“Good to know I outperform a vibrator.”
Her smile grew wider, and she patted him on the shoulder. “Hey, just be glad you’re good at something.”
“You really know how to boost a guy’s ego,” he said, pressing his lips against her forehead. “And just so you know, I’m a decent guitar player. Next time you come over, I’ll prove it to you.”
He’d never be in the same category as Eddie Van Halen or Jimi Hendrix, but thanks to all the hours of practice he’d put in over the years, Keith was a damn good player.
The guitar riff he used for texts, one by his favorite musician, went off, bringing to mind the two unwanted messages he’d recently received. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that because I’d have to get out of bed to answer, and I’m too comfortable.”
“It might be Ax.”
“Or it’s a stupid political survey asking me who I plan to vote for next year.” From inside his jeans pocket, the tone sounded again.
Pushing off the sheets, Maddie sat up. “Because I like you and I don’t want you to end up on Ax’s bad side if it is him, I’ll grab it for you. I’m getting up anyway to get something to drink.”
Hell no.
He didn’t want Maddie anywhere near his phone in case his mystery messenger had struck again.
“It’s probably Jen. I told her I’d get back to her after talking to you.” Standing up, Keith crossed the room and retrieved the jeans he’d left near the bedroom door.
Still naked, Maddie stopped next to him. “Do you want anything while I’m up?”
“Whatever you’re having.”
“Be right back.”
Keith watched Maddie walk out of the room. One thing he’d learned about her over the past eight weeks was that she was just as comfortable walking around the house naked as she was fully dressed. And when they were either here or at his apartment, he got her naked as often as he could.
Neither Jen’s nor Ax’s name greeted him when he looked at the screen. Instead, he found a text from Colby Windsor, one of the few friends from high school he still communicated with. He hadn’t heard from the guy in three or four weeks. It’d been even longer since he last saw him. Friends throughout high school, they’d both been on the football and wrestling teams. Then, during their freshman and sophomore years at URI, they’d shared a dorm room before moving to an off-campus apartment for their final two years of college. Keith had hoped to meet up with him the weekend he’d gone up to see his family, but Colby had been on vacation.
Keith read the text a second time. As far as he’d known, the guy had only recently gotten involved with someone. Yet now Colby was engaged to someone named Amari, and he wanted Keith to be the best man at his wedding.
He was still replying to his friend’s surprising text when Maddie returned and handed him a root beer. Rather than join him in bed again, she grabbed an oversized T-shirt from a drawer and pulled it on, much to his disappointment.
“Was it Jen again?” she asked as her head emerged from the top of the shirt.
He set the device down when another text didn’t appear on the phone. “No, Colby. We went to school together.”
“Is he the one you hoped to see when you were in Rhode Island a few weeks ago?”
Maddie had the memory of an elephant and didn’t forget anything. “Yeah. He asked me to be his best man.”
“You don’t sound thrilled about that. Is planning a bachelor party too much responsibility for you? If it is, I’m willing to help you.”
“You’re hilarious.” Keith took a swig from the soda can. “Believe me, no one throws a better bachelor party than me. But he’s only been dating this person for three or four months, and now he’s getting married in a week.”
“My parents were only together for three and a half months before they got married in Vegas, and their fortieth anniversary is in March. So it might work out for him.”
“Did an Elvis impersonator perform your parents’ ceremony?”
“No, it was one of those drive-through weddings.” Nothing about Maddie’s expression hinted at whether or not she was serious. “They didn’t even have to get out of the car.”
“Really?”
Rolling her eyes, Maddie readjusted the pillow behind her before leaning back. “They got married in a chapel by a justice of the peace who wore a suit and tie. There were six guests there.”
“Sounds kind of nice, actually.”