by J. L. Leslie
Not wanting to think about that being a possibility, I steer the conversation toward schedules and when I’ll be expected to work. I learn that Casey and Jade are both taking classes at the college in Redbud and that Jack and Marlene typically cover their shifts right now, but once I’m trained, I’ll be expected to work the nights they’re in class. Jack and Marlene both hate working the night shift.
“But we don’t have class tonight,” Jade says with a mischievous smile on her face.
“And Jack thinks we do,” Casey adds.
Doesn’t take long for us to decide to have a girls’ night!
Chapter Nine
Brady
“Okay, you got me out of Hollis, and I already see who’s next on my roster,” Caleb grins and points toward the hostess stand. “The curvy redhead.”
I burst out laughing because obviously, he has no idea who the ‘curvy redhead’ waiting for a table is.
“You’re such a fucking moron.” I laugh, nudging his side.
“What?” he asks, completely clueless. Casey turns around, and now he can see her fully, Jade standing behind her and Lilly to her side. “Well, fuck.”
“Exactly.”
Casey’s eyes narrow as she spots Caleb, Madden, and me, and I swear a chill settles over the whole damn restaurant. My plan was to get Caleb out of Hollis for the night. Get his mind off Casey. Come eat and go to a club. Have him relax. So much for that.
Last night we went to the old field behind Jack’s house, started a bonfire, and played with fireworks. Tate, Logan, and a shitload of other friends tagged along until it turned into a big bonfire party. That was Caleb’s big plan for me.
He got piss drunk and passed out in the back of my truck...after he screwed Jessica Cramer in it. I drove them both home and went to see Kelly, who yelled at me for twenty minutes because it was after three a.m. Then she forgave me like I knew she would.
I nudge Madden, and he scowls at me. “I thought you said they were having a girls’ night.”
“They were supposed to be shopping. Your mom and Jack are working the bar tonight. I didn’t know they’d come here,” Madden explains.
“Hey, baby,” Jade tells Madden as they approach our large corner booth, and she leans over to give him a kiss. “What are you guys doing here? Thought you were working late.”
“Our boss let us knock off early,” he answers. “Why don’t you girls join us?”
I glare at him, and his eyes grow wide as if indicating that he didn’t know what else to do. I look from Jade to Lilly, then to Casey, and she looks pissed.
“We have other things to do,” Casey says rudely. Her gaze flickers to Caleb, and I can see his jaw clench in my peripheral vision.
Lilly looks slightly uncomfortable while she waits on us all to decide whether or not they should stay. I know she might know a little bit about everyone’s history, but she damn sure didn’t live through it. She didn’t witness the destruction caused by Caleb and Casey’s breakup.
“Let’s stay, Casey. We’ll eat and then decide what we should do after,” Jade pleads. “We hardly ever have the same night off anymore.”
“It’s not my fault someone ran our waitresses off,” Casey quips. Oh boy. Here we go.
“It’s not my fault she wanted this dick and then acted like a lovesick teenager,” Caleb fires back. And there it is.
“She was a lovesick teenager!” Casey snaps.
She slams her purse on the table and slides into the booth. Lilly slowly slides in beside her. Looks like they’re staying.
“I made it very clear what I was after, Casey,” Caleb explains, sounding almost apologetic for a split second. Then it’s gone. “When I say ‘this is a one-time fuck’ how hard is that to understand?”
“She was a kid,” she hisses.
“She didn’t fuck like one.”
I hold my hands up, silencing the petty argument between the two of them. I used to think these arguments were entertaining as hell. That was when I knew the two of them were still going home together, no matter how bad the argument was. Now, though, Casey goes her separate way, and I have to watch my best friend drown himself in alcohol and women so he can erase her from his mind. I’m tired of seeing that, and Avery still hasn’t called me back. Someone has to help me get Caleb’s head straight.
“I am so glad I no longer have to pretend to be happy with you,” Casey says. “I have a real man now.”
“Yeah, a hoity-toity professor who drives a car that you have to plug in. Do you think that’s what you call a real man, Lilly?” he directs his question to her, and I seriously consider punching my best friend.
