Just One Night

by C. A. Harms

  “Look,” Em announced, “my boobs sparkle when I move.”

  This got a wide-eyed look from Blake. As one of the few girls who hung out at this house often, she knew without a doubt that Em just dug herself a hole with that comment. She would never live that down, Corbin wouldn’t let her. By this time tomorrow everyone in the house would know.

  Emelie didn’t seem to mind whatever it was going on behind the door, but Clayton, he was pissed.

  Suddenly the door came flying open and there he stood in a pair of boxers. Even I could see he glimmered in the light each time he shifted. The guy even had fucking glitter in his hair and hanging from his eyelashes.

  Corbin and Blake moved back, and Blake couldn’t stop laughing. She was doubled overholding her stomach. She understood just how untouchable she was, I mean, she slept with the grizzly. If you touched her you dealt with Eli, and when it came to his girl he was fierce.

  When Clayton settled on me, I held my hands up in the air. “Don’t look at me, I’m no part of this. I was just walking by and saw these two knuckleheads with their ears stuck to your door.”

  “You were actually listening to us?” That only managed to infuriate Clay more.

  “Please,” Blake fanned her hand, “we waited until it sounded like you two were finished with your mattress sports and waited patiently for the acknowledgement that you’d been sparkled.”

  Just then Em stepped into the doorway and looked around at all of us. A huge glob of glitter was plastered to her cheek.

  “Hey, Sparkle Tits.” We all looked toward Corbin, and before any of us could say a word, he hit the floor, Clayton on top of him, threatening his life. Probably not the best nickname to call your brother’s girl, but hey, that was between them.

  I stepped around them and just as I reached the top of the stairs, I glanced back and wondered, is that what Jay and I looked like the morning he’d found his sister sneaking out of my room?

  Chapter Nineteen

  Jade

  “The designs really are terrific, Jade.” I remained seated as I stared at the computer screen. Yvonne was ecstatic as she looked over the brochures in her hand. She’d contracted me to create a portfolio so that she had all her work in one place. She was a wedding planner and honestly, she was somewhat of a genius.

  The idea was to have one place that displayed her best work, along with all her pricing, etcetera. A webpage in a booklet, one she could pass out at shows, display at shops, and so on.

  Her excitement, her appreciation, it was such a boost. This was big for me, it meant I had my foot in the door and it could lead me to bigger and better things. So much of my work was small tasks, upkeep to webpages, creating flyers, and so on. This, it was the first time I allowed myself to step outside of the box.

  “I can’t wait to share these all over.”

  I spent the next ten minutes listening to her gush about my work and how she planned to share my business cards with everyone.

  I woke up this morning feeling as I always do, down and out. Wondering where today would lead me, feeling inadequate, and honestly somewhat of a failure. I battled with the idea of calling my father to tell him about the baby but then I thought why. Why, when he would chalk it up at one more failure and make me feel like I was nothing more than a burden. Toss some money at me in hopes that I’d leave him alone and that was something I couldn’t take.

  Closing my laptop, I stood up and pulled off my sweatshirt. It made no sense. I had it freezing inside my tiny space but wore a sweatshirt because I was freezing. Lately though I woke up throughout the night kicking off the sheets due to being overheated. I was a mess, I knew this.

  Tossing it over my computer chair, I stretched my arms above my head and my stomach picked that moment to growl loudly. Today I felt good, the morning sickness had subsided and I felt like I could breathe without fear of running for the bathroom.

  Placing my hand over my stomach, I smiled remembering the way Isaac seemed in awe when we heard the heartbeat. It hadn’t been my first time, but it had been his and his reaction was beautiful. Not what I had expected, but then again he as a whole was surprising me daily. He was the exact opposite of everything I thought he was.

  My phone pinged announcing a text message and I grabbed it from the desk, smiling the very instant I saw his name on the screen.

  It wasn’t words but a picture and it made me laugh.

