by G. Bailey
I'm surprised Elliot stayed in the room while he had that conversation. I’ve never heard him say he loves Lily, but I'm not shocked. I know he cares a lot about her, but I didn't think it was love, I figured it was more lust. The room is silent for a second, and awkward.
"Are you doing all right, man?" I ask, slapping his shoulder.
"Yeah, she is just fucking with my head now. Hot then cold, I don't get it," he says.
"Who gets girls? They are damn confusing, bro," Seb says, smacking Elliot’s back as he walks past him and grabs some beers out of the fridge, then handing me, Elliot, and Harley one.
"They don’t get easier as you get older, boys," Harley says, even though I’ve never seen him with one for more than a night.
"Come on, you fuck them and leave them the next morning, old man," Elliot grins while thinking the same thoughts I am. Even if Elliot calls him ‘old man,’ he is only five years older than us, but everything seems to have aged him more.
"Who the fuck are you calling ‘old man’?" Harley laughs and messes Elliot's hair as he gets him in an arm lock. I can't help but grin at them. They are the brothers I never had.
"Elena is coming over tonight," Seb says while texting and laughing as Harley finally lets go of a red-faced Elliot.
"You’ve been fucking her a lot, are you finally going to date her?" I ask with a slight chuckle into my beer. The boys all laugh and I can't help but smirk a bit at Seb’s horrified face.
"I don't date. Just fuck," he says in a deadpan voice.
"She sure acts like your girlfriend, man," Elliot says while still laughing.
"Nah, we are just friends with benefits. She knows the score." Seb shakes his head.
Luke walks into the room with his head down and grabs a beer off the side. "Izzy is mad as fuck," he says before dropping onto a stool.
"Let me guess, she didn't take it well that you couldn’t tell her why her oldest brother looks like he walked into a fist. Repeatedly," Elliot says in a rough voice before taking a sip of beer.
"We can't fucking tell her. She will eventually leave it alone about why we sometimes have bruises," Harley says with a slightly guilty face.
"I don't know. I don't like lying to her, and she seems upset," Luke says, looking down. Sometimes I forget that he is younger than us, he just never seems it.
"We need to keep her out of our business. She is innocent and sweet. Izzy doesn't belong in our world outside this house," Harley says, staring into his beer like it holds the answers.
"Yeah, I get that," Luke mutters.
"She will still love us," Seb says, putting his hand on Luke's shoulder. I think Luke likes having a woman in the house. He can't remember his mother, it’s a nice change for him.
"She loves me the most, you mean," Luke grins.
"Nah, that's me, bro," Seb pokes his chest.
"Joining us for beer and pizza tonight?" Elliot asks Luke.
"Nah, I have plans," he grins again.
"Luke means that he is ditching us to fuck some tattooed girl," Seb laughs.
"I don't want to hear about that. I'm going to lie down as my cracked rib is annoying," Harley says with a smile. He gets up, taking a beer with him to the door.
"Need more painkillers?" Seb asks, concern on his face.
"No, don't worry about me, little bro," he jokes before walking off.
"I'm going out, don't wait up." Luke winks.
"Be careful." I laugh, and I can hear his returning laugh as he walks to his car.
"Let's go and see if I can beat your ass on Call of Duty," Elliot says.
"You can try, dude." I laugh, knowing that Elliot and I are as good as each other. None of the other boys have beaten us yet.
"Yeah, I'm going to drink beer while you two get competitive," Seb laughs while he walks to the lounge.
"You don't need to run away," I shout, and I hear him shout back ‘dickhead,’ which makes us all laugh.
I know I'm home when I'm here. Don't get me wrong, my mum is great. But she works a lot, and I’ve practically lived in this house since I was an early teenager. I'm still worried I could lose it all by being with Izzy. I know I should stop, but I can't. I just hope they will forgive me.
9
Izzy
I decide to wear sweatpants and a lacy vest top after getting out of the shower. I quickly French plait my long hair and then hop down the stairs to the kitchen. I’m still stressed at Harley’s dismissal and Luke’s attempt at fixing it by not telling me anything, but I’m hoping I don’t see them. I can’t deal with another argument now, today has been overwhelming to say the least. The only good thing is that Blake will be here tonight, and I get to see him.
