by Linda Kage
“You don’t ever have to worry about that happening,” I said. “Aspen and Noel are your legal guardians now. And even if Daisy showed up and wanted you, she couldn’t have you without going through them and an entire courtroom. And not without going through me either.”
“And me too,” Brandt spoke up. “We don’t have to worry about her ever again. Okay, bud?”
Colton nodded, but I could tell the nightmare had left him rattled. A shiver passed up his spine. I began to rub his back and he kept his cheek on my shoulder. My earlier idea of maybe moving out soon moved to the back of my mind.
Maybe I wasn’t such an expendable member of the family after all. Maybe there was something worthwhile about me, and Noel would regain some of the confidence he used to have in me. But one thing was certain; to accomplish that, I could never let him find out what I’d done with Oren...even if I did kind of want to do it again.
I stayed away from him for as long as I possibly could. Really, I did! But there was just something about Oren Tenning that kept me going back for more. I liked how he’d been all sweet and nice to me when we’d first met a year ago, but then, I also liked how he’d turned into a loud-mouthed smart-ass later on, even more. The only thing I never liked was his constant horny attention to other women. That, I could live without.
My obsession was the antithesis of healthy, but then, I’d never been known for following the healthy, correct path, had I?
By five that evening, I was craving him like a junkie tweaking for her next hit. I knew Noel had to work tonight—I’d heard him mention it to Aspen earlier today. And Asher would no doubt be on the clock. He liked to work on Saturdays since they’d become karaoke night, and anything to do with music at the club was his brainchild. But Saturdays had also become so crowded lately they now needed three bartenders instead of their regular two.
I copped a peek at Noel’s work schedule and, yep, Oren worked this evening.
That meant I needed a reason to visit the Forbidden Nightclub.
I chewed on my lip, panning through the options I gathered in my head. I couldn’t go alone; Noel would definitely know something was up. Damn, why did he have to work tonight, too?
I shook my head, shrugging off that little obstacle. It was fine if Noel was working. What was one more challenge to overcome to get what I wanted? Wasn’t like I was going to just jump Oren right there at the bar, anyway. I still didn’t want him to know I was the woman he’d been with the night before.
I just needed to see him, and it made no difference if my brother was around for that or not. But it did mean I needed someone with me—a wing-woman—or Noel might get suspicious. So I dialed up my trusty best friend.
Zoey answered on the third ring. “Hello?” She sounded a bit breathless, making me wonder what exactly I’d interrupted.
I winced. Great. Oren working meant Zwinn had the apartment they shared with him all to themselves for the evening.
Well, they’d just have to get their snuggle time on some other night. They already had their happily ever after; they had the rest of forever to be together.
“I need you,” I said.
“Oh, no. What’s wrong?” Worry instantly lit her voice.
Damn, I loved her.
“I’ve done the craziest thing in my entire life, and right now, I really need your support and acceptance, and...and help. I need your help.”
“Okay,” she said slowly. “Do I need to grab my hiking boots, shovel and some lime, or...bail money?”
I laughed and relaxed. “Neither. I didn’t kill anyone...and I’m not in jail. I didn’t even break the law.”
“Well, that’s a start. What’d you do, then?”
“Um...I think I have to tell you this one in person. Can we go to Forbidden in, say...half an hour?”
“Sure.”
I bit my lip and took a deep breath before adding the hardest part of my request. “And...can you not bring Quinn?”
A pause followed. Then she finally asked, “Why can’t I bring Quinn?”
“Because...this is a girl thing, and I...I just can’t talk about it with you when there’s this hulking, hot pile of walking testosterone sitting between us.”
“But, he’s not—”
“Zoey, please.”
She sighed. “Okay...fine. Quinn can stay home.”
I fisted my hand and pumped the air. Yes! I so rule. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! Pick me up at my place, bye.”
After rushing the last few words, I hung up before she could come up with a way to back out. Zoey hated doing anything without Quinn. But I wasn’t about to let that stop her.
