In the Raw

by Eileen Griffin

  “I gather it didn’t go well?”

  “Yeah. His dad pretty much tore him a new one in front of the whole kitchen.”

  “And that bothers you? You’d think you’d be happy, based on how much you claim to dislike him.”

  “It shouldn’t, but it does,” I admitted grudgingly, staring at my hands. “He didn’t wait for me after his shift, so I have to call him about some class shit.”

  “Alright. Give him a call.” She smiled at me encouragingly.

  I reached over to grab the phone. She handed me the note she’d scribbled Lassiter’s number on before. When Claire made no move to leave the room, I sighed and punched in his number.

  The phone rang and rang. I was about to hang up when a breathless Lassiter answered. “Hello?”

  For a second I stared at Claire, who made “go on” hand gestures. I cleared my throat. “Um, hey, Lassiter.”

  “Hey, Ethan.”

  I stared at Claire as she made more random gestures. Confused, I pulled the phone away from my mouth. “What?”

  “Ask him how he’s doing.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “You still there, Ethan?”

  “Um, yeah. I was calling to ask you about our project.” Awkward beyond belief. “We need to work on the project. You need to come over here. But Claire’s going to be here too.”

  God, I sounded like a dumbass. I let out a deep breath when he asked wryly, “Are you asking me if I want to come over and work on our project with you?”

  “Yeah, if you want to come over. No pressure. But we have to get going on it soon so we don’t get behind.”

  Claire mouthed again, Ask him how he’s doing.

  I covered the phone and whispered, “I’m not asking him about his feelings... Shit, Claire. We’re dudes. We don’t do touchy-feely bullshit.” I had the feeling karma was punishing me for my behavior during my sister’s teenage years when I’d harassed her every time a guy called our house.

  I snarled when she yanked the phone out of my hand and dodged me as I grabbed for it again.

  “Oh, hey, Jamie. Yeah, my brother is a social reject. Anyhow, how are you?”

  “Give me the phone,” I growled with annoyance.

  “Mmm-hmm. I’m sorry he’s like that. Ethan described him as a total asshole. But at least you showed your dad you’re a serious chef. Yeah, Ethan was thinking you could come over and you two could hang out and work on your project. I’ll make sure to leave you alone so you can get some work done.”

  I scowled at her. The idea of hanging out with Lassiter terrified me. Somewhere along the way I’d realized I was interested in getting to know him as more than my hot classmate and tutor.

  Claire continued, “Yeah, bring a few of your favorite snacks. We haven’t had the chance to make it out for groceries in the last few days what with classes, the scholarship crap and the fact I’m just now feeling human.”

  She paused and smiled slyly. “Sounds perfect. See you in a bit, Jamie.”

  When she hung up the phone and slowly smirked, I knew I was in trouble.

  “You like him.”

  I felt my eyebrows climb to my hairline at her words as I crossed my arms over my chest.

  “Lassiter? Yeah, no. We have nothing in common. We have our project to work on. That’s all.”

  “Right. And turning bright red and fumbling like Mr. Super Awkward was part of your usual Ethan charm?”

  “Fuck off, Claire.”

  “Bluster and growl all you want, but I know you, big brother. You may pretend to be Mr. Suave but only with your hookups. I know you’ve never brought anyone home with you before, but I also know you’re not exactly a monk.” She slowly grinned as the full implication sunk in and I felt my face flush with mortification.

  “I’m not discussing my sex life with you. Besides, he doesn’t want me that way.”

  She stared at me in disbelief.

  “I wish you both could see yourselves. God. If it wasn’t so comical, it’d be pathetic.” She gave me her no-bullshit look and sighed. “You can lie to yourself but the truth is plastered all over your face. You want him. And if you weren’t trying to convince yourself he doesn’t exist, you’d realize he wants you too.”

  I sucked in a breath. “He’s from a totally different world. Or were you too caught up with his fancy gift baskets and flowers to notice? I don’t want or need him. Neither of us does. We’ve always gotten by on our own and there’s no reason to change that now. I’ll make it through this project with him. No more. End of discussion.”

