Chapter 15 Annika
For the third time in less than a month, I’m waking up in a bed that isn’t mine.
Sure, the mattress is more comfortable than the one in my apartment, and the soft sheets feel like heaven against my skin, but not even a good night's sleep can prepare me for what lies in wait outside these four walls. Knowing I had filthy dreams starring the boys—scratch that—starring the men I used to hate when they’re on the other side of these thin walls has me all discombobulated.
The only consolation? The last couple of days, they’ve all had early morning classes followed by practice.
I’ve been busy with the store and a large shipment that just came in, so I’ve barely seen them.
Looks like one more day that I should be able to exist in relative peace—at least between now and dinner.
It’ll give me some time to continue to come to terms with what I agreed to in the spur of the moment a couple days ago.
Though I suppose, in all honesty, I wasn’t really using my brain when I said they could help me move right then and there.
No, I was under the influence, my rational thinking overthrown by a lust fog caused by the public makeout session with Carson and the reminder of how many orgasms that man gave me.
Not to mention Owen’s kiss in the bathroom.
My groan is loud in the quiet of the room, and I grab my pillow and cover my face so I can scream out my frustration.
Sexual frustration, if that wasn’t clear.
Deciding that line of thinking will get me nowhere, I sit up and let my legs dangle off the side of the bed.
Time for a little pep talk. “Come on, Nik. You can do this. Just treat them like you used to. Be one of the guys. Watch football, burp loudly at random, throw back some beers, but absolutely no farting. We gotta draw the line somewhere.”
Feeling a little steadier, I get up and get ready for the day.
I ignore all that talk about making this real, ignore the fact that my ex continues to spam my phone, and definitely ignore how I’m still horny as fuck.
Today, I’m just going to pretend everything is normal, starting with crashing my brother’s house since he’s avoiding my texts, then open the store.
I’ll deal with my new roommates and all that entails later.
The kitchen is empty, but I notice a tented sheet of paper with my name on it. Despite everything I just said, my heart skips a beat. This is the second time there’s been food waiting for me, and not just a prepacked poptart or muffin. An actual homemade breakfast. A girl could get used to this.
Annika,
Breakfast is in the microwave.
Enjoy and have a good day.
There’s no name, and it’s been so long that I don’t recognize the handwriting.
When I take out the plate and remove the wrapping covering it, it reveals two waffles, a side of hash browns, and some bacon.
I can barely contain my drool. Yesterday was an omelet, English muffins, and sausage links.
Frederick’s idea of breakfast was two egg whites, fresh fruit, and a slice of whole-wheat toast…
plain. Which is all fine and good unless you're a girl who likes to eat.
Not wanting to let a perfectly good meal go to waste, I quickly reheat the plate and eat the delicious food alongside a glass of orange juice that I found in the fridge. I haven’t had time to go shopping for groceries, so I add that to today’s agenda.
With the basics taken care of, I head out into the warm Arizona morning and make my way on foot over to my brother’s house near the CVU East campus.
Cedar Vale is a small town, so most of us prefer to walk places rather than drive.
Aside from getting exercise, it also happens to be a much more efficient way to gather the hottest commodity in town: gossip.
Turning the corner, I’m a couple houses away when I hear crying and hollerin’, the likes of which can only be caused by one thing.
A pissed-off woman. Jogging the rest of the way, I get my first look at the scene.
There’s a woman with dark red hair, a Hawks hockey tee with the number thirty-one on the back, and a pair of cut-off shorts, screaming bloody murder on my brother’s front porch.
He’s holding her at arm’s length while she’s doing her damndest to get past him.
“Let me in, Dre. I know he’s in there with some bimbo puck bunny.”
“Lane, calm down. None of us have seen him today. I don’t even know if he’s—”
“Bullshit. You’re just protecting him because he doesn’t have the balls to come out and face me himself.”
“We wouldn’t lie for him, Laney. You know us better than that.”
That knocks the wind out of her sails a bit, her shoulders slumping as she finally stops struggling. That’s when I notice Tennyson and Banks standing just inside the door, staring at the shit show from a safe distance.
Deciding now's my best chance—both to offer my brother a little bit of help as well as to finally get some gossip that isn’t about me for once—I slowly walk up the steps. The woman hears me coming, her head whipping around with a glare that is honestly pretty terrifying.
“Who the hell are you? One of Damion’s other bimbos?”
I hold up both hands. “Whoa, there. Reeds are friends. Not food.”
“Lane, this is Annika, my twin sister. Nik, this is Lane Alexander. She’s a student at CVU and the coach’s granddaughter.”
Lane growls. “Why does everyone always have to introduce me like that? I’m also a hockey player and captain for the girls’ team, but sure. I’m nothing more than Coach’s granddaughter.”
I step closer, holding out my hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Lane. Ignore my uncouth brother. He’s really only a few steps above a basic caveman.”
The girl studies me a little harder, green eyes twinkling with something other than tears. “I like you, Annika. You’ve got lady balls, unlike some of the men in this house!”
She shouts that last part, and I grimace. “So, what’s going on here? Anything I can help with?”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “Could you tell your brother and his cronies that I deserve the right to catch my boyfriend in the act of screwing some other girl?”
Behind her, Dre shakes his head with a shrug. He really doesn’t know what’s going on.
