She leaned across the table, taking my hand. "He knows you didn’t mean it, trust me.” She licked the frosting off the tips of her fingers. “Now, speaking of orgasms, I want to hear all about this guy who brought you to the hospital.”
“Uhh …” Shit, I wasn’t ready to talk about Keegan.
"Dawson said he jumped out of his seat, fully prepared to give him an ass whooping for being an asshole to you. God, I’m so pissed I missed it.”
"I see Dawson still has a huge mouth,” I grumbled, and she grinned. "Keegan is my neighbor.”
"He’s your neighbor? How convenient. It's like, Friends. You can sneak over to his house easily.”
I leaned back in my chair. "We’re just friends. That’s it. He found me in the hallway upset when I found out about you and offered to give me a ride.” I shrugged. “No big deal.”
“Right,” she drew out. “This guy made an eight hour drive just for a friend? Are you sure he didn’t ask if you needed some dick with your ride?”
I plucked a candy dot off my house and tossed it at her. “Not funny.”
“What? It would be nice to talk to you about guys now that you’re not banging my brother. You know I couldn’t stomach that before. I mean, I shared a womb with the kid.”
I frowned at her aloofness. "I'm not ready to start dating yet.”
Eventually, the day would come. I wasn’t that damn naïve, but it needed to be at the right time and with the right person. I felt comfortable with Keegan, I liked to spend time with him, but I couldn’t see him doing the monogamous thing. I’d be crazy to even think of him doing that and set myself up for heartbreak.
“Dating will help you get through this,” she said, jumping up from her chair. “Now, I have something for you.”
I followed her into my living room where our six-foot, artificial tree was brightly lit in front of the trio of windows at the front of the room. A large, silver star was perched at the top, reflecting the sunlight through the windows. I grabbed a match from the table, tossed it in the fireplace, and watched the flames come to life.
Tessa left the room before returning with an old, beat-up shoebox. "We cleaned out Tanner's room last week and found this,” she said, holding out the box to me. “I didn’t know if you’d want to keep these or not.”
I grabbed the box carefully from her hands and squatted down on the floor in front of the fireplace. I gasped when I opened up the cardboard lid. The box was filled with folded up notes. I immediately recognized the handwriting on them as mine. I didn’t know he’d kept these.
“Did you read them?” I asked.
“Negative,” she replied. “Who knows what kind of freaky shit you two were talking about in those things.”
"We were in middle school."
She sat down next to me. "You never know. We also found a box of condoms, do you want those, too?"
"Tell me your parents didn't see them."
"Yeah, my mom was shocked. She was somehow convinced the two of you weren't doing the deed, and I think my dad was happy his son didn't die a virgin." I smacked her arm at the same time her phone went off. "That's Dawson," she said, looking down at the screen. "He's here to pick me up." We brought ourselves up from the carpet and she turned to face me. "You promise to keep answering my phone calls?"
"I promise. Tell Dawson I'm sorry."
"I know you are." I jumped at the deep voice, whipping around to see Dawson standing in the entryway. "You know I can’t be mad at you for long, girl" he added, coming our way.
"I was a bitch to you.”
"Yeah, and I was an asshole to you at the hospital. We're even." He held out his arms wide, and I stepped forward to give him a hug.
“Thank you," I whispered into his chest, and he gave my shoulders a squeeze.
I waved goodbye to them, clutching the box in the crook of my arm. I headed to my bedroom, tipped it upside down, and watched papers float down to my bedspread. I made myself comfortable on the floor and unfolded each note carefully. After each one was read, and then re-read, I folded them back up. I piled them back in the box before shoving it underneath my bed.
“I miss you,” I whispered, into the emptiness of my bedroom.
KEEGAN
Chapter Sixteen
I sat on my aunt’s couch watching the fire blaze in front of me while I nursed a fruit punch in my hand. I’d spiked it with vodka with the help of the hidden flask in my pocket.