Half an hour later, the headlights of her car blared through the front window and swung across the walls of the living room when she pulled into the drive. I popped up from the couch where Colton had been cuddling with me, watching Goonies.
“There’s Zoey. I gotta go. See you guys tomorrow.”
Aspen lifted her face from her laptop, where she was probably still nitpicking and perfecting her already flawless resume to death. Sitting cross-legged in a side chair, she wore one of Noel’s old T-shirts and a frayed pair of shorts.
“Oh!” Surprise lit her voice as she took in my outfit. “You’re going out?” After sending Colton a reassuring smile, as if to let him know she was still here for him, she returned her attention to me. “Have fun.”
Thank God she was so much less inquisitive than Noel. She didn’t ask where I was going, who would be there, what I’d be doing, or when I’d be home. It was nice to know someone in this household could treat me like a quasi-adult and gave me a little trust.
I hopped over Brandt who was sprawled in a beanbag on the floor, where he was watching the movie. I even managed to evade his foot when he purposely kicked out his leg to trip me.
Once outside, I paused to draw in a deep breath. Was I really going to do this? Just...hang out and stalk some guy I liked? That sounded really lame and desperate. But honestly, I didn’t think much else could top my rating on the crazy scale after what I’d done last night. And the more I kept thinking about all the skanky, half-dressed sluts who’d be crawling all over the bar, trying to flirt with him, the more I just couldn’t stay at home, watching eighties movies with my sister-in-law and younger brothers.
Nodding my head with reaffirmed purpose, I strode to the car waiting on me. I really loved Zoey’s car. It was one of those nice, clean, pristine new luxury sedans. She came from money, but you couldn’t tell unless you caught sight of what she drove. I wished I had a car. I actually had some money to get one, but Noel had convinced me to only buy meaningful things with that money...like college tuition. And since he’d finally been able to get himself a rattletrap truck, meaning we had two vehicles in the household—his and Aspen’s—I usually didn’t need my own automobile.
Zoey was clicking through channels on the radio when I opened the passenger side door. She looked up as I slid in and pulled on my seat belt.
“Hi.” Her voice was too cheerful, her smile too bright. It all felt like one big, guilt-ridden inquisition. I just couldn’t take the pressure.
So I blurted, “I had sex with Oren last night,” in one, long, massive, run-on breath, only to moan in misery and slink lower in my seat as I clapped my hands to my head in defeat.
Forget Chinese water torture and thumbscrews; just have one innocent best friend smile at me, and I was spilling everything.
Damn, she was good.
But, oh, was it a relief to finally confide in someone.
“Umm...” Zoey wrapped both hands around the steering wheel as if she needed to hold on to something stable to brace herself. “If that’s code for something else, I don’t...I don’t understand.”
Glancing around to make sure no one was listening in, even though we were sitting alone in a closed car in the dark—hey, she might’ve stashed Quinn in the backseat—I leaned over the center console and confessed, “That wasn’t code. For anything. I truly, honestly had sex wi
th him. Last night.”
“But that doesn’t...” She shook her head. “Wait. What?” Her eyes flew open wide and she slapped both hands over her mouth. “You mean, you’re Midnight Visitor?”
“Who?”
“Quinn told me... Oh good Lord, Caroline. Please don’t tell me you snuck into his room last night in the dark and...and...well, without him even knowing it was you. Did you?”
“I snuck into his dark room without him knowing it was me and had sex with him last night...twice. Well, twice for him. Four boom-booms for me.”
Zoey sucked in a breath and clutched her hands to her chest. “Holy shit,” she said, a girl who’d probably only spoken three curse words aloud in her entire life. “Oh God. Why did you tell me this?” she began in a chanting kind of voice as she spoke more to herself than to me. “You shouldn’t have told me this. I should not know this.”
