by Casey Diam
“You mean these?” Luke asked, holding up four bottles of beer and pushing the stainless steel fridge door closed with his hip.
It seemed, I was the only one looking to put our new place together right away.
“Thanks, dude.” Ryan held up his hand for a bottle of beer as Luke walked by.
“For what?” Luke asked, passing off a beer to Amber and Rob before holding one out to Paige, who shook her head. Instead of giving the remaining bottle to Ryan, Luke held it up. “Caleb, I got you.”
I grinned as Ryan complained, “That’s fucked up. Caleb can grab his own. He’s already in the kitchen.”
“Ryan, my lighter’s in the car. Could you be a babe and—”
“I swear, if you tell me to ‘fetch’ your lighter, Lisa,” Ryan said, holding up air quotations, “we’re going to have problems.”
“Fine, be a darling and...” Lisa pouted and stomped a foot. “But I like saying fetch.”
“You’re in college. Come on, you can find another word. Oh, wait, never mind. I forgot you’re studying, what, drama?”
“You don’t have to be a jerk. Please,” Lisa begged, “I’m so tired.”
“Fine.” Ryan shoved the last of his pizza into his mouth before pushing up from the floor and sucking the tips of his greasy fingers clean. “Now, while I’m downstairs, would you be a dear and fetch me a beer?”
“Of course,” she replied.
Over the next hour, Ryan, Calvin, and Amber finished the entire blunt out on the balcony and were high as a bunch of kites—though they swore they weren’t. Rob, Luke, Paige, and I had stayed inside, assembling all the beds in the rooms. Sometime later, the less functional group sat around the living room, trying to figure out how to put an end table together. Needless to say, it didn’t work out too well for them.
“I got you another one,” Amber said as she bent, replacing the empty bottle of beer I’d set next to me with a full one.
Without thinking or choice due to her proximity, I peered down her loose-fitting top to the black lace bra beneath. She stepped away, and I watched her a beat, wondering what that was about before my eyes shifted to Paige. She had been looking at me but then her gaze dropped to the table she and Rob was assembling.
As night touched down, the main purpose of everyone being here was forgotten. More beer was consumed, and the music coming from Calvin’s Bluetooth speaker grew louder. Ryan slid across the wood floor in his socks and started doing some ridiculous, hip-thrusting dance in a corner. Even Paige, who’d been quiet most of the evening, laughed. Getting down on all fours, Ryan crawled across the floor like a stripper, tossing his head back like he had a full head of hair and not his crew cut. I shook my head and took another swig of beer. I always controlled the amount of alcohol I drank, but tonight, I hadn’t felt like it.
“We should play Truth or Dare,” Amber suggested when Ryan’s entertaining session ended with him lying flat on the floor on his back.
“No.” I scowled.
“Why not? It’ll be fun.”
“Because it’s fucking juvenile,” Calvin replied.
If anyone could shut her up, it would be him. No matter how much she wanted to fight Calvin on any given thing, she knew better.
After a while, Luke turned on the television mounted over the fireplace, and everyone leaned against the still-plastic-wrapped white sectional sofa. Everyone but Paige. I looked around, trying to remember the last time I’d stolen a glance of her, but it had been a while.
So, I went in search of her. Her room door was closed.
I knocked, and without hearing an answer, I asked, “Can I come in?”
“Yeah.”
I stepped inside what seemed to be her safe haven. “Everything okay?”
She was sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed, knees drawn to her chest. “Yeah.”
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and when I pulled it out and saw it was Brad, I hit Ignore and ambled over to sit alongside Paige, stretching out my legs on the floor.
I showed her the phone in my hand before stuffing it into my pocket. “I have two different phones by the way. The one I use with you, and the other I use with Connor, his guys, and people at work.”
“That’s a good idea,” she replied, dropping her eyes to her knees.
I didn’t respond, but after a minute, she said, “You went somewhere last night.”
“You woke up?” She’d been asleep when I’d left for the hotel.
