Rebel Roommate: A Brother's Best Friend Romance

by Jeannine Colette

  He takes my head in his hands, cradling me as he rubs his thumb over my lips.

  “I keep telling myself we need to stop this thing,” he says quietly even though we’re the only ones around.

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re my best friend’s sister and I’m falling for you. Pretty fucking hard.”

  My hands slide up under his shirt to caress his chest and stop over his heart. “Then, fall, Wes.”

  “What happens when we crash? I don’t want to break you.”

  What he doesn’t know is, I’m already broken in the best way. The part of me that held a wall up against Wesley Knight has been shattered. Once I let him into my heart, I can’t go back. I’m too far gone, so if this all ends badly, there’s no return. And still, I want to go deeper. Because I’m mad for this man.

  Madly in love.

  “Wes, kiss me.”

  He lowers his mouth back to mine, and it’s this intense connection, the kind we had in a closet when we were kids. The type that had me breathless and damaged as a teenager. The one that ruined me for every other man as an adult.

  We kiss for a moment. We kiss for hours. We make up for every minute wasted and every moment to come.

  And the doubts in his head?

  I do my best to kiss them away.

  Chapter Nineteen

  It’s the last week before winter break, and I’m nose deep in studying for finals. Amanda and I took one this morning, and I leave, feeling a thousand times lighter than we did, going in.

  “That shit was hard,” she says as we walk out of the building.

  “Did you even understand the last question? I wrote down some nonsense.”

  She pushes me playfully. “You’re such a liar. You studied like a madwoman. I bet you aced it.”

  “I certainly didn’t fail,” I say proudly. “What about you?”

  “Aced it. I had a badass study partner who whipped me like a drill sergeant!”

  I laugh out loud at her impression of me cracking a whip. Our study sessions together were intense, but this is a Berkeley degree we’re working toward. It’s a big deal.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Amanda laughs as she asks, “You wanna celebrate?”

  “I can’t. I have to study. I have one more final and an Econ paper due. Ladies’ night on Friday before everyone goes home for break?”

  “Deal!” She blows a kiss as she walks toward her car, and I get into mine.

  Back home, I’m sitting at the kitchen table and taking notes for my exam when the front door opens. Wes comes sauntering in like he won a medal.

  “I take it, your final went well?” I ask him.

  “Of course it did. I’m a born genius.” He opens his arms out wide like the cocky bastard he is.

  I roll my eyes at him as he searches the apartment.

  “Chad’s not home yet?” Wes looks at his watch, and his brows rise. “His last class ended an hour ago, which means he must have gone to Nicole’s, which means …” He doesn’t finish his sentence. He pulls me up from my seat, hoists me over his shoulder, and carries me caveman-style into his bedroom.

  I yelp and laugh as he kicks the door closed, throws me down on his bed, and turns to lock it before coming back to me.

  “I have a final to study for,” I whine but make no movement to get up.

  The smirk on his face shows he doesn’t seem to care. “I’ll be quick.”

  “In that case, I’m out.” I pretend to want to get off the bed, but he tackles me down and tickles me before burying his head in my neck, sucking and licking, sending shivers down my spine.

  “Fine.” I feign surrender. “I’ll stay for a few minutes.”

  “Good. Because I need my Stacey time.” His hands are underneath my shirt as mine slide down his torso and undo his belt.

  When my shirt and bra are taken off, I gasp as his mouth covers my breast, and his tongue strokes the nipple. Our clothes are discarded quickly, and we’re naked limbs wrapped around each other as we grind, making the mattress squeak like a bad porno.

  For a girl who needs to study, suddenly, I couldn’t care less about the work that has to be done. This man could chain me to the bed for a year, and I’d never ask to leave.

  I’m moaning out his name when there’s a knock on the door.

  “Sorry to spoil the fun, buddy, but Nicole’s here, so can you keep it down?” Chad’s call from the other side of the door has us freezing still.

  Our eyes lock in a state of shock.

  “Fuck,” Wes says.