My aunt always went all out for her Christmas parties, and tonight was no exception. Everyone around me was dressed to the nines in their formal gowns and tuxes, including me. As much as I wanted to show up in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, I knew she’d have my ass and make me change.
A few girls attempted to make conversation with me, but I brushed them off. I wanted to convince myself that my anti-social behavior was the result of my mom bailing on me again this year, but I knew that wasn't it.
Ever since the trip with Daisy and her opening up to me, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I’d never had anyone trust me like she did that night, and it felt pretty damn good. I’d gone from wanting to hook-up with her, to wanting a friendship, to now wanting something I’d never wanted before. She didn’t make me feel the way other women made me feel. I liked being around her, and her little irks didn’t annoy the shit out of me. No, when I was around her, she had my full attention, and she always left me wanting more.
The stiff couched dipped in as a warm body fell down next to me. “Merry Christmas, asshole.”
I took a giant swig from my glass. “Right back at you. I would’ve given you a heartwarming greeting, too, but I’m feeling in the holiday spirit,” I teased Cora. “And my aunt would kick my ass if I ever said anything like that to you.”
She laughed. “Oh, I know.” A bright red dress hit right above her knee, and her hair was pulled into some weird bun on the side of her head.
She took a drink, which I was certain was spiked, too. We’d attended too many of these parties to know you needed alcohol to get through them. Drunk parents would start arranging marriages and shit. "We need to talk,” she went on.
"About what?” I asked.
I'd known Cora since grade school. She knew all about my mom and family issues. I didn't like it, but I trusted her. She wasn't the type of person to go around and gossip about other people’s problems.
"I've noticed you've been getting close with Daisy.”
"You could say that," I answered vaguely. I didn’t know where she was going with this conversation, but I prayed to God she wasn’t about to tell me to stay the fuck away from her friend. Cora knew my history with women. She’d warned me off all of her friends because she’d witnessed me go through too many of them.
My aunt’s voice interrupted us. “Cora honey, I want to introduce you to some of our distant family members who’ve just arrived. They can’t wait to meet the future daughter-in-law I can’t stop gloating about.” She grinned proudly, grabbing Cora’s hand.
She looked gorgeous, especially for her age. Her dark hair was arranged in curls, and she was wearing a long, black gown that ran all the way down to the floor. I admired the woman standing in front of me more than anyone, even my own mother.
Cora nodded before turning around to look back at me. “We’ll talk about this later,” she mouthed, walking away.
With her gone, Gabby suddenly appeared at my side. "She's been through a lot, you know," she said, softly.
Damn, why were the ganging up on me? "I know that,” I answered.
"Be careful with her."
I twisted my body around so I could face her. "Daisy and I are just friends," I stressed. "There's nothing going on between us. She’d never give a guy like me a chance. She needs one of those guys who snuggle and shit.”
"You're an idiot," she said, slapping me upside my head. "People who are just friends don't look at each other like you guys do. It's obvious both of you have feelings for each other, but are scared little pussies. Man up and do some
thing about it."
"You're insane," I mumbled, under my breath, stretching my arms out.
"No, I’m right. You need to step up and do something about it. If you hurt her, though, I’ll fuck you up.”
"Damn Gabby, when did you get so hardcore?"
"I'm being serious, and you know Cora will be next in line, waiting for her turn," she added, bumping me with her shoulder playfully.
"The mighty wrath of Cora," I joked.
She got up. “I think you’d be good for her. For some reason, you’re not a complete jackass to her. I wanted you to know that, now maybe I’ll find my own hot guy around this place.” She walked away, leaving me alone in my thoughts of Daisy.
I groaned when another body fell down next to me.
“Hey there, handsome,” she purred.
My stomach twisted. She was the last person I wanted to see tonight. “What do you want Piper?” I snapped.
The purr turned into a whine. “You’ve been ignoring me.”
I took a long, slow drink. “I’ve been busy.” I needed more liquor if I had to deal with her shit tonight. How was she even invited?