“How do you know Damion’s in there with another girl?”
Her brows furrow, the red flush on her throat and cheeks deepening as her eyes start to go glassy.
“A friend who was at the party last night snapped a photo of the two of them all over each other and another when they disappeared into his room. They apparently never came out, so I’m assuming they’re still cuddled up in his bed in the sheets that I bought for us. ”
“If he’s a douche nozzle, why bother? Let him fuck some nasty skank. You go get yourself tested, and tonight we can go find some sangria, get wasted, and shit talk our exes together.”
She stares at me for a minute, a single tear running down her cheek. “It’s official. We’re besties now, and you have a date tonight at six o’clock for booze and balling.” She sniffles, then turns to my brother. “Sorry for making a scene, Dre.”
“Hey, it’s okay, Laney. You’re welcome here any time. You know that. And if Damion did what you say he did, he never deserved you in the first place.”
It’s then I see it. The sincere concern and anger in my brother's eyes. He might be a bit of a manwhore, but he’s really protective of those he cares about…and he definitely cares about Lane Alexander.
“You’re the one that runs the bookstore now, right?” Lane asks.
“Yup. That’s me.”
“Perfect. I’ll meet you there at six if you were serious. I could really use some friends that aren’t associated with Damion.” She glances at Dre. “No offense.”
He smirks. “None taken.”
“Sure thing. I’ll close up a little early since tutoring got postponed until tomorrow.”
She nods before heading for the stairs. When she reaches the bottom, she hesitates for a brief second, then she grips the bottom hem of the shirt, whips it over her head, and tosses it up to Dre.
She’s wearing a black sports bra, but it doesn’t stop the boys from getting a good look at the heavy amount of cleavage on display.
“Give that back to him for me. I don’t have a use for it anymore.”
Tenny comes rushing out the door, his shirt already halfway over his head. “Jesus Christ, Laney. You can’t go walking around town like that. Take mine. You can return it later.”
Tennyson is another Cedar Vale lifer. Tall, dark hair, and eyes that have made more than one girl swoon, he’s usually the quiet, broody one of the bunch. The fact that he’s stepped out from the shadows speaks volumes about just how much these guys respect her.
Of course, he doesn’t really give her an option to say no. Just pulls the shirt down over her head, forcing her arms through the holes. It’s damn near a dress on her, but she doesn’t notice. Her eyes have gone glassy again.
“Thanks, Tenny. I’ll get this back to you soon, okay?”
She walks off, leaving all of us a little speechless.
“Wow, guys. That’s a lot of excitement for nine in the morning.”
Tenny walks by, ruffling my hair like I’m still eight. He’s always treated me like an annoying little sister despite the fact that we’re the same damn age. “Hi, Nik.”
“Hey, Nik,” Banks says from the doorway. “Sorry you had to see all that.”
“No worries. Damion was never one of my favorite people, so I think I’ll have fun joining the I Hate Damion Fan Club.”
Dre runs his hands down his face, then turns to me. “Of all mornings for you to show up, you had to pick this one?”
“You didn’t respond to my texts last night or this morning. I got concerned you’d been killed by an ax murderer.”
“Nah, just a redhead with a temper,” Banks mutters, then focuses his full attention on me and whistles. “But look at you all grown up.”
Banks was always a cutie, and part of me used to wish I could crush on him instead of the other guys, but he never elicited the same type of butterflies.
He’s tall and blond, with classic surfer good looks and a playful attitude that used to make me laugh.
Now, much like back then, I can’t help but compare him to another blond with a helluva kick.
“Stop looking at my sister like that, asshole, or my foot will end up in your dick.”
Banks just laughs at my brother’s threat. “Good to see you, Nickle. Time to go do some damage control.”
Him and Tennyson retreat to the house, leaving me outside with Dre.
“So… Wanna talk about it?”
He shakes his head. “Not a chance. I need to get ready and head to school. I’ve already missed my first class, but I can potentially salvage this day if I make it to the second on time.” He turns to me then, his eyes narrowing. “This about that dickhead? He still bothering you?”
“No, the guys have that under control.”
“Speaking of—”
I hold up my hand. “I did not come here for a lecture from you. I came here so you could hear it from my mouth and not The Grapevine. I moved in with them.”
He stands there for a moment while I try to gauge his pissed-off meter.
“Did you hear me? I moved in with the guys. It’s all a charade to get Frederick off my back, and—”
“But what if it’s not a charade?” He meets my stunned silence with a crooked grin. “Look, you know the history, and you know I’m picky as fuck when it comes to you and guys, but… You could do a lot worse.”
“It’s official. I’ve entered the Twilight Zone.”
He rolls his eyes. “Stop it. I’m just saying, they’re decent dudes. Sure, they’re egocentric football players, and they definitely aren’t as cool as my other friends I would’ve set you up with, but they seem to be into you for some odd reason, soooo…”
I punch his chest. Hard. “Dick.”
“I just want you to be happy. Whatever that looks like, you have my support, okay?”
His laughter and his words ease something inside me, though a part of me is still a little weirded out that he’s so accepting of me and the guys all of a sudden.
Not that I was seriously considering something with them because I totally wasn’t.
But at least I know if I did, that’s one less hurdle I’d have to face.
Not that I plan on facing any at all. Right? Right.
Glad I settled that.