“You’d better stay away from this one, Caleb,” Casey gets one last word in as she gestures toward Lilly. “You will fucking regret it if you screw this one up!”
“Are you done?” I ask, and she crosses her arms, refusing to answer.
Our entire meal is like this. Catty remarks from Casey. Smartass rebuttals from Caleb. Lovey-dovey whispers between Jade and Madden. Silence from Lilly. Not the meal I had planned at all, and I’m right in the middle of everyone.
When the waitress brings the ticket, I pay the tab, desperate to get the hell out of here. I’ve listened to Casey and Caleb bicker for over two hours now.
“Okay, we’re heading over to Bass Pro, then to Alias.”
“Alias!” Jade exclaims. “I love that place! I haven’t been in forever. Let’s go after we leave the salon!”
“Fucking hell, Jade! This is not a group outing. You had plans, and we had plans,” I complain. “You and Madden do not have to be attached at the damn hip.”
“Don’t be an asshole, Brady,” she replies. “If we want to go to Alias, we don’t have to have your permission. Right, girls?”
She looks at Casey and Lilly, and they both smile. Jade gives Madden a quick kiss, and the three of them saunter off. I know without a doubt they’re going to Alias.
“Fine, we’ll go somewhere else.”
Madden laughs at this. “There is nowhere else in Redbud.”
He’s right. It’s bigger than Hollis, but not by much. Alias is the only nightclub in Redbud. If we wanted to go somewhere else, we’d have to drive farther. After being subjected to their crap at dinner, I don’t have it in me to drive farther.
“I don’t give a fuck where they’re going, Brady. We’re going to Alias,” Caleb states. His dark eyes are full of anger and regret. A common look for them lately.
We leave the diner and head over to Bass Pro first. I walk over to the giant stuffed bear and shoot Madden a grin. “This is what you need in the hardware store.”
“I’m sure all the kids in Hollis will love it,” he agrees.
“You need to start selling bait and hunting supplies, too,” Caleb pipes in.
“It’s a hardware store. We sell tools and hardware supplies. You know, like our construction crew uses,” Madden explains. “It’s not a Bass Pro.”
“Could be like a Bass Pro,” I say with a shrug.
“I’m not biting off more than I can chew,” he shakes his head.
“Didn’t you already do that with Jade,” Caleb laughs, and Madden scowls.
“Nope, you did that with Casey,” Madden remarks, and Caleb’s laughter ceases. I roll my eyes in their direction and keep flipping through the rack of t-shirts. I send Avery a text asking her to call me again. No reply.
After we’ve blown enough time in the store, we decide to head over to Alias. It’s still fairly early when we get there, but the parking lot is already pretty full. I guess when you live in small towns, you do what you have to in order to pass the time.
As we walk in, a rap song starts playing, and my head automatically begins bouncing to the beat. I’m a country boy at heart, but I have rhythm. My mama always said I must’ve gotten it from her because my daddy could never dance.
I wink at a couple of girls on the dance floor and flash them a grin when they smile. I nudge Caleb’s side and tell him we should go dance
with them. Anything to get his mind off of Casey.
“Let’s get shots first.”
“Nope, no shots,” I say and point to the dance floor. “Girls.”
“Fine, where’s the blonde? I have a bet to win.”
“No blonde. I think you and Casey have fired enough shots at each other tonight.”
He doesn’t need to know I have ulterior motives for steering him clear of Lilly. My plan is to keep him away from the shots as much as possible. Beer is okay but shots not so much. He needs to remember he can have a good time without passing out. And he needs to find another girl to hook up with besides Lilly. That is not going to happen. Not with him or any other guy from our crew.
I look back at Madden, and he motions for us to go ahead as he finds a barstool. Caleb and I make it to the dance floor in a matter of seconds. He takes the blonde; I get the brunette. Her ass bounces against me to the beat of the song. Her fingers tangle with mine as we hold our hands up in the air.
