by Marie Meyer
“Next Friday.” My fingers pulled at the seam of the sleeve, ripping it apart little by little. “I’ll head back home early Sunday morning.”
“Oh, all right,” she whined.
I threw my hands into the air and pushed the chair onto its two back legs, raising my hands into the air. “And Ren comes through for her baby brother,” I said a little too loudly. “You’re a lifesaver.”
“Yeah, well. Don’t think you’re getting off easy, baby brother.” The way she said that scared me a little. “You owe me big-time.”
I let the chair fall forward with a thud, righting it back on all fours. “Whatever you want. Name it, it’s yours.”
She pursed her lips, devising an evil plot, no doubt. “I don’t know yet. I’ll have to think about it.” A throaty cackle echoed across the table.
“Seriously, though, Ren, thank you.” I had the coolest sister. Even as kids we’d shared a special bond. But, like any siblings, we’d endured our share of battles, too. In the end, though, we had each other’s backs.
“Yeah, yeah. Tell Jillibean I love her. I’m staying at Mom and Dad’s while they’re in Florida. The car’ll be in the driveway.”
“Thanks, Sis.” I leaned across the table and kissed her cheek.
Taking a long drink of her latte, she sat back in her chair again. Her eyes scrutinized my face while her lips spread into a toothless smile. “I’m proud of you, Griff.”
I raised an eyebrow, her random compliment throwing me off. “Where’d that come from?” I eyed her over the top of my coffee cup, taking a long drink.
“Your career is taking off and you’ve finally got your girl. It’s cool seeing you get what you’ve worked so hard for.”
“Yeah.” I nodded in agreement. Now that Jillian and I were on the same page, everything felt…real.
“But,” Ren said, pointing a finger at me. “When I manage to snag a hot doctor, and get myself a life, I’m gonna need my wheels, dude. If Jillian stays out there for three more years, you’re going to have to suck it up and ditch the bike.”
I cringed, pulling in a sharp breath between my teeth. “Nooo.” I shook my head. “The bike stays.” She was right, though. If things worked out for Jillian—and I prayed they would—I’d have to take the plunge and buy a car.
Ren took another sip and slammed her empty cup on the table. “But, until that hot doctor sweeps me off my feet, I have a date with Netflix.” She smiled, stretching her arms out wide. “I’m beat. Babies are tough customers.” She stood, pulling her coat from the back of the chair.
I followed her lead. I tugged my blue fleece jacket over my head and slipped on my black riding jacket. Once we were armed against the cold, I leaned down and kissed her cheek again. “Thanks, Ren.”
“You bet.” She wrapped her arms around my waist and squeezed. “Love you, Bro.”
I circled her in my arms. “Love you, too.”
She pulled away. “Oh, will you please call Mom? She’s driving me batshit crazy. You need to set things right with her.” She pointed a finger at me. “BEFORE you leave on tour.”
I pointed back at her, clicking my tongue. “Yeahhh,” I drawled. “About that…”
Mom had put on a nice show at Christmas, for Jillian’s sake. But she’d taken my news about school hard. Sometimes it felt like she was living out her unfulfilled college dreams through Ren and me. Ren had followed the plan, which had kept Mom happy. I hadn’t. And now I was the family fuckup in her eyes. How was I supposed to set things right with her when she was the one with the problem?
“Just call her, Griffin. Please? Get her off my back.”
I groaned. “I’ll see what I can do.” I wasn’t holding my breath, though. As far as I was concerned, she needed to call me.
“Thank you.” She hugged me quickly this time. “Talk to you soon.”
Once Ren was gone, I sent Sarah a quick text before I headed out into the cold. The birthday present will be there Friday night.
She responded quickly: Perfect! ;)
I smiled and walked toward the door. My next order of business would be assembling Jillian’s birthday present. I already had the frames, I just needed pictures…which meant I’d have to pay Jennifer a visit.
* * *
I rang the doorbell and bounced on the balls of my feet to keep warm. Seconds later Jennifer pulled it open.
“Griffin,” she said coolly.
“Hey, Jennifer. How’s it going?” I continued bouncing, trying to keep warm. After the twenty-minute drive over, I was cold as hell, despite my layers.
