Blow

by Fall, Lucy

  I drop my fork and rub my belly. I don’t know if I can finish the dessert, but I’m no quitter, so I’m going to keep going until I do. I just need a moment to breathe. “So,” I say, “I got a text from Cole earlier—”

  “What did he say?” she interrupts. She perks up and eyes me with interest. “You said he’s moved back here, right?”

  I nod. “Yeah, and he wants to hang out with us tonight, after we go shopping. That sound okay? We’ll play pool, have some beer, and I’ll school his arrogant ass on the fine art of using a cue.”

  Christina sits up straighter now. “Totally. I mean, if you want me to come along…” She pauses, eyeing her food, and I see a faint flush crawl up her throat. Skin so like mine, showing everything she’s feeling. What is she nervous or anxious about? She tucks a strand of red hair behind her ear. “Did…did Cole ask if I wanted to come? How did it come up in the conversation?”

  A weird sensation settles in my chest, and I narrow my eyes a touch. “He said he wanted to hang out with us, that it’s been a while since he’s seen you. Why?”

  “Oh, I’m just curious, that’s all. We haven’t talked much since he got back to the States. Just a few random emails.”

  That pressure in my chest builds. Christina emailed Cole? Since when? Neither one of them ever said anything about that to me. I wonder why. “Oh, really? How long have you guys been talking?”

  She waves a delicate hand in the air and reaches for her fork to eat more brownie. The gesture is casual, but the flush spreading across her cheeks and the light in her eyes are anything but. “Oh, just for a little while.” She tries not to smile too widely as her cheeks redden that much more. “It’ll be nice to see him, though.”

  My sister hasn’t shown serious interest in a guy in at least a couple of years. Nursing keeps her busy, and she says it’s more fulfilling than going on a series of terrible dates that don’t satisfy the need for connection she really wants.

  But I know the true reason she’s been hesitant to settle down all these years. The old guilt flares up in me, and I lose my appetite.

  Christina hops out of her chair. “I’m going to run to the restroom. Be back in a sec.” She sounds breathless, and I know it’s because she’s thinking about Cole.

  When you’ve known someone your entire life and seen them crushing, falling in love, going through the ups and downs of various relationships—you can practically read their expressions like a book.

  “Yeah, sure,” I say in a false jovial tone. “Don’t fall in.” An old joke between us.

  She grins and rolls her eyes, then heads down the aisle away from me.

  The smile falls from my face. Shit, this is so not good. How is it all this time I had no idea that my younger sister had a crush on Cole? When did this happen? Could he be part of the reason why she hasn’t been dating anyone—because she’s secretly holding a candle for Cole?

  I exhale hard and struggle to control the emotions warring in my belly. Angst. Guilt. Fear. After my big fuck-up in college my senior year, which was her sophomore year, Christina and I didn’t talk forever. It took her a long time to forgive me, and it hasn’t been until the last couple of years when she’s dropped her guard and let me back into her life, little by little.

  Sleeping with her estranged boyfriend, Max, was the worst thing I could ever have done to my own sister, and I still don’t know how to forgive myself for it. It was so bad that I never even told Cole about it, that’s how horrible and ashamed I felt. I was drunk, Max was drunk, he was crying on my shoulder about how bad things were between him and Christina, and the next thing I knew, he and I were in bed together. The following day Max confessed it to her, hung over and feeling like shit, begging her to forgive him.

  She never talked to Max again. And it took a long time of me slowly working my way back into her life for her to forgive my betrayal.

  I stare blankly at my brownie. Yeah, I don’t feel like eating the rest now. All I can do is obsess about the fact that my sister has a crush on my best friend, who did something very dirty to me the other night, and deep down I want him to do it again.

  And there’s no way in hell that’s going to happen now.

  Putting a guy above my sister cost me everything. I can’t risk it again, not even for my best friend. Especially not for a fling that will likely die out and then break up our friendship, anyway.

  If I was looking for a sign on what to do about Cole, well, it’s presented itself loud and clear. Our sexual encounter in the basement was a one-time thing, never to be repeated.

