9. Nick
NICK
Nick : DUDE
Gray : what?
Nick : DUDE!
Gray : stop yelling dude at me and use your words
Nick : DUDE!!!
Nick : jk
Nick : but im still mad at you!
Gray : what did I do?
Nick : it’s what you didn’t do!
Gray : what didn’t I do?
Nick : you didn’t tell me you’re boinking ur stepbro!
Gray : technically he’s boinking me
Nick : I cant even give that an lol
Nick : I feel so betrayed
Nick : its like I don’t even kno you anymore
Nick : I had to find out from the twins!
Gray : i wasn’t leaving you out. I haven’t told anyone about what’s going on
Gray : I have no clue how the twins figured it out but it wasn’t from me
Nick : River said he saw you dragging some guy off to the booths to boink each other’s brains out and Zane figured out it was ur stepbro!
Gray : I can’t read the word boink with a straight face fyi
Gray : we didn’t fuck in there I just gave him a dance
Nick : but ur fucking him?
Gray : yeah
Gray : but its complicated
Nick : i need story time
Gray : not much to tell. He was my nurse when I went to the ER
Nick : and?
Gray : and he took care of me while I was on concussions watch
Nick : and???
Gray : and… I don’t know. We fucked a few times
Nick : but don’t you hate him?
Gray: and he hates me. First time we hooked up started with him slamming me into the wall
Nick : that sounds hot
Gray: it was hot
Nick : so now what?
Gray: nothing. It happened and it’s over
Nick : are u sure?
Nick : if you liked him enough to have sex with him maybe there’s something worth exploring between you
Gray: it was a lapse. He’s my type and he activated my fighting kink. That’s it. Trust me when I say like had nothing to do with it
Nick : if ur sure
Gray : im sure
Nick : I don’t get the fighting kink thing
Nick: no judgment cause I don’t kink shame but fighting doesn’t make me feel sexy
Nick : it makes me stabby and ragey and if someone whipped their dick out while I was pissed they’d def need to have it surgically reattached
Gray: the scary thing is I know ur not joking
Gray : I gotta go to bed. I have work in the morning
Nick : have a good sleep. Love you
Gray : Love you too
Sighing, I climbed off the king-sized bed and stretched my arms above my head.
I’d been at Evan’s for three days now and I’d barely seen him.
The house was huge and had every luxury someone could want, including two pools, a gym, a movie theater, and a sauna.
The weird thing about it was how it didn’t seem lived in.
The rooms were sparsely decorated and were mostly devoid of personal touches.
It was way too much space for one person, and even though he’d told me to make myself comfortable and feel free to use the amenities, I hadn’t done more than wander around.
The cavernous rooms and gleaming surfaces weren’t the least bit welcoming, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched or that someone would jump out and yell at me if I disturbed the silence of the house.
Evan had told me he was dealing with some issues at work, and he’d canceled the event we were supposed to attend last night. He’d said it was a baby sprinkle, and after looking up what the hell a baby sprinkle was, I hadn’t been too broken up over missing it.
The next event we were supposed to attend was tomorrow night, and it was a benefit his mother was throwing. It was also the first time I’d be meeting his family.
Well, officially meeting them. I’d sort of met Emily at her bachelorette party but didn’t think that counted since our only interactions had been her stuffing cash in my undies after I ripped off my clothes to music.
Dropping my arms, I headed toward the door. I needed to get out of this room before I went stir-crazy.
The late hour meant the staff had all gone home for the night, and I had no idea if Evan was even home. He’d mentioned that Vlado lived in the pool house out back, but I hadn’t thought to check if the lights were on or if there were any signs of life in the sprawling structure.
Gingerly, I made my way down to the kitchen, trying not to freak myself out by picturing all sorts of scary things lurking in the shadowy corners, ready and waiting to jump out at me.
By the time I made it to the kitchen, I was half in a tizzy from self-induced fear and my imagination.
I was so out of it I didn’t think to question why the lights were on. Not until I rounded the corner and saw a dark figure pulling something out of the fridge.
“Shit!”
“Jesus!”
The figure spun around, a huge knife in its hand.
“Don’t kill me!” I scrambled back but tripped over my own foot and landed on my ass on the cold tile floor.
“Nick?”
“Evan?” I blinked as the figure came into focus. “You scared me!”
“I can see that.” He put the knife and whatever he had in his other hand down on the counter and hurried over. “Are you hurt?”
“I don’t think so.” I let him pull me to my feet. “But my butt isn’t all that happy with your floor right now.” I rubbed a sore spot just below my tailbone. “Why were you lurking in the dark?”
He glanced around.