“Oh please, busy my ass. I know you’ve tried to replace me, but we both know nobody can do that.”
"What I do is none of your business," I answered, sharply.
I tensed at the feel of her palm sliding across my knee. "Come on baby, can't we just go back to all the fun we used to have together?" The bony hand moved up my leg, and her voice turned sultry. "We both know you loved everything I used to do to you. You remember how good I was with my hands, with my mouth, with your cock inside of me.”
Her hand moved from my knee, over my crotch, and rubbed harder. I grabbed it quickly, springing up from the couch, and glanced around to see if anyone else witnessed our interaction.
“Stay the fuck away from me. What we had is over,” I told her, keeping a safe distance between the two of us.
"Keegan," she breathed out, grabbing for my arm, but I batted her away.
"Save it," I seethed, trying to keep my voice as low as possible.
I walked away from her and headed up to the room I’d taken Daisy to during Lane’s party. I flopped down on the bed without even bothering to turn on the light. I sat down on the bed and wondered what the fuck was wrong with me. Piper had just been all over my cock, and I turned her down.
I chugged the rest of my drink and lifted myself up. I stumbled over to my bag and rifled through it until I found the bottle. Bringing the rim to my lips, I didn’t stop chugging until it was empty, and went back to bed.
The door clicked open, waking me up from my drunken stupor. Every limb in my body froze up at the feel of a hand sliding underneath the blankets and heading straight to my cock. It cupped me, massaging me through my pants slowly, but rough. A deep grunt left my chest as I moved into the touch, wanting more.
The bed indented as a thin figure crawled beside me. I shivered at the feel of hot lips brushing along the side of my neck. Fuck, my dreams about Daisy were getting more and more frequent, and dirtier.
"God baby," a light voice moaned out. “I’ve missed this so much.” She moaned again as her hand toyed with my zipper.
I gripped her wrist, prying it away from my body. “Get the fuck off of me,” I warned, through clenched teeth, resisting the urge to throw her off the bed.
“Let me give you your Christmas present.”
“Fuck it.” I shoved her off of me and jumped out of bed to turn on the light. “Get your fucking ass out of here before I put you out.”
"What the hell is your problem?” Piper screeched, getting up and rushing forward to shove me. “You haven’t been with me in months.”
"I never made you any promises."
"This is about your little bitch neighbor, isn't it?"
"Don't bring her into this shit," I groaned, running my hands through my hair.
She let out a harsh laugh. "I can't believe you're really ditching me for some little virgin nun. Wow, you really have lost your fucking balls and your mind. I know the only reason you even like her is because she's friends with Cora." She eyed me skeptically. "Baby, if that's what you want, I'll be friends with her, too. In fact, I'll go apologize to her right now."
I grabbed her elbow, stopping her. "Cora will probably stab you with her stiletto if you try to feed her some bullshit apology, now leave. I don't even know why you came tonight."
"I knew you'd be here.” Her face turned soft. "I'm in love with you."
Goddamnit, Piper proclaiming her love for me was the last fucking thing I needed to deal with. My head started to spin, and I leaned into the wall for assistance. Piper was pissed because she wasn't getting what she wanted, and she wasn't used to that. Daddy's little girl always got what she wanted.
"You're drunk," I said, and she shook her head in denial. "You can't be in love with me because we've never even had a fucking relationship!”
She dropped down on the bed and huffed. "You're a dumbass if you think we were never in a relationship.”
"Clue the fuck in, Piper. Our relationship was sex. We fucked. That's it, nothing more. I've never even taken you out on a date. I know you're not that damn naive."
She unzipped her dress. It fell down to her feet, revealing her black, see-through bra and matching panties. “If you don’t want to have a relationship with me, then fine. But at least give me something tonight. Let’s consider it a goodbye.”
I gulped, taking in the sight before me. Her breasts were perked up nicely, and I could see the outline of her nipples. My eyes moved south to the bare stomach I'd run my lips down countless times. It’d be so easy for me to slide down those sheer panties and bend her over the bed. Shit, no one would even have to find out.