“I had to tell someone,” I argued. “Because, wow, my mind is completely blown right now. It was good. Oh my God, it was sooo good, Zoey. Like...I want to build a room inside my panties and force him to live there permanently kind of good. No way in hell can I keep this to myself. And you’re my best friend. Who else could I tell?”
“But he’s my roommate,” she cried. “And Quinn’s—oh, no. Quinn. I can’t keep this from Quinn.”
“Uh, yes, you can. No way can Quinn know about this. He’ll tell Oren, or worse...Noel.”
“Noel,” Zoey gasped. “Holy shit. If Noel found out—”
“I know,” I hissed. “So you’re just going to have to keep this between the two of us.”
Zoey gulped, but backed us from the driveway. “Why?” she finally asked. “Why did you put me in this position? Really? What did I ever do to you?”
I patted her arm, suddenly feeling less stressed and more cheerful now that I’d gotten the secret off my chest. “Just a perk of being my best friend.”
When she sent me a dry glance across the car’s darkened interior, I grinned. Finally, she sighed and loosened her shoulders. “So...why did you do it? I mean, I know how much you like him, but this just seems...a bit extreme.”
A bit? Ha! I adored her understatements.
Not really sure how to explain it because it’d been one of those rash, didn’t-take-the-time-to-think-it-through ideas, I shrugged. “Once upon a time, you said he liked me back.”
“He does, Caroline, but I also told you why he stays away.”
I snorted and glanced out the side window. “And I told you if he really liked me as much as I like him, then I wasn’t going to let my brother come between us. And I didn’t, did I? By doing it this way, I can protect both Noel and Oren. Noel will never know, and Oren won’t either, so he never has to feel guilty about it. It’s basically the perfect solution.”
“Riiiight.”
I scowled at her for the sarcastic tone. I was supposed to be the witty, sarcastic one of the two of us. She was the sweet, supportive friend. Why was I not feeling the sweet support?
Oh, yeah. Because I’d finally gone off the deep end, and no way could anyone—even Zoey Blakeland—support this.
“You know, he already told both Quinn and Noel about you. They’re calling you the Midnight Visitor.”
I cringed as nausea churned in my stomach. “He did tell Noel, then? Damn. I was afraid of that.”
“Well, what did you expect? This is Ten we’re talking about. He’s not exactly the private type when it comes to sharing sex details.”
“I know.” I groaned. “But...I just couldn’t help it, Zoey. He’s...he’s so...he’s Oren. Everything inside me comes alive whenever he’s around. I’ve been crazy about him for so long, wanted him for months, it was starting to drive me batty. And he was never going to do anything about it. You know that.”
Zoey gave a thoughtful nod. “You’re right. He wouldn’t have. Despite all his flaws—”
“And there are many,” I agreed.
She grinned. “He’s always been one of the most loyal people I know when it comes to his friends. He’s gone above and beyond for them. And he’d never knowingly betray one of them.”
I gulped. “Are you trying to make me feel guilty?” Because it was working.
“No,” she was quick to say. “I just...I guess, in a way, I’m glad you did it this way, too. I want you two together so much. You both deserve love and happiness. I’m in awe of your...your...”
“Stupidity?” I guessed.
“Brash courage,” she corrected as she pulled into the parking lot across the street from the club. As she killed the engine, she turned to me. “But seriously.” She winced. “How exactly do you foresee this turning out?”
I cringed back at her and in a small voice answered, “Badly. Probably epically...disastrously...badly.”
I was so sure she’d nod and agree, but she chewed on her lip a moment before murmuring, “I don’t know. Maybe it’ll come out okay. I mean, I never in a million years thought Quinn and I would end up together when I first met him. So, maybe...”
I took her hand and squeezed it gratefully. “I love you. You know this is going to end as awfully as I know it’s going to end, and you think I’m crazy and probably stupid, yet here you are, supporting me anyway. Thank you.”