I lean into her and get a whiff of her perfume. My cock jolts to life. She smells like Lilly. The exact same perfume she wears. It hung in the air the day I bumped into her. It’s amazing how your senses remember these types of things.
The brunette turns around to face me. She looks down at my obvious hard-on and arches an eyebrow before smiling. She lifts her face, and her cherry red painted lips glide over mine. By instinct, I return her kiss. She’s not a bad kisser. I should honestly be more into it, seeing as how her hand is groping my dick through my jeans, but my mind is somewhere else.
She pulls back and sighs against my lips, “We can go find an empty bathroom stall.”
I give her a light peck and my signature grin. “Let me come find you in a bit. Don’t leave before I find you.”
She nods and turns around to dance with her friend again. I was paying so much attention to her that I didn’t even notice Caleb was no longer dancing. I spot him at the bar with Madden. Three empty shot glasses in front of him. Before I can get to him, he grabs another shot and walks away from the bar. Fuck.
“You know, we’re supposed to be trying to keep him half sober tonight,” I remind Madden.
“I wasn’t the one sucking face on the dance floor,” he shoots back. “He’s a grown-ass man, Brady. Do you honestly think we can keep him from ordering shots in a bar?”
“This probably wasn’t the best idea,” I admit, running a hand through my hair. I call for the bartender to bring me a beer.
“Red is really a good color for you. Brings out your eyes.”
Lilly comments as she, Jade, and Casey approach the bar. Lipstick. I wipe my mouth off, and again, I’m a little annoyed that Lilly doesn’t seem at all bothered by this. Kelly kissed me right in front of her, and now she sees me with another woman’s lipstick on my mouth, and she thinks it’s funny. I know she’s attracted to me, but she’s acting like that attraction is no big deal. Is it because she wants more than that from me?
I haven’t been tied down in a relationship, not once. I came very close with Jade, but then I got the hell out of town. I’m not asking for a relationship with Lilly, but I want her to at least acknowledge that something is happening between us.
“Where’s your other member?” Casey asks, rolling her eyes. “Is he trying to run off their waitresses too?”
“Give it a rest, Casey,” I warn. “Can’t you see what your breakup is doing to him? He’s a fucking mess.”
She visibly flinches at my words, but then her heart of ice is back. “He did this to himself, Brady. I don’t care if he drinks himself into an early grave.”
She stomps off, and I can see that her words have even shocked Jade. Jade mumbles an apology and starts after her. Lilly shrugs, not sure what to do. I offer her my beer, and she accepts, taking a slow sip. I open my mouth to ask if she wants to dance but don’t even get the words out. She hands the beer back and heads off to the dance floor alone. I swear, this woman surprises me more and more every day.
I watch her dance a slow hip-swaying dance, and feel jealousy surge through me as a guy steps up behind her. He grips her hips and rolls his body in tune with hers. Lilly doesn’t stop him.
“Maybe you’ll have better luck cutting in on that dance,” Madden states.
“Haha, fucker,” I deadpan, remembering our little scuffle over Jade at the Hollis annual street dance.
I take as much as I can take, then I do as Madden suggested. I interrupt the dance. Only this time, I don’t ask. I pull Lilly to me, away from the stranger, and she wraps her arms around my neck. Her body presses close to mine as we grind to the music. The stranger gets the hint that this isn’t a threesome party.
“I finished your apartment earlier today,” I say, leaning in close. The music is loud, but I know she can hear me. “We should christen it.”
Her lips brush against my ear as she answers, “Fat chance.”
“You know you would enjoy it,” I say and suck her earlobe into my mouth. I feel her body tense, and she pulls away.
“I don’t sleep with guys who have girlfriends,” she informs me. “And that kiss was a one-time thing, too.”
“You are jealous.”
“No, I’m not jealous. You can kiss who you want, date who you want, and screw who you want. Being jealous is not an emotion I feel.”
“Well, what’s the problem then?” I ask, confused as to what’s going on here.
“Like I said, I don’t sleep with guys who have girlfriends.”
