He ran a hand through his blond hair, pushing it over to reveal the ultra-short side.
“What about Trent?”
“What about him?” I asked.
“He know you’re here?”
I smiled. “He will if you come with me.”
The look on his face made me smile. “I’m the possessive one, not him. Besides, he likes you.”
“I hit on you.”
I couldn’t help it; I laughed out loud. “Dude, you need to work on your game. I had no idea.”
“Way to crush a man’s ego,” he said and pressed a hand over his chest.
“I’m here, aren’t I?” I said. “Look, I’m all in with Trent. That’s not gonna change. But I got room in my life for friends.”
Arrow stared at me for a long minute. I saw the debate rage in his mind. He wanted to be friends, so badly. He was almost desperate, but it was that desperation that made him hesitate. He was asking himself if he could trust me. If this would only come back to bite him in the ass.
It made me ache for him.
“You can invite your brother if you want,” I offered, barely able to say the words without choking. Obviously, his brother was the closest person to him, and his loyalty went beyond the bonds of blood.
To trust.
Seemed like Lorhaven might be the only guy in Arrow’s life that actually cared and wouldn’t screw him over.
“Yeah.” Arrow nodded. “Okay.”
I grinned. “Get some clothes. Trent’s not possessive, but if I show up with a half-naked gay dude, he might learn to be.”
Arrow laughed, and I thought I saw the tinge of a blush across his cheeks.
Did I just kinda flirt with him?
Like for real?
I was getting good at being gay.
No, strike that. I was getting good at being who I really was.
I wasn’t interested in Arrow, not like that, but it felt pretty good to give him a little boost of confidence. I didn’t think he got those very often.
Maybe this good deed would help counteract the bad one I put into play at the frat this morning.
Not that I cared. Con deserved exactly what he got.
And it would be good for Arrow to see the bigots of the world didn’t always win out.
Trent
The scent of brewing coffee and the sounds of a lively baby greeted me when I walked into the house.
Ivy’s blond head poked out of the kitchen when Prada came rushing toward me, her nails clicking a ruckus as she came.
“Hey!” she called.
“Hey.”
“Where’s Drew?” I called out. She’d already disappeared back in the kitchen.
“I thought he was with you!”
That stopped me in my tracks. What the hell? He wasn’t here? A sick, panicked feeling wrapped its icy-cold fingers around my heart and squeezed. I wasn’t a paranoid person, but now I knew how one felt. The irrational but totally authentic thoughts running rampant through my mind literally made my palms break out in a cold sweat.
Flashes of the night I was jumped played behind my eyes like a B-rated horror movie. Had someone seen him leave the frat this morning? Had someone jumped him? Was he lying somewhere unable to call for help?
I yanked out my phone and dialed him.
It rang and rang. Just when I was about to throw my phone, he answered.
“Hey,” he said like he didn’t know I was having a mini heart attack.
“I thought you were dead in a ditch, asshole,” I yelled.
There was pause on the line. “You at home?”
“And you aren’t.”
His muffled curse didn’t make me feel any better. And then the sound of a muffled voice that was not Drew’s grabbed my attention.
“Forrester!” I demanded. “Where the fuck are you?”
“I’m on my way home. I’m fine.” He sounded a little guilty.
I blew out a breath. “You okay?”
“Yeah, frat boy. I’m fine. I should have texted you.”
“Ya think?” I snapped.
“I am a big boy,” he muttered.
I made a rude sound. “Yeah, so am I, but I still got fucked up.”
Silence.
“Yeah… I’m sorry, T.”
My anger deflated, and the panic I felt was draining away. “It’s fine. I shouldn’t have freaked.”
“I get it.”
“I’ll see you in a few?”
“Definitely.”
I cut off the line and walked into the kitchen. Ivy was standing at the island with some coffee and a bagel in front of her. Nova was in her little seat with dry Cheerios all over the place.
She grinned when she saw me and held out her arms.
“Hey, midge.” I unhooked the little buckle around her waist and pulled her up. There were Cheerios all over her, too, and some of them fell onto my chest and decorated the black T-shirt I wore.
Nova reached down and picked one off my chest and held it out to me between her two tiny fingers.
“For me?” I asked and then snatched it out of her fingers (gently, of course) like I was starved.
She laughed like it was the greatest thing she’d ever seen.
“Mushy,” I commented as I chewed. “Just how I like my Cheerios.”
Ivy laughed.
I snuggled the baby close and kissed the top of her head. She decided she liked feeding me, so she started picking all the Cheerios off us to shove them in my mouth.
It was gross. I ate them anyway.
She liked it.
“Where’s my brother?” Ivy asked.
I glanced away from the baby. She was looking good as always in a pair of skinny jeans, a long floaty-looking white top, and a colorful scarf draped around her neck. Her blond hair was wavy and pulled into a high ponytail that bounced when she moved around.
“On his way home.”
“He okay?”
I grimaced. Obviously, she heard me reading him the riot act. I wasn’t exactly quiet. “He’s fine. I just overreacted.”
“You’re very protective,” she said. “I like that.”
“He’s been through a lot,” I muttered and ate another Cheerio.
