by Leela Ash
“Here we go,” Julie said as she pulled off the road at a small, old-fashioned diner that looked like something out of the movies.
“This is one of the best places around here,” Julie said confidently. “This is where all the locals come, and it’s like the town’s best kept secret.”
They got out of the car and made their way inside. A bell tinged over their heads as they stepped in, and Julie began waving at people who turned to look at them. A row of men sat high up at the counter next to big slices of pie, all wearing squared off caps and winter vests.
“Hey Julie,” one of the waitresses said as she thrust two menus at them and walked them to a table next to the windows.
“Hey,” Julie smiled and then gestured to Freya. “This is my new friend from college,” she said.
“Nice to meet you,” the waitress grinned before she turned on her heel and went back over to the counter.
“Everyone is so friendly,” Freya remarked as she opened the menu and looked down it. Her mouth was watering and she couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into something delicious.
“I recommend the ribs,” a gruff, deep voice came from behind her, as if whoever it was had read her mind.
Freya spun around to see a tall, muscly man, looking down at her with big, dark eyes.
“Oh God,” Julie rolled her eyes and pouted. “I should have known you’d show up!”
Freya turned to look at Julie as she burst into laughter and waved the man over to her. She stood up and wrapped an arm around him and kissed him on the cheek.
Freya looked up at him. He was incredible, and easily one of the sexiest men she had ever seen in her entire life. He turned to look at her and smiled a wide smile which flashed his perfect teeth. They looked pearly white next to his deeply tanned skin, and Freya found herself biting her lip as her eyes wandered down his thick, muscly forearms that were wiry with hair.
“This is Freya,” Julie grinned, turning the man towards her so he was close enough for Freya to catch the scent of his cologne. He bent down and took her hand in his before raising it to his lips and planting a soft, warm kiss on it.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Freya,” he smiled. “I’m Kellan… Julie’s brother.”
Chapter 4
Freya’s heart was pounding in her chest as she looked up at him. He still had her hand in his and the red hot kiss he’d planted on it was lingering there with a tingle. She felt herself blushing as she realized she couldn’t pull herself away. He smiled and bit his bottom lip.
“Yes,” Julie interrupted their moment. “This is my brother… He’s a pain in the ass, but I love him to death.”
He smiled and stepped closer to Freya so she had to scoot over for him to sit down.
“Don’t mind if I join you, do you, girls!” It was more of a statement than a question, but Freya found herself shaking her head and smiling like a kid on Christmas morning.
“Of course not,” she beamed. “It’s lovely to meet you.”
Julie noticed her enthusiasm and suppressed a grin of her own.
“So how is everything over on campus, Sis?” Kellan asked, “You’re obviously making friends.” He turned and winked at Freya.
“It’s all good,” she smiled. “But we were just saying we’re not really into all this drinking and partying… Thank god we met each other and can just spend our evenings not getting wasted and throwing up out of windows.”
“That’s because you’re classy girls,” Kellan grinned. “Imagine what dad would say if he caught you in that kind of state.”
“Exactly,” Julie nodded. “Our dad’s pretty strict,” she whispered to Freya.
“A bit?” Kellan laughed. “More like obsessively!”
The pair began to delve into a story of how their father had kept them on a tight leash all of their lives and hated the idea of them ever straying too far from home. Freya listened intently and found that she couldn’t take her eyes off Kellan. He must have only been a couple of years older than her, but he seemed so much more mature and he oozed confidence and power.
“He’ll like you though,” Kellan’s voice broke her train of thought. “You’re obviously a good influence on Julie, so I’m sure he’ll love to have you up at the house.”
“Huh?” Freya said as she realized she hadn’t caught a word they were saying.
“He was just saying normally dad doesn’t like any of my friends,” Julie laughed. “But he’ll like you because you’re clearly a nice calming influence.”
“Oh,” Freya laughed, “Yes, of course.” She made a Scout salute and Kellan laughed.
“Well you’ll have to come up and see us,” he nodded as he raised his eyebrows and took a sip of his drink. “In fact, mom and dad are away this weekend and I was thinking about having a few friends over … Nothing wild, don’t worry, good girls.”
“What do you think?” Julie turned to Freya and asked reluctantly.
“I think it would be rude not to,” Freya smiled. There was no way she was missing out on an invitation from someone like Kellan.
“Okay, Bro,” Julie said with a sigh. “We’ll come up to the house this weekend, but the first sign of silly and wild behavior and we’re both leaving, okay?”
“Okayyy,” he yawned and Julie threw a rolled-up napkin at him.
The waitress arrived at the table to take their order, and Freya found herself prickling with sweat. The heat coming from Kellan was intense, and she couldn’t figure out whether it was her attraction to him that was setting off the reaction or it was really coming from him. When he had held her hand, his skin had been hot to the touch…
He shifted on the seat next to her, and his thigh brushed up against hers. On the other side of the table, Julie was smiling as she watched them.
“And for you?” the waitress asked looking down at Freya.
“Go on,” Kellan said as he took the menu from her hands and handed it back to the waitress. “Get the ribs, I promise you won’t be disappointed.”
