by L. L. Ash
“Well, I was mentioning to Pen how you hated your roommate last year, and that we’re hoping you get a better one, and Hunter said that you could stay in his condo with him. That way you don’t have to deal with dorms and roommates.”
I stared at Hunter and blinked blankly at him.
“Anyway, I was wondering how you’d feel about that. You two have been getting on alright lately, and it will give you some more space, Ivory. Plus no bad roommate.”
Uh, except the literal Achilles heel of my heart, Hunter Hayes.
“Yeah, we’ll have tons of fun,” Hunter added, moving to his closet before he peeked over his shoulder with another wink and a long, assessing look as he scanned my body from toes to neon hair.
Was I ready for that? My vag was seriously ready, but my heart was screaming that it would not end well.
“You don’t have to decide now,” Dad added. “But we need to pay for the next semester soon, so if you could tell me before—”
“Ok,” I blurted.
Dad and Hunter stared at me.
“Ok what?” Dad clarified.
“I’ll do it. It’ll be less money for both of us. I can just give Hunter some rent and I’ll keep getting my own food.”
“You sure you’re ok with that?” Dad asked, stepping forward to take one of my hands in his. “You don’t have to worry about money. I’ll take care of it—”
I just shook my head.
“It’s fine. I know how to deal with Hunter, and if there’s a cheaper way for me to go, then I should take advantage of it, since it was his idea and all.”
Yeah, take that, sucker.
The shock on Hunter’s face told me that he hadn’t expected me to agree, but my confidence wilted when his shock morphed to a pleased smile.
“If you’re sure,” Dad agreed. “Besides, it’ll be nice to have a big brother looking out for you since I can’t be there.”
Both of us choked on that while Dad started out of the room.
“I better make a couple phone calls,” he said absently while leaving us alone again.
“What the hell?” I demanded quietly. “Why would you offer something like that? Go tell Dad that you take it back!”
“No,” he scoffed. “A live-in girlfriend sounds pretty fucking awesome.”
“I am not your girlfriend,” I growled.
“Give it a little time,” he told me, giving me that cocky smile I loved and hated so much.
“Eat shit,” was the only comeback I could manage, which just left him laughing while I stomped away.
Hunter as my roommate?
My ‘big brother’?
Oh, God. I was going to hell for the dirty things we’d done.
At least we’d be in hell together.
There’s that, I guess.
- 36 -
Hunter
Three Years Ago
I didn’t even know whose skirt I had in my hand.
I’d just grabbed the nearest girl as a sort of human shield to put some space between Ivy and I.
Fucking hell… Virginity?
She gave me her virginity? Without even telling me?
I’d had a weak moment. A single weak moment when my aching for her consumed me so bad that I gave in and did what I’d been wanting to do for so fucking long. It had started out with some stupid, idiotic seven minutes in heaven, but it quickly turned into so much more when she responded to my kisses and my touch.
Fuck, I could still taste her on my lips.
Once we were outside, I looked over to see just who was attached to the skirt, and almost groaned.
Fucking Barb the boob. The chestiest cheerleader, and also a total leech.
“Where’re you taking me, baby?” she asked in a gross, fake raspy voice that was so different than her real, glass-breaking high pitch.
“Just wanted to show you where...Leon was,” I told her, handing her off to Leon, one of the guys on the football team.
She looked put out, but Leon was happy to see her.
He quickly had her occupied, so I strolled away and hid in the cab of Gauge’s truck. Nobody locked anything in Malibu, so I was able to sneak in and hide away while I came to terms with what the fuck just happened.
Ivy.
Her vag.
Those fucking awful words that I spewed to her on the stairs…
I didn’t mean any of them. I meant nothing… All that fucking in the closet was just a mistake on my end. I got too careless, and I let my true feelings show. And because of that, she’d given me her virginity, even though I didn’t ask for it. And with that, I had done something far worse than what she’d done that day in the hall at school.
Ivy was right.
She used me, and I’d just used her right back. Only difference was, Ivy knew I was using her, and I hadn’t pretended otherwise, whereas Ivy used me for so long, all the while making me believe that we were more than simple friends.
She made me love her.
Now, tell me, which is the bigger sin?
Shit, it didn’t matter. Both things were shitty, and that made us shitty people.
That, I could get behind.
The door opened to the driver side seat and Gauge slipped in.
“What’re you doing?” he asked me, slipping the key in the ignition.
“I fucked Ivy,” I admitted right away.
I had a lot of buddies, but none of them knew about Ivy except for Gauge.
“You what?” he asked with a wicked laugh on the tip of his tongue.
“Don’t even,” I snapped, throwing the seat belt around my shoulder before pressing my face to the cold glass window.
“You’re a total moron, Hunt. Ivy is your Kryptonite, and you just injected yourself with that shit. What did you think was going to happen?”
“Exactly what did happen. A really fucking awesome high, then a fatal plummet back down to reality. She was a virgin and didn’t tell me.”
He blinked.
“A virgin?” he asked, still blinking in disbelief.
“Yeah. And I just fucked the living hell out of her. I’m a fucking asshole.”
“How did you not know?” he demanded, turning to me with confusion on his face.
