***
The rest of the trip is quiet. I'm lost in my own thoughts as we drive back through the hills toward L.A. At some point, I must have fallen asleep and I wake up as Ben pulls into the fancy hotel Rory had booked for me to pick up my bags and check out. Half an hour later, we’re swinging into the driveway at Rory’s house. I had fun with Ben, in more ways than one, and I'm disappointed our trip is over. I unbuckle my seatbelt but hesitate before I get out and glance over at him.
“So, this never happened? We did nothing?” I ask.
“Sure. If that's the way you want it,” he says, but I’m sure I see a flash of disappointment in his eyes, too. “Call me if you want to explore this some more, though,” he adds.
“I’d better get inside before Rory comes out,” I say, unsure of how I feel.
“Are you sure you don't want me walk you in?” he asks, his eyes sparkling.
“Oh, I'm sure,” I say as I get out. “Hopefully, I’ll see you again before I leave?”
“I sincerely hope so,” he replies with a smile. “See you later, and thanks for everything. I loved having you around.”
“Me, too,” I say, then I walk up the path, pretending I can’t feel his gaze on me.
***
“Well, look what the cat dragged in.”
I jump, then turn around to see Rory sitting on the couch, smiling at me.
“Oh, don't give me that,” I warn him. “You told me to stay away while Amelia was sick, which is what I did.”
“Hey,” he says, his face looking concerned. “Calm down, won’t you? I was just kidding. And when I said to stay away, I didn't mean for you to go off with Ben.”
“I didn't go off with Ben,” I frown, worried at what he knows.
“Bullshit, Siobhan. Do you think I came down in the last shower of rain?” he presses. I sigh, fast becoming annoyed with his big brother attitude.
“Fine,” I growl, not caring anymore. “I was with him. Are you happy now?”
“I fucking knew it,” he roars, shaking his head. “I warned him. I’m going to kill that Yankee fucker.”
“Nothing happened,” I plead with him. “He just helped me out of a tight situation.” I immediately curse my choice of words as Rory glares at me.
“There better not have been any kind of tight situations,” he retorts.
“Rory!” I growl. I squeeze my eyes shut and cover my face with my hands, horrified he just said that. “Nothing happened, okay? Can we just leave it at that?” I plead.
“It depends on whether you can leave it at that,” he mutters.
“Rory—”
“Fine,” he sighs, staring down at his hands.
“How’s Amelia?” I ask, changing the subject and trying to ease the tension building between us.
He nods. “She's okay. She's much better than she was, and the doctor confirmed it was food poisoning all along.”
I smirk. “So, I guess that rules out a home-cooked meal to go along with your proposal, then?”
“Go away, Siobhan,” he growls at me as I chuckle and disappear out of the room.
Chapter Seven
Ben
I don't hear from Siobhan at all for the rest of the night. When I don’t hear from her on Wednesday either, I wonder if I should be taking the hint. I text her as I thought she’d call, for sure. Maybe that's just me being arrogant, but I do really want to see her again. When I wake up Thursday morning, I check my phone. I’m disappointed to see no messages or missed calls from her, so I text her again—still no response, so I busy myself with work, but I can’t concentrate.
I call Rory to arrange lunch with him, so we can go over some details for his upcoming tour, but also to see if I can figure out why she hasn’t been in touch. I’m not nervous about seeing him after what happened, but then again, after what Siobhan said about her inability to lie to him, maybe I should be? Okay, now I’m nervous. Perhaps that’s why I haven’t heard from her.
We meet at a small Irish pub that Rory always insists we go to, since it makes him feel closer to home.
“Do you get homesick often?” I ask him as we sit down.
He shrugs. “Not so much now that Siobhan is here, but usually, yeah, I miss my family. I like it over here, but it's a completely different kind of life, you know? It’s so laid back over there, but here, everything is so full on.”
I laugh. “Dude, you live in LA. What were you expecting?”
He shrugs and picks up his menu. “Hey, you asked.”
