The Perfect Sister (Sister #7)

by Leanne Davis

  He ignored her previous order to leave and moved next to her. She turned over onto her side and he wrapped his arms around her. Slipping her long hair through his hand, he twisted and played with the silky tresses.

  “I don’t want to leave.”

  A long silence answered his announcement. Finally, Ally sighed and with an almost annoyed tone, she replied, “I guess you don’t have to. But this… just realize it’s only another meaningless hook-up.”

  “Tell yourself whatever you want to, but there is nothing ‘meaningless’ between us.” He tucked her hair behind her ear and she leaned into his frivolous attention. “How are you feeling?”

  “Fine. Better.”

  He just bet. Her body was completely rigid. “Nate?”

  “Just go back to sleep, Ally. There is no logic here. Not while we’re both still half hung over. I know that brain of yours insists on answers; but for now, just be here and relax. You feel good against me and if I do the same for you, let’s just enjoy it.”

  Ally didn’t answer, but she also didn’t push him away.

  Slowly letting her muscles relax, she almost snuggled against him.

  ****

  Morning made Ally’s eyelids open and shut at the innocent rays of white sunlight that pierced her skull. She ignored the nausea long enough to squint her eyes and find the clock. It was almost noon. She groaned her disappointment. When had she slept like that? She sat up suddenly, and crap! She got drunk last night. All that beer. And those calories… Her shoulders slumped, but no, she already took care of it. In the middle of the night, and… She glanced over and shut her eyes in despair. There lay Nate, all sprawled out on her bed. The covers were twisted around him. Lying amid her messed up covers and seeing her clothes dropped everywhere, Ally noticed Nate wore only his jeans and no shirt. His chest was mostly smooth but for a smattering of dark hairs that peeked over the waistband of his jeans and dipped beneath them. He had sleek, nicely defined muscles. His arms weren’t huge or like he was on steroids, but more toned and lean. His skin looked dark in the light of morning, especially against her pale, half-freckled skin. To an artist, they would have been an attractive study of dark to light.

  She shuddered. She had sex with Nate. Here. But worse than that, he heard her getting sick. How could she be so careless? No one ever heard her before. Luckily, he blamed it on the alcohol. As if. She wished.

  Then his voice startled her. “You can’t undo it. Quit trying to figure out how.”

  His arm was over his eyes and his face appeared completely blank from what she could see of it. He was awake? He didn’t even twitch, yet his ironic tone and voice suggested he wasn’t groggy at all. Had he been lying there awake as she slept away? What if she snored? Or drooled? Or who knows what? She’d been way too drunk to retain any kind of dignity with a guy she didn’t really know.

  “I—”

  “Yes?” he prodded as he removed his arm and blinked his eyes against the brightness of the morning. His red-rimmed eyes told her that he was just as hung over as she. “What, Ally? How are you going to undo the obvious with me? How are you going to make this and me disappear?”

  She was flabbergasted, but he merely lay there on his back, his eyes beneath his forearms and the awkward silence growing thicker by the minute between them. She didn’t know how she wanted to handle this. The buzz and shortsightedness of too much alcohol had finally left her body. She never had a one-night hook-up before. In all honesty, any guys she slept with were the ones she was dating. It happened with five or six guys and multiple times, but not with a guy she was dancing with at a party. Even if it were Nate Stratton and she already knew him, as well as all about him. Even if they did already have a kind of relationship, it was nothing even close to sexual or even friendly. Seeing him sprawled half-naked on her bed, Ally had no idea what to do or say to him. Her entire brain was absent of thought, like a car battery, gone dead.

  Sliding his hand down, Nate rolled onto his side and his gaze roved over her. She was wearing the clothes she slipped into before purging herself of the poisonous alcohol. Although there was no evidence, Ally felt completely exposed. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the sex or because Nate heard her purging, which seemed worse almost. It was more like a betrayal to know he heard her doing something so private, it was almost sacred to her.

  “You have any coffee? I could really use some. Maybe a couple of pain killers?”

