by Nana Malone
Where the hell was she going?
On Friday, Bryna came home from class frazzled, running in with barely a hello to me on the couch. I was ready for a night of basketball with Roone, but clearly, Bryna had plans.
Thirty minutes later when she came running out of her room, lips looking all glossy and soft, dark hair curling softly and shining, wearing jeans and a semi-clingy top with a low back, I sat up and took attention. So, it was a date.
I felt rather than heard the growl. Down boy. “Are you going on a date?”
She stopped in her tracks as she was hopping on one foot trying to put a bootie on. “Um, what makes you say that?”
I lifted a brow. “Oh, I don’t know. You’re running out of here in a rush. You have makeup on.” I took a whiff. Yes, I was a glutton for punishment. “You have on perfume. If you don’t have a hot date, is this all for me? I told you sweetheart, you’re not my style.”
She narrowed her gaze at me. Yes, I knew I was irritating her. I just didn’t care at the moment. “If you must know, yes, I have a date.”
I lifted a brow. I was going for nonchalance, but I probably looked pissed the fuck off. “Oh yeah? With who?”
“Jase. You were there when he asked me out.”
I narrowed my gaze. Just hearing that douche bag’s name had my hackles up. “That guy is a twat. Why do you want to go out with him?”
She laughed as she fixed her shiny shades to her ears. “What? You don’t even know him.”
“Yeah, but I know guys like him. Hell, according to you, I am a guy like him.” I hadn’t thought she’d go out with him. In retrospect, I was digging myself into a much deeper hole. And that was probably a bad idea. But the way I figured, I was too far gone now.
“You know what? I don’t have time to argue with you. I’ll be late.”
“You wouldn’t want to keep him waiting now, would you?”
She rolled her eyes at me. “You don’t even know what that’s like, do you?”
I grinned at her. “That’s because I’m a sexy motherfucker and girls clamor to go out with me.” All except her.
She eyed me up and down. “Frankly, I don’t see the appeal, but if you say so.”
What the hell? Somehow, I always ended up on uneven footing with her.
“Where is he taking you anyway? I doubt anywhere he takes you will be good enough for Lady Bryna Tressel.” I regretted it the moment the words were out of my mouth.
That frown between her brows was back, and somehow, I felt bad. There was something about the sadness in her eyes, as if I’d disturbed a nest I wasn’t supposed to know about. “I don’t use my title. It’s meaningless anyway.”
“All right. No need to get all prickly. Listen, I’m just trying to look out for you. It’s my job, remember?”
She rolled her eyes and just slipped her other shoe on and grabbed her purse.
“Aren’t you going to need a jacket? You’re showing a lot of skin there.”
The glare she shot me said it all. “You know, I don’t like my father very much, but I do have one. I don’t need another.”
Okay then. So, I overstepped.
“Fine, where are you headed anyway?” I put out my hand before she could throw darts at me. “I’m just saying it’s a safety thing, being your roommate and all. I should have an idea when the cops come knocking.”
She sighed. “We’re headed to The Spot. It should be fine.”
I refrained from saying anything about their date location because secretly, I was thrilled. There was nothing intimate about it. It would be loud and impersonal. There would be people everywhere, throngs of people, and she would hate it. It was just fine by me.
“Great, have fun. Make good choices. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“Don’t worry, you won’t enter into my mind at all during this whole date.” With that parting shot, she was out the door.
After she left, I waited a whole five seconds before I had my phone out, calling Marcus and Roone. Roone answered on the first ring. “Mate, where’s your girl going? She’s all tarted-up.”
“I know. Get dressed up boys. We’re headed for drinks.” There was no way I was telling them that we were headed to Prohibition, which was, coincidentally, right across the street from where she was going. Not that I was being a dick or anything. I was just looking out for her.
Yeah, yeah, all the lies you can tell yourself.
Lucas
“So, explain to me how you were the one who wanted to go out when we had plans to watch the Knicks game, and now you’re the one who’s barely touched your beer. And you’re glaring outside.”
