Sprung

by Kate Benson

  The words leave my lips slow, seductive as I gently tug at his sweats, my tongue darting out just slightly to wet my lips as his breathing catches in his throat.

  “Hmm…” he hums, running the pad of his thumb over my chin to release my lip, pulling a low whimper from my chest. “Like what?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” I shrug coyly, glancing down at where my fingers are still teasing the thin strip of hair peeking out from his sweats before moving my heavy gaze to his. “You’re a pretty creative guy. I bet you could come up with something.”

  I flick my tongue against his thumb before slowly wrapping my lips around it, making him shudder almost silently, his thick shaft hardening instantly beneath me.

  I’ve got him.

  “Fuck,” he groans, rolling his hips against me before his full lips stretch into a wide grin. “You know, you really are good. If I didn’t know what a sneaky little shit you actually are, I totally would have walked right into that.”

  Son of a bitch.

  “Dammit!” I screech, sitting up straight and glaring at him as he releases the deep chuckle. “How long did you know I was lyin’?”

  “Well, it didn’t take long to piece your ridiculous little plan together. You only offer to suck my dick when you’re piss ass drunk or trying to get out of something and I’m pretty sure you’ve only let me get my way about three times in over a decade and even that was under duress,” he grins wide. “Before you start trying to pull some slick shit, you should consider your audience.”

  “I wouldn’t have to come up with ridiculous little plans if you’d grow a pair and tell Mason you’ve been fucking me for four months.”

  “Yeah… a guilt trip won’t work, either,” he shakes his head, still beaming. “You’re gonna have to do way better than that, sweetheart.”

  “Motherfucker!” I groan as I shake my head at him in frustration. “You suck.”

  “Aww, stop it, baby,” he teases as he affectionately pinches my side, pulling me back down onto his chest. “You’re gonna make me blush.”

  “I’m serious,” I manage, pouting as he wraps his arms around me, tighter than before. “You’re one of the worst boyfriends I’ve ever had.”

  “Well, then you’ve led a charmed life,” he chuckles, pressing his lips to my hair. “Don’t stress it, baby. We’ll figure it out, okay?”

  “You mean I will,” I retort grumpily.

  “No,” he shakes his head, the feel of his lips turning up slightly on either side as he bends to kiss my hair again soothing me. “I’m not actually gonna throw you to the wolves, ya drama queen. You should know better than that.”

  “Okay,” I nod, releasing the long breath I didn’t know I’d been holding in as I relax against him. “When do you think we should do it?”

  “I open the bar tomorrow and he’ll be there at around three before the rush,” he starts after a quick moment of consideration. “We’ll tell him then, okay?”

  “Yeah, okay,” I nod once more. “We’ll tell him then.”

  I go quiet, my nerves settling into my belly as I start to think about what the next day will bring. Although the feel of his fingers brushing over my lower back is soothing, I can’t help the anxiety of telling my brother we’d both been lying and keeping secrets from him for months.

  “Stop it,” Dash says quietly, swatting me gently on the ass.

  “I’m trying.”

  “It’s gonna be fine,” he promises. “He might be a little surprised, kinda pissed we didn’t tell him sooner, but after that, he’ll just be glad he found out from us and not someone else.”

  “You’re right.”

  “Obviously,” he jokes, making me smirk. “Seriously, babe. It’s gonna be fine.”

  I turn to face him, resting my chin on his chest as I meet his eyes.

  “Say you swear.”

  His eyes soften slightly as he takes in my worried expression and he bends to press his lips to my nose, the surprisingly sweet gesture making my heart warm as he pulls away.

  “I swear.”

  chapter four

  evie

  “Do you have to work the whole week I’m home?” I ask, pulling his eyes down to where I’m stretched out, head in his lap as he sips his beer in front of the television.

  I’m comfortable, but restless.

  Most people don’t mind that feeling, but I personally have always hated it.

