Tangled: A Small Town, Brother's Best Friend Romance (Willow Springs Series Book 2)

by Laura Pavlov

  She started cutting the paper and I watched her movements. She leaned over, setting a stack of books in the center of the paper and cutting it just so. She concentrated as if this were the most important job in the world. Hell, I could have just grabbed some gift bags and dropped the shit in them. But I’d wanted an excuse to see her.

  Maybe to make amends.

  Make sure we were okay.

  Or maybe it was just because I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

  She tied some ribbon around the package and looked up to see me staring. Her cheeks flushed, and she tucked her hair behind her ear. She reached for the canvases and placed them on the paper.

  “Have you heard from your dad?” she asked, and her sapphire blues looked up to meet mine.

  “Nope. Wren hasn’t seen him either.”

  Her head tilted to the side and she studied me. “That’s got to be tough. I’m sure you’re worried like crazy.”

  “It’s fine. He’ll turn up.”

  “It doesn’t have to be fine, you know,” she said, pulling off some Scotch tape and tucking the sides of the package down.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, it’s okay to not be fine. To be upset. To be sad.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah. Stop acting all tough and stoic. You can tell me you’re worried. Your secret is safe with me,” she said, just as she looked up and smiled, and I adjusted myself beneath my zipper as inconspicuously as possible. Hell, the girl was as innocent as they came in that department. I doubted she knew that every time I was around her my dick thought it was the fucking Fourth of July. He wanted to come out and light some shit on fire.

  “I suppose you’re right. It’s not the first secret you’ve kept.” Why the fuck was I going there? Bringing up that moment we’d shared was stupid. Because not only did I want it to happen again, I wanted to take it further. I wanted her in ways I couldn’t begin to wrap my head around.

  “You want to talk about that instead?”

  “Talk about what?” I smirked.

  “The fact that you almost kissed me. Well, we almost kissed each other.” Her face flushed. “And you flicked my boob. Maybe it was an accident, I don’t even know.”

  A pink hue covered her cheeks and I moved closer to her before I could stop myself. I sat beside her and reached for the package she’d just wrapped as if that was the reason I’d crawled over here. I set it aside and let my hand fall beside me. The backs of our hands grazed against one another, and my finger hooked around hers, needing to comfort her.

  Needing to touch her.

  I was so tangled up in this girl I couldn’t see straight.

  “It was intentional, G. And it was a hell of a lot more than a flick.” I chuckled. “And it took everything I had to stop things from going further.”

  She sucked in a long, slow breath. Not moving her finger from mine as the heat between us burned.

  “Why’d you stop?” she whispered.

  “You know why. That can’t happen again. Not ever.” I pulled her little hand in mine and intertwined our fingers because I needed more.

  “Why?” she asked, turning to face me. Her pouty lips were covered in pink gloss, and her gaze searched mine for answers.

  “You know why.”

  “Because you don’t feel that way about me?” she asked. “Is that why you kissed that other girl right in front of me two minutes later?” She yanked her hand away as if she’d just been reminded of why she hated me.

  “I kissed Lila to get you out of my system. To make sure you stayed away.” I admitted, before silently cursing myself for telling her this much.

  “I don’t understand why?”

  “Listen, you’re way too good to put up with my shit. And your brother—Jesus fucking Christ. He would fucking kill me. You can do a lot better than me, G. I promise you that. That dude that was here the other night seems like a good guy, huh? Are you dating him?” I crossed my arms over my chest because I was a jealous asshole, and I was trying to tamper down my sudden anger. I couldn’t be with her and I couldn’t stand the idea of anyone else being with her.

  “He’s not into girls. We’re friends. But I have a few prospects,” she said, tipping her chin up at me.

  I’d hurt her feelings. She was a smart girl, and she’d be wise to stay the fuck away from me.

  “Good for you.” I scooched away.

  “Yeah, good for me.” She raised a brow and clucked her tongue, and it took all that I had not to yank her closer and taste that sweet mouth.