“Yeah.” A finger scratched at the tights covering her knee before she lifted her hand to curl an errant strand behind her ear.
“I went to Luxe.”
Her eyes lifted. “Why?”
“I had to see Brad when I knew he would be passed out. It was the only way I could get his blood. The nurse had agreed to come over, and she withdrew what she needed to do the DNA test.”
Paige’s mouth fell open. “You went to his suite with the nurse? What if he was awake? And how do you know she won’t say anything?”
“She won’t. That would put her job on the line, and I know Brad. Outside of the suite, he might be unpredictable, but inside, with his drugs, he’s a creature of habit.”
Her eyes dropped to her knees. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She had the most gorgeous face, so small with big blue eyes and a pink pout I’d left swollen with kisses more than a few times.
“Because you deserve a break from all these constant problems. I wanted to wait until I had an answer for you.”
“When will you get the results?”
“A few days, a week or so.”
I didn’t know why I’d told Paige that. Stacy Lenard, the nurse, had told me just three days. I supposed I knew I would need time to process what it would mean after I had proof that Alex Connor was my father and that Brad was my brother.
“Why are you in here instead of out there with everyone else?”
Paige went silent for a moment and then sighed. “I’m so different.”
“How so?”
“I don’t fit in. I don’t like drinking, and I don’t smoke. Your friends are fun, and I’m just...boring.”
“You’re not boring. You’re not familiar with them as yet, that’s all.” I lifted an arm to slip around her shoulders, but as my hand brushed her shoulder, she recoiled. A weight pressed down on my chest as I dropped my hand back to the floor between us.
This was what I had wanted, wasn’t it? Why I had told her she needed to date someone else? Why I’d been pushing her away even after we found out there was no way we could be related.
It was, but for her benefit. She deserved more than what I could ever offer her.
Still, I lived for those brief moments of connection, no matter how simple they were. As I was about to ask her about her reaction to my touching her, Lisa stuck her head inside the cracked door.
“Good, you’re dressed. Thought I was going to walk in on some crazy acrobatic sexcapade shit. You two might be gorgeous, but I’m not ready for that sight.” Lisa moved into the room like some belly dancer, her head and body swerving as if the music from earlier was still playing. “What are you two up to?”
“Nothing, just chilling,” I said.
“Oh. Well, I was checking to see if Paige was okay. I hadn’t seen her in a bit.”
I tapped my thumb on the floor, and said, “You guys are overwhelming.”
Lisa gasped, putting a hand over her mouth before a smile broke free. “I know we are, but we’re kind of okay once you get to know us. Kind of.”
Paige glared at me in disapproval.
“Actually, those were Caleb’s words, not mine,” Paige told her. “And I’m okay. I was about to make my bed and take a shower, that’s all.”
“So, if I asked you to sneak out with me to check out the pool, it would be out of the question or...”
The corners of Paige’s mouth drew upward. “Sounds fun.”
I wanted to kiss her, and as I imagined water glistening off her creamy
skin as she walked out of the pool, I wanted to—
Fuck.
Pushing myself up from the floor, I said, “I’ll get my shorts.”
“You aren’t invited, and don’t tell the others.” Lisa pointed to the door and then touched her index finger to the center of her lips. “It’ll be just Paige and me. We need girl bonding time. You know, because if we are all going to be friends, you and Calvin can’t keep her to yourselves.” Lisa folded her arms across her chest. “Calvin wouldn’t even give me her damn phone number.”
I frowned and looked at Paige, needing to know she was okay, but then I remembered how little she actually needed me. She’d been running and fighting on her own long before me. So, I pulled my phone from my pocket, nodded, and walked to my own room to return my missed call.
Brad answered after a few rings. “You haven’t been in your suite.”
“So?”
“For weeks. Where have you been?”
“How’s that your business?”
“It is my business because now, I have to tell Dad,” he snapped.
“So loyal, aren’t you, little brother? Tell me, how would Connor feel about his favorite son’s habitual drug use at his legit business?”