  “Kind of. I don’t have to go into the garage, but I’ve still gotta go in for my shifts at the bar,” he sighs, his thumb brushing over my stomach. “Why?”

  “Just curious,” I shrug. “Was there anything you wanted to do while I’m here?”

  “I guess I hadn’t really thought about it,” he admits. “I figured we’d just hang out here.”

  “Oh…”

  “What?” he glances down at me.

  “Nothing,” I stifle an eye roll as I glance up at him from my spot on the couch, unable to keep from shaking my head and let out a long, low sigh.

  I should just go to bed, I think as I check the screen on my phone. When I see the time, I can’t help but let out the low breath that comes from that sore spot between boredom and resignation.

  “So, this is what rock bottom looks like, huh?” I deadpan, pulling his eyes to mine as he takes a long sip from his beer.

  “What are you talking about?” he asks, his eyebrows quirked together at my theatrics.

  “Ten fifteen on a Friday night and we’re already packin’ it in,” I shake my head. “Could we be more pathetic?”

  “I believe you can do anything you set your mind to, baby,” he smirks down at me, barking out a laugh when I smack him playfully. “Well, what do you want to do?”

  “I don’t know,” I shrug, sitting up and twisting to face him. “What do you wanna do?”

  “I’m fine doing this, baby.”

  “Really?” I ask, unable to keep the judgement from my gaze.

  “Yeah,” he says, smirking again when he sees my look of disgust.

  “So, that’s it?” I deflate. “You just wanna rot on the couch all week?”

  “Well, what do you want to do?”

  “Something… anything,” I admit. “We’ve been cooped up in the apartment since I got here, babe. I’m so bored, I’m on the verge of insanity.”

  “Hate to tell ya, sweetheart, but that ship sailed long before you walked into my apartment,” he chuckles, shielding himself from another light smack. “Well, baby, gimme a direction. I asked if you wanted to do something when I got home and you told me no.”

  “That’s not what I said,” I shake my head. “I said we had to be careful because Mason knows everyone and someone might see us and tell him we were together. I never said I didn’t want to do anything.”

  “Okay, so you’re afraid to leave on the off chance that someone tells Mason, who I might add is at work and only hangs out with me and your mother,” he laughs. “You don’t want to hang out here, but you have no other suggestions and this is somehow all my fault?”

  His eyes narrow in question at the same time I roll mine and stare up at the ceiling in defeat.

  “Forget it,” I shake my head, lifting myself from the couch. “I don’t even care anymore.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going to bed.”

  dash

  “Evie…”

  “It’s fine,” she cuts me off, making her way to the fridge for a bottle of water before she returns her eyes to mine with another sigh. “Seriously, it’s not a big deal.”

  “Obviously it is,” I argue. “I left work early so I could hang out with you and instead, you’re getting all pissy and going to bed mad.”

  “No, I’m not,” she says low as she shakes her head, making me arch an eyebrow. “I’m not mad, Dash. I promise.”

  “Well, what are you then?” I ask, standing and joining her in the kitchen, reaching for a beer before leaning against the counter across from her. “You’re definitely someth
ing.”

  “No, I’m not,” she lies, resting her head against the wall beside her. “I’m not anything.”

  “Evie,” I start, holding her eyes. “Don’t lie to me and piss us both off, babe. Just say what you’ve got to say.”

  “There’s nothing to say,” she shrugs. I watch her chew on her lip, not sure if she should say what she’s thinking before her blue eyes flash to mine for only a second, quickly moving back to where she’s fidgeting with the label on the water bottle. “I mean, I guess I just thought we’d have a little longer…”

  “Longer? Longer for what? What’s that mean?”

  “Nothing. It’s stup-”

  “I don’t care if you think it’s stupid. Just tell me,” I cut her off, not just over this game, but eager to know what’s bothering her so suddenly.

  She studies my features, biting on her thumbnail nervously before rolling her eyes and releasing a sigh.

