by K. I. Lynn
I’m a mess with my purse in one hand and a tangle of cords in the other, all the while my stomach rumbles because I never did get to eat dinner. A groan slips out, and I run back down and into the kitchen.
My fingers work at the knots that somehow happened during the security inspection because I was very meticulous when I packed the bag yesterday morning. Once I fish the charger cord free, I plug it into the nearest outlet and immediately plug my phone in.
Next item to find is my Bluetooth, which has me rolling my eyes on where it ended up. After five minutes of searching, I see it in an interior pocket of my purse, which is just enough time for the phone to get enough of a start-up charge.
The whole process takes longer than I think it should, but finally, the phone is on and I’m pulling up Alyson’s number. She’s working at the bar tonight, so I know she’s still awake.
Three rings and then a distorted, “Hello.”
“Hi.”
“Oh my God, Everly! Are you here?” Alyson asks.
My lips pull up into a smile. “Yes.”
“Thank God! Okay, I’m coming this weekend, and we’re going to drink wine and play catch-up.”
“Not too much wine,” I say as I open the fridge, it’s shelves empty except for condiments and about a case of wine. Seriously? There is a wine cellar in the basement. Why is there so much in the fridge? “You know I try not to drink that much and usually only a glass or two with dinner.” Or one or two fruity drinks when I want to have hot sex on a platter with one of the sexiest fish in the sea, but I’ll save that little tidbit for a few more minutes.
I close the door and move to the walk-in pantry.
“Boo. That’s so lame, Ev. So I’ll bring dinner!”
I laugh at my best friend and give in. “Fine, but only because it’s you, and there is a lot to catch up on. I’ll probably need a few glasses of wine once I fill you in.”
There is silence from Alyson a beat longer than I expect.
“What does that mean? Everly Hayes, you tell me what you did, and you tell me now.”
I shake my head, my gaze scanning the shelves. There are some necessities, but nothing dinner worthy. “How do you always know when I’ve done something worth talking about?”
“First, you didn’t call me when you got into your parents’, which means you are just calling me now, and therefore, you just got to your parents’. You should have arrived like, six hours ago, so what have you been doing?”
I’m completely shocked, unable to respond.
“Or is the question who have you been doing?”
Jesus. She’s a little mind reader.
“When did you become the psychic Miss Cleo?”
I begin rifling through drawers. There used to be a stack of takeout menus, a few open almost twenty-four hours, but the usual stash place is empty. Maybe my parents have finally embraced Siri.
“Oh my God! You did do someone! Tell me all about it. Was it some hottie sitting next to you on the plane? Did you join the mile-high club?”
“No. I was going to tell you this weekend, but . . . Do you remember me talking about Niko Callahan?”
If she were sitting in front of me, she’d be rolling her eyes.
“How could I forget? He was who you measured all guys by. If they didn’t make you feel as much or more of the butterflies, you bounced. The almost-as-much was the only reason you stuck with Tate for two years.”
I lean over the counter as I thumb through my GrubHub app, searching for anyone who delivers.
“Yeah, well, let’s just say that my childish crush on the boy he was has nothing on what he looks like now as a grown man.”
“So, he’s hot?”
“Hot doesn’t begin to explain how he looks now. He’s something, though.” She chuckles in my ear, but she has no idea that I’m not kidding. The Niko then has nothing on the Niko now. He’s like something off one of those men’s fitness magazines that you see on the store shelves. No way does that man has an ounce of fat on his body. I know I didn’t feel any.
“Okay, back to that later. What about Niko?”
“Well, he was waiting for me when I arrived.”
Chinese, burrito, or pizza seem to be my only late-night options.
“Are you telling me you finally tapped that?”
“Multiple times.” I scan through the menus, letting my stomach dictate.
“Holy shit. Holy-motherfucking-shit!” Aly screams on the other end of the phone. “Oh, yes, we do have a lot to talk about! First, how was it?”
I let the phone drop back against the counter, my mind swirling with images of him over me, the feel of him inside me, the way our bodies moved together. The look in his eyes as he stared into mine, the way he made me come.
