18. Kyle
18
KYLE
I sat on the couch, my legs up on the coffee table, a game on the TV. But I wasn’t watching it. No, I was watching my dorky stepbrother pace around the living room like an idiot.
He’d known Tori for over a year. How was it possible for him to be this nervous before taking her out? He was acting like it was his first date, and if I hadn’t seen him and Natalie pawing at each other for three fucking years, I might’ve believed it.
At least he wasn’t wearing a white button-down shirt and a tie. That had been his first choice, but Jayden had talked him out of it. Thank god. I mean, not that I cared how badly he struck out with Tori, but still, looking that stupid might reflect badly on the whole household.
Jayden had convinced him to wear a steel-gray button-down, open at the throat. The simple black trousers and shoes weren’t doing him any favors, but hopefully Tori wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen with him. Though she should be.
His pacing was driving me nuts. “Dude, chill.”
He didn’t even look up as he walked by. “Don’t talk to me.”
“Fine.”
“And don’t talk to her. Don’t you have somewhere else you could go?”
“Yes.”
He scowled when I stayed where I was. If I were a decent guy, I would’ve left. Jay had asked if I wanted to go to campus. He had a meeting for a group project in one of his classes. But I’d turned him down. I was already hitting the books harder than I ever had. Not that that was saying much, but it felt good to sit back and watch the game.
Or to sit back and watch the nerd self-destruct.
Still, there was a code among men for this kind of situation, and I promised myself that I wouldn’t show him up when Tori finally emerged from her room. Lucas wouldn’t survive it if another woman he was into went for me. Besides, I didn’t need to stake my claim tonight. Tori had already agreed to go on a date with me, and I had big plans for that.
We both looked up when we heard a door open in the hallway. Lucas froze, and I couldn’t help craning my neck, wanting to see her.
And then she stepped into the living room.
Fuck.
Holy fuck.
Who the hell was this goddess and what had she done with my mousy little tutor? Hopefully something permanent, because I wanted this version of Tori to stick around. She should dress like this morning, noon, and night. Was that too much to ask?
“Um, hi,” Lucas breathed, proving yet again that his high IQ went down to the single digits when he was around her. “You look beautiful.”
Beautiful. I almost snorted because she was so much more than that. That thick, dark hair swirled around her shoulders the same way the light green fabric floated around her hips. But when it stilled, it confirmed every speculation I’d had about what that little body of hers looked like. And how the fuck had I not known she had legs like that? Though I’d often admired her ass in her tight little leggings, they hadn’t done justice to her legs.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. She’d done something to make her long lashes even darker, though her eyes were cast down.
He’d called her beautiful, and he may as well have slapped her in the face. She was miles beyond beautiful. I needed that app thing that she’d shown me to find a better word for it. Wait, what was it called? I was supposed to fucking remember because it was her safeword.
Thesaurus, that was it.
I got to my feet, despite my promise to leave them alone. There was no way I wasn’t going to get a closer look.
“Hey, Kyle,” she said, a little shyly when I neared.
“You look fucking amazing, Victoria. Gorgeous and hot as hell—it’s a good combo.” I could feel Lucas seething, but I didn’t look at him. “Can you wear that to our next tutoring session?” Because if she did, I’d write a dozen papers.
The distracted half-smile she gave me didn’t do much for my ego. Any rational woman who looked that hot would ignore Lucas and go out with me instead. It was just my luck that Tori appeared to be the exception to the rule.
“Tori? Are you ready to go?” Lucas asked, but he sounded a little doubtful. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that he wanted to be with her without me around. But I wasn’t ready to let her out of my sight just yet.
Tori held out her hand. A gold chain rested in her palm. Lucas frowned at it in confusion. It was a necklace, bro. Not that difficult.
“Need me to fasten that for you?” I asked. Shit, maybe that sounded a little too eager, but I wanted to be the one to stand behind her as she swept that dark mane up, leaving her neck as bare as her shoulders. I wanted to touch that soft skin and breathe in the scent of her shampoo.
Lucas hadn’t moved, so I figured he didn’t deserve the chance, but when I held out my hand for the chain, she didn’t give it to me. Didn’t move at all.
Lucas was staring at her face like he was trying to memorize it. “What’s wrong?” he asked softly.
