“I have a strange feeling I’m going to regret this in the morning.”
“If you do it right, you’ll regret it long before morning.” I resentfully swiped the glass from the pain in the ass. “If you don’t lick it, I will,” she threatened, grabbing the salt. I did as instructed, then tossed a piece of lime at her head. “Hey! We need that!”
“How many do you think I’m doing?”
“As many as it takes.”
“For what?”
She ignored my question and held up her glass. “To my sister,” she toasted.
“To my sister.” The first shot was brutal, even with the beer to chase it, but the third and fourth went down easily. “Weren’t we going to get in the hot tub?”
“Oh, right. Come on,” she slurred. When I stood up from the chair, Lex eyed me.
“What was that for?” I assumed it was because of the trouble I had steadying myself.
“That bathing suit looks awesome on you. It makes your boobs look bigger.”
“Isn’t that just wonderful?” Maybe I should have picked a different one.
“I’m serious. Where did you get it? I need one for my honeymoon.”
“You can have it,” I told her, grabbing two more bottles of beer. It took a little effort to get the caps off. Why would someone put them on so tight?
As Lex walked through the door, she tripped over the doormat. I grabbed her before she fell flat on her face. When the giggling erupted, neither one of us were able to close the door.
“Fuck…,” Vince groaned, coming to our rescue. “You opened that bottle of tequila, didn’t you?”
“Brie made me do it!” she blurted out. I smacked her ass.
“Maybe you should both skip the hot tub and go to bed,” he advised.
“You’d love to get me in bed, wouldn’t you?”
Chuckling came from behind us. I didn’t realize other people were still there. Candles lit up the table, exposing three glass bottles, bowls of snacks, and cards dealt out. If there was a card game going on, I knew exactly who was playing.
“Shit, Babycakes! Are those things real?” Leave it to Jack to say that out loud.
Lex started laughing all over again. “Told ya!”
“They’re definitely real, just like that sexy ass of hers.” And there he was, coming up the steps of the deck, trailed by Maddie. The glow of the torches set up along the railings illuminated everything perfect about Joey Sullivan. The tan color of his skin. The way his eyes sparkled. How his t-shirt stretched over his muscular arms and chest. The hat that rested on top of his head whenever socially acceptable. As I stood there going over all the details about him, I couldn’t come up with anything that wasn’t perfect.
“Actually…” I held up a finger. At least I thought it was only one. “My ass is a lot sexier than it’s ever been because I workout now,” I lied. Exercising was one thing that always seemed to get ignored on my to-do list.
He shrugged, lifted his hat to run his hand through his dark hair, then put it back in its place. Even the smug grin playing on his lips was perfect. “Maybe you have to workout now because you’re getting older.”
“Fuck you!” I snapped, angrier with myself than him.
His grin only grew as he took a few steps closer. “BC, you and I both know what happens between us doesn’t even come close to fucking but, hey, you want to give it a whirl, I’m game. You just let me know the time and place.”
“You arrogant bastard!” I inched toward him. With what purpose, I had no idea. The desire to kiss him was much stronger than the urge to hurt him.
“I’m just going to step in the middle of this and take one for the team.” Vince walked up and got between us. “Back to your corners before something bad happens.” He held up his hands to keep us apart.
Lex grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the hot tub. In the background, I heard, “Damn, little brother. I thought you were smarter than that.”
“Just ignore them. They’re only messing with you,” Lex whispered.
“Whatever.”
It didn’t take long before we were back to our giggling selves. We were like best friends who went for extended periods of time without seeing each other, but the moment we were back together, it was as if we’d never been apart. Suddenly, there was no more missing my sister. I didn’t think about how we only had a little over a week to hang out. It was more important to think about all the fun things we had planned for the very near future. I hadn’t been that relaxed and excited in longer than I remembered.
