by Kali Brixton
The sharp jamming of a key in the door slot shatters the moment, sending Luca flying behind the island and me standing there in a stupor.
The door flies open and my brother, along with his flavor of the day, stands there, looking at me like I’ve grown a second head. “Evergreen. What’re you doing here?”
Luca’s face is tight, almost like he’s panicking. “I, uh…” I clear the haze away and gather my thoughts.
Why the hell was I over here again?
Oh, yeah. I grimace to hide the way Luca has knocked my world off its axis and adopt an agitated facade. “I came over to tell you I don’t appreciate you butting into my business.”
“That’s it?”
I knit my brows together. “What do you mean, that’s it?”
He laughs and makes his way to the fridge as his guest sheds her winter layers. “You’re a broken record, Ev.”
A thought occurs, a terrible thought I should just ignore, but he deserves a healthy dose of his own medicine. “Just remember, you asked for this,” I whisper to him as he passes by me with a beer in his hand, confusion knitting itself all over his face. Turning to the pretty blonde—Larrah, if I’m correct—I give her a megawatt smile. “Oh, my gosh! It’s so great to finally meet you!”
She looks between me and Kieran, obviously unaware he’s mentioned anyone to me. “It is?”
“Of course, girl! This lug head talks about you nonstop,” I throw a punch onto his shoulder that’s harder than it looks, causing him to slosh some of his beer onto the counter.
“He does?” Her eyes sparkle with the prospect of meeting some of his family. “Aww, Kieran. That’s so sweet!” Unfortunately for him, this is going to be one meeting he’d rather forget.
“Isn’t he, though? I get a toothache every time he mentions your name and how much he worships the ground you walk on.” The fear in Kieran’s eyes is clear as he wipes off the spill and takes another swig. Good. It should be. “I’ll never forget the first time he told me he was falling for you. There were practically hearts in his eyes.”
She gushes as Kieran chokes on his drink.
Yeah, we’re going for broke today. “He told me about all the things that make you amazing, and how you’d make such a great mother to his children one day.”
Luca chokes on his drink, trying to mask a laugh.
“Okay, Ev. You’re embarrassing me now,” he grits out as he bares his teeth in what I’m sure is supposed to be a grin, except it looks pain-filled and angry more than anything.
“Nonsense! Look at how cute y’all are together,” I point out as she wraps her arms around his waist, and he glares at me over her head. “In fact, this is a moment that needs to be treasured forever. Let’s take a picture, shall we?”
“Sure!” she gleefully agrees as Kieran gives me “the eye.” Being an eternal bachelor is much easier when you have no record of the hearts you’ve broken along the way.
Luca clears his throat, stifling a laugh behind a cough. “All right, big smiles! Ready?” She nods her head as he gets into position, no doubt wishing seven methods of death upon me. “On three, say KieranandHannahforeverrrrrrr!”
“Hannah?”
I try to stifle my laugh at Kieran’s comically large eyes. “One.”
“Ev’s confused, babe.”
“Two,” I drawl in singsong.
“Are you screwing another girl, Kieran?”
Jackpot. “Three!”
Thank God I remembered to switch my camera to video because I could have never captured all these precious moments…
Larrah not appreciating Kieran’s hesitance on an answer.
His shocked face as she squirms out of his hold.
Kieran trying to do damage control.
Larrah slapping the shit out of Kieran, then shoving him away.
Kieran running after her as she storms out the door, calling him everything but a milk cow.
An empty doorway as the harmonious sound of another slap rings out somewhere in the hall, my brother’s face no doubt the end of the line for Larrah’s hand, and her high-pitched voice telling Kieran to go fuck himself.
Ah, sweet memories. Kodak doesn’t have jack shit on me.
Tucking my phone safely away after quickly sending the video to my cloud, I look up to see a pissed-off brother standing in the door with not one, but two red handprints on his face and his best friend bent over, dying with laughter.