I closed the gap between us. She smirked in her victory. I groaned, sliding my hands down to her waist. “Piper,” I whispered. She pressed into me. I tightened my hold, picking her up in the air and carrying her across the room until I reached the door. She gaped at me in surprised when I opened up the door and set her outside the room, still half-naked. “Stay the fuck away from me.” I slammed the door in her face, locking it just in case she came up with any other ideas.
My lungs released a sharp breath, and I heard a harsh, "Fuck you," from the other side of the door. Shaking my head, I turned off the light and dropped back down on the bed, rubbing the back of my neck in exhaustion.
What a fucking night.
DAISY
Chapter Seventeen
I stared at the tiny slivers of fabric from the end of my bed. My favorite metallic green swimsuit was waiting for me to decide whether it got to accompany me or get thrown back into my dresser.
I picked up the suit, examining the two pieces before tossing it back onto my bed in frustration. Why was I so worked up about a damn bathing suit?
Screw it.
I snatched it back up and threw it into my bag before I had the chance to change my mind. Just because I brought it didn’t mean I actually had to wear it.
I’d checked the forecast on the phone before packing, and all I saw was snow in Tennessee, which excited me because we hadn’t gotten much here.
I shuffled around in my closet, grabbing my snow boots and shoving them in my bag, and zipping it up. My phone chirped when I made it back into my bedroom.
Cora: Leaving Lane's now. On the way to your place.
Me: Sounds good. See you in a few.
I picked up my bag, struggling as I dragged it from my bed. I really needed to hit the gym. I looked out my doorway at the sound of the doorbell.
"Keegantor is here!" Sophia's high-pitched voice sang from downstairs.
I pulled my suitcase by the handle, and it followed me down the stairs, bumping onto each stair roughly.
Keegan stood in the entryway chuckling as he watched me. "I figured I’d better come make sure you weren't going to try to bail on us," he said, grabbing my bag from me. "Jesus, is there a small child in this thing?”
I lau
ghed. "Yeah, I have my midget boyfriend in there. I'm sneaking him in with me."
He grinned. "Kinky, I like it."
"What does kinky mean?" Sophia asked, stepping in between the two of us.
"It means smiles," Keegan answered, looking proud of his answer.
"That's not true," I rushed out. "That's a bad word you're not allowed to say."
"What the hell was wrong with my answer?" Keegan asked, when we walked out the front door to Lane's Escalade.
I turned around to look at him. "Smile? Was that the best you could come up with? Just wait until she tells my aunt that watching cartoons makes her kinky. Good answer then?"
"Point proven.” He stopped me before we reached the car. “You’re going to have fun on this trip.” I shivered as his hands wrapped around my waist. “Even if I have to force it out of you.”
***
Cora downed her shot of tequila and coughed. “Damn, it sucks we don’t have any blackmail on you, Daisy.”
The four of us were seated around the kitchen table with a bottle of tequila planted in the middle. A shot glass filled with mahogany colored liquid was in front of each of us, with the exception of the one Cora just drained.
It was my first time playing the game, Never Have I Ever, and never, did I ever, want to play it again. If you wanted to call someone out, or worm your way into their deepest, darkest secrets, then it was the perfect game. Otherwise, it was hell.
I pointed over to her. "Or it sucks I don't have any blackmail on any of you. It's like three against one over here," I replied, the slur in my voice prevalent. "It's hard to play this game when you don't know anyone’s weaknesses.”
Lane grabbed Cora's shot glass and refilled it. "Your turn, baby," he said, setting the glass back on the table.
"Thank you, Jesus," she moaned out, leaning her chin on her knuckle, thinking. "Never have I ever," she paused, "had a threesome." The words rushed from her mouth so fast they almost sounded like one.
Keegan let out a deep groan, winked at us, and was not surprisingly the only one in the room to reach for their glass. Of course, he had. He probably participated in routine orgies at his house while I was next door sleeping.
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