I dragged my gaze back to Roone. “I’m not glaring outside.”
Marcus chaffed. “Yeah mate, you are. What’s the matter?” He chuckled low. “Are you mad that Bryna had a date?”
“Nope.” I lied unconvincingly to myself and to them. The problem was, I could see the front of The Spot. The place looked busy, like it was hopping. They’d done a whole take on the adult game thing, offering everything from dodge ball and that sort of thing to adult arcade games turned into drinking games and such.
Roone spoke up then. “Look mate, we won’t give you any shit if you claim you’re not into the girl. You can tell us. Of course, you’re into her.”
“I’m not. She’s going out with this guy who’s a complete douche-waffle.”
Roone grinned at me. “Oh, he’s a douche-waffle, is he?”
“Yeah, he is. He clearly sees me as some kind of competition or something.”
Marcus guffawed. I didn’t like this new side of him, the one that laughed all the time at my expense. I like the one who was serious with a stick up his ass. “He sees you as competition huh? Bet you didn’t tell him that Bryna can’t stand you.”
“She can stand me. She’s my roommate, isn’t she?”
Marcus shook his head. “Do you have any idea how much apartments in the city cost? You’re the cheap option.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course I have an idea. I didn’t become a prince until about six months ago, remember?” It was times like this that I missed Sebastian. Well, he’d give me shit. Probably endless amounts of it, but he’d likely cut me a little slack too. There had been a time when he’d been my hang-out buddy. We’d torn the city up. Like Roone and Marcus, he would give me shit, but I think a part of him would have helped me out. He would be my wingman. There was none of that anymore. Rightfully so, because he’d married Penny and she is freaking fantastic.
Marcus leaned forward. “Mate, enough with the charade. We know something is up. Why are we here?”
I glanced at the both of them. “Can you both keep your snark to yourself for a minute?”
Marcus gave me a brief nod. Roone just rolled his eyes and shrugged. “Jury is still out, tell me what it is.”
I sighed. “You’re such a twat. Bryna’s across the street. I don’t want her, but there’s no way that jackwagon is going to date her.”
Roone grinned at me. Marcus just shook his head.
I can lie to myself, right? It wasn’t about how I wasn’t able to get her out of my head. It was more about not wanting that guy to date her. She deserved better.
Right. Whatever you need to tell yourself.
“Drink up boys. We’re crashing her date.”
17
Bryna
Is there a reason you’re hiding in the bathroom?
I wasn’t hiding. I was merely resting, taking a breather from my oh-so-exciting date.
Ellie knocked on my stall door, and I had no choice but to open it. She stood on the other side, all sass and brass. “You have a perfectly cute guy on the other side of those doors, waiting to show you a good old time, and you’re in here hiding?”
“I mean, Jase is nice and all, but I just don’t feel it, you know?”
Ellie laughed. “Then what are you doing on a date with him?”
This was her idea. “You told me I should open myself up to new experien
ces. Remember that?”
She chewed her bottom lip. “I did say that, but you said he was cute, so I thought you liked him.”
“He is cute. I just—" I sighed. “You’re right. I should at least go out there and make an effort.”
She shrugged. “Don’t make an effort on my part. As far as I’m concerned, we can both climb out the window.”
“Wait, what about poor Brian? I thought you guys were a thing?”
“No. He thinks we’re a thing. He’d been trying to lock me in for months now. I keep telling him I want something casual. I tried to break it off because he clearly wants more. But he says he can do casual, and then he forgets. So, I think I need to just cut him loose.”
“So, what do we do? Climb out the window for real?” I glanced down at my top. The front was held down with stickies and a prayer, so I was not confident about my ability to jump out of the window without flashing my tits to the world. You’ve done it before. “I don’t think I’m wearing the right outfit for this adventure.”
“No, we’ll go finish our dates, but then we’ll beg off. We’re tired, girl time, that time of the month, that should do it.”