“I was a little distracted,” I bit out. “I just thought she was tight.”
“Tight and virgin are two very different things, dude—”
“I fucking know that, alright?” I yelled. “I already feel like shit! I just got up and walked away right afterwards like she was some kind of paid whore, then she let that slip and I...”
I couldn’t finish. I felt like the world’s biggest douchebag, and I deserved the title.
No way would Ivy ever forgive me after that. Now we both carried unforgivable grudges.
“You’re a moron,” Gauge told me again, putting the car in drive and taking off from the party.
I just kept my face planted in the window as we left, driving through the streets surrounding Kieth’s house and further up into the hills of Malibu.
“Isn’t this the Ivy who tore your heart out with a rusty spoon?” Gauge asked after a few minutes of silence.
“Who else?” I mumbled.
“The Ivy that had you hounding skirts for the past four years?”
“Don’t ask stupid questions.”
“Well, now what? So, you fucked, and now you’re fucked. You suddenly forgive her or something?”
I bit on the inside of my cheek for a moment, considering.
“No,” I told him eventually as we drove out of town. “It was a moment of weakness. And now I’m just as bad as her.”
He gave a wobbly nod of consideration, before blatantly agreeing with me.
“You’re going to regret this at some point, Hunt.”
“I already do,” I said, also thinking about how I didn’t regret it, either.
I was literally inside of her, my tongue, my fingers, my cock...and she was even more amazing than I’d imagined all these years. I could see her now
, in my mind’s eye, naked as the day she was born. Except…
“Dammit!” I suddenly barked, and Gauge jerked away.
“What the fuck, man?” he yelled right back.
“I didn’t take her bra off!” I moaned.
My one chance to have her all to myself, and I didn’t take her motherfucking bra off.
Gauge choked on a laugh, then threw his head back and howled while we swerved a little on the dark road.
“Watch the fucking road!” I snapped, not wanting to die before I saw Ivy’s tits.
“You had the girl of your Goddamn dreams in the palm of your hand,” Gauge gurgled through his laughs, “And you didn’t take off her bra?”
I snapped my fist forward and bopped him on the shoulder.
He groaned exaggeratedly and rubbed it, but he kept his face forward and on the road so we didn’t crash and die.
“You’re right. I totally regret it,” I told him. “Now I’ll always see her with a bra on.”
Gauge kept laughing at me, rubbing at his shoulder while we kept driving to nowhere in particular.
“Things could be worse,” he said eventually.
“How?” I demanded.
“You could be worrying about shit like your dad beating on your mom while you’re out.”
Well shit. Way to bring perspective.
“Instead, you’re worrying about stupid teenage things like whether you saw a girl’s tits or not. For you, man, I’d call that a win.”
Of course, he was right.
Ever since Dad got wheeled away by the cops, I was able to focus on more normal things, like school, and girls, and trying to get over my first heartbreak. Not that I was particularly successful at any of those things, but it was a privilege to be able to worry about such simple, age-appropriate things.
I blew out a long breath, forcing myself to relax.
“You’re right,” I told him, slapping my hand to his arm and squeezing it in thanks. “I’ll end my pity party now.”
Gauge just gave a little nod.
“Besides, if you want this girl, Hunt, then you just need to eat your pride and tell her. Obviously she likes you too, or she wouldn’t have let you fuck her.”
“I think the Titanic has sailed, and sunk at this point,” I told him. “There’s no way in hell she’s going to forgive me after tonight.”
Gauge just gave a little, knowing smile. “You’d be surprised.”
- 37 -
Ivory
“What the ever-living fuck did you pack?” Hunter called across the parking lot as he was dragging one of my suitcases up the stairs to his condo.
“Language!” Penelope called back.
We’d both told them that we didn’t need help moving me into Hunter’s place, but Dad and Penelope insisted.
“Alright, well, that’s the last one,” Dad told me, folding his arms across his chest.
“We’re fine,” I said for the millionth time, hating the worry written across his face.
No matter what Hunter threw at me, I could handle it. Besides, I was pretty sure the next semester would be a lot less stressful with the excess of orgasms headed my way.
Not that living with Hunter would be stress-less. I was bound to have some issues with the fact that I was sharing a space with the one guy who could tear me apart with a single look.
“We wanted to take you to dinner,” Dad said, but I shook my head.
“You guys just took us to Hawaii. I’m sure the budget is pretty strapped right now between that and college. Don’t worry about it.”
Dad frowned.
“You’re not allowed to worry about our budget,” he told me. “Besides, the sale of Pen’s house paid for the trip to Hawaii. I’ve been saving for your college for a long time, and if I want to take you to dinner, I will, dammit.”
With a grin, I kissed Dad on the cheek.
“Why don’t you take your new bride to dinner?”
Dad opened his mouth to object, but Penelope backed me up.
“I’d love that, honey,” she said, slipping her arm though Dad’s to hug it to her chest. “Let them settle in, Rich.”
It was plainly obvious that Dad wasn’t happy with the idea, but when Hunter came down from the condo to see what was the holdup, Dad looked at him and stuffed his hand in his pocket.