  “Jaden’s leaving you alone, right?”

  “About that,” she said with a dramatic eye roll. “I saw him in class, and it looked like he took an ass-kicking. You don’t know anything about that, do you?”

  “Let me ask you something.” I handed her the tape as she reached for it. My hand grazed hers once again.

  Why’d I come here again?

  Because I was a sick masochist who obviously enjoyed torturing himself.

  The smell of peaches and goodness surrounded me, and desire stirred every time she glanced my way.

  “What?” she asked, acting annoyed but unable to hide the fact that she liked bantering with me.

  Hell, we’d always been good at it.

  “Did that punk deserve to get his ass kicked?”

  She set down the tape and looked up at me. “Probably. Yes.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  “You don’t need to be poking your nose in my business,” she hissed. She was as desperate as I was to push me away.

  “You don’t get to decide where I poke my nose,” I said, and my tongue dipped out because I couldn’t push away the thought of poking my nose between her legs—but I wouldn’t tell her that.

  She pushed to her feet and started loading the packages into the bags I’d brought them in, irritation seeping from her.

  “You know, Gray. You’re a lot of things, but I’d have never guessed you a coward.”

  Now I was standing and yanking the bag away from her. “You’re correct. I am a lot of things—but a coward is not one of them.”

  “The definition of a coward is one who shows disgraceful fear or timidity.” A fake oversized smile grew across her pretty face.

  “Why the fuck do you know the definition of coward?”

  “I took my SATs not too long ago, thank you very much. I assumed you’d know the definition since you wear it so well.” She moved to the door and yanked it open.

  “How exactly am I a coward?”

  “Because you’re a scared little boy who’s afraid of my brother and afraid of his own feelings.” She stood there all cocky and sure of herself. Hell, insulting me was her favorite pastime.

  “I’m not afraid of anything, G. You’re wrong about that.” I moved through the open doorway, refusing to let her get to me.

  “I think you’re afraid of kissing me because you know it would be good and that scares the crap out of you.”

  I whipped around to see her smiling like she was proud that she was getting under my skin. But she wasn’t. I wasn’t afraid of Cade or Gigi or any of that bullshit.

  I was afraid of hurting her.

  But if she needed proof, I was all too happy to give it to her.

  I moved into her space, dropping the bags at my feet.

  Her breathing stalled and she backed up against her dresser, and the door slammed shut behind me.

  “You think I’m afraid to kiss you?” I asked, my voice gruff and raw as I moved into her space. Wanting to steal the air from her lungs.

  “I think you are,” she whispered.

  One hand hooked around the back of her neck, and the other squeezed her ass as I yanked her close. My dick was so hard I thought it might tear through the denim holding him captive. My mouth crashed into hers
, and there was nothing gentle about it. My tongue slipped inside her sweet mouth as her lips parted, all but inviting me in. I groaned against her soft lips as our tongues did a wild dance charged with need and desire.

  She pressed closer, and I lifted her off the ground and her legs wrapped around my waist. I rocked her slowly, moving her up and down, so she could grind up against my cock. Her breathing was erratic, and her hands tangled in my hair. She moved faster, and I knew she was close. Hell, I’d never made a chick come just from kissing her, but everything about Gigi was different.

  In the best fucking way.

  She cried out my name as her hips moved in frantic rhythm as she rode out every last wave of pleasure. I set her on her feet and took in her wild eyes. Her lips were swollen, and she pushed her hair away from her face. She appeared to be a bit stunned by the whole encounter.

  “Not afraid of kissing you, G. Just afraid we’ll both want more. And that can’t happen.” I kissed the top of her head before reaching for the two bags at my feet and walking right out the door.

  I’d need to stop home for a quick shower so I could rub it out to my latest fantasy of Gigi Jacobs coming apart in my arms from just having my mouth on hers.

  This would definitely be a new favorite.

