by Laura Pavlov
Her body arched off the bed, and I covered her breasts with my mouth, one at a time. My lips came back up to meet hers as we moved together, like we’d done this a million times before. She was moaning, so I knew she was enjoying it as much as I was. My hand moved between us, finding her most sensitive spot, and her head fell back at my touch.
“Gray,” she groaned, and I moved faster, knowing exactly what she needed. Somehow I always knew what she needed. She went over the edge on a gasp, and her body shook and trembled beneath my touch. It was the hottest fucking thing I’d ever seen. I pumped a few more times and went right over the edge with her. We were both gasping and shaking and I fell forward, making sure to keep my weight off of her. Every ounce of pleasure racked my body before I fell to the side and pulled her on top of me as we both fought to catch our breath.
“Oh my god,” she whispered before pushing up to look at me.
I laughed because I couldn’t help myself. “That good, huh?”
“Um, yeah. Is that how it always is? I thought the first time was supposed to be terrible?” she asked, her fingers grazing the scruff on my jaw.
“Yeah. This is not the norm for a first time. Or any time. That was fucking unbelievable. We’re clearly made for each other, baby.”
She smiled. “We are.”
I pulled out of her and pushed up to walk to the bathroom and dispose of the condom.
“How do you feel?” I stood in the bathroom doorway taking in her mess of blonde hair falling all around her as she lay naked on my bed. It was a vision I’d remember forever. I took my time, memorizing every line and curve of her beautiful body. Perfect tits, flat abs, and toned sexy legs. Her eyes were hooded, lips plump, and she fucking smiled. Two little dimples that I’d always teased her about decorated her cheeks.
“I feel good. Maybe a little sore.” She sat up and wrapped a sheet around her shoulders.
“Let me run you a hot bath. You can soak for a little bit.”
“You’re running me a bath? You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” Her voice was a little hoarse and sexy as hell.
I turned to start the water and moved toward her. “Only with you.”
She took my hand and we walked into the bathroom. I stepped in the tub and dropped down to sit and she burst out in laughter. “You’re taking a bath with me?”
“Yeah.” I wriggled my brows. “Get in here.”
“You’re a little big for that tub.” She was shaking her head and laughing as she climbed in.
“Lucky for me, you’re small. So, it works.”
She pulled her hair up on top of her head and used an elastic that was around her wrist to tie her wild mane of hair in a messy knot.
She settled between my legs and her head fell back against my chest. I reached for the soap and rubbed it between my hands and ran them down her chest and stomach.
Her eyes closed. “You don’t have to wash me.”
“I like doing things for you.” I moved my hands between her legs, gently stroking her.
She gasped. I moved my fingers back up her body and wrapped my arms around her as we sat in the quiet. Our breaths the only audible sound.
“Listen, G. We need to tell him. We’ll do it over Christmas break. I can’t keep this from him anymore. Not now.”
“Why? It’s none of his business. He’s going to freak out. It’s going to complicate things,” she said. “He’s going to tell you we shouldn’t be together.”
“Baby, I’m not going anywhere. He’s going to be pissed. But I’ll show him how real this is for me. I’ll make him understand.”
She rolled over in the tub and faced me. Her eyes were watery with emotion. “Okay. Promise me you won’t let him come between us.”
“I promise.”
And I meant it.
Because for the first time in my entire life—I was completely content.
At peace.
And happy.
I was in my truck and driving an hour and a half to see Cade because I’d gotten a frantic call from him this morning, and he said he needed me. Cade was my brother in every way outside of actual blood. We’d been best friends since we could talk. College was the first time that we weren’t together every day, but we still talked almost daily aside from when we had finals. He’d been a little distant lately and I hadn’t pressed matters because I was in deep with his fucking sister. I dreaded the day we’d have the conversation because I already knew the outcome. I knew him as well as I knew myself.
It.
Would.
Not.
Be.
Okay.
But I was going to make him understand. There was no other option anymore. I’d found something that I never knew I could find, and I wanted it. I wasn’t walking away, not even for my best friend.
He’d been a protective brother since day one. It’s who he was. And I always understood it, because she was special, and I wanted to protect her too. Hell, she was the most important person in my life.
I left Gigi in my bed and told her that her brother needed me, and she’d nodded in understanding. She knew how close we were. We were all heading home in three days for Christmas, and we’d talked about discussing our relationship with Cade over break. Gigi and I could probably win some sort of record for the amount of sex we’d had over the past two weeks. I couldn’t get enough, and neither could she. I’d never been big on repeat visitors, but this girl was different in every way. And it was time to tell her brother, because this thing between us was the real deal. I never thought I’d say the words, but here I was willing to die on the sword for this girl.
I sent her a text when I arrived at his fraternity house.
Me ~ Hey, just got here. I hope you went back to sleep. I’ll keep you posted. Love you.
Gigi ~ I can’t sleep. I’m worried about him. Will you call or text as soon as you know what’s going on.
