The Wrong Girl

by M. Piper

  “Yeah,” I huff, turning on the cold water in the sink and splashing it over my face. “I met up with an old friend.”

  “The hot one with the legs from the bar?” He wiggles his eyebrows and I throw the towel at him.

  “Yeah,” I laugh. “That one, asshole.”

  “She’s hot. You think Miranda’s going to be okay with you disappearing into the night with a hot dark haired beauty?”

  “Miranda doesn’t matter,” I mumble, glancing at the clock. It’s nine in the morning. I didn’t expect to be harassed as soon as I got home from my run. Now I have hours still until I can pick Finley up and nothing else to do today.

  Anders raises an eyebrow at me and scoops a spoon of cereal in his mouth. He’s just stirring a pot that’s been over cooked. Miranda and I were done before I came to Florida. She just refused to accept it. I broke it off.

  She’s the one who told me she’ll be waiting when I get back.

  I’ve ignored every call from her for a month.

  Maybe I should take care of that today.

  “I’ll figure Miranda out.”

  “You better. She’s insane. I mean…didn’t we warn you about this when you started fucking her?”

  I laugh and shake my head, leaving him in the room to go get cleaned up.

  He’s right.

  I need to get this taken care of because Finley’s here. And I don’t want to fuck this up.

  ***

  At five pm on the dot I walk up to the apartment building I dropped her off at last night and realize I don’t have her number and I definitely didn’t watch which door she went into. Right before I start banging on each door, I see her step outside and smile down at me from the second story balcony.

  “Apartment 6B. Come on up, I’m almost ready.” She ducks back inside and I let out a breath of relief.

  6B. Apartment 6B.

  I have to stop myself from running, because even the thought of being in the same room with her has my body thinking it’s getting laid tonight and already I can feel my dick straining to be set free. Especially when she swings open her door and the woman standing in front of me is nothing like the Finley I knew back in the day. She’s got curves. So many curves in all the right places. Her ass looks amazing in the dress she’s wearing tonight and…holy hell those tits.

  “Wow,” I whisper, stepping into her apartment. She bites her lip and spins.

  “Good enough?” She giggles and I run my hand down the back of my head.

  “Yeah. Too good.” My gaze hits her eyes. “Is this weird?”

  “Is…what weird? We’ve fucked, Levi.”

  “Yeah. When you were drunk. And I’m your sister’s best friend. I’ve known you since you were the annoying little sister.”

  Her eyebrows shoot up and she lets out an annoyed laugh. “I mean if you think it’s weird why’d you ask me out tonight?” Her eyebrows push together and she dares me to make an ass of myself tonight.

  “That’s not…” I huff. “I’ve wanted this forever, Finley. I just don’t want you to feel weird about this. The comment you made last night about your sister…”

  “The same one you made five years ago.” She lifts an eyebrow and crosses her arms in front of her, pushing her tits up.

  Fuck me.

  “Yeah, just…” I don’t stammer around beautiful women. But I’ve also never been in this exact situation with a girl I’ve wanted for as long as I can remember. “I don’t want you to regret this.”

  “I don’t do things I know I’m going to regret,” she says then laughs. “Minus practically throwing myself on you last night.” She winces. “Sorry about that.”

  “Hey it’s all good. I had to go home and try to forget about how you felt pushed against me, but I slept with a clear conscious that I didn’t take advantage of you. That should get me some brownie points, right?”

  With a roll of her eyes, she gives her head a shake and walks deeper into the apartment.

  “Make yourself at home. I’m almost done then we can go.”

  I shove my hands into my pockets, walking through the foyer and into the tiny living room.

  “It just you living here?” I call out, perusing the bookshelves of romance novels and the DVD tower. “You own way too many DVD’s, Finley. Don’t you have Netflix?” I chuckle and she pops her head out from around the corner, her eyebrows pushed together like I offended her.

