The remaining couple at the end of the bar closed out their tab, and I managed to close the place down in less than half an hour and couldn’t wait to get to bed. Or couch. Whatever.
I wasn’t sure if it was the low temperature, but the ride home felt painfully long. By the time I parked and climbed off my bike, I could barely feel my fingers. I didn’t typically like to ride when it was this cold out, but Brody’s apartment wasn’t exactly within walking distance of the bar. At least I’d found a spot out front this time so I didn’t have to walk far.
Shoving one hand into my pocket, I tucked my helmet under my other arm as I walked toward the apartment. As I approached the steps, I noticed Sophia sitting outside, a big jacket on. She had the fur-lined hood pulled over her head, and she was fumbling with something in her hand. I jogged toward her, causing her to startle slightly.
“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to scare you. What are you doing out here? It’s two in the morning and freezing.”
“Smoking,” she answered, a white cloud coming out of her mouth as she spoke.
“You don’t smoke.”
“I know. I’ve been stressed out. Carter brought me this when he stopped by earlier.” She held up something that definitely wasn’t a cigarette.
“You’re not smoking. You’re vaping,” I said with a soft laugh. “You realize that has no smell, so you can just do it inside, right?” Her silence told me that she absolutely had not realized that. “What’s even in that, anyway?”
“What do you mean?” She brought it closer to her face, holding it up in the dim ray of light that shone from our building.
“You can’t tell what it is by looking at it,” I told her, laughing. “Carter didn’t say?”
She shrugged. “I figured they were all the same. I don’t smoke, remember?”
I nodded toward the door. “Come on. Let’s go inside. We can text Carter and ask if you’re high right now.” She let me help her up, and I pulled the door open for her. Warmth spread through my bones immediately upon entering. “I can’t believe you were out there in the middle of the night like that.”
Not only was it cold, but I didn’t love the idea of Sophia alone in the dark. I tried not to think about what could’ve happened to her.
“I can’t believe you still ride that death trap” was her reply.
It wasn’t the first time she’d mentioned the old motorcycle and its lack of safety features. But it was the first time I’d realized she was probably as concerned with my well-being as I was with hers.
S O P H I A
Carter had texted back pretty quickly that I wasn’t smoking marijuana. Apparently it was some sort of CBD oil that was supposed to give you the calming effect without the high and paranoia that was often associated with the drug. I think it had its desired effect. I felt more relaxed than I had in weeks. Or maybe I was just tired.
I shrugged off my coat and hung it on the hook by the door, wondering how long it would take me to crawl to my bed. “I think I’m gonna try to get some sleep.”
“Me too,” Drew said. “After I take a shower and scrub the Rafferty’s grime off my body.”
“See you tomorrow, then?”
He ran a hand through his hair, which was messy from his helmet, and nodded.
I turned toward my room, but something didn’t let me move. “Unless…” I knew what I planned to say but wasn’t actually sure how I planned to say it. “Unless… That couch can’t be very comfortable, and you’re probably exhausted.”
Drew’s eyebrows narrowed a bit before the implication of what I’d said seemed to wash over him. His lips parted, and for a moment I thought he was going to make an awkward suggestion less awkward by making it himself, but he remained silent as he waited for me to continue. Why did he have to be such a goddamn gentleman?
I tried to think of the best way to go about inviting him to stay in my bed, but all I could come up with was, “Do you want to sleep with me?”
That was so not it.
If this conversation had been through text, I would’ve immediately sent one of those emojis with the girl’s hand covering her face. Instead I did nothing as I watched his mouth open wider.
“I mean… That’s not what I meant. I mean do you want to sleep with me in my bed? Sleep. Like actually sleep. My bed’s gotta be more comfortable than that couch.”
“Technically it’s Brody’s bed.”
“Whatever,” I said with an eye roll. “Don’t make this even weirder than it already is.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” He moved toward me, a goofy smile threatening to spread across his face. “I’d love to sleep with you, Sophia.”
I wish I could’ve figured out how to trap those words in a little box that I could open whenever I needed to smile.
Chapter Twenty-Four
S O P H I A
I was going to throw up. Or my head was going to explode. Or both. The auction had finally arrived, everything was set up in the sorority house, and people were starting to arrive. This was a great time to start having a panic attack.
“Hey, Soph, where did you want these flowers?” Gina asked. “Oh God, are you okay?” she added when she got a better look at me.
“Yeah,” I wheezed. “Great. And anywhere.”
“Are you having an asthma attack? Do you have an inhaler or something?”
“No. I’m just feeling a little…” I flailed my arms around, hoping that would convey my breakdown without alarming her.
“Do you want some water?”
“Yes. Water…great.”
“Okay, I’ll be right back.” She practically sprinted away from me.
Bending over, I put my hands on my knees. I was behind the curtain of the small stage I’d rented for tonight that fit perfectly. I’d never been more thankful for our enormous main room.
I tried to focus on taking deep breaths in through my nose and out through my mouth. My heart had barely started to feel like it wouldn’t pop out of my chest like one of those creatures from Alien when I felt a large hand on my back.
“Hey, you okay? Gina said you were freaking out.”
Drew.
