I pull back to try to gauge the emotions rolling across Coop’s eyes.
My eyes.
We are not identical twins, but looking into his round, pale blue eyes, I feel like I am looking into a mirror, our eyes are exact matches.
They look stormier now than I have ever seen before.
Breaking free, I take Cooper’s hand and take a seat on the couch. He drops to his knees in front of me. “Cooper. I promise. I am not hurt. I was scared more than anything, but I’m okay. I swear to God, I would tell you if I weren’t.”
Everyone has left us alone in the room for the time being. Grabbing both of my hands in his, his eyes well up with unshed tears. “Are you sure you don’t want to call the cops, Nattie? Or Dad? Are you sure we don’t need to go to the hospital to get you checked out?
“Tell me how to fix this, Nattie, please. I need to fix this for you.” Coop’s pleading with me now.
Taking a deep breath and turning my head, I look for Chloe. She is following Tiffany around with a big black trash bag as they deal with the aftermath of the abruptly stopped party. They’re in the kitchen, cleaning up the mess in there.
“Chloe… Can you please ask Brady, Bash, and Murphy to come inside? I have a few things I would like to say, and I don’t know if I can say them more than once.”
Nodding her head Chloe goes through the open doors to the porch and has the guys following her back inside within seconds. No one is saying anything. The tension in the room is a living, breathing thing.
It’s strangling me.
Deep breath in—slow breath out.
I do that a few more times before I make eye contact with Brady.
He gives me a small, sad smile, and for a reason, I am not ready to unpack right now, that smile gives me the extra strength I need.
Okay. I can do this.
“I don’t know how to say this, so I’m just going to get it out there. Darby didn’t rape me. I didn’t give him a chance. Do I think he was going to try?”
I think about that for a moment. “Yes. I do. He wasn’t listening to no, even though I said it more than once. He was forcing his hand where I didn’t want it, and he was starting to unbuckle his pants right before I hit him.”
Making the mistake of looking at Cooper, I immediately see the pain in my twin brother’s eyes shining back at me. He’s pulling on the strands of his blonde hair. It looks like I just hit him harder than any punch could have.
“Cooper. Sit down. Please listen to me.” I take his hand and pull him down next to me.“Do you remember a few years ago when you and Declan went on that self-defense kick? You were trying to teach me everything you could think of.
“When that young girl in Newport had been raped and killed, and you guys insisted on teaching me how to flip someone but ended up having to settle for teaching me where to knee or kick them and how to throw a punch instead?”
Coop is looking right below my eyes. Refusing to make eye contact. Trying to protect me from seeing the pain in his glassy, red eyes, but it’s not working.
No tears are falling, but my big strong brother, my protector, looks so hurt right now.
“Cooper…” Pleadingly, I place my hands on his shoulders. “Coop. Look at me. I remembered everything you guys told me. I kept my thumb on the outside, I pulled back, and I aimed for his nose. I hit him as hard as I could. Then I ran away. I need you to see that you and Declan saved me.
“Even if you weren’t standing right next to me, you were with me, and you saved me.” I feel tears welling up in my eyes but refuse to let them fall. I will not give that asshole another tear.
Another deep breath and I glance at everyone else. “I hit him and then ran as fast as I could. He started to chase me, screaming, and that’s when I saw Brady and Bash. You guys know everything else. I don’t need to see a doctor because he didn’t get to do what he wanted to do.
“I don’t want to call the cops because school starts in a few days, and he’s going to be there every day. This will be complicated enough already, and if I call the cops, the media will get involved. I do not want that. I just want to forget this night ever happened and try to enjoy this school year. After the way you guys took care of him tonight, I doubt Darby will come anywhere near me now.
“I also don’t want Sebastian and Brady to get in any trouble with the cops for them hurting Darby, either.”
“Little Sinclair,” Bash says, “you don’t have to worry about the cops. Nobody here is getting in trouble. My family is taking care of it.” He walks over to me, pulling me to my feet, and gives me a big, bear hug. Pulling back, he looks me in the eyes. “You being alright is the only thing any of us care about right now.”
