“Ives,” Drew said from close by.
I jumped. The hot brew sloshed around in the pot but thankfully didn’t spill over. I looked at Drew in surprise. I hadn’t even noticed him approach.
“Geez! For someone so hung-over you sure move quietly.”
Drew frowned and took the pot out of my hand, returning it to the machine. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” I reached for the mug, wanting to wrap my hands around its heat.
Drew caught my hand and cupped it in his, pulling me around so I was facing him. He was taller than me, close to six feet. He had a long body. It wasn’t as bulked up as Braeden and Romeo. He didn’t train the way they did. He didn’t have to. He definitely had muscle definition, but it was leaner.
“You’d tell me if you weren’t, right?” He pushed.
I looked into his blue eyes. They were lighter than mine, more of a sky blue to my ocean. “I’d tell you.”
He nodded. “I guess I feel kinda shitty.” He began. “I moved here to spend more time with you, but I feel like we haven’t seen each other much.”
“Are you kidding? You’ve been so busy. Driving and working,” I said. “And I’ve had school and work.”
“And the YouTube stuff.” He reminded me.
I nodded. I was in the process of setting up my own YouTube channel for fashion and styling. I loved watching tutorials on makeup and videos on fashion, so much so that I decided to start my own. It was something I’d wanted to do for a while, but I was just getting around to setting up everything I needed.
I’d needed some time after everything with Zach…
And now that I was finally feeling better, I knew it would go a little faster.
“About that,” I said and batted my eyes at my brother. “Will you help me set up some programs on the computer? Video editing, sound, stuff like that? And maybe show me how to optimize the channel once it’s all set up?”
He nodded. “When I’m done with you, everyone on the internet is going to know who you are.”
Excitement curled in my middle, and I gave a happy squeal and threw my arms around him. He chuckled and hugged me back. “You’re my favorite brother,” I told him.
“I’m your only brother who knows his way around a computer.” His voice was dry.
I pulled back. “I really like having you here, Drew. It means a lot to me.”
Now why the hell was I suddenly feeling all sentimental?
I reached for the coffee. I needed this. STAT.
“I like it here, too,” he said. “Feels right. You know?”
I nodded. It was because he belonged here. He was family.
“So…” I began, taking my mug toward the fridge to grab the creamer. “Why are you hung-over in the middle of the week?”
He wasn’t the only one that could be concerned.
“Who’s hung-over?” A new voice joined the conversation. I peeked around the open fridge door as Trent strode into the room.
“Dude!” Drew greeted him from his casual position against the counter.
Trent poked me in the ribs on the way past. “Ivy,” he greeted and then took up residence right beside Drew, mirroring his pose, his back to the island and one foot crossed over the other.
‘Course, Trent had on more clothes and didn’t look like he swallowed a case of beer the night before. In fact, he looked the most alert out of everyone, in a pair of loose-fitting jeans and a red hoodie with a big silver Nike check across the front.
His hair, which was actually almost the same color as my brother’s (Trent’s was slightly darker), was short but still styled neatly. As opposed to my brother, who likely hadn’t had a haircut in months so it was all grown out and flopping around his head like he had a family of rats living in it.
The pair fist-bumped and Drew said, “How’d you get in?”
“I let him in,” Braeden replied, stepping into the room. Prada was running along beside him, and I smiled and called her name.
She raced over to me and put her front paws on my legs. I abandoned the fridge and bent to give her some love. I picked her up, and she licked my chin, which made me laugh. “I wondered where you were,” I told her.
“She was under the bed,” B said. “Came out when I went to get my phone.”
I knew it was because his dream had scared her, but I didn’t tell him that.
“I’d hide too if I could,” I told her. “It’s too cold to get up today.”
She licked me again, then wiggled around until I put her down. I reached in the fridge for her dog food and then stood there pondering the contents, looking for something other than creamer. When I didn’t find it, I sighed and grabbed the caramel-flavored kind and shut the door. After it was added, I took a sip of the coffee and frowned.
For a girl who seriously needed a cup to jumpstart her morning, it just wasn’t what I wanted.
Braeden was pulling down a box of cereal, and I stepped to his side and handed him the coffee. “Here, made this for you.”
He grabbed it and took a sip. “That’s some good shit, baby.”
“So…” I began and went to grab the milk for B and a paper plate for Prada’s food. “Are you going to tell me where you were last night that you came home with a hangover?” I asked Drew.
“You went out last night?” Trent said, mild surprise in his voice.
I glanced over at them, surprised myself. Drew and Trent were attached at the hip. I would have thought if one had gone out, then the other had, too.
“I’m not hung-over,” Drew muttered. “I’m just tired.” To punctuate his point, he added more coffee to his cup.
“I heard you come in late,” Braeden said, sitting down to eat.
I put Prada’s food in the microwave for a few seconds to warm it up before giving it another stir and placing it on the floor for her to attack.
“There was a big race across town. I went.”
“You went to Lorhaven’s turf alone?” The tightness in Trent’s voice along with the underlying tone of dislike drew my attention away from the open fridge, where I was standing once more.