I laughed. “Oh my God. Actually, Jase might offer to go to the drug store for us or something.”
Ellie threw her head back and cracked out a laugh. “Oh my God, he does seem like the type. Overly eager. Almost like he’s trying to prove how awesome he can be.”
“What’s wrong with me? He’s a perfectly nice guy, and I can’t even get into it.”
“Maybe you don’t want a nice guy.”
I sighed. “Actually, I do. But mostly, I want someone who’s different than someone my parents would have picked. Jase is nice, and he’s cute. But he’s within that realm of someone who would have been picked for me. I need someone different. Someone nobody would ever pick for me. Someone I can get a little lost in, you know? Someone who’s not going to fall in line and do what he’s told.”
Her lips tipped up on a knowing smile. “You sound like you have someone in mind.”
Lucas.
“I do not.”
Liar.
“Okay, if you say so. But if you did have someone like that in mind, and you don’t want him, toss him my way. I could use a guy like that too.”
I laughed. “I don’t know. I’ve always done exactly what I was supposed to do, so I’m trying to do something different. I don’t think Jase is it.”
“No harm, no foul. At least it will be a fun night still. Did you see the giant beer pong they had? I say we go out there and kick their asses. Then we can just hang out together. At the end of the night, we’ll send them packing. Jase might cry, but that’s his problem.”
“You’re right. There’s no reason that we can’t get our great night.”
“One day at work, you’re going to have to tell me about your opposite of Jase, because he sounds delicious.”
I scowled automatically. “He’s not. He’s a pain in the ass. He more’s more charm than brains.” All true statements, except for more charm than brains. As much as I hated to admit it, Lucas was really smart. His responses in class were thorough and in-depth. From what I’d seen, he might be brash, but he made calculated decisions. His mind was always working. Watching him work in class was like watching a completely different human being. It was illuminating and also strangely hot.
After we washed our hands and freshened our makeup, we marched out of the bathroom, determined to still salvage our night by going all-in on the girls-versus-guys scenario. But we were pre-empted.
Not by a couple of girls but by the hottest trio of men. Lucas, his friend Marcus, and his other friend Roone, the one I’d seen him fighting with the other day. They were talking to Brian and Jase. Well, Lucas was mostly just kicking ass, and Jase was glowering at him.
When we marched up, introductions were made all around. Marcus took the drink orders and headed to the bar. Meanwhile, I glared at my roommate. “Fancy seeing you here. I thought you were staying home and watching basketball.”
He grinned at me. “I mean, that’s the thing. The boys called, so we had to make a night of it. Imagine running into you here.”
“Yeah, imagine.” Was he here on purpose? No way this was coincidence. “Well, Ellie and I are on a date, so we’ll see you guys around.”
Lucas groaned. “Oh, come on, at least let us finish the game.”
Roone flashed me a grin, and even I was momentarily stunned. They made a stunning trio along with their boy Marcus, and every girl in the joint had started staring over at our group. Ellie was no help because every time Roone opened his mouth, she would stare at him like he was a lollipop she wanted to lick.
“Well, we’re on a date.”
Jase nodded. “Yeah. Sorry, Newsome. I guess you’re shit out of luck.”
But Brian was having none of it. “Oh, come on Jase, at least let me win my money back.”
Jase didn’t look like he wanted to. But then Lucas gave him a grin that made me want to slap him and said, “Oh no worries, we’ll just take the W. No big deal. Enjoy your date.”
I could feel the change in Jase then. The inability to walk away from a fight. But it was a dumb fight and with Lucas, no less. Still, Jase’s arm fell away from my shoulder, a fact that somewhat relieved me. He’d rather fight with Lucas.
And then it was on. Marcus returned with drinks for us, but the guys were already locked in the game of beer pong. The problem was, apparently, Lucas was a ringer. Before Jase and Brian even knew what was happening, Lucas and Roone had won… again. And Jase and Brian had consumed copious amounts of alcohol.
It was Jase who suggested another game after that. Lucas grinned. “Pool? Oh, come on guys. Aren’t you supposed to be on a date?”
