Chapter 16
Sixteen
Liam
We grab breakfast in town then ride the bus back to Evergreen University.
I carry Bristol’s backpack, which contains an overnight change of clothes and her medicine.
I’m not sure what else she stuffed inside, but I swear it’s like she’s stuffed a bag of bricks in there, so she can to see how much weight I can carry.
When we reach town, I lug her pack over my shoulder and escort her off the bus. “This is our stop.”
“I know.” Bristol returns a look that tells me this isn’t her first time on campus.
Obviously.
I ran into her in the coffee shop, but that was during the summer, months ago. She could have forgotten how to get to my campus.
Turns out, she knows her way around. She leads me off the bus and takes a hard right in the direction of my house.
I hurry to catch up with her, my arm slipping around her waist, giving me the opportunity to touch her, and I’m curious if she’ll push me away.
She hasn’t so far, but I’m sure if I give it enough time, the enemy within her will pounce at me.
“How do you think your friends are going to react when you do the walk of shame?” Bristol asks, nudging against me as we walk.
I’m not sure it’s on purpose, her movements sway just a bit, like she can’t quite keep on the pavement.
“I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, it’s not like we even had sex. I never so much as got to touch your breasts.”
Bristol snorts. “You sound disappointed.”
“I am.” I bat my eyelashes at her, and she wrinkles her nose.
“Maybe you’ll get lucky tonight.” Her eyes widen at the realization of her words. “I mean, maybe you’ll get to touch my breasts if you’re a good boy.”
“When am I not good?” I smirk and let my fingers dance across her hip.
She shivers and pulls away. “That tickles.”
“Bristol Greyson is ticklish.” I laugh, the excitement bubbling within me at the realization that the girl will squirm and laugh from a simple touch. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to see uncontrollable laughter escape from that girl’s lips.
“Yes.” She narrows her eyes at me and stays just out of my reach. Bristol fumbles with her feet onto the grass, and my arm is right back around her waist, pulling her forcefully against me, keeping her upright so she doesn’t fall.
“If you tickle me, Moretti, I swear to God—”
“You’ll what?” The temptation is overwhelming, but I know how much Sophia hated being tickled as a kid, and Mom made it very clear that no means no.
But honestly, the idea is entertaining, and just threatening her with it is fun.
“I’ll chop off your dick,” she warns with an evil smirk.
“Villain Bristol has come out to play.” I keep my gaze tight on her as she shrugs her shoulders.
“I’m making it clear. It’s a hard no. That’s one line you don’t cross, Moretti.”
“Understood.”
We approach the house and I’m surprised that Luca’s car is still parked out front. It seems he hasn’t left yet.
I unlock the front door and lead Bristol inside.
“Liam!” Zeke comes barreling for me, and I put Bristol’s bag down on the ground before lifting the little man into my arms.
“Hey, bud. How are you this morning?” I give him a huge hug then put him down as he stares up at Bristol.
“Hi.” He smiles up at her and makes a kissy face at her.
“Well, hello again.” Bristol bends down to his height. “Long time, no see.” She gives him a hug before he hurries off, running through the house.
“Mama!” Zeke squeals excitedly as he goes tearing into their bedroom.
I hope for Harper and Luca’s sake, they’re fully clothed back there.
Ashton stalks around the corner of the house, rubbing his eyes. It looks like he just rolled out of bed. “Someone woke me,” he grumbles, glaring playfully at Zeke.
Zeke giggles, his dimples more pronounced as he runs past Ashton. “Nova!” Zeke shouts, looking for his other friend.
“Seriously?” Ashton playfully glares at Zeke. “Not even a good morning? You go running to steal my girlfriend. I’ll remember that later,” he teasingly threatens.
“Morning,” Bristol says to Ashton, “although it is technically afternoon.”
“Noon isn’t afternoon. It’s noon,” Ashton growls and rubs a hand over his face. “It’s too early for this shit.” He stumbles into the kitchen while I escort Bristol to my bedroom, bringing her bag with me.
Turns out, her sass isn’t solely reserved for me.
I’m not sure if I’m jealous or relieved.
“Do I get a tour?” Bristol asks, following close behind me.
I flip on the bathroom light. “The bathroom.” I wander past it to my room next door and let her inside. “My bedroom.”
She glances around my room, taking it all in while I place her bag on my bed.
“Seriously, what did you pack, all your textbooks? A ton of bricks? A dead body?”
“Yes, Liam, I brought a dead body and stuffed it inside for you to dispose of. Thanks for getting your hands dirty.” The witty smile adorns her face, and I refrain from kissing her.