“What’s the matter, K? Don’t like it when someone sticks their nose in your private business?”
The door slams shut, Kieran’s nostrils flaring and his eyes ablaze. He points his finger to me menacingly. “This means war.”
“Oh, Kieran, Kieran, Kieran… You need to wave that white flag because the death knell just rang out on your evening.” I nod at the door. “Such a shame too. Larrah seems like a nice girl. Someone should’ve warned her about players like you.”
He grabs the doorknob and flings it back open. That poor door’s taken a beating today. “Out.”
“Sour grapes aren’t a good look for you, K.” I note, grabbing my keys off the counter.
“Fuck. Off.”
“Love you too, big brother.” Blowing him an air kiss, I make my way to the exit, Luca still dying with laughter, even after Kieran shoves him. “Toodaloo, assface. Maybe your friend here will help you lick your wounds,” I call out over my shoulder as I leave, satisfied with today’s visit.
I feel so sorry for poor Larrah, but she’d kiss my toenails if she knew the giant clusterfuck I just saved her from with my hot mess of a brother. My shoes squeak against the freshly waxed tile stairway on my way down, my jumbled mind still fixating on what went down at that apartment. Still unable to wrap my mind around Luca’s offer, I shake out the nerves that come flooding back to me as my Jeep warms up for a moment.
Was he serious?
Nah, he can’t be.
Right?
I look up to their apartment, Kieran and Luca’s separate bedroom windows in view, with no movement from either. More than likely, K’s trying to figure out how to make a voodoo doll of me out of dryer lint and dust bunnies. Luca’s window is dark, but the curtains now sway slightly, as if they’ve been rustled.
Shaking my head at the ridiculous thought that my best friend’s brother could actually want me, I put the Jeep in reverse and mosey my way out of their parking lot. The Righteous Brothers belt out about losing that loving feeling as I come to a red light, still trying to tamp down the absurd hopes that Luca might have been seriously considering it for a moment. I mean, he wouldn't have had me touch him while he was aroused unless he was interested. Would he?
The sharp ping of a text message comes through, breaking me from my thoughts. As I read the short message, that stupid inkling of hope takes root again and grows once more.
Luca: Don’t forget. Friday @ 7. Ball’s in your court.
The goofy grin on my face stays plastered on my face until I pull into my parking space at the dorm.
I don’t reply to him that day or even that evening, still mulling it all over and asking myself if I’m willing and ready to cross that line with Luca.
It wasn’t later when I saw Eden and Addy dragging a couple of guys back to their rooms at RISE and Magnolia giving a guy a lap dance on the floor, a sly smirk in place as the man turns to putty beneath her silky-smooth moves. They’ve all embraced that sensuous side of their nature and have taken control of their lives within these walls and outside of them.
So why can’t I?
I hover my thumb over the send button before hitting it and dropping my phone like it’s hot with a two-word answer that I might live to regret.
Game on.
3
Luca
I’m pretty sure somewhere between Ev bitching me out and seeing her go to Tommy Morehouse to prove her point, I lost my damn mind because I actually suggested that she should let me take her virginity.
What the hell was I thinking?
Kieran wi
ll slaughter me if he figures out that I slept with Ev, then bury me six feet deeper for being the one who took her innocence. I don’t even want to think about the damage her dad will do to me if he gets wind of this. Everleigh’s his pride and joy, and I’m pretty sure my body will be in multiple burial spots instead of one.
This is a bad idea. Deep in my bones, I know it.
Yet, I can’t find any reason strong enough to text Ev, call it off, and run the other way like I should. Because regardless of me signing my own death warrant, I still can’t help feeling this overwhelming sense of pride that I’m going to be Everleigh’s first.
I had to jack off three times the night she sent me that message just to get my erection to go down. Every day since then, my shower time cycle has been the same—beat, rinse, repeat.
Wonder if she’d shower with me before she goes home?