  “It’s just me, yes. And don’t make fun of my movies.” She points her toothbrush at me and with narrowed eyes whispers. “I’ve seen your porn collection. My movies don’t hold a candle to that stack of jizz.”

  I bark out a laugh when she disappears around the corner. This girl’s feistier than I remember. Like she grew a backbone since she was a kid.

  Good for her.

  As I make it to the opposite side of the room, my eyes scan over the bookshelf full of snow globes.

  Ah. Of course she brought them with.

  From Walt Disney World globes, one for each holiday, all the way to a baby’s first step globe. She’s displaying every single globe just like she did back home. I think that was the second best part of walking in her room. Seeing all those globes? Second only to seeing her cheeks go pink when she realized I’d walked in for her and not for her sister. And right there in front and center?

  The one I gave her.

  I pick it up, twisting it gently, watching the small white flakes flutter back down to the bottom and find myself smiling at the memory.

  ***

  “Dad, what ever happened to that snow globe Aunt Greta got me last year for my birthday?” I’ll never understand why the old people in my family think I need snow globes, but I swear Aunt Greta gets me one for every birthday. Usually my dad puts my name on the box and stores them in the basement, but this one…the one I need…isn’t there.

  “I think it’s in the attic. I put it with the Christmas things.”

  I groan and rush to the attic. I’m supposed to be running home to grab a notebook so Kat and I can study tonight, but I actually just wanted to get this snow globe for her sister.

  Finley.

  The girl I’m not supposed to look at. Not supposed to talk to. Honestly it’s like Kat’s afraid I’ll fall in love with her or something.

  Ha!

  I rummage through the attic, ignoring the cobwebs and suffering through the fear of running into a spider, the one fucking thing I can’t stand, until I find the box.

  “Yes!” I rush out of the house, yelling bye to my dad as I go.

  Kat lives across the street and down a few houses from me. We grew up together. From preschool to now we’ve been in the same class. Well, aside from the year in fourth grade when the teachers thought they could split us up.

  I sneak in the back door of their house and head for Finley’s bedroom. When I was in here earlier and saw her collection…I just knew. I knew I had to give this to her. It’s probably a stupid idea and I’m probably going to get caught from Kat, but I can’t stop myself from knocking on her door.

  She swings it open and her eyes go wide.

  “I thought you were with Kat,” she blurts, her cheeks pink and the makeup on her face completely unnecessary. Where the hell’s she going looking like that?

  “Uh…” I blink at her. “Where are you going looking like that?” I step into her room and slowly close the door, only because I don’t want Kat catching me.

  It’s the only rule we have in our friendship. Don’t date my sister.

  I’ve done well with that rule until I walked in here today and saw her. Something clicked… I’ve never thought of her like I did today. And…as much as it scares me, I like it. A lot.

  “I’m going to a movie.” She crosses her arms in front of her and, being a teenage boy, my eyes fall to her swollen tits from being lifted by her arms.

  “With a date?” Please say no.

  “No. By myself.” She shrugs and nods to the box in my hands. “You want me to give that to Kat for you?�
�

  “Oh, um…” I try to calm the tremble in my hands and set it on her desk before I drop it out of nerves. “It’s just something I had at home. Thought you’d like it.” I smile at her then turn to leave. “And Finley?” She glances up at me. “You look good, but I think you look better without all the makeup.”

  ***

  She’s still beautiful without makeup. I may have spent the afternoon stalking her social media accounts, something I never considered doing in the past but now that she’s back in my life I need to know more about her. Everything. I need to know everything about her.

  “It’s my favorite one,” I hear her whisper and glance up at her, locking onto those beautiful fucking eyes. Her favorite?

  She’s watching me as she slowly steps across the room. Whatever perfume she’s wearing tonight is doing things to me I’m not proud of. Like the twitch of my dick…from a fucking scent. Every breath around this girl is torture right now, because as much of a gentleman as I feel like I should be… I really don’t want to be right now. I glance down at the globe in my palm and try to think of a day over the last five years that I didn’t wonder where she was or what she was doing and I can’t. She’s always been there.