“Izzy, in here,” Sebastian shouts from the living room as I get to the bottom of the stairs. I wonder how on earth he can hear me in this large house, but I walk into the room anyway.
Sebastian and Blake are sitting on the sofa playing Xbox when I walk in. Elliot is sitting with a pretty red-head on his lap, and on the other sofa is the blonde I saw Sebastian with when I first met them. She looks at me with a disgusted glance. I raise my eyebrows at her as she takes in my normal clothes compared to her ultra-tight dress before looking back at the game on the TV.
Sebastian turns his head in my direction and says, “Hey, sis, we ordered pizza. Do you want to join us?”
Blake stops the game at the same time, making me look at him. He winks at me before saying, “Come sit with us, Izzy.”
Blake must have planned this so he could see me tonight. I get butterflies in my stomach as I look over at him. Blake is dressed casually in denim shorts and a tight, blue shirt, which looks damn impressive on him. His wavy, blond hair is a little more styled than I’m used to, but it’s out of his face more so I can see his sparkling, blue eyes.
I realise I’ve been staring when I hear a fake giggle from the blonde next to Sebastian. I ignore her as I look over the room–I haven’t been in here much–for a needed distraction. The two speakers are still there, and the room is a cream colour with dark-brown wooden beams on the ceiling, which match the dark-wood floor. There is a huge TV in the middle of the room, and some game is playing on it. The TV is above a fake fireplace that lights up the room, along with the wall lamps in the corners of the room. The rest of the room has three brown-leather sofas and a worn, wooden coffee table. There are no pictures on the wall, but I guess with four men living in this house it wouldn’t have many feminine touches, other than the huge, grey rug under all the sofas and the coffee table.
“Sure, why not?” I mutter, going to sit on the other side of Sebastian, and I smile at him. I really want to go sit by Blake and hold his hand, but I know I can’t. One glance at Blake, who is watching me, and I know he feels the same.
The blonde next to Sebastian says in a not so friendly voice, “Are you going to introduce me, baby?”
“Izzy, this is Elena,” Sebastian says, pointing to the blonde in a bored wave, and she flashes a fake smile.
“Hi, Izzy,” her voice sounds faker than the entire face-full of makeup she is wearing. I smile back, but I’m sure it comes across as more of a disgusted look.
“This is Elliot's girlfriend, Lily,” Sebastian points to the red-headed girl on Elliot's lap as a clear distraction when he notices Elena and I are glaring at each other, which works well.
“Hey, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, how was your first day?” she asks politely.
I look over at her. She has a pretty face and short, red hair with a full fringe that shapes her face well. She is much taller than me, by the look of her long legs in some ripped, skinny jeans and an oversized, black top, which hangs off one of her shoulders. I’m guessing she is most likely just under Elliot's height, and with her friendly face, she makes me relax a little. I could always use a new friend.
“It was nice, but all schools are the same thing. I made some new friends,” I say.
“Oh, who?” she asks
“Allie and her brother, T
ris. I'm going over to her house tomorrow for dinner,” I say as I watch Elliot take Sebastian’s controller and try to beat Blake in the game.
“That's lovely. Allie is great. Would you like me to come? I’ve known Allie for years, but I know Tris better. I would like to get to know you,” she says with a bright smile.
“Sure, I’ll text her and ask, if you want?” I reply, thinking I should ask before inviting someone to someone else’s house. I could use a girlfriend, so I don’t want to come across as rude.
“Yeah, that would be great, Izzy,” she grins.
The doorbell goes off, and Sebastian leaps off the sofa to get it with Elena following like a puppy. It takes a lot of strength not to roll my eyes at her.
I look at the screen to see what they are playing, and I see its Call of Duty. Tilly had this, and we played it a lot with her brothers, so I ask Blake if he wants to play me next as he easily beats Elliot. Elliot throws the controller over to me, and I catch it. I use the excuse that I need to be closer to the screen when I move to sit next to Blake, letting my thigh touch his. I can’t help the shiver I feel from just that little touch, and Blake clears his throat before answering me.
