He stops rubbing and lifts my chin with a finger. When I'm looking into his eyes, he asks, "So, you know that I love you?"
I roll my eyes like an irritated teenager. “Well yes, you've only said it to me every day for the past few months," I tease.
The smile reaches his eyes, and he nods once, stepping back and gesturing toward the cafeteria.
I sigh, kinda wishing he'd kissed me. Okay, I was really wishing he'd kiss me, but whatever.
I push off the wall and turn to go when I see Gemma, standing in the middle of the hall, grinning like a proud mom.
I get to her and grab her hand, dragging her to the cafeteria. "Come on you annoyingly sappy woman. I'm hungry."
With a grunt, she follows but not without complaint. "Why do you have to ruin every happy moment for me?"
"Why do you still get surprised when I ruin your happy moments?" I ask.
She nods, conceding my point.
Before we finish eating, Adrian's phone chimes. When he picks it up, I see it's a message from Brandon. He swipes the notification, and I watch his face light up as he reads the text.
He looks up and says to Max, “Brandon’s coming to visit.”
***
Adrian
I pace the living room, waiting for my brother to arrive, checking my watch every two minutes.
“You know, making me dizzy and staring at the time, won’t get him here any sooner, right?” Max asks.
I give him a fuck you look as I begin my next lap across the floor. A few minutes later, I hear a car pull in the drive. I bound out the door and down the steps, slamming into Brandon, almost toppling him over.
“Damn, I missed you,” I say, slapping Brandon on his back.
“No kidding? I couldn’t tell,” Brandon teases.
I hold on a few more seconds before releasing him. Seeing Brandon, here, knowing he’s safe, releases one of the heavy bricks lying on my heart.
Raising four boys, under constant scrutiny of an alcoholic father, was hell. Having Brandon tell me he’d enlisted to fight for our country, was just a different place for me to live in hell.
Brandon’s not yet been deployed, but we all know his day will come, and we’ll all wait, helplessly, for his return.
“Come on,” I say, slapping him on the back one more time. “I’ve got friends I want you to meet.”
Chapter 59
Escape and Evade
Friday after class, Shyanne and I are in the living room when Adrian brings Brandon to meet us.
“Oh my," are the words that escape Shyanne’s mouth, before she can stop them.
"I completely agree," I say.
Brandon stands about two inches taller than Adrian, but he's built like… well, a Marine. His light brown hair is cut short, and he’s a few days past needing a shave. He’s definitely hot, but he's got that baby face look that I've never really been attracted to.
"Hey now,” Adrian says, scowling at me, “if you girls can't control yourselves, I’ll take him back to my place where he’ll stay for the rest of the weekend."
I wave him off. “We’ll be fine," I say with a wink to Brandon, "you leave him right here and you go take care of whatever it is you need to do."
I look at Shyanne to see if I can get her to play along, but her face is redder than I've ever seen it. I guess her slip up when Brandon came through the door, was too embarrassing for her.
Adrian clears his throat, getting my attention. When I see his irritated expression, I decide to stop the teasing. If I'm the only one laughing, then it’s not so fun. I straighten my expression and reach out my hand.
"It's nice to meet you, Brandon. I’m Keegan, and this is Shyanne,” I say, nodding in her direction. “She and I are going to go finish getting things ready for tonight.”
Brandon returns the handshake and gives a little wave to Shy. I grab her hand, stick out my tongue at Adrian, then drag her off to the kitchen. I text Robert to let him know about the eye candy we’ll get to enjoy this evening, and not surprisingly, he's at the door twenty minutes later.
That night I learn that Brandon is the exact opposite of Adrian. He’s actually kind of shy, and definitely gets embarrassed by too much female, or Robert, attention. I feel kinda bad because every girl, and Robert, in this house has come to flirt with him at one point or another. Some sit at the table, swooning over him while others try to be more subtle and flirt from afar. It’s not just that he’s hot and wearing a U.S. Marine Corp shirt, proudly announcing his job, but he’s fresh meat here on campus. He has to feel like an injured lion being stalked by hyenas.
