by Bella Emy
I ring the bell once, twice… nothing. As I’m about to ring it one last time, I hear Joshua’s voice from behind the door.
“One sec, I’ll be right there.”
Took the fucker long enough. Maybe he was on the toilet. I snicker to myself. Like I said, I’m hilarious.
When he opens the door, he looks as though he had finished running a marathon. “Preston? What are you doing here?” He is standing in the doorway, leaving only a sliver of space between him and it, in a robe. His hair is disheveled, his cheeks are flushed, and there’s a look of surprise on his face.
“I texted you. I wanted to see how you were.” I cross my arms across my chest.
“You did? Oh, yeah, yeah. I’m good.”
I furrow my brows. “May I come in?”
Joshua snaps his head over his shoulder before answering me. “Oh, yeah. Come on in, Pres.” He steps to the left, allowing me to enter.
Why the hell is my brother acting so funny? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I were disturbing a booty call, but my brother is not about that life. It used to be my life, and he never really approved of it.
I step foot inside and notice the rest of the house is still dark. Maybe he really was asleep. But what about his appearance? He was definitely doing something. The messed-up hair? Fine, I can see that being from sleep. He was a wild sleeper sometimes. But his cheeks? I’m not convinced.
I take a seat on his couch. “I’m sorry if I woke you.” Maybe this will get him talking.
“No, you didn’t.” Joshua stands in front of me.
I furrow my brows yet again, wondering why the hell he hasn’t sat down yet. I know my brother, and he’s acting really weird.
“So you gonna stand the whole time I’m here?”
He shakes his head. “Huh? Oh, no, no. I was actually just about to ask you if you wanted something to drink.”
I chuckle. This is pretty hilarious. “Dude, seriously? If I want something, I can get it myself. I know where you keep stuff. I’m no guest here.”
“Right, right.” He scratches his head. Man, something’s eating at him, and I’m so curious to know what the hell is going on.
“You wanted to see me?”
I nod slowly. “Yeah, we haven’t talked in a minute, and I wanted to see how you were doing. Should I come back another time? You seem to be preoccupied.”
Joshua takes a deep breath. “Actually, Pres, that would be a great idea. I’m sorry but—”
“No, don’t leave. I’ll go.” The voice and words don’t register for a second, but as my brother’s eyes widen, I snap my head around to look behind me and take in the sight of her.
There she is, Courtney, in a white silk robe tied tightly at her waist.
I rise from my seat. “Courtney?” I smile. “Wow.” I spin back around to see Josh with a mortified expression on his face. “About time, big bro.”
He shakes his head back and forth. “Shut it, Pres.”
Courtney walks over and stands next to Josh. When she reaches him, she laces her arms through his. Then she places a kiss on his cheek. My brother turns every shade of red possible. I chuckle when Courtney smiles at me.
“How long has this been going on?” I eye Joshua with the widest grin I’ve ever had. He looks like a kid who just disappointed his mother. I don’t see what the big deal is here. Both of them are single, consenting adults, and obviously, both of them have wanted to hook up since forever.
Joshua doesn’t respond. Instead, the pretty girl at his arm does. “Not long at all…”
“And if you breathe a word about this to anyone, I’ll kill you.” Josh looks at me with a serious expression on his face.
I chuckle and shake my head. “Dude, you don’t have to worry. It’s you two’s business. I won’t say shit, but I’m pleasantly surprised. I never would have thought you’d have the balls to finally make a move.”
I eye the two of them as Courtney giggles, turning her body toward my brother, and places a kiss, this time on his lips. “You catch up with your brother, babe.” Eyeing me, she says, “I’m sure you wanna know how this all came to be.”
All I can do is chuckle softly once more and nod my head.
She turns back to face Joshua. “I have to take my mother to the doctor’s in a bit. I should probably go home and shower.”
She places another kiss on his cheek, and it’s actually kind of sickening how cute the two of them are. No, it’s not sickening. I’m actually very happy for Josh. I think he should have ended up with Courtney instead of Carla in the first place. It’s so obvious she has my brother eating out of the palm of her hands.
The next words she says softer than the rest. “I’ll be back later if you’d like.”
Joshua grabs her hands and places a kiss on them. “You know I do.”
Oh, Jesus. I chuckle once more to myself.
They kiss yet again, and I’m starting to think maybe I should be the one taking her mother to her doctor’s appointment. The two of them obviously need to go back into the bedroom.
Before I can suggest it, she pulls away from Josh and walks toward me. “Preston, it was nice seeing you again.”
“You too.”
“Excuse me, I need to go get dressed. I’ll head home right after.” She winks at my brother and runs to his bedroom, then locks the door behind her.
I turn to face Joshua as a huge smirk pulls on my face. He just shakes his head and chuckles.
“So… I’ve been right all along.” I want to of course say more and really rub it in his face that I was right this whole time about him and Courtney.
Joshua rolls his eyes, and as much as he tries to hide his smile, he can’t. I know he’s been wanting Courtney since they met.
“Shut up, Preston.”
I laugh, walking toward my brother, and punch him in the arm. “Okay, big bro… start talking.”