  “Before this,” she gestures around us to the quiet apartment. “I know it’s stupid, but I guess I just thought when we decided we were together, even though we’ve known each other most our lives, we’d still get that sweet spot, ya know?” she finally admits. “That couple of months when everything’s all crazy and intense. When it’s all new and you do crazy shit together and you’re so enraptured with each other that you’re all mushy and annoying and completely obnoxious, but in a sweet way because it’s exciting,” she continues, the small smile fading from her lips as she releases a sigh. “And I mean, I guess we had that. We do have that, Dash. I feel all those things for you and I know you feel them, too…” she trails off, shaking her head.

  “But?”

  “No buts,” she whispers, swallowing hard and glancing down at her hands. “I really am okay with it. Surprised a little, but it is what it is. We know how we feel and that’s really all that matters. We’ve known each other a really long time, most of my life and half of yours,” she reasons. “So of course it’s going to be different and different is good. We’re comfortable, secure, happy… all the things everyone wants,” she meets my eyes, making it impossible to miss the disappointment she’s trying so desperately to hide. “I just… I think I expected that other part would last a little while… be something big and… I don’t know, a little bit crazy.”

  “Evie,” I start, but everything she’s said has taken the words from my lips and tossed them to the side. I reach for her, but she turns away and takes a step toward the hallway that will take her to my bedroom.

  “I really am pretty tired,” she says as I meet her gaze just in time for her to swallow the emotion she’s fighting back. When she glances back at me, she’s wearing a small smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “If it’s alright, I think I’m gonna go to bed.”

  “Of course. I mean, if that’s what you want,” I nod, bending to press my lips to hers and hating when she pulls away before I’m ready.

  “Goodnight Dash,” she whispers, turning quickly to make her way down the hallway.

  “Night.”

  evie

  “Baby, get out of bed.”

  “What?” I ask, slightly disoriented as I glance up at where he’s standing over me. It doesn’t feel like I’ve been in here long, the promise of sleep only moments away when he’d woken me. “What time is it?”

  “Time for you to get up,” he says, gently pulling the covers from my legs and reaching for me. “Come with me.”

  In the next movement he pulls me up, resting his hand on my waist to steady me when I stumble in the darkness of his bedroom. I taste his breath on mine, the warmth of his chest helping me gain focus as my eyes begin to adjust and I see him as clearly as the night will allow. He stares down at me for a moment before his fingers entwine with mine and he gently tugs me down the hallway behind him.

  “Dash,” I start, squinting and rubbing my eyes clear as the light hits me and we cross the living room. He pulls the sliding glass door open that leads to the balcony. “Baby, why are we going outside? I’m in my underwear.”

  “I won’t let anyone see,” he promises as we step out onto the porch, the lights from the city twinkling in the distance. “But it’s midnight on a Friday night,” he says low. “And even though you don’t want to risk going out, you still deserve to be annoying,” he smirks as he glances over his shoulder at me. “You have been working toward it your entire life.”

  His sarcastic jab makes me chuckle for a second before I meet his eyes in the darkness, still dancing in amusement at his own cleverness.

  “I appreciate what you’re trying to do,” I start, biting down on my lower lip as I stare up at him. “But I told you I was fine.”

  “I know, but you’re always whining about how I don’t listen to you,” he teases as he pulls me close, pressing his lips to my forehead as he rests his hands low on my waist as mine find their way to his chest. “I’ve gotta prove you wrong somehow, don’t I?”

  “Nice,” I smirk at his quiet chuckle.

  “Besides, what you said got me thinking,” he admits, glancing back out into the night before he returns his eyes to mine. “I kind of like the idea of being obnoxious with you.”

  Glancing up as he pulls away and finds my gaze, he lifts one hand from my waist, gently taking my hand in his and returning it to his chest. The other stays in place on my hip, his palm slipping under my soft cotton tank and gently brushing my waist.