  I place a hand on his cheek and try to be rational. “It’s okay. It’s just like that time in the locker room. I’ll just stay in here until he leaves.”

  His eyes scrunch tight at the notion. “That is not what I want. I can’t just have you sit in my room. What if he doesn’t leave?”

  “Just get Nicole to get him to leave. She’s my friend. She’ll do anything for me.”

  “This is so fucked.” His head falls to my shoulder.

  I stroke his hair and wrap my legs around him. “I know.”

  Chad’s footsteps walking through the apartment let us know he’s in the living room with Nicole.

  “Maybe we should get out of here. If Wes has company, he might want to be alone.” Nicole’s voice echoes.

  I have to remember to buy that girl a drink the next time I see her.

  “No. He’ll just walk her out when they’re done. It’s crazy though because he never brings girls back here. I’m curious to see who it is.” I hear him moving things around on the table. “Are these Stacey’s books? I wonder where she went.”

  Wes groans, and I curse myself for leaving my things out like that.

  “Stace?” Chad calls out, and I can hear him in my room.

  “Maybe she’s doing laundry,” Nicole suggests.

  “It’s not Tuesday.” Chad sounds agitated. “Her phone is here. So are her keys.”

  “She must have gone for a walk. Or to the store. I’m sure it’s nothing.” Nicole is now grasping at straws.

  “Without her bag?” Chad is not agitated anymore. He’s furious. As are his footsteps.

  “Fuck,” Wes says as he rolls off of me.

  “Stacey! Are you in there?” Chad yells through the door.

  I roll off the bed and start to dress rapidly. Wes has his jeans on, and I’m searching for my shirt. He tosses it to me.

  “Wes! Stacey! What the hell is going on in there? Wes, I swear to fucking God, if you’re fucking my sister, I’ll kill you!”

  We halt getting dressed and stare at each other. I’ve never heard Chad this mad. Ever. In my entire life. From the expression on Wes’s face, neither has he.

  His pounding turns violent, and the handle rattles as he tries to open the door.

  “Babe, calm down. I’m sure it’s not what you think.” Nicole tries to control him, but he doesn’t stop.

  “Wesley Knight, open this goddamn door!”

  “All right!” Wes calls out. “We’re coming out, but you need to calm the fuck down. I’m not letting you yell at Stacey. Not when you’re like this. Go chill for five minutes then meet us in the living room.”

  “Meet you in the—”

  “Chad!” Nicole calls out. “Get over here now and relax!”

  His steps fade away from the door, so he must have listened to his girlfriend.

  I walk over to Wes and place my hand on his arm. “Let’s just leave. We don’t need to hear his nasty words. Not right now. He’s angry.”

  “You shouldn’t stay, but I need to. This isn’t how I wanted him to find out. I can’t just walk out of the apartment and not talk to him about it. I broke a major code.”

  “I know. I just don’t want him to make us feel like we were doing something wrong.”

  “Weren’t we?” he asks as he opens the door. He walks first, keeping me behind him.

  We turn the corner to where Chad is standing in the middle of the living room with his hands fisted at h
is sides and a pissed off expression on his face.

  “Chad, I—” Wes doesn’t get to finish his sentence because Chad cold-cocks him right in the face.

  “No!” I yell.

  Wes steps back from the blow, gripping his jaw, while Chad shakes out his fingers. I run to Wes and place my hand on his back, searching to see if he’s okay. He gently pushes me away.

  “How long have you been sleeping with my sister?” Chad seethes.

  “A month.”

  “You fucker. I knew it. I knew something was going on, but I trusted you.” He paces around the room. “You piece of shit. This is so like you. You never care what anyone thinks. You go for what you want, when you want it. And the worst part is, I bet you’ve already justified how this is right.”

  “Cut it out,” I cry. “You have no idea what this is.”

  “You think you have something with him? Let me guess. He didn’t chase you. He made you chase him. Intimate connection is his kryptonite. He’s close to you today, and then tomorrow, he’ll be distant. I’ve seen him do it a million times before.” Chad’s words are vile, and yet Wes doesn’t argue them. He’s just standing there, taking it.