  I stalked into the kitchen. I needed a beer. Or five.

  “Ethan? Just listen—”

  I slammed the fridge shut and turned to glare at Claire.

  “We’re not doing this. At the end of the semester, Lassiter will have restaurants clambering all over him. Or better yet, he’ll walk through the doors of his dad’s company making more money than God. Either way, he’ll go his way. I’ll go mine. That’s the way things work in the real world. So can we stop all the emo crap? I’m exhausted.”

  “Ethan—”

  “When Lassiter comes over, we’re going to work on our project. Got it?”

  I turned and stalked off to my room. Maybe I was being an ass. Maybe some of what she’d said was true. At this point, I didn’t care. I slammed my bedroom door, stripped off my chef’s jacket and flopped on my bed with my eyes closed. I was tired of everyone else deciding what was good for me. My dad decided our family’s route in life when he left. The chefs at the Institute held my future in their hands with the decision on the scholarship. And now Claire was deciding what—no, who—was good for my love life.

  Jamie Lassiter.

  I rubbed a hand across my eyes and sighed. It didn’t matter how much I tried to stay away. I still found myself drawn to him the more time we spent together. It had been easier when I thought he was just another one of his dad’s mindless minions. Something in me had snapped when Lassiter turned on his own son.

  Over the course of the semester, one thing had become abundantly clear. I could pretend to ignore Jamie Lassiter and my attraction to him, but Claire was right. I wanted him.

  I groaned. What had I gotten myself into? I didn’t date. I didn’t do relationships. I hadn’t had time for more than the simple fuck and chuck over the years. Hell, I couldn’t remember the last real “date” I’d gone on. Lassiter pissed me off more than anyone I’d ever met in my whole life. But he was sexy, funny, smart and didn’t take my shit lightly.

  Behind my closed lids, the image of Golden Boy from my dream came rushing back to me. This time I wanted to watch his face as I leaned in to kiss him. His expressive eyes would darken and watch me hungrily and I wondered how he’d react if I brushed my lips over his. Would he drag me closer or push me away?

  I dragged my hand lower and tugged my chef’s pants and boxer briefs down and shivered when the cold air hit my flesh. The image of Jamie’s tongue darting out to swipe across his full bottom lip made my hips buck upward.

  As I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, I imagined sliding my hands into his hair. My body shook at the mental picture of Jamie’s lips parting, and a low noise he’d make in the back of his throat. Kissing him would be something to be savored, and I wondered if he’d taste as good as he looked.

  As I pumped my cock faster, I fixated on how he would feel under my body and not just in my arms. I wanted his lean muscles against mine, moving and grinding against me as I tangled my legs with his. My breath hitched and all I could see behind my closed lids was Jamie’s perfect mouth as I leaned in to kiss him, his tongue meeting mine hungrily as our lips moved together.

  A cry of lust mixed with longing escaped my lips as I rocked my hips forward. Hot jets of come hit my stomach and chest as the weeks of pent-up frustration finally came
to a boiling point. I groaned as it coated my hand.

  Panting and sweaty, I opened my eyes. Why the fuck was I fantasizing about kissing? I wiped my hand and body off on my discarded shirt and pushed up from the bed. I grabbed a fresh pair of boxers and headed to the bathroom.

  Because of Claire’s insufferable matchmaking, the one person in the world I shouldn’t be attracted to was coming over.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Jamie

  I shifted the bag of snacks and beer in my hands as I waited for Claire or Ethan to answer the door. I knocked again, wondering if they’d changed their minds, and fished out my cell phone to check for messages.

  After this morning’s events, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Before today, Ethan had made every effort to hide he wanted me. He’d also made it clear he despised everything about me and my family. And yet, this morning he had stood up for me in front of my own father. No one ever stood up to him, not even my mom.

  Sighing, I raised my hand to knock again. Before my hand could make contact, the door swung open revealing a half-naked Ethan Martin. He wore a sheepish look and a pair of unbuttoned jeans that rested low on his hips. His hair was still wet from a shower and he looked relaxed. Scratch that. He looked amazing.

