“Hey,” He says, looking between us, trying to decide if he’s interrupting something. On top of being hot as fuck he’s also one of the nicest, most considerate guys I’ve ever met. Eve is one lucky girl.
“Do you want me to stick around?” She asks, concern filling her big brown eyes.
“No, I’ve gotta grow some lady balls and make this phone call,” I sigh.
“Okay, well if you need to talk just call or stop by.”
Asher hoists her over his shoulder and smacks her firmly on the ass. She yelps in surprise and then starts to giggle.
“Come on Angel, I’ve been at home missing the hell out of you,” Asher says.
“I was gone for an hour,” Eve points out.
“Exactly, a whole hour of torture.”
“Bye,” I call out as they disappear.
I want someone to love me as much as Asher loves Eve.
I’d better just get this phone call over with already.
Ravi
Mood music: check. Box of condoms: check. Hot, willing blonde: check. Sexual frustration in desperate need of relief: double check.
Maci Bennet came over to study for our biology final, and somehow we ended up here; entwined on the couch with my tongue down her throat. Maci is hot, there’s no doubt about that. She’s a classic beauty with suckable lips, and she’s absolutely stacked.
But, everything about this just feels...wrong. She tastes like spearmint...wrong. She smells like vanilla...wrong. And, when I move my hand down over the generous swell of her breast and encounter nothing but smooth skin I actually cringe inwardly. It’s really fucking hard to close my eyes and picture Hadley when all of this is just...wrong.
I pull back and look down at her with regret fisting around my stomach.
“Maci, maybe we should just study.”
She pouts her kiss swollen lips.
“What’s wrong?” She whines.
I try to hide my cringe. I hate whining, it makes me think of little kids. Not exactly a mood setter.
“Nothing.”
What’s wrong is I can’t have who I really want.
A seductive smile spread on her lips.
“I know what you need.”
She slinks out from under me and kneels on the floor in front of the couch. Even though my head isn’t in the game, my cock immediately likes where this is going. Maci reaches for my zipper and frees my halfhearted erection. She takes me into her mouth with a touch that’s way too gentle.
I close my eyes and picture Hadley while Maci bobs her head in slow, arrhythmic motions. I bite back a groan of frustration and fist my hands into her hair, forcing her to take me deeper, faster, harder.
Images of Hadley continue to filter through my mind. Hadley spread out naked beneath me, begging me to make her come.
I bite my tongue to keep from grinding out Hadley’s name as I hold Maci’s head and thrust into her mouth, coming in a hard spurt.
“My turn,”
“Yeah, give me a second,” I pull my pants up and head to the bathroom to collect myself. What the hell is wrong with me? I’ve had a crush on Hadley for years and it didn’t affect my sex life until I actually had a taste of her. Now I know exactly what I’m missing. And, every other girl I’ve met falls epically short.
Maci’s voice filters past my thoughts. It sounds like she’s talking to someone.
I head back to the living room to find her sitting on my couch talking on my phone, with a rather irritated look on her face.
“He’s here, who may I say is calling?” She asks with a tone of forced sweetness.
I give her a stern look and hold my hand out for my phone. She ignores it.
“Hadley? Will he know what this is about?”
Hadley. I haven’t really talked to her since last summer. After I spilled my heart to her the night before we left for New York. I hardly said two words to her at thanksgiving and Christmas because I’m a giant vagina. Truth be told, I’ve missed her all year. My heart twists in my chest just knowing she’s on the other end of the line right now.
I wrench the phone from Maci’s hand unceremoniously.
“Hey there L.P.,” I answer the phone with more enthusiasm than intended.
There’s several seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.
“I wish you would stop calling me that.”
My blood heats in my veins as I think back to the way her name, Hadley, would tumble from my lips while I was buried inside of her.
“I have to call you LP,” I respond sadly. “To what do I owe this phone call?”
Maci pouts and I clench my teeth. I tilt my head towards the door, trying to silently tell her to get the hell out.
