“The kind who doesn’t know how to keep it in his pants—Whitney Briggs’ very own white trash.”
“Screw you.” I butt my shoulder into his as I make my way to the truck and take off without ever looking back.
Damn douche is lucky I didn’t run him over for the hell of it.
“What’s got you going?” Roxy leans into the side mirror and makes a face. “Never mind. Would you please ignore him? I swear he thinks he’s protecting me. I’ll have to remind him I don’t need protecting anymore.”
My stomach cinches. “Funny you should say that.” Actually, it’s not funny. Just the thought of what went on last semester makes the acid rise to the back of my throat. “I sort of did the same to Baya when she started dating Bryson.”
Roxy reaches over and rests her hand on my thigh.
“I know,” she whispers. “That’s why I’m hoping you’ll cut him some slack.” She straightens in her seat. “Hey…since you’re an expert on being an obnoxious big brother, why don’t you talk to him? You know, really get down to bare bones and let him know you get it. That you were there once yourself.”
“I’ll try, but I’m pretty sure he’s got some preconceived ideas about me that are going to be hard to turn away from.” Like the fact he thinks I’m white trash. And, in truth, nothing could have pissed me off faster. I’m not really in the mood to hug it out with him just yet.
“I hope we can get over it. I can’t stand the thought of there being a rift between Ryder and me. It’s like my entire family has blown apart. Not that we were perfect or anything, but it was all we had—all we knew, and I’d give anything to have that back.”
My heart breaks for her because I know exactly what it’s like to have your family blown apart. The Capwell’s are lucky because, for one, they’re all still in the land of the living. My family is never going to be put back together again, at least not on this planet.
“I’m going to do everything I can to make things right with your brother, Rox.” I reach over and squeeze her knee. “I promise you that.”
“Thank you. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”
It’s going to be harder than hell, but I’d do anything for Rox. I pull off the highway and head east until we hit Golden Cove.
“Oh my, God, it’s beautiful.” Roxy pulls me in by the arm as we gaze out at the frozen shoreline. A thin layer of frost covers the sand as far as the eye can see. The Atlantic is a murky grey with deep navy veins just beneath the surface. The water spreads wide and vast, black in its deepest part. It’s days like this the ocean looks as if it has a soul.
“Love it,” I say as I drive the truck right off the concrete and onto the sand. I drive down to the waterline and park with the rear facing the ocean.
“How about we crawl into the back and watch the show?”
Her lips twitch side to side as she pinches a wry smile. “I thought we were the show.”
“I like where you’re going.” We head to the back, and I leave the tailgate open along with the rear window. I had the bed carpeted when they planted the shell on the back, and, right about now, I’m pretty damn glad.
I lay out a couple of old sleeping bags, and we crawl in.
Her lids lower, her mouth falls open as she washes her gaze over me. “Ten bucks says I can take my clothes off first.”
“Go.” I take off my shirt and simply watch the show as she busies herself by peeling off her yoga pants, that long sweatshirt that keeps falling off her shoulder.
“Hey, you cheated!” She mock punches me in the stomach.
“Whoa.” I catch her tiny fist and trap it in my hands. “It’s not cheating if I’m still dressed. Besides, I’d be an idiot not to watch you strip. You do it quite nicely by the way. Have you considered it as a professional career?”
“Shut up, and kiss me.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I lean in and land my mouth over hers. Roxy’s lips are two swollen pillows I’d love to spend the night on. “You’re in your bra and panties.” I point out. “This race looks like it’s still wide open to me.” I do my best to wrangle off my jeans and boxers, tossing my shoes and socks in the corner. “I win.”
“Yeah?” Rox crawls over on all fours like a vixen, and the most excited part of my body springs to life unapologetically. “Maybe I let you win.” She runs her tongue up my neck, and I let out an involuntary groan. “Maybe I wanted to watch?”
“Nice.”
I seal my mouth over hers and show her how thankful I am she’s about to treat me to one hell of a spectacular view—that she’s already made one of my chief fantasies come true.