  “Hey, Lassiter. Sorry, I didn’t know Claire was also in the shower and I didn’t hear the door.” He smiled and gestured for me to come in. The look transformed his usually intense expression and I wondered what had brought on the change. I realized I’d never seen him smile like this before. A surly and moody Ethan was darkly sexy. But a smiling Ethan was lethal.

  I swallowed hard as all the want I’d been trying to push down bubbled back up. Thankfully I’d worn a loose shirt and I quickly shifted the bulging shopping bag to shield my crotch.

  When he stepped back to let me enter the apartment, I greedily stared at his exposed skin. Colorful ink covered both arms and swirled across his collarbones and shoulders. A silver ring hung from each of his nipples and his skin rippled with lean muscle I ached to trace with my tongue. When he cleared his throat, I realized I’d missed his question.

  I stared at him guiltily when I realized he’d caught me checking him out. He stared, repeating his question as he flushed slightly. “I said, ‘How are you, Lassiter?’”

  “Oh. I’m okay.” I held out the beer as a peace offering and cleared my throat. “You?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. For a second I wondered if he’d take the bag of snacks and beer or leave me standing there the rest of the night. I blinked in shock when another slow smile spread across his lips. He pointed to the six-pack of beer in my hands. “I’m better now that I have the stink of the restaurant off me. And thanks. You shouldn’t have. Now what are you drinking?”

  When I opened my mouth, he cut me off with a wave of his hand. He laughed and took the beer out of my hands, leaving me holding the bag of snacks.

  “I’m kidding. Claire should be finished getting ready soon. You’ll have to put up with me until then.”

  He turned and gestured for me to follow him inside the apartment. I nearly moaned when I saw the ink on his leanly muscled back. I followed him, my fingers clenched tightly around the plastic bag. When he set the beer down next to the snacks I shoved the bags onto the counter and turned away to adjust myself.

  He grabbed a beer and shoved one across the counter toward me. My hand shot out to catch it before the glass bottle could slide off onto the floor. I took a deep breath to steady my nerves and popped the top off the beer.

  As I turned in Ethan’s direction to say something snarky, he bent over to shove the beer in the fridge. I froze as the above-the-ass dimples made an appearance.

  He looked up at me questioningly as he rummaged through the fridge. For a mortifyingly long second I wondered if I’d actually voiced my desperate need to touch him. I adjusted myself again when he looked away.

  “I asked how the rest of your shift went. Shit, Lassiter. Maybe you should have crashed. I know I should have.” He popped the top off the beer and tossed it at the countertop. “Toss yours there. I’d say throw them away but I like to piss Claire off with my sloppiness.”

  I set the bag down on the counter and shoved the bottle cap in my pocket. Pissing Claire off wasn’t high on my priority list.

  “My shift was okay. Chopping onions isn’t exactly taxing on the brain. And hey, I’m sorry if there was any trouble for you because of me and my...my dad.”

  He smirked at me. “Don’t worry about it. Getting angry voice mails means you’re badass. And badass beats kiss-ass any day.” He paused and grew serious, as if he wanted to say something else but reconsidered. “Anyhow, what are they going to do? Kick me out for voicing an opinion to someone who isn’t even associated with the school?” He shrugged.

  “Still, thanks for sticking up for me.”

  Ethan was quiet for a moment as he stared at me across the kitchen. He braced himself against the counter, his arms flexing as he leaned closer.

  “Someone should. No one has the right—”

  The bathroom door opened and Claire emerged fully dressed as Ethan hastily straightened up.

  “Someone should put on some damn clothes.” Claire leaned up to give me a quick hug and stepped back. “Honestly, E. He’ll think you were raised in a barn.” She ruffled his hair and I laughed as he batted away her hand.

  “What? I was in the shower. You’re lucky I’ve got this much on.”

  I sure as hell felt lucky he hadn’t put anything else on.