“So...a girl answered your phone. Am I interrupting something?” Hadley asks uncomfortably.
“No,” I answer immediately.
Maci continues to pout and glare until I walk to my door and hold it open, looking pointedly at her until she stomps out, giving me the finger.
“I’m sorry about your mom,” Hadley says quietly.
“Thanks.” I don’t really know what to say. It doesn’t really seem real to me, hopefully her treatment will go well and it’ll never end up feeling real.
“So, I’m going to get right to the point.” She takes a deep breath and I suddenly know exactly where this is going. “I really need a roommate next year and I’d love if we could find a place together.”
“Chase put you up to this,” I accuse. Of course he did, there’s no way in hell that she’d suggest this on her own.
“Of course he did.” She doesn’t bother to deny it. “So, I’ll start looking this weekend and send you some pictures of any places I think would be good.”
“Whoa, I haven’t agreed to this.”
“Of course you’re going to agree. It’s what Chase wants and you’ve been doing everything Chase has told you to do for fourteen years.”
I wince at the dig that has nothing to do with the living situation and everything to do with the fact Chase is the main reason we can’t be together.
“Chase is my best friend,” I defend.
She’s right though, I’m going to have to get a place with her, otherwise Chase will want a good reason why I wouldn’t. And, I don’t think ‘because I can’t stop thinking about how her pussy tastes’ would be an answer he would accept.
“I know,” She says simply. “So, I’ll let you know then when I find a place.” her words sound like a dismissal, the end of the conversation.
“L.P., wait. I miss you,” I admit. “I miss how we used to be. We were best friends; don’t you remember that?”
“I remember,” She responds with a hint of sadness in her voice.
“Remember all the pranks we used to pull on Chase when we were younger? Like that time when we were like ten and we convinced him that I was an alien, that was classic.”
She starts to laugh and my heart skips a beat. I forgot how cute her laugh is.
“I miss being friends, too.”
“Then let’s get back being friends,” I suggest as hope wraps itself around my heart. I realize this is probably so much easier to say over the phone when I’m not breathing in her sweet fruity scent and staring into those beautiful eyes. But, any way I can have Hadley in my life would be better than the desolate existence I’ve been living all year without her. I need her like I need air, even if it can only be as friends.
“Okay, friends.” Her voice is heavy with concealed sadness. this is how it has to be, as much as we want it to be otherwise.
Hadley
Hadley: it’s official, there are no apartments anywhere near campus that haven’t already been rented for next year.
I text Eve my frustration as I sit down with an iced chai latte and try to decide if I’m relieved or upset about the fact that it doesn’t look like Ravi and I will be roomies after all, unless someone dies and leaves an apartment open for the fall. My phone starts to ring and I answer it.
“It’s so
funny because I was just about to call you when I got your text. You know how Asher and I live in a duplex? Well, the upstairs neighbor just told me that he got transferred for work and the landlord won’t let him out of the lease so he’s looking to sublet,” Eve explains in a giddy rush.
“Oh my gosh, that’s awesome. We’d be neighbors!” I pull a pen out of my purse and take down the guys phone number from Eve so I can call him to set up a time to look at the place.
As soon as I get off the phone with the current renter I sigh and continue to drink my latte, doing my best to stay positive about this situation.
Ravi said he wanted us to be friends, and I’m going to do my best to make that happen. But, I can’t help but think living together is going to be about ten kinds of awkward. Roommates accidentally see each other naked. If I had a nickel for every time I’d seen Eve’s tits, and she was really shy and careful about getting naked when we first started living together.
Although...images of Ravi’s smooth dark skin, stretched over his toned abs has me practically drooling. I give myself a little shake. If Ravi and I are going to be friends, I need to find a way to stop fantasizing about fucking him senseless. And then, a horrifying thought hits me right in the chest. What’s going to happen when he brings another girl home? Oh my god...I’m probably going to hear him having sex with someone else at some point.