I rolled my eyes so hard they almost popped out of the back of my head. My idiot stepbrother had the hottest woman on campus ready to go out with him, and all he could do was assume there was some sort of problem.
“Tori?”
She stared at her hand, and I got an uneasy feeling in my stomach.
Finally, she spoke. “This isn’t mine.”
I couldn’t help it—I exchanged a glance with Lucas. He looked as perplexed as I was.
“Where did you find it, then?” His voice was gentle, even though he didn’t have any more of a clue about what the fuck was going on than I did.
“My mom gave me a necklace for my tenth birthday.” Her voice was so quiet that I strained to hear it. “I keep it in a little box in my dresser. This—this isn’t it.”
Lucas and I both stared at the little gold chain. It was only then that I noticed that her hand was shaking.
Lucas stepped to her side, his hand on her back. “What do you mean?”
“I think he switched it.” A tear slid down her cheek.
For a moment, I thought she meant me. “He?” I asked.
“T-Todd. He must’ve taken my necklace and replaced it with this. This isn’t real. It’s cheap. It’s not the one she gave me.” Suddenly, she shook her fingers as if flicking away a bug. The necklace fell to the floor. “I only wear it for special occasions, so I hadn’t opened the box since I came here.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Lucas put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a half-hug.
“He took it,” she whispered. Then her voice grew a little louder. “He took my necklace.”
That fucking asshole. He probably wrapped it around his tiny dick when he jerked off to the thought of her. Blood thundered through my veins.
Somehow, Lucas was on the same page. “We’ll get it back.” To my surprise, he leveled a look at me. “You in?”
“Hell yeah.” My fingers curled into fists.
Lucas kissed Tori lightly on her temple. “We’ll go right now.”
“Really?” More tears trailed down that perfect skin.
This time, I answered. “Really.” She looked over at me and blinked through the tears, as if she’d forgotten I was here. Under the circumstances, I could forgive that. She was really torn up.
“Do you want to wait here? Or wait in the car when we go in?” I asked.
“I want to go,” she said.
“I’ll drive.” I strode to the door and grabbed my keys.
“Why?” Lucas asked.
“Because you can’t intimidate someone in a fucking Honda,” I snapped.
Tori followed as I stepped out onto the porch. Lucas shut the door and locked up.
There was no fucking way she was going to be able to climb up into my truck with those sexy little high heels on, but I let Lucas deal with that. This was his night—no matter how badly I wanted to wrap my hands around her small waist to pick her up. Her legs looked endless, and I ached to feel how smooth they were when they brushed against me as I settled her on the seat.
She slid to the middle of the bench seat when I got in. Lucas climbed in on her other side, and I waited until everyone was buckled up. Todd could go with an unbroken nose for a few minutes longer.
Tori was silent as we drove, but gradually, Lucas drew her out, speaking softly. Asking questions. Treating her like a trembling little kitten.
Maybe that was what she needed right now.
I let him take the lead until we were about halfway to town, and then I took over. “Have you seen him since you left his house?”
“No.”
If this guy was as obsessed over her as Jayden and Lucas had said, I doubted that. “Not at all?”
“Well… I saw him a time or two on the quad. But we didn’t speak.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Lucas asked.
“There’s nothing to tell. He’s a student, too.”
Though I didn’t agree with that assessment, I was glad that her voice sounded stronger.
I kept going. “He hasn’t contacted you? Or have you had any calls lately from numbers you didn’t recognize?”
“Don’t scare her,” Lucas said.
I glared at him. “If that asshole’s stalking her, we need to know that.”
“I-I don’t think so,” Tori said. Her bare knee was nestled against my thigh, and I did my best not to look. She already had one creep harassing her, she didn’t need two.
Lucas gave me directions when we entered Haverford, and Tori shuddered when I pulled up in front of the house they indicated and shut off the engine. The porch light was on, so that asshole was probably in there.
Lucas spoke softly to Tori as I opened my door. “As soon as we get out, lock the doors, okay? We’ll just be a few minutes.”
When there was no answer, I turned back to look at her. Her face was pale as she stared at the small house. “I want to come.”
That wasn’t a good idea. In fact, it was a very bad one. There was no way I could fuck up that guy as much as I wanted to if she was there.