“So have you.”
“He told you what happened in North Carolina, right?” I asked. This was the first time I’d been alone with Ivy since we got back. Since Drew’s parents were also hers, I wanted to know what she was feeling about the way they treated him.
“I had to drag it out of him.”
I nodded. “Probably didn’t want to upset you.”
Ivy set down her coffee and looked straight at me. “How bad was it?”
Braeden walked in the room, but it was as if he knew we were talking. He said nothing and just went right to the coffee. On his way, he did stop to kiss Nova on the cheek. When he tried to lift her out of my arms, she clung to me and shook her head.
She loved me.
And she loved that I ate her nasty used cereal.
“It was bad,” I said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Drew that upset.”
She nodded. “My father doesn’t understand.”
“He disowned him. Kicked him out and didn’t even try.”
Braeden slapped the coffeepot down a little harder than necessary but otherwise said nothing.
Ivy’s eyes filled with tears. She glanced at Nova in my arms. “I just don’t understand how a parent can do that to a child.”
“He’s been kinda quiet this week. You think he’s taking it harder than he’s letting on?”
She sniffled. “I don’t know. Dad’s approval has always been something Drew always wanted.”
“Does your brother know yet?”
She nodded. “I called him and told him. I know it wasn’t my place, but I wasn’t about to let Drew do it and have him react like Dad.”
“It’s your place,” I told her gently. “You’re his family.”
“You are, too.” She reminded me.
; I didn’t think these people knew what it meant to me to have their support. Maybe it was time they knew. Maybe it was time Drew knew. It might make what he was dealing with seem a little less isolating.
“You can butt into my business anytime,” I told her.
Nova made a sound, and I looked down. She couldn’t find any more cereal to feed me.
“All gone,” I said and shrugged.
She pointed to the pile on her tray.
“You teach this kid to be so smart?” I asked Ivy.
Nova pointed again, and Ivy laughed.
I scooped up a handful and held them between us. She proceeded to make me eat more.
“Only for you, midge,” I told her. “You know I love ya, right?”
She leaned forward and kissed me. My heart melted just a little. I glanced at B. “You’re already buying guns, right?”
“Bullets, too,” he quipped.
Ivy rolled her eyes, then returned to the topic. “He wasn’t upset like Dad. He was surprised, but once he has time to think it over, I think he’ll be fine with it. You and Drew don’t need to worry about him.”
“Thanks,” I said, relieved.
“My father, though…” Her eyes darkened. “I don’t know what to do,”
Ivy was in a tough spot. She probably felt caught in the middle of her brother and her parents. I didn’t want that for her, and I knew Drew didn’t either. She wasn’t the one in a relationship her father considered depraved.
“You don’t have to do anything,” I said.
She made a frustrated sound. “If I do nothing, it looks like I agree with my father, and I don’t! I told him what an ass I thought he was being.”
My eyes widened.
Braeden laughed. “Gave him hell, she did.”
“I love my parents. I really do. But they’re wrong. And I want Nova to know her grandparents, but I won’t raise her around people who would disown their own son over who his heart chose.”
I glanced at Braeden, worried. Was Ivy really contemplating severing her relationship with her parents over this? Nova’s relationship.
Braeden shrugged. “She has a point.”
I didn’t want that. I didn’t want the relationship I essentially set into motion to affect not only Drew and me, but hurt everyone around us.
I was about to tell her that when the door to the garage opened and Drew stepped in. The second he was in my sight, my eyes swept over his body, assessing and making sure he was definitely okay.
He was looking sexy in my sweats, uncombed hair, and a coffee in hand. His blue stare found mine first, and I felt something click inside me, back into place where it belonged. That’s how I felt when we weren’t together, like a piece of me had shaken loose and was missing.
Nova was bouncing around in my arms at the sight of her favorite uncle.
“There’s my favorite girl!” he said, grinning at her.
Arrow walked into the house behind him, carrying an identical coffee. Surprise shot through me. So that’s whose voice I heard.
Arrow appeared out of his comfort zone and like he wasn’t sure where to look. Drew gave me a meaningful look, and I understood. For whatever reason, this kid had grown on Drew. I understood why; he was sort of like a stray without a home that just needed someone to adopt him.
Yeah, I knew he had Lorhaven.
Maybe the guy wasn’t as bad as I originally thought, but I still didn’t like him.
“What’s up, man?” I stepped toward Arrow and held out my fist.
He bumped his against mine. “Hey, Trent.”
“You gonna play some football with us today?”
He seemed a little taken aback by the easy way I greeted him, but he recovered fast. “I thought we were watching.”
“I’m going to smash heads,” Braeden quipped and stepped around Ivy to introduce himself to Arrow.
I made the introductions while Drew went for Nova. She held her arms out to him, and he snatched her up.
“Traitor!” I told her.
Nova gave me a toothless grin and picked up a Cheerio out of my hand and held it to Drew’s lips. He ate it of course.
His face screwed up. “Why is it mushy?”
“Baby slobber,” I told him.
Ivy was inviting Arrow to sit with her at the game and asking him about his style. “You remind me of someone…” she was saying.