It was . . .
“Perfect.”
“Seriously?” she asks, sounding in disbelief.
“Yes.” Did she think he’d be one of those cocky assholes who couldn’t live up to his ego? Probably. She has more experience in that department than I do.
“Are you going to see him again?”
“No.”
“Wait, why not?”
I blow out a hard breath, the euphoria of the night darkened by one small fact. “He didn’t know who I was, Aly.” My fantasy never included him calling me by someone else’s name.
“What do you mean?”
My sudden shift in mood answers my early morning dinner debate and I pick Chinese. A big bowl of noodles sounds perfect.
“We were talking, and I stared straight into his eyes, and there was not a single spark of recognition. Not even a nod of familiarity.” There is a part of me that is disappointed that Niko didn’t recognize who I was, but the other part of me knows that had he known who I was, last night probably wouldn’t have happened. Who am I kidding? There is no perhaps about it. Niko would never have looked twice at me had he known that I was Everly Hayes, Cameron Hayes’s younger sister.
“I don’t even know what to say to that, babe. I want to say that it sucks, but I’m jumping up and down here for you because you finally did something that I would have encouraged you to do! I’m so proud of you, girlfriend!”
I smile at my best friend’s words, and I can’t help it. She’s right. I stepped outside my norm and entirely channeled my inner Alyson.
“I’m glad you mentioned that. I have to tell you something.” I start laughing and clear my throat before I expose my lie.
“Tell me what?”
“Well, I told you that he didn’t know it was me, so I didn’t tell him my name.”
“Oh! You did like they do in those erotic romance books you read! One night. No names. No strings. No repeats,” she says like that movie guy that tells you what’s playing at the theatre and then starts cracking up. She sounds like a kid in a candy store.
I shake my head even though I know she can’t see me through the phone. “Not exactly, although I wish I’d thought of that now that you say it. Sounds cooler.”
“Huh? So who did he think you were if you didn’t stay anonymous?”
“I told him my name was Alyson.” I wait a minute and then look at my phone to see if we are still connected. Aly says nothing, and then I hear her sniffle.
“Aly? Are you crying?” What in the world just happened? “Al?”
“Yes. I’m here. Sorry,” she says, and then I hear her moving stuff around and then she blows her nose in my ear. “You lied to someone? Everly freaking Hayes lied?” she says, and I smile into the phone.
“Umm, yes. If I told Niko I was you, then I’d say that was pretty much a lie.”
“Oh my God! Everly! I’m so proud right now. Let me enjoy my moment. You’ve finally been initiated into the bad girls club. My girl is growing up.” I chuckle and blow her a kiss through the phone. “I can’t wait for you to graduate,” she says, and I start laughing with her. I can’t help it; she’s contagious sometimes. “I think you should tell him who you are.”
“Are you crazy?”
/>
“Okay, well then at least hook up with him again.”
“No. That’s playing with fire. If Cam knew what happened, he’d blow his lid right off!”
“Are you serious? You’re not a kid anymore, and Cam needs to mind his own damn business when it comes to you and your sex life. God, he’s so fucking annoying.”
Oh God. Here we go. Alyson and Cameron have the worst hate-hate relationship I’ve ever seen. I am not in the mindset to hear another long rant again on my brother’s faults and all the ways she’d love to boil his balls.
“First, I’m not getting into your thoughts and feelings on my brother. I still have no idea why the two of you can’t be civil,” I say to her. “Second, this is Niko. You know how he is. How Cam has always been when it comes to his friends. So that’s not going to fly.”
“Ev, it’s not like his best friend had sex with your mom! Come on!”
“Okay, that’s just gross. Don’t say Niko and sex with my mom to me ever again. Jesus.”
“I’m just saying. There is nothing wrong with two adults that were obviously into each other bumping uglies. I mean, you’re in your damn twenties, not a teen.”