  The breeze finds me, sending a slight chill over my skin. When I release a silent shiver, he pulls me closer and I savor in the feel of him surrounding me. A gentle sigh is leaving me when a quiet, melodic hum begins to leave his chest. It’s something familiar I can’t put my finger on right away. However, when he begins singing in a low rasp, I can’t help but feel my breathing catch slightly in surprise.

  He begins in a whisper, the lyrics of ‘Fire’ by Bruce Springsteen filling the night as I meet his green eyes. I’d never paid much attention to the words before, but as they spring from his lips, I hang on each and every one.

  I’m sure somehow, it was written just for this moment.

  “Dash,” I manage, swallowing the lump of emotion in my throat. “What are you doing?”

  “Something big… a little bit crazy,” he husks, pulling away and gently turning me in place before bringing him back to his chest and holding me closer, even tighter than before. “I might not always know what I’m doing, but if you think I’m not enraptured by you, you really are insane, Evie.”

  chapter five

  dash

  “Oh, my God,” I grumble as the sound of the knock travels from my front door. “I’m gonna have to fuckin’ move.”

  A quick glance toward the dim light coming through my bedroom window tells me exactly who it is. The only other person who would have the balls to show up on my doorstep before the sun is already star-fished across my mattress, none the wiser to the noisy intrusion that’s proving to be an annoying family trait.

  At least one of us is getting some sleep.

  I carefully move her arm from across my chest, holding back a frustrated chuckle when she rolls over and inadvertently smacks me hard across the forehead.

  You love her, I remind myself at my annoyance. She gives you lots of good fuckin’ sex. You don’t really want to cuss her out in her sleep, dude.

  Once I’m finally able to free myself, I pull on some sweats and close the bedroom door. As I make my way through my apartment, I glance around the living room for any sign of Evie and find her thong and a tank top from the night before. Quickly, I stash them behind my couch before I stumble toward the door and pull it open.

  “Did I wake you up?” Mason asks as I rub my eyes awake.

  “Why do you ask me that every morning?” I yawn. “You always wake me up. Asking implies that you didn’t mean to, which I think we both know is a crock of shit.”

  “Awww… sounds like someone hasn’t had his coffee yet,” he chuckles as he smacks my cheek, pushing the door closed. You love him, too. Don’t punch him in the fac
e, I remind myself as he heads toward my kitchen. “I take it you worked last night?”

  “Yeah,” I nod, propping myself against the edge of the counter, facing him for the first time since he came in. “I left early, but I didn’t go to bed until about three.”

  “I don’t know how you function on so little sleep, man,” he sighs, shaking his head as I deadpan. “I was in bed by ten thirty. I gotta get that full eight hours in.”

  “Do ya?” I ask sarcastically, flipping him off when he starts to laugh at my expression. “That’s great. I’m glad you’ve got your priorities in order, dick.”

  “Meh, you can sleep when you’re dead!” he smirks, giving me a brotherly pat on the shoulder. “I’m just screwing with you. I’ll let you go back to sleep in a second, I just wanted to stop in. If it wasn’t for these charming little coffee dates, I wouldn’t have seen much of you lately. You good?”

  “Yeah, man, I’m fine,” I yawn, turning to check the coffee pot, discreetly pushing Evie’s keys behind my toaster. “Just been working.”

  “Yeah, I know how it is,” he says, raking his palm over his face. “I feel like all I ever do is work anymore.”

  “Today your last day before vacation, though, right?”

  “Yeah,” he nods, thanking me for the coffee I’m handing him. “No students today since it’s the weekend, so I might get to leave a little early, but I’m not sure how much of a vacation it’s gonna be, though. I’ve got the bar and I’ll be working on shit at the house all week.”

  “What’s going on at the house?”

  “Random crap,” he shakes his head. “Just everyday bullshit I’ve been putting off. You gonna be around this week? If you’ve got time, I might be able to use your help with a few things.”

  “Sure, man.”

  “Thanks,” he offers before taking a quick sip and facing me again. “Oh, hey! How are things going with that girl?”