I pick up my menu too, but study Rory over the top of it. He hasn't mentioned the fact that he thought we were in Vegas together. I'm glad for that, but I’m also waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“So,” I ask him. “Are you ready for your show on Saturday?”
“Honestly? I'm as nervous as fuck,” he mutters. “I wrote her a song, you know.”
“That’s sweet,” I say, smirking at him.
“I'm more nervous I'm gonna fuck it all up.” He glances at his watch. “I've got a meeting with the jeweler after I finish with you, to get the ring. I think that’s where this freak out is stemming from. Having the ring makes it real. I'm also terrified she's going to find it before Saturday.” I nod as he sits back and runs his hands through his hair. “Then I start worrying. What if she says no?” he mutters. He looks physically sick, like he never thought it was a possibility, until now.
“Better you than me,” I say, grinning.
“Agreed,” he says. “Considering I'm fairly sure you’re doing my sister.”
I feel my face heating up and let out a snort. “I, uh… you’ve got no idea—”
“She told me, Ben” he says quietly.
“She did?” I mumble.
“Actually, no, but you just did,” he says, coldly.
Fuck. I open my mouth to backtrack and realize there’s no way out of this. He glares at me, his eyes piercing into mine like daggers.
“Relax, Rory,” I say, trying to lighten the mood. “You look like you’re about to pop a blood vessel.”
“Yeah? Can you blame me?” he growls. “Jesus, Ben. Why did you do it after I asked you to stay away from her? I thought you were my friend.”
“I-I’m sorry,” I say, not sure what else to do. “It’s not like I planned this.” He glares at me, and I wince, since the way I’ve been going on about it, he’d be forgiven for thinking that maybe I had planned it.
“Are you just trying to mess with me?” he asks. “Because it’s working.”
“Of course not,” I frown. “I’m disappointed that you think I’d go that low. I happen to like your sister… a lot.”
He sighs and stares at me. “Okay, look, let’s not talk about this right now. I don’t want to say something I might regret.”
“Fine,” I agree. “Let’s try and enjoy our lunch while we go over the details of your tour.”
***
“I’d better go, or I’ll be late picking up this ring. I'll see you later,” Rory mutters the second he finishes his lunch. He pushes back his chair and stands. I watch him walk away, disappointed I didn’t get a chance to ask him why Siobhan hasn’t been in touch with me.
If I was ever going to try and see her again, now would be the perfect time.
Visiting Siobhan should be the last thing on my mind, but unfortunately, it’s not. Knowing Rory won’t be home for a little while, gives me the incentive to drive over there and see what’s up. I park one street over, paranoid he’s going to come home early and see my car. Not that there’s much to hide, but I’d still prefer he not catch us together just yet. I walk up the driveway and knock on the door. So wrapped up in my own thoughts, it doesn’t hit me until then that Amelia might be home. Siobhan opens the door and frowns at me.
“Rory's not here,” she responds, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.
“I know. I just met him for lunch. He'll be a while. I’m here to see you. He’s not such a good kisser as you, anyway,” I add, which, thankfully, gets me a
smile. “Are you going to invite me in?” I ask.
She sighs and opens the door. “What makes you think Amelia isn’t here, either?” she asks.
I shrug. “I don’t know. I just took a chance.”
She shakes her head. “Well, lucky for you, she isn’t. I was just about to go for a swim, actually.”
“If you’re inviting me in for a dip, then I'm up for that,” I say.
“I wasn't inviting you,” she says, glancing over at me, and her eyes soften. “But you’re welcome to join me… if you can keep your hands to yourself.”
She walks outside and sets her towel down. I follow her, peeling off my shirt along the way. She looks over, her eyes widening as I take off my pants, followed by my shorts.
“Are you all right?” she laughs.
I toss them on the ground and shrug. “I think so. No point getting them wet,” I point out. I dive under the water, wiping the water from my eyes when I surface. I look over at Siobhan, still standing on the edge.
