If I Never Knew You Trilogy Bundle

by Aubrey Bailey

  "I think Orion might be breaking up with his girlfriend," he said as he rifled through his dresser drawer for a shirt.

  That was so unexpected, that I just shook my head and looked at my brother quizzically.

  "What?" I asked, wondering if he had really said what I thought he said.

  "I said that I think Orion might be breaking up with his girlfriend...Crystal." Andy repeated.

  "Do you know why?" I asked, hoping and praying it wasn't because of me. That was just what I needed-another girl thinking that I'm stealing her boyfriend.

  "He thinks she's cheating on him," Andy said. "Actually, he has a few reasons to believe that."

  "Is that why you've been putting us together all the time?" I asked, suddenly wondering if Andy purposefully used the upstairs phone the previous night so that he could leave Orion and me alone.

  "Maybe," Andy said. He held up a dark blue shirt. "What about this?"

  "Sometimes you're like the little sister I wish I had," I said, smiling. "It goes with your eyes, and makes you look very handsome."

  Andy nodded then he looked at the pile of clothes next to him. "Okay, now what about pants?"

  "What about those black jeans?" I suggested. "They would go well with that shirt."

  "Alright, I guess that does it," Andy said. He looked at me with bright eyes. "Oh, you should wear that dress you made for fashion class."

  "Which one?" I asked. I had made a few things for fashion class before I graduated, but had made nothing since. I had a sewing machine in the basement, which sadly I had little time to use anymore. There was a bunch of material down there that I could use to make different outfits, if I wasn't so tired working double shifts.

  Andy brought me the deep crimson, fairly low cut dress that I made last year. I raised an eyebrow...Was he kidding me? The dress was attractive, but maybe too revealing and dressy for the bar, which was basically a roadhouse.

  "Um..." I said.

  "It looks good on you, but I don't like how other guys look at you with it on," Andy said. "But I'll be there, and I'll deal with any guy who annoys you or me."

  I laughed and took the dress from him. He was hilarious when he tried to be protective of his big sister.

  "Okay, thanks Andy," I said. "I know you'll take good care of me." I also had another reason for accepting the dress so readily, but I wasn't about to reveal that to Andy.

  After taking my shower, I styled my hair, put on my dress-which still fit me, thankfully-and then applied a light gray eye shadow, black eyeliner, mascara, and deep crimson lipstick, which I had bought to go with the dress. After checking myself out in the mirror, I decided that I looked pretty good and hoped that others would think so too.

  "Hmm, nail polish time," I muttered, looking at my selection. I picked a shade that was dark red with purple mixed in. I always painted my nails that way whenever I wore that dress. By the time the nail polish had dried, it was almost six. Then, I checked out my dress again, a bit nervous about it being low cut. I decided the hem was fine but sat down to make an alteration. Instead of two separate straps like in the pattern, I altered it to be able to tie it up behind my neck. I think it looks better that way. The back was just higher than my bra, so nothing really showed, which was a relief.

  "Madison, will you hurry up!" Andy called through the door. I was almost ready, so I gave myself one last look in the mirror before I opened my door.

  "Hey! You two ready?" Orion called. I smiled, turned off my light and left my room. Andy was already downstairs when I made my entrance. Both boys stared at me and I couldn't help but giggle.

  Mom was there too, and she looked me over with pride. Mom always saw the bright side of things and rarely had a negative thought in her head. But my brother, that was a different matter. He told me that although he liked the dress, he was still worried that I would be hassled at the club.

  "Too bad, little brother," I said. I grabbed him, and pulled him closer so that I could whisper to him. "You chose the dress and you are right, but don't you dare tell any of this to Damian."

  "I don't talk to him unless I have to, remember?" Andy whispered back. I nodded and he stepped away from me.

  I now looked at Orion, who was still staring at me with approval. Andy snapped his fingers in front of his friend's face and Orion shook his head.

  "Sorry, let's go," he said.

  "You look good, Mad," Orion complimented me as we left the house.

