Rating the Book Boyfriend (Book Boyfriend Builders)

24. Riggs

CHAPTER 24

Riggs

I t’s been a week since Libby and I returned from New York, and I’m fucking gone for this woman. She didn’t worm her way under my skin. No, she dove in and implanted herself there.

I park in front of our usual pub and sit in my truck for a few minutes, remembering last Sunday, our last day in New York before we’d taken a late flight back to Florida. We’d spent the entire day walking around downtown, shopping and holding hands. I’d kissed her every time the mood struck me, which was surprisingly frequent.

Reaching for my phone, I smiled at the lock screen photo, one of Libby and me in front of the huge Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. Her eyes are bright and her smile brilliant in the pic. And me? Fuck, I look like a lovesick puppy, gazing down at her in her jeans, boots, red sweater, and black peacoat.

She is absolutely the most stunning woman I’ve ever seen, and as I get to know her better, she only gets more attractive to me. Her heart is as big as her home state of Texas, and that’s the most beautiful thing about her.

Stowing my phone in my pocket, I climb out of my truck and enter the pub to find Ty sitting in a green vinyl booth. “What’s up, Mills?” I ask, sliding in across from him.

“Romero,” he says with a grin. “Salazar will be a few minutes late.”

Yes, we’re those guys who call each other by their last names, but we actually have a good reason. When we met in our college dorm as suitemates, the fourth member of our group was, oddly enough, also named Tyson. So to avoid confusion, the last names thing was born.

We order our beers, and by the time the waitress drops off our drinks, Salazar arrives. “How’s it going with New Erica?” he asks Mills.

Our friend’s face softens. “I told her about the whole dick tattoo mix-up, and she was very understanding.”

“She didn’t freak out?”

“Nope.” He glances around the room and lowers his voice. “She said she’s going to imagine that I got it for her because she realized she has a bit of a stalker kink. We’ve been… exploring that with some role playing.”

“Sounds hot,” Salazar says before turning to me. “Romero, weren’t you on the cover of a stalker book once?”

“I was.” I pull up a pic on my phone and hand it over.

Salazar rubs one side of his chest as they stare at the photo of me dressed all in black with my blue eyes narrowed at the camera. “Damn, son. You’re looking all sinister and shit. Would it make you uncomfortable if I told you this pic makes my nipples hard?”

He looks up at me, and I stare at him, deadpan. “Extremely uncomfortable. Don’t speak of your nipples again.” The asshole smirks at me.

Though my back is to the door, I know the second she enters the bar without even turning around. Since Libby and I have been dating for a couple weeks now, and it’s obviously serious, we decided to tell our friends and families about our relationship. We’re supposed to tell Salazar and Mills tonight.

Libby told me she has a plan and asked me to just roll with it. I have no idea what that plan entails, but from the wicked smile on her face when she said it, I’m sure it’s going to be entertaining.

She’s getting closer, my gut tells me as Salazar’s eyes fix over my shoulder. Then he grins and says, “Look who’s here. It’s Libbidy Bibbidy.”

Her goofy laugh reaches my ears, and my heart does a stomping River Dance in my chest when I look up at her standing beside our table. She’s wearing jeans, a white sweater, and an adorable hot-pink Santa hat.

“Hi, Tyson, Penn.” Then our eyes meet, and she says, “Riggs, correct?” I want to tell her she should know my name because she spent last night screaming it into the mattress, but I nod instead, playing along with whatever her scheme is.

“Nice to see you, Libby. Would you like to sit down?”

“That would be great.” I stand and allow her to scoot into the inside of the booth before I sit again. What the hell is she up to?

When the server comes by, Libby orders a beer, and we all make polite chit chat for a few minutes. Then she props her chin in her hand, looks up at me, and purrs, “Riggs, would you like to go out some time?”

Salazar and Mills jerk their eyes between us as I pretend to think about it. “Hmm, we could probably make that happen.”