Okay,” Freya shrugged. “I’ll go for the ribs.”
The waitress wrote it down and went to put the order in. Kellan smiled at Freya and raised his eyebrows.
“A girl who’s not afraid to get her hands dirty, I like it!” he joked.
“Well, I can’t pass up a good recommendation, can I?” she smiled.
Her heart was fluttering in her chest as he flirted with her and made her feel at ease. There was something raw and unique about him that made her feel like he was completely different from anyone else she had ever met.
After they had finished dinner and paid their tab, the three of them walked out to the parking lot and Kellan picked up Julie and gave her a big hug.
“So good to run into you, Sis,” he grinned. He plonked her down on the ground and moved over to Freya.
“And even better to meet you,” he smiled before he leaned in and gave her a gentle peck on the cheek.
Freya blushed as she watched him walk towards his big black truck and climb inside.
“Jeez,” Julie whispered. “How hot for each other are you two?” she joked.
Freya shrugged it off and turned back towards Julie’s car.
“No need to pretend otherwise,” Julie said as she started the engine and grinned at her. “I knew you’d hit it off… that’s one of the reasons I brought you here tonight. I kind of hoped we’d bump into him.”
“Really?” Freya turned to look at her in disbelief. “But he’s your brother… Wouldn’t most girls hate that?”
“Not me,” Julie said as she pulled out of the parking lot. “In fact, the second I met you, I wanted to get to know you because I knew you’d be a good match for Kellan.”
Freya looked at her dumbfounded, like she couldn’t believe her luck.
“Girls like you are hard to find, Freya,” she said. “And I only want the best for my family.”
As they sped down the highway, Freya couldn’t keep the smile from her face. She’d made a new best friend an
d met an amazing man in the span of one day. So far college was shaping up to be pretty awesome indeed.
Chapter 5
The rest of the week passed by in a blur. Freya spent all of her mornings in classes, her afternoons doing homework and the evenings hanging out with Julie. She would usually get back to find Julie waiting by her door, or there would be a note tacked to it asking her to go and find her as soon as she could.
The first time Freya went down to Julie’s dorm room, she couldn’t believe how different it was from hers. It wasn’t just a little bit bigger and more private, it was like a master suite fit for a queen. Her room was the only one in the hallway, so it was completely separate from the other rooms. Inside it only got better. Julie had a king-size bed, a kitchenette all to herself and an en-suite. Freya had been so confused as to why she had even bothered to go into the communal shower room that morning the two had met, but Julie kept muttering something about having an authentic college experience.
The girls had grown closer over the week, and Freya felt as if she had known Julie her whole life. She had never had a friend she had been so at ease and compatible with. It was like she had been sent to help her start her real life.
As Friday came around and Freya’s classes finished for the day, she walked slowly back to her dorm and noticed the first leaf turning red on an oak tree.
“Hey!” Julie called from behind her. “What time should we leave?”
“Whenever you like,” Freya smiled.
“Seven?” Julie linked her arm with hers and the two walked towards the front steps to their building.
“Sounds good.”
“Great,” Julie dropped her arm and skipped on ahead. “I better dash—I’ve got a million things to do beforehand. Don’t forget to dress up,” she winked. “Kellan will be there, remember!”
Freya felt a knot in her stomach but couldn’t keep the grin from her face.
“He’s hot for you,” Julie said over her shoulder as she reached the top of the steps. “And quite frankly, I’d love to have you as a sister-in-law.”
“Wow, jumping ahead there a bit, aren’t we?” Freya laughed.
“Nope,” Julie winked. “Anyway, catch you later.” She blew Freya a kiss and disappeared up the stairs.
Freya looked at her watch and realized it was five-thirty. She was going to have to get a move on too.
***
As Julie sped down the winding woodland roads, Freya’s nerves were mounting. She knew she was about to see Kellan again, and she couldn’t shake what Julie had said earlier. What if he was really serious about her? What if Julie had handpicked her for him? They approached a bend in the road and Julie slowed.
“We’re just up here over this rise,” she said, dimming the lights and turning off the main road and onto smaller lane that went up a hill. They were close and Freya could sense it—she could feel him near her. The feeling she got when he was around was so strange. It was as if they could smell each other and a wild instinct was pulling her to him.
“Here we are,” Julie said as they rounded a corner and the most incredible house loomed up out of the trees. A star-scattered sky swept out behind it, emphasizing its grandeur.
“Wow,” Freya gasped. “This is amazing.”
The house was more than a mansion. It was a full-on sprawling country estate hidden there in the trees. The private road they had been traveling on led to a huge set of wrought iron gates with stone statues or big, menacing bears on either side. Julie leant out of the driver’s window and pushed a code into the security keypad before the gates beeped and began to open. Freya had never seen a house like it. It was so secluded and protected. It was as if they didn’t want anyone in the world to know they were there, or risk them being discovered.
“What’s with all the security?” Freya asked.
“Like I said,” Julie shrugged, “My dad’s pretty strict.”