“Take care of your sister,” he told Hunter, who just grinned back at Dad.
“I’ll take care of her,” Hunter said back.
I choked on the dirty promise that our parents didn’t seem to understand while Dad retrieved a twenty out of his pocket.
“Here,” he said, “get a pizza and settle in. If you guys need anything—”
“We’ll call,” I assured Dad.
He finally nodded and pulled away from his wife to give me a hug, and Hunter a pat on the back.
Penelope hugged both of us, then walked with Dad toward his compact sedan so they could make the trip home.
Once they drove off, Hunter did one last examination of my truck, which had carried the bulk of my stuff, and decided that we were done for the evening.
The roar of an engine cut through the waning evening light just as Hunter opened his mouth to talk, and a motorcycle pulled up right beside us.
I knew who it was instantly, the jet black hair giving it all away before he even removed his sunglasses.
“Hey Hunt,” Gauge said, eyes turning to me with confusion.
“Hi,” I said, lifting an awkward hand.
“Hey dude,” Hunter said, bumping firsts.
“Sooo...” Gauge drawled, waiting for some kind of explanation.
“Ordering pizza, want some?” Hunter said instead, ignoring the really thick awkwardness that was settling around us.
“I could eat,” Gauge said, then shot forward and found himself a parking spot.
I went around Hunter to lock Baby up, then started for the apartment.
Great, so my relaxing evening had just turned into an awkward stare off between me and Hunter’s BFF.
Hunter let me go, heading over to where Gauge was parked, presumably to talk without my eager ears to listen.
Probably for the best, though. Hunter could warn Gauge off and maybe they’d just leave me alone while I tried to unpack.
I was already halfway through hanging up my clothes in the closet when I heard the guys come into the house. They were loud and rowdy, which kind of felt nice, not going to lie. The sound of life in a house was a little heady because I’d grown up an only kid. Especially with a mom who didn’t like noises at all because they messed with her hangover-ridden brain. When Mom left and Hillary started coming over to my house to keep me company, I remembered soaking in every minute of the life she brought to the otherwise quiet house.
“What do you want on your pizza?” Hunter called from the living room. “And if you say pineapple, I’m going to lose my shit!”
“Hawaiin!” I called back, knowing that putting fruit on pizza was like a primal sin to Hunter.
“Dammit!” he yelled. “I’m not putting your fucking fruit on a pizza!”
Eager for another verbal sparring match, I meandered out to the living room that was swathed in crappy leather couches and a big, flatscreen TV.
“Do you like olives on your pizza?” I asked him, leaning against the wall while staring down at Hunter and Gauge relaxing on the couch.
“Eh, not really,” Hunter admitted.
“What about tomato sauce?”
Hunter just blinked at me, but Gauge started laughing quietly into his fist.
“You do know that tomatoes are a fruit, right? And olives? Bell peppers? Fruits, all of them.”
Blinking.
He just kept blinking.
Eventually he took out his phone and dialed up the pizza joint, who answered immediately.
“Give me your meatiest pizza,” he said, staring me down. “With white sauce and extra cheese.”
Gauge gave up on the pretense of holding back his giggles and just
let it out, busting a gut while laughing at his friend.
“Mhmm,” he agreed. “I also need a fruit pizza. No, like, tomato sauce, pineapple, olives and bell peppers. Sure jalapenos are fine, too.”
He winked at me while making that order, a smirk on his face.
Little did he know, I loved all those things on the pizza.
“Add sausage!” I called in a chipper voice, then strolled away back down the hallway to figure out my bed situation.
There was a rickety looking twin bed in the room, leftover from a failed roommate situation, according to Hunter. I looked down at the thin, stained mattress and grimaced. Lucky for me, I had pretty thick sheets and some fabric spray to take the funk out of the thing. Never in this life would I run a blacklight over it, though. Nobody needed to know the quantity of jizz that saturated the mattress I'd be sleeping on.
Heavy footsteps came down the hallway, and I turned, expecting to see Hunter. Ready with some witty quip, I found that it was Gauge, instead.
“Need help moving anything or whatever?” he asked, leaning against the doorframe.
I wasn’t sure what to say to that. Gauge hadn’t been mean necessarily, but he’d never been specifically nice to me before, either.
“Um, actually if you don’t mind, I need to move the dresser over to that wall there.”
Gauge moved into the room and went right to the dresser.
“Where do you want it?” he asked, grunting while shifting it. “Mother of fuck! What is this thing made of, bricks?”
I laughed while he struggled for a second, then let go and kicked the thing.
“Hunt! Get your fat ass over here!” he yelled, which had more heavy footsteps heading down the hall.
“Why’re you crying like a little bitch?” Hunter asked, leaning against the doorframe just like Gauge had a minute ago.
“What the hell is this thing made out of,” Gauge asked, starting to move the dresser again, “bricks or something?”
Hunter just laughed his ass off and moved around the room until he got to the concrete-lined dresser.
“It’s made of real wood, first of all,” he said before grunting as he opened the bottom drawer. “My old roommate had issues with leaving his drawers open and this piece of shit would fall over all the time. To fix it, he put cinder blocks in the bottom.”