  God, and I’m going to see him tonight. Blah. How messed up will it be to watch my sister crushing on him, flirting with him, while I try to not remember how turned on he made me? Granted, I have no idea how he feels about her, and it’s possible he’s not interested in her in that manner. But if she has feelings for him, I’ll feel like crap getting in the way of her finally taking another chance at love. Because she loved Max, and she’s never been serious about anyone else since.

  My sister returns to her seat, dropping down with a happy sigh. Her navy-blue dress flatters her skin tone. She’s really pretty, has always been a little prettier than me, something I never felt jealous of before today. I squash the thought of wondering what Cole will think of her.

  “You about ready to head out?” she says. “Hurry up and finish your dessert. We have a lot of shopping to get done if we want to look good tonight.” Her mouth curves up, her pale pink lipstick freshly applied in the bathroom. I can tell she’s thinking about Cole.

  I can’t believe I missed it before, because it’s clear from the look on her face, the softness in her eyes.

  She’s had these feelings for a while, and I just never knew, probably because she didn’t have any hope about him being in town and her exploring a relationship with him.

  Disappointment dampens my spirit at the thought of moving back into the friend zone with Cole. And God help me, there’s a tiny, wicked part of me that wants to see him tonight, wondering if that chemistry will still be there.

  I push the plate away and wave at the waiter to bring us the bill. “I’m stuffed. Let’s pay up and get out of here.”

  No matter what I’m feeling right now, I can’t ever, ever, ever tell my sister that something happened on Wednesday night between me and Cole. That secret will go with me to the grave. I can’t be the one to hurt her again, regardless of my conflicted emotions about him.

  I don’t know what’s going to happen tonight when we’re all out together, but I have a feeling everything is going to change.

  END OF BOOK ONE

  Part II

  Up In Flames (Crash And Burn, Book Two) by Eva Grayson

  Cole

  This bar is packed. I sip my beer and scan the crowd to get a feel for the bar’s vibe. My brother should pay me overtime for the recon work.

  “So when are your friends showing up?” my buddy Dave asks as he settles onto the barstool against the wall. We got here early enough to snag the corner of the room with the pool table and a small table for resting our drinks and snacks. Dave shoves a handful of chips in his mouth and chews. Despite being a stereotypical tall, dark, and handsome man, with angled facial features and a muscled body, he’s not one to put on any airs. Dave’s as casual as they come.

  I glance at my watch. “Should be anytime now.” There’s a vibe of anticipation that’s been in my gut all day. I’m anxious. I know Lauren’s been avoiding talking to me, so I’m hoping having some chill-out time tonight will ease her nerves.

  Has she been thinking about what happened two nights ago as much as I have? If I close my eyes and sink back into that moment, I can still taste her. I make myself push that mental image out of my head. I can’t sport wood all night. Gotta play it cool, take my time.

  It’s been hard as hell to not pursue her after having my mind blown by her sexual reception to me, but I know my friend. She needs her space, and I don’t want to push her away. So I’ve backed off.

/>   Tonight should give me guidance on how to proceed. To suss out how she feels now that she’s had time to reflect. But even more importantly, just to be around her, soaking in the warmth of her smile.

  A few more minutes pass before I see Lauren and her sister, Christina, trailed by a blond wearing a super-tight black dress, work their way through the crowd toward us. My heart hammers in response to Lauren’s approach. I barely notice the other two women, because my eyes are locked on her.

  All these years, and she still has the power to blow me away, to steal my breath. She’s wearing a pair of faded jeans that are molded to her legs. Her off-shoulder blood-red shirt cups her breasts, hugs her waist. Her glorious red hair is down around her shoulders, free, begging for me to bury my fingers in their depths.

  Her eye makeup is smoky and makes her look beyond sexy. Fuck, I want to suck that lower lip into my mouth, touch her pussy again… Shit, there goes my cock. This might be harder than I thought.