  Donuts, a dozen of them in a bright pink box. Six chocolate frosted and six glazed, almost like he knew me or something. That simple gesture alone made me hopeful, which was the exact opposite of what I needed to be. He wasn’t here because of me, he was here because turned out he was a good guy. He couldn’t walk away because of the baby.

  Isaac: If you let me in, I might share with you.

  Looking toward the door, I felt my heart do a crazy flutter as it raced with the idea that just on the opposite side stood the guy I couldn’t fall for. I had to keep things casual and friendly. If it fell apart and things got ugly, it could lead to an entire string of unwanted events. There was too much at stake now, a little life counted on us to be adult about this.

  No matter how much my body wanted more, my heart knew we couldn’t.

  Opening the door, I was met with Isaac holding out the box of yumminess in one hand and what I assumed was a coffee in the other. “It’s decaf,” he added, and laughed when I scowled. “My mother said a little is okay, and since it’s ten in the morning I figured you’ve already exceeded the allowed amount.”

  Taking the cup, I stepped back and then it dawned on me what he actually said. “Wait, your mom?”

  “Yeah.” Stepping in, he leaned over and kissed my cheek. “The conversation was much smoother than I thought it would be.” He never pulled away completely as he watched me carefully. “It would seem that both she and my father are excited to become grandparents.”

  The acknowledgement of his words, and of his closeness was an overload to my senses. I should pull away, I should move to the opposite side of the room, but my body wouldn’t budge.

  “I look for them to show up here instead of continuing on with the world travel. There was talk of finding a place to settle in and enjoy the little one.”

  I nodded, but honestly, all I could manage to focus on was the movements of his lips. The lift of the left corner, the appearance of a dimple, it was all too much.

  Then it hit me when he looked down and I followed his gaze.

  I was wearing nothing more than a tan top, no bra, and my body’s reaction to his was completely noticeable.

  I could do one of two things. I could allow myself to ignore it and grab the donuts, scarfing them down like a crazed woman needing to drown out her other desires with the use of food, or I could give in. I could forget the food and instead get lost in Isaac. We’d done it before and still we were able to be in the same room with one another. No uncomfortable weirdness. We could be that again, right?

  “Did I interrupt something?”

  Meeting his stare, I swallowed past what felt like a knot in my throat and gave my head a little shake. “No.” Grabbing the donuts, I went for option one and headed toward the kitchen. On the way I picked up my sweatshirt and hurried to put it back on before I faced him once more.

  Something had shifted in his features and I wasn’t sure if it was disappointment or acceptance.

  “I was actually finished with work, so—” I let the sentence die as I flipped open the lid on the donuts. I was fully aware of him moving in closer. My body was fully aware, which irritated me.

  How was I supposed to keep this thing between us comfortable and friendly when I remembered what being with him felt like?

  “So are you feeling better?”

  Nodding, I lifted a donut from the box and watched as the chocolate that surrounded it coated my fingertips. Honestly, at this very moment even though I was hungry I didn’t want to eat. I wanted to tell him to scratch my itch that he had managed to trigger and then when he was done,
I needed him to scratch it again. Oh my God, what was wrong with me?

  “Are those not the right kind?”

  Shifting my gaze, I looked away from the goodness I was holding in my hand and instinctively licked my lips. And yes, he watched the movement.

  Damn it, why did I do that?

  Impulsively, I took a big bite of the donut to keep myself from saying something like, forget the food, I want you instead.

  “These are perfect,” I said around a mouthful of donut. With no regard to my appearance or how unappealing I was for stuffing my mouth with donut, I pressed on. Make him cringe, repulse him with my ghastly actions, yes do that.

  The problem was all he was offering me was a pleased smile. As if seeing me gorge myself on frosted dough was a turn on.

  How would I not jump this man and ruin everything? Lord give me strength, I was in desperate need of it.

  ***

  “I don’t know about this.” I fidgeted at Ruby’s side as I followed her into the backyard of the fraternity. Masses of people, all wearing board shorts, and the girls, bathing suits, some on the very edge of obscene, I’m talking barely there.