I scold Adrian for deciding to have a party on the night his introvert marine brother comes to visit.
"He's fine," Adrian says, sounding like his grumpy persona.
I leave him, having no clue what his problem is, and sit back at the table to talk with Brandon. We bond over discussions about guns, and other weapons, and he promises to give me a list of all the contents in a Marine E&E—evade and escape—kit. That will make a perfect Christmas list for me.
Brandon talks animatedly when we ask questions about being a marine, and it's obvious that he loves his job. When I ask about the girl he went chasing after before he enlisted, Brandon becomes much less animated. I’m pretty sure this is a girl he’s not yet gotten over.
At one point, in the evening, I realize I’ve not seen Adrian in a while, so I head off to find him. After searching my apartment, I shoulder my way through the crowd, where I find him in his kitchen. He’s sitting on the counter, pretending to watch the card game being played at the table, but really he’s sulking.
I wiggle my way between his legs so that his knees are pressing into my sides. He gives me a sidelong glance, then takes a pull from his beer.
“What’s wrong, one of the other girls tie Brandon up and drag him off to a bedroom?” he asks, sounding bitter.
Is he for real? He’s jealous I’m spending time with his brother.
“Come on Adrian, he's your brother are you seriously jealous that I was talking to him?"
He shifts his gaze over my shoulder, avoiding my eyes. ”Yes, Keegan, yes I am.”
As irritated as I am, I’m also kinda proud of him. A few weeks ago he would’ve made a huge scene, managing to piss me off, and probably upset his brother.
I lean in closer, forcing him to look at me. “You’re freaking adorable.”
He wrinkles his brow, trying to look pissed. “That’s not helping. Can you see that this is not helping?"
I try, unsuccessfully, to bite back my laugh, which only makes his jaw twitch faster.
"Okay, okay," I say putting up my hands. "I won't talk about how cute his dimples are or how much his story about Chloe makes every girl in this room fall instantly in love with him.”
Adrian’s jaw muscle twitches faster.
I manage to straighten my face to look serious. "I'm not flirting. I promised you I would not flirt, and I certainly would not flirt with your brother. Can you trust me, please?"
He watches me, looking thoughtful. "Can you tell me three things you like more about me?”
Seriously? Is he that insecure or just insanely obsessed with me?
“Are you kidding?” I ask.
He raises his brow, indicating he's very serious.
“You're not kidding,” I confirm, then hold up one finger. “Okay, one second."
I want to be sarcastic, but I can see this is something he needs, and since he’s controlled his jealousy, I give him this.
“He's entirely too serious,” I tell him. “You make me laugh and I like laughing way more than I like being serious.”
His lips turn up slightly on one side and he gestures for me to go on.
I roll my eyes, but I’m smiling.
I go on. “You let me beat up on you. I can't imagine Brandon would allow me to nearly break his fingers, rip off an ear, or threaten bodily harm on a daily basis."
Adrian smiles a little more, now placing his hands at my waist, pulling me closer.
"I am very tolerant of your abusive nature."
"You love my abusive nature," I tease.
"I do,” he says with an adorable smile. “Okay one more thing you love about me.”
I chew the inside of my cheek, then tell him my favorite.
“When you're thinking about kissing me, and you're staring at my lips, you breathe really heavy before you even kiss me because just the thought of kissing me gets you worked up.”
With this confession, Adrian's gaze falls on my lips to do exactly as I described.
Almost automatically, he begins to lean closer, causing my breathing to also increase. I’m staring at him as he’s staring at my lips, then his gaze flicks up to meet mine. Although I want him to kiss me, I’m not sure that I’m ready for what comes after that. He’s watching for an answer, any kind of permission, but I just continue to stare.
With one last look at my lips, he mumbles “Fuck it,” before he leans in, claiming my mouth with his. The relief I feel is instantaneous.
