Chapter Two
Jake
“Seriously, jackass, what’re you doing?” I shove Spencer in the shoulder when he steps onto the basement floor.
“What did I look like I was doing? I was flirting with your girl.” He waggles his eyebrows and brushes past me. “Isn’t it the big brother’s role to get rid of the guys? Not the brother’s best friend?”
“She’s not my girl.” I cross my arms over my chest.
“You’re sure acting like she is.” Spencer plops down on the sofa and surveys the room. “Where’s Kaleb?”
“Shower.” My hands are fisted at my sides as I glare at him.
It was stupid to bring Spencer with me. He’s a decent friend, but he’s a dog. I wasn’t exaggerating when I told Emily that he has a different girl every weekend. He’s one of the biggest players on campus and makes no bones about it. Yet for some reason, the girls keep coming.
Emily is four years younger than we are. She doesn’t even know what she wants for her future, and we’re headed back to college after Christmas break. Over two hours away. And if there’s anyone who knows long distance relationships don’t work, it’s me.
“Ah, that makes sense. I’m not surprised he’s preoccupied since you’re riding my ass about Emily.”
God, I want to punch that stupid smirk off his face.
After inhaling, I count to ten. Don’t. He’s a guest at your best friend’s home.
I relax my hands, letting the blood circulate into the crescent moon divots in my palms. “Em is a young girl. Too young for you. She’s innocent, and you’d break her heart. She’s the kind of girl who’s looking for happily ever after and a white picket fence.”
She deserves someone better than the guys back in college. With four single roommates, our place is ground zero for parties. Girls stream in and out at all hours of the day. Hell, she deserves someone better than me.
“Please….” He rolls his eyes and braces his ankle on his opposite knee. “She might be young, but that girl isn’t na?ve. If we messed around together, she’d know the score.”
“Stop!” Fuck, I’m going to do it. One. Inhale. Two. Exhale. Hold it together. Aurora would be pissed if she heard us rolling around, getting blood on the floor.
If it were still the original gray painted cement, it’d be one thing, but she had oak vinyl plank flooring installed throughout the basement when we graduated high school.
The last time we messed it up by spilling an energy drink on it, she’d forced us upstairs to get mop water and made us clean the entire basement.
Spencer is wrong about Emily. I’ve known her since grade school. I know she’s the kind of girl guys like me avoid. She’s the type of girl who wants a promise ring after a first date and deserves it.
That’s why I spent the entire ride here telling him about how plain she was. It was the only way I could think of to keep him from noticing her. I drag my hand through my hair. “Just ignore her. Besides, we’re here to play games and hang out. Not to try to hook up with the first girl we see.”
I uncurl my hands, which I didn’t realize I’d re-fisted, and will my temper to ease. I don’t want to fight with him.
“Fine, I’ll let it go. But I must admit….” He waggles his eyebrows. “I do enjoy getting a rise out of you.”
“What’re you talking about?” I frown as I slide my hands into my sweatpants.
“You went on and on about her on the way here. About how plain she is. How young and childish she is.” He smirks. “There’s nothing plain about that girl.”
“You asked me how she dressed, and I said jeans and T-shirts.” My heart thuds in my chest. Of course, I’m not blind.
I know Emily is gorgeous, but I’m not about to add more fuel to the fire.
“All I meant was that she doesn’t dress like she’s easy.
And she is young. She’s four years younger than us. ”
Even today, she might be wearing workout wear, but despite what I said, it’s nothing that every other girl at the gym won’t be wearing.
“That’s your hangup. Not mine.” Spencer braces his hands on the sofa cushions and shoves to a standing position.
“Enough!” Kaleb yells from the bathroom doorway with fire in his eyes. “Both of you need to stop talking about my sister. She’s still in high school, which makes her off-limits.”
“She’s not jailbait. She’s eighteen.” Spencer’s jaw flexes as he eyes my best friend. It was a mistake to invite him along. A mistake I won’t make again.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Spencer, this is a stupid conversation.” I drag my cell phone out of my pocket and scan my messages.
The first one is a spam message from a job recruiter. I didn’t apply for the job, and it’s twice as much money as I’m currently making. I’m not about to fall for that trick. The next message is from a girl I graduated with.
Amanda: Hey, I heard you were in town. We should get together.
When we were seniors, Amanda and I dated for several months. She’s the girl I’ve gone out with the longest. We went to homecoming and prom together, but we broke up after graduation.
I was headed off to the university, and she was going to a local community college. The reservations were already there about trying to keep a long-distance relationship going when I found out what she was doing behind my back. And that was when we still lived in the same town.
She’d said she wanted a backup plan in case things didn’t work out between us when I left.
Me: I’m going to be busy.
Moments later, my phone beeps as if she’s been waiting for my reply.
Amanda: Too busy to see me?
The dots on the screen continue to bounce as she types something else.
Only, it’s not a message, it’s an image. It’s a photo of her wearing nothing but high heels. Red high heels. I’d be lying if I said she wasn’t attractive. She knows all the tricks to making her face and body look flawless. But I’m not about to go down that path again.
“Holy hell,” Spencer says as he peers over my shoulder. “Who’s that?”
“My ex-girlfriend.” I glare at him as his eyes widen while sweeping over the photo.