  Chapter Nine

  Gigi

  Addy and I walked over with a group of our sorority sisters to the field reserved for our powder puff football game. We were partnered with Sig Alpha, and my stomach fluttered at the thought of seeing Gray. I hadn’t seen him in a week, when he’d made me orgasm by just kissing me. I wanted to die. I told Addy about the kiss, but not about the part of me crying out his name as I ground up against him like some sex-crazed fool. I was mortified. Something about that boy brought out sides of me that were so unfamiliar.

  He’d texted me every day just as he had since I’d come to school, but he acted like nothing had happened. The whole thing was very confusing. He’d sent pictures of his sisters with the gifts he’d gotten them and given me updates on his whereabouts.

  Addy found it hilarious. She thought he liked me but didn’t know how to even go about it because my brother would lose his mind. But I couldn’t figure Gray out. He was so hot and cold. We had nothing in common. He was a player, for starters. And he irritated me more often than he didn’t. This was just a stupid crush and I needed to get over it.

  “Is Jett on his way?” I asked as we dropped our bags on the sidelines.

  “Yep. And his teammate Wade, the one you met at the party, is coming too. He is definitely into you because he keeps asking Jett about you.”

  “He’s cute and he’s really nice,” I said, as my gaze searched the field for a certain someone who I loved to hate.

  “Hey, girls.” Leo walked up and gave us both a hug, raising his brows as he took in our outfits. “Football is not really my thing, but I’m so digging this look and I’m here to cheer you on.”

  We all wore spandex short-shorts and pink and white jerseys with our names on the back of them and our flags were a bright pink. Addy and I put our hair up in ponytails, and we wore those athletic socks that came just beneath your knee.

  “If you aren’t going to give it one hundred and ten percent, take your ass home,” Tiffany shouted as she walked over, and it took everything I had in me not to roll my eyes at her.

  Our fierce leader, A.K.A. Kappa Gamma president, was ridiculously intense over this game. She’d been sending us endless emails about the rules and the dress code. We were playing Pi Delta, and apparently Tiffany’s ex-best friend, her words, not mine, was the president of Pi Delta.

  “Wow, she’s a lot,” Leo whispered, and Addy and I tried to cover our laughter.

  My skin prickled and I whipped around to see Gray walking my way. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, he had on basketball shorts, and a baseball cap turned backward. My mouth went dry at the sight of him. A few guys walked behind him wearing the same attire. They had our sorority symbols painted on their chests.

  Oh my god.

  I’d seen Gray without a shirt before. God knows he liked to flaunt himself around like he was on display in the red-light district. But I’d always looked away. But right now—I couldn’t turn away if my life depended on it. Chiseled abs and defined shoulders. His shorts hung low on his hips where a deep V led down to his holy grail. He was tall, just around six foot three, and every inch of him was perfection. His tan skin glistened and my jaw hit the ground as I took him in.

  He chuckled and ruffled the top of my head like I was a child, which aggravated me.

  “What’s up, G.”

  “Nothing,” I hissed.

  “Hey, Gray, are you ready to kick some Pi Delta ass?” Tiffany moved beside him and rested one hand on his shoulder as she pushed up to kiss his cheek.

  “Down, girl,” Leo whispered in my ear so only I could hear.

  My hands fisted at my side as I tried to gain composure. They’d had their little fling over the summer, and she’d inquired about him multiple times. I played coy and just said he was my brother’s best friend.

  Because that’s what he was, right?

  “Yep. Let’s do this. Is Addy playing QB?” Gray asked as Jett walked up and gave him one of those silly boy half hugs.

  “Yeah. She’s got this. I went over a few passes with her and Gigi. They ran a few plays yesterday and they’re actually decent.” Jett laughed and a pink hue spread across Addy’s cheeks. I loved how they were together.

  Why did I have to crush on an unattainable manwhore with no clue how to treat a girl?

  Time to get over it.

  “Hey, Gigi,” Wade said, standing behind Jett as he waved.

  “Hi. Thanks for coming.” I beamed because I didn’t miss the way Gray’s head whipped around to look in Wade’s direction.

