Page 87 of Hollywood

“Not likely,” he said with a chuckle. “Besides, I’m taking her to see Carrie again.”

“Yeah?” I lifted the shower head out of its holder and rinsed the soap from his skin. “How’s that going?”

He turned to face me, blinking water out of his eyes. “Really good. I think she’s starting to forgive me.”

My heart missed a beat. “Oh, yeah?”

Hollywood smiled. “We’ve been talking a lot more. She’s really grateful for how I’ve stepped up with Ruby.”

“Of course you did. You’re her father.”

He nodded. “But for the first time, Carrie sees that. She’s done punishing me.”

I bit back some unkind words about his ex-girlfriend. She should never have withheld his daughter out of some misguided punishment. It was cruel. Not just to Hollywood, but to Ruby, too.

Hollywood continued. “I really think we can do this now. Raise Ruby with a mom and dad. She deserves that.”

My chest went tight. “Yeah, she does.”

What if Hendrix and Carrie made so much peace they wanted to reconcile? If given the choice, Holly would surely want to raise Ruby with Carrie, rather than being a part-time dad. He loved Ruby. Of course he’d want to give her a whole family.

But where did that leave me?

“Tex?” Hollywood prompted.

I blinked back to awareness, Hollywood’s soaping hands pressing against my pecs. “Hm?”

“You okay? You went distant on me.”

“Sorry. Just tired.”

“You’re sure this isn’t about?—”

“How’s Joyride holding up?” I interrupted. “He still freaking out?”

Hollywood frowned, resuming his soapy fondling of my body. His washing led him to my dick, which firmed in his hands. “I don’t know if freaking out is the right way of putting it. He’s sad, I think. Really sad.”

“Damn. That’s got to be hard.”

Hollywood nodded and went to his knees. “But let’s not think about that now. I want you to go to bed with a smile on your face.”

“You do, huh?” I looked down at Hollywood’s damp eyelashes forming peaks, the darkness of his saturated hair, and the water drops rolling over his shoulders and chest, one clinging to the tip of a rosy red nipple. “How are you going to do that?”

He smiled and leaned forward, engulfing me in his mouth.

I groaned. “Yeah, that works.”

CHAPTER 19

Hollywood

Ruby madean excited squeak as soon as we arrived at the empty lot next door to Ghost’s trailer, where the guys were converging on our hangout spot.

Lawn chairs surrounded a firepit, which glowed orange in the dusky evening light. A barrier stood around it to keep Ruby and Knight’s dog, Biscuit, from getting too close.

Ghost scrubbed the grill, face set in grim lines, but then he always looked like that. Knight was kicked back, feet propped on a cooler, beer in his hands.

Ruby wiggled. “Puppy! Puppy!”