Roxy is a fantasy come true.
And I’m looking forward to living out this fantasy for the rest of my life if she’ll have me.
A week floats by. I’ve got one serious spring in my step, and I can honestly say Roxy put it there.
“So what’s the deal?” Bryson asks as we walk past the field on the way to our final class of the day. It’s hard to believe we’ll be graduating in just a few short months.
“She’s graciously let me sleep in her bed. But don’t yap it to her brother. I’d hate to see his balls catch fire when he finds out. On second thought, if burning balls are involved…”
“Trust me, Ryder won’t hear it from me.” He holds back a laugh. “Besides, I thought something like this might happen. That’s why Baya and I took the room farthest from your apartment—no adjoining walls.”
I shoot him a look. “Don’t you ever reference the fact you sleep in the same bed with my sister—got that?” I’m only half-kidding. My lunch just did a flip in my stomach.
“You’re coming in loud and clear, Ryder.”
“Yeah, I forgot to laugh.”
“I bet at the end of the day, you and Ryder will be good friends. He’s a nice guy once you get to know him. He’s Laney’s main squeeze, and Rox and Laney are tight. He’s one of my good friends, so you have to like him. If you don’t, you’re going to ruin our little hexagon of love.”
“Shut up before I sock you in the nuts.” A thought comes to me. “You know what, dude? Why don’t you try the pep talk with your good pal, Ryder? I’m thinking he’s the one you need to get to drink the Kool Aid. I swear, I’ve got nothing against the guy. I get it—he’s her brother. I’m Baya’s brother, and half the time I still feel like beating your ass.”
“Nice.”
“You know what I mean, or at least you will when Annie gets serious with someone.”
“Yeah, well, that’s not happening. Annie’s moving back home with my mom as soon as she graduates from college, and they’re going to collect cats until they’re old and grey. The end.”
I bark out a laugh. “You wish, dude. There’s some guy out there right now just hoping to meet a girl like Annie.” Bryson’s eyes bug out. “Granted, he’ll get his ass handed to him by you and Holt, but, eventually, it’ll happen.” I slap him five before we part ways. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head too much. I’m sure the odds of you finding her on her knees in front of his naked ass are slim to none.” That’s exactly how I found him and Baya last fall—still wish I could gouge the memory out of my mind.
“I’m going to kill you.”
“Catch you later,” I say, jogging toward Kristoff Hall where my last class of the day is. I run up the steps and into the dark building and smack into—
“Angel.” Crap. In fact, I would have preferred stepping in a big steaming pile of greasy crap than be face-to-face with this girl.
“Hi Cole.” Her entire face reconfigures into a look of exaltation. “I’ve missed you. Have you missed me?” An ear-to-ear grin plasters onto her face, eager for my like-minded answer.
“Actually—” Crap. I don’t have the heart to tell her to get lost.
“I baked these for you.” She thrusts a small paper bag in my face before I can get a word in. “They’re chocolate chips with M&Ms. I thought what better way to your heart than through your stomach.”
I pause for a minute because this isn’t adding up to some innocent run in. We’re standing smack in front of my Business Economics class, and I figure out pretty quick this is very much planned.
“Cookies, huh?” Too bad for her—Roxy beat her to my heart and my stomach. “Look, I don’t think I should take these.”
“Oh, sure you can!” Her eyes widen the size of tennis balls. “I can make more. My roommate is a master baker—kind of like yours.” She nods, completely clueless that Rox and I have a lot more going on than sharing the rent.
“Okay, look, I gotta run. But thanks for these. I’m sure they’ll be delicious.”
I give a quick pat to her back and bolt into class.
Maybe if I continue to keep her at an arms length, she’ll get the message and go away.
Or maybe she won’t.
I’m betting on the latter.
Brownie Points
Roxy
After my Entrepreneurship and Small Business class fiasco finishes for the day, I collect my things and try to scamper out the door. This is usually the part where Aiden injects his tongue down LeAnn’s throat because it’s obviously the only way he can get her to stop giggling. I swear she’s part hyena—boyfriend-stealing hyena—but deep down I know that’s not true. No “real” boyfriend could ever be stolen. A little part of their cold, black heart has to want to leave.