The damn tears are threatening me again. “I’m so sorry that I caused all of this. I know you guys don’t know me well yet, but I swear I am not a drama queen. I hate drama. I like to think that I avoid it at all costs, but I guess I missed the mark with that one tonight.”
Murphy makes his way to me next. He takes his green hat off and runs his finger through his hair before putting it back on and adjusting the position. He wraps one arm around my shoulders. “Nat, as long as you’re okay, we can handle everything else. Darby’s been a fucking dick all summer, and the fact that a five-foot-nothing pixie broke his nose is fucking awesome. You didn’t cause any of this, and we will make sure that this isn’t the talk of the school next week. I guarantee you no one will say a word.”
I actually manage a small laugh. “You are insane Murph. You know that, right?”
He squeezes my shoulders tighter. “Just remind me not to piss you off. That’s a hell of a right hook you’ve got there, Killer.”
Eyes roll, and laughs are heard. It’s what the room needed.
I look around at the people I haven’t known that long.
They feel like family, like home.
Like exactly what I was hoping to find.
I think I finally found my people.
Chloe laughs loudest. “That’s like naming a teacup Chihuahua Killer. Ironic and ridiculous.”
“Okay, people. Lovefest is over.” Tiffany claps her hands. “Chop. Chop. This house is not going to clean itself. Brady, get another trash bag, and you guys can clean up outside. I’ve got Chloe and Natalie, and we’ll finish up in here, then check downstairs and make sure there isn’t anything down there.”
“Man, Tiff. We could have used you after all of our parties.” Murphy’s smiling at Tiffany, then looks at my brother. “Admit it, Coop. It’s kinda hot when she gets all bossy.”
Cooper stands up and shoves Murphy’s shoulder. “Shut the fuck up, Murph.”
“Stop talking shit on me all the time, Murphy, and maybe I’d be around more. Probably not nicer, but around more. Now come on. I want to get this cleaned up, and I’ve got to get back to my parent’s house soon. Some of us have parents that aren’t cool with us spending the entire night out or at a party with no parents there.”
Cooper walks over and puts his arm around Tiffany. “Come on. I’ll help you girls inside.” He kisses her temple then grabs the black trash bag from Chloe.
Coop smirks, “You know, I could have fit the fucker’s body in this bag.”
Chloe hits him in the head with an empty red Solo cup.
Tiffany turns around, laughing. “Not helping, Cooper.”
“It’s true,” Cooper mutters contritely.
Then follows behind Tiffany with the bag held open.
I love my brother.
18
Natalie
Not long after we finished cleaning up last night, I went to bed. I wish I could say that I went to sleep, but I didn’t. My mind kept racing with what if’s.
What if I hadn’t gotten away?
What if Sebastian had killed Darby with that one punch?
What if the party had never started and I had gotten to stay tucked in next to Brady?
I hate what if’s because they’re questions that have no real answers. I’m exhausted when
I roll over in the morning and force myself to get out of bed. Cooper asked me last night if I wanted to go home today or stay down until Sunday morning, like we had initially planned. I would have opted to go home today, but I rode down with Chloe, and Coop rode down with Murphy.
With neither of us having our own car here, I didn’t want anyone else to have to cut their weekend off early, so I just told him I wanted to stay. I know Chloe would have brought me home, no questions asked, but that didn’t seem fair to her.
As I sit up now and contemplate a day on the beach with the potential to see at least half the people that were witness to what went down last night, I cringe.
Unless I am on a stage, I hate being the center of attention. I’m trying to convince myself to get out of bed when there is a knock at my door, immediately followed by Chloe’s head popping in. I can only see her from the neck up—the rest of her body is hidden behind the door.
“Are you decent?”
I can’t help but laugh at my friend. “Chloe, you know that you are supposed to knock and wait for a response before you come in, right?”
“I didn’t come in. It’s just my head.” Her smile is wild, genuine, and contagious. I can’t help but smile back.
