by K Swanson
“Yep. He stopped to go to the bathroom, and when I saw you at the door, I decided to come after you instead of waiting for him.”
Oh. Now, what should I say? “Uh… thanks.”
His smile broadened. “You’re welcome! Sam and CJ are taking Jayden, while Lex and I get you.”
“You have your own car?” I wasn’t sure why that surprised me. I guess I just assumed they all took the bus. “Wait, Jayden’s actually coming? I thought he didn’t really want to come.” At least, that’s the way it seemed to me.
Nick lifted a shoulder. “I share an SUV with Lex. And yeah. I can be fairly persuasive when I want to be.”
My brow furrowed. “Why?” I couldn’t help the inquisitive tilt to my head as well. I tried to imagine why they might share a car. Maybe they were neighbors?
He scratched the back of his neck, but before he could respond, Lex answered for him. “Why what?”
I yelped, turning to scrutinize him. Was he irritated with me for some reason? I couldn’t tell, but the sharp note in his words made me worry that Lex thought I was annoying. His expression was as impassive as I’d ever seen it. Turning my attention to Nick, I tried to figure out how they’d become friends. My scrutiny didn’t seem to faze him. He simply slung an arm around my shoulders, directing us to the parking lot.
“Why do you share a car with Nick?”
He lifted a shoulder. “We’re cousins.”
“You don’t really look alike.” My gaze swung from one to the other, trying to find something they had in common.
Lex’s lips quirked up so briefly I almost missed it. “If it makes you feel any better, our dads were brothers and looked like polar opposites.”
“Oh.” My cheeks heated. Hopefully, they didn’t think me rude. I noticed his use of the word “were”, but I didn’t want to pry.
At the back of the lot, they led me to a large, silver vehicle. When we were almost within touching range, it beeped as its headlights flashed once. I barely managed to keep myself from squeaking in surprise. What was that?
The sound of keys rattling drew my attention, and as I looked at Lex, I realized he must have done it somehow. Lex’s attention was focused on me, and I bit my lip, dropping my gaze to the ground.
Nick took me around the car, ignoring the faint tension in my shoulders. “Front or back?”
“I don’t mind the back,” I replied, my gaze bouncing from one seat to the other. The back didn’t actually appear lacking in leg room, but still, the front did seem more comfortable. I didn’t want to kick him out of his seat.
“Front it is.” He easily lifted me into the seat next to Lex. When I glanced at the driver’s seat, I saw Lex’s eyes dancing with amusement. It lasted only a moment, but warmth filled my chest. I hadn’t imagined it. Perhaps he wasn’t as unemotional as he seemed?
I gave a soft sigh as we started moving. Fighting about the fact that Nick had put me up here against my wishes would be pointless, and truthfully, I wasn’t even upset about it. The problem was he hadn’t even listened to me.
Lex plugged his phone into a charger, and music filled the car. Remembering how Bekka had played music on her phone while we studied, I asked, “Is this music from your phone?”
He glanced at me, a brow going up. “Yeah. Why?”
I pursed my lips. “Does Nick’s phone have music on it?”
From the back, Nick piped up. “Yep.”
“How do you decide which music to listen to?”
Nick chuckled. “Rock, paper, scissors.”
“Really?” I hadn’t noticed them playing the game at any point. Maybe they’d done it before Nick found me.
With a snort of amusement, Nick replied, “Naw. Whoever’s driving gets control of the music. We generally take turns driving, so it works out well.”
My cheeks burned as I realized how gullible I sounded. But when Lex gave a soft chuckle, I suddenly didn’t feel so bad. Yeah, he might have been laughing at me, but I had a feeling he didn’t laugh often, and the fact that I’d made him laugh filled me with happiness. Everyone should be able to laugh about something.
We didn’t go much farther before Lex pulled into the driveway of a decent-sized house. The property appeared well maintained. The grass had been mowed recently, and the yard was edged with flowers of all kinds. In the middle of the yard was a large tree, a wooden swing hanging from the branches. The house itself was a dark brown. Lex pulled into the driveway, then off to the side, where gravel crunched under the tires. My fingers twitched with the desire to hop out of the car so I could go exploring.
