by E. L. Todd
“You only see her like that because she’s your cousin,” I challenged. “Skye is just…amazing. She’s—”
“Romeo, knock that shit off,” Conrad said. “It’s never going to happen. She doesn’t see you like that, man. I hate to be harsh, but even if she weren’t dating Zack, she wouldn’t date you. You need to let it go and just move on.”
Slade gave me the same firm look. “Now move on with Jasmine.”
They were telling me something I already knew. Skye and I would never be together. She didn’t look at me the way I looked at her. When I stared at her, I examined every feature. The freckle in the corner of her mouth drove me crazy. I’d give anything to taste it, to feel it with my tongue. When she looked at me, all she saw was a friend. Life didn’t always give you what you wanted, and I needed to make my peace with it. Skye was the one woman I wanted but would never have. She was off the table. “You’re right.”
“Damn right, we are.” Conrad clanked his glass against Slade’s. “We finally got through to him.”
“It’s a miracle.” Slade set down his glass then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
Theo came to our table. “You guys are already drunk. Typical.”
“How else are we supposed to stand you?” Slade asked.
“Shut the hell up,” Theo said. He rested his elbows on the table and watched the game.
“How was practice?” I asked.
Theo was a martial arts student. After he got more black belts than anyone could remember, he started teaching as a part-time job. “It’s good. Most of the people are idiots though.”
“Including you,” Conrad said.
“You want me to kick your ass right now?” Theo threatened.
“You want me to slam my glass over your head?” Conrad challenged. Conrad and Trinity would inherit half the software company, and Skye and her brother Roland would get the other half. Conrad had the same beefiness as Uncle Mike, and dark eyes.
“You want my famous dad to write a parody of your dad?” Theo snapped. “Maybe your dad has more money, but mine has more intelligence.”
I rolled my eyes. “Why don’t we just ask our dads to take a picture of their dicks and we’ll compare sizes?”
Conrad cringed. “Nah, I’m good.”
“Me too,” Theo said. He eyed Jasmine across the bar. “The bartender is cute. She has a nice rack.”
“She belongs to Cayson,” Slade blurted.
“You’re hooking up with her?” Theo asked like it was the highlight of the year.
“Slade gave her my number,” I explained. “She may not even call me.”
“Oh, she’ll call you,” Slade said. “I can tell she wants to fuck the shit out of you.”
I felt dirty just thinking about it.
We turned our attention to the game. Whenever the ref called the wrong foul, we cursed. The bar got noisier as time went on. I had two beers then cut myself off when I felt a little buzzed. It was a school night and I had class in the morning. When the game was finally over, we headed out.
“Cayson?”
I turned around, seeing Jasmine come toward me with her coat over her shoulders. “Leaving?”
“Yeah. The game is over.”
She nodded. “Well, I just got off work. Maybe we could hang out…”
“Uh…” I turned to the guys, but they were walking away.
Slade winked then mouthed, “Fuck her or I’ll kill you.” The rest of the guys walked with him, ditching me.
“Do you live nearby?” Her voice caught my attention.
“I have an apartment near campus.”
She nodded. “Got any roommates?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “No…”
“How about you show it to me? I could use some decorating ideas…” She gently placed her hand on my arm, making my hair stand on end.
A lot of women were attracted to me. Why couldn’t Skye see me like that? “Jasmine, I have to be honest. I’m not looking for a relationship right now.” I couldn’t be a dick like Slade and the rest of the guys. They brought women back to their apartments, fucked them, and then kicked them out without ever calling them. I didn’t have it in me. The guilt would eat me alive.
She smiled at me. “Any reason why?”
“I’m just…not.”
“Well, I appreciate your honesty. It makes me hotter for you.”
Seriously? It was that easy?
“Show me your place.”
Could I really do this? Have a one-night stand with some girl I just met? I couldn’t remember the last time I had sex. It was something I missed in a carnal way. But she was okay with it meaning nothing and I guess I was too. Every time I thought about Skye sleeping with Zack, it made me sick. Maybe this would make me feel better. Make me forget her. I’d do anything to see her as just a friend, someone that blended in with the crowd. I would do anything not to recognize her smell a mile away. Her freckle always caught my attention, and my eyes always took in the beautiful color of her eyes. She was my muse, a work of art I loved to stare at. I wished she meant nothing to me. Because I would never mean anything to her. I took a deep breath before I answered. “Okay.”
Slade hunted me down on campus the next morning. “So…how was your night?”
“Fine.” I kept walking down the hall, being vague.
“Fine? Asshole, it better have been more than fine. You better have fucked her brains out ten ways to Sunday.”
A group of girls passed us, their eyebrows raised.
“Keep your voice down,” I hissed.
“Who cares? So, did you?”
I stopped in the hallway then faced him. “I’m not one to kiss and tell.”
He smirked. “You dog.” He hit me in the shoulder. “Was she good?”
“Yeah. She was great.” I shrugged. All a girl had to do to be good was be hot. And Jasmine definitely had that down.
