late?

  *

  After our lunch break, Colton left work early to take his daughter to the park, so it was just Hank and me at the shop.

  I’d gotten the hang of things around here.

  Filling out the invoices at the end of the day had become one of my jobs. I knew where all the tools were and how to clean them. And the guys had enough confidence in me that they let me do oil changes and tire rotations on my own.

  Certain customers were starting to know me by name.

  Norma Henderson came in at least once a week because she swore her Honda was making funny noises. Hank didn’t have the heart to tell her that it was probably one of her hearing aids going bad. He also didn’t have the heart to charge her when there was nothing wrong with her car.

  However, I suspected she was coming in for the man candy. One day I saw her bump into Hank and play it off like an accident. But I was pretty sure she just did it to cop a feel. I mean, she grabbed his ass to steady herself then left, looking flushed and a bit too satisfied.

  Then there was Harold McCann. He walked by the shop every day at exactly 2pm with his cairn terrier, Roxy. We kept a jar of dog treats behind the counter just for her.

  I’d just given Roxy her bone when Hank called me back inside. I watched the furball happily scamper off before heading to the office.

  “What’s up?” I leaned against the door way.

  Swiveling toward me in his chair, he linked his hands over his stomach. “You caught that oil leak on Charlie’s van yesterday.”

  “Yeah. Wasn’t hard to spot it.”

  “That’s fantastic.” He smiled. “Charlie didn’t even know about it, so that was a good find.”

  Hank had a way of making me feel like I did a great job, even when I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing in the first place. I didn’t think what I did was anything special, but his compliments made me feel warm and fuzzy.

  “Thanks, Hank.”

>   “Here’s your next paycheck.” He handed me an envelope. “Keep up the good work.”

  As I walked the three blocks home, I looked at the text Mackenna sent about an hour ago.

  Mack: Can’t wait to see you. Just let yourself in ;)

  Truth was, I couldn’t wait to see her either. I decided to forego the shower I usually took at Grandma’s just so I could see her ten minutes sooner.

  Yesterday, she gave me my own key so I wouldn’t have to knock all the time. We both tried to play it off like it wasn’t a big deal, but it meant something to me. It felt like so much more than just a way into her house.

  I palmed the cold piece of metal in my pocket as I walked up her porch steps.

  I never would’ve thought Mackenna would be such a wild one in bed, but fuck.

  She was insatiable.

  She was like a kid discovering candy for the first time. Every night, as soon as I walked through the door, she was on me.

  And it didn’t matter where we were. The kitchen. On the couch. Halfway up the stairs. If she was in the mood, we fucked.

  Sometimes I had to force myself to slow down so I could take my time, make it sweeter for her. But she liked pushing my buttons. She used any means necessary to make me lose control—her teeth, her nails, her tongue.

  I’d gotten used to Mackenna launching herself at me, so I was surprised when I opened the door only to be met with eerie silence.

  “Mack?”

  Nothing.

  “Mackenna?”

  Fear spiked. A quick search of her downstairs, and I was taking two stairs at time.

  “Mack!” I yelled out as I reached the second floor.

  More silence.

  I roughly raked a hand through my hair as a dozen awful scenarios ran through my mind. Just as I was about to lose my shit, her sing-song voice came from her bedroom.

  “In here, Jimmy!”

  My hand went to my chest, my heart racing like I’d just sprinted a mile. The door was cracked, and when I pushed it open I barely registered the drawn shades, the candles on the nightstand, or the hot naked girl on the bed.

  When she saw my expression, she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the mattress. “What’s wrong?”