“She’s hot. A little forward, though.” His eyes remain on her tits as he tips his head sideways. “I’d have to say she’s one of the easy ones.” He smirks and hits me in the shoulder.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to meet up with her.” Kaleb rubs a black towel across his head as he dries his hair. “You know she was cheating on you with half the basketball team back in high school. Or at least, Connor and Miles.”
“I know.” It should’ve bothered me, but it didn’t. That’s when I realized I enjoyed having a pretty girl on my arm more than I thought of her as my end game.
Me: I’ll be busy all weekend.
I shut off my phone and slide it back into my pocket.
Six Hours Later
Kaleb and Spencer are in an epic battle on their computers, and the thought of sitting in a dark basement for another hour has my teeth on edge. “I’m going upstairs to grab some snacks.”
“Later,” they both say in unison.
Seriously? I stomp up the stairs. I wasn’t anticipating becoming a third wheel between my best friend and roommate. At least not within one afternoon.
When I step into the kitchen, the tension shoots from my jaw to the hairs on my arms, leaving them standing on end as Em shuffles the contents in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator. Her ass wiggles as she snatches something into her hand and shoves the drawer closed.
The round curves of her cheeks are hugged by the tightest pair of denim shorts I’ve ever seen. Is she wearing those to impress Spencer? I cross my arms over my chest and clear my throat.
“What?!” Emily screeches as she spins on her heel and clutches her chest with one hand while dangling a water in the other. “I’m sorry.” Her cheeks flame with heat. “I had no idea you were behind me.”
“Did you change clothes, hoping to impress Spencer?” If it’s even possible, this shirt is tighter than the one she wore earlier. And of course, it’s another shade of purple. Emily’s signature color.
“What’re you talking about?” She glances down at her outfit.
“It’s a lavender T-shirt and shorts. It’s not like I threw on a bikini top and bottoms. And if you remember, I was headed to the gym to work out.
” She tips her head and looks at me like I’m dense.
“So, I had to change after getting all sweaty.”
“Right.” Shit. I’m acting like an idiot. I drag my hand through my hair as visions of her working out with flushed and glistening skin makes my throat tighten. What’s wrong with me? This is Emily, for god’s sake. “Forget I said anything.”
“No problem. Consider it forgotten.” She unscrews the lid off a bottle of water and lets the refrigerator door slam shut.
“Listen.” My mind goes blank. She’s too close. Close enough that if I reached out–
I step back and press my fingertips and thumb into the corners of my eyes and rub down my face. “Let’s start over.”
“Fine.” She takes a drink of her water. When I don’t say anything else, she arches an eyebrow. “And?”
“And what?”
“What’re we starting over? Are you going to apologize for snapping at me? For accusing me of trying to get your friend to notice me? For insulting me? For implying I was dressed like I’m easy? What exactly are we starting over?”
“God, you’re a pain in the ass.” My head pounds with each beat of my heart. I just wanted us to continue ignoring each other, but of course, she’d want to analyze everything I say.
“You’re the one who was hurling the insults.
” She rests her backside against the countertop and gives me a once-over.
“I didn’t yell at you for wearing a T-shirt that’s too tight or for wearing gray sweatpants when everyone knows all the girls love a man in gray sweatpants.
Nor did I ask you if you were hooking up with Amanda while you’re back in town.
Moreover, I didn’t ask you twenty questions about all your one-night stands back at college, did I? ”
When she breathes, the fabric of her shirt tightens across her chest. Purple. Why does she always have to wear purple? It used to be one of my favorite colors. But now, whenever I see something purple, I think of her.
“No, you didn’t.” God, my head is going to explode.
If it were anyone else, I’d swear she was angry, jealous, or flirting, but it’s Em. We’ve been in each other’s lives for years. There’s nothing more to it than I’m trying to protect her from getting hurt, and she’s…. Hell, I don’t know what she’s doing.
I swallow hard over the dryness in my throat. “I’m sorry for being rude, but I’m not going to apologize for wanting you to stay safe, or for worrying about you.”
“Okay. Fine.” She bites her bottom lip and stares at the wall behind me.
When her teeth slide off her lip, my chest tightens. Her mouth is perfect. Plump, pouty perfection. Jesus. I groan inwardly. This is Kaleb’s little sister.
That’s when the night on the porch last summer rears its ugly head. We were sitting side by side on the railing after everyone had gone inside. Our legs brushed. She glanced over and all I saw was her enormous hazel eyes and her tongue darting out to lick her lips.
One more second and I might have kissed her. Thankfully I got up and went inside before I forgot my place. I’d have screwed things up. Broken Emily’s heart. Ruined my relationship with Kaleb. Disappointed Aurora. They’re too important to me for that to happen.
As the seconds tick by, the room’s temperature escalates. I should’ve stayed at my mom’s and met Kaleb somewhere in town. We don’t need to be in the same house to play video games. We do it all the time.
Just grab your gear and go to your mom’s place before you do something stupid.
When her gaze meets mine, sweat pools in my armpits. Her silken black hair is piled high in a messy bun. There isn’t a visible blemish on her face, and the light coating of blush on her cheeks emphasizes her sheer perfection. She blinks, and the room stands still.
Fuck. Did I subconsciously ask Kaleb if we could stay here so I could see her? Fu-u-ck. Or double fuck. Or in this case, triple fuck. This can’t be happening.