“Well, are you joining me or not?”
“I’m coming,” she says, laughing. “I just can't believe you,” she adds.
I watch her as she takes off the dress she's wearing, revealing a stunning black bikini underneath. It hugs her curves perfectly, the sight of her forms a lump in my throat—and other places.
Something inside me stirs as I watch her ease herself into the water. She dives under then surfaces, her wet body doing nothing to ease my erection. I glance down and smirk because there’s no hiding it. She swims over to me, then stops, her eyes widening when she sees my cock. She bursts out laughing while I frown at her.
“Are you trying to give me a complex?” I ask her.
“I’m so sorry,” she gasps. “You’re just so… hard.”
“That’s what seeing you in that does to me,” I murmur, glancing at her approvingly.
She shakes her head and moves closer, wrapping her arms around my neck. I groan as she lifts herself onto my hips, my dick pressing against the thin fabric of her bikini bottoms.
“You know this can't happen,” she reminds me. “I thought it would be easier to just stay away from you—”
“Easy is so overrated,” I mumble, pressing my lips against hers. I know I should tell her that Rory knows about us, but I don’t want to ruin the moment. I walk her over to the edge of the pool, then lean her against it. She sighs, gently rocking herself against me, teasing me as I kiss her roughly. I groan and reach behind her, untying her top.
“Oops, sorry about that. Looks like your top is coming down,” I say, my lips finding her neck.
“No, you’re not,” she giggles.
“Sorry about this too,” I say with a grin, closing my mouth over her nipple.
She gasps as I suck, my eyes fixed on hers. I flick my tongue against it until it stiffens. She guides me over to her other nipple, moaning when I do the same. I place my hands on her waist, threading my thumbs through the band of her bottoms, then holding my breath, I disappear under the water, taking them down with me. She kicks them off and I surface with them between my teeth, then toss them over the side of the pool.
“Proud of yourself?” she asks, grinning. She dives under the water and I watch her swim around, then she surfaces and snakes up my body, wrapping her legs around mine. She pulls herself against me and kisses my lips as she reaches down, wrapping her hand around my shaft. I grunt, not sure if I love or hate that she’s such a tease again.
Then her eyes widen, and I smirk, until I realize she’s staring over my shoulder. I look around and curse when I see Rory walking down the path. He’s still far enough away, but not for long. I get out, grabbing my clothes and dive into the pool house behind me, just as Rory’s voice fills the air.
“What's going on with you?” he asks suspiciously.
“Nothing, just having a swim,” Siobhan replies, her voice about ten notches too high. I cringe and rub my face, wondering what to do. There's no way in hell he’s not going to know I’m here somewhere, especially since I’ve already told him the truth about Siobhan and me.
“Come on, don't lie to me. You know you can’t get away with that,” he says.
“What do you want me to say, Rory? You don't want me being with him, and you don’t want me to lie. Which one do you want more?” she asks, sounding frustrated.
“Just be honest with me and have the decency not to lie to my face,” he grumbles.
“Fine. He was just here, and now he's gone. Satisfied?” she says, sharply.
“Siobhan, I'm just worried about you. I know the kind of guy he is. I mean, don't get me wrong, he's great and I love him, but he can be an asshole when it comes to women.”
“I'm a big girl,” Siobhan says gently. “I can take care of myself.”
“I'm not sure you can,” Rory responds. “I'm just worried about you getting hurt. I’ve seen it with you before. Just don't let yourself get too attached to him, okay?”
I sit in that pool house with my head against the wall, feeling like shit. Hearing him say that about me has really gotten me down. I lay down and stare at the ceiling, waiting for Rory to go, so I can leave. I tune out of the conversation. I don’t want to hear any more. Is that really who I am? Just a player who breaks women’s hearts? It's certainly not who I want to be. About half an hour later, I jump when Siobhan gently knocks on the door. She smiles at me.
“You look like you've fallen asleep,” she teases.