  Her gaze traveled over him. He did look hungover. More so than she. Maybe that was because she detoxified last night. See? Her fixation could be beneficial in some ways. Nate’s face looked yellowish against the rest of his dark skin and his eyes weren’t as clear as normal. He seemed like he wasn’t feeling that well. “Yes.”

  Ally quickly rolled off the bed and stood up on her feet. “I’ll go make some coffee. There’s a bottle of aspirin in the medicine cabinet.” Something to do at last. Ally couldn’t wait to find any diversion to avoid mentally rehashing the sex she didn’t know how she felt about, or why she’d done it.

  Ally busied herself with the coffee preparation. She didn’t usually drink much caffeine, but both her roommates did so there was always plenty of it. Taking her precious time so she’d be fully occupied when Nate came out, Ally’s nerves fluttered like butterflies in her stomach. Listening carefully, she didn’t hear either of her roommates stirring. When she checked her phone, she saw they were all over at another girl’s house no doubt, recovering like she was. She hoped they wouldn’t come home right away. She didn’t want to face the need of explaining Nate’s presence while they giggled like children and gave her knowing looks. They’d find it very amusing as well as fun that Ally finally hooked up with a guy for no reason but sex. They often kidded her about how serious she tended to be. Especially about dating. But that was simply her preference. Like all of her life, Ally didn’t do anything at random or spontaneously. She always had a good reason for whatever she did. Except for last night; hooking up just to scratch an itch.

  Nate came into the kitchen wearing his jeans, shirt, and a hoodie. His hands were hidden deep inside the front pocket. He did look awfully tired. Dear God, did he remember any of the details of last night? She had to give him credit; he held his liquor well. She did not really estimate he was even remotely tipsy, let alone, so drunk to be that sick. Seeing he was barefoot, however, Ally stared down at his feet, almost startled by his casualness in her kitchen. His feet were a lovely, warm brown on top with a contrasting white around the edges. She shook her head, wondering why she was suddenly studying his damn feet?

  She leaned back against the counter. “Did you find the aspirin?”

  He opened his hand to show her the three white pills. “Yeah. Can I have some coffee?”

  She quickly poured it and handed him the navy blue mug. Nate took it before popping the pills into his mouth and swallowing the hot coffee. He winced at the heat and cradled the cup in his hands, near his chest, while his gaze traveled to hers. With a start, Ally realized she’d been staring at him. She turned away and began to pour her own cup of coffee. Her stomach, however, rebelled at the thought. Coffee sounded way too intense for her right then.

  Nate walked towards her couch, dropping down on it.

  Ally was perplexed, and didn’t know what to do. “Is your head hurting?” she inquired, seeing him lean forward while cradling it.

  “Yeah.”

  “Do you… do you remember last night?”

  Nate lifted his face and looked towards her, a small smirk growing. “No such luck for you. Sure, I remember sleeping with you. But even more clearly, I memorized every single erogenous zone I touched and licked and…”

  Feeling flustered by his salacious smiles and smirks, not to mention the ease he displayed in teasing her, she pretended to wipe off the kitchen counter, although there was nothing to wipe. She turned and leaned against it, taking a sip of the hot coffee and wincing when it burned her tongue and throat. “I didn’t think you forgot that. I just meant
, maybe it was… you know, kind of fuzzy.”

  “No. Sorry, but none of it is fuzzy, sunshine. I remember every detail of what we did. And what I didn’t do. I assume you do too, judging by the painful way you’re avoiding eye contact with me.” His tone sounded amused but Ally detected a tired ring to it.

  Blushing uncontrollably, she didn’t know what else to do with herself, not even where to put her body parts or what to say. She wished he would leave now that this new development had occurred between them. She wished it was already forgotten so it could be ignored and swept under the carpet. Only… Nate was lounging around and acting perfectly comfortable being there like he wasn’t about to leave anytime soon. Ally wasn’t normally shy about sex, but there again, having only done it with guys she was previously comfortable with, that was no wonder. She preferred to date guys over which she had complete control. And they had to be easily manipulated or incessantly agreeable to her wishes. But Nate? Not for a single moment could she control him or fool him or even begin to understand him.

  At a loss for what to do, Ally finally gave up and sat down on the lone chair in the small living room. She carefully rested the hot coffee on her lap. “I remember…” she finally mumbled. Then she sipped her coffee and set it on the side table.