  “Let me choose if I want to be one of those girls,” I demand.

  “It’s more than you, Stacey. I told him to stay away, and he didn’t. At the end of the day, he lacks empathy and doesn’t care.”

  “You’re being really harsh. Maybe they have something?” Nicole suggests, and Chad looks at her with narrowed eyes.

  “Did you know about this?” he asks her.

  I give her a look that lets her know she should say no. I don’t want her to get in trouble.

  She stutters, “I had an inkling. I thought maybe—”

  “There’s no maybe with him. With Wes, it’s love me or don’t. The second the relationship takes a turn, he’s out. He doesn’t want you, Stacey. He’s only using you. A game. A new toy. A plaything. He’s incapable of real love.”

  “That’s enough, Chad. You’re a real prick, you know that?” I spit.

  “He’s right,” Wes says in a defeated tone. “It was just fun for me.”

  “What?” I ask him, utterly confused and heartbroken.

  “You came on to me, and I couldn’t help but play the game. Sneaking around was the best part, but now that Chad knows, everything he said will probably happen.”

  “You’re not serious, Wes. Don’t let what Chad said change the way you feel.”

  “He’s right though. Every time before, that’s exactly what happened,” Wes says again and backs toward the wall.

  “Get out,” Chad demands as he points toward the door. “Get your shit and move out. I don’t care where you have to go, but it’s not here. Don’t look at me. Don’t call. Don’t even say my or my sister’s fucking name to anyone.”

  Wes clenches his jaw as he walks to his room. I go to follow him, but Chad pulls me back.

  “You’re such an asshole.” I push him away and storm into Wes’s room, slamming the door behind me. “Tell me you were lying. Say you said that I was just a game because Chad was there. Look at me and tell me what we have is more than just some sneaking around.”

  He’s grabbing T-shirts and boxers and throwing them into a bag, not saying a word.

  Tears stream from my cheeks as I get up close to him. “Say you’re a liar. A stupid liar and that you care about me!”

  Jeans and his phone charger are next. Then his laptop.

  He walks past me, but I grab his arm and halt him.

  His head turns back slightly. His eyes aren’t on mine as he simply mutters, “I’m so sorry.”

  I ugly-cry as he walks away.

  I fall to the bed and hold my head in my hands as the front door slams.

  “Why the fuck are you crying?” Chad yells as he walks into the room. “I just saved you from probably the worst heartache you’ll ever have.”

  I stand up and get in his face. “How can you say that? He’s your best friend. He’s not the guy you say he is.”

  “Oh, really?” He holds up his hand like he’s ready to count items off. “Kaitlyn, Sarah, Monica, Ashley, Autumn, Amy—”

  “Stop!” I hit his chest.

  “Why? So you can feel better about yourself? I know because you’re not the first girl who’s come crying to me after he broke her heart.”

  “But it’s different with us!”

  He laughs, and it makes my stomach turn. “God, how could you be so dumb? Every girl says it’s different. But guess what. It’s not. Fuck, Stacey. How could you fall for his shit?”

  “Okay, Chad. Let’s just calm down,” Nicole says as she places her hands on his arms.

  “Calm down? Are you kidding me right now?” He glares at her. “And you knew! You knew, and you kept it from me!” Chad storms off and slams his bedroom door.

  Nicole comes in and sits down, hugging me tightly and letting me cry on her shoulder.

  I hate my brother. My brother hurt Wes. And Wes broke my heart.

  How did things get so fucked up?

  Chapter Twenty

  Wesley

  Almost every night, I dream. It’s been that way all my life.

  Some nights, I dream of my father. They’re nightmares that have me clutching my fists and trying to yell, but the words don’t come out. I’m voiceless, and I try to run, but I’m chained to the ground. There’s no control, and I wake up in a pool of sweat.

  Other times, my dreams are totally random, like the one where I’m at a store, buying milk. Then, there’s an explosion, and I’m a warrior, running out to save the day. One second, I’m Wes, and the next, I’m a fucking action hero, crushing skulls and saving lives.