  When she reaches us, I dart my hand out to grab hers and tug her into my arms for a hug. My excitement at having her near means it takes a moment for me to realize she’s a bit too stiff in my arms.

  I pull away and eye her. “Hey, kitten. How was your day? Have fun shopping?”

  She gives me a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. My heart hammers harder. “Fine, thanks.”

  “Cole!” Christina says with a squeaky laugh. She dives into my arms, and I chuckle and hug her. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

  Lauren’s fake smile wavers and she turns away from us, scouring the crowd.

  The blond waits until Christina extracts herself from me before reaching a hand out and giving me a handshake. “Patricia. Glad to meet you. Christina offered to let me crash the party, since my plans for tonight fell through—hope that’s okay.” Her eyes are smoky too, and her red lips are pursed in perfect flirtiness. She looks over at Dave, and I can practically see the shift in her body. She extracts her hand from mine and steps toward him. “And you are…”

  Dave’s helpless to resist a beautiful blond. The charm comes on full force, and he flashes her a toothy grin. “I’m Dave.” His thumb strokes her flesh as he holds her hands for about an hour too long. “Can I buy you a drink?”

  And there it is. I shake my head and give a good-natured laugh. Dave’s gonna have a great night, I can tell.

  Lauren and Christina are whispering to each other, and the latter’s eyes drift to me. There’s a strange tension between them, something about their body language making me uneasy. Did Lauren tell her what happened? Is she ashamed of it?

  It’s hard to keep my cool when on the inside I feel so shaky, but I hold on to it, take a draw from my beer. The bartender comes around, and the ladies order beers and a round of shots for us all. I wasn’t planning on getting loaded tonight, and I’m tempted to wave it off, but Christina shoots me those cute little puppy eyes and I can’t resist making Lauren’s sister happy, so I grudgingly give in.

  Dave and Patricia play a friendly game of pool. And by friendly, I mean they basically find every chance to touch or be near each other. I can’t help but feel irritated, and I know it’s only because I want to do the same with Lauren. But after that shitty hug, she’s basically keeping her distance from me.

  My pride stings like a bitch. This isn’t how I thought tonight would go.

  I steel myself and start to walk toward her. Maybe I can pull her aside, make her talk to me. Clearly Wednesday night is haunting her, and she regrets what happened. The stiffness in her back, the way she keeps staring at her sister while avoiding eye contact with me…I feel like a third wheel. Or rather, a fifth.

  “Another round of shots?” Christina says in a loud tone.

  Lauren starts to shake her head, but Christina shoots her a pleading glance. When she caves and shrugs, Christina claps her hands and darts off to the bar, getting a couple of appreciative looks from guys as she goes.

  “Haven’t seen your sis in ages,” I start off to help break the tension.

  “She didn’t send you any pics of herself? In your email exchanges with her, I mean.”

  I frown. “No, why would she?”

  “Just curious.” Lauren inclines her head toward her sis at the bar. “She was happy to go out tonight. Thanks for inviting us. Work has been crazy for her lately, and she needed to relax.”

  And what about you? I want to ask. Does Lauren need to relax too?

  My hand has a will of its own, and I find myself reaching out to cup her shoulder. Not in a sexual way, but more to comfort. The heat of her skin pours into mine, and my thumb strokes the soft flesh. “Christina’s always been a friend to me, so it’s a no-brainer. It’s good to be able to make plans with you, though. I missed that when I was away.”

  “Me too,” she admits, and some of the stiffness in her body eases. We’re moving back into that comfortable friend zone. God help me, I both love and hate it. But I push my disappointment away, because right now, she needs to find her footing.

  As I try to find a way to broach the subject of Wednesday night, Christina comes back, hands loaded down with shots. I reach over to help take a couple. We distribute them, and I notice Dave’s already caressing Patricia’s hip as he tugs her to his side. Dude works fast.

  We swallow the shots down, and the music in the background changes to an upbeat dance song with a thudding bass. All three girls start shaking their asses and cluster in a circle the way girls do when they’re buzzed and dancing. Dave sidles over to me, unable to stop staring at Patricia’s ass.