Once the engine was shut off, Nick was out of the car so fast I thought maybe someone had lit his butt on fire. But then, he was opening my door and giving me a small bow. “My lady.” With a wink, he stood back, offering me a hand to help me out.
Giggling, I accepted. “Why, thank you, kind sir.”
His smile widened as he shut the car door, then he led me up the small flight of stairs on the other side of the garage. Lex followed us then squeezed between Nick and me to unlock the door.
The silence made me aware of the sound of water, and I frowned, tilting my head slightly. “What’s that?”
“What’s what?” Lex asked, sounding distracted.
I glanced up, meeting Nick’s gaze. With a grin, he pointed over the edge of the railing, and I followed his finger. My eyes widened as I saw a small pond under us. It seemed to have two levels, with the top one flowing into the bottom. How did the one on the bottom never overflow?
“Are there fish in it?” I asked.
“Not at the moment.” Lex shoved against the door, and it finally gave way. “We need to fix this.”
Nick grimaced. “Yeah. Remind me tonight and I’ll see what I can do.”
Inside, we were on a landing with stairs that went down, and another set leading up. Both of them took off their shoes, so I removed mine as well.
“Are you hungry?” Lex asked. He looked me up and down then snorted. “You didn’t eat enough at lunch. Again.”
My cheeks heated and I brought a hand up to scratch my forehead and hopefully cover my reddened cheeks. He’d noticed what I was eating? I didn’t know if I was embarrassed or secretly thrilled that he paid that much attention to me.
Nick smiled. “You go up with Lex. I’ll take our bags downstairs and be up in a sec. He held out a hand, and after Lex handed his bag over, I slowly did the same. It wasn’t as though I had anything overly important in mine.
The stairs let out into a spacious family room. A matching black leather couch and loveseat sat against the walls. I followed Lex through the doorway at the far end of the room, pausing to look at the solid black cat nestled into a small perch.
“What time do you have to be home?” Lex asked from the next room. When I didn’t immediately respond, he peered around the corner at me. “Don’t wake Demon.”
My gaze flew up, along with my brows. “You named your cat Demon?”
He disappeared back around the corner and I followed. “Actually, it’s Nick’s cat.” He opened the fridge, peering inside. “Nick rescued her, but she hates everyone.”
I glanced around the room. So Nick lived here? Did Lex spend a lot of time here? He seemed comfortable rummaging through the kitchen.
“Why would he name her Demon?” I chose to ask instead as I glanced at the cat again. How could something that seemed so sweet and adorable hate people? Yeah, she was sleeping, but still. She couldn’t be that bad, could she?
Nick rounded the corner, smirking. “She doesn’t hate Lex. For some reason, she adores him. Unfortunately, she also flies around the house like a bat out of hell when she’s startled.” He chuckled. “Comical, but she’s never been declawed, so most people dive for cover.”
The cat opened one eye, as if daring us to move any closer, and then curled into a tighter ball.
My eyes rounded. “That poor kitty.”
Nick grinned, eyes sparkling. “Poor kitty, my ass. My grandpa startles he
r at least a couple times a week just by walking past her while she’s sleeping. I’d say he’s about due now.”
With a snort that sounded almost like he might be amused, Lex opened the fridge and inspected its contents. “Hayls, what time do you need to be home? And juice, soda, or water?” He glanced back at me.
“Eight.” My cheeks heated when I realized he’d asked the same thing before I got distracted by the cat. I couldn’t remember ever having seen one in person before.
I didn’t have a chance to answer the second question before Nick had a cup in his hand and, holding it under the water dispenser in the fridge door, he raised his brow. It took me a moment to understand he was silently asking if I wanted water. I nodded once, and he smiled.
As soon as Lex shut the fridge, Nick filled the cup. He spun, thrusting it at me. But he must not have realized how fast he was moving, or how full the cup was, because the next thing I knew, icy water had sloshed over the edge of the cup, dowsing both of us. Oxygen left my lungs with a whoosh as surprise filled me. I pulled the fabric of my shirt away from my body.