Jase didn’t even look at me. “It’s cool. We’ll just finish a quick game.”
And just like that, my date was now on a date with my roommate.
At the pool table, Ellie and I were left mostly standing around. We soon found the giant Jenga next to the pool table and occupied ourselves with it, having a blast. Hell, who needed dates anyway? Or annoying roommates?
At some point, Lucas came over and was watching our game intently. “Aren’t you supposed to be over there, playing pool?” I asked him.
“It’s taking your boyfriend forever to set up a shot.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
Lucas grinned. “I know. I just wanted to hear you say it.”
“Why are you such an asshole?”
“What are you doing having a date with that guy anyway? I thought you had better taste.”
“Oh yeah? And who should I be on a date with? Someone like you?”
I hadn’t quite meant to make it sound like a suggestion, but the ‘you’ came out on a hushed tone that even to my ears sounded like a come-on.
Lucas’s gaze dipped to my lips for just a second, but I saw it. His pupils dilated, and something low in my belly pulled. Oh God. Why this one? He licked his bottom lip, and, swear to God, my lady parts clenched. Lucas shook his head. “Nah, I like my girls less uptight. Besides, my charm doesn’t work on you. It would make it a lot easier if it did.” His voice was low, hypnotic, lulling me into compliance, pulling me into falling under his spell. But then I remembered the first time I met him and got the cold shower I needed.
“Oh, or you could just be an honest guy. No charm, no pretense, just a guy.”
He laughed. “What’s the fun in that?”
Ellie came over with her beer. “Your turn.”
While I went over to ponder my move, I could hear her jabbering to Lucas. “So, your friend, the red head, like what’s his deal?”
Lucas laughed. The low rumble of it had a velvety quality that made me want to wrap it around myself, and roll all over it, which was obviously a problem.
“Roone’s single. Why?”
Ellie grinned up at him. “You know, just curious. I might need to take a ride on that fire crotch.”
Luc
as cracked-up so hard he snorted beer up his nose and then started coughing.
Jase called over. “Newsome, your shot.”
Lucas nodded, but he was still coughing until I smacked his back and rubbed. Was it me, or did he start to purr? His gaze lifted to mine, his hazel eyes looking green in the light. “Looks like you know how to rub me.”
“Right.” I snapped my hand back and scoffed at him. I wanted him to run back to his game. “Ellie, what did you say to him?”
She shrugged and laughed. “I don’t know. Something about fire crotch. The poor thing almost wasted a perfectly good beer.”
I laughed too. “You are impossible.”
She grinned. “Yep, I know. So, are you going to tell me what your deal is with your roommate there? Is he the not Jase? Because the way he looks at you makes me want to bust out my battery-operated boyfriend.”
“No deal. He’s just my roommate. He’s someone my parents asked to look out for me. Hence, why I want nothing to do with him.”
“Why? He’s cute, super charming, and he’s totally into you.”
“Are you insane? Him? First of all, he’s not into me. He just acts like that to annoy me.” But somewhere in the deep, dark recesses of my mind, my inner diva sat at attention. Just the idea that Lucas might be interested in me made the butterflies in my stomach dance yet again. Stay strong. “Second of all, he will sleep with anything or anyone at any time. That’s his deal. I don’t need some long relationship, but I need to not be one of many. It’s just a thing I have.”
Ellie nodded. “I can see that. As it stands, he’s very popular here.”
The waitresses had all been over several times to offer any assistance he might need. He’d even gotten us a free pitcher, just from that pretty mug of his and his never-ending charm. I don’t know what it was, but to me it just came across as insincere. I liked him better when he was being real.
“Are you sure you don’t like him?” she asked.
Not really. “No. I promise, he’s a pain in the ass.”
Ellie held up her hands. “Okay, fair enough. I’m just saying you’re mighty defensive for someone who doesn’t like the guy. And he keeps staring at you like you are the last ice-cream cone on earth.”