I wonder if Cole has it in him to stay, or if, after the novelty of what we have wears off, he’ll simply start bringing home the girls again and racking up more points on that sexual scoreboard of his.
A light tap hits my shoulder. “You mind if we talk for a minute?” An ultra-light girly voice streams from behind—LeAnn. Suddenly I want to kick in her kneecaps for sounding so annoying.
I glance up at her with a smiling Aiden by her side who looks as if he just ate the canary. A visual of feathers sprouting from LeAnn’s ass comes to mind, and I shake it away.
“What?” I pull all the sweetness from my voice as I cinch my backpack over my shoulders. I don’t really mind that I come across like a hard ass. In fact, I want to. I want to come across like a witch with an attitude that no sane person would think of crossing. But, then again, I hardly believe either LeAnn or Aiden qualify as sane.
“Well”—she looks to Aiden and giggles—“I know this might be awkward for you.” She squints into me, her mouth puckering as if she were eighty. “I’m having an open-air concert this Friday. And I was thinking”—she drives a finger into her cheek, making her look too stupid to live—“would you mind donating some cupcakes for the event?”
“Donating?” I practically choke on the word. Excuse me, I want to say, but I wasn’t the one featured in Forbes magazine as profit churner of the year like the pop princess in front of me. No, I would not like to donate to your little warbling fest.
“Yeah, you know.” She gives a few rapid blinks as if a gnat just flew in her eye. “I’m a judge for the Sticky Quickie baking competition and honey bear says you’re going to be competing, so I can’t actually pay you for anything or else you would be automatically disqualified.”
Gah! She’s like a plague on my existence. She’s going to single handedly take down my future internship at the Sticky Quickie, and she’s too blonde to realize it.
I stop shy of glaring at honey bear.
“Anyhoo”—she wraps an arm around Aiden, and I continue to pretend he’s invisible, thus demoting him to the relevancy of a dust mite, annoying yet unavoidable—“I’ve already asked Melanie Harrison, and she’ll be baking her signature Ecstasy Delights, and I thought if you had a signature cupcake, you could make up a bunch of those, too. At first I wasn’t going to ask because of our shaky history, but honey bear said it would be the right thing to do since both you and Melanie will be representing Whitney Briggs.”
Again with the honey bear. I glare over at Aiden for a moment. I’d like to dip him in honey and roll him into a pile of fire ants.
“For the record, we aren’t representing the university in the competition. We’re actually competing against each other.” Wait, if she’s a judge, I might want to hold off before I segue into the part about where exactly it is I’d like to shove a bunch of my signature cupcakes. “Come to think of it, yes, I will bring my signature cupcakes to the event. I’d love to donate my time and effort to the student body of Whitney Briggs.” I frown at my lame attempt to try and whitewash the fact I’m kissing the same ass my ex-boyfriend is slobbering over.
I speed past the two of them toward the door.
“Oh wait, Foxy!” she shouts. “I need the name of your signature cupcake to give to my PR department.”
PR? Crap. Things are getting serious.
“It’s Roxy,” I reprimand as gently as possible. “And the name of my signature cupcake is”—it takes everything in me not to say, cock sucking ex-boyfriend—“It’s called, I love Cole Brighton.” My lips twitch. “Actually I think I’ll call it the I Slept with Cole Brighton.”
“Ooh, I like it. That sounds like fun!” She erupts in a giggle fest, and Aiden is quick to elbow her.
“It is fun. It’s the best time of my life, and it tastes like paradise.”
She takes up his hand while chortling into him, and, for the first time, I feel nothing—not one hint of rage or heartbreak, not one ounce of hurt.
Cole crops up in my mind, and I have the sudden urge to see him and tell him all about this twisted exchange, especially the moniker I’ve decided to gift my “signature” cupcake.