Lucas and I again exchanged a glance. When the fuck had we ever been on the same page like this? Probably never.
“I really think you should stay here, Tori.”
“I’m coming.” For the first time all night, her voice sounded firm. Since Lucas hadn’t moved, she scooted over to my side, and I willed myself to ignore the way it made her dress ride up high on her thighs. Instead, I held my hand out to her so she could hop down.
“Are you sure, Tori?”
She stared up at me from behind those dark lashes. “I think that’s the first time you’ve called me Tori.”
It wasn’t an answer, but I took her hand as we walked up the path. Lucas joined us as we reached the front door.
“Stay back, okay?” he told her. I hoped to hell she listened.
I pounded on the door, but not as hard as I wanted to because I didn’t want to scare this asshat so fucking badly that he wouldn’t open up.
After the second knock, I heard footsteps on the other side of the door. “Who is it?”
There was no peephole. I glanced back at Tori, my eyebrow raised in a question. She nodded and moved forward. “It’s me, Tori.”
“Tori?” That motherfucker probably came in his pants just from the sound of her voice.
“Can I come in, please, Todd?”
I admired the steadiness of her voice. This wasn’t the girl who’d been so quiet on the drive out here.
The sound of the deadbolt turning reached my ears, and then the door opened a crack.
That was all I needed. With both hands, I shoved the door, knocking the guy backwards into the entryway. “What the hell?—”
“Shut up,” I growled, as Tori and Lucas entered behind me. The man who’d hit the floor was older than us, maybe late twenties. He had a weak chin and narrow-set eyes—eyes that were currently wide in fear. I grabbed him by the front of his shirt and hauled him to his feet.
“Who the fuck are?—”
I slammed him against the nearest wall, pressing hard on his chest to pin him there. Behind me, Tori gasped.
“We’re asking the questions,” I snarled. “So shut the fuck up and listen. Tori had a gold necklace, a gift from her mother. You and I are going to go get it, right fucking now.”
“I don’t know what you’re?—”
I yanked him forward and threw him against the wall again. His body hit it with a thud. “Wrong answer, asshole.” My temper flared, but I tried to keep myself in check. At least while Tori was watching.
I dragged Todd into the living room, Lucas and Tori following at a safe distance. Tori was clutching Lucas’s arm, and though he wouldn’t be much use in a fight, I knew he’d do what he could to defend her.
“Where’s the necklace?” I barked.
The fuckwad stared at me, his face white, but he closed his mouth tight, not saying anything.
“Where’s his bedroom?” I turned to Tori.
“Down the hall and to the left.”
He shot her a nasty look, and I pushed him toward the hall. “Don’t you fucking look at her.”
I marched him to his bedroom, shoving him inside. “Last time I’m going to ask nicely. Where’s the fucking necklace?”
He shook his head, and I couldn’t tell if he was being stubborn or just scared. Not that it mattered.
Lucas appeared at the door.
“You don’t want to be here for this, bro,” I told him.
He ignored that, holding up a black phone. “He dropped this back there. I want to check if he has any videos or pictures of her.”
Shit, I hadn’t thought of that. I dragged the dipshit over and held him steady while Lucas put the phone up to his face.
“Hey, that’s mine,” Todd complained. If he didn’t like Lucas messing with his phone, he really wasn’t going to like what was coming next.
Lucas studied the screen. “Got it.”
“If you find anything?—”
“I know what to do.” He headed back down the hallway, but then he paused. “Don’t kill him, Kyle. He’s not worth it.”
No. But Tori was.
I stepped back into the bedroom and closed the door.
Ten minutes later, I stormed out into the living room. Tori was perched on the armrest of the sofa. Lucas stood next to her, his arm around her shoulders.
“Here.” I handed her the necklace. I’d scrubbed both it and my hands clean in that loser’s bathroom.
She clutched it like a lifeline, and there was no doubt that it was the real one. “Thank you,” she whispered, staring at it as if trying to memorize it.
“Did you find anything on his phone?” I asked Lucas.
He shook his head. “But I snapped the SIM Card, anyway.”
Good.
Tori finally tore her gaze away from the necklace. “Wait, SIM Cards aren’t used for storage.”