A part of me is scared shitless because I’m worried I’ll end up hurting Evergreen. I’ve been with several girls in the past, none of them virgins, so I’ve tried to do my research this week on how to make it good for her. Yet, in all the preparation I’ve done for tonight, I keep thinking of all the things I want to do with her that would require more than our one-night agreement.
Things that typically involve a level of comfort and trust that come after you’ve been together a while.
Together…
She’s not yours to keep, remember?
I shake the thought out of my head because it’s bittersweet to think that it’s only for one night. Well, maybe a night and a day according to the mental list of things I have planned for us if she'll agree to it.
I’d never admit it, but ever since that day when I watched her hand Kieran his ass for the first time in one of their many sparring sessions, there was something that clicked in place for me with her. It was like I was looking at someone other than the sweet girl who grew up next to me. The way she moved with stealth and grace. That steel in her spine when she showed Kieran she wasn’t gonna take his lip anymore. Something deep within her changed—something that unleashed that inferno I admire so much in her.
But she was completely off-limits…until now.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, alerting me to Kieran’s arrival in Florida. He and our other roommate scored tickets to some country music festival that wasn’t really my thing, so I know he’ll be away the whole weekend. Thank you, Universe and Garth Brooks for aligning the stars long enough for Ev and I to have this time together. I’ve been biding my time behind the scenes, scaring off any potential dickheads that show the slightest bit of interest in her.
I can hide behind the mask of doing it for one reason or another, but that’s not really why. It’s not because Kieran appreciates his best friend’s backup. Not because I want to right the wrongs of how I handled my sister’s situation years ago, even though I’d do anything to take back all the times I fucked up with Lia and our dad.
It’s because the thought of another guy putting his filthy hands on her untouched body drives me fucking insane and makes me want to murder the lucky bastard. Given that I have a future ahead of me in a three-piece suit, orange coveralls don’t quite fit the perfect plan the almighty Luca Dean Giordano, Sr. has for me.
But for her?
An air of exasperation leaves me as I try to collect my scattered thoughts. I’m every kind of twisted up that I can be, and I can’t help but wonder if she is as well. The text I sent her this morning was meant to fluster her a bit so I wouldn’t be the only one ten shades of wound up. No such luck…
Me: You ready for the slumber party tonight?
Ev: All packed. The question is, are you? ;)
Mentally? Sort of. In every other way? Hell no. But I know a bluff when I see one.
Me: I was thinking we could have a pajama contest. Whoever has the best outfit wins a special prize.
Ev: *thinking emoji* What sort of prize?
Me: Guess you’ll have to bring your a-game and see. ;)
My idea of a pajama party was more of a birthday suit-attire affair. Ev’s though? Would she wear some sexy lingerie with straps going every which way? Or maybe something sweet and innocent? Or did she grab something totally unexpected, like crotchless panties? I hope to fuck not because I’ll never last if she wore something like that.
Ev: You’re on, Mr. Giordano.
And just like that, I had yet another erection to take care of.
Before hopping in the shower and jacking off to the thoughts of her calling me Mr. Giordano as I bend her over my desk and fuck her from behind, I called Hot Rod’s and ordered that Hawaiian pizza Ev loves so much. I’ve been so busy thinking about tonight that I forgot to eat today, which meant a supreme was also a must.
Besides, there’s nothing like good food to help with the nerves while storing up some much-needed energy.
The two movies I found on Netflix this afternoon are already queued up at the top of the screen—a comedy to make us laugh and break the ice if need be and some boring drama that we could put on and not watch while we entertain ourselves in other ways. Double-checking the shared living space and making sure my room’s clean and that the box of condoms I bought yesterday was open and ready in my nightstand drawer, I scrub my hands over my face and shake out the nervousness tingling everywhere.
I wasn’t even this anxious when I lost my virginity.
It wasn’t with her, though.
There’s no stopping the shit-eating grin that’s no doubt making me look psychotic right now, but who cares? Tonight, I finally get to be with the girl I wish could really be mine.