Drew went to races all the time. For months now, he worked during the day and then spent the rest of his time racing and building a name for himself in the driving circles here in Maryland.
So the fact that he was out late racing last night wasn’t anything new. But Trent’s reaction was.
“Yeah, got a last-minute call with an invite, so I went.”
“Why didn’t you call me?” Trent swore.
I glanced at B and our eyes met. What was this about?
“Because it was late. You have class this morning. Figured I could handle it.”
Trent pushed off the island. “After all the shit we’ve heard, you go in there alone, without anyone to watch your back?”
Whoa. What?
“Wait, are you saying where you went last night was dangerous?” I shut the fridge door and turned.
“No,” Drew answered, but at the same time, Trent said, “Yes.”
Drew’s eyes narrowed and he gave Trent a clear warning look. He straightened from the island, set aside his coffee, and looked at me. “Everything’s fine, sis. Don’t get all worked up about nothing.”
“Trent doesn’t seem to think it’s nothing.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Trent’s just pissed he didn’t get to see me leave all the other drivers in my dust last night.” Drew’s face turned cocky.
“You won?” Trent asked, shifting a little closer, interest in his tone.
“Smoked em’,” Drew drawled.
“You should’ve called, man,” Trent said low.
Why did he not seem as happy as Drew about this win? Usually, the pair were goofing off and talking shit about my brother’s mad skills.
“I can handle myself,” Drew said tight. Then he looked back at me and smiled. “Don’t you worry about me, Ives. Trent’s just acting like a damn woman.”
Trent either didn’t hear the re
mark or ignored it as he helped himself to the coffee and cream. Braeden was inhaling his bowl of cereal, no doubt just absorbing the currents running through the room, and Prada was dancing at the back door.
Once she was out, I went back to the fridge and looked around some more.
Romeo and Rimmel came into the kitchen, both of them heading straight for the coffee. Seconds later, Romeo was in front of the fridge, reaching past me for the cream. Before stepping away, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to my hairline.
“How ya doing, princess?”
“I was fine ‘til ya called me princess,” I muttered and looked up at him.
His showed me his teeth with an ornery smile. Then his face turned serious. His voice was low. “All good?”
He was checking in after our talk this morning. And if I was guessing right, he wanted to make sure I knew he was here and he was keeping an eye on me in case I needed anything.
It was really sweet, and I appreciated it.
“Yeah,” I replied quietly. “All good.”
He nodded, satisfied, and then glanced up. His body reacted slightly, and I noticed we’d been standing so close together.
Everyone was staring at us.
Including Braeden.
I felt my cheeks heat, embarrassed for some unknown reason. It was like I got caught doing something I shouldn’t have.
“What?” I said to everyone and no one.
“Did he just call you princess?” Drew cracked.
I groaned. “Don’t even think about it, Drew. I will sneak in your room and shave your eyebrows.”
“Harsh,” he muttered and went to sit by Braeden. “You better sleep with one eye open. Shaving eyebrows is just a gateway into more disturbing behavior. You could wake up with no hair at all, or worse.” He leaned over and whispered loudly, “Missing parts!”
Braeden’s eyes had been bouncing between Romeo and me, but his lips curved up at Drew’s horrific words. He glanced at my brother and drawled, “I think she likes my parts where they are.”
“Dude!” Drew groaned. “I can’t unhear that!”
Braeden smirked and put his dishes in the sink. Prada was at the door, so he let her in and then made his way to my side. “What are you looking for in there?” he asked in my ear.
I shivered at the feel of his warm breath against my ear. “I want some orange juice,” I announced.
It was so random it made even me pause. I hadn’t even realized that’s what I’d been looking for until I said it.
Braeden shifted around so he could look at me. “You never drink orange juice.”
I shrugged. “I want some. We don’t have any,” I said, forlorn.
He laughed. In fact, most everyone in the room did.
Why it was so funny, I didn’t know. I was sort of irritated we didn’t have any.
“Sorry, princess. I drank the last of it the other day. Didn’t know you’d want some,” Romeo said, amused.
I felt Braeden react to Romeo’s nickname for me. It wasn’t so much a physical reaction, but a shift in the energy between us.
I glanced up at him, worried he was upset.
“I got time before class. C’mon, I’ll take you to the store.” He brushed his thumb across my cheek.
“Really?” The eagerness in my voice was apparent.
B was clearly amused. His mouth lifted in half a smile even if his eyes seemed a little bewildered. “Anything for you, Blondie.”
I rushed to get my coat, the promise of OJ just too good to deny. I was pulling it on and wrapping a dark-blue scarf around my neck when B appeared at the front door, wearing his Alpha U jacket with his keys in hand.
I thought for a moment he was going to ask me about Romeo. About the way we seemed maybe a little bit closer this morning.
But he didn’t ask.
And I wondered why.
Chapter Eight
Braeden
After classes, I went to the team’s gym on campus and worked out hard. I thought I didn’t have the energy for a workout like that today. I’d been fucking tired lately, but the tension in my body needed an outlet.
So I gave it one.