Chapter 60
All In
After a kiss that was too racy for public, he leaps off the counter, grabs my hand¸ and drags me to his room, passing several people, whose mouths are hanging open. Pulling me through the door, he quickly locks it, then presses me against the wall.
Adrian places his fingers under my ear, gripping the base of my head, and his thumbs are pressed up under my chin. He's staring into my eyes when he asks, “You all in?”
My heart is slamming itself against my ribs again. I nod, unable to speak.
“Thank Christ.” He breathes.
I begin yanking at his shirt, trying to get it off. He pushes at my hands and pulls away from the kiss. With a shake of his head and one very intense look, he tells me, "I’m in control tonight."
I stare, unblinking, pretty sure that I’ve just fallen in love.
He doesn't wait for my approval.
***
Adrian
I press my entire body against hers as I kiss her possessively. Finally possessing her is all I think about, well, that and finally being inside her.
With Keegan pressed against the wall, I grab the back of her thighs, urging her to wrap her legs around my waist. Once she’s locked around me, I step back and carry her to the bed. With one last kiss, I drop her, unceremoniously, onto the bed. Her shocked expression shifts to desire, as she watches me take her in.
“You wearing panties under that skirt?” I ask.
Keegan nods.
My mouth tips up on one side, as I lean down, reaching up her skirt to remove them. I decide right then that I’m fucking her with that skirt on and just the mental image is enough to have my erection begging for release.
Keegan’s eyes are curious and hungry. I know that if I run a hand between her legs, I’d find her soaking wet. She’s ready for this, but she wants me to take control, just as much as I want to do it.
I place one hand next to her one the bed and lean in, giving her a quick, but desperate kiss. When I pull back, Keegan whimpers.
With a small smile, I tell her to take off her shirt and bra. She does, without hesitation, and without a word.
Once Keegan’s undressed, from the waist up, I instruct her to roll over. I watch as realization flashes across her face, and then she rolls over, practically sticking her ass in the air for me.
I groan, needing to rip my own clothes off and slam into her, but I’m gonna do this right, and I know it’ll better than anything I’ve ever known.
I lift her skirt and palm one ass cheek, as I reach into the nightstand with my other hand. I run one finger through her wetness, just enough to force a pleading moan from her.
“Please, Adrian,” she begs, and I smile, knowing I could send her over the edge with a couple quick swipes of my thumb.
As I roll the condom on, I watch Keegan, as she watches me over her shoulder. I lean down, lightly biting one ass cheek, causing her to moan again. I stand and position myself at her entrance, but pause, waiting for her to beg again.
When she looks over her shoulder, and whispers, “Please,” I slide into her, with slow, controlled strokes.
“Holy shit,” I mutter, at the same time she mutters something unrecognizable.
“You okay?” I ask, through shallow breaths.
“Better than okay,” she replies.
After several minutes of this slow, steady rhythm, I do what I’ve been picturing in my mind for months—I gather her hair, then hold on with one hand.
With a small tug, I ask, “This what you’ve been waiting for?”
She whimpers, so I pull harder.
“Yes,” she says, slamming back into me, unwilling to wait for me.
I have to grab her ass and hold her still, to keep myself from coming. “Gimme a minute, baby,” I tell her. “You have no idea how fucking fantastic you look from back here.”
Keegan looks over her shoulder, which adds to the erotic image. Deciding it’s now or never, I grab her hip with one hand, tug her hair with the other and slam into her, over and over.
Both of us are moaning, and panting, and swearing. When I see her lift one hand and begin to touch herself, I slam into her harder. Her cries of pleasure come first, but as soon as I feel her convulse around me, I finally let go, coming so hard there’s a chance I’ll never be able to have kids.
We fall onto the bed in a sweaty heap, and I pull her against me, kissing her shoulder.
