Tempt Me

by Claire Raye

  “Her ass isn’t up yet,” she spits out, perturbed and tapping her foot. “And I’m afraid to open the door because I really don’t want to see my brother’s naked ass in bed with her.”

  I slip past Sie as she stands at the front door and I take the stairs two at a time. Ruby already can’t celebrate my actual birthday with me, so she doesn’t get to sleep in for this one.

  When I reach her door, I knock first, attempting to be polite, but she should know I’m far too selfish for that. Impatience wins out and after a second rap on the door, I just open it instead.

  But of course, I’m hit with the cutest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. Ruby and Caleb are curled around each other, completely and totally out to the world. She has no idea I’ve been pounding on her door or that I’m standing in the doorway to her bedroom.

  Luckily, they’re both somewhat clothed, Caleb in his boxers and Ruby in a tank and undies. It feels like I’m looking straight into what people imagine they look like when they sleep with their significant other, when in reality it’s more a big mess. But not Ruby and Caleb. They’re everything people want to be, and they make it look effortless.

  I’m sure she’ll pretend to hate me for this, but I don’t care. She can thank me later.

  I quickly and quietly grab my phone from my pocket and begin to take a few pictures of the two of them. Ruby’s dark hair is spread out all over the pillows and Caleb’s face is pressed into the crook of her neck. His hand is slightly under her tank and her legs are tangled among his with the duvet and sheets thrown all around them.

  I can’t get a great picture from the doorway, so I slink into her room, hoping to get a better angle, but fail once again, only capturing parts of it. I know I need to be more above them and with my short legs and arms, I just can’t get my phone high enough. I pull out the chair from the small desk and climb onto it. Shooting a few pictures from above and this time, I’m able to fully capture all the perfection that is sitting in front of me.

  I tiptoe out of the room and close the door behind me. Ruby sleeps hard and I know the sound of the door won’t wake her up, and as for Caleb, if Ruby’s around, he’s out like a light too. When I visited a while back and caught Ruby leaving Reid’s house after spending the night with Caleb, I gave her so much shit. I had no idea how much they would mean to each other one day and how much they would need each other. It’s a love that I one day wish to have. I want to fall so helplessly in love and need someone so badly. It’s changed Ruby and Caleb’s lives.

  “Is she up?” Sie asks as soon as I come down the stairs.

  “No, but I did get this,” I tell her, handing her my phone so she can scroll through the pictures.

  “They’re nauseatingly perfect, aren’t they?” she replies, smiling as she says it. “I swear they never take their hands off each other.”

  She says this just as Reid walks in carrying a few bags and a cardboard holder full of coffees. He sets it down on the table in front of Sie and leans down to kiss her. It’s not just an ordinary kiss, it’s long and he takes her face in his hands, his mouth now moving to her neck as he whispers something in her ear. She smiles, practically beaming at whatever he said, and I roll my eyes.

  “Hey pot, meet kettle,” I say, laughing along with Charlie as she chuckles at my words too.

  “I know, I know, but I blame Reid. He’s the gropy, loved up sap, not me,” Sienna teases, looking up at Reid whose mouth drops open, shaking his head at her.

  “You love it,” he growls, grabbing her boob and making her giggle.

  They’re equally as adorable and they know it.

  “And I’m over here, still single, surrounded by all you assholes,” Charlie quips, making us all laugh now.

  I do feel a little bad. I never intended on meeting Adam and letting him consume my life. This was supposed to be the year of Charlie and me, and living it up, starting over in a new place. But I guess meeting someone is never a planned event and now that I have Adam, I’m certainly not giving him up without a fight.

  “Reid, don’t you have some hot friends on the football team you could set Charlie up with?” I ask, and she hits him with her perfect smile, batting her eyelashes.

  “Nope, no, not a chance,” he says, adamantly shaking his head. “I would never do that to you.” Reid looks right at Charlie, giving her a look that is far too authoritative, which usually only drives Charlie to pursue it. “They’re dirty and smelly and most of them have zero respect for women.”