  “Patricia’s fucking hot,” he says, and I can hear the raw appreciation pouring from his voice over her hotness. It makes me laugh in response. “She told me if I beat her in pool best two out of three, she’d come home with me tonight. She won the first game, though—gonna make me work for it, I can see. Apparently she’s some kind of amateur pool shark.” He grins. “Totally worth it.”

  A pool bet. I wonder if that would work with Lauren. Not to bribe her into something sexual, though fuck, I would love that, but to get her focused on something outside of her awkwardness and just…relax. As chicken as she is sometimes, she also has this strange competitive streak. Any time I challenged her to race me on the way to school, she ran balls out, giving it everything she had.

  My brain stalls when I see Lauren run her hands through her hair, shimmying her hips, eyes closed, lips parted. So sexy. My cock stirs at the sight of her beauty, her sheer sensuality. God, I want her with a strength that almost scares me. I can’t stop thinking about her grinding against me on Wednesday, her pussy pressing toward my hungry mouth, my fingers stroking her channel…

  I blink and pull myself out of that dangerous line of thought. Christina, beer in hand, is looking at me, and her cheeks burst into a delicate pink blush as she cocks a brow in my direction. Shit, totally busted staring. I laugh and shrug to play off the intensity of my attention toward their group, and I see her mouth twitch. Then she turns her focus back to dancing, wiggling her hips and shaking her boobs.

  Christina downs that beer in record time and dumps the empty on a nearby table. Her glazed eyes and increasingly swaying movements make me concerned, combined with the awkward looks she keeps throwing my way as they dance. Is she unhappy about me having feelings for Lauren and uncomfortable with me now? Her email correspondence when I was overseas was always light and brief, but it was nice hearing from her time to time and having the reminders of home. We never talked about anything serious, keeping the conversation to trivialities. Perhaps she doesn’t think I’m right for her sister? Should I be making a better effort for her to get to know me? I don’t know what to think, and I’m confused.

  Dancing ends, and we resume our grouping, with casual conversation about nothing in particular. Lauren stands by me; we watch in silence as Dave and Patricia battle it out on the pool table for a while. They’re tied and playing their last game now.

  “You and I are next,” I tell her quietly. Her sweet perfume wafts to me
, and it’s so hard to not close my eyes and lean toward her to breathe her in.

  She gives a low chuckle. I’m glad to see she’s not as rigid as she was earlier. Either the liquor is easing things up, or she’s growing more comfortable with me. Come to think of it, she’s only done those two shots tonight—she hasn’t even finished her first beer, and she doesn’t seem drunk. Hope blooms in my chest.

  “I’ve been practicing, you know,” Lauren says, her tone cocky. “Get ready to be schooled in the art of pool.”

  “I look forward to it,” I murmur. I shift just a touch so my arm brushes hers, to see what her reaction is.

  She gives very little away, not moving her body, but I hear her breath hitch a fraction, and her lips press together.

  Victorious pleasure surges in me. Lauren’s fucking aware of me sexually and she’s unable to hide her own response. Not all the way, anyway.

  Dave leans down and calls his final shot, eight ball in the side pocket. He nails it and pumps a fist in the air, then turns to Patricia and leans against the table, a cocky grin covering his face. “I won.”

  “Yes,” she purrs as she steps toward him, raking a fingernail down his chest. Her eyes are hooded and clearly filled with undisguised desire, and I see Lauren freeze at my side as she watches them. “You won. Guess I’ll have to…pay up.”

  Then his mouth is on hers, and they’re entangled in the corner, kissing.

  Lauren rips her gaze away from them, a pretty pink flush riding high on her cheeks. Her focus shifts to my chest, then slides toward my eyes, and her pupils are dilated. Her chest is rising and falling. Yeah, she’s thinking about me right now—I can see it all over her face, the way she’s staring at me with that intimate familiarity that comes from previous sexual encounters. She’s thinking about that night and she’s turned on.