“Please tell me I smell coffee going downstairs?” Standing up, I try to avoid wincing. My muscles are sore in ways I’m not used to. My hand still hurts. My head is throbbing from lack of sleep. It’s too early to be this whiny.
“Oh, ye of little faith. The coffee is brewed, and Murphy is already cooking breakfast. Can’t you smell that bacon?” She pushes the door completely open, and I swear to God, my crazy ass friend is wearing one-piece, footie, unicorn pajamas.
“I have so many questions right now, but I’m gonna go with just one. Aren’t you hot?”
“Nope. Now let’s go downstairs. I’m starving, and Murphy’s an excellent cook. I don’t want the guys to eat everything before we get to grab something.” She pulls on my arm. “Come on.”
“Give me five minutes, and I’ll meet you down there.”
“No can do. It was my job to get you so we can eat. Come on.” She tries to pull me with her, but I just laugh.
“Chloe. Let me use the bathroom, brush my teeth and my hair. I promise I’ll be right down. Five minutes.”
“Don’t make me come back up here, Nat. I get hangry.” She chuckles and heads down the steps.
Going into the bathroom and seeing my own reflection, I debate on taking another shower. I took one last night before bed to wash the grime of the night off of me. Now, I look like I’ve been in the eye of a tornado and spit back out. Sleeping with wet hair did nothing for me. Neither did tossing and turning all night.
Knowing if I am not downstairs in five minutes, Chloe will come up here and physically remove me from the shower, I settle for washing my face, brushing my teeth, and throwing my hair in a fishtail braid. Grabbing my grey Notre Dame sweats out of my bag, I throw them on with a white t-shirt and a spray of my favorite orange blossoms body spray. This will have to do.
Five minutes later, I’m walking down the stairs and can see everyone pulling plates from the island in the kitchen and taking them over to the table in the dining room. Chloe was right. The smell of bacon is strong, and there is something spicy in the air too. I can’t place it, though, until I step into the kitchen and start to see what’s actually on the plates. Bacon, eggs, sausage, sour cream, salsa, burrito wraps, onions, peppers, and bagels are all out on assorted plates and bowls. I momentarily forget my awe at what I’m guessing is going to be a surprisingly good breakfast, though, when a shirtless Brady walks into the kitchen.
Holy Hell. I was right that first night.
Brady’s body is carved perfection from all of his hours spent working out on the field and in the weight room. I mentally tell myself not to drool, as I wonder if beautiful is an appropriate term for a man. Because beautiful is the only word I can think of right now.
“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. Wants some coffee?” He is already holding what I’m guessing is a now empty mug of coffee and grabs another cup from the shelf. “Sugar and cream are on the counter over there.”
“Thanks.”
Brady fills both mugs and hands one to me. He leans back on the counter for a minute and might as well shine a spotlight on the perfectly sculptured V that his shorts are hanging off of. I internally groan while I imagine licking every ridge of his chest.
If I lick it, is it mine?
Standing up, Brady hands me a plate. “Come on. Everyone’s waiting for you, and Murphy gets pissy when his food gets cold.” The laugh that comes after that strange statement is deep and rumbly, and makes me melt.
I follow Brady into the other room and see everyone is around a massive, cherry wood dining table with six high back, upholstered chairs. The chairs match the gorgeous golden drapes that are embroidered with the prettiest jewel tones. The way the morning light is filtering through is bathing the entire room in a magical golden glow. “Wow. The food smells amazing, guys. Sorry I slept so late.”
Brady pulls my chair out for me. “No worries, Nattie. You needed it.”
Sitting down, I look at my brother, who is seated to my right. He already has one breakfast burrito in his hand and manages to eat half of it with one bite. “Murphy made plenty.”
Elbowing him in the side, I yell at him. “Gross, Coop. Trying swallowing before you speak.”
Murphy chokes out a laugh. “That’s what she said.”
The joke falls flat, and Murph shrugs his shoulder. “Sounded better in my head.”
Murphy is shirtless, wearing a pair of black gym shorts and a Kiss the Cook apron that looks so out of place in this room I have to hold in my laugh. “Huh. Murphy, I didn’t know that you liked to cook.”
