She made me sound like some Neanderthal. Had I really said everything in short sentences like that? I winced. Shit.
“I did not growl like that,” I said.
She snorted. “You might as well have.”
“Look, I was just looking out for a friend.”
“Chloe’s your friend now?”
“Fuck no,” I scoffed. “I’m looking out for Colt. He wouldn’t want his sister getting into some stranger’s car.”
She hummed. I couldn’t tell if that was her way of accepting my excuse, or wordlessly calling bullshit. My hands gripped the steering wheel tighter.
“I just want to point out that Jax isn’t really a stranger. I mean, we both know him. He’s a decent guy.”
I snorted. “Here’s a little tip for you, Sis, no guy in high school is a decent guy. They all want in your pants. Some are just smoother about it than others.”
“That’s not true!”
I looked over at her. “It’s true. Even your rocker friend there wants the same thing. He’s just the patient, stalking kind, like all good predators.”
“Wow. You just made Jessie super creepy...so that’s great.”
I shrugged. “I’m just stating the facts.”
“Your facts suck.”
We drove in silence again until I pulled up beside our place. As I shut off the car, Cat turned to face me.
“So that whole episode has nothing to do with you, maybe, thinking Chloe’s super-hot and wanting her for yourself?”
I laughed, ignoring the feeling in my chest at the thought of having her as my own. “You’re cute, kitty.” I shook my head, getting out of the car. She did the same, looking at me over the roof of the car. “Chloe is your friend, and Colt’s sister. I would never even attempt that shit.”
Her eyes narrowed on me, so I looked away, grateful that my aviators hid my eyes. Thankfully she didn’t bug me again as we went inside.
7
Chloe
“Chlo! The phone is for you,” Dad called up.
“One second!” I quickly wrapped the towel around my body before heading out of the bathroom. The steam rushed out as soon as I opened the door into the cold hallway. Shivering, I sped-walked to my bedroom, my wet feet slapping against the worn hardwood floor. Shutting the door, I fell across the bed, reaching the receiver.
“Hello?” I said, out of breath.
“Hey, it’s Cat.”
I got more comfortable. “Hey, what’s up?”
“I just wanted to let you know that I talked with my mom, and she’s totally cool with us getting ready here. She said you could even sleepover so you’re not getting home too late.”
“Cool, I’d love to sleep over.” I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone to a sleepover. I was, lamely, more excited for that than the party itself. It would be a full night out, doing something, rather than sitting at home and reading until eleven before crashing.
Now, what to tell my parents?
“There’s one problem,” I said.
“What?”
“I don’t know what to tell my parents. They’d be ok with me going to a party, but a college frat party? I think that might be pushing it.”
“Don’t tell them it’s a college party, just say a party. It’s not technically lying unless they ask you outright.”
I laughed. “Omitting the truth, rather than lying, huh?”
“You got it! That’s what I did with my mom.”
It didn’t sit well with me, but I figured it wouldn’t really be hurting anyone.
We talked about what we’d wear and then I told her I had to get off before my hair got too dry in the towel. It was always harder to dry straight when that happened.
“Wait,” she said before I said goodbye. “So are we going to talk about it, or just pretend like it never happened?”
I knew what she was talking about, but I’d spent all afternoon and evening forcing myself not to think about it that part of me just wanted to play dumb. Cat was too smart for that though.
“What’s there to talk about really?” I said, keeping my voice neutral. It wasn’t a big deal. Right?
Who was I kidding? My mind wanted so badly to go over every second of what happened. I’d denied myself that since the moment I’d gotten into his car.
“How about my brother acting all weird and possessive over you?”
I laughed even though my breath had left me at the thought of Kyle Briggs being possessive of me. Those dark, soulful eyes popped into my head and I shivered.
“He was just being nice,” I replied lamely.
“Nice? He was two seconds away from tearing you away from Jax’s car and tossing you in his. I’ve never seen him act that way.”
“I’m sure he was just looking out for me because I’m your friend, and Colt’s sister. Just like he’d be for you.”
“Yeah, I guess. That’s pretty much what he said.”
“He did?” Was that disappointment in my voice? Shoot. This was exactly why I didn’t want to over think the whole thing. I knew I’d start hoping it meant more than it did. Because the idea that Kyle didn’t want me driving with other guys had made every girlie romantic part of me flutter and spark. Of course it hadn’t been anything like that. He looked at me like a kid sister. I was probably just this young, immature girl to him.
“Yeah,” Cat said. “It was still weird though. Hopefully Jax doesn’t get scared and call off our date this weekend.”
I laughed even though I had to force it. “It’s not a date, Cat. And I can’t see him canceling it. He looked too excited.”
“You’re probably right. This will likely just make him want you more.”
“What? Why?”
“Because you know how guys are. As soon as they think another guy wants you, it makes them want you more. It turns into a competition thing.”
I scrunched my nose up. I didn’t want to be someone’s idea of a competition.
“But your brother doesn’t want me,” I pointed out.
“Jax doesn’t know that.”
No, but I did, and suddenly I felt like wallowing in sadness.