Jennifer stared. No cordiality, no pleasantries…nothing but an empty, pissed-off glare. Damn, this woman brought new life to the term frigid bitch.
“Umm, Jillian’s birthday is coming up. She has some pictures in a drawer upstairs. I’d like to take them to her, if it’s not a problem?”
Not saying a word, she pulled the door open wider and stepped aside, granting me access. Holy shit. No nasty remarks? No commentary on how my presence lowers her property value?
“Thanks.” I nodded in her direction and stepped into the house.
“Go on up. Take what you need.” Without another word, she walked down the hallway. I’d expected her to follow me, to make sure I didn’t pocket any of her precious belongings. I was floored…and a little unsettled by her behavior. This was not typical Jennifer.
I set my helmet on the floor. “Thanks,” I called after her. She didn’t acknowledge me, not that I’d expected her to. I shook my head and went to the staircase.
Beating a quick path to Jillian’s old room, I grabbed the handle and opened the door. Inside, the faintest scent of Jillian’s perfume lingered even after all these months. I closed my eyes and drew in a breath, letting it out slowly.
I opened my eyes and crossed the room to her dresser, knowing exactly where Jillian kept the pictures of her parents. The drawer on the top right-hand side.
The day she moved in with Jennifer, I’d helped Jillian unpack. I’d dumped a box of old photos into the drawer.
I pulled on the brass knob, sliding the drawer open.
It was empty.
In that moment my love for her was multiplied by infinity. She was the strongest damn woman I knew. As painful as it must have been for her, in a small way, she’d taken her mom and dad with her.
I pulled out my phone and texted her, I love you.
Pocketing my phone, I sighed, then turned to leave. I’d have to rethink my birthday present idea, now that the pictures I needed were with her.
When I reached the bottom of the staircase, I went to my helmet, picking it up.
“Find what you needed?” Jennifer asked, coming down the hall.
I stood and turned toward her. “No.”
Jennifer wiped her hands on a dishtowel and shrugged.
“Thanks, though.” I gave her a nod and left.
Chapter Thirty-One
I parked a few blocks from Sarah’s boyfriend’s townhouse, just in case Jillian came outside and recognized Ren’s car.
I opened the door and climbed out, my phone in hand. Sarah wanted me to send her a text before I came in. I’m here, I typed and pressed “Send.”
Her response came quickly. Give me two minutes. I’ll meet you at the front door.
Cool.
I walked slowly, giving Sarah the time she needed to get things situated. Every step I took knowing Jillian and I were within feet of each other, as opposed to miles, my pulse sped up.
Reaching Brandon’s brownstone, I climbed the steps just as Sarah opened the door. “OMG! Jillian is going to flip.” Sarah came out on the porch and threw her arms around me.
Being that we’d only met one time before, in a very awkward situation at that, I found it extremely weird to be hugged by this chick. But I was pretty sure she’d consumed her fair share of liquid courage, which explained her overly affectionate behavior.
I patted her back.
Sarah let go. “So this is my plan. Jillia
n’s in the basement right now, dancing. I’ll sneak you down, but you have to hide until I give you the go-ahead. ’Kay?”
I stood and marveled at her. She talked so fast. “Lead the way.” I gestured forward. I just want to see my girlfriend.
With a squeal she grabbed my hand and pulled me through the door.
Inside, the small apartment was crammed with wall-to-wall people. Does Jillian know all these people? Sarah still had ahold of my hand, pulling me through the crowd.
“Hey, you’re Griffin Daniels, aren’t you?” one guy said, pointing as I swept by.
Sarah whipped her head around and glared at the guy. “Now, now!” she scolded. “You’ll ruin the surprise.”
We barreled down the stairs and made an immediate left turn into a small bedroom. “Wait here.” With a flourish she turned and ran into the other room.
I peeked around the doorway, scanning the crowd for Jillian. Across the room I saw her smiling and giggling, standing beside another girl. Jillian looked sinful, her hot-pink ensemble hugged every curve she owned. And with her rainbow-colored hair, she looked edible…my very own decadent cupcake. I bit my lip, hungry for her.