“Shit! I’m sorry.” As he moved again, more water was splashed, and I gasped, feeling an ice cube land in the cups of my bra.
Slowly, Lex closed the fridge door and turned around. “Nick, don’t move.” When Nick practically froze, Lex plucked the mostly empty glass from his fingers. “No one’s hurt?”
I shook my head, looking down my shirt. It clung to me, and I wished I could at least wring it out. I shivered. The cups of my bra were plastered to my skin.
Sighing, Lex ran his fingers through his hair. Thunder rumbled, startling me as I glanced out the window. Storm clouds rolled in, blotting out the sun as rain beat against the windows. It hadn’t been a super warm day, but I was fairly certain there’d been no sign of rain when we got here.
“What—”
Lightning lit up the sky as Lex clenched his fist. “Nick, go change. Haylie, follow me downstairs. I’ll get an extra shirt for you and we can throw yours in the dryer.”
“Oh, thank you.” Relief coursed through me. I wouldn’t have to do my homework with frozen boobs. It made me curious to find out why Lex was so comfortable in the house that he offered to let me wear someone else’s shirt.
Lex led me toward the stairs, and Nick ducked into a bedroom at the end of the hall before we went down. I glanced out the front window as we headed downstairs.
“Are you upset with Nick?” I wasn’t sure why, but Lex seemed… irritated, maybe? I wasn’t familiar enough with him to tell what he was feeling, but I knew he wasn’t his normal stoic self.
He turned to me as he pushed his glasses back up. “No. It was inevitable. He means well, but…” He shrugged
It was inevitable? What did he mean by that?
We got to the bottom landing, and the door behind us opened, distracting me from the question hovering on my lips. It sounded as though a small herd of elephants tromping inside.
Seconds later, CJ shouted, “I’m raiding your kitchen!”
Lex snorted and led me past a door to my left. He held up a hand before disappearing into the second door on the left. I felt a little awkward wearing a clinging shirt in a house full of guys.
Before Lex came back out, Sam came down the stairs, eyes widening slightly when he saw me. “You ok-kay?” His voice came out raspy, and he flinched as if he hadn’t meant to ask the question.
I nodded. Did I not look all right? I mean, aside from my dripping shirt, and the fact that I was shivering.
He ducked down the hallway to his right without another word. Lex stepped out of the room I’d been standing near and handed me a shirt before pointing me toward a bathroom two steps away. With a soft word of thanks, I went in. Before I could close the door, he gestured toward the machines sitting in the corner of the bathroom. “Throw your wet clothes in the dryer and I’ll start it when you’re done.”
I nodded to show I’d heard him, then shut the door.
Putting on the shirt Lex loaned me felt like wearing a dress. It ended just above my knees, and the fabric was soft.
Once I was out of the bathroom, I followed the voices down the hall to a den. Bookshelves lined the far wall, and they were filled with books of all shapes and sizes. Had they read all of those? A couple of them had bookmarks sticking out of the top, as if someone had started them but couldn’t be bothered to finish them.
On the left wall was a glass door that opened into the back yard, and a desk had been shoved into the far corner. From the looks of it, the storm had passed. Was it another flash storm?
The right wall had a couple of small windows up high, and the guys all sat at a large round table underneath them, homework spread out in front of them. Jayden had one of his books in front of him, but his eyes were glazed over, as if he had no idea how he’d gotten here. His teeth played with the black ring in his lip. Had I come on too strong when I insisted on sitting with him at lunch? He’d just seemed like he needed a friend.
CJ glanced up, a grin tugging at his lips. “Looking good, mon étoile.” My cheeks heated as he winked at me. “And I saved you a spot.” He nudged the empty chair with his foot.
Smiling my thanks, I walked over and sank down. Nick sat on the other side of me, a guilty expression crossing his face. “I’m sorry for spilling water on you.” He rubbed the back of his neck as the tips of his ears turned pink.
I gave him a smile. “It’s okay. It wouldn’t have been so bad if an ice cube hadn’t slid down my bra.”