“Kid looks just like the Biebs,” Braeden announced.
I laughed, and Arrow blushed.
Nova kissed Drew, and it stole my attention. Then she leaned toward me, so I bent and she kissed me, too. Then, to everyone’s surprise, she put her hand on my cheek and tried to push it toward Drew.
“Uhhh…”
“She wants you to kiss,” Ivy explained. “That’s her new thing. Kisses.”
Drew and I looked at each other. Yeah, everyone knew about us, but we never kissed in front of anyone before.
Ever.
Nova made an impatient sound and patted my cheek.
I glanced around the room, not sure what to do.
Braeden made a rude sound. “You telling my daughter no?”
Drew rolled his eyes.
My eyes asked him a question.
He nodded.
I leaned forward and pressed our lips together. It was meant to be a quick peck, but the second we touched, I got a little lost. My lips clung to his a little longer than necessary, but it couldn’t be helped.
When I pulled back, Nova clapped between us, but all I could look at was Drew. No one else seemed to give a rat’s ass I just kissed another dude in the kitchen, but I sure as hell cared.
I loved kissing him.
“What’s going on in here?” Rimmel said, entering the kitchen with Romeo right behind her.
“Oh, nothing. Just Trent and Drew making out,” Braeden announced. “Oh, and Justin Bieber is here.”
“I’m changing my hair,” Arrow muttered, which launched Ivy into a full-on lecture about the latest hair trends for men.
Basically, it was a typical morning at home. Everyone talked over each other, we were loud, and Braeden was rude. After a few minutes, Arrow seemed to relax and fit right in. He was still a little quiet, but he was obviously still trying to check everyone out.
After we devoured most of the box of donuts Drew brought home, we snuck up to his room for the only few minutes of alone time we’d probably get all day.
“I should have texted,” Drew said the second we were alone.
“Yeah,” I said and then attacked his mouth. That short kiss we shared before was a teaser, something that left me wanting more.
He opened for me instantly, and our tongues slipped against each other’s while our lips moved in sync. I reached around and grabbed his ass, wishing there was a lot less clothing between us. He must have felt the same, because he was pulling at my shirt.
I let it go and slid it off and tossed it on the bed. “We don’t have time for this.” I reminded him.
“I know,” he said even as he ran his palms over my chest and down my abs.
I kissed him again. Hard and deep. He groaned into my mouth, and I swallowed the sound.
Grudgingly, I pulled back and licked at my lips so I could get every last taste of him inside me. “Arrow, huh?”
“I like him.”
I nodded. “Me, too.”
He started pulling off his clothes and rummaging around in his drawers for fresh ones. I watched, admiring the strong lines of his body and remembering the way his skin felt beneath my fingertips.
I wanted to touch him. I thought about it over and over, but I didn’t. This time if I did, I wouldn’t be able to stop. I’d want to take him completely, and he was loud when I had sex with him.
Kissing in front of the fam was one thing; letting them hear him moan my name was another.
“Stop it,” he said, turning toward me.
“What?”
“Thinking about being inside me. You’re making me crazy.”
“I can’t help it. I want more.”
“Me, too.” His voice dropped.
It still kind of amazed me that he felt the same way I did, that his body responded to my touch like mine did his. What were the odds really? What were the odds I’d meet someone who not only was a friend, but then had the capacity and the open heart to become my everything else?
Without thinking, I crossed the room and snatched him to me. Our bodies pressed tight, and I knew he could feel my erection between us. I smiled against his head because I could feel his, too.
“Later.” I promised myself out loud.
“Tonight?” Drew lifted his head.
I kissed him again even though I wasn’t supposed to.
I mean, really, our entire relationship was a giant “wasn’t supposed to.” We did it anyway, and it was the best decision I ever made.
“Tonight.” I promised and then let him go.
“I’m gonna jump in the shower. I’ll be down in a minute.”
I nodded. “I still haven’t told you what happened this morning at the frat.”
He turned from the door, grinning. “Oh, I know what happened.”
My eyes narrowed. “You heard all the shouting?”
“That, too.”
Realization dawned. Holy shit balls. Drew totally set Con up. Mr. Computer Savvy himself.
“How the hell did you pull that off, and how did you put the five hundred in his bank account?”
Drew sniffed and looked smug. It was sexy. “Don’t ever piss off a hacker,” he said. “And especially don’t go after the person a hacker is in love with.”
I laughed. “You sneaky bastard.”
His smile was sly.
“You covered your tracks, didn’t you?” I worried. If this was somehow discovered…
“Taken care of.”
“How?” I pressed, still concerned. I started imagining ways I could take the blame if he got caught and make it sound like I actually knew how to hack.
“I used computers with IP addresses not linked to me or you. Internet cafés, libraries, even a hotel in North Carolina—not the one we stayed at. I used one in Maryland, too.”
I grinned. He was smart.
“Plus, I know how to move around a computer undetected. I know how to do things without leaving a trace. I might not like my day job, but I do it very, very well.”
“I fucking love you,” I told him.
#Rev (GearShark #2) Page 21