***
When they reached the top of the hill and Julie stopped the car, Freya almost didn’t dare get out. She felt intimidated, but she was also desperate to see Kellan. She looked up at the tall wooden double doors flanked by columns and one of them slowly opened and Kellan stepped outside.
“Welcome,” he called to her as he held his arms out with his palms upturned to the sky.
“Come on,” Julie whispered. “He’s excited to see you, I can tell.”
Kellan wrapped his arm around Freya and kissed her on the cheek. She couldn’t help but blush as her nerves crept back up inside of her. He was even more attractive than she remembered. He hooked his arm with hers as Julie had done earlier in the day and led her into the great entrance hall of their impressive home.
“I’m so glad you came,” Kellan said as Julie wandered off down a hallway behind them. “I’ve done nothing but think about you since I met you in the diner.”
Freya’s heart began to race. “Really?” she stammered.
“Yes,” he smiled, his brown eyes were warm and inviting and she suddenly became aware of the heat that rose from him again. It was intoxicating and pulled her in.
“Come on,” he said as he put an arm around her and guided her down the hall. “Let’s go and find the others.”
Chapter 6
They walked through the winding hallways and Freya found herself trying to catch glimpses of the art on the walls. The whole house was so opulent and dramatic, she couldn’t believe that her easy-going friend had a background like this, or that Kellan seemed totally besotted with her… She was just an ordinary girl, from an ordinary family… and here she was with Julie and Kellan, two people so interesting and removed from her own world that it was almost bewildering.
“Everyone’s outside,” Kellan said as he led her through a kitchen that could easily have been bigger than the entire bottom floor of her parent’s house. It was all marble and the ceilings were high with three massive chandeliers swinging from them. On the opposite side of the kitchen were two big double doors that opened to an outside terrace. A fire pit raged in the middle and all around it were big comfy couches and tiki torches. Julie was draped across one of the couches and two guys drinking beers were on another.
“Guys,” Kellan called as he led her out to them. “I’d like you to meet Freya. Freya this is Joe and Max.”
The two other boys got to their feet and came to shake Freya’s hand. She smiled meekly and greeted them before looking down at Julie and giving her the look that meant she wanted to talk to her. Julie smiled and looked away as if she was ignoring her request on purpose. She was definitely up to something and although Freya wanted to shout to her and ask, she couldn’t keep the smile from her face. She couldn’t believe her luck to be there at the incredible house with such a lovely group of people.
Kellan motioned for her to sit on one of the couches and Freya took up his offer and made herself comfortable. He sat next to her and slipped his arm discreetly along the back, around her shoulder.
“So,” Joe said, “how did you have the pleasure of meeting these two, Freya?”
“We go to college together,” Julie answered for her. “We met in our dorm’s communal bathroom,” she laughed.
“Yeah, and we just clicked straight away,” Freya added.
“And I had the pleasure of bumping into them both at the diner the other night and said Freya would have to come over and see us here at the house.”
“And I’m glad I came,” she smiled as she turned to Kellan and their eyes met.
Max and Joe got up and picked up a soccer ball. They jumped over the wall of the terrace and went down onto the perfectly manicured and sprawling gardens. As they kicked it and messed around, Julie leaned up on her elbows and whispered, “They’re pretty juvenile, but they’re harmless.”
“How do you know them?” Freya asked.
“Old family friends,” Kellan answered.
“Okay, guys,” Julie said as she got to her feet, “I’m going to head up to my room and root through a few things that I want to take ba
ck with me… I’ll leave you two to get better acquainted.” She raised an eyebrow and winked. As she walked past Freya, she squeezed her shoulder lightly and Kellan gave a low laugh and ran a hand through his hair.
Freya’s heart was pounding, and she was so nervous she didn’t know where to look. Kellan’s arm was still around her shoulder, and she could feel his heat oozing into her. She felt so safe in his arms.
The tension between them was mounting, and she could sense his eyes on her. She wanted to turn to look at him but knew that if she did, he would either kiss her or break her heart. She stared dead ahead and noticed another statue of a big grizzly bear in the trees.
“Your family like bears,” she whispered.
“Something like that,” Kellan said softly as he swept a strand of hair away from her eye.
Unable to stand it any longer, Freya turned to look at him and their eyes locked. It was as if she had known him forever and they had an unbreakable bond. It had come out of nowhere, and it was shocking her to the very core, but she knew that there was something between them that was bigger than anything she had ever experienced in her life.
“Freya,” he whispered. “How much did Julie tell you about me?” He was twisting her hair around his finger and staring at her deep in the eyes.
“What do you mean?” she asked, confused.
“I mean, did she talk at all about our family?” he asked, moving closer to her.
“Not really,” Freya cast her mind back and tried to remember their conversations. When she thought about it properly, Julie hadn’t really told her much about her life with her family at all. Except that their father was strict and generous with the money.
“I’d love to tell you about us,” he said. “But I’m worried it will change things.”
“Change things?” Freya asked as she shuffled closer to him. “I don’t think anything could make me feel any different about you guys. I love Julie like a sister and it’s only been a week,” she let out a loud laugh and so did Kellan.