Murphy is busy putting together a giant burrito on his plate. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Little Sinclair.” He winks. “It’s my fallback plan if the pros don’t come knocking. Or maybe after I retire. I want to be the next Gordon Ramsey and get to yell at everyone in my kitchen all of the time.”
“I stand by what I said last night, Murphy. You are crazy. But, you’re my kind of crazy. Thanks for the breakfast. So, what’s the plan for today?”
Everyone answers all at once.
“The beach.”
Okay then.
The day ends up much better than I was initially expecting. We are moving slowly in the morning but manage to get on the beach before noon. Chloe and I brought a gigantic, blue plaid blanket today instead of chairs. As soon as we get everything set up, I am lying face down on the super-soft blanket, happily avoiding everyone else.
The warm sun feels good on my skin. You’d never know by the gorgeous day today that there was a nasty storm last night. The only thing giving it away is the riptide warning the lifeguards have posted, and the nasty waves still crashing against the sand. T
he sun is out, and the seagulls are everywhere.
I am not in the mood to be around people.
I am tired from not sleeping last night, and it just seems easier to lay down, close my eyes, and try to drift off than it does to deal right now.
Laying my heads in my hands, I sneak a quick glimpse of the guys in the ocean and then close my eyes.
I am woken up by cold, damp drops of water touching my skin, and something is suddenly blocking the sun. Cracking open my eyes and twisting my head to the side, I have to wait a few seconds for Brady to come into focus.
He looks like a golden god sitting next to me. Tanned and toned, his face is a little red from the sun and exertion. He has water droplets dripping down those perfectly carved abs and cut arms. Royal blue board shorts with white piping running down the sides are covering muscular thighs. His warm brown hair is still dripping wet, with fat droplets sticking to his face and lashes. He looks like sex on a stick and his presence puts me strangely at ease.
“You’re blocking the sun, Quarterback.”
“Your back is getting red, Sw
eetheart. You may wanna flip over.” He runs his cold, wet fingers down my spine, sending a tingle straight through me.
Instead of flipping over, I reach to my left and into my beach bag. After a minute, I pull out my can of sunscreen spray and hand it to him. “Could you please put more sunscreen on me?”
“Gotta say, Nat, in my fantasy, this sunscreen is a lotion I get to rub all over your body, not just a spray touching your skin.” He shakes the can and sprays. Internally I’m cheering, and I’m brought back to what he said last night about talking to Cooper and being ready to hear what he wants to say.
I flip over and sit up next to Brady. Taking the sunscreen can back, I spray the front of my body myself, then situate my straps. Looking around, I can see the guys throwing a football out in the ocean. Chloe is standing waist-deep in the water next to a pretty girl with light blondish brown hair and a turquoise print bikini that is so well filled out I can’t help but be envious.
“Who’s with Chloe?”
“That’s Sabrina. I think you’ll like her if you get a chance to know her. She may be the busiest person I know. Her schedule puts mine to shame.” He leans back on his elbows and tips half his mouth up in a devious smile.
Good lord, am I drooling again?
“See something you like, Nat?”
Oh, my God. Did he just ask me that?
“Seriously? Did you throw that cheesy ass line out there?” I stand up and slowly adjust my bikini top, then run my fingers under my bottoms, making sure everything is in place. I may do it a little slower and more exaggerated than necessary, but two can play at this game. “I may have seen something I liked. But, if I recall correctly, you feel like you need permission from my brother before you are willing to do anything about that. Just in case you weren’t aware, Brady, I am not an object that someone needs to ask permission to use. I decide if, and how, I get played with.”
“Nattie, your brother is my teammate and has become one of my best friends. I’m not asking for permission, but I don’t want to feel like I am doing anything behind his back, either. Because, I don’t plan on hiding how I feel about you for anyone’s sake. Not once you realize you’re already mine. And, make no mistake, Sweetheart. You are mine.
All In (The Kings of Kroydon Hills Book 1) Page 10