She smiles sweetly. “How is your penis situation?”

I bite the inside of my cheek hard to keep from barking out a laugh. Mills chokes on something, and our other friend pounds him on the back.

“I’d like to say it’s strong. I haven’t had any complaints,” I assure her.

Libby gives me a stern look. “I don’t want to get involved with you only to find out you have a sub-par peen. I can’t tell you how many times that’s happened to me.”

Nodding in understanding, I say, “That’s a shame. Penis status transparency is very important.”

I feel a hand on my leg. I recognize that hand. I fucking love that hand. “I’d like to know for sure,” she tells me, sliding her hand up until it’s cupping my cock, which immediately pops up to say hello.

Swear to god, I think I love this woman.

Finally, Mills speaks. “A-are you rubbing his junk?”

She smiles at him. “I am.” Giving me a squeeze beneath the table, she says, “Wow, Riggs. You’re bigger than Bruce.”

“Bruce Willis?” Mills asks. “Because that dude gives off some serious BDE.”

For fuck’s sake.

Libby giggles. “No, I’m talking about Bruce Banner. That’s what I call my vibrator.”

Salazar’s beer bottle slips from his hand, and he barely catches it before it spills. “Y-you named your vibrator after the Incredible Hulk?”

I’m trying so hard not to laugh. Or moan. Because her hand is still on my goddamn dick.

“Yes,” she replies, the picture of nonchalance. “It’s green.”

“Really?” Salazar drawls. “I thought all vibrators were pink or purple.”

Are we seriously sitting here talking about vibrator hues?

“Those are the most popular, but you can definitely find more fun colors if you look,” she assures him before turning her attention back to me. “Can we go to your place, Romero?”

“Of course,” I tell her, having difficulty meeting her eye because I’m afraid I’ll laugh. “I just got a few new board games.”

“Dude,” I hear Mills say, disappointment evident in his tone.

“Do you have Yahtzee?” she asks brightly. “We could play a couple rounds, and then I could really use a good, solid weinering.”

Oh my fuck… this woman…

Mills chokes on his own tongue, and Salazar’s eyes look like they’re about to pop out of their sockets when I scrunch my face. “I dunno. That would make me feel kinda cheap, Libby. Picking up a girl in the bar and taking her home for some weinering.”

“The fuck?” Mills whispers, and I’m barely holding my hilarity inside.

“What if we were in a relationship?” Libby suggests, and I nod slowly.

“That could work. Do you want to be my girlfriend?”

A smirk plays across her pretty lips. “As long as you’re a good kisser.”

In response, I wrap my hand around her braid and hold her in place as my lips descend on hers for a very long, very inappropriate kiss.

When we pull apart, Libby’s eyes are dreamy, but she says, “That wasn’t bad at all, Romero. You’ve got yourself a girlfriend. Now let’s go. I have my strap-on in my purse.”

“What?” Mills practically screams, but Salazar’s brown eyes narrow into shrewd slits as he points back and forth between us.

“They’re fucking with us, Mills. That was no first kiss.”

Libby’s mischievous smile does mushy things to my insides, and I think I’m fucking falling hard for this woman. When she tries to move her roving hand from my dick, I clamp my fingers around her wrist to hold it there.

“Finish your drink,” I tell her in a low voice, “and then we’re going back to my place.”

The green in her irises sparkles when she gives me a wink and turns back to my shell-shocked friends. “Okay, maybe Riggs and I have been seeing each other.” Her fingers drum against my balls, and I’m seriously about to haul this woman out of the bar and fuck her in the backseat of my truck.

“Fuck yeah,” Mills says holding up one fist. I give him the obligatory bump and then curl my arm possessively around Libby’s shoulders. She leans into me and takes a long pull from her beer.

“I love this,” Salazar adds with a genuine smile on his face as he looks between us. “In fact, it’s making my nipples tingle.” He gives them both a nice pinch.

