“Jim, Jack, and Jose,” I answer.
“Wonder what’s gotten under his skin. He never drinks like that,” Brad says, thinking I can’t hear him.
“I don’t know, but I hope it was worth it,” Deven says, only angering me more.
I disregard them both and go straight to my bed to sleep the rest of the day.
When I wake up, it’s going on seven p.m. I climb out of bed and head for the bathroom. After a good, long shower, I go in search for some food. Deven is still on the couch, but Brad is in the kitchen. I grab a cold bottle of water and a box of donuts as I sit at the table.
Brad comes and sits across from me. “So, tell me about the girl,” he says, like there’s some juicy gossip there.
“What girl?” I ask, stuffing a mini donut into my mouth.
“The girl you went out with last night. The one who got you fucking hammered and the one you with stayed all night. Come on, I need the details here, man.”
I know he won’t ease off me until I give him something, so I make something up. “She was just this girl I ran into in town. We sat at the bar and had a few drinks. We danced and then had a few more drinks. Then she took me back to her place, where we had a lot more drinks.”
He laughs loud. “That’s my boy. You going to see her again?”
I shake my head. “No, I doubt it. Things won’t work with us. There’s too much shit between us,” I answer, thinking only of Deven.
“That’s a shame,” he says, hanging his head. “Why not?”
“She has this brother, a guy I knew growing up. I think he fucking hates me or something. Anyway, for us to be together, we’d have to go through him. He would flip his shit if he found out we were together last night.”
He shakes his head. “That’s too bad, man.”
I nod.
“But I guess I can say I understand where he’s coming from, you know? If it was my sister and I hated this guy as much as you say, there’s no way I’d let him touch my sister.” Brad states.
“And what if you didn’t hate him? What if, I don’t know, he was an old friend? Then what?”
He looks at me and thinks it over. “I don’t know. It’s hard to picture any of my friends being with my sister. I mean, that would be like you and Deven getting together. It’d just be fucking weird, man. I mean, she’s like your sister too. Don’t you think?”
I nod. “Yeah, that would be fucking weird,” I lie, not wanting to give him any more clues about what Deven and I have been up to.
Brad ends up leaving to run some weekend errands, leaving me and Deven alone. She walks into the kitchen with her arms crossed. “Is all that true?”
I frown as I look up at her. “Is all what true?”
“The things you said to Brad. Did you meet up with some girl and shack up with her last night?”
“What’s it to you?” I ask, getting angry. I mean, I’m in all this pain because of her. She made me love her and then she ripped it all away because I can’t give her every little thing she wants. If she loves me as much as I love her, shouldn’t she be more patient? Give me, us, all of this a little bit of time?
She scoffs. “You know why I’m asking, Hudson. Just because some things were said last night doesn’t mean that I don’t care. I do care. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t want to stay your little secret.”
“I was your secret too. Don’t forget that,” I point out. “You’re acting like I was just ashamed to be seen with you. You know that isn’t true!” I can’t help the way my voice rises.
Her hands fall to her hips and she lets out a long, drawn out breath. “See, this is why we wouldn’t work. We have nothing in common. If we’re not fucking, we’re fighting.”
I smirk up at her. “I know how to stop the fighting,” I tease, even though anger is still pumping though me.
She rolls her eyes and leaves the kitchen.
Two weeks pass by unbelievably slowly. I actually get to start full-time at the fire department, and as happy as that makes me, it’s all overshadowed by the loss of having Deven in my bed and in my arms. Living together and not talking has become the norm for us. The only plus side is that now that I’m working full-time, I get a lot of midnight shifts being the new guy. That leaves little to no time for us to be alone together.
Deven seems to carry on with her life like nothing has happened. She still gives Brad shit and they joke and laugh, watch TV together, and hang out around the house. She goes to work at the same time every day and gets home at the same time every night. She starts hanging out with Destiny more and more, trying to make herself scarce around the place when I’m there. She’s come home looking hungover and like she’s doing the walk of shame many times now, and it makes me wonder if she’s moved on from me, from us. Deep down, I know that we both need to move on from each other. Hanging on like this can’t be good.