A few beers later, Vince shut off the bubbles and insisted hot tub time was over. Lex yelled at him for bossing her around, but he justified himself by saying he was going to bed and wouldn’t be able to fall asleep worrying about whether or not her drunken ass was going to drown. With that, her attitude quickly changed, and she calmly climbed out and kissed him. Once they separated, he put a towel over her shoulders, then helped me to my feet. I took the towel he held out.
After drying off, we shuffled into the kitchen. Lex detoured past the kitchen table to grab two more shots of tequila. I followed before Vince saw what we were up to. He groaned as we slammed the glasses on the counter. Or maybe it was because Lex and I somehow ended up sitting on the floor, leaning on one another.
“Good luck with those two,” Joey said to Vince, shaking his head.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”
“Home.”
“Like hell you are. You need to stay here and help me with this shit.”
“No, I fucking don’t! And don’t even try pulling that ‘best man’ bullshit you’ve been throwing at me. This is all on you, buddy.”
“You want to go home? Fine. Go the fuck home, but I’m taking both of them to my bed. That will fix my not getting laid for over a motherfucking week problem quite nicely!”
“My fiancé wants to sleep with me and my sister,” Lex laughed. “See. Even he likes your bikini, Brie.”
“That’s not funny. Don’t you fucking touch her,” Joey warned. My eyes were closed, but I pictured him ripping his hat off, his face getting red, veins bulging in his neck. Joey Sullivan overreacting to a guy talking about me had happened before. A few times.
“Oh, I’m not only going to touch her. I’m also going to–”
“All right! I’ll fucking stay, but you owe me.”
“I don’t owe you shit, man. Just be thankful you don’t have to think about all the shit I’d be doing with two beautiful women in my bed.”
The sound of footsteps getting closer made one eye open a crack. Vince held out a hand and I graciously took it, knowing it would be virtually impossible to get up on my own. Once the room stopped spinning, I adjusted the towel around me and went upstairs. I grabbed my bag from the guestroom and went in to take a quick shower. My hair could be washed in the morning, but going to bed smelling like the hot tub would gross me out.
It felt so good to wash the makeup off my face. It wasn’t often I’d wear it, but I put it on that morning. By the time I shut the light off and made it back to the guestroom, I felt like a new person.
“Shit!” I yelled, jumping back at the sight of someone sprawled on the bed. Fussing with his phone, Joey rolled his eyes, but didn’t move. He had changed into a pair of basketball shorts, ditching the shirt and hat. “Sorry. Lex told me to…” There was no point in explaining myself. “Throw me a pillow and I’ll go downstairs.” I dropped the bag on the floor next to the door.
“Get the hell over here, BC. I’m not going to bite you.”
“You might.”
“You’d like it if I did,” he commented, switching off his phone and putting it on the table beside him.
“Arrogant bastard,” I whispered, but he heard it. “Really, I’m fine. You don’t have to watch me because Vince threatened you.”
“I know. I’m not here for you. This is my room. I stay here a lot.”
“Where’s Maddie?”
“Jack took her home.
” Jack left before we got out of the hot tub, but he took Maddie? Joey had planned on staying here, regardless of what Vince said? If that were the case, why did he act like he was leaving? “Seriously. Get your ass in bed so I can turn the light out and get some sleep. I have a game tomorrow morning.” He pointed at the light, so I did as he asked and walked to the other side of the bed. Joey always slept on the side closest to the door. It was oddly comforting to know some things didn’t change. He pulled back the covers for me to slide in.
Noticing the ink across his upper right arm that he got on his eighteenth birthday, my finger reached out, tracing the script. It pissed me off Shannon was even close enough to know about it. “You still have it.”
“Tattoos are kind of hard to get rid of,” he remarked, then turned off the light.
“I just meant…” I sighed, wishing it hadn’t caught my eye. “You could’ve had it covered up.” Why would he still want my initials etched into his skin?
“I didn’t want to.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s important to me. It represents a really special time in my life and it’s not something I want to forget.”
