“I think she looks pretty!” Abbi declared from the bleachers directly in front of us where she sat with Cate, Lucy, and Evan. It was safe to say I loved my little sister at that very moment.
“Thank you, honey,” I smiled.
“She looks naked is what she looks like,” Dad grumbled just before Chloe reached up and smacked him in the back of the head. “What?” he asked, looking at her, trying his best to appear innocent. “Can’t a father worry about his daughter’s wellbeing? I mean she’s liable to catch pneumonia wearing that ridiculous costume.”
Ethan leaned around me to tell my father, “That’s exactly what I said.”
I put my palm to his face and shoved him back before turning back to my dad. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with my costume,” I snapped, my hands on my hips as I shot lasers his way.
“It’s short,” he replied.
“It’s fine,” I gritted back.
“I can see too much of your legs.”
“I wanna be a cheerleader next year!” Cate shouted.
“Over my dead fucking body,” Dad responded, giving Chloe no choice but to hit him in the back of the head again.
“Derrick! Language!”
Knowing there was no way he’d win, not with Chloe and Harlow on my side, he grumbled unintelligible words under his breath and turned his gaze back toward the field, pouting the entire time.
I moved to take my seat on the cold metal bleacher between Harlow and Ethan when someone called my name.
“Eliza?”
My head turned to the left and I smiled when I spotted the person who’d just called out. “Hey Kevin.”
Kevin Vincent had been in my grade all through school. We’d never really been friends, more like casual acquaintances since he was always chronically awkward and shy growing up. He went off to college after graduating and had only recently come back. I remembered thinking that becoming an adult had worked a miracle for him. Gone was the shy teenager that I’d known for years, and in his place was an extremely attractive man. One of the things that made Kevin even more attractive to all the women in Pembrooke was the fact that he hadn’t shed the mentality that he’d had all his life. So on top of his good looks, he was very humble and sensitive.
And that worked wonders for him from what I’d heard through the Pembrooke grapevine.
“Wow,” he returned my grin, a hank of his brown hair falling forward across his forehead, “I love your costume. You look great.”
I chose to ignore my dad when I heard him mutter, “Should have brought my goddamned gun,” under his breath.
“Thank you.” I looked at Ethan to find him glaring daggers in Kevin’s direction. “Scoot down,” I told him, pulling his attention to me where I was still standing.
“What? Why?”
“So I can talk to Kevin without having to lean over you.”
His brow furrowed with an intense frown. “But this is my seat.”
My head fell back on a groan at his overprotectiveness. “For the love of God. Just move down! It’s not that big of a deal.”
After a few seconds, Ethan finally moved, albeit reluctantly, putting me between him and Kevin.
I sat, ignoring the cold metal penetrating my (only slightly too short) skirt and took in his red and white striped shirt and cap, and his black framed glasses and asked, “Where’s Waldo?” with a little laugh. “I like it.”
“Thanks.” His cheeks flushed just a bit as he looked down.
“He looks like a douche,” Ethan muttered only loud enough for me and Harlow to hear. I cut a seething look at him over my shoulder before turning back to Kevin with a grin, determined to put Ethan, his overbearing ways, and his too good looks out of my mind while I had a friendly conversation with someone I’d known for years.
“So you like football?”
“Not really,” he chuckled. “I’m just here to support the school. Never really was into sports all that much. I was more about studying than athletics, if you’ll remember.”
I gave him a smile that promptly turned to grinding teeth when I heard Ethan’s quiet chuckle, followed by an equally quiet, “Are you fucking kidding me with this guy?”
“Well that’s nice of you,” I told him even though it was becoming more and more difficult to ignore the man sitting on my right. As if his behavior wasn’t bad enough, the damn man insisted on sitting pressed right up against my side. Only good thing about his invasion of my personal space was that he was warming that side of my body. However, the other half was so cold I was beginning to worry I’d lose feeling in it.