  Now all three of us are laughing out loud. Reid was the biggest womanizer before he hooked up with Sienna.

  “Why are you so loud?” Ruby croaks out, rubbing her eyes as she stops in front of the kitchen table where we’re all sitting. “It’s too early for your shit.”

  She flops down in a chair and Reid hands her a cup of coffee, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

  “Coffee to wake you up,” he says, sweetly, and then adds, pointing a finger at Charlie, “Stay the hell away from the football team, you got it?” And with that he heads back upstairs.

  “So, are we going hiking today or what?” I now ask, given that was the whole reason we’re all together.

  “Yes, yes. You know I can’t do mornings. Give me a bit,” Ruby groans, rummaging through the bag Reid left on the table and pulling out a bagel and then passing it to Sienna.

  We all grab a bagel, our coffees distributed, and we sit around the table chatting before eventually getting ready to go.

  Charlie lifts her coffee, calling out, “To Mila on her not exactly twenty-first birthday yet.”

  “Let’s do it!” I shout.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Adam

  I hit the gym after I drop Mila off at her sister’s, needing to kill a few hours before I head into work tonight. Even though I know exactly where she is and what she’s doing, it feels kinda strange not being able to hang out with her.

  We don’t get a lot of time together, between her classes and my shifts at the bar and as a result, we’ve spent almost every available second that we do have free with each other. We spend every night together too, even when I am working, and it feels weird to think this weekend will be different.

  Even weirder that I’m being this much of a pussy about it all. I’ve spent the past year with no one’s company but my own, it’s not like this is something I should struggle with for fuck’s sake.

  Just as I’m walking out of the gym, my phone chimes out with a text and it’s ridiculous how much my heart flips as I hope it’s from Mila.

  Caleb: you wanna ditch work tonight and hang out?

  I laugh, because this is so unlike Caleb. The bar is his baby and something he’s determined to make a success. He doesn’t need to worry though, it is. So much so that he’s had to hire extra staff just to cope with how busy we’ve become. It’s been good though, because it means that I’m not closing up every night now, which also means I have more time with Mila.

  God, I’m so pathetic these days.

  Me: ummm, dunno, I’ll have to check with my boss, he can be a bit of a ball breaker, so tough to know.

  Caleb: ha ha smart ass. It’s cool if you’re happy to give up the shift. Me and Reid need to get out of the house and figure you might wanna join us on account of your girl being here too.

  Caleb’s comment, which is quite possibly the longest thing he’s ever texted me, makes me laugh again, almost as though he knows exactly what I’m thinking and just how pathetic I am. I clearly don’t type fast enough though and when his next message comes through, I almost choke on the water I’m trying to swallow.

  Caleb: come on lover boy, you know you’re totes pussy whipped and dying without your girl around. We don’t want you to be all sad and lonely and crying yourself to sleep, so come hang with us.

  Before I can even think of what to type back, the bubbles pop up again to let me know a new message is being sent.

  Caleb: sorry, that was Reid btw, not
me ;) Anyway, yes to tonight?

  Shaking my head with laughter, I head out to my car as I type out a response.

  Me: sure, I’ll hang with you guys, sounds fun.

  Caleb: cool, we’ll swing by yours in a couple of hours.

  As I hop into my car and head home, I’m surprised to find how grateful I am for the invite. Relieved too, in a weird way, that I’m not going to be forced to spend my night alone after all, especially now I’ve apparently become so used to having people around me again.

  Having spent so much of my time deliberately staying away from everyone; not making any connections or real friendships, it’s strange to now want exactly what I used to run away from. But the second Mila walked into my life, everything changed, and now, not only do I find myself with a girlfriend who I want to be with all the time, but also a group of friends I like hanging out with too.

  And as I drive home, I find myself kind of surprised at how happy this change makes me.