Me ~ Yes. Xo
I jogged up the steps and dialed Cade’s phone. The door flung open while my phone was still ringing, and my best friend stood there looking like he hadn’t slept in two days.
“Come in.” He led me up the back stairs and my stomach dipped. Could he know about Gigi? We had been seen together in Willow Springs when we’d snuck home to check on my dad. Could someone have seen us out at the lake that day?
“Brother, you’re freaking me out. What the fuck is going on?” I dropped to sit on the couch in his room. Being a junior, he’d managed to get his own room, so he had a loft bed built above a little couch area.
Cade paced in front of me. “Camilla’s late.”
“Late?” I searched his face, unsure what we were talking about.
Oh. Late.
“Her fucking period, dude. One time. One fucking time I was a lazy asshole and convinced her that we would be fine.” He ran his hand through his hair.
I pushed to my feet and put my hands on each of his shoulders. “Stop. You’re human. You made a mistake. You’ll deal with it.”
“Gray, I’m not fucking ready to be a father. I graduate next year. I’m still in fucking college.”
I nodded. I understood his fear. But I also knew my best friend. He was a stand-up guy. He’d never walk away from his responsibility. And he’d respect whatever Camilla wanted to do.
“I get that, but you’re jumping the gun. Did she take a test yet?”
“No. We had a fight before I called you. She’s been really distant lately and I didn’t know why. I thought she was breaking up with me. But she finally broke down and told me that she’s been freaking out for two days.”
“How late is she?”
“A week.” He shrugged. “What the fuck am I going to do? She’s going to blame me for the rest of our lives.”
“Cade, brother, you are not the first couple that this has happened to. Stop beating
yourself up.”
“No, Gray, this is serious shit. I’d beat the fuck out of anyone that did this to Gigi. So, I’m a total fucking hypocrite. This is why Gigi can’t ever be with a dude like us. We’re selfish assholes. Camilla has a brother. What the fuck is he going to think of me?” He dropped to sit and buried his face in his hands.
I stiffened at the mention of his sister. We’d always been careful. But that didn’t matter. I was having sex with his baby sister. He would lose his motherfucking mind.
“Let’s take this one step at a time. She needs to take a fucking test.”
“I know. I wanted to go with her to get one from the drugstore, but she was crying and angry, and she stormed out of here,” he said. I could still smell the booze on his breath, so he’d obviously been out last night, and the fight was probably fueled by alcohol. It was times like these that I was happy I was cutting out the booze. Sure, I’d had that one slip, and I’d probably have more in my lifetime, but I’d come to the conclusion that nothing great came out of alcohol binges. I hadn’t minded being numb for most of my high school and college years, but I was thankful that I was present lately. I was able to jump in the car and be here for him. I’d help him get through this, no matter what the outcome.
“All right, listen to me. Let’s get in my truck and go to her apartment. I’ll talk to her and you sit in the car until she calms down, okay?”
He pushed to his feet. “Okay. Thank you, brother. I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Always. Let’s go.”
We drove a mile away to where Camilla lived. She wasn’t taking his calls, as he’d obviously pissed her off. I knew Cade, and my guess was that he’d freaked out, which hadn’t helped the situation.
“She’s not answering,” he groaned.
“What’s her apartment number?”
“She’s on the first floor. Apartment 102. It’s right there.” He pointed to the outside door and he scrubbed a hand down his face.
“Wait here.” I jogged to the door and knocked three times.
The door opened and Camilla stood on the other side. Her eyes were swollen. Nose red. Lips trembling. I opened my arms and she walked into them. “It’s going to be fine, Camilla. I promise. We’ll figure it out.”
She broke out in sobs, and I stood in the doorway with my arms wrapped around her.
“What if it’s not, Gray? My parents are going to freaking kill me.” She shook and quaked and let it all out.
“I promise you, it will be okay. But you need to find out if you’re even pregnant. My mom had a ton of false alarms when she was trying to get pregnant with the twins. Stress is a huge factor and you’re in the middle of finals.” I patted the back of her head and she looked up at me and nodded.
“You’re right. That’s very possible.” Her gaze was hopeful for the first time since I’d walked in. “Where is he?”
“He’s out in my truck. He doesn’t think you want to see him.”
“I’m just scared.” She threw her hands in the air. “And him freaking out does not help me.”
“All right. Listen. Do you need me to go get a test?”
“I got it on my way home. I was just trying to find the courage to take it,” she said, tears streaming down her face.
“Camilla, you need to take the test before you freak out. Let’s first make sure you’re pregnant.” My voice was calm, and she studied me.
“Okay. I’ll do it now.”
“Do you want me to go get Cade while you do it?” I asked.
“Yeah. Thank you.”
I walked back out to my truck to find my best friend with his face buried between his hands.
“You need to pull your shit together before you come inside. She’s taking the test now. You need to be the rock, brother. Just show her you’re there for her.” I clapped a hand on his shoulder as we walked back in her apartment.
We dropped to sit on the couch and sat in silence.