“Think of it as a level of importance, Caleb. A little drug use or a big, suspicious red flag, revealing his least loyal son’s recent activities.”
Hating that he was right, I ground my molars.
“Yeah, that was what I thought. I thought that little mishap a few weeks back would get you back on track. But I think you’re forgetting how much he owns you. How much I own you. By the way, have you been watching the news lately? Pretty little thing, wasn’t she?” Brad laughed. “But you know what the best part is, Caleb? You did it. Everything leads back to you. You were the one she came to see that night. Not me.”
Blood pumped through my veins, and I chucked the phone across the room and watched it smash against the wall. The cover flew in the opposite direction of the body before it all clattered to the floor. With my heartbeat racing and my fists curled at my sides, I paced, feeling trapped. I needed to get out of here.
Chapter Seven
Paige
Lisa waved her arms back and forth, treading the water in the deep end of the pool. “I can’t believe you only have a one-piece swimsuit with that body. It literally looks like something I wore in the eighth grade. I’m assuming you don’t go to pool parties?”
“No, and I’m not much of a socialite. And you aren’t even in a swimsuit.” Liking the way our voices echoed through the room, I closed my eyes and lay backward until I found my buoyancy. It seemed no one else liked to swim after nine on a work night. If this turned out to be the case every night, it would be my favorite pool time. “Do you go to a lot of pool parties?”
“I go to all the parties. But, yeah, the pool ones are great, too.”
“In your thong and bra?” I smiled.
Lisa had decided to jump in wearing what was beneath her clothes since we were by ourselves.
“Nah. Sometimes, in a bikini. One or two times, nude.”
I opened my eyes and stared at the plain ceiling. I hadn’t expected that. “Really?”
“Yeah, it was a dare the first time. The second time, I was wasted.”
“Skinny-dipping at a party? Weren’t there a lot of people there?”
“Oh, yeah. The second time, Amber and I did it, someone videoed the whole thing on their phone.”
“Oh my God.” The fear of that kind of reality caused me to start sinking, so I let my legs drop and rotated to face Lisa.
“It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. It happened at night in an outside pool, and the video quality was shitty. Anyway, what do you do for fun?”
“Not much. Mainly go to the gym and read.”
“Oh.” She frowned. “I don’t read anything besides my college books, and by reading, I mean, scanning over words before an exam. And, I don’t work out at all. There has to be something we have in common.”
“How are you so toned if you don’t work out?”
“Maybe all the dancing at clubs,” she said with a smile and then added, “and sex. Hmm, I guess I do work out a lot.”
My cheeks flamed, having nothing to do with the heated pool.
“Oh gosh, you don’t like talking about sex. That’s too adorable.”
“Is it that obvious?” I asked.
“No, but how is Caleb in bed? I heard he’s packing some serious tool.”
I held my breath, sank to the bottom of the pool, and stayed for a few seconds before resurfacing to Lisa’s laughter.
“I’m just messing with you, but yeah, it’s really obvious. So, I’m apologizing from now because I talk about sex. A lot.”
I thought about her words. She’d said she heard.
“Does that mean you haven’t slept with Caleb?” I whispered, though my voice still echoed.
Lisa shook her head. “I wouldn’t try to be your friend without putting that out there first, but no, I haven’t, and I don’t plan to. I know you like him.”
I chewed on my lip, not knowing what to say to that.
“Anyway, I don’t know what’s going on between you and Caleb since you two threw out the friend word, but Miller has been asking about you.”
I swallowed, forcing out the words I also needed to hear. “There’s nothing going on between Caleb and me.”
She looked at me for a second before she lay back and did a few backstrokes. While she did that, the cocky, brown-haired college football player with green eyes popped in my head; however, it wasn’t Miller who’d been occupying my thoughts day and night. It was the black hair, brown-eyed beauty with the sexy five o’clock shadow. The one who Amber had been flirting with tonight.