  Nate downed the coffee in two large gulps and got up to get more, or so she assumed. Ally almost jumped up to volunteer for the service just for something to do, but Nate merely helped himself. The living room blinds were closed and Ally was glad for the muted light on her sensitive eyes. Nate drank another cup while standing before he put the cup aside and began to stalk towards her. Ally’s eyes grew larger as he drew nearer, coming closer until he dropped down in front of her. Ignoring her startled intake of breath, he put his mouth on hers, quickly closing the space between them. Although Ally intended to keep her back straight and stiff, her rebellious body seemed to sway like a flag, flapping closer and closer to him. His hand came to the back of her head and pulled her face gently up until his mouth opened over hers. She was surprised when she tasted her toothpaste on his breath and jerked back. “Did you use my toothbrush?”

  His face was very close now, and his lips became an amused smile. “Yes.”

  “That’s…” She struggled to speak for a second, becoming furious. “That’s so disgusting. Why would you do such a thing?”

  “Because I wanted to brush my teeth. And what’s the big deal, Ally-cat? We exchanged all kinds of—”

  Ally put her hands up to her ears. “Stop. I can’t think about that. I don’t know how I feel about it. And as for my toothbrush? Never again. No, it’s yours or else it’s trash now.”

  His hands loosely encircled her wrists and he pulled her hands off her ears. “I am sure you don’t know how you feel about ‘it,’ but I do.”

  “I was referring to the toothbrush,” she hissed, her eyes glowering at him.

  “I know.” He smirked, then added as if she needed the clarification, “I was referring ‘it’ to our sex.”

  The blush was instant. He laughed until he winced. His eyes were foggy like he was in pain. But his gaze was so intense, Ally knew it was very important that she hear him out. When he released her wrists, she impulsively lifted her fingers up to his temple and rubbed into his hair line. “Your head’s really bad, isn’t it?”

  A small smile curved his mouth, and his eyes brightened in surprise. Whether it was because of her touch or just her concern, Ally wasn’t sure. Or maybe simply because she’d noticed how he was feeling. “Yes, actually. It’s pounding. Yours isn’t?”

  She shook her head, dropping her hand. “No, I feel almost normal.”

  “Must have been from getting sick. Lucky you.” His smile told her he was kidding, and mocking her, but it startled her nonetheless.

  “Why are you trying to act like you almost feel fine?”

  He shrugged. “Because I don’t want you to kick me out.”

  His honesty puzzled her. He shrugged, saying volumes without words. Kneeling before her, their eyes were nearly the same height and she licked her lips and shook her head. She dropped her gaze towards her lap where she picked at the cuticle of her thumb. “I don’t know what to say about this.”

  “I know that.” His tone was extra soft. He leaned towards her, forcing her gaze to meet his. “I meant what I said last night.”

  “Which part?” her tone sounded as weary as her memory.

  “The part about liking you. I’ve always liked you. Look, I was drunk last night but it didn’t make me do or say anything I didn’t totally want to do or say. And if I said or did something, then I meant it. All the alcohol did was give me the guts to say and do it.”

  Her eyebrows furrowed in total puzzlement. No. Just no. He did not always like her. She would have known about something like that. How could their relationship go one hundred and eighty degrees in the opposite direction as yesterday, in how she felt about him? It was happening too fast and felt too overwhelming. Ally compared herself to a spinning top, fast losing control. Nate cupped her cheek. “I think you’re beautiful, and smart, and interesting. You’re a challenge and you drive me nuts and that’s just how you say hello to me.”

  She was not. Ally urgently wanted to deny what he claimed and what it meant. But then again, last night did happen. And now, he was all aching and hungover, yet his primary plea was to make sure she didn’t kick him out. Why didn’t she? She certainly could have, and had the right to. But she didn’t really want him to go, although she didn’t know what to do with him either. Confused, uncomfortable, yet very intrigued, Ally finally settled for, “Well, I am smart.”

  Nate smiled and laughed out loud. “You’re the smartest person I’ve ever met.”

