Chapter 6
Isighed, taking a swig of my whiskey, and leaning back against the red leather upholstery. I was restless, anxious. I felt like I was always waiting for something to arrive these days, and I was never quite sure what that actually was. Maddened and frustrated, I spent my days drowning myself in work and trying to find some kind of release in the small amount of time I allowed myself to indulge my desires in the temple.
The temple kept me sane.
I never knew what might happen down there. Nobody did. That was the magic of it all. We let loose, left our inhibitions at the door, and let that delicious darkness take us wherever we wanted to go.
The world that West, Rian and I had created down there existed only because we’d worked our asses off to get it right. We’d had a lot of bumps and bruises along the way, but we’d persevered and now, it was a safe place to explore the sides of ourselves that we couldn’t present to the outside world.
It was our place of worship.
Maybe it was unconventional. Maybe it was dangerous.
But it was just what we all needed.
And it would continue to be as long as I could figure out how to keep the place afloat. We were sinking financially, way too quickly. And it was up to me to save us. I’d been spending long hours in my office going over possible solutions and it was wearing me down a little.
The relief the temple provided was exactly what I needed at times like this. Especially with the sexy woman I’d been playing with lately.
This, though? The bubbly, shallow, superficial conversation that was swirling around me in this booth in our exclusive dance club above the temple? That was not at all what I needed right now. What I needed was to have my shaft buried in some hooded beauty in the darkness downstairs before the night was up, or I might just explode. I’d been holding off on fucking my new playmate but I knew I couldn’t wait much longer. I couldn’t help but wonder if Mae would be down there tonight.
But for now, I had to stay here and be a proper best friend by celebrating West and Kaylee’s engagement.
My eyes trailed over the club, squinting through the flashing lights as I watched my dearest friends enjoy themselves.
When my eyes landed on the one face I was trying to avoid, my entire body tensed up when I caught her looking at me. Everleigh snatched her gaze away as quickly as she could, but it was too late. She’d been watching me. I caught her all the time. I knew she hated it, too. That didn’t keep the smirk from stretching across my face, though. When she got up and stormed off, I laughed out loud.
The blonde thought I was laughing at something she’d said, but I’d stopped listening to her long ago.
Instead, I let my gaze fall on Everleigh’s perfect round, curvy ass as she sashayed through the club, looking like the fucking goddess that she was.
The forbidden goddess, that is.
Fuck.
Being obsessed with your best friend’s little sister is not something I would recommend to anyone. It’s fucking torture. But here I am, enduring that torture every damned day she shows up in front of me.
I used to run out of the room when she walked in. But that wasn’t always possible, and after a while, West started asking questions. And there was nothing that I hated more than lying to my best friend. West was loyal and the best friend I’d ever known. If he knew the thoughts about his little sister that ran through my head, he’d rip my head off.
Knowing this didn’t stop the thoughts, though. It just stopped me from acting on them. The feel of her mouth on mine when she’d bombarded me the other day was seared into my brain.
Everleigh and I have been circling each other like hawks for years. I wasn’t sure who was the predator and who was the prey at this point. But we were both doing our damnedest to stay away from one another, while also staying uncomfortably close.
She acted like she hated me. Yeah, we had our big secret. And we both respected that. But I suspected she only acted so rudely because she felt that same underlying chemistry between us that I did. She’d never admit that it ate her up just as much as me. That was fine. Neither would I.
The risk of West finding out was too great. I’d never forgive myself if I lost his friendship. Losing him would be like losing a brother.
So, I yearned for Everleigh secretly. I kept the things I imagined doing to her body to myself. Keeping my distance was the only thing that kept me from going crazy. When she did get close, just the faint scent of her was enough to bring me to my knees.
When the woman next to me laid her hand on my knee, I knew it was time to find a change of scenery. I scanned the crowd for an escape plan, my gaze clashing with West’s.
“Theo!” West called out to me.
“Excuse me.” I said, nodding politely as I untangled the blonde’s arms from my body, welcoming the excuse to extricate myself from her grasp.
When I reached West and Kaylee, the happiness in their eyes was like beams of sunshine. A pang of envy hit my heart.
Would I ever have a love like the one that they shared?
I pulled West in for a hug, patting him roughly on the back.
“I’m so happy for you, brother,” I said, after pulling away.
“Thanks, man,” he replied, pulling Kaylee into his arms. “I can’t believe my luck.”
Kaylee beamed up at him. “I’m the lucky one.”
They’d found each other amidst chaos, their relationship beginning under false pretenses. I’d been the most surprised of all of us to learn that our new waitress was actually an undercover cop. And then I’d been pissed. But Kaylee had won me over, just as she’d won over the rest of us. West the most of all, of course.
Seeing him happy was enough to make me forgive her. Now, we were all one big family.
As if to drive that point straight into my heart, Everleigh reappeared at Kaylee’s side, reminding me that I’d never be free of her.
The truth was, I didn’t want to be free of her. I wanted to be as close as possible, but that was forbidden. So, I did the next best thing and put myself in situations where I could at least be near her.
Because being away from her completely was a kind of torture I couldn’t endure.