“Anyway, I’ll let you go. Make sure you ask your mom about the sleepover,” she said.
“I will,” I replied. “See you tomorrow.”
We got off and I hung up, my eyes unseeing as I stared at the receiver.
It wasn’t as though I had thought Kyles’s actions had been some declaration of interest, but I couldn’t deny that part of me had maybe hoped. Kyle put butterflies in my stomach. That same feeling I always read about in my romance books. The kind I had never felt, and was starting to think I never would.
But I was just his little sister’s friend to him. That probably made me pretty unappealing. The level of disappointment I was feeling was actually kind of sad. What I needed to do was just view Kyle as my friend’s older brother, and nothing more. He just happened to be super-hot, but that was it.
Jax on the other hand was my age and clearly interested. He was the one I should be thinking about, dreaming about, looking forward to seeing.
“Get it together, Chlo,” I told myself. The dumbest thing I could do was pine for a guy who could never be mine. I’d just be setting myself up for failure, and I didn’t do that. I went for goals that I knew I could achieve, and then I worked hard at it. Kyle Briggs wasn’t that. It was time to get smart.
Taking a deep breath, I strengthened my resolve before getting up to dry my hair and get dressed for bed. Slipping under the sheets, I closed my eyes with the thought of Jax and what it might be like at the party Saturday.
I fell asleep that way, only to have my brain betray me in the end. Because no matter how much I told myself Kyle was no longer an option, in my dreams, he was still there waiting to show me what it might have been like if he were.
The rest of the week flew by. Jax asked me every day in Geography if I wanted a ride home. And every time I wanted to tell him yes. I wanted to just hop in his Jeep an
d not care what Kyle thought. But that never happened.
Instead, at the end of the day, I would crawl into the back of his car and sit in an awkward, tense silence as Cat chatted obliviously, and then got out with a quick thank you thrown his way. He never spoke to me. He never even looked at me.
I didn’t feel his eyes on me in the mirror again, or even get the impression that he was aware I was there. Then each night I would get down about it and have to give myself the same pep-talk, only to dream about him anyway.
By the time Saturday came around, I was more than ready for a distraction, something new to do with my overactive brain.
Mom and Dad had been happy when I’d said I was going to sleep at Cat’s. I think they were just relieved I had actually made friends at this school. Colt was going to drive me over in an hour or so, so I stood in my closet trying to figure out what to pack.
Cat had said I needed something grown-up and sexy. As I looked over my wardrobe, I realized I didn’t really have anything like that. This was going to be harder than I thought.
Fingering the black dress I had worn for a wedding one year, I wondered if it would look weird if I wore a dress? Girls wore dresses to parties, right? I’d never really been to a big party, especially not a college one, so I had no idea what was acceptable or not. I could always go with jeans and a nice shirt, I thought. That didn’t really scream grown-up and sexy to me though.
With a huff, I grabbed a few options and just stuffed them all in a bag, along with a couple of shoes to pick from as well. Cat could decide what worked best and I’d just go with that. Throwing in something to wear for bed and tomorrow morning, I added my make-up too and zipped it all up. I’d just finished when I heard Colt’s voice downstairs.
Sitting on the bed, I gave myself a few minutes. Partly to get myself under control before I saw anyone. The last thing I needed was to give myself away to my parents by seeming nervous and jittery. The other part was to give Colt and my dad sometime alone before I joined them. Things were still strained between them and I really wanted to let them close the gap that my dad had created all those years ago.
When I finally made my way down, I found the two of them standing in the kitchen, my mom nowhere to be found. She’d probably had the same idea as me, letting these two talk alone.
“Hey,” I greeted, smiling at my brother.
“Hey, you ready?”
“Yup,” I said, lifting my bag. “Thanks for giving me a drive.”
“It’s no problem. Olivia is working until nine, so I wasn’t doing anything anyway.”
“Make sure you call us in the morning and I’ll come pick you up,” Dad said.
“I will.”
Mom came in from the backyard. “Are you leaving?”
I nodded.
She came over and gave me a tight hug.
“It’s just a night, Mom,” I squeaked. Her arms tightened around me even more before she released me.
“I know,” she said with a smile. “Have fun. And make good choices.”
I rolled my eyes. “Stop worrying.”
She nodded. “I won’t.”
I shook my head, laughing as I turned to leave. Colt waited by the door.
“Here, I’ll take your bag,” he offered.
“Thanks.”
I handed it to him. His eyebrows lifted as he tested the weight.
“Are you sure you’re just going for a night? What is it with girls and packing?”
I shrugged sheepishly.
The ride over was nice. It was hard to imagine what it had been like without having Colt in my life. I loved having a brother. My only regret was that we’d lost so many years before now. What would it have been like had we actually grown up together?
That thought sometimes made me a bit bitter toward my dad for denying me such a thing, but I tried my best not to think that way. I didn’t want to be mad at him, even though I had a hard time understanding his choices.
When we started to get closer to her house, I realized what Cat meant by living on the wrong side of the tracks. The houses and streets grew increasingly worse the further we got from my home. I cringed thinking of what Dad was going to think when he picked me up in the morning. This might be the first and only time I had a sleepover at Cat’s.