“Everyone,” Sarah shouted from the front of the room. “Hello? Shhh!” She tapped the mic. “EVERYONE! SHUT THE FUCK UP!” she yelled.
The noise disappeared and no one moved.
Now that’s a chick who knows how to work a crowd. I laughed.
“Thank you.” Sarah smiled sweetly. “Today’s a special day,” she continued. “We’re all here to celebrate my best friend’s birthday.”
Best friend. It felt odd hearing that someone else had assumed that role in Jillian’s life. I hadn’t really thought about what I was to Jillian. Boyfriend? Best friend? Lover? None of those labels defined my title. None of them was a strong enough noun to encompass what Jillian and I shared…what we were to each other.
I watched Jillian, her back to me. There were two labels I knew I wanted for us, “husband” and “wife.” But that was for later. We had a lot of miles to span before I’d have the honor of being her husband.
Sarah raised her glass and everyone followed her lead. Jillian raised a half-empty bottle of tequila.
Fuck me. I tensed. I prayed no one had slipped her anything.
“Happy nineteenth, Jillian!” Sarah shouted into the mic. The crowd repeated her words and tossed back their drinks. Jillian poured herself a shot and threw it back. The DJ cued up “Birthday Cake” by Rhianna and everyone started bouncing to the rhythm.
Sarah handed back the DJ’s mic and skipped back over to where Jillian and some other dude was standing. Sarah leaned in and whispered something into Jillian’s ear.
Jillian said something in reply and gestured to the crowd with the tequila bottle.
Sarah whispered to Jillian again, this time waving me over to join them.
She didn’t have to tell me twice. Three large strides, and I stood behind my girl.
Sarah backed away from Jillian, a gigantic smile on her face.
I’d waited long enough, damn it. I needed to touch her. I bent down and whispered, “Happy birthday, Jillibean,” into her ear.
Slowly she turned around and lifted her eyes to mine. In one step Jillian was in my arms. She grabbed a fistful of my jacket, pulled me down to her level, and crashed her mouth onto mine.
My tongue licked across her lips, tasting tequila. Her lips parted and I tasted deeper. Our tongues melded together, making up for lost time.
Needing air, I pulled away slightly. I rested my forehead on hers, staring into her eyes. Finding the slow rhythm to the song pumping from the sound system, I swayed her in my arms as we both regained our composure.
“How did I not know about this?” she whispered.
“Sarah swore me to secrecy.”
“So she’s the mastermind?” She smiled and pulled her head away from mine, but she didn’t move out of my arms. “How did you get away?”
“I told the guys I couldn’t miss your birthday. Thor said he’d keep things going for the weekend.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck and brought me close. “Remind me to thank Thor.”
I smiled, kissing her again.
We continued to get reacquainted with one another. Jillian pressed her backside against me. My hands didn’t waste a single moment exploring her incredible body. Our bodies melded together, swaying and dipping as the music pounded around us.
Heat encompassed us. I kissed my way down her neck, tasting her sweat-slicked skin. All my nerve endings reacted to her scent…her touch. She might have been drunk on tequila, but I was drunk on her. I moved my hands to the curve of her hips, brushing lightly across her ass. I needed to get her alone.
“Griffin,” she sighed, turning around in my arms.
I took advantage of the new position and cupped each of her ass cheeks. Her ass filled my hands perfectly, giving me just enough leverage to boost her up, bringing her mouth closer to mine.
She moaned, and I couldn’t resist biting the sound off her lips. My body responded to her every touch. I was so hard.
I pressed my lips to her soft mouth, giving her a couple of soft, tiny kisses before I latched on with the third. Our lips fully connected, and my tongue pushed into her mouth. The deeper my tongue slid, the more I pushed her up with my hands. No matter how hard I pushed, she wasn’t close enough. I want to be inside her.
She gripped my shoulders, running her hands up my neck and into my hair, pushing my face closer to hers. Her tongue played with mine, driving me wild. Our chests vibrated with moaned ecstasies.
She slid her lips to the corner of my mouth…down my jaw…and neck, her tongue devoured me. My hands massaged her ass, desperate to get her closer. My dick strained against my pants.