After I showered and changed, I realized I was running late for the meeting I had with Anthony. I drove straight from campus to Rome’s place (he might not live there anymore, but it would always be his place to me) and parked the truck right beside the Hellcat. It had been running shitty lately. I knew it was because of the sugar Zach poured in the gas tank. It didn’t matter that I’d taken all the lines out and flushed them, made sure everything was clean. It just wasn’t the same.
I curled my lip in disgust. The guy was dead, yet he was still causing trouble.
The slamming of a nearby car door caught my attention, and I looked up. Romeo had been sitting in the Cat, waiting.
“What the hell you doing out here?” I walked to the back of his car where he met me on the pavement.
“Waiting for you.”
“You couldn’t do that in the house?”
The tension between us was palpable. The easy way we always had with each other was there, but it was overshadowed by a conversation we’d yet to have.
“I wanted to talk to you. Alone,” Romeo replied.
“Yeah,” I said, feeling my hackles rise. “I want to talk to you, too.”
Romeo’s eyes narrowed. “You got an issue?”
“Apparently, we both do.”
The door to the house opened, and Rome’s mom stuck her head outside. “What are you boys doing out here in the cold?” she called.
Whatever was bothering Romeo seemed to drain right out of him. The air around us seemed to clear some, aside from the irritation I was projecting.
“Coming!” Romeo yelled.
He turned back to me. “Look, let’s do this first,” he said, motioning toward the house. “We can talk after.”
I shrugged and started past him.
“B.”
I stopped but didn’t turn around.
“I didn’t mean to make it seem like I was sitting out here just waiting for a fight. I’m not. I just wanted to talk.”
“You want to tell me why you kissed my girl this morning in the kitchen?” I asked, swinging around to face him.
Fucker actually suppressed a smile. “Someone’s jealous.”
“Fuck you,” I spat.
A chuckle slipped from between his lips, and he crossed his arms over his chest. “Frankly, I’m offended,” he said mildly. “You know I’m engaged.”
“You and I both know if I thought that little kiss and nickname you pulled on my girl this morning was anything other than brotherly love, I’d be pounding your ass right now.” I couldn’t stop the half smile from forcing the corners of my mouth upward.
“Now you know how I feel when I see you with Rim.”
I felt my eyes narrow. “That was some kind of payback? A lesson? You’re my bro, man, but not even you can treat Ivy like some weapon.”
Romeo rubbed a hand over his head and swore. “Fuck, you’re prickly today.”
I just stared him down. Yeah. Maybe I was being an asshole. I didn’t much feel like being any other way right now.
He sighed. “I just thought Ivy could use a little extra… support this morning. That’s what family’s for.”
Concern delivered a swift uppercut to my asshole nature. “Why? Something wrong with her?” I pulled my phone out of my jeans, thinking about calling her.
Romeo stepped forward and put his hand over my phone, pushing the screen down. “She’s fine. I talked to her early this morning.”
And then I understood. She wasn’t in bed when I woke up. She’d been with him. “She told you.” The words sounded hollow to my own ears. Shame burned the back of my neck.
“She didn’t tell me anything.” Rome corrected, his voice a little harder, like he really wanted me to listen. “We just had a conversation.”
“Roman Anderson, Braeden James!” Moms yelled across the yard. “Your f
ather is waiting!”
“Aww, shit,” I drawled, smiling. “She’s pulling out middle names. She means business.”
Romeo laughed. “Come on. If we don’t listen, you know she’ll find some way to punish us.”
“Grown-ass men and we’re still being bossed by our mothers,” I said, forlorn.
We walked toward the house, side by side. I definitely didn’t feel as on guard as I did just minutes ago. If anything, I felt a little relieved.
Maybe some time with my best friend was exactly what I needed.
Chapter Nine
Ivy
The warm, rich sent of coffee was welcome as I stepped into LOTUS and out of the cold. The coffee shop wasn’t busy, but it wasn’t empty either. It was afternoon, the time when a lot of people were finishing up classes and would start filtering in to get an afternoon pick-me-up.
I could use one. I stepped up in the line and perused the menu, even though I already knew everything they served. The line moved up, and I went with it. When the door opened behind me, I glanced around, thinking it might be Rimmel, but it wasn’t.
She was probably running a little late. I decided to just order for her; that way she wouldn’t have to stand in line when she arrived. Then we could get right down to girl talk.
Rimmel and I lived together, but we didn’t get as much talk in as we used to in the dorm. Living with three guys made it hard to get exclusive girl time. Not that I was complaining. I liked living in a full house. I hadn’t realized how much I missed it until I moved into the place Romeo rented us all and was suddenly surrounded again.
It was funny because when I first came to Alpha U, I was intent on getting some independence and space from my large family.
But once I had it, I realized it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. I realized I was a family kind of girl. Even though Rim and I were sorely outnumbered by testosterone, I still loved it.
Once I ordered, I moved down to the pick-up counter to wait. Rimmel bustled in, looking like a miniature snowman in a puffy white coat and a scarf around half her head. I giggled and waved when I saw her. She pointed to a table by the window, and I nodded, so she went over and snagged it before it was taken.
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