  The knock on my door is loud and impatient and my money is on Reid being the one doing it. When I open it, he and Caleb are standing on the other side, Reid grinning from ear to ear as he holds up a six pack, and Caleb shaking his head as he pushes his friend inside my apartment.

  “Don’t mind him, he doesn’t get out much,” Caleb says as we head into the kitchen.

  “Please,” Reid replies, rolling his eyes as he hands each of us a beer. “Like you can talk.”

  Caleb rolls his eyes back at him before turning to me with a look on his face that says, can you believe this guy? I chuckle, recognizing this for what it is. These two are clearly super close and this teasing brotherly banter they have going on only demonstrates that.

  “So, what’s the plan for tonight?” I ask, leaning back against the kitchen bench.

  “Go out, get drunk?” Reid suggests. “Think a couple of the guys from the team are heading to Joe’s Pool Hall if we wanna join them.”

  Caleb looks at me and I shrug, not really caring what we do. “Sure, sounds good,” I say, and Reid’s grin widens as he shakes his head at me now. “What?”

  He lets out a loud laugh, taking a sip of beer as he says, “Man you really are sad and lonely and all pussy whipped, aren’t you?”

  Caleb punches him in the shoulder even as I jokingly say, “Seriously, you let this guy sleep with your sister?”

  This only makes Reid laugh even harder. “Fuck me, you do realize you sleep with his girl’s sister, don’t you?”

  “And?” I ask.

  “Well,” he says, shrugging, a huge smile on his face. “I’m just sayin’ the potential for shit giving here is seriously high.”

  Laughing, I reply with, “Yeah, but unlike you, I like my balls firmly attached to my body, thanks.”

  “Pussy,” Reid mumbles.

  “Okay,” Caleb says, clapping his hands together once as though to end this conversation. “Enough of the who’s-sleeping-with-whose-sister shit, let’s sort out what we’re gonna do.”

  An hour later, we are heading down to Joe’s, which sits down at the far end of the main drag in town. It’s a place that’s not usually filled with a huge uni crowd, which makes things better for me and Caleb.

  Working in a bar and then hanging out at bars in a place like this, where a lot of people are underage or carrying a fake I.D., can be hard work. I hate running into customers outside of work because they invariably think it’s okay to try and convince me that I can serve them when they come into The Last Drop. As though we are somehow friends because we’ve seen each out one night.

  Of course, it isn’t going to happen, regardless of how good their I.D. looks. I have too much respect for Caleb to ever take a risk like that in his place, regardless of what I think of the drinking age.

  “You wanna play some pool?” Reid asks as we walk in.

  “Sure,” I reply. “Find us a table and I’ll get some drinks.”

  I head over to the bar to grab us some beers and as I’m waiting to get served, I pull out my phone and see a text from Mila. Smiling, I open the message, which has a photo of her and Charlie, somewhere outside on a mountain or something, along with a message.

  Mila: Kickboxing is paying off, hiked all the way to the top! Amazing view…we should do this one day xx

  Me: sure it’s just the kickboxing?? but yeah, sounds like fun, count me in. Hope u r having fun with the girls

  I save the photo she’s sent me before slipping my phone back into my pocket, not expecting a response. But as the bartender takes my order, I feel my phone vibrate in my back pocket. I grab our beers and head over to where Reid and Caleb are waiting with a couple of the guys from Reid’s football team. He introduces me to Logan and Matt, although I recognize them both from the bar, as he racks up the balls on the table.

  After I say hello, I move to the small table by the wall, pulling my phone from my pocket again as I open up the message app to read Mila’s reply.

  Mila: Cheeky ;) we are having fun yes…what about you, are you missing me?

  I feel myself smiling at her message as I type out a reply.

  Adam: course I am…I’m gonna miss you even more tonight.

  “Fuck me, you do have it bad,” Reid says, suddenly materializing beside me as he nudges me with his elbow.

  I turn and smirk at him. “Really?” I ask, my tone laced with sarcasm. “You’re really going there?”