  "Thanks, Orion, you do too," I said, looking him over. He had on a red, western-style shirt with the top few buttons undone, as well as black jeans. I tried to fend off bad thoughts. I got into the back seat, and hit Andy lightly on the arm.

  "What was that for?" Andy asked.

  "No reason," I said, smiling.

  Apparently, Orion was notorious for being a somewhat reckless driver and he showed us why he had that reputation in the first five minutes. I asked him to slow down. He was courteous enough to listen and slowed down immediately.

  My jaw dropped slightly when I saw Orion's girlfriend, Crystal, whom we picked up ten minutes from my house. She was gorgeous, with long dark hair, soft peachy skin and dazzling green eyes. I felt myself turning green with jealousy. I'd only known Orion for two days and he'd already been extremely sweet to me. Any girl would be lucky to be with him. I just hoped that she appreciated him as much as I already did.

  "So this must be the boy you keep telling me about," Orion's girlfriend said.

  "This is Andrew," Orion said, "...and his sister, Madison. Guys, this is Crystal."

  I looked at Crystal, who returned the glare. Gee, I thought my eyes were sometimes cold, but hers could freeze the Gulf of Mexico. I felt the urge to say 'Bite me' to her, but I resisted because I didn't want to ruin anything.

  "Hi, Crystal," Andy said.

  "Nice to meet you," I said.

  "Mmhmm," Crystal said. She looked at Andy and smiled at him as if he were a little kid. "You're a cutie, you know that?" Andy glanced at her and gave a small smile before turning his attention back to the road.

  "Relax," I ordered, quietly. Andy looked at me and I could tell he was upset. "Just gotta deal for the ride."

  "Since when did you start driving like a grandpa?" Crystal interrogated Orion.

  "Just didn't feel like being stupid tonight, believe it or not," Orion said.

  I smiled, but it disappeared as soon as Crystal turned around and I saw a bitchy look on her face. Okay, she was gorgeous, but that's only skin deep.

  The rest of the ride was uneventful, thankfully. We got in through the back door and the first person I saw was, of course, my uncle.

  "Ah, here's the star," Uncle Jack said. I rolled my eyes and was suddenly very, very glad I had my jacket on. "And my favorite nephew! How are you doing, Andy?"

  "I'm good and, by the way, I'm your only nephew." Andy reminded him. All of our cousins, at least on the same side as Uncle Jack, were girls. Andy was basically raised around girls and by girls. That didn't do much to him but give him the utmost respect for the other gender. I guess that was why he hated Damian so much (apart from the fact the guy is dating me).

  "So," Uncle Jack said, looking at me. I looked at him with only mild interest.

  "Yes, Uncle Jack, what is it?" I inquired.

  "Keep your brother away from the bar," he warned me, before leaving us. I was planning to keep an eye on Andy, being his older sister, but that reminder made me even more cautious.

  "You heard him Andy, no drinks for you," Orion joked.

  "Oh, there are the guys," Crystal said. She left Orion's side, which made him frown, to walk over to a group of guys who I guessed were the band members.

  "Well, Andy and I might as well go in now," I said.

  "Where you are you going to be?" Orion asked, tearing his eyes from his girlfriend and looking at me.

  "Near the bar, I guess," I said.

  "Alright, save me a dance then, Mad," Orion teased. With that, he walked over to where Crystal and the boys were,
while Andy and I left to go up to the front.

  "Hey, Madison, I'm gonna go play pool, okay?" Andy said.

  After nodding my head, I watched him walk away before I decided to have some fun myself and started dancing to the juke box, even if I was by myself. It wasn't long before Orion and his band, Horizon, stepped onto the stage, gave their intro and started playing a song. I had heard it many times before coming from Andy's room, so I sang along.

  You gave it up,

  And I let you down.

  I called you up,

  But you called me out.

  There was a moment when I saw Orion turn his head to look in my direction and he smiled at me while singing. Crystal wasn't even really watching him play at all and I wondered why he wasn't stealing glances at her instead of me.