So when Brad comes in from work one morning with a proposal, I can’t deny him.
“Hey, man. You got plans tonight?” he asks, sitting down at the kitchen table as I make a pot of coffee.
I’ve just woken up and am only half-alert. “No, not that I know of. I have the night off. Why? What’s up?”
“Well, there’s this woman. Her name is Abby. She works with me at the brewery, and I’ve had my eye on her for months now. She finally broke up with her loser boyfriend who works in shipping, so I jumped at the chance to ask her out.”
“Awesome! What did she say?”
“She said that she’s getting ready to leave for a two-week vacation, so it would have to be tonight or when she gets back. I don’t want to wait two weeks. I mean, what if she meets someone else and I lose my chance again?”
“So take her out tonight. I don’t see what this has to do with me.”
“Well, she’s going on vacation with her cousin. Her cousin just got here from Georgia, and they’re leaving together first thing in the morning. Which means that if I want to take Abby out, I need to find someone to take Virginia out.”
“I thought you said she’s from Georgia?”
“She is.”
“Then why call her Virginia?” I’m confused. Like I said, I just woke up.
“Her name is Virginia, man. Keep up!”
“Oh, okay. I’m sorry,” I say, pouring a cup of coffee. I take the cup and sit down across from him. “So, you’re wanting to me double with you and this girl?”
“Yes, I know it’s a lot to ask, but I don’t have anyone else to ask, and I really want to take this girl out. She’s unbelievable. I’d be kicking myself the rest of my life if I blew this shot and lost her.”
Take out another girl? I don’t want to, but it’s a favor for Brad. Not only that, but Deven has clearly moved on. I think it’s time that I do too. “Alright, fine.”
“Really?” he asks, eyes wide with excitement.
“Of course. I can’t be the reason you lose out on this dream girl.”
He laughs and stands up. “Thanks, man. Tell you what, dinner is on me.”
“No, that’s unnecessary. You pay for you and your date and I’ll pay for me and mine. I insist.” I know that he’s already hurting for money as it is. I don’t want him paying because he feels like he owes me something. God knows he doesn’t.
Brad leaves to go to bed for a few hours and I sit in the kitchen, enjoying my time alone in the quiet apartment since Deven has left for work. I eat breakfast and finish off the pot of coffee before going to the bathroom to shower and shave for this date. Deep down, I know it won’t work out. I’m not over Deven yet. But I owe it to myself and Brad to try. Plus, this woman lives in Georgia. Even if we did hit it off, it couldn’t go anywhere with us living in two completely different states.
No, tonight will be more of a trial run for me. See if I’m ready to get back out there. If I can honestly sit back and have a good time with another woman, then it’s time I try the whole serious dating thing. If I can’t stop comparing her to Deven, or if I’m thinking about Deven the whole time, the
n I’ll know that I need more time before attempting to move on. Either way, this date will give me an answer I need.
Brad wakes up around the time Deven is getting home. I hear them talking from my room, but I don’t go out to greet him. Instead, I start getting ready for this date. I pull on a pair of dark wash jeans that hang from my hips just the way I like. They don’t hang much, but just enough to give the slightest peek. Plus, girls seem to like them. I pull on a black T-shirt that hugs my biceps and chest, figuring that we’re probably not going anywhere fancy in this little town. I grab a jacket just in case, though, and toss it onto my bed. I pull on a pair of worn work boots. They’re name brand but have been used and abused for far too long, so they look dirty and worn. I add some product to my hair and style it in the messy way that I like now that it’s starting to grow out from my military-issued buzz cut. I finish off with just a splash of cologne. I check my reflection in the mirror and decide that I don’t look my best, but it’s better than nothing and it looks as though I’ve tried, which will make Brad happy.
I grab my jacket, wallet, and keys and head to the living room. Deven’s eyes lock on mine, and she freezes the moment she sees me. Her mouth drops, and her dark eyes fill with enough lust that I literally get hard. Fuck. All I can picture is throwing her up against the wall and ravishing her body while she begs me to fuck her the way I used to.