I had barely gotten dressed when a soft knock on our apartment door filtered in. My towel gets tossed on the rack and I nearly sprint to the door.
What’s happened to playing it cool?
Cool just grew wings and flew out the fucking window because looking at her through the peephole is a stark reminder that this isn’t some booty call. This is my Evergreen.
The door swings back and a wide-eyed Ev stands there with a small duffle bag on her shoulder. A tight black shirt hugs her full breasts while highlighting her slightly tapered waist, slightly obstructed by a large textbook. Da Vinci must have painted those jeans over her curvy hips and thighs because they’re a work of art on her. Her long, sleek black hair frames her face and shoulders, making her ivory skin appear even brighter. Fuck, she’s gorgeous.
Bright green eyes framed by dark lashes glance at me, then lower to the ground. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself,” I croak out, trying not to swallow my tongue. “Forget your key?”
She hugs the book in her arms tightly and shakes her head, not sparing me a glance. “No, I just…I thought I should…knock.”
Well, this is off to an awkward start. “Um, come on in.” She strides past me, the natural sway in her hips drawing my eyes to that perfect peach in those tight jeans. My dick hardens at the sight of her as she bends slightly over a chair and puts the textbook down.
Come on, Giordano. You’ve gotta do better than that if you want to make it through dinner.
“You planning on getting some studying done tonight?”
She shakes her head as she places her small bag on the table next to the book. “Kieran left it the other day when I gave him a ride from class. Thought since I was coming over…” she trails off, her gaze bouncing around the room, avoiding eye contact with me.
She’s more nervous than I thought she’d be. I lower my forearms to the edge of the kitchen island, rubbing my hands together. “So. This is awkward.”
For the first time since she walked in the door, Ev looks in my eyes, her lips parting in a smile. “Yeah. Sorry about that,” she laughs, dispelling some of the tension in the air. Climbing onto a stool, her hands rub her thighs.
“Hey,” I round the corner of the island to spin her around in the swivel seat and have her face me. Warmth bleeds through the denim beneath my fingers as they rest on her knees. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. I’m nervous too.”
> Her pale, gloss-slicked pout parts. “You are?” she asks quietly, night and day from the girl who came to her a few days ago, ready to tear me a new one.
“Yeah. I mean, I’m me and you’re you—and this is different. But I want you to know something,” I soothe as I take her hands into mine and ignore the sharp zing I feel when her skin touches mine. “Regardless of what we do—or decide not to do—it’s still just us. The same people who have been friends for years. Okay?”
A long sigh escapes her, and her cheeks pull tighter as she grins reassuringly. “Okay.”
Another knock breaks the moment. “That’s dinner.” Patting her knees, I nod toward the couch. “Go make yourself comfortable and we’ll watch a movie,” I say with a wink before grabbing my wallet off the counter.
“You didn’t pick anything from Kieran’s collection, did you?”
A laugh escapes me, knowing where her mind just went. Since it’s Kieran we’re talking about here, she’s probably right to worry. “Nah. Just a couple of classics.”
“I’m gonna go wash up.” The bag disappears from the table and follows her into our living quarters’ bathroom.
The delivery guy and I exchange our goods, his eyebrows raising at the tip I give as I thank him. Considering he did me a solid and drove this over an hour and it’s still hot, he more than deserves it.
“Ohhhhh, Hot Rod’s!” Ev exclaims as she exits the bathroom, noticing the box. “Is there one close by?”
My shoulders shrug slightly. “Called in a favor.”
“Do I smell… Sweet biscuits and gravy, is that Hawaiian pizza?” I flip the top open to display the cheese, ham, and pineapple concoction. A low whistle pierces the air. “Well, fuck me sideways.”
The wolfish grin that spreads across my face is inevitable. Don’t worry, Evergreen. I plan to. “Figured we could have some dinner first, then see where things go.”