by L. P. Maxa
“In the living room playing on her new iPad.”
He grabbed a beer out of the fridge and sat down at the island. “How was your day? Is my car okay? Did you get a speeding ticket?” He didn’t ask how much I spent, evidently unconcerned about the money. He didn’t even ask for his card back.
I scoffed, “Of course not.” I actually had been pulled over, but he didn’t ask that and I’d only gotten a warning. So there was no reason to tell him. I really didn’t want to hear an I told you so. “Did you guys get a lot done in the studio?”
He ate a pinch of shredded cheese out of the bowl I’d placed on the counter. “We got started, and that’s always the hardest part.” He took a pull off his bottle. “The label wants more of what we’ve always given them, but we want to try something new. It’s going to be a fight.”
I turned off the burner under the skillet of ground meat. “Will they drop you?”
“Maybe. They’ve mentioned it, but I think it’s more a scare tactic at this point. And it’s not going to work.” He stood. “Do you need help with anything?”
“Nope. All done.” I gestured to the living room. “You can grab Landry and let everyone know it’s ready though.”
Once again we were all gathered around the table. As odd of a family as this was, I was sure it was still good for Landry to experience. People who loved each other, joking and laughing, coming together at the end of a busy day to share a meal. I knew that Jacks worried about normalcy with her, but really, what defined normal these days?
“So, Buttercup, did you have fun with B and Lexi today?”
Landry nodded. “We went shopping and we went to lunch and we met a really nice policeman.”
I wrinkled my nose and held my breath.
Jacks’s eyes got wide. “You met a policeman? Where?”
Landry’s little body was bouncing as she swung her legs back and forth. “In the car on the way home.”
“Oh really?” Jacks sat his fork down and leaned closer, engrossed in her story.
She nodded again, the dark topknot I’d done for her wobbling. “Yeah, he flashed his lights and then came up to the window and asked for B’s number.” I couldn’t help but smile when she called me B; it was sweet. Even though she was ratting me out.
Jacks looked over at me. “I thought you said you didn’t get a ticket.”
“I didn’t.”
Lexi laughed from the other end of the table. “She got a warning and then asked out on a date.”
Jacks’s smile faded as he turned to me. “Did you say yes?”
“No.” I reached across the table and moved Landry’s milk away from the edge; with all the bouncing around she was doing she was bound to spill it. Not that Dagger would mind. I’d seen him camped out under her chair at every meal so far.
Luke leaned back in his seat, stretching his arms overhead. “Thanks for dinner, Bryan. It was delicious.”
“No problem, glad you liked it.” I stood and started gathering dishes, glad the subject of me getting pulled over had been dropped.
Jacks put his hand on my arm, stopping me. “No, you cooked. I’ll do the dishes.”
“I thought you had some errands to run tonight.”
He nodded, grabbing mine and Landry’s plates. “I do. But that’s later.”
“Okay. Well, Landry and I are going to watch The Little Mermaid, can we use your TV?” While we were out that day I realized that Landry had never seen any of the Disney movies. My sisters and I had watched those movies over and over when we were younger. The Little Mermaid was always my favorite, so when I’d seen it at the store, I bought it. Along with The Lion King, Aladdin, Tarzan, and Sleeping Beauty.
Dylan clapped her hands together. “The Little Mermaid?! I want to watch it, put it on down here.”
Fast forward twenty minutes? Everyone in the house was gathered in the living room. There were pillows and blankets and bowls of popcorn everywhere. Jacks was on the couch sitting between Landry and me, with Luke stretched out on the L part of the sectional. Dash and Lexi had made a pallet on the floor with Dagger. And Smith and Dylan were on the recliner. I couldn’t help the contentment I felt. I loved getting to be around my sister. And I had thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Lexi today. I felt very at home here with all these people.
After a while Landry leaned her head against Jacks’s arm. So he lifted it and pulled her against his side. She bit her lips together to hide her smile. I felt so lucky to be here, to be able to watch the bond forming between those two. I looked up to see Jacks watching me watch them. He kissed the top of my head and then put his arm around me. And that’s how we stayed, the three of us, snuggled together watching The Little Mermaid.