Zoey squeezed back, and looked out the window at the flashing lights of the bar across the street. “So, I know Ten’s working tonight. I assume we’re here to make sure no other woman gets her dirty paws on him, right?”
“Wow. You know me so well.”
She sighed and opened her door. “It’s scary, isn’t it?”
There was a line to get in tonight. After we bounded across the street and waited for a couple minutes in the warm evening, Harper, the doorman, shook his head when he saw us. “Ah, hell. I smell trouble brewing.”
“Always,” I answered happily and leaned up to kiss his cheek.
Harper grinned but swatted me away. “Hey, now. None of that. Your brother’s just inside. You want me to die a slow and painful death? Now, quick. Give me something to look at so it seems like I’m checking your IDs.”
We did and thanked him for letting us in without having to pay. Zoey grabbed my arm as soon as we started past him. She squeezed hard. “Wait. You didn’t tell me Noel was working tonight, too.”
I shrugged and immediately slid my attention to the bar, but damn it, there were too many people in my way. Didn’t they realize I needed an Oren fix, like, now?
“A minor hiccup.” I waved a hand at Zoey, letting her know I wasn’t concerned about my brother.
But she shrieked, “Minor?”
Muttering what sounded like a prayer under her breath, she took my hand and started to lead me toward the bar.
I resisted, accidentally jerking her off balance, and just as she turned back to me with question in her gaze, there he was. It was as if the crowd parted and the blue neon lights overhead beamed down upon him. My stomach muscles instantly convulsed with pleasure, and I squeezed my legs together. I was almost tempted to cover my throbbing breasts with my arms.
“What’s wrong?”
I couldn’t even answer Zoey’s question. I was too busy feeding the craving. But, wow.
I’d seen him nearly every day since we’d met a year ago. He was a frequent visitor at the Gamble house. My younger brothers treated him like their personal tackle mat—and speaking of tackle...I so wanted to tackle him right now.
It didn’t matter how many times I’d seen him before, though, or how familiar I was with his appearance; tonight he looked better than ever.
His perpetually messy hair appeared extra dark in this lighting and really lit up the fact that he needed to shave. I have no idea how he managed to groom himself so that he always seemed to possess a five o’clock shadow, but it looked good on him. It highlighted the masculine angles in his jaw and framed his full plush lips to perfection.
Damn. I wanted him so bad. My fingers curled, eager to run their way up his toned arms. My mouth watered, wanting to suck on his
Adam’s apple.
You knew a girl had it bad when even a guy’s straight, dark eyebrows turned her on. And his definitely did.
“I think I’m going to come,” I told Zoey. My hand clamped down on hers as my breathing picked up.
She yelped, “Holy...”
“Shit,” I finished. My core tightened painfully. I couldn’t believe I was so turned on just from looking at him and remembering. “This is embarrassing.”
When a group of girls approached the bar, Oren smiled at them with lips that had been on my flesh last night, flashing teeth that had sunk into the back of my shoulder. Arms spread wide, he rested his hands—those hands that had been all over me, pulling my hair, toying with my clit, pushing inside me—on the edge of the counter and leaned in toward them to hear their order. I snarled at them for getting so close to my man, even though he was the one moving in toward them.
“Who the fuck are they?”
“They’re customers. They just want a drink. Down, girl.” Zoey tugged on my hand and led me away, dislodging my perfect view of my perfect man.
I scowled at her, even though I was grateful for the reprieve. My body still throbbed for release, but without seeing him, the intensity of each pulse was beginning to lessen.
When we found a bare patch of wall to lean against in the darkest part of the club, I sucked in air and willed myself to calm down.
“Better?” Zoey studied my face with concern wrinkling her brow.
I nodded. “Yeah. Thank you.”
She nodded too. “So...what now?”
My face crumpled when I looked at her. “I have to see him again. I mean, not as me. As her. I only wanted last night to be a one-time deal, but Zoey, you don’t understand. It was so... It—”