Kevin and I talked more throughout the first two quarters of the game. I’d occasionally get pulled away by the action taking place on the field and lose myself jumping up and down, cheering along with my family and friends for our team whenever they made a touchdown or interception, but to his credit, Kevin just smiled indulgently. It was after our second interception that I sat back down and noticed the appreciative look on his face as he eyed my legs beneath my skirt.
There were no butterflies in my stomach, no sparks when I looked at Kevin, not like the ones I felt whenever Ethan brushed against me, or leaned over to whisper about a play that just happened in my ear, or even when he pulled me into a hug after a particularly awesome touchdown, but he was a nice enough guy so I didn’t want to draw attention to it and risk embarrassing him.
I shivered and turned my eyes back to the field, wrapping my arms around me and rubbing my arms in order to create heat.
“You cold?” Ethan asked, his warm breath skimming across my ear, causing me to shiver again, only this time for a much different reason.
“I’m fine,” I lied, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of being right. The brotherly antics were wearing on my very last nerve.
His face was still unnecessarily close as he chuckled. “Liar.”
Just then, Kevin chimed in, “If you’re cold, I could get you some hot chocolate from the vendor stand.”
“Oh.” His offer was unexpected but totally welcome, seeing as my insides were beginning to frost. “That would be great. Thank you so much.”
“No problem.” He stood and gave me another of those shy smiles. “I’ll be right back.”
“What are you doing, talking to that asshole?” Ethan asked in a low growl the moment Kevin began descending the bleachers.
My head whipped around to find he was so close we were almost nose to nose. “He’s not an asshole,” I bit. “He’s a sweet guy. Maybe you should pay attention to how he acts. Women actually appreciate that kind of behavior.”
His head jerked back slightly. “It’s a bullshit act, is what it is. He’s playing you.”
“You’re crazy! He’s not playing me!”
“I’d bet my left nut that shy, nice guy shit is all an act just to get in your pants.”
“Oh my God!” I shouted, throwing my hands in the air. Luckily, our team just did something on the field to make the whole crowd cheer so my outburst went unnoticed. “This is ridiculous, Ethan. “You’re the one being an asshole. For your information, Kevin’s always been shy. It’s how he was all through school.”
“Maybe,” he shrugged, “but that’s not the case now. My guess is he’s grown into his looks and knows that awkward-as-fuck blushing shit works on the ladies because most of you are suckers. Trust me, he wants to fuck you.”
I wanted to slap him so bad. My palm was actually itching for it. “You know what’s bullshit? Your overprotective brother routine. That’s bullshit! You have no right to judge Kevin when you don’t even know him. And newsflash, dickhead. I’m an adult now. I don’t need or want you wading into my business so you can save my virtue or some shit.” Leaning close, I hissed quietly so only he could hear. “My virtue’s long gone and has been since junior year in the back seat of Kenneth Randall’s Ford Focus. So back the hell off!”
I was too wrapped up in my own anger to notice Ethan’s face had turned an alarming shade of red so deep it almost loo
ked purple, or that the muscle in his jaw was ticking like crazy.
“Where the fuck is Randall? I’m going to beat his ass.”
“God! Stop! Just stop, okay? I don’t need you looking out for me anymore. I don’t need a big brother.”
“That’s what you think I’m doing? Being a big brother?” Something about his tone seemed off.
“Just…” I paused, somewhat losing steam at the sight of his golden colored eyes flashing with something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. “Just treat me like you would any of your other friends. You said that’s what you wanted, right? To be my friend again?”
“Yes,” he all but growled the one word.
“Then act like it.”
His eyes closed and his chest rose and fell with a deep breath before his lids opened and he focused on me once more. “I don’t like that guy.”
Something in my belly whooshed. and I struggled to decipher if it was a good whoosh or a bad one. The intensity in his gaze and the resoluteness of his words was something I’d never experienced with him before. The actions were the same as how he used to be years ago, but it just… felt different.
