“I guess I come by that reputation honestly.”

“Are you proud of it?”

I thought about that. “Not in the sense that I like to brag about my conquests or anything. I just like to have fun.”

“And serious relationships aren’t fun?”

“Nope. Who knows, I might settle down someday, but I’m too restless for that right now.”

She was quiet for a moment. “You’re right. Serious relationships aren’t fun.”

It kind of made me sad to hear her say that, but I wasn’t sure why. I agreed with her, so what was the problem?

“Speaking of fun, question,” I said. “Are you having fun tonight?”

She looked up at me, a smile dancing on her lips. “Yes, I’m having fun. Although…”

I waited a beat for her to continue, but she didn’t. “Although, what?”

“I don’t know if I want to tell you. It’s embarrassing.”

“Okay, now I really need to know.”

She took a deep breath. “Sometimes when I’m anxious I feel… inexplicably aroused.”

This just got interesting. “Aroused? Like sexually?”

“Yes. It happens at the worst times, and it isn’t because there’s anything arousing going on. I’m just hypersensitive to stimuli and it can make my body react in ways that don’t make sense. Like a sudden sense of uncomfortable arousal.”

“So you’re saying being anxious makes you want sex?”

“Yes. I mean, not always. Not even very often, but sometimes.”

“Does sex help? Like if you had sex, would you feel better?”

Her face whipped around, her eyes widening. “What?”

I laughed. God, she was cute. “I’m not saying let’s go bang in my old bedroom upstairs, I’m just wondering if an orgasm makes you feel better.”

She took another deep breath, like she was gathering her courage to admit the truth. “Yes. It helps.”

One corner of my mouth hooked in a grin. “So if you don’t have someone to give you an orgasm, do you do it yourself?”

She smacked my arm again. “Gavin.”

“What? I’m just asking. You’re the one who brought up sexual arousal.” This whole conversation was making me uncomfortably aroused, but I was having too much fun teasing her to stop. “I’m just trying to be a good friend by listening and asking relevant questions.”

“What do you think?”

“I think you do, but it’s better when you get the real thing.”

“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation.”

“Sounds like when I was a teenager and I’d get a boner out of nowhere. It was like the thing had a mind of its own. I’d be reading a fucking comic book, and not even looking at boobs or anything. And bam, hard on.”

“That’s definitely similar.”

“The worst was when I was around my brothers or a bunch of friends. Getting a boner around a group of guys isn’t ideal.”

“That must have been awkward. And confusing?”

“A little. Mostly I just wondered how to keep it under control. Where’s the worst place you’ve had it happen? A job interview? A funeral?”

She groaned. “I think the worst was at ThrillerFest. It’s a big writer’s conference and my publisher put me on a panel with a few other authors. We were supposed to answer questions about the publishing process. I was so nervous I thought I might puke, and then suddenly I felt…”

“Aroused?”

“Yes, but not just aroused. I felt desperate. I can’t believe I’m telling you this. I didn’t even tell Ginny this story. But I was up there on this little stage and I remember my face getting hot and my heart beating too fast. And other places felt… you know. There was a lot of pressure.”

“So what did you do?”

“Nothing, really. I just lived with it until it went away. My ex was…” She trailed off and I waited again to see if she’d finish. This time she did. “My ex was at the conference too, but he wasn’t interested in a quick trip back to our room when the panel was over. Said he was too busy.”

“He turned down a quick fuck in a hotel room? Seriously, Sky, what kind of dumbass were you dating?”

She shrugged. “The boring kind, I guess.”

“No shit.”

Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. “So if you’d been there with me, you’d have taken me upstairs for a quickie?”

My danger instinct went absolutely crazy. Buzzers, alarms, and warning bells all went off in my brain at once. That was a loaded fucking question if I’d ever heard one.

Don’t do it, Gav. Don’t take the bait.

But I couldn’t resist.

“Oh yeah. I would have taken you back to our hotel room and made sure you were satisfied.” Whoa, too close to the fire, Gav. Back up a little or you’ll get burned. “Assuming having sex was something we normally did anyway,” I added quickly.

“Right, of course.”

This conversation was about to come full circle. She’d brought it up because she was uncomfortably aroused right now. Was she hinting she could use my help in alleviating it?

As if my conscience needed the reminder, Chief came out onto the porch and sat next to Gram.

Well played, universe.

“Gram’s pie isn’t quite as good as sex, but it’s close. Should we go get some?”

“I haven’t eaten dinner yet.”

“So? It’s fun to eat dessert first.”

“I guess I can’t argue with that. Pie sounds great.”

I took her inside and we helped ourselves to Gram’s apple pie. After that, we mingled a little longer. Had some food, and I nursed a second beer. Skylar kept close to my side—so close her arm kept rubbing against mine. Even through our clothes, the contact was electrifying. More than once, I had to resist the urge to brush her hair back over her shoulder or tuck it behind her ear.

After a while, I had the distinct feeling that she was ready to go. She was just a little bit quieter, standing with her shoulder and arm subtly behind mine, so close she could have rested her cheek on my arm if she’d wanted to.

I leaned down and spoke softly. “Are you ready to get out of here?”

“It’s not because I’m having a bad time. But yes.”

“Did you drive yourself?”

“No, I came with Ginny.”

Ginny had left the bonfire—and Logan—and taken up a spot next to Gram and Fiona. Gram was in storytelling mode, tipping back and forth in her rocking chair, speaking softly. Fiona and Ginny were watching her with rapt attention.

“I think my dad left already,” she said. “But I can wait for Ginny. It’s not a big deal.”

“I can take you home.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to take you away from your brother’s party.”

I could have told her the truth. That the only reason I’d stayed this long was because she was here. That I’d been restless and edgy until she’d arrived, and now I didn’t want to be anywhere but wherever she was, even if it meant missing birthday cake.