Slade clapped. “About time. Are you gonna see her again?”
“No…I don’t think so.”
“You’re just never going to call her?”
“Well, I told her from the beginning I didn’t want a relationship.”
“And she still went through with it?” he asked incredulously.
“Yeah.”
“Whoa…you have better game than I give you credit for.”
“I’ve always had game,” I argued.
He rolled his eyes. “I haven’t seen it in so long I can’t recall. So, does that mean you really moving on?”
“I’ve been moving on. I just haven’t made any progress until now.”
“Well, progress is progress.”
“Why is my personal life so interesting to everyone? When was the last time you got laid?”
“Last night, actually.”
“With who?” I asked. “You didn’t leave with anyone.”
“Just because I didn’t pick up anyone doesn’t mean I didn’t find someone elsewhere.”
“Like, where?”
“It was a booty call.”
“I thought you didn’t do back-to-backs?”
He shrugged. “She’s good in the sack so I made an exception.”
I thought it was odd Slade didn’t mention her before. He told me everything.
“Well, I got to run. I’m a busy man with women to please.”
“When you say it like that, you sound like a prostitute.”
“Maybe I am.” He winked and headed down the hall.
I went to class, doing my best to forget about Skye forever.
4
Skye
When I came home from class, there was a bouquet of roses on my doorstep.
“Looks like someone is cheating or apologizing.” Silke looked down at the flowers with her arms across her chest.
“Since it’s Zack, I’m going with apologizing,” Trinity said.
“Did you guys have a falling out?” Silke asked. She tucked a strand of blonde hair behind one ear as we walked into my apar
tment. Even though she and Slade were twins, I didn’t see the resemblance. She looked just like her mom and Slade looked like his dad.
“He just…pissed me off.” That was the short version of it.
Trinity helped herself to a glass of wine. “Meaning…?”
I sighed. “He thinks Cayson has a thing for me, which is totally ridiculous.”
Trinity shared a glance with Silke then smirked.
“What?” I asked. Was I missing something?
“Nothing,” Silke said. “We’ve just told you the same thing for years and you never believe us.”
I was sick of hearing this. “Cayson isn’t into me.”
“Why do we bother?” Trinity asked. “You’re in denial or you really are as dumb as your brother claims.”
“I’m not in denial. I know my best friend better than you do,” I said.
“Forget it.” Trinity waved her hand. “What were you saying?”
“Zack asked me not to see him anymore. Obviously, I told him to go to hell and get the hell out of my store. The fight just kept building until I broke up with him.”
“You broke up with him?” Trinity asked incredulously. “So, you’re done for good?”
“No…we didn’t really break up.” I felt ashamed to admit it. “I know he’s obnoxious sometimes but he can be really sweet when it’s just us so I figured I’d give him another chance.”
“That’s too damn bad,” Silke said. “If he wants a woman he can boss around, then he needs to find someone else.”
“I hope we don’t have anymore problems,” I said with a sigh. “Otherwise my head might explode.”
“Or you could just dump him,” Trinity said. “Skye, you’re smoking hot. You could get any guy you want.”
I rolled my eyes. I never heard anything more untrue in my life. “The only hot things about me are these damn tits. Other than that, I got nothing.”
Trinity rolled her eyes. “Not true, but whatever.”
“And I like Zack.” For the most part.
“But do you love him?” Silke asked. “You guys have been together for months. Shouldn’t that have been said by now?”
“A few months?” That was way too soon. “No. I like to take things slow. It’s way too soon for that.”
“You’re already sleeping with him,” Trinity pointed out.
I shrugged. “Well, I have needs. If I were a guy, this wouldn’t be an issue.”
“Good point,” Silke said.
I put the flowers in a vase with water then left them on the counter. “Anyway, enough with my dull life. Should we have a Halloween party this year?”
“Duh,” Trinity said. “Is that a serious question?”
“I’m in,” Silke said. “And I know exactly what I’m going to be.”
“Let me guess,” Trinity said sarcastically. “A slutty bunny?”
“No,” Silke snapped. “Something much more creative.”
“A slutty nurse?” Trinity asked.
“No.” Silke stomped her foot. “It has nothing to do with being slutty.”
“That’s boring,” Trinity said. “What are you going to be, Skye?”
“I don’t know…” I rubbed my palms together. “I haven’t thought about it much.”
“Oooh. We should have a prize for the best costume.” Trinity clapped her hands. “That would be so much fun.”
“I’m soo going to win that,” Silke said.
“We’ll see about that,” Trinity challenged.
“Should we get everything this weekend?” Silke asked.
“I can’t,” I said. “I have a conference this weekend in Washington DC.”
“A conference?” Trinity asked. “For what?”
“I’m giving a speech about small markets and inflation,” I said.
Silke rolled her eyes. “Geek.”
“Are you going alone?” Trinity asked.
“Yeah.” I hadn’t traveled alone often but I wasn’t worried about it. I could figure it out.