When it ended, Luke jumped up. “This was fun, I’m going out. Jacks, you’re coming, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll meet you out front.”
I stood and put my hand on top of Landry’s head, playing with her now disheveled topknot, trying to hide the sudden pang of jealousy that coursed through me. “Come on, sweet girl, I’ll get you tucked in. Jacks has some stuff he needs to do with Luke.” I wasn’t stupid, I knew when he asked me last night to watch Landry what kind of “errands” he needed to run. I mean what else would someone need at ten thirty at night? I’d put it out of my mind all day, not particularly comfortable with the way it made me feel. I didn’t want to say I was jealous. Because why would I be? We were just friends. Sure we spooned all night, sure I’d woken up with a huge smile on my face, sure he smelled amazing all the time. But we were just friends.
When Landry and I stepped past Jacks, he reached out and grabbed my free hand. “You okay with that?”
I smiled, giving his palm a squeeze. “For sure. No worries, have fun.” I waited by the stairs while he told Landry good night and that he’d be home soon. And then I watched, silently, as he left the house in search of something our friendship would never give him.
Chapter Nine
Jacks
I didn’t want to go out with Luke. I didn’t want to go to a bar and drink and flirt and fuck some chick in a bathroom stall. I wanted to go upstairs and tuck Landry into bed; I wanted to spend some time alone with B. I wanted to wake up in the morning and have breakfast with them. Landry and Bryan had been here for two days. Two days and already everything I wanted out of life had shifted. When Bryan had come into the studio this morning…the look on her face when she was watching me play…I knew that look. I saw it a thousand times a night. I was turning her on. And fuck if that hadn’t made me ecstatic. I knew I was walking a fine and dangerous line. I knew we couldn’t be together, I knew that we were just friends. But that didn’t mean I wanted to be with someone else while she was here. Which was precisely why I needed to.
“Hey, man, you’re killin’ my buzz.” Luke clapped a hand on my back and handed me another shot glass full of brown alcohol. I’d seen Luke drink, but damn, we’d only been here for about an hour and he was downing shots like a man dying of thirst.
“I’m sorry. I just feel guilty about being out instead of at home with Landry.” I took the shot he was offering. “This is only her second night here.” And I was already leaving her at home to try to prove a motherfucking point?
Luke chuckled. “It’s Bryan too, isn’t it? You don’t want to be out with me. You want to be at home with Bryan.”
“We’re just frie—”
“Shut the hell up, Jacks. You don’t have to prove anything to me, you don’t have to convince me of anything.” He signaled the bartender for another beer.
I kept quiet. I knew Luke had his own shit going on, his own issues and demons. And I knew a lot of them stemmed from his friendship with Lexi, their past together.
He took a pull from his bottle, eyes scanning the crowd at the overpriced club we were in. “If you want to be at home, go home. If you want to try to fuck her out of your system? Pick a girl.”
I leaned against the glass top of our little VIP bar, finally letting myself take notice of all t
he chicks hovering around our table. Every single one of them just waiting for us to crook a finger. Maybe I didn’t need to prove anything to Luke, but apparently I needed to prove it to myself. The first girl that caught my eye was thinner than a rail with mounds of dark wavy hair. She was gorgeous, but she not only looked too much like Bryan, she looked too damaged. I tried my best to stay away from those chicks. I made eye contact with a leggy blonde, letting my gaze rake over her porcelain complexion. The dress she was wearing was small enough to be called a shirt, and I’d be willing to bet that she was naked underneath. I gestured with my head, giving a slight nod in the direction of the private bathroom behind me.
Luke shook his head, letting out a humorless laugh, but not stopping me. I didn’t call him on his vices tonight, and apparently he was returning the favor. Old habits die hard.
I held the door open, waiting for her to strut through before shutting and locking it behind me.
She smiled coyly, letting her finger trail down my chest. “Jackson Cole.”
“Always dreamed of fucking a rock star? Bachelorette party? Girls’ night out? Someone’s birthday?” These girls were a dime a dozen and there was always a reason they used to justify their behavior.