“Thanks, Mom. I wouldn’t get too crazy over this, but I have to go. Shit . . . now I have the horrible thought of Niko and my mother! You suck.” Aly laughs, and I want to find bleach for my brain. “I’ll call you later. I need to unpack some things until I get situated, and hopefully, the things I sent from Tate’s place will arrive soon. Otherwise, I’ll have to buy a few new things for my new job.”
“Speaking of crazy, have you heard from the pond scum?”
I knew she’d ask, but I wanted to forget about Tate a little while longer if I could.
“I haven’t spoken to him, but he’s been calling every day. More than once a day. Leaving voice messages or sending me text messages. Nothing new,” I say nonchalantly and hope she leaves it alone, but I know she won’t. She is Aly, after all, and she hated Tate from day one.
“You mean he’s still trying to get you to move back there, with him?”
I’ve added a truckload of food to my cart while talking, somehow racking up more than fifty dollars in Chinese cuisine. The good news is my stomach won’t be roaring at me in twenty to thirty minutes.
“You know that’s never going to happen. It’s over. I can deal with a lot of things, but cheating and lying are not on that list. Tate is my past. I just want to move on, start new, and forget I ever knew Tate Matthews.”
“Which is exactly why you should tap Niko again. I think he might just be the best medicine for you right now. At least don’t rule the idea out. Trust me. I always know what’s right, and this sounds right.”
“No comment, but we can talk about that again later. I need to run.”
“Of course! Call you later. If you need me, you know where I am. I didn’t like Tate, but I know that was hard for you, and I’m here if you need me no matter what.”
“I know. And I will, but honestly, I’m good. Tate just isn’t the same guy he was when we met.”
“I’m not sure he ever was that guy you thought he was, babe, but I’m just glad he’s gone, and that you’re back. Even if he is the reason you’ve come home, I’m glad you’re here. Call me later; I have to get back to work. My asshole boss is giving me the stink eye. Love you!” she says before we hang up.
“Love you, too!” God, I love Aly. I’ve missed her like crazy. I know I made the right choice coming back. Everything just feels right now that I’m home.
My Chinese arrives, and after gorging myself, I throw the leftovers in the fridge and crawl into bed. It’s been a long day, but possibly the most memorable in my life. One I will remember forever.
“SOMEONE BETTER BE DEAD or dying,” I say out loud as I blindly reach for my cell phone that has now vibrated so many times it fell from my nightstand to the floor. My eyes are still closed, and I plan to keep them that way until my alarm goes off in . . . I pull one eye open as I try to glance at the clock on my dresser, but it’s not there. Whatever . . .
I finally manage to pull it up by the cord and see not only who’s calling, but that it’s early. Really fucking early. I look at the name flashing on my cell and contemplate ignoring him, but I know he’ll just keep calling until I pick up. I put my head back down on my pillow and close my eyes before answering.
“What is wrong with you? I have two hours left to sleep. Are you bleeding?” I ask, Cam, before I bury my head back into my pillow. I hear his insane laughter come through the line, and I’m tempted to press end, but like the good friend I am, I wait.
“Get up, sleeping beauty!” he says way too cheerfully for the hour. Fucking morning people. “I’m about to grab my gym bag and head out in ten. You said you’d hit the gym with me this morning before your shift. Get up, get your shit together, Callahan, and meet me downstairs in twenty.”
“Shit!” I say and pull myself up into a sitting position on my bed.
“Yeah, shit is right. I knew you’d try and back out. Not happening, man. No pain, no gain.”
I lean back against my headboard and rub the sleep from my eyes. “Listen, man, I’m not going to be able to meet you until after my shift.”
“Why the fuck not?”
“If you’d shut up and let me wake up, then I could tell you that I’m not . . . what the fuck?”
I was about to tell Cam that I have company, but it’s then I realize that I am, in fact, alone, and my bed is across my fucking room. Holy shit! Thoughts on everything that happened last night begin to flood my brain and my morning wood is double the wood from images of everything we did last night. Speaking of my cock, there is something stuck to it right below my abdomen. On my dick?