“I already told you, she isn’t my girlfriend.”
“When she realizes that, we can talk.”
Fucking hell. My non-existent girlfriend just screwed me over. Lilly won’t hook up with me because of Kelly, who I have been adamant is not my fucking girlfriend. What the hell just happened?
We finish dancing, and I deliver her straight to Jade and Casey, who are both scowling at me as though I’ve just deflowered a virgin. I ignore them and set off to find the brunette from earlier.
Maybe her offer still stands.
Chapter Ten
Lillian
It’s difficult not to watch Brady as he walks away. I don’t want to think he’s going to find the brunette he was dancing with earlier, but that’s the way guys like him work. They move on to the next best thing. The more I think about it, the more I wonder if Casey is right. If I’m just the next best thing also. Some prize in a bet.
Christ, his body felt incredible pressed against mine, though. Turning him down on his offer to “christen” the apartment was a difficult decision. I have been under a lot of stress lying to my parents and coming to Hollis, finding out that I have three brothers, and keeping this huge secret from all of them. A little bit of stress relief, in the form of a few orgasms, would do my body good.
But I know better. I would fall for him. I would easily fall for his charm, that sideways grin and cocky attitude would pull me in. The men I’ve dated have always been studious and stern, focused and goal-oriented. Brady is laid back and carefree, and I would get caught up in that because I’m at a point in my life where I need it.
I can use the excuse that I dropped out of med school because I figured out being a doctor wasn’t for me, but it’s also because I needed a breather from constantly pushing myself to the limit. Constantly trying to reach some sort of goal I set for myself.
Of course, I set myself another goal the moment I stepped foot in Hollis. Get to know my brothers. That hasn’t been easy to accomplish, considering I haven’t told them who I am. I’ve also had distractions. Brady Thompson is definitely a distraction.
“Wow, you don’t listen very well, do you?” Casey asks.
Her question stuns me out of my thoughts as Jade slides a fruity drink in my direction. I frown and take a sip of my drink before I answer her.
“I’m sorry? Did I do something wrong?”
“Should I book you a room now?”
“Casey, come on,” Jade says, trying to lighten the conversation.
“We were just
dancing,” I explain.
“That’s what they all say.”
“I’m not an idiot, Casey,” I reply. “Besides, Brady has a girlfriend, and I’m not like that.”
The two of them burst out laughing. I’m almost offended, wondering if they’re laughing because I said I’m not an idiot or that I don’t sleep with guys that have girlfriends. Either one is reason for me to be offended.
“Kelly is not Brady’s girlfriend,” Jade assures me. “She wishes she was, but she is definitely not.”
How bad is it that I’m happy about that? If he’s single...and I’m single...don’t even think about it, Lillian.
“I know it’s supposed to be your girls’ night, but I’m stealing Jade away for a dance,” Madden says as he approaches us.
Jade smirks and stands up from her barstool. He slips his arm around her waist as the two of them walk off.
“Ugh, worst girls’ night ever,” Casey mumbles, and I feel sorry for her.
“Where’s your professor? You should call him over.”
“This isn’t really his scene. Besides, he has a class tonight.”
Her eyes are glued to the dance floor, watching Caleb as he grinds on another woman. She looks like she’s going to go postal on them, but she sits there with her drink in hand, not saying a word.
“We can go find another spot to sit if you don’t want to watch that,” I suggest.
“He can do whatever he wants. Doesn’t bother me.”
“How long were you together?” I ask cautiously, knowing that I already know some details from Jade. It might help her to vent to someone who doesn’t already know their story.
“Too fucking long,” she replies, laughing bitterly. “Pretty much all of high school. I wasted a lot of years on a relationship that was never meant to be.”
“Maybe it is. The two of you obviously have strong feelings for each other.”
“Yeah, it’s called hate.” She’s so blunt it makes me laugh, and this earns me a smile from her. “In all seriousness, Caleb and I had some good times together. I just grew out of the stage where I needed all the drama between us. It got to a point where it wasn’t fun anymore. Do you know what that’s like?”