He blinked a few times, his cheeks joining his ears when he blushed this time. I grimaced. Was talking about bras not okay? I looked around the table to see Sam was so into his homework, I didn’t think he’d heard me. Lex’s lips twitched as he got up and left the room. CJ smirked at me before turning back to his homework. Jayden, however, looked a bit horrified. I nearly apologized, but surely my bra talk hadn’t put that look on his face.
With a shrug, I grabbed my bag and pulled out my science book. The sooner I finished my less enjoyable homework, the sooner I could get started on astronomy.
Come to the Dark Side… We Have Cookies
We hadn’t been working long when music filled the air. Surprised, I glanced around and spotted someone’s phone sitting on the table. Was it an alarm? No one had moved in the last few minutes, so it couldn’t have been turned on intentionally, right? And yet, none of them made a move to turn it off.
CJ glanced up, and I tilted my head slightly. I didn’t mind the music, because it wasn’t too bad, but what if it was an important call? Eyes widening slightly, CJ jerked in his seat, then Sam’s head came up.
“Ouch. Wh-what was th-that—” Blinking once, Sam grabbed the phone and the music stopped. “S-s-sorry.” His voice was a mumble as he dropped his head again.
What had just happened? When it seemed no one was going to explain, I bit my lip and turned back to my homework. It wasn’t important, and while I wanted to ask, I didn’t know them well enough to feel comfortable asking them nosy questions.
I’d finally begun to focus on my math when the front door opened then slammed shut. Nick cringed and muttered a curse. CJ stood and stretched, then pulled me out of my chair and back a few steps.
“What—”
I didn’t even get my full question out before there was a loud thud from upstairs.
A male voice called, “Incoming!”
I blinked once, my heart pounding, and when I opened my eyes again, the solid black cat I’d seen earlier flew through the open door, her loud yowl making the hair on my arms stand on end.
The cat landed on the table, sliding across the slick surface, glowing eyes glaring at everyone in the room as she spit and hissed.
Jayden jumped back. “What the fucking hell is that thing?”
With a snort, Nick replied, “Demon. Our cat.”
Shaking his head, Jayden slowly backed away from the table. “That thing is not a cat.”
Lex still sat at the table, apparently unconc
erned with the cat that appeared to have it in for everyone she laid eyes on. Even Sam had backed his chair away from the table by a good foot.
Reaching out a hand, Lex clicked his tongue. “She’s most definitely a cat. And she’s not that bad.” Although he hadn’t shown any expression, his tone sounded amused.
I was so confused. “I’m going to have to side with Jayden. That thing looks ready to…”
The cat dropped to her side, purring loudly under Lex’s fingers.
Smirking, Nick sat back down, careful to keep his distance from Demon. “She’s a one-man cat. She hates our grandfather and me, but for some reason, she loves Lex.” He shrugged, muttering something about her being an unnatural beast.
CJ dropped back down in his chair, and I took that as my cue that the table was safe again.
After everyone was situated, CJ spoke again. “So we’re on for this weekend?”
Sam waved his hand dismissively. “Yeah.”
“We’ll have fun this weekend. Haylie wants to go swimming.” CJ waggled his brows at me.
I started. I did? While I enjoyed it, I was okay with not swimming.
Sam’s gaze flew to mine, and it was the first time he’d voluntarily looked at me. Butterflies filled my stomach as his brows went up, hazel eyes searching my face, as if to figure out if CJ were telling the truth. His lips tilted up slightly as his attention moved back to CJ. “M-my dad w-w-won’t mind if we in-invade the p-p-place.”
Pumping his arm, CJ grinned as he turned to Jayden. “You coming?”
Jayden’s face seemed to pale. “Me? I don’t think…”
Nick shifted his weight, leaning forward to rest his forearms on the table and earning a glare from Demon. “C’mon, it’ll be fun. I bet we’ll even get pizza.”
Jayden yawned and sighed. “I’ll think about it.”
Moments later, the sound of footsteps approaching made me look at the door. An older man appeared in the doorway, deep blue eyes surveying the room. A shock of dark hair shot through with an abundance of gray stood on end. His gaze stopped first on Jayden, then me.
“Well, I believe there are some new faces in here.” He smiled, but his gaze swung wildly around the room before stopping on the demon cat.