“I mean the metaphorical dark.” I snapped my mouth closed, only then realizing he was naked from the waist up, and only had a pair of capri sweatpants on. “Oh that’s not fair.”
“Metaphorical dark? And what’s not fair?” He folded his lips and pressed them into a tight line, like he was trying to stop himself from grinning.
“You know, the metaphorical dark. It’s late and your house is super creepy, so even the lights don’t make it not dark and scary.”
His shoulders shook with the effort to not laugh.
“And you were waving a knife! Who does that?”
“Someone who’s making themself a sandwich.”
“Say what?”
He motioned to the counter where a cutting board, a loaf of bread, and a few jars and containers were laid out.
I eyed his washboard stomach. “You eat?”
“I don’t know how to answer that.”
“I mean, I know you eat. But you can cook?”
“Making a sandwich isn’t exactly cooking. But yes, I do know how to cook.”
“Why? Don’t you have people for that?” I followed him to the cutting board and hopped up on the counter next to it.
“I do, but cooking is a life skill.”
“Not one I’m good at. Thank fuck my bestie works at a restaurant and brings me food on the regular. Otherwise I’d either burn the place down or starve. Maybe both.”
He went back to the fridge and pulled the door open. My gaze was drawn to his back and ass as he bent to get something.
“What wasn’t fair?”
“Huh?”
“You said something wasn’t fair.”
“Oh right.” I waved to his pants when he faced me. “Those aren’t fair.”
He glanced at them.
“Sweatpants capris are one of my weaknesses. It’s not fair you look like that in them.”
“Like what?” He grinned and gave his attention to the cutting board.
“Like sex on legs.”
He chuckled. “Consider it preemptive payback for what you’re wearing.”
I glanced down at the baggy sweats and floaty crop top I had on. “Really? You like this look? These are my cozy clothes.”
He met my gaze, his dark eyes molten and shining with desire. “Let’s just say crop tops are one of mine.”
“Good to know.” I cleared my throat. “So, what are you making me?”
“Roasted chicken with apples, cranberries, and brie.”
“That sounds…weird.”
“Will you at least try it before you make up your mind that you don’t like it?”
“Sure. And weird isn’t bad. Gray gives me weird stuff to eat all the time and it’s usually yummy.”
“Gray?”
“Gray. Or Graham. Or Seth—that’s his stage name.”
“You work with him?”
“Yup. He’s my bestie.”
“I thought your roommate was your best friend?”
“He is. But so’s Gray. If you want to get technical, Aiden is my BFF and Gray is my bestie.”
“What about Quinn?”
“Quinn? He’s my friend. A good friend but not bestie zone yet.”
“You seemed close when you came to my office.”
“We are. Well, we’re getting to be. It’s complicated, but I work with him too.”
“Complicated like you and he had a thing?” He focused on whatever he was chopping as if he were going to be quizzed on it later. His jaw clenched and worked as he ground his teeth together.
“I wish, but alas, Quinn is very straight.”
Evan visibly relaxed.
“Are you jelly?” I teased.
“Of course not.”
I grinned at his clipped tone. “I’m not into any of my coworkers.”
“But you said you had a thing for Quinn?”
“He’s not really a coworker, and I don’t actually have a thing for him. He’s a headliner, so he only dances at the club once, maybe twice a month. And yeah, he’s hot, but I don’t think of him that way. He’s just a friend.”
“It’s none of my concern. You don’t have to explain anything to me.”
“Maybe not, but I’m just saying that I’m not into anyone at my work. They’re my friends, some of them are my best friends, but that’s it.”
Evan plated a tall sandwich and handed it to me, then made himself one. “I didn’t mean to make it seem like I was prying into your private life.”
“You weren’t. We agreed on exclusivity. Remember? You have a right to know if I’m breaking that. I’m not and I wouldn’t, but you’re allowed to ask.”
He looked at me, as if knowing I would want to ask questions, too.
“Have you ever hooked up with a coworker?” I started.
He shook his head and leaned his hip against the counter. “I have strict rules about mixing business and sex.”
“Rules as in you don’t do it?”
“Never.”
A little flutter of happiness tickled my chest. I wanted to roll my eyes at myself. Why did I care that he didn’t fuck people he worked with?
Trying to distract myself, I took a bite of the sandwich. A myriad of flavors exploded on my tongue as they blended into something absolutely delicious. “Holy shamrocks this is good.”
He chuckled and finished chewing his own bite.
We ate in silence, mostly because it was so good I didn’t want to pause long enough to talk. When my plate was empty, I put it on the counter and patted my stomach. “That hit the spot.”
“Glad you enjoyed it.” Evan busied himself with cleaning up.
“Need help?” I asked, planting my hands on the counter so I could jump off.
“I’ve got it.”