Lucas raised an eyebrow. “I know.”
I almost laughed. Was my stepbro finally growing a pair?
“Let’s get out of here,” Lucas said, holding out his hand to Tori.
She jumped up, but I stopped her. “Wait a minute.” I understood her desire to get the hell out of here, but she deserved to know the whole truth. “I found something else. These were in his dresser.” I handed her a cloth bag that I’d swiped from his closet.
Tentatively, she pulled the drawstring open and looked inside. Then she gasped. “He stole my panties?”
Lucas swore under his breath.
“He stole my fucking panties?” Tori repeated, louder this time. Some of the color came back to her face.
“Afraid so.” I didn’t point out what he’d likely been doing with them.
“That asshole!”
“He’s out cold on his bed,” I said. “You can kick him in the nuts. It’ll give him something else to think about when he comes to.”
For a second, she actually looked tempted, and it made me realize how much I liked this girl, but then she shook her head. “Let’s just get out of here.” But she didn’t move as she looked at the cloth bag. “Could one of you please get rid of these? I don’t want them anymore.”
“Done,” Lucas said, and he took the bag from her. He slid his arm around her waist and led her past me. I followed, knocking over a sculpture and a pile of books as I went. The fucking asshole deserved it.
I beat them to the car and opened the passenger door. Lucas led her to it and then let go of her, stepping back.
“Thank you,” Tori said softly. “Both of you.”
Lucas gave her a gentle smile, and I nodded, and grasped Tori’s waist. I lifted her into the passenger seat, reluctantly letting go when I was sure she was steady.
I waited, half expecting Lucas to yell at me for touching his girl on their date night, but his attention was all on Tori.
“We’re going to take you home right now,” he said softly, staring up at her. “You never have to see him again.”
I turned away, but then Tori’s voice reached me.
“Home?”
Lucas nodded. “It’s your home too, Tori.”
She frowned. “But… but what about our date?”
Lucas and I both gaped up at her in surprise. Then he shook his head. “We can go out another time, sweetheart. Let’s just get you home.”
She looked like she was going to say something else, but then she nodded.
Shit.
I couldn’t believe I was doing this. “Do you really want to go?” I asked her.
She held my gaze for a long moment. “I do.” Her voice didn’t waver.
“But, after the night you had—” Lucas sputtered, but I put my hand on his chest, halting him.
“Let her speak.”
Tori shot me a grateful look. “I’d still like to go, if Lucas would.” Those dark eyes flicked back and forth between me and Lucas. “Todd—he’s already ruined so many things for me. I don’t want him to ruin this, too.”
Lucas didn’t look convinced, which was even more proof that he didn’t deserve to go on a date with a goddess like Tori. But I was interested in her reaction, not his.
“You’re sure about this?” I asked.
“Yes.” She nodded for extra emphasis.
“Would you swear it on a thesaurus?”
Tori froze for a split second and then nodded. I swore I saw the tiniest bit of amusement in her eyes, and I was glad I’d remembered the name of that fucking thing.
“Take her to dinner,” I told Lucas, who looked confused.
He looked at her face for a long moment before nodding. But then, just as quickly, he shook his head. “Shit, I don’t even have my car here.”
“I’ll drop you off at the restaurant.”
“But we won’t have a way to get home.”
Jesus, was this guy trying to screw this night up for Tori? “I’ll get Jay, and we’ll bring your car to the restaurant.”
Lucas stared at me as if I’d started speaking Klingon. Even Tori looked surprised.
“Why are you being… nice?” Lucas’s voice was full of suspicion.
I couldn’t help the eye roll. For a smart guy, he could be really fucking stupid sometimes.
“Give us a second,” I said to Tori. She nodded and scooted further back on the bench seat, pulling the fabric of her dress out of the way as I shut the door.
I grabbed Lucas’s arm and dragged him a few feet away from my truck. He shook out of my grasp, but somehow without as much resentment as usual.
“Why are you doing this?” he asked again.
“Because you saw it.” My voice was quiet and low. “When she stepped into the living room, all I could think about was how fucking hot she looked. But you saw beyond that. You knew something was wrong.” I didn’t look at him or at Tori up in the window as I walked around the front of the truck.
“I wish I had.”