19. Ari
nineteen
Ari
“Today’s the day!” Cole says happily, wrapping an arm around Knox’s shoulders. “Ready to be my brother-in-law, Fort?”
Knox sighs and shakes his head. “I’m ready to marry your sister. You just happen to come with the family.”
“You’re such a dick,” Cole laughs.
“Well, he definitely uses his dick,” I prod, causing Cole to reach out and shove me.
“Fuck off, Ari. I don’t want to hear about that.”
Lane chuckles from where he’s sitting beside Josh. “Liv tells me that Harlow acts the same way with Rory since she apparently loves to give your sister hell.”
“Sounds like my wife.” He shakes his head and sits down on the sofa in the room we’re all getting ready in.
“I can’t believe how much has changed over the past few years,” Josh says, looking around at all of us.
“It really has,” Knox smiles. “I didn’t think I’d ever even want to get married, but here I am now, and I can’t imagine not wanting to spend my life with Harlow. She’s fucking amazing.”
“Cole and Josh are both already married,” Lane adds.
Cole grins as he thinks of his wife. That man is stupidly in love with Rory. “You’re getting close to marriage yourself, aren’t you, Brooks?”
Lane shrugs. “We’ll get there when we get there. Olive is only twenty-four, so she doesn’t want to rush into a marriage, and that’s fine with me. She adopted our daughter, and that’s all that really matters.”
“Speaking of kids,” I say, turning my attention to Josh, “how’s everything going?”
Josh sighs and looks up at the ceiling. “Well, Ella will be drinking tonight if that tells you anything.”
We all deflate a little bit.
“Sorry, man,” I say softly.
“It’ll happen,” Lane adds.
Josh takes a deep breath. “I’m starting to worry that it won’t. We’ve been trying for ten months now. I feel like Ella is barely keeping it together. She’s assured me she won’t let it get to her today, but it’s tomorrow I’m worried about.”
Cole places a hand on his shoulder. “Stress doesn’t help. You two could always take a break from trying so the pressure is off for a while.”
“Maybe,” Josh sighs. “But today isn’t about me. Let’s not worry about my and Ella’s struggles right now. Today is for celebrating Knox and Harlow.”
Knox chuckles. “I don’t get married for another couple of hours. Even then, focus on my wife, not me. I hate attention.”
“Well, you’re the center of attention today, buddy,” I laugh.
I see a glint in Knox’s eye, and I’m pretty sure I’m not going to like what happens next. “I don’t need to be the center of attention right now, then,” he smirks. “So why don’t you tell us more about New Year’s Eve?”
I groan and pinch my brow. “Should’ve fucking expected that.”
“We’re all still in shock that Pierce was right,” Josh laughs.
“I still can’t believe you fuckers took bets on when you thought I’d sleep with Lucia.”
“Apparently, we were right to do so,” Lane teases. “And Cole won because you fucked her on New Year’s.”
“Oh my God,” I grumble. “We slept together once. That’s it. It was a one-night thing.”
Even if I can’t stop thinking about that night.
Or the night last week that the guys don’t know about.
The night she caught me with her panties around my cock and demanded I show her how I used them.
I’m clearly no stranger to sex, but I’ve never done something as hot as that.
Lucia watching me as I jacked off, praising me and calling me a good boy, was the hottest thing.
But neither of us has acknowledged that it happened.
The flirting has ramped up, though.
We’re constantly teasing each other, and I’m actually enjoying having her around.
My dick does, too, since it springs up every time she struts around in her tight leggings.
Which is every fucking day.
I’m starting to think she’s doing it on purpose. That she knows how fucking good she looks in them, and she wants to torture me because she thinks I still want her.
But I don’t.
I think.
God, why is this situation so complicated?
I’ve never wanted anyone for more than a night. I don’t think about them after, save for the occasional times I need something to help me get off.
I can’t want her again. I don’t do anything more than one-night stands. That’s all this can be.
But I can’t fucking deny that I love the idea of sinking inside her again.
Just gotta fight it off.
Not happening.
Cole snaps his fingers. “Earth to Ari.”
I shake my head, righting myself. “Hm?”
“Where’d you go, man?” Josh chuckles.
“Nowhere,” I say quickly.
“I don’t buy that for a fucking second,” Knox smirks.
“Think whatever you want,” I shrug. “Doesn’t mean you’re right.”
The conversation finally moves on, at least verbally.
Because even though we’re in the same damn room, Cole starts texting me about it.
Cole
You were thinking about Lucia
Ari
I was not
Cole
Bullshit
You spaced out when we mentioned her
Ari
So?
That doesn’t mean anything
Cole
They might buy that, but I’m not
I’ve known you for close to a decade
You can’t get Lucia out of your mind
Ari
I hate you sometimes
Cole
You admitting it?
Ari
Might as well
You don’t believe me anyway
Cole
Damn
Was the sex that good?
Ari
It was definitely good
But not the best I’ve ever had or anything
We hooked up in a fucking supply closet
Cole
So why are you still thinking about her?
Ari
Fuck if I know
I turn my phone over and ignore any more messages from Cole.
Because I think I do know.
I fucking want her again.
I want to hear her scream for me somewhere I can fuck her properly. She can tell me to shut up like she did before or call me a good boy again. I don’t care.
And I have no fucking idea why I want her so damn bad.