I start to head out the door, and my arm is yanked back by the elbow.
Aiden shoves his face in mine, and I can see LeAnn already halfway down the hall. “You think this is funny? That it’s some game to get back at me by trying to make me jealous with that tool you’re hooking up with? I know all about that idiot. Newsflash, he’s not that into you, sweetie.” He presses out that sarcastic grin I’ve grown accustomed to over the years, the one he used when he was losing control and needed to pull his balls off the floor with a net. “From what I hear, he’s into just about everyone.” He leans in. His eyes still squinting out that cocky smile. “Don’t go thinking you’re special.”
My hand explodes over his face in one thunderous slap before I speed out the door.
I am special damn it.
Only Aiden is too stupid to notice.
I get home, and Cole chips away at me until I tell him what’s wrong. I leave out the little detail of Aiden telling me I wasn’t special. No need to press down on a bruise.
Cole offers to take me to dinner, and I don’t protest.
We drive out of Hollow Brook and toward downtown Jepson, right into a trendy neighborhood that has an entire row of ritzy restaurants that I’m pretty sure a bartender can’t afford. Suddenly, I feel bad that Cole is even entertaining the idea.
“We can find a drive-thru,” I offer.
“No way. You’ve had a rough day. Besides, I’d like to reward you for smacking him today. Just the thought of you using me to make him jealous is laughable.”
“It totally is.” In all honesty, that’s how this whole thing started, but what Cole and I share is one hundred percent real—it’s special.
Cole pulls into a lavish sushi restaurant that I haven’t been to before. The silver framed building is equipped with dark-tinted windows that stretch from floor to ceiling and it reeks of dollar bills long before we make our way inside.
A row of sushi chefs yell as we enter, and we’re seated almost immediately which should clue Cole in on the fact this place is going to drain his tip money for the better half of the month.
“Really, I’m not worth it,” I whisper. “Let’s just leave. We can go to the Black Bear and split some chili fries.”
“No, thanks. I’ve seen what goes into them.” He presses a kiss over my cheek. “And, yes, you’re worth it.”
“Roxy!” A girl’s voice calls from across the way.
It’s Laney and Ryder! I jump a little. Nothing makes me happier
than my BFF and my favorite big bro even if he’s trying to act like a wedge between me and the boy I love. Ryder means well.
We speed over, and Laney is quick to give me a tackle hug. “This is perfect. I’ve had a crap day, and I can’t imagine a better way to turn things around than by running into the two of you.” I glance over at Cole who looks less than enthused. “But we totally don’t want to impose. So enjoy your night.” I give a slight wave.
“No way, Capwell.” Laney nods over to the waitress. “Two more will be joining us.”
“No, really we don’t have to,” I hear myself say without any real feeling behind it.
“Yes, you do.” Ryder points us to the two empty seats that have miraculously appeared, and both Cole and I comply. “We just sat down. It’s perfect timing.”
“So are you two celebrating something big?” Cole asks as he peruses the menu.
“Nope.” Laney takes a sip from her water. “We eat here just about every night.”
“We’re boring that way.” Ryder gives Laney’s shoulder a quick squeeze. Laney and Ryder are anything but boring as evidenced by their panache for sushi that starts off at thirty dollars a roll.
Holy crap. I gawk at the menu. For what it’s going to cost to feed the two of us, we can buy an entire aquarium full of sea creatures.
It’s becoming pretty clear we’re not getting out of here without dropping a couple hundred bucks if we want to satisfy our appetites. Suddenly, my appetite has decreased significantly.
The waitress comes by, and I put in my order, which amounts to water and an appetizer.
“We’re together.” Cole motions to me before he dips back to the menu.
“Oh, we’ve got this.” Laney insists.
“No, it’s fine.” Cole glances to the waitress. “I’ll have a number fifty six and a number forty three.”
Ryder breaks out into an obnoxious grin because we both know poor Cole just referenced the price points since the menu items aren’t numbered.
Valentine's Day Kisses : Boxed Set Page 14
