17. Brooke
Jay: Were you planning on telling me Miles is going to this reunion with you?
“That’s it. Men are impossible.”
I’m trying to convince myself more than Sierra, and it must not be working because she hands me a shot of tequila with a skeptical look.
It burns all the way down.
I’m mostly pissed that Miles told my brother he’s taking me to the reunion after he swore he wouldn’t.
I bet he didn’t tell my brother we kissed.
Fricking hypocrisy.
I’m on my social and I jump over to Miles’s profile.
The last few posts are pics of him sweating and intent on the court. A promo spot with a sports drink. One of him with my brother on the plane, Jay’s arm around Miles’s shoulders.
“What is it with guys and their little guy clubs?” I mutter to Sierra. “Like they have each other’s backs to a fault.”
Sierra looks at me, a sympathetic expression on her face. “It’s kind of sweet when they do.”
“Not when it means they betray your trust.” The one thing I asked him to do was keep this a secret for a few weeks. He couldn’t even do that.
I’m angry, but more than that, I’m hurt.
Because deep down, it means I wasn’t worth keeping a secret for. And no amount of fixed Louboutins or sexy photo shoots can change the truth.
I reach for my phone and hit Miles’s contact on impulse.
“It’s me,” I say when voicemail picks up on the third ring. “I don’t need a date. I don’t need you pretending to have my back or acting like you care and then spilling my business to your teammates. As of now, my problems are no longer any of your business. And if you’re worried I’m obsessing over some dumb kiss that wasn’t even any good”—That’s a lie, but I’m on a roll, fueled by righteous indignation—“I’m over it.”
I finish my drink, say goodbye to Sierra, grab my coat and head for the door.
I’m a dozen furious steps outside when I hear someone shout my name.
”Brooke Ellis! Is that you?”
I turn to find a familiar woman standing with a handsome guy.
“Hannah!” I exclaim.
We hug in greeting, her shiny hair brushing my cheek as I pull away.
”I haven’t heard from you in a few months. What are you doing here?” I demand.
“We just moved to Denver for Matt’s work.” She introduces her husband.
“Classmate from law school?” he guesses.
“Definitely not,” I say.
“Brooke and I were sisters,” she explains.
But Matt’s question reminds me of one of my own. “Did you leave your firm to come here?”
“I did.” She sighs. “I might find something in a year or two, but we just had a baby and I’m enjoying being a mom.”
“That’s amazing,” I say and mean it. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks. This is actually our first time leaving her with a sitter for an entire day.” Hannah’s brows knit with worry.
“She’ll be fine,” Matt assures her.
We catch up for a few minutes. I wrap my coat tighter around me against the cold.
“Are you excited for this weekend?” Hannah asks. ”You”re bringing a basketball player, right?”
I blink, thinking of the voicemail I left calling it off.
Hannah is one of the few sisters who was genuinely close with me and Caroline.
”Umm…”
”Isn”t that him now?” she asks.
I follow her gaze.
Miles is dressed in a wool coat over gray sweatpants, no hat, color rising up cheeks covered with stubble.He”s waving goodbye to a group of fans on the corner, half a head above the tallest of them.
Does he look like he’s listened to my voice message?
I’m about to find out, because he”s headed this way.
A car passes, and Miles glances down the street before crossing with his hands in his pockets, head down, hair ruffling in the wind as he reaches us.
”Hey.”
“Hey,” I respond, breathless.
I haven’t seen him since his road trip, and he looks good with scruff on his face. His cheek bones are sharper, his eyes brighter.
“This is Hannah. One of my sorority sisters,” I emphasize.
“How’s it going.” He offers a nod to both of them.
His expression betrays nothing.
“We need to get on the same page.”
My heart accelerates. Did he listen to his voicemail?
If so, this entire plan is about to go sideways. Hannah will find out Miles isn’t going to be my date and everyone will think I made it up.
I cut a desperate look toward Hannah and Matt. Whatever she witnesses is going to spread through the reunion in a hot second. I’ll be humiliated before I even pick up my name tag at registration, and my future is already on the line.
“I have your back, Brooke Ellis. That hasn’t changed.” He closes the distance between us. “Your problems are absolutely my business. If you got the sense I don’t care about you, then you need to get your eyes checked, Princess.”
Miles’s cold, bare fingers latch onto my neck.
“What are you doing?” I demand.
“Giving you something new to get worked up about,” he murmurs.
I”m dragged upward by the force as his mouth crushes down on mine.
He kisses me as though he”s proving a point either to me or both of us.
As though he’s tired of being the good guy.
The air is crisp and cool, but his lips arehot and silky.He smells like fresh leaves, and desire curls low in my stomach.
Heat and craving and desperation twine together in my chest, warming me against the cold.
My hands fist in the soft wool of his coat.
I”m lost in how much it feels like he wants this, in how much I do.
When he finally releases me, my heart is galloping at breakneck speed, my knuckles white where they clutch his jacket.
Miles pulls back another inch. His lashes are dark spikes fluttering across my cheeks.
Hannah clears her throat. “Careful next weekend. The resort is built from logs. You two might burn the place down.”With a quick admiring smile, she grabs her husband’s hand and hurries in the other direction.