  “Excited to see you play,” he said.

  “Okay, enough small talk. Let’s get out there.” Gray jogged out to the center of the field, holding a ball in his hand as he spoke to the coach for Pi Delta.

  Tiffany handed him a clipboard with the list of girls on the lineup, and he called out for seven of us to huddle in the center. She elbowed me as she flipped her long hair over one shoulder. I wondered how she’d possibly run with her hair down and curled, but nothing surprised me with this girl.

  The first play Gray called was a pass. He wanted Addy to get warmed up. Jett stood on the sidelines giving her a few tips, and everyone laughed. She passed the ball to Heather, who moved maybe one yard down the field before tripping and falling with the grace of a toddler taking their first steps.

  “No. That is unacceptable,” Tiffany shouted as she glared down at the ground as Heather pushed to her feet.

  So much for sisterhood.

  “Are you the coach, or am I? There’s no I in team, girl,” Gray said with a smirk that caused me to squeeze my thighs together. My god, the boy was sexy. He sent Heather and Tiffany to the bench to cool off and called out two more girls from our team to join us on the field. “All right. Let’s try a pass play.”

  Gray invited Jett out on the field with him to help coach, and Addy couldn’t wipe the smile from her face.

  “You ready?” she asked me.

  “Yep. I’ll just run down toward the end zone and hope I catch the ball, right?” I asked.

  Jett and Gray both barked out a laugh.

  “That’s the goal,” Gray said before he reminded the other girls to block as much as they could.

  The whistle blew and I sprinted down the field. I’d always liked to run, and I’d beat all the boys in the high school fitness challenge in PE, so I knew I had speed on my side.

  I turned around just as the ball sailed right toward me, threatening to nail me in the face. I had a big brother, so this was not my first rodeo with a football. I held out my hands and the ball hit me hard in the chest, but I was able to hold on to it.


  “Go,” Jett and Gray screamed wildly, and I took off for the end zone, spiking the ball when I crossed the line.

  I heard Leo screaming and making a scene as he sat on the bench with my sorority sisters.

  All the girls rushed me, and Tiffany yelled out obnoxiously from the sidelines. The ref blew his whistle and told her to shut it down, and we all laughed.

  “I knew you had wheels, but damn, G. That was fucking amazing,” Gray said, leaning down to tuck the hair that broke free from my ponytail behind my ear.

  “What can I say? I’m full of surprises.” I smirked.

  The heat in his eyes had butterflies swarming my belly. “You sure are.”

  I jogged toward Addy just as Jett set her back on her feet after spinning her around. We high-fived and made our way to the bench beside Leo.

  Unfortunately, Pi Delta went on to score in the next play, tying the game up before halftime.

  The second half of the game moved fast. The other team seemed to fizzle out and lose interest, but we continued to haul ass down the field. Our defense was quick, and Pi Delta never came close to scoring again. Addy and I did the same play two more times, both resulting in touchdowns, and we left the field victorious.

  We jumped around and cheered and it was the first time I truly felt like I was bonding with my sorority sisters.

  Even Tiffany was being nice. She pulled me aside. “Hey, so I know you’re like Gray’s little sister and all, so I’m hoping you can help me out with him. I mean, look at him. He’s so hot. Can you put in a good word, seeing as I’m the reason you even got a bid in this house?”

  It wasn’t the first time she’d reminded me that she had helped Addy and me get a bid. The girl sure liked to toot her own horn. And the thought of her and Gray together—it made me sick. There was no way in hell I was going to help her make that happen.

  “Um, he’s my brother’s best friend. I don’t really have a say in who he dates.”

  “Come on, Gigi. Help a girl out. He trusts you. I can see that,” she said as Addy, Jett, Leo, and Wade walked over.

  “We’re going to go grab some sandwiches, do you want to come?” Addy asked me before glancing at Tiffany who I knew she didn’t care for, but she still invited her to join us because she didn’t have a mean bone in her body.