The only way I knew which house was hers was because I recognized Kyle’s car sitting beside the curb outside it. Just the sight of it had my stomach flipping. Colt pulled in behind his, turning off the engine. We both got out, Colt going around to the trunk to get my bag, and me just standing on the sidewalk taking in the small house in front of me.
All the homes were almost identical. Small, white siding homes that looked like they’d seen better days. Cat’s was kept up better than the others around it, but it was still pretty rundown. I could tell they at least tried. The entire yard was surrounded by a grey chain link fence, a cracked walkway leading up to a black door, the grass around it trimmed neatly.
A few whistles filled the air, making me look further down the street at a group of guys sitting out on one of the porches.
“Let’s get inside,” Colt said, appearing beside me. He ushered me through the gate and up the path. I stood mutely beside him as he knocked on the door and we waited for someone to answer. It flew open to reveal a bright eyed Cat. She let out a squeal of delight, wrapping her arms around me.
“You’re here!” she said excitedly.
I smiled at her as she let me go, waving us in.
“Hey, Colt,” she said.
“Hey, kitty cat. Where’s Briggs?” Colt asked, setting my bag down.
She waved up the stairs. “In his room. You can go on up.”
Colt left us as I surveyed the room. Inside was much nicer than outside. It was cozy and warm, and had tons of family photos everywhere showing a happy life.
“What do you think?” Cat asked, her face nervous and expectant.
“I love it,” I said sincerely.
Her shoulders instantly relaxed and she grinned widely at me. She’d worried I’d judge where she lived just like the other people at our school. I felt bad even noticing how poorly maintained the houses were on the street.
It didn’t matter that their home wasn’t the nicest, or the biggest, it was filled with love and laughter, a family that was truly that - a family. How many big, expensive homes sat empty of those emotions, the people inside virtual strangers to one another?
Cat introduced me to her mom, who was just as friendly and sweet as Cat was. Her father came in with some tea for her mom, placing it carefully in her hands that shook slightly. I could see his love for her, and it warmed me further. Seeing them explained why Cat was so optimistic still. Her family was a solid foundation, and that made me happy for her.
It also made me wonder why Kyle seemed so moody all the time. He didn’t fit in with these three.
We left them to go upstairs, locking ourselves in her room.
“Let’s see what you brought,” she said instantly.
I sighed. “I came to the realization tonight that my clothes suck. I brought a few options and figured you could just tell me what to wear.”
“That’s what girlfriends are for, Chloe,” she said with a wink. “Show mama what you got.”
I laughed, unzipping the bag to pull out each choice. She ended up picking the dress I had originally considered. Then we set about getting our make-up on as music played loudly in the background, and we laughed and joked around with each other. If getting ready for a party was always this fun, I was going to start going to more.
I lined my eyes with black, smudging it with my finger to create more of a smoky look. Cat insisted I wear her red lipstick, which I was happy about once it was on because it looked amazing. Pulling my hair back, I styled it up into a neat bun and added some dangly earrings to finish of the look. When I put on the small black dress that hugged my body, and looked in the mirror, I decided I definitely looked classy.
“You look super-hot,” Cat said, a
ppearing behind me in the mirror.
“So do you,” I said, turning to take her in. She’d curled her hair so that it hung in sexy waves, her make-up similar to mine. She wore a white romper that dipped in the front and showed off her killer legs.
“We make quite a duo,” she said.
“I just need to pee and then I’m ready to go,” I said.
Cat checked the clock. “Jax should be here any minute so hurry up and we can wait outside for him. I’d rather he not come to the door,” she grimaced. “Dad can be kind of embarrassing.”
“Got it,” I laughed. I headed out of her room, finding the bathroom at the end of the hall.
8
Kyle
A knock sounded on my door as I pulled on a pair of pants. The room was a disaster but I figured it was probably just Cat anyway.
“Come in,” I called out, searching for a decent t-shirt to wear.
The door opened and Colt walked in with a smirk.
“Dude, did you just wake up?” he asked as we clasped hands in greeting.
I ran a hand through my went hair. “Nah, I had work this morning and then I was at the library doing school work. Figured I’d shower before I went out.”
“At the library?” he chuckled. “Briggs sitting in a library doing school work. Why does that just sound wrong?” He lay down on my bed, making himself at home.
“Shut up,” I said. “I have to pay for this school so I’m not going to screw it up.”
“I’m just kidding, man, I get it. So what are you doing tonight?”
I sat down on the chair in my room. “Rannon is blowing up my phone to go to this party. I figured I’d go just to shut him up.”
Colt laughed. “He nags better than my girl.”
“Olivia doesn’t nag, she’s too cool.”
“True.”
“Are you guys going?”
He shook his head. “I doubt it. My mom is working so we’re going to chill at my place, alone. We’ve both been busy with school so we need it. Plus, Rannon will be at the party, which means he won’t be barging in on us.”
Deciding Love (Bloomfield #3) Page 5