Joshua shakes his head and plops onto the closest couch. And then, finally, he smiles freely. I knew it. He’s as happy as a kid on Christmas morning. “Sit down, Pres. This is a long story… one I know you’ve been waiting to hear for years.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Harleigh
“So let me get this straight. You went to see your brother, only to find out he’s been boning Courtney?” I can’t help but giggle. Preston always said he knew his brother had a thing for his best friend. Now it’s official.
Preston nudges me softly on the arm as we’re lying on a blanket in the middle of the back yard. It’s just after 8:00 p.m., and we decided after dinner to drink some beers outside as we take in the beautiful night. It’s the middle of spring, and the night sky is illuminated by radiating stars. They’re so alluring. This night is magical.
“Yes, but shh! I’m not supposed to be telling anyone.”
I laugh harder. He nudges me again as he joins my laughter.
I finally catch my breath. “You know I’m no one. I won’t say a word to anybody.”
He lets out a breath. “Not even Aubrey?”
I roll my eyes, shrugging with a smirk.
“Harleigh!”
I laugh again. “Okay, fine, fine! Not even Aubrey.”
“Good.” He turns his face to look up into the sky, and I do the same.
“But they are cute together.”
He chuckles. “Yes, they are.”
I take a deep breath, admiring the gorgeous night as well as the gorgeous man lying to my left. God, what I’d give to touch the stars with him tonight.
Last time I saw Aubrey a few days ago, she made a point that I needed to get laid, and she was right. I missed intimacy with the male species, specifically Preston. I want him so much.
Maybe he thinks he’s doing me a favor by not fucking me because of what happened. Maybe because we were so close to sleeping together on the night Cory passed, he’s kept his distance.
I can’t take it anymore. I need him. I need to feel him inside me. What would be more perfect than right here beneath a
starlit sky?
If he’s going to hold back because he thinks it’s what I need and is the best thing for me, I need to be the one to start something. I need to initiate something. I need to be the one to make the move.
I take a deep breath and decide it’s now or never. I need to turn our conversation over to him and me. But how?
I peek at him from the corner of my eye. God, he’s so fucking beautiful. I wish he would turn his head and look at me.
“What is it, Harleigh?”
Holy fuck, he turned and looked at me. How is that possible? He read my mind? Maybe it’s a coincidence. And his small smile as he said that? It’s so damn gorgeous.
“Oh, nothing… Well, actually, I was just thinking… You would typically be the type of guy to go out all the time, spreading yourself around all types of women. But lately, you’ve just been hanging around here after work… with me. Why?” Great job, Harleigh, turning the focus of the conversation onto him.
His smile fades, and I instantly want to kick myself for asking that. But Aubrey’s words made me think about it a lot.
After a few moments, he pushes himself up into a sitting position. I do the same. I need to apologize for prying. I should have never asked.
He grabs a bottle of beer out of the cooler, pops the lid off, and takes a long swig.
“Pres, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to butt into your business, I just—”
He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and cuts me off. “Look, Harleigh. Everybody thinks they know me, swears they’ve got me all figured out, but they have no idea. Do you even know why I was so into myself and screwed around with all those girls in the past?”
I shake my head, but I don’t have the words to say anything.
“No, of course you don’t, and that’s not your fault. I never told anyone, not even your brother. I didn’t breathe to a single soul the reason why I did what I did, did what I had to do.”
Had to do? What is he talking about?
“Well, I’ll tell you why right now. I’ll tell you the things I’ve never told a soul because I don’t want you to have those assumptions in your head like everyone else does. Of course I knew about it. I flaunted myself around like a cheap whore because, well, I was. I didn’t care who I screwed, whose bed I ended up in at the end of the night. And you know why? You wanna know why? Because I was hurting, that’s why.”
I furrow my brows as he takes another pull of his beer. “Hurting? But—”
“Yes. Hurting. Do you remember that day of the hurricane when you came into my shop, the day when… Cory passed away?”
I nod. How could I forget?
“Of course you do. I’m sorry.” He shakes his head. “Anyway, do you remember how you were looking at those pictures and asked me about the little girl? I told you she was my little sister…”
I nod once more.
“I was only seven years old when she was ripped away from us. My little sister, Alyse, was just four years old when she passed away from secondary drowning.”
“Oh, Preston. I’m so sorry…”
He shakes his head. “It’s okay. It was a long time ago. But when she died, I lost a part of me. We all did, but we just dealt with it differently. I started involving myself in sports and then grew a love for cars. I met your brother and family not long after, and my admiration for cars grew even more when I met your dad and fell in love with his shop.”
It is Preston’s shop now. My dad knew how much it meant to him, so Cory chose Preston as the new owner. He was so close to my family—had always been.
“Anyway, when we went into high school, I started taking that drive I felt inside and poured it into noticing all the girls who found me attractive. I began seeing them, not caring how many I casually dated at a time. And they all came to know it. Everyone knew I didn’t have a girlfriend for that reason.” He takes another pull from his beer bottle, and at this point, I can’t peel my eyes off of him.
The only thing I want to do is hear what he has to say.