I take a deep breath and will myself not to vomit at the thought of accidentally walking in on him in bed with someone. Or, the image of some cute little sorority chick standing in my kitchen in the morning in nothing but a t-shirt of Ravi’s. My hands start to shake and I can’t hold back a sob. I grab my phone to call him and tell him that the whole thing is off. I don’t care what we have to tell Chase, I can’t do this.
“Hey there sweetheart, are you alright?” A masculine voice causes me to jump, dropping my phone to the ground. I whip my head up and see a guy who belongs on the cover of every college brochure. He’s tall, probably about six-three, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He stoops down to pick up my phone for me and smiles as he hands it to me. He’s got a friggin’ dimple.
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” I ask, doing my best not to drool as I take in his broad shoulders.
“No, I’m Matthew Hart.” He offers his name before gesturing to the empty seat next to me, question in his eyes. I nod and he sits down. “I’m sorry if I’m bothering you, but when I see a pretty girl looking distressed I just can’t help but check on her.”
“I see,” I say dryly. “Let me guess, you heard from one of your buddies that I was a sure thing for a good time, am I right?” I ask bitterly.
His blue eyes sparkle with humor and he smiles again.
“No sugar, you’re not exactly my type.”
Not his type? Since when is easy not every guy’s type?
“I prefer them a bit shorter, broad shoulders, and maybe a bit of chin stubble. I’m a sucker for kissing a guy with a beard. But, don’t go spreading that around, I’m on the football team so I don’t want that to get out. Most of the guys on the team are total Neanderthals.”
“Got it.” I finally relax, hooray for gay men. And, the fact that he’s shared something with me that could be used to cause harm to his life has caused me to have an instant feeling of trust towards him. “Honestly, no I’m not alright, I’m totally and utterly fucked.”
He nods and waits for me to continue.
I can honestly say that I’ve never made a best friend so quickly in my life. I tell him the whole crazy Ravi saga and when I’m done he looks thoughtful.
“That is a tough situation. But I think you can work it to your advantage,” He says after a few quiet moments. “And, if not then at least it will effectively end your crush and free you up to find a guy who’ll know that it’d be worth facing your brother’s wrath to get a chance to date you.”
“So you think I should just bite the bullet and move in with him, even though it seems like a horrible idea?” I ask with a grimace.
“I do sweetheart, I think it’s the only way to move forward, one way or the other.”
Chapter 5
Hadley
Sweat pours off of me as I drag in ragged breaths that slice my lungs.
“Fuck. Remind me again why I let you drag me to the gym with you?” I gasp, turning the speed of the treadmill way down so that I can slow to a walk.
“Because you need to tighten up that ass before your man gets here,” Matthew says, reaching over and smacking my ass. I roll my eyes at him.
“Yeah right, my ass is fantastic.”
“I’ll give you that sugar, you do have a banging booty,” He agrees with a laugh.
“So, I ask again. Why are you torturing me?” I reach over and grab the towel off of the handle of his treadmill and use it to wipe the beads of sweat off of my forehead. Instead of answering my question he slows to a walk as well and starts to guzzle down his water bottle. I watch the muscles of his throat and sigh internally, too bad he’s gay because he’s seriously gorgeous.
“Oh shit,” He murmurs, shutting off his treadmill and then reaching over to turn mine off too. I look over at him with a raised eyebrow. He grabs my hand and yanks me off of the treadmill and pulls me into his arms. My eyes go wide in question.
“Help?” He whispers with desperation in his eyes. I open my mouth to ask what exactly he’s talking about when his lips crush against mine.
It takes me a second to respond because I’m caught so off guard, but after a minute I decide just to go with it. He’s a good kisser, not sloppy at all, definitely well practiced. But, of course there are no sparks. It’s kind of like acting, all skill, no feeling. He pulls away eventually and I wipe the back of my hand across my lips.
“What the hell?” I demand.
“Sorry, there are these chicks who are always checking me out while I work out, coming on to me, you know the type. But, I’m running out of ways to tell them that I’m not interested. I figured that a girlfriend would be a great excuse.” His eyes are full of pleading again.