Caleb was right about one thing, I needed to date someone or at the very least find something or someone to take my mind off him. He wanted me in his life as a friend, and if I wanted him in a way he didn’t want me, it would ruin everything. Then I’d have to go back to having no one. Tears welled in my eyes, and I took in a few breaths to regain control.
I swam to the wall, putting me at the opposite end of where Lisa had drifted. When I grabbed on to the edge, I heard her voice.
“We’re all going to this pool party on Sunday. And by all, I mean Amber and me. Maybe Calvin, too. Anyway, I think Miller will be there. You should come. It’ll be fun.”
I hesitated, not wanting to be that awkward girl in the corner with no friends at a party. “I don’t know.”
“Come on. It’ll be fun. We can go shopping tomorrow, and if you absolutely hate hanging out with us, you never have to again. I will forever leave you to your books and the gym. But you know what I think?”
“No, not really.”
“I’m thinking that it’s time you explore all life has to offer, Paige. Let me be your guide.”
A smile tugged at my lips.
“Oh no. Let her not be your guide. Lisa, come on, are you trying to become enemies with my best friend?”
I looked over my shoulder to see Calvin running toward the pool. He leaped up into the air, tucked his knees to his chest, and plunged in. Water sprayed everywhere, and I ducked under the surface to avoid the splash.
When the water settled around us, I said, “Caleb won’t care if I hang out with Lisa.”
“He probably won’t, but that isn’t the point. You should let me be your guide. You like me the best—you said so yourself.” Calvin grinned.
“I said that because I’d only spent time with you.”
“Exactly,” Lisa said from the other side. “Poor girl doesn’t even know what she’s been missing out on, hanging out with you and your moody best friend.”
“Remember when I said Lisa could be a good friend? I take it back. Pick me. I’m better.” Calvin turned away from me and swam toward Lisa.
For the next few minutes, it was the three of us, and then Amber showed up. She’d been in shorts all day, so instead of getting in with us,
she sat at the edge and let her feet dangle inside the pool.
“How did you guys find us?” Lisa asked. “Did a certain someone I’d sworn to secrecy say something?”
“I hadn’t seen you in a while, and then Calvin disappeared, too, so I wandered around,” Amber responded, also mentioning how the guys had discovered a beer vending machine down the hall, which was where the rest of them were because, apparently, they’d walked right into the greatest thing ever invented. “I have to tell you, Paige, I’m so jealous. Not only is this place awesome, but also you get to hang out with all of Caleb’s gorgeous friends.”
“I guess I’m kind of lucky,” I said, trying to focus on the positive, not the reason I was moving in with them in the first place.
“So, am I the only one curious about who’s staying in the fourth room?” Amber asked.
“Don’t worry about it. Just know that it’ll never be you,” Calvin said before swimming to the edge of the pool and getting out.
I followed him because I’d been in the pool too long, been away from Caleb for too long.
Damn it! Why do I feel this constant need to have Caleb around?
“Calvin!” Lisa exclaimed. “That wasn’t necessary. You’re being a jerk again. Seriously, what the heck is going on with you two?”
I should’ve felt bad because he always treated Amber this way, but instead, I was relieved. I didn’t want Amber to move in with us because then I’d have to watch whatever was happening between her and Caleb, continue to read into the way she’d been looking at him. I shouldn’t think like this. I shouldn’t be jealous. But it was the same reason I’d pulled away from his touch tonight. If there was the slightest chance he wanted her, he could have her. I just didn’t want his hands on me after. I wanted him too much.
I might have told him what we had done together wasn’t a big deal, but it was a big deal, and I just hoped he knew that.
Chapter Eight
Caleb
The next day went by without any run-ins with Brad at Luxe. Any day I didn’t see him at the hotel was immediately a better day than it would have been. So, I left work early, and after purchasing a new phone, I stopped by the underground bar to let them know I would be playing tonight. It was the only thing other than sex that made me feel some kind of calm inside. But sex was the last thing I wanted if it wasn’t with Paige.