I stood up and turned toward him, wanting to fold myself into him but knowing I couldn’t. My sorority sisters were milling around in an effort to help with the finishing touches, and I didn’t want them to intrude on any more intimate moments. Instead, I looked up at him and used the look of concern he had in his eyes to ground me.
“I’m fine,” I said. “Just a little overwhelmed. And a little scared.”
Drew put his hands on my shoulders and squeezed. “Everything is going to be fine. There’s already a line outside, and you’ve planned this thing down to the smallest detail. It’s going to be great.”
I wished I could share his enthusiasm. Maybe when it was all over. But now, my prevalent feeling was panic laced with terror. Instead of saying that though, I gave him a once-over.
“Damn, you clean up nice.”
We’d asked the guys participating to wear a suit if they had one and, if not, to get as dressed up as they could. Drew had borrowed a charcoal-gray suit Brody had in his closet, and it fit him remarkably well.
“Yeah?” His hand shook a bit as he ran it down the lapel of the jacket, as if he were insecure wearing it, which made guilt slam into me. He shouldn’t have to do this. He should be at home hanging out or getting caught up on schoolwork or whatever the hell he felt like doing. Participating in a bachelor auction simply because I’d asked him to was really going a little above and beyond.
“Yeah,” I croaked out instead of confessing my adoration and gratitude for him. I’d already barely managed to stave off a panic attack—this night didn’t need to get any more embarrassing.
“Soph?” I looked around Drew to see Emma standing there. “It’s eight. We good to open the doors?”
I took a deep breath before nodding. “Let’s do this.”
Drew and I moved closer to the entrance so I could gree
t people coming in and oversee that everyone paid the cover to get in. I wasn’t going to make Aamee’s mistake and count on the kindness of people’s hearts for donations. I also wasn’t going to count on the auction being a success. We’d decided that charging three dollars to get in was reasonable enough for people to willingly pay it.
My mouth dropped open as the line of people entering was still steady nearly five minutes after we’d opened the door.
“So many people came,” I whispered.
Drew put his arm around my shoulders and squeezed. “You did good, Sis.”
I elbowed him lightly as a smile pulled at my lips.
Eventually the line thinned, and I managed to resist the urge to run over to where Macy and Kyla, our house treasurer, were collecting the money and ask them how much we’d raised so far. Instead, I busied myself making sure the party was running smoothly and we had enough food and drinks to accommodate the crowd.
I also checked on the two lacrosse player frat boys I’d hired to make sure only people over twenty-one came to the table where the alcohol was. I hadn’t wanted to limit the party to people legally able to drink, but I also didn’t want to get busted for serving people underage. So I’d decided parting with a hundred bucks for the two guys to guard the liquor table was a small price to pay. Macy and Kyla had been checking IDs at the door, and putting brightly colored bracelets on people twenty-one and over helped the process.
After looking everything over, Gina and I began herding all the bachelors backstage to get ready. Once they were situated, I did another lap to make sure the party was still running smoothly. Which ended up being a mistake because it caused me to run into Aamee.
She stepped into my path, looking around haughtily. “Your event seems to be going well. Hopefully your auction idea works out.”
Her voice was dubious, as if she doubted it would. Not that I expected otherwise. And since I’d hoped her party would be a monumental flop, I couldn’t fault her for it.
“Thanks,” I replied brusquely as I moved around her.
“I’m excited your brother is participating.”
Her words stilled me, and I slowly turned my head so I was looking at her. “Why?”
She shrugged innocently. “Since he’s on the market for men and women, he’ll probably be pretty popular. There may even be a bidding war. I’m looking forward to seeing the action.”
She couldn’t know how much her words bothered me. Couldn’t know that I’d been dreading having to watch people bid on my secret boyfriend. Could she?
“Good,” I replied with conviction I didn’t feel. “Whatever helps us raise more money for charity.” I hoped the words hit her where it hurt. There was a very real chance she was going to lose this fight, and whatever games she was playing weren’t going to change that.
Her eyes flashed for a second, but she didn’t otherwise react. Which was a real shame. “Good luck.” The words would’ve sounded more heartfelt coming from the villain in Taken.
I watched as she flounced away for a moment before mentally shaking myself, and then I made my way to where the bachelors were. I’d almost made it when I heard a booming voice.
“Sophia!”
I whirled around to see Carter striding toward me with Joey trailing behind him. I felt my eyes narrow as I took them in. Were they friends now?
When Carter reached me, he stepped close, his face jutting over my shoulder as he spoke lowly. “I’m here to save the day.”
Oh God.
“It’s nighttime,” I replied, my smartass remark cloaking the worry over what Carter thought needed saving.
“Then I’m here to save the night.”
“Whose night?”
“Everyone’s.”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I took a deep breath. “Okay. Against my better judgment, I’m going to ask you to explain.”
“Well, I know Brody is worried about who might bid on him. So I figured we could just have Joey do it.”
I glanced over at Joey to see if he’d heard any of what Carter said, but he’d stayed a bit away from us.
“You told him?” I asked, my voice low but still harsh and accusing. I knew Carter wouldn’t be able to keep his damn mouth shut.