  “Stop.” Ruby grabbed my hand in hers to keep me from wringing them nervously as she dragged me along. I spotted my brothers and a few others, but had yet to locate Isaac. That was a good thing, or so I kept telling myself. Distance was best, less desire to do something stupid on my part.

  “Hey,” the small group that was more appropriately dressed greeted me. Emelie, Palmer, and Morgan sat around a small table. Also a few feet away were Marcus and Blake, being hassled by none other than my brother. He had yet to notice me. I was still leery about being here considering what took place the last time and how that all ended. Was I known now as the girl Isaac knocked up after a one-night stand? I hated the thought.

  Loud shouting followed by chanting rang out near the pool and we all looked in that direction. Girls mounted on the shoulders of guys battled to knock the others off. Again, all I could think of was at any moment one of them was going to lose a top. I mean, things were bouncing around dangerously.

  They’d drawn a crowd and more moved in to root for the team they wanted to win. As the crowd parted, my gaze fell upon one person as he stood in the center of the pool with a stacked brunette perched on his shoulders. He laughed as he held onto her thighs and tried to keep his balance while she shifted around from left to right.

  I felt someone squeeze my arm and I fully expected it to be Ruby, but was surprised when I found it to be Emelie standing at my side. Feeling my cheeks heat at being caught, I plastered on my best fake smile and did my best to appear as part of the crowd.

  Only on the inside I was dying.

  This was the Isaac I knew, it was the Isaac they all knew. And I was the one forcing him to change.

  “I need to use the bathroom.” I hurried away, not wanting anyone to see or hear me lose control. I had no right to care, he wasn’t doing anything wrong.

  When I said I could do this, I meant it. I didn’t need him to be at my side. He could be the dad that popped in on weekends to spend time with his kid, or took them to dinner a couple nights a week. Whatever worked, we’d make it happen.

  I made it to the bathroom and closed the door behind me, sagging against the sink. One deep breath after another, I felt like a fool for allowing myself to get worked up. What in the hell was wrong with me?

  With my back to the door, I hung my head and was just about to push off the sink when the door opened, causing me to jump and spin around in surprise. There, filling the space, was Isaac with a concerned look on his face. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” I waved my hand at him and attempted to step around him, only to be stopped when he stretched out his arm. His palm wrapped around my hip, pulling me slightly toward him. I wanted to curl into him and accept his comfort, but again I couldn’t. Things would be so much easier if I could.

  “Jade?”

  Peeking over at him, still remaining at a safe distance, I paused, saying nothing in return. Not because I didn’t want to, but simply because what I wanted to say seemed too forward. “You need to tell me where we are in this thing.” Scrunching my brows, I grew confused. This thing? What was that supposed to mean? “Because I’ve never been more confused about anything in my life.”

  “What?” The way he was looking at me, almost with an endearing look, was making my thoughts race at unbelievable rates. I’d never felt more flipped upside down in my life.

  Stepping in closer, he moved my body completely in front of his and with his free hand he cupped the side of my face. I fought the urge to lean into his touch, his palm cool against my heated skin felt soothing. He smelled of chlorine and instantly I was reminded that he wasn’t ready to grow up yet and I couldn’t blame him for that.

  “I’ve been getting mixed signals, friend, it’s never completely clear. You offer me a look here and there, followed quickly by avoidance. I’m not saying any of this would be easy, but you have to know, Jade, that I’m interested. Not just because of what’s to come.” He covered my stomach with his hand.

  “We can’t.” For the exact reason of what he was caressing. My God, we had to be adult about this, we could ruin any chance we had of being able to raise this baby together as two friends.

  “Why?” he asked with a smile, “because of Jay?” If only it were that simple.

  “Because you aren’t ready.” He tilted his head slightly, looking at me, still wearing his signature smile that made his alluring dimple pop out and scream hello.

  “And you know this how?”