Brad comes out of the kitchen. He looks at me, then at her quickly. He laughs. “You look nice, man. I think Virginia will love you.”
That’s enough to break her gaze on me. She looks at Brad with disgust. “Who in the hell is Virginia, and who names a baby that?”
He laughs but takes on a serious edge. “She’s from Georgia. We don’t know the norm down there. Don’t fuck this date up for me with your smart mouth. When they get here, you make yourself scarce, okay?”
“So, whose date is this?” she asks, looking between the two of us.
“It’s a double,” he answers, walking back into the kitchen.
I offer Deven a sympathetic look and shrug one shoulder, but she looks like me like she’s ready to claw someone’s face off with her nails.
“He asked me to do it,” I whisper for reasons I don’t understand.
She snorts. “If he asked you to jump off a cliff, would you?” She flops down onto the couch and picks up the remote.
I let out a long breath, wondering why she’s so upset by this. She’s the one that’s been ignoring me. She’s the one that left me! With a shake of my head, I push forward, meeting Brad in the kitchen.
Ten
Deven
I hate myself. I literally fucking hate myself. Two weeks ago, I freaked out and pushed away the one person I never wanted to leave me. But he didn’t have a choice because I didn’t give him one. I gave him an ultimatum: tell my brother, or we’re done. Why the fuck did I do that? Why didn’t I just enjoy being with him? Why didn’t I just enjoy the time I had? I’d wasted nights upon nights praying for one more night alone with him and I was getting my wish. Until I ruined it anyway.
Now I have to sit back and watch as he gets himself sexy as fuck, only to walk out of here with another woman on his arm. A woman who will probably be smart enough to not push him away. A woman who will probably be able to openly flirt with him, touch him, kiss him. She’s probably a whore who will seduce him into her bed tonight. And my stupid brother will enjoy hearing every last detail while I listen from the sidelines, slowly dying inside.
I fucking hate myself.
Someone knocks on the door, and my back goes stiff with anger. It’s like my body is preparing for a fight as I sit and watch Brad open the door. Two women stand behind it. And of course, the women are drop-dead fucking gorgeous.
“Ladies, this is my sister, Deven. Deven, this is my date, Abby,” Brad introduces the less pretty one. “And this is Hudson’s date for the night, Virginia.”
I don’t know what I was expecting. Yes, I do. I heard that name, Virginia, and I was expecting a tiny little mouse of a thing. Someone who had no curves and flat, brown hair that was long and stringy and didn’t really have a cut or style to it. Maybe even some thick, plastic-framed glasses. A woman who wore a long skirt down to her ankles—not this drop-dead sexy woman that’s standing before me in sky high heels with more skin showing than any stripper I’ve ever seen. Okay, maybe she isn’t that bad, but her black dress is short and skintight, showing off all her curves. She has a big chest and her dress is strapless, only held up by said chest. Her hair is a mix of dark and light shades of brown with a little red thrown in. This isn’t an at-home color job. This is hours in the chair. Her makeup, while beautiful, is overly done and her nails, brows, and lashes are all professionally touched up. This is the exact type of woman that Hudson should be with, not some young troublemaker who always sabotages herself.
I force a smile and wave. “Nice to meet you.” I know by saying any of my usual smart-ass shit, I will only get chewed out by Brad later.
“You too,” Virginia says while Abby just smiles and offers up a wave. Automatically, that tells me that Virginia is the outgoing friendly type where Abby, my brother’s date, is more shy, quiet, and reserved. Figures Hudson would get the one with the killer personality and body.
Hudson comes out of the kitchen, and Brad introduces him to his date. They stand around chit-chatting while I force my eyes to stay on the TV. I don’t know if I can handle seeing Hudson take her in. His eyes should be on me, not her. And if it wasn’t for my weird freak-out, they would be. I hate myself—have I said that yet?
They all say goodbye as they move out the door, and the second the door closes, my fake smile falls. What is wrong with me? I grab my phone off the table and call Destiny.