“Who?”
“Joey.”
Carter looked over his shoulder as if he’d forgotten the other man was with him.
“Oh. No. He still thinks Drew’s Brody. And gay. That’s why he’s willing to bid on him. He wants a second date something fierce.” Carter hesitated. “I’m starting to see the flaws in this plan.”
“Jesus Christ,” I muttered.
“No, listen, it’s still good. Having a dude win will help get the gay plot line back.”
“Plot line?”
“Yeah. Before you two made shit all complicated by sucking each other’s faces off in public, everyone thought Drew was gay. This will help us get back to that.”
This was insanity. Absolute Carter-induced insanity.
Unfortunately, it was a better plan than having some chick bidding on Drew. We’d made it clear when we’d promoted the party that there was no sexual element to this auction—no one was buying a sex slave. But these were still horny college kids.
At least if Joey won, I wouldn’t have to worry about Joey hitting on him. Not because Joey wouldn’t, but I felt better knowing Drew wouldn’t be tempted by his advances.
And then I felt like shit for thinking Drew would be tempted by anyone’s advances, but I quickly set that aside. I could only deal with one crisis at a time.
“This is a horrible idea,” I said, but the words lacked any conviction.
“You have a better one?” Carter asked.
“Is Joey bidding with his own money?” I asked instead of answering.
“Hell no. I gave him two hundred bucks and told him he could keep whatever was left over. I didn’t think people would be willing to bid too much for a guy of ambiguous sexual interests.”
“Ambiguous interests?”
“Yeah. Guys, girls, sisters. He’s fucking complicated.”
Why did I ask?
“Okay, I’ll pay you back.”
“No worries. You’ve been tutoring me for free for months. We’ll just call it even.”
I gave him a small smile. “Thanks. Hopefully this works.”
“My plans always work.”
Rather than stay and debate that fact, I hightailed it backstage to fill Drew in on the plan. I found him standing with two other guys.
“Hey,” I interrupted. Drew turned his attention to me and smiled. I let myself sink into it for a second before I said, “Can I talk to you for a sec?”
“Sure.” He waved to the guys as we walked away. “What’s up?” he asked when we were out of earshot.
“Carter’s here.”
“Yeah, he told me he’d come by after he finished with his conditioning coach.”
“He brought Joey.”
Drew’s brow furrowed. “As a date or…?”
“Yes, but not for him. For you. He’s going to have Joey bid so no one else wins you.”
Worry was clear on his face. “Did he tell Joey the truth?”
“No, which I’m not sure makes me relieved or more nervous. Joey’s evidently actually interested in winning you, which is a bit unfair to him, I suppose. But I figured we can cross that bridge when we come to it. And we’re funding his bid, so technically he’s not actually paying for you.”
Drew pulled at his tie. “This feels a little like being pimped out.”
I grimaced. “I’m sorry. Want me to pull you from the auction?”
At this point, I didn’t even give a fuck anymore. I shouldn’t have let my sorority sisters’ gossip get us into this mess in the first place. So everyone thought I was fucking my brother. It wasn’t like they had proof. Well, proof beyond a dark, grainy video on Aamee’s phone.
He looked at me for a second before offering me a sweet smile. “Nah. It’ll be fine.”
&nbs
p; I wanted to believe that, but there was mounting evidence proving the opposite. He must’ve seen the doubt on my face, because he stepped closer and wrapped a hand around my wrist, giving it a slight squeeze.
“Stop worrying.”
We kept our eyes locked on one another for a second, and bit by bit I felt myself relaxing. I wouldn’t be able to stop worrying until this was all over, but I could maybe get through this without having a mental breakdown.
His smile grew wider as he clearly noticed that I’d taken a few steps back from the proverbial ledge. “That’s it. We got this.”
D R E W
I don’t “got” this.
As happy as I was that I could help Sophia calm down, inside I was a nervous wreck. Waiting to walk onto that stage so people could bid on me was not something I was looking forward to. The rumors swirling around us didn’t make the prospect of being thrust into the limelight any more palatable.
I watched the other men who’d agreed to participate march out, most of them at least appearing confident. People threw up the cardstock Sophia and I had spent the week gluing to popsicle sticks to serve as bidding paddles. Most of the guys brought in about a hundred bucks—not too shabby considering it was college kids bidding.
Sophia and I had agreed that I’d go out in the middle of the auction so as to not make a big production of myself. The hope was that I wouldn’t stand out in any way. So as the seventh guy was called to the stage, I prepped myself to go on next.
Sophia’s friend Gina had agreed to be the MC. Originally Sophia had planned to do it, but she thought it might be better to stay behind the scenes and make sure everything ran smoothly than be stuck up on stage. I tried to sneak a peek around the curtain to see if I could lay eyes on her, but the lights shining down on the stage were too bright.
I’d never considered the lengths sorority girls would go to to throw a successful party, but color me impressed. The company Sophia had hired to bring in the stage had also set up lights and sent a guy in to run them. Definitely impressive.
I moved back slightly as the guy who’d gone on before me waved to the crowd and came back behind the curtain.
Never Have You Ever (The Love Game Book 1) Page 19