  “You didn’t ask for this, and had it not happened, we wouldn’t be having this conversation at all.”

  “Okay, fine, maybe that’s partially true, but that doesn’t mean I’ve never noticed you, thought of you. Yes, one drunk night got it all started, but that was because I’d never have had the balls to make a move sober. It doesn’t mean that I regret it.” Using his thumb, he tilted my head upward, forcing me to look at him. “I think you should give me a little more credit. I’m ready, Jade.”

  “Does your girlfriend know this?”

  Chapter Twenty

  Isaac

  It bothered her. I knew I shouldn’t be happy about her seeing me with another girl making her jealous, but a big part of me was. I’d been holding out, waiting for a sign for weeks now and I’d gotten nowhere. Fearful that if I made a move it would set us back once again, I remained neutral, never saying or doing anything that could compromise the comfort we’d managed to instill. But the waiting had killed me.

  Daphne was a friend―no, I’d never slept with her―we had never been more than friends. We never would be. The attraction never developed.

  “Girlfriend?” Testing my limits, I trailed over Jade’s lower lip with my thumb. Lips that I’d thought of kissing so many times over the weeks I’d been by her side. She didn’t flinch or pull away and I’d never felt anything like what I was feeling in that very moment. Desire, extreme attraction, and a need so powerful I wasn’t sure I’d be able to control it much longer. I was riding a high from the way Jade was looking at me and I wasn’t ready for it to end yet. “What girlfriend?”

  “Miss barely there purple bikini.” She arched her brow. “The one that only moments ago had your head securely pinned between her thighs.”

  A jealous Jade was a sweet, sweet thing.

  “Oh.” I fought my smile. “Her…”

  “Yeah her.” This time she attempted to pull away but I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Her entire front formed to my own. It was time to ease her mind and soothe her thoughts.

  “That’s Daphne, an old friend.” The way Jade bit her lips did very little to keep my thoughts from veering off. This girl honestly had no clue how appealing she was. Jade was beautiful, that graceful, elegant beauty that wasn’t only from her looks alone. That sweet, yet timid way about her, I knew she’d not had the right kind of men in her life. Men that didn’t
deserve her, men that treated her poorly, I was sure that alone was the core of her doubt. Something deep inside of her made her feel like she deserved nothing more, but I wanted to show her different.

  “Only a friend,” I said once more.

  “I find that hard to believe.” The soft breathy whisper gave me that assurance I needed. I was affecting her.

  “You think you know me so well.” Pushing back the hair that had fallen out of her hair tie, I tucked it behind her ear. Looking over her beautiful features, I took everything in. Every freckle, every dip and contour of her face.

  “I think you’ve made little effort in hiding who you are.” Jade’s gaze met my own and I half expected her to look away once more, only she held my stare.

  “Maybe the person you think you know isn’t who I truly am at all.” Moving in a little closer, I tested her, wondering if she’d stop me. When she didn’t attempt to move away, I slid my hand around the back of her neck and held it firmly. “Maybe I haven’t met anyone worth the effort yet.”

  When she rolled her eyes I laughed. I couldn’t stop myself. Jade was adorable and yet so unbelievably sexy at the same time. “Smooth talker, but you forgot I’ve heard all about your pickup techniques.”

  “If I remember correctly…” I backed her up to the sink and caged her in. “Those smooth words worked on you at one point.”

  “It wasn’t the words.” I didn’t miss the way her chest continued to rise and fall quickly, and the lustful look in her eyes while she stared up at me. She was attempting to hide it but failing.

  “Then what was it?”

  Leaning in, I kissed the corner of her mouth, nipping at her bottom lip before pulling back. Jade leaned toward me as if chasing the desire for more.

  “What was it, Jade?” I repeated and she blinked a time or two, as if trying to focus on the conversation. The way she was staring at me excited me. Holding back was getting harder, with Jade I wanted to be careful, I needed to be, but my desire for Jade and what I knew we could be was overtaking every other thought.