  “What?” he asks, a surprised look on his face.

  I scoff. “Like you don’t have it bad too, I’ve seen you and Sie together.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Reid says. “Now, we gonna play some pool or what?”

  We hang out at the pool hall for the rest of the night, the five of us mostly playing each other as we throw back some beers. It’s relaxed and fun and although we get plenty of girls heading over to talk to us, we send them all to Matt, who’s the only one of us who’s single.

  By the time the place is closing, the five of us are all a little drunk, half stumbling out of the bar and onto the main street.

  “Fuck, I need food,” Reid shouts, stretching his arms over his head as he lets out a loud burp.

  “You wanna grab burgers and shit and head home?” Caleb asks.

  “Fuck yes,” Reid breathes out. “Adam, you coming?”

  I turn to him, see the smart arse smirk on his face because he already knows what I want to say in response to his question. Of course I want to come over, because Mila’s there and that means I’ll get to see her.

  But I’m also not sure if that’s what she’d want me to do. This is supposed to be a girl’s weekend and even though Reid and Caleb’s house is huge, Charlie is also with her and I have no idea what the sleeping arrangements are.

  And fuck me if I’m not turning into the biggest pussy about all of this either.

  “So, I’m gonna take that as a yes,” Reid says, nudging me as he starts to walk toward the twenty-four-hour diner that’s just down the street.

  “Fuck,” I mutter, shoving a hand through my hair as I fall in behind him.

  “It’s cool you know,” Caleb says, walking beside me. I glance at him, my brows narrowed in question, as though I’m not sure I believe him. Caleb just laughs as he slaps a hand on my back and says, “Don’t pretend you don’t want to.”

  I let out a laugh. “I’m not.”

  “Oh?” Caleb says, brow raised.

  “No,” I reply, shaking my head. “I’m just wondering if I should, you know? I mean this is their weekend, so I’m—”

  “Oh god.” Caleb lets out an exaggerated groan, drawing the words out as his head falls back and he laughs. “Like me and Reid aren’t already gonna crash their party when we stumble in tonight. We were supposed to be staying with the boys, but clearly that’s not happening. Just come over, Adam, you’ll make her night,” he adds, winking at me. He’s far drunker than I think I’ve ever seen him before and it’s kind of funny seeing this side of him, h
ow chilled he is.

  I let out a long breath as we walk inside the diner. “Ah fuck it, alright then.”

  We order a shit load of food to go before saying goodbye to Matt and Logan and jumping in an Uber. When the car pulls up to their house, it’s clear the girls are still up, the lights in the house all on.

  “Come on lover boy,” Reid yells as we stumble out of the car and up to the front door.

  We’re being loud as shit and it’s no surprise when Caleb opens the front door and we walk in, that the girls all turn to face us. They’re sitting on the floor in the living room, all of them dressed in what looks like pajamas, the TV playing and several bottles of wine on the coffee table.

  “Are you fucking serious?” Charlie yells. “Like everyone gets a present but me. What the fuck?”

  Reid laughs out loud as he walks in, collapsing to the floor behind Sienna and wrapping her in his arms as he falls backward so they are both lying down.

  “Babe, shit, how drunk are you right now?” Sie says, giggling in a way that tells me she isn’t exactly sober either.

  “Not drunk at all,” Reid slurs before kissing her.

  I walk over to where Mila is sitting, smiling up at me. “Hey you,” she says, holding out a hand.

  “Hey.” I slide my fingers between hers as she tugs me down so I’m sitting beside her.

  “Couldn’t stay away, huh?”

  I chuckle, leaning in to kiss her. “Maybe,” I whisper. “Do you mind?”

  Mila laughs, nipping my bottom lip. “Not at all.”

  I smile against her mouth, kissing her again before pulling back and turning to Charlie. “Sorry, Charlie,” I say, pushing out my bottom lip. “To be fair, I was coerced into coming here. Totally not my fault.”