“That’s it,” I bark. “We’re leaving.” I shoot out of the booth before he can do anything else nipple-related and hold out my hand to help Libby stand.

“I guess we’re going to play Yahtzee now,” she teases, wiggling her fingers at my friends. “Bye, guys.”

I give my buddies a cursory nod before placing my hand on Libby’s lower back. As we turn, Mills says, “See ya, Libbidy Bibbidy. And Romero, enjoy that strap-on.”

I flip them off over my shoulder as I lead my girl from the bar.

I help Nana Viv into my SUV. It’s five days till Christmas, and she’s looking beautiful in a sage-green pantsuit with a wreath pin on her lapel. I close the door once she’s buckled into the front seat and then round the vehicle and climb in.

“Are you excited about seeing the trees in Port Saint Joe, Nana?”

She smiles and claps her hands under her chin. “I am. It’s my favorite part of the year. And it’s our little tradition, just me and my handsome grandson, looking at all the Christmas trees folks have decorated.”

My nerves skyrocket. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. But I steel my spine and say, “Nana, I have a new friend I’ve been spending time with, and I invited her to go with us. Is that… okay?”

Her sharp blue eyes bore into me. “A friend or a girlfriend?”

“A girlfriend. I know this seems sudden, and I guess it is, but I feel like I’ve known her forever.”

“There’s no set timeline for romance. People come into our lives exactly when they’re supposed to.”

“I know, but Lucinda and I broke up so recently. Libby and I got together after that, so I don’t want you to think?—”

Nana interrupts me by bopping me on the back of the head. “Oh, stop fretting like I’m some prudish old bat, Riggs.” That makes me laugh. “Your grandfather always said he knew I was the one from the first time he saw me, even though I was supposed to marry someone else. I told you our story, so you’ll hear no judgment from me.”

“Thanks, Nana. I think Libby and I have something very special. I hope you like her.”

“What does Ace think about this Libby?”

I chuckle. “He adores her, and she likes him too.”

“Then I like her already. You can tell a lot about a person by how animals respond to them. Now, let’s go get your new friend.”

I needn’t have worried about Nana liking Libby. As soon as I lead her from her house, she opens the passenger’s side door of my SUV to give my grandmother a warm hug.

“Nana Viv, it’s such a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Only the good parts are true,” Nana quips.

Opening the back door for Libby, my eyes can’t help but drink her in. She’s wearing a festive red top with long sleeves and wide, black upturned cuffs. Her black pants are high-waisted and flared at the bottom, and her ass looks amazing in them.

As soon as I pull onto the street, Nana pulls down her mirror so she can see into the backseat. “Libby, what do you do?”

“I design websites for companies, and I’m also a romance author.”

Nana’s head tilts in interest. “Do you use a pen name?”

“Yes, ma’am. It’s Libby Cox.”

My grandmother’s eyes widen. “Are you serious? I’ve read a couple of your books. My granddaughter gave them to me.”

What the hell, Silvia? I got my sister hooked on Libby’s books, but I had no idea she shared them with our grandma.

Libby’s cheeks pinken, no doubt at the thought of Nana reading her steamy novels.

“I didn’t realize you read romance books,” I say.

“Oh, don’t look so scandalized, Riggs. At my age I’ve seen and done it all.”

My face really wants to scrunch up at the thought of my Nana doing it all , but I manage to maintain something resembling a neutral expression.

“That’s so awesome,” Libby tells her. “A lot of my readers are over sixty-five. What’s your favorite kind of romance to read?”

“I really like reverse harem,” Nana informs her. “All those hands and mouths and… you know.” She winks into the mirror at my girlfriend and dear god, help me!

“Why don’t we listen to some Christmas music?” I break in, pressing a button until José Feliciano is wishing us all a Feliz Navidad.

Because, for fuck’s sake, my Navidad will not be very feliz if I can’t scrub the thought of Nana reading RH books from my brain.