“Hey, what’s up?” she says when she picks up.
I let out a long breath. “I can’t do this, Des.”
“Yes, you can. Just stay strong. Why the sudden change?” Destiny knows about my freak-out, and while she was surprised, she agreed that it was for the best in the long run. She’s been keeping me strong, but now, I’m falling apart.
“He and my brother just left on a double date. And you should have seen the woman he set him up with. She’s gorgeous!”
She scoffs. “I bet she’s nothing compared to you, Dev.”
“Ha! She’s tall and thin and has all these curves. She was wearing this short, tight dress that hugged every one of those curves that Hudson loved on me,” I mumble.
“Hudson?” she yells. It occurs to me that all this time, I never mentioned his name. “Hudson Slade? The Hudson Slade that is my brother-in-law?”
“That’s the one,” I admit, mentally cussing myself out for letting it slip. At first, I didn’t tell her because it was a secret. But then, it just went on so long that I felt awkward bringing it up. It feels even more awkward now.
“All this time you’ve been banging my brother-in-law? Why didn’t you tell me?”
I let out a long breath. “I don’t know. It was a secret, and I know you wouldn’t have said anything, it’s just…I don’t know. I don’t know. Can you forgive me for keeping this secret?”
I can almost hear her eyes roll. “I can’t believe this. We’re going to be sister-in-laws!”
I giggle. “Hardly. Didn’t you just hear what I said? He’s going out with the most beautiful woman alive!”
She laughs. “No way. Hudson wouldn’t go for an over-the-top girl like that. He likes you!”
“Yeah, how do you know? Last I checked, you barely knew him since he’s been in the army most of the time you and Wyatt have been together.”
“True, but apparently the night you two called things off, he went over to Drake’s hammered. Drake and Colton had to carry him into the house to sleep it off, and the whole time he just talked about how much he loved you and couldn’t believe he fucked everything up.”
“What? How do you know all this?”
“Drake and Colton told Wyatt. Well, mostly Colton told Wyatt because h
e couldn’t stop laughing his ass off.”
A surge of hope fills me. If all of this is true, it means the cold way he’s been acting toward me was just because he’s heartbroken. Is it possible that Hudson Slade is actually in love with me?
“So what now? What do I say or do to right everything I’ve fucked up?”
“Girl, you know what to do,” she assures me. “Hey, Wyatt just walked in. Call me later and let me know how everything turns out. I can’t wait to tell Wyatt that you’re the girl of Hudson’s dreams.” She giggles, then hangs up the phone.
I let the phone fall from my hands as I daze off watching TV. Hope flows through me like a dam has been busted, but at the same time, so does my old pal, doubt. Even if what Destiny said is true, it still doesn’t change our predicament. It would still have to be a secret. It could still cost me my brother, the only family I have left. And yes, even though I love and need Hudson, my brother means more to me than anything else in the world. Always has and always will. I have no idea how to get my heart out of the vice it’s in when it comes to Hudson Slade.
Hours later, I’m on the couch half-asleep when the door opens and in walks Hudson. Excitement courses through my body. He’s alone. He didn’t bring his date home, and Brad isn’t with him.
“How was the date?” I ask, sitting up on the couch so he can sit down.
He sits at the opposite end and drops his keys onto the table. “It was fine. Virginia was nice. We had a lot in common, a lot of the same interests.”
I press my lips together and grind my teeth. “Well, that’s nice. Brad must have done a great job at setting you up.”
“I don’t think I’m going to see her again,” he confesses.
“What? Why?” I ask, turning to study his face. His icy blue eyes lock on mine, and I can feel the pull he has on me. It’s drawing me closer without even me realizing it.
“Because she’s not you.”
The next thing I know, I’m flying through the air, launching myself at him. He somehow manages to catch me as our lips touch. His lips demand that I open my mouth and let him in, and that’s exactly what I do. His tongue finds mine, and they dance and swirl together as tingles and passion flood my body.
The Slade Brothers: A Complete Small Town Contemporary Romance Collection Page 89