“So you want me to be your beard?”
“Yeah, basically.” He grabs my hands and pushes out his bottom lip. I roll my eyes again.
“Fine,” I huff. He pulls me into a tight hug.
“Thank you, you’re the best fake girlfriend ever.”
“Yeah, yeah. You owe me.”
Ravi
My stomach roils as my feet finally hit solid ground.
“I hate flying,” I grit out through my clenched teeth. Chase slaps me on the back and barks out a laugh.
“Come on bro, I don’t want to keep Had waiting.” His words have the opposite of their intended effect. My legs turn to lead at the thought of seeing Hadley. All I want to do is wrap my arms around her and pull her against my chest, burry my face in her hair, surround myself with her scent, and tell her how much I fucking missed her. But I won’t get to do any of that.
We grab our bags off of the belt and head towards the exit. Hadley is standing on the sidewalk waiting for us. As soon as her eyes land on Chase her entire face lights up. She sprints forward and jumps into his arms. He gives her a tight hug and spins her around.
“Missed you little sister,” He says with a laugh, setting her back on her feet. I take the brief opportunity to rake my gaze over her. She’s dressed like she just got finished working out, in tight lycra shorts and a sports tank top that leave nothing to the imagination. It’s all I can do not to drag her down the hallway into the nearest janitor’s closet and fuck her until we’re both spent.
She turns and looks at me, a phony smile plastered to her beautiful mouth. She takes an uncertain step towards me, just as unsure as I am about how to greet one another. I hold out my hand for her to shake. She takes it awkwardly. I glance over towards Chase to see if he can see how fucking weird this is, and then figure out that I took his baby sister’s virginity.
“Do you guys want to grab some coffee and then I’ll show you the apartment?” She suggests as we
all head outside to her car.
*****
“Chase, do you want to go grab that table before anyone else does and we’ll get the coffees?” Hadley suggests. Chase nods and heads over to the one empty table in the crowded coffee shop, leaving Hadley and I to stand awkwardly beside each other.
“You know, I can get the drinks, you can go catch up with Chase if you want,” I offer, giving her an out so that we don’t have to stand her in uncomfortable silence for the next few minutes.
“Okay, get me an iced chai latte?”
“No problem.”
I watch as she sits down beside Chase and they start to talk animatedly. That was what made me first approach them on our first day of kindergarten. They were laughing and wrestling at recess and I thought that they seemed like so much fun, so I’d gone over and introduced myself.
“Hi, I’m Ravi, do you guys wana be friends?” I’d squeaked out.
“Yeah! I’m Hadley and this is my brother Chase. We’re twins. That means that we were in my mom’s tummy at the same time.” Hadley announced excitedly.
We had all basically become inseparable after that day. Until I’d taken her virginity and caused this massive, uncomfortable distance between Hadley and I.
“You know her?” The guy behind me in line asks, following my gaze to Hadley.
“Yeah,” I answer vaguely.
“Hadley Parker.” He says her name in an awed way like she’s famous. “She’s something else, isn’t she?” He gives me a knowing smile, and I suddenly want to cover my ears and turn away because I don’t want to know where this conversation is going.
“Um, I guess.”
“I mean, you know her know her, don’t you?” He prompts.
“I don’t know what you mean,” I say through gritted teeth. “She’s my roommate.”
Ha, roommate. If that isn’t the understatement of the century. But, what would I say if I was being honest? ‘Sure, I know her better than you do. She’s my best friend’s twin sister, I’ve seen her through just about every phase of her life from awkward pre-teen with braces and messy pigtails, to losing her virginity. And, funny you should mention her virginity, because she gave it to me. No, she didn’t tell me beforehand that she was a virgin. No, we weren’t dating. Oh, and we’re about to move in together because neither of us could find a good excuse to give her brother as to why this is going to be the worst idea ever. Why, how do you know Hadley?’ I realize that this stupid dick is still smiling at me in the dumbest way I’ve ever seen.
Hard to Resist (Sexy Nerd Boys, #3) Page 4