  “All these years?” I look back at her and she softly smiles.

  “Yeah,” is the whisper I get from her and she gives me a small shrug before her eyes fall to the snow globe. “Please don’t break it.” Her eyebrows push together briefly and I wonder if she means the globe or her heart.

  I can’t say it makes me happy to know that I wasn’t the only one wondering about all the what-ifs had I actually grown a pair and called the next day.

  Or better yet, had I not snuck out of her room in the middle of the night five years ago.

  Holy shit I was an asshole…

  Chapter 3

  Finley

  I woke up this morning with a splitting headache and a gut full of regret. I acted like an idiot last night throwing myself on him like that. If I were him I probably wouldn’t be pushing to date someone like me but here we are, and he’s definitely pushing.

  Lying in bed, nursing my hangover with aspirin and as much Gatorade as I had stocked in my apartment, I managed to make a list of the pros and cons of dating Levi.

  Cons: He’s not here long term like I am. He’s my sister’s best friend. I feel like I should feel guilty about this…but I don’t which never means anything good.

  Pros: He’s hot. He looks at me like he actually wants to hear what I have to say. He also looks at me like he wants to devour me and that does things to my lady parts that haven’t been done in a long ass time. I trust him, even after what he pulled back in college. I know he’d never cheat on me because he’s always been slightly terrified of my sister’s wrath. Did I mention he’s hella hot?

  So here I sit. At a table at a mom and pop restaurant that’s supposed to have the best burgers in the state, sitting across from a man I may or may not have obsessed over my entire life. And I’m nervous as hell. What if he realizes I’m actually boring now? What if he sees through the makeup and hot dress facade and realizes that party girl back in college is really a boring homebody who would rather watch videos of baby otters than have a social life? Last night was a fluke. I don’t do that anymore which is why I think I got so tipsy drunk from just a few drinks.

  He looks like the type of guy who likes his social life…

  “I still can’t believe you actually did it. You made the move all the way down to the tip of Florida. Little Finley Reeves, all by herself.” He smirks at me and I shrug.

  “I’ve always wanted to be here, Levi.” I fold my arms on the table in front of me and study his face. He’s different from the last time I saw him. Older. More defined. More…mature. Less of that cocky vibe he gave off back when I was in college.

  “I respect that. It was probably scary as hell, too, but you still did it.” He watches me as he takes a drink then slowly sets the glass back down. “You’ve always had a passion for nature. But why the Everglades? What started the obsession?”

  He’s picking at a subject I don’t want to talk about but for some reason I spill easier than I thought I could.

  “My dad… He always wanted to see me here. He thought I’d love it. Honestly I thought it was insane. But…” I shrug. It’s hard to explain, but my dad’s faith in it is what drove me here. “I do love it here. The opportunity came and I was offered the job and I just,” she says, then sighs. “It’s perfect. He was right. I’m happy I didn’t pass it up.”

  “Your dad was a pretty awesome guy.” He sighs and reaches across the table, taking my hand in his. “I’m sorry I missed the funeral, Squirt.”

  “It’s fine,” I lie. It wasn’t at the time. Kat was devastated he wasn’t there. “Really.”

  “It’s not. I was down here working and we were swamped and I couldn’t make it home.” He curses. “I should have been there.”

  “Life happens, Levi. Don’t beat yourself up for it. You’re here now and I’m happy about that.” I smile.

  “I am too. “ His teeth scrape along his bottom lip as he watches me, his hand still clasped around mine. “So you’re here for good, then?”

  “Seems that way. I guess there could be worse places to be stationed, right?”

  “Yeah, seriously,” he says, laughing. “You said you do the boat tours?”

  “I do.” I take a drink of my tea and watch him as he watches me intently. The way he looks at me is intense but I like it. God, I’m too comfortable around this man. This all feels too right but I’m not going to question it. Even though I probably should.

  “You ever see any insane wildlife?” His eyes twinkle with excitement and I laugh at him.