“Like, totally alone?” Trinity asked.
Yes, Dad. “I can handle it.”
“I know that.” She waved her hand. “It’s just that DC is one of the most dangerous cities in the country. Be careful.”
“I’m always careful,” I said.
“Can you take someone?” Silke asked. “I wish I could go but I can’t. What about you, Trinity?”
“No, I can’t go either. I didn’t do my homework all week now I have to cram on the weekend.”
Shocking.
“Maybe one of the guys could go?” Silke asked.
“No,” I said. “I’ll be fine—really.”
“Does Uncle Sean know about this?” Trinity asked.
“No. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he found out. That man knows what I’m doing every second of the day. It’s damn annoying.”
“Every second…?” Trinity cringed. “I sincerely hope not.”
“You catch my meaning,” I said. “Uncle Mike is the same way.”
“He’s protective but…stalkerish? No, I wouldn’t say that,” Trinity said.
“He doesn’t stalk me,” I said immediately. “He just knows about all my school functions even though I never mention it. Last semester, I got all A’s, and he called me to congratulate me before grades were even posted.”
“Probably because he paid the professors to give you good grades,” Silke said with a laugh.
I glared at her. “My dad would never do that.”
Trinity shrugged. “Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past him.”
“I earn my grades by my own merit, not with money.” I refused to live any other way.
“Miss Perfect is starting to get pissy,” Trinity said. “Time to change the subject.”
Cayson walked through the door holding pizza boxes. “Delivery boy is here.”
“And you’re late,” Trinity said. “Don’t expect a tip.”
“Well, I paid for these pizzas so don’t expect to eat,” he countered.
“I take that back,” she said quickly. She opened the lid and took a sniff. “Heavenly…”
Cayson raised an eyebrow then looked at me. “How’s it going?”
“Good. You?” I always felt comfortable around Cayson in a way I never felt with the others. I was closer to him than my own brother.
“Good.” He nodded his head slowly.
Trinity shoved some pizza into her mouth. “Why don’t you take Cayson with you?”
“No, it’s okay,” I said immediately. “I’ll be fine alone.”
“Take me where?” he asked.
“I have a conference in Washington DC this weekend and the girls don’t want me to go alone,” I explained.
“I’ll go,” he said immediately. “I don’t have plans.”
“You don’t have to study?” I asked incredulously.
“No,” he blurted.
“No…I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it.” I really didn’t need anyone to come with me.
“I really don’t mind,” he insisted. “It’ll be fun. I’ve never been to DC.”
“I don’t want to ruin your whole weekend or anything…”
“You aren’t.” He gave me that serious look he did the other day. “It’ll be fun.”
If I had to pick someone to take, it would probably be Cayson anyway. He was my best friend. “Okay.”
He cleared his throat. “Zack can’t go…?”
“He can’t miss football.” I rolled my eyes.
Cayson spotted the flowers on the counter but didn’t mention them. “We leave Friday?”
“Yeah. I’ll book the tickets.”
“Cool. And I’ll call the hotel and make sure I can get my own room.”
“Good idea.”
I jotted down the name of the hotel and handed it to him. He pulled out his phone and walked outside, to make the call.
“Cayson is such a sweet guy,” Silke said with a sigh.
“He really is.” Trinity pulled
another slice out and scarfed it down.
I couldn’t agree more. He’d always been there for me since we were little. I couldn’t recall a time he wasn’t.
“Zack is going to be so mad when he finds out you’re going with Cayson.” Silke shook her head. “It’s going to be World War III and he’s going to have to get you some bigger flowers.”
I got a headache just thinking about it. Zack’s jealousy drove me crazy, especially when there was nothing to be jealous about.
“Is this a fucking joke?” Zack’s eyes were wide and his jaw was tense.
I crossed my arms over my chest, not backing down. “No. Like I said, Cayson and I are family. I’ve known him since I was born. If he had feelings for me, he’s had twenty-one years to act on them.”
“This is unacceptable! How would you feel if I went away for the weekend with a friend?”
“If she was a family friend, I wouldn’t care. And we aren’t going away for the weekend. It’s a business conference.”
“And that geek is majoring in science.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Call him that again and I’ll kick you in the nuts.”
He gritted his teeth. “You treat him like he’s a god.”
“I treat all my family like that. I made it clear what they mean to me.”
Fury burned in his eyes while he clenched his fists. He moved his hand through his hair, the muscles of his forearm tense. “I’ll go with you instead. Now he doesn’t need to tag along.”
“I already asked you and you said you didn’t want to go.”
“I’d rather go than have lover boy get cozy with you.”
“I told you not to call him names. Ever.”
He growled then slammed his fist into his chest. “I’m going.”
“No.” I stepped closer to him, not intimidated. “I asked you to be there for me and you said no. You don’t get to change your mind just because someone else actually cares about what I’m passionate about. That’s not how it works. You missed your chance.”
“And all your girlfriends weren’t available? Your blood relatives? Your damn brother?”
“No, they weren’t.”