Doing my best to push it to the back of my mind, I shook my head and replied, “I don’t care. It’s not up to you who I associate with.”
His whispered, “Fuck,” came out garbled as he leaned back to run a hand over his face. With his body having moved away from mine, and the tension dwindling, becoming less of a distraction, I shivered again as the cold seeped back in.
“Shit,” Ethan grunted. Leaning further away from me, he said something to Chloe that I wasn’t able to hear. Seconds later, he straightened, but this time with a fluffy blanket in his hands. “Come here,” he said, moving into me.
“What? Why?” Ignoring my instincts, I slid away, needing space between us.
“Just come here, would you? Stop sliding away.” One of his arms hooked around my waist and yanked until my side was flush against his.
“What are you doing?” I asked as he shook out the blanket and proceeded to drape it around both our shoulders.
“I’m cold too. Killing two birds with one stone.”
“Oh.” I couldn’t bring myself to pull away again. Not only because the blanket and Ethan’s massive body were providing much needed warmth, but because being snuggled under it next to him as he looped his arm back around my waist and held me close just felt… good. Too good. Dangerously good. But I was too weak to put a stop to it.
“Here you go,” Kevin’s cheerful voice called out, pulling me back into reality. When my head turned to face him, I was surprised to see the surprise and, if I was reading it correctly, disappointment on his face. Ethan must have noticed it at the same time I did because his arm tightened around me and pulled me closer.
Kevin tried his best to mask the emotions I’d just seen on his face by giving me a somewhat wooden grin. “I didn’t realize you two were together.”
Oh. “Oh! No! We’re not!” My argument came more from a self-preservation standpoint than anything else, because just as I moved away from Ethan’s arm every fiber of my body protected against it. “We were just cold and sharing the blanket.” The words felt dry in my mouth, heavy on my tongue, but I forced them out since they were the absolute truth.
His smile became less stiff and he sat down next to me and passed me a hot chocolate at the same time Ethan’s whole body grew stiff against me.
To say the rest of the game was uncomfortable would have been the understatement of the century.
17
Ethan
That fucker asked her out.
Right in front of me. I had to hand it to the guy. He had that nice guy bullshit down pat while still having balls big enough to make a move on Eliza with me sitting Right. Fucking. There.
It took every ounce of willpower I had not to knock the guy’s teeth down his throat when the game ended and, instead of moving with the rest of the crowd as they began exiting the stadium, he turned and asked Eliza if she’d like to go to dinner with him the following Tuesday.
And she’d hesitated. I knew she did, I could feel it when I pressed close to her. She wanted to say no, or at the very least she was uncertain. But because I was a fucking idiot, I’d run my mouth and pushed her, basically leaving her feeling like she had no choice but to say yes, even if it was just to fuck with me.
Which was exactly what she did.
It was already Sunday evening and I was still stewing over it, pissed at myself for pushing her when I knew she’d react. Pissed at her for reacting. And pissed at that bastard for encroaching on what I was quickly starting to think of as my territory. On many levels Eliza had always been mine. She was my best friend, my confidant, more mine than anyone else’s in most of the ways that mattered, and now that I had her back in my life, I struggled to suppress the need to make her mine on all levels that mattered.
And now she was going out on a fucking date.
And I wanted to shove my fist through something every time I thought about it. Not the most preferable mood to be in when I was with Harlow and Noah as they took Evan around town to trick-or-treat.
I’d considered turning them down when they asked if I wanted to join them, but keeping myself holed up in their house with only PT with Fletch as my human interaction wasn’t doing anything to help my foul mood so I’d agreed. We’d been at it for an hour and a half already, and I’d started to regret my decision, feeling an annoying headache from the masses of screaming kids everywhere, when we rounded a corner and I saw her.