  “You have the 4.0,” she mumbled, glaring daggers at him.

  He touched her mouth with his. “I didn’t say I wasn’t smart too. I bet right now, you’re over-analyzing what’s going on here.”

  She finally smiled back, releasing her breath and whatever weird anxiety was knotted in her chest over Nate’s presence and the intense way he was looking at her. “You know exactly how to charm a girl, don’t you?”

  Nate dropped his head to hide his grin but it spread too deeply into his dimpled cheeks. “I know calling you pretty or nice or funny or sweet would only bore you. I know what’s important to you. Being smart. I’m not lying when I tell you that.” He rose to his feet and pulled her up. “I think a shower would help me. Mind if I use yours?”

  “What if I do mind?” Ally swallowed and her palms grew sweaty. He smiled a shit-eating grin.

  She was standing right next to him, and looking up into his face. His eyes crinkled around the corners as he stared down at her before kissing her lips. She wasn’t into a lot of petting and smooching like that. It felt odd and disconcerting. She usually set the tone for demonstrations of affection. And there was absolutely no hand-holding, canoodling, or touchy-feely stuff outside of her bedroom. Except… Nate didn’t follow those rules. Ally saw him with Vickie as well as all the other girls he was dating. He held hands, and often leaned on them, draping his arms all over them, and kissing and smooching, not always so innocently.

  He pressed her against him. “Then I’d tell you to join me.”

  Slipping his hand into hers, he edged back towards her bedroom and she let him pull her along. He closed and locked the door behind her. She turned, bewildered over what to do in her own bedroom. Nate quickly started tugging on his sweatshirt, pulling it and the t-shirt underneath over his head and shoulders and arms. Ally simply stared at his now familiar naked torso. He was about to unbutton his jeans and his gaze was hot; he was daring her. Did she accept it? She watched him slide the button free before he lowered his zipper. Sans his boxers, he was naked under the denim and he swung free and proud when the zipper released him. He reached for the zipper on her hoodie. He let her breasts swing as freely as he was, without a bra or tank top or even a t-shirt. He filled his hands with them immediately and leaned down to suck on
the end of one. Startled, Ally cried out in surprise at the instantaneous, hot sensations. Sliding his hands down her pants, he pushed them to her knees before gliding his palms over her bottom and cupping the cheeks. All the while, he was pushing her towards him. He kept licking and tugging and kissing her breast while she moaned and her hips clamped down on him.

  He suddenly swung her around, lifting her up and pressing her against the wall before coming inside her. Ally nearly screamed at the combination of raw sensations and the rough way he positioned her. She’d never done it like that before. So urgently. So fast. And almost animalistic.

  She ripped her mouth off and said in a breathy voice, “A condom; we didn’t…”

  Nate stopped immediately and slid all the way out from her. His mouth sought hers and he kissed her in an almost apologetic gesture. “I’m sorry. I just…” Shaking his head, he added, “I got carried away.”

  So did she. How could she admonish him? He took her hand, and began to pull her towards the shower, which was their original destination. He stopped along the way to snag a condom out of her nightstand.

  “How did you…?”

  He glanced back with a smirk. “I looked while you were getting coffee. Had to see. I only carry one with me. Although I should rethink that. With you, I better carry at least three from now on.” With a wicked grin, he opened her shower door and started the water. It wasn’t a large bathroom, having only a shower/tub combo. They had to step carefully to get in since it barely fit both of them. The hot water sprayed down and Ally moaned again at the delicious sensation. It instantly reinvigorated her. Still suffering from the effects of last night, Ally relished the feeling of his hands as she stood there with her eyes closed and her face tilted towards the hot spray. He rubbed his soapy hands all over her and she let him feel her up as he kissed the back of her neck. Ally was ready to drown in the hot water and Nate’s undivided attention.

  They quickly made use of the condom and wasted lots of hot water before tumbling out together and toweling off. Ally followed Nate towards her bed. He didn’t pick up his clothes, but did a face plant right back onto her mattress. Then he squirmed all around until he was comfortable with just a sheet over him. He tapped the bed surface beside him. “I still feel like an elephant is sitting on my head. Come over here and stay by me.”