I shrug. “I should have mentioned to you that I told him the truth over lunch. I didn’t mean to, but he said you’d already told him, so…”
She nods. “That explains why he was so annoyed.”
She sits down next to me and puts her head on my shoulder. We don't say much, and I just stare at the ceiling. Eventually, I get to my feet.
“Maybe I should take off,” I mumble.
“Really?” she frowns. “I thought we could go and grab dinner, or something?” She smiles at me. “I mean, there's no point hiding the fact that I'm seeing you now, is there?”
I shrug, because I'm not sure it's a good idea to carry on seeing her, as much as I want to. The last thing I want to do is hurt her, but what if that’s how this ends? It’s not like we even live in the same country.
Maybe she’s better off staying away from me.
***
In the end, I cave, and we go out for dinner. When I say dinner, I mean we have tacos at one of my favorite little Mexican places and eat them down in the park.
“You’re really quiet,” she says with a frown. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”
“Sure, it's fine,” I shrug.
“I'm not sure I believe you. What’s up?” she says.
I sigh. “I'm not sure what you want me to say.”
“Just tell me what's wrong, for a start,” she says with a frown. “Ever since Rory, you’ve been weird—”
“I heard you and Rory talking by the pool,” I say, cutting her off. “I heard what he said about me, and it upset me, and then it worried me. Maybe I am just going to end up hurting you,” I mumble. “And that would break my heart more than anything.”
She stares at me for a moment, then smiles.
“Did you keep listening?”
“No,” I admit.
“If you had, then you would’ve heard what I’d said,” she explains. “That you’re sweet, attentive, you care about your family a lot. And that I like you. A lot.”
“You said all that about me?” I ask. She nods and walks around to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I sigh as she presses her soft, warm lips against mine.
“I said all of that,” she confirms. “Look, Ben, I haven’t known you very long, but I feel like I know you better than Rory does. I mean, you haven’t had hot sex with him, have you?” she says, giggling.
I burst out laughing at the thought, then quickly wipe it from my mind. Cuddling up to a hairy Irishman? Gross.
“I think you show him, and probably your other friends, the side you w
ant them to see,” she continues. “The cocky, arrogant asshole that has a different woman in his bed every night. Makes you feel better, but it’s not the real you.” She pauses and looks at me. “There’s so much more to you than what you show people,” she whispers.
“Maybe,” I say with a sigh.
I love that she thinks that highly of me, but I’m still not sure I believe it myself.
Chapter Eight
Siobhan
It's Saturday, the morning of Rory's concert and the night before I go home. I’m trying not to think about that, but it sits in the back of my mind, festering away. I walk out of my room and into the kitchen, but there's no one there. I call out, but nobody answers. I’m about to text Rory, when there’s a knock on the door.
I jog through the kitchen and the living room, cursing the fact that it’s so far away. Next time, buy a smaller house. I pull open the door, just as the knocking starts up again. Kayla grins at me.
“Hey,” she says brightly.
“Hey?” I repeat.
She winces. “Okay, don’t be mad at me,” she pleads.
I sigh, and stand back, letting her inside. She follows me out to the pool, where we sit down.
“I’m so sorry, Siobhan. I don’t know how I lost you and then I lost my phone…”
“Ever heard of Facebook?” I grumble. “You could’ve got hold of me if you wanted to. And why has it taken you nearly a week to come over?”
“I tried the day after,” she protests, “but you were still in Vegas.”
“Right,” I mumble, remembering the conversation with Rory. “So, what happened to you, anyway?” I ask.
She grins at me, looking like she’s going to burst. “I ended up going on a road trip with two guys I met,” she says.
“What?” I growl, horrified she’d be that stupid. “That right there is the start of a horror movie,” I say. “You’re fucking crazy. What if something had happened to you?” I frown at my friend, disappointed in her for leaving me, and for this stunt. “You just keep doing that kind of shit, Kayla.”
“I know, and I know I should've told you where I was going, but they were really nice guys. If I’d thought they wanted to hurt me—”
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