  “Like alligators eating birds?” I wiggle my eyebrows, nodding. “Or what about the dolphin the other day that got attacked by a manatee? That was insane. And…bloody.” I grimace, remembering that horrific experience on last week’s tour. There was a seven year old on board that was in tears the entire ride back to the dock because of it.

  “Holy crap, I was kind of joking!” He’s laughing and there’s a small dimple right next to his mouth when he smiles like that. Carefree. “I didn’t realize you’re actually out there in the dangerous areas.”

  “It’s not dangerous if you’re smart about it. The boats are equipped with guns should we ever need it, but there’s never been an incident in all the years they’ve been doing these tours. It’s amazing to watch, honestly. The circle of life happening right in front of you.” I smile softly. “Last week there was a mom dolphin and her calf following the boat for a good half mile, jumping in and out of the wake from the motor. It was…perfect. And the way the mangrove grew back so full after the hurricane a couple years ago? It’s like Mother Nature was like ‘fuck you’ to…well…Mother Nature,” I say, laughing. I look at Levi who’s watching me with his full attention. “Sorry,” I laugh. “I can get carried away talking about it. I’m not sure you can tell but I really like my job.”

  “That’s good. You should love your job. Makes going to work in the morning that much easier.” He leans back in his seat and the muscles along his tanned biceps move and stretch as he reaches for his water and my mouth suddenly goes dry. How does someone look as good as he does and yet seem as chill as possible without giving off that cocky vibe.

  “So what about you? Hookers, booze, and STD’s still your thing?” I smirk when he shakes his head and lets his head fall back. I see the slight grin on his face when he lifts his head again and he shrugs.

  “Naw, I’ve settled down a lot since those days.” He laughs and that dimple pushes its way out again. God, he’s got a good smile.

  “Settled down, huh? Wife and kids back home waiting for you?” I pause, dreading his answer. Maybe he just wanted dinner with an old friend. The thought didn’t cross my mind until right now and the way he’s not answering is making my blood pump faster and embarrassment burn at my cheeks. “Levi?”

  “No wif
e. No kids.” He huffs. “A girl who refuses to accept the fact that I broke up with her before I came here, but other than that there’s no strings.”

  My eyebrows shoot up. I wasn’t expecting that.

  “She…refuses?” I let out a laugh. “I have to hear this story,” I say, grinning.

  “Not much to tell. I broke it off with her because I just didn’t feel like we were going anywhere. Plus she’s a little too wild for me. She refused to accept it. She’s called and text a ton since I’ve been here but I’ve ignored her, hoping she’d get the point.” He shrugs. “I called her today to break it off for good. Then she hung up on me so I think we’re good…but honestly who knows with her.”

  “Today, huh?” I bite my lip to stop myself from smiling. “Any reason for that?”

  “I think you know damn well the reason, Finley.” He leans forward on the table and my eyes drop to his forearms.

  As I let my memory wander back to all those years ago in my Sorority House, it’s like a bucket of ice water is tossed on me and his words from last night play in my head.

  “I’m only in this area for the next couple of months until we head back home for the spring rush.”

  Only a couple of months.

  He’s not here for good.

  I don’t like the feeling of deflation that runs through me at that thought.

  The waitress sets our food down in front of us and my eyes go wide at my plate. I shouldn’t be worried what a few months holds for me! I should be more worried about eating this mega burger and not making myself look like a pig.

  “I didn’t think it’d be this big.” I look straight at Levi. “I can’t fit that in my mouth!”

  His mouth pops open in amusement and he narrows his eyes at me.

  “I have no fear you can fit it… All the way down…” his words come out a low growl and parts of me that haven’t seen action in way too long are starting to warm to that sound.

  I like growly Levi.

  “I’ll get juices all over me,” I mumble, jutting out my bottom lip as I look over the burger. I hear Levi clear his throat and I glance across the table at him where he’s adjusting himself and shaking his head.