“Joey–”
“How many times do I need to tell you, BC?” he interrupted.
“Tell me what?” He clearly didn’t want an apology from me.
“About the damn makeup. You are the only woman on the face of this planet who looks absolutely amazing without it. Don’t get me wrong. You’re beautiful with it, but you don’t need any of it.”
“Thank you,” I said softly, tightly squeezing my eyelids shut, hoping he couldn’t see.
He shifted, moving the whole bed. His thumb began gently rubbing my cheek. “So, this boyfriend of yours… How long did it take him to figure out you love to fall asleep like this?” Hearing him mention Aidan hurt like a bitch. I didn’t want Joey, of all people, to know about him. He wasn’t important enough in my life for anyone to know about.
“He hasn’t.” Something made me feel obligated to answer his question. I owed him that and so much more.
“Why the fuck not? How could he be so selfish not to?”
I opened my eyes to see his face inches from mine. “It’s not his fault.”
“Don’t make excuses for him, BC. That’s really messed up. Sometimes you have trouble sleeping without it, especially when you’re stressed.”
I sighed. “He wouldn’t know because I’ve never let him spend the night.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m pretty sure that’s self-explanatory.” My eyelids grew heavier.
“Why don’t you let him stay with you?” He seemed genuinely interested. I sighed again, not really wanting to answer the question. “BC?”
“Because I don’t want him to.”
“Is there a reason why?”
I blinked once, but exhaustion was winning. It was getting harder and harder to keep my eyes open. “I don’t want him there when I’m sleeping.”
“Did he do something to make you not feel safe?” If he wanted me to talk, why the hell was he putting me to sleep with his soft thumb? “Brie?”
“No. He’s just not…”
“He’s just not what?” He moved his thumb to my bottom lip.
“He’s not you.” I really hoped I didn’t say that out loud.
When I woke up the next morning, I was alone. Had I dreamt the whole thing? Joey really hadn’t been with me? It wasn’t the first time I had awakened to that awful feeling. After rubbing my eyes, my arms fell out to the sides, my hand landing on something cold and hard. My phone. Did I bring it upstairs? Come to think of it, when was the last time I had it? Maybe when I changed into my bathing suit? Then it vibrated. There were a bunch of missed texts.
Stud: You should really put a passcode on your phone. Anyone can get into it and text themselves your number.
Oh fuck!
Stud: How the hell are you still sleeping?! I’ve played three innings already!
Stud: Seriously. Stop fucking around. I’m starting to worry you died from alcohol poisoning.
Stud: Do I have to leave this game to check on you?
I had to reply before he had a heart attack.
Me: Stud? That almost made me vomit and it had nothing to do with the residual tequila in my stomach.
Stud: Oh, good. You’re alive.
I tapped the contacts on my phone and quickly switched “Stud” to “Joey”.
Me: Barely.
Joey: I wish I were still there with you. You looked so beautiful sleeping.
Me: You must still be drunk.
Joey: I’m never drunk when you’re around.
I thought about that for a second. He was right. I don’t think I had ever seen him drunk.
Me: Why is that exactly?
Joey: Because I forget shit when I’m drunk. Not remembering even a second when I’m near you isn’t an option for me.
I knew damn well there shouldn’t have been a smile spreading across my face.
Lex burst into the room. “Why the fuck is Vince texting me to come take your phone? I’m trying to sleep off this headache.” I hadn’t even heard her coming. When she saw my expression, she put her hands on her hips. “Are you talking to Sully?”
“No.” Technically, I wasn’t talking to anyone.
“Brielle Catherine Watson, don’t you lie to me!”
“He’s sending messages to me! I was sleeping, too. I didn’t even give the bastard my number.”
“He’s never waited for you to offer him things, sweetie. He just takes whatever he wants from you and doesn’t even feel guilty about it.”
She wasn’t telling me anything new. Ever since I was thirteen, Joey had taken complete control of my heart.