“I don’t know if that’s your natural skill or learned behavior,” Keegan says, through ragged breaths, “but either way, I wanna do it again… a lot.”
I laugh, then release her to stand and toss the condom. “Those are my second favorite words to ever come out of your mouth,” I say.
Keegan looks at me, confused. “What’s the first?”
Climbing back onto the bed, and leaning over her, I tell her, “When you told me you’re all in.”
Keegan smiles then pulls me down for another hungry kiss.
Chapter 61
So Proud Of you
Adrian and I spend the rest of the night in his room, making up for all the sexual frustration of the last couple months. The next morning, when we emerge from his room, we’re greeted with a round of applause. Most of our roommates, Robert of course, and his brother, are all lounging around the kitchen.
“Glad I came to visit with your friends while you made up with your girlfriend,” Brandon teases.
Adrian extends his arm, offering a fist bump. “I have you to thank, brother. After spending a couple hours with your boring ass, she practically threw herself at me.”
I smack his stomach. “Don’t be a dick to your brother, besides,” I say, dropping my chin to look at the room, “he was begging, like a kid in a candy store, for me to take his ass back.”
Adrian raises a brow. “Really? Who was begging last night?”
I smile, remembering that he did, in fact, have me begging. I crinkle my nose and raise my hand as I turn back to him. “That would be me.”
There’s an echo of “Ewws” and I think Robert may have gagged, but I don’t give a shit.
We all enjoy a couple hours of laying around and getting to know Brandon. Watching Adrian with his brother sheds light on yet another of his personalities. For the most part, he treats Brandon like a close friend, but there are definitely discussions in which Adrian takes the big brother role. Around lunchtime, Adrian asks a question and the answer changes the mood for the day.
“When do you have to go back?"
Brandon’s expression warns us his answer is not one Adrian is going to like.
"I've got four weeks."
Adrian looks confused. "Why so long? Don't get me wrong, it'll be nice having you around for a while, but you're usually not here for such a long period."
Brandon shakes his head looking forlorn. "I don't mean I have four weeks here in town, I mean I have four weeks before I deploy."
Well shit. This has been one of Adrian's biggest fears, second only to their da
d coming back into their lives. Having been a surrogate parent to all four boys, responsible for their safety since their mom died. The idea of Brandon being on the front lines in war will gut him.
Adrian stands stoic for several seconds before he finally nods, accepting this is out of his hands. He extends his hand to shake Brandon’s, then pulls him into a tight hug.
I hear the catch and his voice as he begins to speak.
“Proud of you bud. I'll worry about you every fucking day… but I'm damn proud of you."
I glance around the room as I wipe away a tear, noticing that everyone else is doing the same.
I hear a slow clap begin and turn to see Robert has pushed to his feet. He increases the rhythm of the clap and is looking at all of us as though he expects us to follow. I shoot him a look that says sit your ass down.
He stops clapping and raises both his hands in a shrug. "It seemed like the right thing to do."
And just like that, he has managed to turn a room of crying people into a room of laughing friends.
***
That evening, while lying in bed, Adrian opens up and talks about his brother leaving.
"I feel like he told me he has a terminal disease. I mean, it’s not a far stretch. When he leaves, there's a chance I'll never see him again."
I know too well what it feels like to have somebody leave you and know you may never see them again.
I hold onto him and listen as he continues to talk about his fears. Even if I were the kind of person who knows how to comfort people, I'm not sure there are any words to give comfort at this time.
Chapter 62
I’m Not Your Wife
The week after Brandon’s visit is extremely eventful, but thankfully not because of mine and Adrian’s drama. No, this time it's all about Shyanne and Kade. The following couple of weeks play out like a suspense novel, and Kade is left waiting for her to make the decision, that will also be his fate.
Seeing Shyanne and Kade torn apart like this, has brought Adrian and I closer together. When I go to see Shy, and I see the pain in her eyes, I remember it all too well. Although unfortunate for Shy, her pain is pushing me closer to my happiness.
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