  I clapped when the song ended then Orion revealed why he had written the song and started another one.

  An hour later, I was sitting at the bar and finally ordered a glass of white wine. Now, although I'm only eighteen, my Uncle Jack didn't care if I ordered a couple drinks when I came in. He knew what I was going through to help my mother out. That being said, normally I don't even drink, but with everything that had been going on, wine was definitely what I needed. A few guys had tried talking to me, but I just politely brushed them off and managed to get another drink. Another perk of having a family member own a bar is free drinks; I didn't have to hit on men to get drunk for cheap. The bad thing was all that wine made me have to pee and, after a bit, I went to the bathroom to fix my makeup and use the toilet. When I got out of the bathroom, Horizon had just finished their show and

  Orion came and sat down on the bar stool beside me.

  "Having your own little party, Mad?" he asked with a smirk.

  "Sure, all for me," I joked, finishing off the drink and getting a third.

  I told him how much I had enjoyed listening and dancing to Horizon's music. Orion told me that they were looking for a manager-someone who could get them a recording contract.

  After a while, I noticed that Crystal wasn't there and asked where she was.

  "She went home-something about a headache," Orion told me.

  "Poor girl," I said, trying to pretend like I meant it. I looked over at the pool tables where Andy had been the whole time, only to see him not there anymore.

  "I'm sorry, Mad, but Andy went home as well. His friend Warren picked him up while you were in the bathroom." Orion said. I looked at him, worried. "He said that he had come to hear me play, but then he had to go because he was spending the night at Warren's place."

  "Oh, right. How did I forget that? So did you tell my uncle?"

  "Yeah," Orion said. I finished off my drink and gave him a coy smile.

  "Hey, I owe you a dance!" I cried over the music that now came from a large juke box, put my glass down on the bar and grabbed his hand. Orion let me lead him to the dance floor. I knew what I was doing would have gotten both of us into trouble if Crystal or Damian found out, but I really didn't care. I had three glasses of wine in me and there was no way I was going to miss this opportunity.

  "I was watching you, you know," Orion said, "Dancing all by yourself, it was...amazing. So, let's see what you can do with a partner."

  We danced for two songs, returned to the bar, ordered more drinks, then made our way back to the dance floor. Orion had his arms around me and I happily reverted to my pre-Damian days of dancing-bumping and grinding. I watched Orion, as his eyes closed and he swayed to the beat with me.

  After a few more dances, Orion suggested we leave as it was getting late and he didn't want to risk my Uncle seeing us get too drunk. We grabbed our jackets and headed for his car.

  "I don't really want to go home," I admitted.

  "Madison, we gotta leave. You have to go to work tomorrow morning."

  "I'll call in sick," I said. "Don't take me home, Orion, please don't," I implored him drunkenly.

  Orion stared at me and I swear I saw his eyes darken with lust. I should have told him to take me home, but I couldn't. What did I do, instead? What any girl in my position would have done-I kissed him. I felt his hand grasp my waist. He didn't stop me from kissing him, so I pressed my lips harder against his and was rewarded with his hand moving to my lower back and pressing my body closer to his.

  Dear Lord, I was going to be in so much trouble in the morning, but I didn't care. I never could wait for anything and tonight was no exception. Orion had turned me on more that night than any guy had ever done and I longed to feel him in an intimate way. I thought about how wrong it was that we were doing this with Damian out of town and Crystal home sick. But no matter how much I tried to talk myself out of it, being in his car at that moment, kissing him...it just felt so right.

  "My place, then?" Orion suggested, breathlessly.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  I LAUGHED LOUDLY at something Orion had just said as we stumbled up the stairs to Orion's apartment. Man, I was drunk! I had glints of guilt for doing this behind Damian's back, but they were always engulfed by a swarm of lust that tugged at the chords between my brain and my heart. Orion looked like he was waging an inner battle as well by the time we got to his apartment door.