It’s not that I don’t want to, I’m just never sure if she’s going to cold cock me or kiss me back.
“Right. Well, deceased bodies go in the trash outside. I can show you where that is if you’d like?” Two of us can play this game.
She snorts and plops down on my mattress beside her bag, lying back. “Your bed is so much bigger than mine.” It’s a full-sized bed. Not quite a queen, but it does offer enough room for two when I bring a girl over, which isn’t often.
I haven’t touched another girl since Iris, my friends-with-benefits who, well, we were hardly friends. Mostly, just benefits.
I want a girl to cuddle, to pull against me and whisper into her ear, watch her cheeks redden as I tell her all the naughty things I want to do to her, while her friends are oblivious to what I’m whispering.
“I’m glad you like it, because we’re sharing my bed tonight.” I smirk, hoping she doesn’t decide to kick me to the couch, or worse, go home.
“We’ll see,” Bristol says and smiles. She sits up and glares at me. “What’s on the agenda for today, friendemy?”
“Is that what you’re going to call me from now on?” I’m amused by her antics. I crash next to her on the bed, our thighs bumping up together as my arm brushes hers. “And I think it’s frenemy,” I correct her.
“You would know.” She flashes a wicked grin and leans closer like she’s going to kiss me.
My breath catches in my throat, and I wait for her lips to descend on mine.
The heat, the spark, there’s sizzle in the air, the charge of electricity humming instinctively all around us.
Bristol pulls back, her blue eyes darkened like two sapphires as she glances at my lips. She clears her throat and stands, clearly flustered. “Agenda?” she asks again, but this time her cheeks are bright red.
I love the flush on her face, knowing it’s because she wants to kiss me.
“No agenda. Just a weekend of fun.” I reach for her hand, pulling her to sit beside me.
Her breathing is more pronounced, louder as she breathes entirely through her mouth, like she’s just run a marathon.
“You okay?” I ask, glancing her over.
Her hand is strangely cold, but her cheeks are a rosy red and sweat coats her forehead. I’ve seen this before, and I pull her to sit with me on the bed. “Don’t go fainting on me, Firebreather.”
“You’ve got to come up with a better nickname, Moretti.” She rolls her eyes at me, but there’s a hint of a smile playing at her lips, like she isn’t quite mad.
“You’re just jealous that you haven’t come up with anything better than my last name.”
Bristol shrugs.
She knows I’m right.
“How are you feeling?” I ask, staring at her, wanting her to be honest with me.
“I’ll be okay.” She forces a smile. “So, what do you guys do on the weekends around here?”
I refrain from telling her how Luca and Ashton typically spend the weekends up at Dante’s compound, working for him.
“Whatever.”
“Wow, you really know all the words, don’t you?” she mocks, and I stand, grabbing her hand, dragging her out to the living room.
“Liam, where are we going?”
“To play a game.” I lead her to the living room and put her on the couch. “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” She plops down on the sofa and glances around, taking everything in.
I head into the kitchen, where Ashton is making Nova and himself breakfast. “Are you and Luca heading to Dante’s this afternoon?” I’m surprised they haven’t left.
“We’re spending the weekend here. After what happened at the preschool, Luca isn’t comfortable leaving Harper and Zeke alone, and I tend to agree with him.”
“Who is Dante?” Bristol asks.
I glance up, seeing her standing on the other side of the breakfast bar. She grabs a seat at the bar, waiting for an answer.
So much for putting her on the sofa and having her wait there. Of course, she’s not Zeke, but it’s not as though he listens to me, either.
“Luca’s father. They both work for him,” Nova says, revealing far too much information than she should to Bristol.
What the hell, Nova?
“Oh, what does his father do?” Bristol asks, and there’s a brief silence that fills the space.
Ashton grabs the orange juice container from the fridge, avoiding the question.
“He runs his own company. It’s pretty boring work, logistics and shipping. They make you guys pack boxes and label stuff. Right?” I’m just making shit up at this point.
“Yeah, boring work,” Ashton agrees rather quickly.
“Are you guys interested in a game this afternoon?” Bristol asks. She doesn’t meet my stare, she’s looking directly at Ashton and then Nova.
“Sure. What kind of game? Are you thinking cards, a board game? We’ve got some video games, too, in the living room,” Nova asks.
Luca heads out of Zeke’s bedroom, carrying the little guy with a fresh change of clothes. He heads into the bathroom, where our washer and dryer are stacked, with the laundry bin and spends a few minutes putting in a load.
We put on a movie and make a bowl of popcorn. Bristol curls up next to me on the couch and I dare admit I like when she puts her head on my shoulder, and I wrap my arms around her.