Her cheeks tinted red. “I’ve had a crush on you since I was sixteen.”
“How old are you now?” Usually Chase our security guy checked the IDs of the girls backstage.
“Old enough, I promise.” She put her hands on my hips, bringing her body against mine.
I dipped my mouth to her throat, sucking on her neck, leaving marks and not giving one shit about it. I ran my hands down her body to her thighs, grabbing the hem of her dress and lifting it above her waist. And wouldn’t you know? I was right about the no panties thing. I ground against her, my dick finally starting to stir to life. “Turn around, bend over, and grab the edge of the sink.”
She bit her bottom lip, doing exactly as I said. I took a condom out of my wallet, unbuttoning my pants and pulling them down just enough for me to take my dick out. I slid the condom down my shaft and then positioned myself at her pussy. I could feel her eyes on me, feel her watching me in the mirror. I kept my head down, focused on the task at hand. I didn’t want to see her, didn’t want to know her. I grabbed her hips in both hands and plowed into her body. She cried out, arching her back, but I didn’t stop. I closed my eyes, slamming into her over and over. “You like that, do—”
I stilled instantly. What the fuck was I doing? I was using this girl. And for what? To convince myself I didn’t have feeling for my best friend? To distract myself from all the changes in my life? This girl was someone’s daughter, someone’s friend. But she sure as fuck wasn’t my doll. My doll was at home, sleeping across the hall from my daughter. A relationship might not be in mine and B’s future, but a friendship was. And I shouldn’t have left the house. Not for this.
“Why did you stop? What’s wrong?” She looked over her shoulder, pushing back against me, trying to make me keep fucking her.
“I’ve gotta go.” I pulled out, threw the condom in the trash, and zipped up my pants on the way out the door.
***
When I got home I headed upstairs with the intention of checking on Landry and then heading to bed. I didn’t want to wake Bryan, and I didn’t want to look too closely at the way I’d booked it out of that club. As I reached the top of the stairs I heard Bryan’s voice and Landry’s giggles. I glanced down at my watch; it was after midnight at this point. I poked my head into her room. “Hello, my beautiful girls. What are y’all still doing up?”
They both smiled when they saw me, and I ignored the way my heart leapt. “You’re home.” Bryan said it like a statement. Not a question.
I grinned. “Yeah. Turns out I’d rather be here.”
She held up a large hardbound book. “Landry asked me to read to her and we both kind of lost track of time.” Bryan closed the book and put it on the nightstand. “It’s late, sweet girl, we’ll read more tomorrow.”
I walked across the room, leaning down to kiss Landry’s forehead. “Good night, Buttercup.”
“Night, Jacks.”
We both headed across the hall to my room and collapsed on my bed, staring at the ceiling.
Bryan lightly slapped my thigh. “You can go meet back up with Luke if you want. She’ll be asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow. No worries here, if that’s what you came home for.”
“Nah, I’m right where I want to be.” And that was the God’s honest truth.
She was quiet for a few minutes, the only sound in the room was us breathing, me because I was struggling for the right words. Finally she moved to face me, and I automatically did the same. “Good. I’m pretty happy where I am right now too.”
She was so damn pretty. I could get lost in those blue eyes of hers. I fought the urge to kiss her plump pink lips. Friends don’t kiss. And we were just friends. Maybe if I said just friends in my head enough times I’d start to believe it. “Want to watch a movie?” I didn’t want her to leave me.
She grinned, a wicked glint in her beautiful eyes. “I have a better idea.”
I shifted closer to her on the bed, playing along. “Oh yeah?”
She bit her bottom lip, nodding.
My dick strained against my zipper. He was still pissed that I’d denied him earlier, not turned on by Bryan’s flirty banter. “What did you have in mind, baby doll?”
She rolled over and grabbed a hot pink bag from the floor beside my bed. “I bought us a present today…”
I shifted onto my stomach, taking the bag from her hands and hiding my massive hard-on. I pulled out the tissue paper, tossing it over my shoulder. “What?! You got Zombies 5? I didn’t even know this was out yet!”