  My chain of thought was interrupted by lust and I looked at him with smoldering eyes, before pulling him into another kiss. He kissed me back, but he seemed to hesitate a bit. He soon caught up to speed with me and began kissing me back just as fiercely.

  After a moment, though, he pushed me away gently and stared deep into my eyes. He almost looked like a hurt dog.

  "As much as I'd love to continue this and try out some of the other interesting things you might have planned," he said, "I just can't do it. Not with you being, well, drunk."

  "What? No I'm not," I lied, then pulled on his neck to kiss him again.

  He gently pushed me away again. "Yes, you are. And maybe if things were different," he said.

  I nodded and then started to fall. He grabbed me quickly before I hit the floor and began laughing at me a bit, to which I joined in until we were both cramping with laughter.

  "C'mon, let's get you inside," he said.

  I woke up and groaned. I took the pillow from under my head, and put it over my face. My head was throbbing and I felt really groggy.

  "Madison, babe, you've got to wake up."

  "Nope...don't wanna," I muttered, waving my hand to get Orion to leave me alone.

  "Come on, Mad."

  I ignored him for a few minutes, then finally I looked up at Orion's face. My hands flew to my body, but I relaxed when I felt that I had a sweater over my dress.

  "Do I even wanna know what happened last night?" I moaned, holding my aching head in my hands.

  "Maybe not," Orion advised me. "It was nothing serious, if that's what you're worried about. I called your work for you to tell them that you weren't feeling well." I looked at him to see him smiling. "They said that it was about time."

  "Oh God," I said, falling onto my side on the bed and using my arm to hide my smile. Orion laughed. Eventually, I uncovered my face and saw he was holding a glass of water with a couple of pills.

  "This will hopefully help with the headache," Orion said, noticing the look on my face. I swallowed them and finished the water in four big gulps. "I also texted Andy, and told him you had spent the night here."

  "Oh boy, I bet he got the wrong idea," I muttered.

  "Don't worry about it. I explained that you were resting here because you were sick, so I think he'll understand," Orion said. "Now, my lovely Madison, you've got the day off. Whatcha wanna do?"

  "Well...First, I need to go home and change my clothes," I suggested. Mom would be home soon, too, and I wanted to be there when she got home, if only to avoid a lot of nosy questions about my "illness" last night.

  "Good idea," Orion said.

  He drove to my place and entertained himself by playing a video game while I took a quick shower and changed into a pair of jeans and a black hoodie. Today was going to be awkwa
rd. While I remembered most everything about last night, I didn't want to think about what Orion had said before I had fallen asleep. As long as I was stuck with Damian, nothing was going to happen between Orion and me. Just thinking about what would happen if Damian ever found out made my stomach curdle.

  "Okay, now I'm dressed. What now, oh Master of Wonderful Plans?" I asked sarcastically, coming into the living room.

  Orion turned off the game, looked at me admirably and complimented me on how beautiful I looked with a smile.

  Then his smile suddenly turned mischievous and I didn't know if I should have been scared or not. He told me that he had a surprise in store for me and I wondered what on earth it could be.

  Ten minutes later, we were getting out of his car in front of a local indoor go-kart track called Hot Speeds Motorway. I had been there before, but it had been at least two years and in the meantime a huge addition and renovation had been finished. It was a popular spot for nearly everyone who could afford to go all the time.

  "Come on," Orion said, taking my hand and pulling me inside. When he looked back at me, I smiled at him in the same mischievous way that he had earlier. "Well, I'm hoping you're a girl who can handle some speed."

  Feeling cocky now that my headache was gone, I said, "You are so going down, you know."

  "We'll see about that," Orion replied.

  He paid for ten tickets and we went through the door to the indoor track. In the equipment area, Orion just grabbed any helmet and put it on, but I spent a while looking at them. They had dozens with all kinds of different patterns and stickers and even some hand-painted ones.

  "They're all the same, you know. Or do you especially want a pink one?" Orion mocked me.

  "Ew, no," I said. "They are not all the same." I held up two. "This one has less padding then this one."