  But sometimes, if I’m really lucky, I have a dream that’s so real that I wake up, feeling so wrong for wanting something my mind was telling me felt so right.

  Those dreams are about her.

  They started in high school. I was at Chad’s house, playing hoops in the driveway, when she came home with her mother. Stacey was fourteen and had just gotten her hair highlighted for the first time. She climbed out of that Subaru with her long legs peeking out of a dress she’d bought for a swim banquet she was going to. Her makeup was done, and there was something so feminine and sexy about her that I dropped the ball and forgot where I was.

  Stacey Brightmore was gorgeous.

  Yes, I knew she’d manipulated Spin the Bottle that night. And I’d let her. She was cute, and I was curious. It was like blinders were lifted from my eyes, and I was seeing her for the first time. Yeah, it’s cliché as fuck, but that was when it happened.

  After that, I saw her everywhere.

  I could be playing baseball, and there she was in the stands. Or in my Science class, where she helped me figure out a problem I had been stuck on. I’d see her in reality and dream about her at night.

  Those dreams were everything from just seeing her face to naughtiness I could never tell my best friend about.

  Sometimes though, they’d be more.

  We would talk, and she’d listen to my inner thoughts. My hopes and my dreams. I’d kiss her, and she’d let me touch her in a way that was against all things holy. They were so vivid that I’d wake up, thinking she was right next to me and my dream was our real life.

  Those are the ones that would freak me out the most.

  Then, I got drunk at my graduation party, which was held months after I graduated because my parents never got around to throwing one for me until the day before I left. I think it was more a party for themselves because they were finally rid of me. So be it. I got piss-ass drunk in celebration of getting out of that house.

  Stacey came over to say good-bye. She had a curfew still and had to go. She gave me a hug, and I held on a little too long. I stole that kiss from her, and I loved it. She tasted like peach cobbler and smelled just as sweet. Her skin was soft, and her lips were lush and full. It wasn’t a short kiss. We made out for a solid two minutes.

  For years, I’ve had th
at dream, what it felt like, on fucking repeat, never realizing it was real until she told me. That’s why it was so vivid in my head.

  But none of that matters. I knew I wasn’t allowed to have her. She was my best friend’s little sister.

  She was off-limits.

  Fucking Chad.

  “You good, man?” Matt asks, standing at his bedroom door.

  “Yeah, bro. Thanks for putting me up.” I toss a blanket on the sofa and grab a pillow. “I know this is pretty inconvenient.”

  “It’s fine. I still can’t believe you fucked Stacey.”

  I clench the pillow. “It wasn’t like that. I just—”

  “Need a place to stay for a while.” He taps on the doorframe to his room. “It’s been two weeks, and while I don’t mind having you here, I also don’t want you sleeping on a couch forever.”

  I nod and relax my body. He means well; I know. Matt’s a good guy. “I know, man. I signed a contract on a condo. My place should close any day now.”

  “Have you seen her?” His question catches me off guard.

  “Have I seen Stacey?”

  Yeah, I’ve seen her twice. The lavender streaks in her hair caught my attention as she left the lecture hall for her last final. Her eyes were red and puffy. Thank God she didn’t see me because if she tried to confront me, I don’t know if I would have been able to keep it together. I hurt her. I saw it written all over her face. I know what I did to her, and still, I know it was the right thing to do.

  “No,” I lie.

  Matt grimaces as he backs into his room. “Night, Wes.”

  I nod to him and then fall onto the couch. It’s too short for my legs and lumpy as fuck. Serves me right though. I never had the right to do what I did. I’m a fuckup. But haven’t I always been?

  I hadn’t seen her in three years, and the dreams of her persisted during my years at Berkeley. I came here with a mission to screw my way through school. The guys loved watching me hit on girls, and they kept a tally of how many I took home. I never slept with a woman I wasn’t attracted to, and I never pushed someone to do something they were uncomfortable with. It wasn’t a game to me. It was a need.