“Do you even know how to play? I could teach you, I guess, but I don't think it's your sort of game,” he says honestly.
Right now, I'm insulted; just because I’m girl, he thinks I don’t know how to play games? This might be more fun if I play innocent, I give him a coy smile.
“Oh, okay. Yes, you can teach me how to play,” I try to say with an innocent face, but it’s hard not to giggle.
So I sit and watch as Blake explains how to shoot, and how the controls work. I try to pretend I’m listening and not staring at his handsome face, taking in the little dimple on his cheek when he smiles or the slight stubble on his jaw, which I want to kiss slowly.
“Okay, that's the basics. I’ll go easy on you.” He winks. Blake’s the only guy I know who can wink like that, and it's damn sexy every time. I know sitting in a room full of my brothers isn’t the time to be thinking about their best friend, but it’s not enough to stop me.
“Good luck, Izzy. The boys are beasts on that thing. I wouldn't play them,” Lily says with a chuckle, making Blake laugh.
I shrug and start playing, Blake soon realises–after I beat him four times–that it's not just luck. He stops the game to look at me with his face full of suspicion.
“What?” I say innocently. I look around to see everyone, including Sebastian and Elena–who came back at some point, is looking at me. I notice they have poured us drinks and opened the pizzas, but they are staring at me like I’m some kind of puzzle.
I grab a slice of pizza and start eating as I ignore them, I even drink my coke, too.
“That couldn't have been just luck, you were amazing at it. You played me, didn't you?” Blake huffs, and I smirk at him with the laugh I’ve been holding in coming out. This makes everyone laugh, and I look back at Blake, who is staring at me in a weird kind of wonder.
“Well, I’ve played Xbox since I was thirteen with my friend. You kind of suck, Blake. Want to try to beat me again?” I tease him, knocking his shoulder with mine.
“I do, and I won't go easy on you this time.” He glares at me in a playful way, and we play four more matches like this. I win three and decide to save his pride a little by letting him win the last.
“Ha! I won that one,” he says proudly, and I try to hold down a laugh, but it ends up in a cough. I drink more coke to clear my throat.
“Yeah, dude, you did,” Sebastian says. I glance at him to see him nodding his head and smiling at me with a big grin. At this point, Elena climbs into his lap and starts attacking his neck, so I look away knowing she did that to gain his attention. Sebastian needs to watch that one, she has crazy written all over her, but I don’t know him well enough yet to give him love advice.
“I'm heading upstairs,” Elliot says and drags a happy Lily up with him.
“Night, Izzy, I'll see you tomorrow,” she says and then giggles at something Elliot whispers to her. They are cute.
Elena starts making little moaning noises. I get up quickly and grab some boxes to take to the kitchen. I don’t want to be around when that gets a little more awkward. It’s not something I ever need to hear.
As I put them on the counter in the kitchen, I feel hands on my waist before Blake pulls me back to his chest.
“I think you need a punishment, you’re a naughty little one for playing me earlier,” he says close to my ear and nibbles on it.
“What do you have in mind?” I ask, a little breathless from the heat of him at my back and the many bad thoughts in my head.
“Hmm… I want to spank that pretty ass of yours, but I’ll settle for a kiss for now,” he whispers, kissing my ear. My knees nearly give out at the idea of Blake spanking me, but before I can think much more about it, he says quietly, “Meet me in the garden in a second, I don’t want to wait long for that kiss.” He lets go, giving me a chance to take a deep breath and nod at him.
I hear him say bye to Sebastian and shut the door, I quietly open the back door to step outside after a few silent minutes. It’s a large, faultless garden, thanks to Harley, who seems to like gardening. There’s a big tree at the bottom of it, with a tree house built in the massive branches. The lawn has been cut recently, and there are bushes around the side of the garden next to a large greenhouse. There’s more grass before hitting a row of big trees at the end of the garden. There is a faint light in the tree house from fairy lights, which are wrapped around the tree. I wonder who put them there as I can’t imagine the boys doing something so personal.