She giggled, putting her hand over my mouth. “Shhh…you’re going to wake up Landry, and this game is definitely not suitable for children.” She sat up. “I’ll go get ready for bed in Luke’s bathroom.” She paused on her way out the door. “Change clothes. You smell like sex and whiskey.”
“B…I couldn’t, I mean, I didn’t…uh, nothing happened.”
She shook her head. “Jacks, it’s none of my business. I’d just rather not, um, just shower, okay?”
I nodded. My heart was racing, the distress I felt at her thinking I’d been with someone else was unwelcome. And it was freaking me the fuck out. Why did it matter so much? Why did her thinking that bother me? Probably the same damn reason I’d run out of that club like it was on fucking fire.
Because I was falling for my best friend.
I paced the room the whole time she was gone, well, after I quickly rinsed off and changed my clothes. I stopped when Bryan came back in, her long wet hair braided to the side, her face fresh and clean. Her perky breasts were on display in her white t-shirt, and her ass looked fucking perfect in her cotton shorts. I thought I’d wanted to kiss her a few minutes ago? That was nothing compared to the way I felt right now. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Bryan was gorgeous, and I’d always known that. But like as an afterthought. Like hey, this is my best friend Bryan, and she’s super-hot. Now it was like, this hot-as-fuck chick is my best friend, Bryan.
“You ready to play?”
She smirked. “You ready to get your ass handed to you?”
I was pretty sure she was capable of doing just that. The beautiful sexy girl next door with commitment issues and a flighty nature. Yep. The universe was definitely handing me my ass.
She picked up a controller and climbed up on my bed while I loaded the game. We sat side by side, talking trash and laughing. One game turned into two, two turned into three, and three turned into me using all the willpower I possessed to not grab her by the face and stick my tongue down her throat.
I talked to her all the time; we gamed, we laughed, we joked around. And it was all fine. Having her here, sleeping next to her, watching her with Landry…it had fucked with my brain. You know that super sappy movie, the one where the girl dies? That quote that was on all those
previews—I fell in love like you fall asleep at night—that was me. That’s what happened. It snuck up on me. I was perfectly fine last night; I slept next to her for hours without jumping her bones. From friends to falling in two-point-five seconds.
“Hey. You okay?” She cocked her head to the side, studying me.
“Yeah. I’m good. I’m great.” I sounded like a moron. “You want to play another round or you ready for bed?”
She put her hand over her mouth, yawning. “I think I’m ready for bed…” She stood. “Good night?”
Did that mean she was sleeping in her bed? “Uh, yeah, sure. Good night.” Holy shit, get it together, Jacks. My voice was squeaking like my balls were about to drop.
I didn’t want her to go. The thought of her sleeping a whole room away from me actually made my chest hurt. But I didn’t trust myself. I knew I would wind up making a move. And now wasn’t the time. I needed to sort all this out in my head. I needed to not be a spastic mess.
***
I woke a few hours later to the sound of Landry crying. I jolted out of bed and fumbled around trying to pull on some pants before making it across the hall to her room. I stopped short when I realized Bryan was already in there. She had Landry’s head in her lap and she was gently running her fingers through her hair, speaking quietly in a soothing tone. I leaned against the door frame, watching them, watching my girls. Landry’s tears stopped and slowly her eyes began to drift close. Bryan looked up and met my gaze, giving me a sad smile. Landry’s little arms were wrapped around her waist, and you could tell she was holding on tight. I raised an eyebrow at B, silently asking her if she wanted me to take over. She shook her head no, and lay down next to Landry.
Chapter Ten
Bryan
The next morning I was up before the sun, which meant I was up before Jacks and Landry too. I’d ended up falling asleep in Landry’s bed and staying there the rest of the night. I got out of bed carefully, so I wouldn’t wake her, and went across the hall to my room to get dressed. I peeked in on Jacks; he was sleeping at the foot of his bed, his head facing Landry’s room. I knew he was scared he didn’t have the ability to raise Landry, but he was already a good father. Or a good guardian.