  “I’m lucky you’re wearing anything. Jesus.” She shook her head. “Nothing says awkward like walking in on your naked brother in the kitchen after you first move in together.”

  Ethan snickered. “What? I sleep naked. It was the middle of the night. I was half-asleep and I’d forgotten you’d moved in.”

  I closed my eyes. Please let me get through tonight without my obvious boner making it even more painful.

  “You alright, Jamie?” Claire sounded concerned. I needed to behave like I wasn’t some kind of pervert who got off on leering at her brother.

  “Yeah, I’m good.”

  She shot me a skeptical look but started digging through the bag I’d brought, pulling out snacks.

  “Ooh, salty nuts! They go perfectly with meat sticks.”

  “Who doesn’t love salty nuts?” I replied, trying for casual.

  I snickered when Ethan choked on his beer. His face flushed a deep red when I met his eyes and I gave him a smirk. I loved that for once he was unnerved like I always seemed to be.

  “Ethan, put a damn shirt on. Jamie, grab the snacks while I clear off the coffee table for you guys.”

  “Jesus, Clairebear. Could you be any bossier?” Ethan rolled his eyes.

  “Could you be any more half-naked? Get dressed.”

  He disappeared while we set out bowls of snacks. I sat down on the couch, balancing the bowl of popcorn she handed me and a beer. Ethan returned, now wearing a faded gray T-shirt, and plopped down at the end of the couch.

  “Move over, E. You know this is my spot.”

  She pushed on his shoulder. He scooted to the middle, sprawling out next to me, his thigh touching mine. I could feel the heat of his body through our clothes and I silently cursed Claire for being a couch hog in her own apartment.

  “Want a pepperoni stick?” Claire grinned and passed the bowl to Ethan, who took one as I settled back against the cushions.

  I focused on distracting myself. I grabbed a notepad and pen Claire had tossed on the table. I unwrapped a Tootsie Pop and licked the hard candy, closing my lips around it as I made notes. Next to me Ethan sputtered. Claire pounded him on the back.

  “You have got to start chewing your food, E.”

  “I was,” he grumbled.

  I looked at Ethan.
He stared back at me. After a few moments of awkward silence, Claire thumped her beer down on the coffee table.

  “Forget this. It’s Saturday night. I’m finally feeling better, even though I did hack up a lung and screw up spectacularly in the first round of the competition. For the last few days I’ve either been at work, at school, or stuck inside this apartment. Let’s go. You two can work on this tomorrow.”

  “What?” Both Ethan and I stared at her as she stood and padded over to the door. She shoved her feet into her shoes and grabbed her purse.

  “Sorry, but I’ve got to get out of here. Of course, you two can stay and sit here stewing in sexual tension all night.” She smirked.

  “Claire,” Ethan growled. I looked at him and wondered what they’d talked about before I’d arrived.

  “Yes, Ethan?” she sang sweetly.

  “You owe me.”

  “I owe you nothing, big brother. Come on, Seattle nightlife awaits, boys.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Ethan

  By the time we piled into the cab, I was still at a loss for a witty comeback to throw at my sister. Claire chattered the whole cab ride, totally oblivious to the tension as she sat sandwiched between me and Lassiter. She refused the front seat even though the cabbie had asked her twice if she’d be more comfortable up front. I was going to kill her when we got home.

  I rolled my eyes in exasperation as Jamie chuckled and Claire rattled on. Why did I feel like we’d been sent on a date with the world’s most embarrassing chaperone? I figured it was my payback after the way I’d bitched at her before I’d taken my shower.

  When we finally stopped at the bowling alley I kept my distance from Lassiter, not wanting to make this even more awkward. Claire, however, had other plans.

  “E, get us a lane and some shoes. Jamie, you’re in charge of finding us some balls. I’ll get the food. Meet at the lane in five minutes.”

  I was dying to make a joke about where Jamie could find some balls. Instead I snorted and flipped Claire off with the world’s laziest salute. “Yes, Drill Sergeant. Right away, Drill Sergeant.” Jamie laughed, watching our interaction. I shrugged. “And people think I’m the asshole.”