Blake comes up next to me and takes my hand as we walk toward the tree. He climbs the tree ladder, then gestures for me to follow, and he pulls me up the last part. Before I can even look at Blake, he kisses me, really kisses me, and I grab his hair in return, running my fingers through it. He picks me up by my ass and pushes me into the cold, hard tree as I wrap my legs around him, hardly noticing the tree at my back. I can’t help the moan that escapes my lips as I feel his hard length pushed against my stomach. Blake pulls away and rests his forehead against mine, breathing heavily.
“You taste too fucking good, beauty. I can't stop thinking about you. I want you so bad, but not like this,” he mutters with his blue eyes reflecting the lights from the tree.
“I want you too, but I’ve never done much before. I don't want to rush this, is that all right?” I ask, and I'm hoping it is. It’s clear Blake is far more experienced than I am. I know what I feel for him might cloud my judgement, and even if it feels right being with him, I need a little time to get to know Blake.
“Yeah, it's no problem. I’ll wait forever for you. Look, I don't want to sneak around. I know they will most likely kick the shit out of me, together, but I want everyone to know you’re mine,” he says. My heart flutters at his statement.
I hesitate before saying, “Not yet, please. I want that, too. It's just things are complicated, and they wouldn't understand. How about one month and then we can tell them?” I ask, thinking I can convince them to talk to me before trying to kill him and maybe find out what they’re hiding before they hate me.
“Only one month,” he says in a dark tone, which shows he isn’t happy about it but will do it for me, and it makes me smile.
He kisses me again, and this time he slips his hands under my top, running them slowly down my back while kissing down my neck. I let him before turning my head, and I start kissing his neck the same way he kisses me, moving up to his jaw while he groans slowly.
“What about the girlfriend?” I ask suddenly, wanting to make sure that this is just us, no one else.
He pulls away a little to look me in the eye. “She isn't anything, Izzy, just a way to pass the time. I know that sounds bad, but while we may have been together a few times, we both messed around a lot. She knew it would never be serious. I was always honest with her. I am being honest with you, I want serious
. I can't stop thinking about you,” he says, driving every word straight to my heart. I can’t help but remember the warning Allie gave me earlier.
“You shouldn't have kissed me when you just broke up with her if you wanted serious from me. It makes me feel like another number to you.” I frown, pushing his chest slightly so I can sit down on the landing of the tree house, looking over the peaceful garden.
He sits by me and takes my hand, kissing it gently. It’s a sweet gesture from such a big guy, making me look up at him as stares down at me.
“I do want you to be a number, my number one.” He smirks.
“That sounds like a cheesy line.” I grin at him.
“I have to use all my cards to get my girl to believe me.” He smiles, taking my breath away with how handsome he is with the moon catching his blond hair; this man is way too pretty for his own good.
In that moment, looking into his eyes, I believe him. “I want that, too. I can’t even think about how hard this is going to be when they find out. I don’t think they will let you see me, knowing your past with girls. You sure you want me, knowing it’s going to be difficult?” I ask. I am seriously worried, not a lot of men would take the crap my brothers are going to give him when they find out.
“I want you. Your family is part of you. I know they will hate me for this, but I can’t stay away from you. I’ve known them my whole life, and I hope they can see that it’s different with you. You’re not a one night stand,” he replies as he looks back at the house. I spot the slight sadness that goes across his face before he hides it.
“Okay,” I say simply, not wanting to push him. Blake wraps his arms around me, and I lean into him, looking up at the stars.
“I made you another drawing. I don’t know if you will like it, but, hell, here you go,” he says, stumbling on his words. I look over at him as he searches his coat pocket, and he hands me another piece of paper.
I open it to see a close-up of my face. I’m smiling, and he makes me look very beautiful. His drawing is so good, it almost looks real. I stroke my fingers against the paper. There isn’t anything to feel other than the pencil marks, but it looks so much like me that I’m in amazement.