Julian
Chapter Nine
Julian
She follows me out of the bathroom like she didn’t hear me the first time. “Keep your ass in here,” I growl to Everly before kissing her forehead. We heard someone outside our bedroom door. I slip on a pair of sweats and a tee shirt.
I barely open our door before Drake’s closed fist lands on my face. Stumbling two steps back, I fell into the bedroom, but luckily I’m still standing. “What the fuck is wrong with you? I asked you to watch over my sister, not fuck her.”
I put my palms up in an attempt to stop him from rushing me because I don’t want to fight him, and I know Everly doesn’t want that either. I step out of the room and close the door before he sees Everly undressed. That would set him off even more. “Calm down, Drake. It’s not like that,” I say as the door clicks behind me.
“Are you fucking serious right now? Because I’m pretty sure I just heard you two fucking.” He presses his hands to his ears. Damn it, he still had a key. His message said he wasn’t supposed to be here for hours. I’m glad the truth is out in the open, but this isn’t the way I wanted it to happen. Truthfully, I wouldn’t want to catch my sister having sex either.
“Considering all the years I had to put up with your shit.”
“You know damn…” His fists ball up at his sides, staring at me while he chews on his bottom lip.
“Still, it’s not what you think. I’m in love with Everly and I’m going to marry her.”
“The hell you are. I thought you were a good guy, but you’re a scamming piece of shit. You went behind my back and tricked my sister into sleeping with you.” That’s the biggest bullshit I ever heard. Well, most of it, but it still hurt that after all the years he knew me that he could believe it.
“Are you fucking serious? You threw your sister in my lap, knowing damn well she wanted to be there. I tried to deny my feelings for her because of our friendship.” Maybe I shouldn’t have said that because he’s frothing at the mouth at that one.
“It was just a crush she was playing on years ago. It would have worn off by now and obviously you didn’t try that hard,” he snarled.
“Don’t talk about all the women you screw. Just because you fuck anything that walks don’t demean our relationship. You wouldn’t know what a real relationship is. I’ve waited for your sister all this damn time because of our friendship, letting her make her own path because I respect her.”
“She’s my sister, and you were supposed to be my friend. It’s just wrong.”
“You can be pissed all you want, but it doesn’t change shit because Everly is mine and one day soon, she’ll be my wife.”
“Wife?” Everly gasps coming from the bedroom fully dressed. I’d been so angry I didn’t hear her come out.
“Yes, I thought I made that pretty damn clear,” I growl, sliding my hand around her waist, dragging her to my side so he can see that I’m serious.
“Drake, I’m sorry, but I’m the one who threw myself at Julian.”
He wanted to debate it, but he just admitted that he knew she desired me. “Mom’s going to freak out.”
Everly stiffens in my arms. “It’s okay. We’ll call and talk to her. We’ll make her understand,” I say.
“She’s going to be furious,” Drake continues.
“No, she’s not. She’s the one who has been telling me that Julian has feelings for me.”
Both of our eyes opened wide at her revelation. “Mom knows?”
Everly tries to pull away from me, but I’m not having it. I tighten my grip on her because she’s not getting away from me that easily. “Yes, she’s the one who suggested it in the first place. Hello, it wasn’t your idea or mine. She knew I was in love with Julian.” I’m going to buy a nice wedding present for Carol. She deserves it.
“I’m still not comfortable with it.” He ducks his head, shaking it. “I’ve got to go. I can’t deal with this.” He walks out the front door, and I let him go because Everly and I need to have a conversation, and she doesn’t need his bullshit.
“What are we going to do Julian? My brother hates us right now. Do you hate me too?” The last question startled me, and I turned her around in my arms, staring at the woman I adore with every fiber of my being. There is no motive in her eyes, no deception or even need to be reassured. What I see is pure fear.
“Hate you? For what?” I asked, needing to know what I missed.
“Because my mom and I tricked you into taking me in.” Tricked? I wish I’d made her my woman sooner. All these years wasted. Technically, I knew they weren’t because she had to grow up a little more and I had to get my life together, so it was right, but that didn’t mean our feelings had changed, but it had been the right decision.
“Sweetheart, you didn’t trick me into taking you in. If anything, it was the kick I fucking needed to do to get my head out of my ass. The thought of you leaving almost destroyed me in those mere seconds that your mother left me hanging before revealing that you were staying in Texas. Then they tossed the offer of you living with me. I practically had to fight off the idea that I wasn’t interested in having sleep mere feet away from me. Temptation at my door. My desire, my hunger were just inches from me. Hating you is impossible.”
I kiss her so fiercely that she can’t catch her breath when I pull back, she presses her cheek to my chest. When I lift her face with my thumb, I can see the sadness. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Drake hates me,” she chokes out; the pain was so damn clear in her voice that it cracked my chest. I want to kick Drake’s ass for hurting her. He had a lot of nerve getting pissed about us when he was screwing everything that walked.