“Jillibean,” I breathed in her ear.
She kissed me again, her tongue flicking wildly against mine.
“Jillian,” I said, into her mouth. I put my thumb and forefinger on her chin to get her attention.
She stopped kissing me and stared into my eyes. Desire pooled in her eyes. “Hmm,” she said, licking her lips.
Fuck me. That was hot.
“Do you want to go?” I asked, my voice thick with want.
She nodded.
I wrapped my arms around her waist and we made our way through the crowded dance floor. I hadn’t realized how many people were still down here, and I didn’t give a fuck. All I wanted to do was get my girl alone and show her how much I’d missed her.
We made our way upstairs. Sarah stood next to a guy in the corner of the living room. “Sarah!” Jillian called over the loud music. “Sarah!”
Jillian looked back at me and smiled.
“Hey, guys,” Jillian said, pushing through the crowd.
“Hey, you two,” Sarah sang, winking at Jillian. “Did you enjoy your birthday present?”
Oh, she is about to.
“I still can’t believe you two didn’t tell me.” Jillian playfully punched Sarah in the arm and turned to smirk at me. I pulled her back and kissed the top of her head before resting my chin atop her rainbow hair.
“It wouldn’t have been much of a surprise if you’d known I was visiting.” I pinched her side, and she squirmed against me, sending more blood rushing south.
Jillian stepped closer to Sarah and whisper-shouted, “We’re going to bail.”
“OK.” Sarah winked. “Happy birthday, Jillian.” Sarah pulled her into a hug, both girls swaying and giggling.
I put my hand at the small of Jillian’s back to steady her. Sarah leaned in close and whispered something into her ear. They giggled again. I couldn’t make out what she had said, but I was pretty sure Jillian and I had the place to ourselves tonight.
Jillian stepped back. “Thank you, Sarah. For all of this.” She flung her arm out widely, gesturing to the whole room.
“No problem. I wanted you to have a good birthday.”
“I did. Thank you.” Jillian turned to the guy standing ne
xt to Sarah. “Brandon, thank you for everything.”
“Sure thing, Jillian.” He patted her back and Jillian nearly lost her balance again. “Whoa, there.” Brandon clamped a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, man,” Brandon said, looking at me. “You’d better get her home. It looks like she’s enjoyed her birthday a little too much.”
Jillian scrunched up her face. “I did enjoy my party, but I am fine.” She giggled. “I am not drunk.”
Yep. She was wasted. Brandon was right. I needed to get her back to the dorm. I reached around Jillian and extended my hand to Brandon. “That’s my plan,” I replied. We shook hands. “Thanks for having Jillian’s party, man.”
“It’s cool.” Brandon patted my shoulder with his other hand.
Jillian and I turned to leave, and I wrapped my arm around her waist. Once we were outside, I led her toward Ren’s car.
“Damn it!” she yelled, coming to an abrupt halt.
“What’s wrong?”
“Sarah has my keys.” She turned and started marching with a determined effort, back to Brandon’s place.
I jogged up to her and grabbed her hand. “Whoa, wait up a minute. Sarah will bring your car back to the dorm in the morning. I have Ren’s car.”
“Ren’s?” Jillian hiccupped.
“A thousand miles and January air don’t make for a very pleasant trip on a bike. Ren let me borrow her car.”
“Oh. OK.” She shrugged, and her shirt fell off her right shoulder.
With my palm I pushed it back into place. “I’m parked over here.” I wrapped her to my side, trying to keep her warm. “I had to make sure I parked far enough away so you wouldn’t recognize her car.”
When Ren’s Miata was in sight, I pressed the key fob and it chirped to life. I opened Jillian’s door and helped her climb in. Quickly I rounded the front, noticing Jillian had reclined her head and closed her eyes.
Pulling my door open, I asked, “Bean, you all right?”
“Mm-hmm.” She nodded, not opening her eyes.
Worry settled in the pit of my stomach. Was that tequila clean? How drunk is she? Not only did I worry that she might have been slipped something, I also worried about alcohol poisoning. I laid my hand on her leg and squeezed. “We’ll be back to the dorm in just a minute,” I whispered.