“Cate! Abbi!” Evan yelled before taking off their direction, the fake light saber at his side nearly impaling a few kids along the way. There was no stopping the grin that started to tip my lips when Eliza caught sight of me, her eyes going wide, then guarded in an effort to mask the fact that she wasn’t sure how to react around me. Any other guy would have considered those shutters she slid into place to be from disinterest, but I knew her better than that, and my gut told me it was something more.
She looked amazing. The faded jeans hugged her legs and hips to perfection, leaving me to believe that they worked the same miracle on her ass. The long sleeve, V-neck t-shirt wasn’t anything special, but it was tight enough to dip in at her waist and low enough for just a glimpse of cleavage. Her hair was down and blowing in the soft breeze, and I had no doubt it smelled like almonds and vanilla. At that moment I’d have given anything to bury my face in her hair and inhale. Only thing that would have made it any better was if she were naked, in my bed, underneath me.
“Hey guys,” my sister waved as Eliza, along with Chloe, her dad, and her little sisters stopped on the sidewalk next to us. “How’s trick-or-treating going so far?”
“I got like, a million pieces of candy!” Abbi — who’d clearly already dipped into her stash — yelled as she held a bulging bag up over her head.
Chloe and Eliza held up large plastic cups with lids and straws as an answer, judging by the color of the liquid inside each they filled to the brim with red wine.
“Nice,” Harlow nodded. “Why don’t I ever remember to do that?”
“Because you always know I pack extra,” Chloe answered, sliding a backpack off her back and pulling out a thermos.
“And this is why we’re best friends,” Harlow said as she snatched the thermos from Chloe’s hand and chugged.
“I’m a princess,” Abbi exclaimed, pulling my attention off her oldest sister and down to her. Her hands held out both sides of her skirt as she swayed side to side to show off the glittery material of her princess dress.
“And a beautiful one at that,” I told her with a smile.
“It’s not as cool as a cheerleader, but Mommy said Daddy would have a corny…cornair…cor…in…ary,” she finally managed on her last try.
“And Mommy was right, sweetheart,” Derrick answered, pulling her against his leg as he wrapped an arm around her, looking a little pale at just the thought of it.
A snort coming from be
side me had me turning to see Eliza trying in vain to stifle a laugh as she sucked on her straw.
I studied her flushed cheeks and the slight glassiness of her gorgeous hazel eyes, and gasped in fake shock. “Eliza Anderson, I can’t believe it. You’re taking your little sisters trick-or-treating drunk!”
Her cheeks grew redder as she giggled. “I’m not drunk.” She so was. “I’m buzzed. I’m just remembering my father’s face before we left when I told him I planned on wearing my cheerleader costume to take the girls out tonight.” The giggles grew in frequency. “I thought that vein in his forehead was going to burst!” Then she dissolved into laughter, followed quickly by an equally buzzed Chloe, and Abbi and Cate who had no clue why they were laughing, but decided to join in on the fun anyway.
“More candy!” Evan yelled like a battle cry, and the girls joined right in, giving us adults no choice but to follow along after them as they ran up to another house to add to their loot.
We walked behind the rest of the crowd in silence for a few houses as Eliza finished off the rest of her wine. I didn’t want to be the one to break the silence. The ball was in her court. I’d made stupid mistakes already, and I was determined not to keep making them by pushing her. I wanted to talk to her, to hear her voice, but I was going to wait her out. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long.
“Your knee isn’t bothering you walking around on it?”
I glanced over to find her eyes focused on the brace on my leg, her eyebrows dipped in a cute little frown. “You worried about me, sweetheart?”
Her head shot up, gaze meeting mine, and I gave her that grin that had worked in my favor for more years than I could count when it came to women. A grin I learned moments later Eliza was immune to.
“Don’t you give me that look,” she demanded. “I’ve seen that look before. I saw it when you were trying to hook up with Peggy Cafferty… and Samantha Williams… and Sherry Line—”
Welcome to Pembrooke: The Complete Pembrooke Series Page 31