For years, I worried that he’d be pissed because we were friends and she was young, but as he whored around, I wondered if he cared. Then he put me in the awkward position of guard duty which only made things worse because I knew he’d hate me for it. Still, she was an adult and so was I.
“He doesn’t hate you, sweetheart; he hates me.” She’s fighting back tears, and I kiss the top of her head. “Don’t cry, please don’t. I’ll kick his ass if you cry.” He deserved it. The manwhore didn’t get the right to upset her when he paraded woman after woman in here. I wasn’t some young punk knocking her up. I could give her everything and more.
“Please don’t,” she begs, clinging to my shirt. “I love the both of you, and I don’t want to see you fight.”
I rub her back and sigh, “This is the reason I stayed away from you. Drake’s my friend and you, little girl, are my everything.”
“Gosh, this is complicated.” Her shoulders slump in defeat as if she’d lost something, but there was nothing that she could lose because I was her rock, her champion and I wouldn’t let it happen.
“It really doesn’t have to be, sweetheart.”
She slips out of my arms, biting down on her bottom lip hiding her eyes from me. Her voice is low as the words I don’t want to hear fall from them. “Maybe we should just forget this happened.”
My head shakes and I clench my fists, irate than a motherfucker. “Are you out of your fucking mind? There’s no going back, sweetheart. You’re mine and that’s it. I’ve been holding back all this damn time, letting you tease the shit out of me with these tiny outfits, tempting me with little itty-bitty touches and taunts, and then sneaking into my bedroom. Now after taking what you’ve offered you think that you can take it back? I don’t fucking think so. I’ll tan your fucking hide. You’re mine Everly now and forever end of story. Forever.”
“I’m sorry, Julian. I don’t know what I was even thinking.” She shakes her head.
“Don’t be sorry. Just don’t think about that kind of stupid shit again. For the past three weeks, everything has been wonderful. Well, it would be better if I was on my physician schedule already, but when I am, we’ll have more time for each other.”
“Yes, we will.”
“Come here.” She moves into my arms. I wish I had time to ask her properly, but it will have to wait until I return from work.
“So does this mean the guys will stop following me around everywhere?” My eyebrows shoot up and my face heats up. “Come on. Did you think I wouldn’t notice some of the prospects or even your brothers tailing me?”
“I guess they aren’t hard to miss.”
“Not when they’re wearing their Steeleville patches and shit or riding their bikes. I swear, anytime I saw a guy on a motorcycle, I was hoping it was you.”
“I’m so sorry you were disappointed.”
“Who said I was disappointed? At least I knew that meant you cared.”
“I do, so damn much.”
“Does this mean they’re done with their job now that we’re a couple officially?”
“Not a chance. They were following you around to keep you safe and to keep those frat fucks away, but nothing’s changed except everyone will know you’re mine.”
“I think we should call your mom, but I really have to get ready for work.”
“That’s a great idea. You get dressed properly and I’ll call my mom. You don’t need to be on the call.” I give her a kiss and hurry my ass up as she starts dialing.
“Hey, Mom. I’m just calling because I have something to tell you.” She’s smiling and nervous at the same time. I suppose letting your mom know you had sex isn’t easy. I’m old as fuck. Everyone in my family probably has a damn pool going around to see when I lose my damn V-card. They are a bunch of assholes.
“Is this about you and Julian?”
“Um yeah, it is. How do you know?”
“Your brother just called me, and he was furious.”
“What?”
“Yes, I tried to explain that it’s fine, but he was angry about the deception. How long has it been going on?”
“A few weeks. We would have told everyone, but honestly we haven’t had time to ourselves to even define this and then we had to tell Drake first, but he didn’t give us a chance. He just showed up like he was trying to check up on us.”
“It might be my fault.”
“Why?”
“I hinted that you might be super interested in a guy, and he wasn’t getting any information from Julian.” She stares at me, wondering what that’s all about.
“Well, it’s okay. I have to get to class. Can I call you later?”
“Sure. Call me tomorrow. Harold’s taking me to dinner tonight.”
“Okay. I love you, Mom.”
“Love you too, sweetheart.”
She ended the call and set her hands on her hips. “What do you know about this supposed guy?”
“Nothing. I didn’t find out about your supposed crush. As far as I could learn, you didn’t have anyone.”
“So that’s why you had guys following me.”
“I told you I didn’t want guys sniffing around you.”
“You should have just asked.”
“Would you have told me the truth?”
“Not entirely because that would be embarrassing, but a partial truth.”
My phone goes off, alerting me that I have an hour to get to the hospital for my shirt. Everly was rushing me this morning because I lost track of time since we’ve been together, and today is no different.
“It’s time to go,” she says.
“Yes it is. When do you need to leave?”
“I’ve got at least another hour.”
“Okay. I’m going to miss you, gorgeous.” With a long-drawn-out kiss, Everly pushes me out the door, handing me my lunch so I don’t forget. It’s raining, so I switch to my pickup and point to the sky. “Be safe.”
“Always, Doctor.” She waves me off and I head in for a long damn day without my woman.