Camilla walked out of the bathroom holding up the white stick with tears streaming down her face. “It’s negative.”
Cade rushed over to her and wrapped his arms around her as they both cried. I pushed to my feet and walked outside to text Gigi.
Me ~ Everything is okay. I’ll fill you in later. I’m going to hang with your brother for a few hours before I head back.
Gigi ~ Are you sure he’s okay?
Me ~ Positive. All good. Love you.
Gigi ~ Love you more! Xo
I deleted the conversation just in case Cade were to look at my phone. He and Camilla walked outside to find me.
“Well, that was scary,” Cade said, and we all laughed.
“It was really nice of you to come here.” Camilla intertwined her fingers with my best friend.
“Of course. Nowhere else I’d want to be right now.”
“You always have my back, brother. You’re my day one.” Cade clapped a hand on my shoulder.
“Hey,” Camilla said over a chuckle.
“You’re my forever, baby. He’s my day one.”
We walked toward the truck because apparently pregnancy scares made you hungry and they were both starving. The air around us was lighter now. I was happy I’d been here and relieved that things had worked out.
“No more being stupid, I promise,” Cade said once we took our seats at the diner up the street. “Safe sex from here on out.”
“Um, not sure this is the appropriate time for this conversation,” Camilla said, dropping the menu to the side after she looked it over.
“Hey, he knows everything. We’ve both been stupid assholes most of our lives, so I don’t hide anything from this guy.” Cade tossed his menu on top of his girlfriend’s. My chest squeezed at his words. I was keeping a secret from him.
A big fucking secret.
“Day one,” I said, guilt engulfing me as I spoke.
His phone vibrated and he looked down at his screen. “I need to take this. It’s Gigi. Will you order me a burger and fries?”
“You got it,” Camilla said, as Cade strolled out of the restaurant.
The waiter came by and took our orders, and I chugged the water that he’d set down. It had been a long day already and it was barely noon.
“Thanks so much for being here, Gray. And for bringing him to me. I really appreciate it.”
“Not a problem. Glad I could help,” I said, as I sipped my water.
“So, how is Gigi?” She had a big, goofy grin on her face.
“She’s good as far as I know.” I quirked a brow in challenge.
She laughed. “I thought Cade told me you took her to a dance just recently?”
“Yep. He asked me to take her.”
“I’m sure you didn’t mind,” she said, reaching for a fry when the server set our plates down.
“Something on your mind, Camilla?”
“I just want you to know that I like you and Gigi a lot. And I know Cade loves you both, and that’s all that matters, right?”
What the actual fuck are we talking about?
She was being cryptic as hell. She obviously suspected something.
I nodded just as my best friend came back to the table.
“How’s Gigi?” Camilla asked, but her gaze locked with mine as Cade reached for his plate.
“She’s good. She’s seeing some guy and she seems really into him. She sounds… happy.” He shrugged.
“Is she? Have you met him yet, Gray?”
“I have not. I’ve been busy with finals.” I wanted to talk to him about it, but this was not the time. This shit was going to end soon though. I couldn’t do it anymore.
She nodded, and her lips turned up in the corners. “Well, you’ll have to let us know what he’s like when you meet him.”
“Yeah, dude. We need to make sure my sister stays clear o
f assholes like us,” Cade said, before taking an enormous bite of his burger and continuing to talk over a mouthful of food. “That’s the last thing she needs. You’ll check him out for me?”
“Sure,” I said, looking at Camilla who couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. Fuck me. It was time to come clean but not here. Not now.
“You’re the best, Gray. My brother for life.” He slapped me on the back.
A sick feeling settled in my stomach.
And all I wanted to do was get back to school.
Back to Gigi.
Back to my best friend’s little sister.
Chapter Twenty-One
Gigi
I’d just finished my last final and I was going to meet Gray at the frat house. I couldn’t believe I was halfway through my first year of college. Time was flying, and I was enjoying every minute of it. Our group chat with the Magic Willows was blowing up because we were all going to be home within the next twenty-four hours and we were looking forward to having two weeks together.
Gray and I had decided to talk to Cade about our relationship over break. Things were going so well, and he felt strongly that we needed to get this out in the open. This was the first serious relationship either one of us had had, and bringing my brother in to stir the pot or involving my parents this early on could blow up in both of our faces.
We were happy. Wasn’t that what mattered most?
But I respected how much my boyfriend cared for my brother. And now that we’d taken things to the next level, he was insistent that it was time.
When I got to his house, he was sitting on one of the white Adirondack chairs on their front porch.
“Hey, what are you doing out here?” I asked as I walked up the three little steps to greet him.
“Waiting for you.” He leaned forward and rested his cheek against my stomach and wrapped his hands around my waist, stopping to squeeze my butt which made me laugh.
Ricky opened the front door. He was Gray’s favorite pledge, and I could tell that he worshipped my boyfriend. “Hey, guys. I’ll see you after break. Have a good Christmas.”