“By the time I hit my junior year, well, you were a freshman, and you saw how I was. I became known as the hottest and biggest player in school. Some girls made it their goal to try to sleep with me. I knew they all wanted to, and I didn’t care. Most times, I went right along with it, just so I wouldn’t have to stop and think about my little sister, Alyse, and the horrible way she died.”
All he’s telling me now is true. That’s exactly how it was. And it was exactly how people perceived him. I’m guilty of it too, but at the same time, it was one of the things that at first made me want him so much. How can I be at fault? Being Cory’s best friend, he was always around. There was no escaping Preston Scott, no matter how much I would have tried.
But I didn’t. Not even once.
I sit up straighter and know I need to chime in. I have to know why he felt the way he did. I mean, I sort of do, but not really. Something isn’t adding up for me.
“Pres, I know it hurts to lose a loved one. I mean, I lost three people who were so close to me. I can’t imagine losing someone at such a young age, but I don’t understand. Why did you basically punish yourself? You put yourself out there, making people think you were this heartless guy looking to screw around, when in reality you were dealing with the pain. It wasn’t your fault.”
“But it was.”
I furrow my brows. “What are you talking about? How was it your fault? You were just a kid.”
He scoffs. “Yeah, I was, but it was my fault Alyse died from secondary drowning. We were in our back yard that day. Josh, Alyse, and I were playing by the pool as my parents were inside doing I don’t even remember what anymore. Anyway, Josh went inside to use the bathroom. I was left alone with Alyse. We were playing with a ball. Somehow I kicked it harder than I had meant to. Alyse reached for it, and she fell into the pool.”
I gasp quietly, not meaning to interrupt his story.
“I was so shocked, and for a second, I couldn’t move. Couldn’t even form the words to call anyone for help.” Tears fall from the corners of his eyes, but he doesn’t stop to wipe them. “Moments later, I snap out of it and scream to my mother and father to come outside and that Alyse had fallen into the pool.”
Preston takes another sip, draining his bottle before saying anything more.
“Anyway, while she was in the water, she had drunk a good amount of it, but we didn’t know. I mean, no one really talked about secondary drowning back then. Well, my parents got her out of the pool, she spit out some water, and she appeared to be okay. Not long after, she seemed more tired than usual. It was chalked off to the crazy day we had. No one knew she’d be gone by the morning.” He closes his eyes, turning his face away.
“Preston…” I place a hand on his arm. The pain is obviously still hitting him hard, after all these years.
He nods, not saying anything for the first time since he started telling me about Alyse. No wonder he never brought this up when we were young.
So many questions run through my mind that I don’t dare ask, in fear of making him feel worse. Why were three children left alone outside to play while there was a pool full of water? Why didn’t they know how to swim? Why had God taken a little girl?
I know none of these answers will make it better and asking will only make him feel worse. Instead, I offer words that I hope let him know he can talk to me whenever he needs to. He’s been here for me now that Cory’s gone, and I want to show him I can do the same.
I reach out and gently grab his chin, his beard tickling my hand. “Preston, I’m here for you.”
He turns his face to me, and his tear-stained face is so beautiful. I have a sudden urge to kiss his tears away.
I place my lips on his swollen cheek and feel the wetness from his cries on them. As I do, he turns slightly, and his lips crash harshly against mine.
The adrenaline pumping through my veins causes my core to heighten with excitement as the taste of Preston brushes against my lips.
&nb
sp; He pushes his tongue into my mouth, allowing me to taste more of him, and it’s at this moment I know I need him more than I ever did before.
I push myself onto him, straddling myself onto his lap. I don’t care that we’re outside and anyone can see us if they come out to the back yard, since it’s an apartment complex and all the tenants share this area. My only concern at this moment is feeling him as close to me as I possibly can until I can have him fill me inside.
He pulls back the slightest bit, enough to breathe out my name. “Harleigh… What are we doing? Again?”
I bite my bottom lip and then reach out to kiss him once more. Our lips touch, and it’s as if they were never apart. The way they fit together. The way he tastes. It’s all so familiar, and it’s all I want.
Once I reluctantly pull away, I decide to answer his question. “We’re comforting one another. I’m hurting from the loss of my brother. You’re hurting from the loss of your sister. You want me; I want you. Preston, can’t you see? We always end up wanting one another. How much longer are we going to suppress these feelings? How much longer are we going to hurt alone? I want you, Preston. I want you inside of me. Fuck me. Make love to me. Please.”
He grabs my face in both of his hands, then he smashes his lips back to mine. He continues kissing me for a good couple of minutes.
Our lips only leave one another momentarily, just long enough for me to hear him express the words: “You’re absolutely right, Harleigh. I want you as much as you want me.”
“Are you going to make love to me this time, once and for all?”
“Sweetheart, I’m going to take you inside, but I’m not going to make love to you. I’m going to fuck you senselessly into oblivion because it’s the one thing both of us need right now.”
If I wasn’t drenched before by Preston Scott’s touch, I am soaking wet now by his words. Holy fucking shit, did this man know how to set my soul on fire. I want him more than I ever have.
He places his hands under my ass, and before I know it, he’s lifting both of us up.
Holy fuck, talk about strength.