“What? What the fuck? Dude, are you talking in your sleep, man? Wake up, Niko! Get one of your nasty green veggie shakes and get ready.”
“Cam, hold on a second.” I hear him bitching through the phone, but I’ve stopped listening and pull the phone away from my ear.
I get up and flip the light on, and just for shits and giggles I double-check to make sure she’s gone. Nope. There is no Alyson in my bed. The floor is littered with my clothes having landed wherever she threw them when she ripped them off. However, hers are gone.
I pull the sheets back, ready to find her, and that’s when I see it. The thing that is sticking to me—not just sticking to me, but stuck to my dick—is a piece of paper. No, not just a piece of paper, one of those yellow fucking Post-it notes with the word “Thanks” written on it. And a goddamn smiley face?
“Are you fucking shitting me?” I say out loud. Cam is going to bitch my ass out in a minute, but I need a second to process. The fact that this girl, this sexy-as-fuck, rocked-my-whole-world-last-night woman left before I woke, stuck a fucking Post-it note on my cock to thank me for the best sex of my life, and bounced without a word.
Well, that’s a fucking first.
“Hello! Earth to Niko, what the fuck, man. You’re not what? Get your ass up and let’s go,” Cam says from the phone.
“Yeah, okay. All right, just let me grab a quick shower first.” And push my bed back against the wall, I think, but keep that shit to myself. I’m not one of those guys that need to tell my boys all about my conquests. That’s a dick move, and I try not to fuck and report if I can help it.
“Niko, it’s the gym. Don’t be a fucking girl and get all dolled up before we sweat our asses off. Shower after, you pussy!” Cam says and laughs at me through the phone.
“Shut up. I was going to tell you I couldn’t go because I wasn’t alone, but apparently, she dipped out on me sometime during the night and didn’t let me know she was leaving. I need a shower, man, so give me a few minutes, or you can go work out alone.”
“Whoa! Someone’s cranky this morning. Is big Niko pissed that little Niko didn’t get his morning nookie with his Wheaties?”
“First of all, there is no ‘little’ Niko, asshole, and there is nothing small about little Niko. Worr
y about little Cameron.” Cam starts cackling again, and I’m ready to throw my cell across the room.
“You said there is nothing little about little Niko! Bro, you called your dick little Niko!”
“Shut up, Cam, you’re giving me a fucking headache.” I rub my temples to try and relieve the tension building in my head, between Cam and his ribbing me before the sun is even up and then a Post-it on my fucking cock thanking me for sex.
“Suck it up, buttercup! Welcome to the mortal world, Casanova. Sometimes you can’t always get laid twice in twenty-four hours.”
“Listen, I’m not letting you screw with me today, you ass. Let me wake up first,” I say. Cam laughs and then just as fast as he began to, he stops and is eerily quiet.
“Hello?” I pull the phone away to see if we’re still connected when I hear him on the line.
“Dude, you just said that she left in the middle of the night.”
“Yeah, and?”
“And . . . She didn’t wake you up? She didn’t ask for a ride, nothing?”
“That’s what I just said. What the fuck, are you a parrot now?”
“Did you check the rest of your apartment? What if she ripped you off or something? Did you check to make sure your wallet is not missing?”
“I didn’t think of that, but I’m honestly not worried about that. She didn’t seem like that type of girl—”
“What type of girl?” He cuts me off, and I’m seriously thinking about kicking his ass today. “The kind that goes home with a strange guy she just met in a bar, has sex with the guy, and then leaves in the middle of the night without a word?”
“No, dumbass, she left a note!”
“Ohhhhh! Well, that explains it! You’re right! She doesn’t seem like that type of girl at all if she left you a note!” he says with nothing but sarcasm, and I want to put my fist through the phone. I’m kicking his ass today. “What did it say?”
“It doesn’t matter. Just shut up, would you? She didn’t steal anything, and she’s gone. Mind your own business.” There is no way I’m telling him what the sticky fucking note said. I’ll never hear the end of it, and he’ll run his mouth to the rest of the guys at the firehouse.