Alexa had told me BC wasn’t herself. While other people were around, I saw what Lex meant. She seemed guarded, maybe withdrawn. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Her expressions were off, too. When I spoke to her, she’d barely look my way, answering with the shortest response possible. Then she’d quickly be occupied with somebody or something else. If we were alone, however, she relaxed and the real BC came through. My BC. I needed to figure out what was up. Whatever her reason for staying away, I had a suspicion it had absolutely nothing to do with her feelings for me.
I continually tested my theory throughout the day. The incident with Liam baffled me, but once it was over, that was the end. She didn’t mention it again, and neither did I. Maybe something had triggered an unhappy memory. Lex, Vince, and Brian were talking with her moments before, but I doubted they’d intentionally say anything to make her upset. When she was with her mom, BC appeared to settle down. Later on, I decided to push my luck a little further. My remark about her having to exercise due to her age was solely to see her reaction. Fortunately, it was the one I expected. Seeing fury in her eyes was reassuring. If she had no spark left, what the hell would I do then?
It was one of the best nights I had in a long time. I didn’t sleep a wink, but the drowsiness the next day was definitely worth it. As BC dozed off, I tried to keep her talking. The feel of her smooth skin under my thumb was too damn perfect and, despite how desperately I wanted answers, I couldn’t stop. The fact she didn’t allow the guy she was supposedly dating to spend the night confused the shit out of me. Lex, or maybe it was Vince, mentioned how she had been seeing him for some time. So if it wasn’t a new thing, what was the reason? She clearly didn’t know what the hell she was saying because she said he wasn’t allowed to spend the night because he wasn’t me. Did she forget with whom she was talking?
As I lay beside her, my imagination ran wild. What if she really did mean it? What if she had thought about me over the years as much as I did about her? Would it matter? Of course it would. I tried to get my mind off her, thinking about the softball game the next morning. That didn’t do much, so I sorted through my overactive brain for anything I needed to do at work. Nothing there, either. I wondered about Maddie and whether or not she m
issed me. Normally, I kept her when I stayed at Vince’s, but if she were around that night, BC would’ve been preoccupied with her. When nothing held my attention long enough to be a worthwhile distraction, I reverted back to what couldn’t be ignored. BC wouldn’t let her boyfriend spend the night, but she had no problem sleeping next to me. She didn’t even hesitate when I told her to get in bed. That had to count for something.
Morning came entirely too fast. As the room brightened, it reminded me of the first time we watched the sunrise. We’d only been dating for about nine months at the time.
It was the beginning of our first summer as a couple. The previous year, she wouldn’t grant me anything more than friend status but, regardless, it was pretty damn awesome. I planned on the next one being even better. With Mom, Dad, Jack, and a friend of his, we stayed at my parents’ shore house for a long weekend. The six of us hung out on the beach for most of the day, went to shower, then had a nice dinner out. After Mom and Dad went to bed, BC and I curled up to watch a movie, while Jack and his friend drank more than they should have. Being in the sun all day wiped us out, making us fall asleep before the final credits rolled.
The sound of my alarm scared the crap out of me, but I was glad I set it. I knew BC would love to see one of my favorite things about being at the shore. However, she wasn’t the easiest person to stir. When she fell asleep, she fell hard and didn’t typically get up until the following morning. The later the better for her. With some effort, she opened one eye and glared at me.
“What’s going on?” she mumbled.
“Come with me.”
“Where?”
“Just get up. You’ll see.”
“You’re joking, right?” She lifted her beautiful head, glancing at the window. “It’s still dark.”
“Are you scared?”
“No. I’m smart. We should be sleeping. Leave me alone, or I’m getting your dad’s gun.”
I laughed as she dropped her head back onto the pillow. “Get the hell up before we miss it.” She had no idea how to handle a firearm, so I wasn’t worried.
“Joey…,” she whined, pulling the blanket up. Like that would stop me!
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