I cocked my head and looked at him.
Because he was always so sure of himself, I almost didn’t recognize the look in his eyes, but when he cleared his throat and looked down, I realized what it was … insecurity. He was nervous about Johnny and his place in my life and was unsure about where he stood.
Wanting to assure him, but be honest at the same time, I reached out and took his hand in mine.
“He did come into the office and admitted to being jealous. He was also hurt because I’d broken things off with him and am now pursuing things with you. We had a discussion and talked it out, and everything is fine.”
“You told him you want to be with me?” Brody asked.
I grinned and moved my thumb against his palm.
“I did. And that was before the amazing sex happened.”
Brody chuckled and his face took on the strong, confident quality I was used to.
“It was pretty amazing, huh?”
“Yup,” I said, popping the p. “You’re gonna have a hard time getting rid of me now.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. Now that I’ve had a taste…”
I burst out laughing, unable to keep it in any longer.
“What about you?” I asked when I was breathing normally again. “What’s your day look like?”
“I’m going back to help at the build, a couple of my brothers are, and then I’m gonna sit down and let Wes know that on Monday I’m going to start looking for my own place.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Well, I guess we could keep coming to hotels, but I’m sure eventually it’d get old.”
“I don’t know,” I said, looking pointedly at my French toast as I popped another piece in my mouth. “I could get used to this.”
Twenty-Four
Brody
“What do you mean you want to move out?” Wes asked, his face conveying his utter surprise at my announcement.
“Is it because of me?” Trixie asked. “Am I here too much, cramping your style?”
“No,” I said, moving to assure Trixie before answering my brother. The last thing I wanted was for her to think I was upset over her being there with Wes all the time. “I love hanging with you, half-pint, you know that. I just think it’s time for me to have my own space, where I’ll feel more comfortable having my own sleepovers.”
“You can have people stay here,” Wes argued.
“I know, but I think it’s time for a little independence,” I told him. “Yeah, I left home, but I went straight from our house in Chicago to this apartment with you. I’ve never lived on my own.”
“And you want to,” Trixie guessed. “Are you thinking of moving into the Frat house?”
“No. I maybe thought about it for like, a minute, but I know I wouldn’t be happy there. I mean, sometimes it would be fun, but I’m not about living that twenty-four seven, ya know,” I replied. “John down at the rental office said there’s a unit opening up here at the end of the month. So, I’d still be in the same complex with you guys. We can get together all the time and have dinner on Sundays. It’ll be just like it is with Ridge and Karrie. You’ll see me all the time.”
“But you won’t be here every day,” Wes said softly. “Like if I want to have a beer with you, I can’t knock on your door.”
“Sure you can, you’ll just have to walk a little farther.”
“What about your nightmares?” he asked.
I’d been having nightmares ever since I was little. I often woke up in the middle of the night and went to the kitchen to grab a drink. There had been many mornings where Wes found me asleep at the kitchen table.
“I’ll be fine,” I assured him.
Nothing bad had ever happened due to my nightmares, other than me waking up scared with my heart beating out of my chest and then subsequently falling asleep on the table. I’d never walked in my sleep or anything. I simply had disrupted sleep.
“Is this because of Emma? Are things getting that serious?” Wes asked. “I thought it was weird, you getting the hotel room…”
“I thought it was romantic,” Trixie said.
I grinned at her and Wes looked at her with surprise.
“You did?”
“Sure, it was like a staycation,” she replied. “And I looked up the hotel after Brody told me where they were going, it’s a totally cool place.”
He looked at her for a few moments in contemplation before turning his attention back to me and asking, “You’re sold on this?”
“Yeah, actually, I am. I think it’ll be good for all of us.”
Wes sighed and I felt bad for putting such a sad expression on his face, while at the same time it warmed something inside of me that he wanted me around. We weren’t as close growing up as we are now, but I honestly believed it would help our relationship even more to not be on top of each other all the time.
“Okay,” he said finally. “Let me know if you need my help with anything.”
“You know I will,” I replied with a grin, before pulling him in for an impromptu hug.
Wes clapped me on the back and we stepped apart.
Before I could say anything else, my phone rang.
“It’s Big Brothers. I’ve gotta take it,” I told them and then turned to head to my room as I accepted the call. “Hello?”
“Brody?”
“You got him.”
“Hey, this is Juan from Big Brothers Big Sisters. I wanted to call and let you know that everything came back good and you’re all clear. If it works for you, I can set up a time this weekend for you to have a sit down with your new little, make sure it’s a good fit.”
“Oh, fantastic. Yeah, I can come by this weekend. You just let me know when and I’ll be there,” I said, even as I racked my brain trying to remember if I had anything going on.
I didn’t think so, and anyway, this was more important.
“How about Saturday at three?”
“I’ll be there,” I replied.
“Great, see you then.”
“Bye, and thanks, Juan.”
I hung up and looked around my room with a grin on my face.
Things were moving in the right direction and, unlike a few months ago, I was no longer feeling bored and uninspired. In fact, I was feeling just the opposite. There were so many great things happening right now and I was excited to see what came next.
I didn’t have much in my room. Wasn’t big on decorating or anything, so moving wouldn’t take long, especially since most of the furniture and stuff would have to be ordered.
I wondered if it was possible to get the apartment already furnished. I wanted to have the basics but didn’t really want to deal with the hassle.
For the first time I wished I was still on speaking terms with my mother. Because if there was one thing Susan Temple excelled at, it was furnishing and decorating anything and everything.
One second and a mental punch in the balls later, I remembered how toxic of a person she was and rescinded the thought.
Then a thought occurred to me and I snapped my fingers and picked up my phone.
“I’ll call Karrie,” I said aloud, and did just that.
Twenty-Five
Emma
“This week I’m going to focus on finding a location for a Friday night soup kitchen. And I mean in the true sense of the words. To keep cost down and make it easier to gain volunteers. Even if it can’t happen every Friday … if it’s once a week or once a month, it’ll be more than is offered now.”
“Why do they call it a soup kitchen?” Karrie asked.
We were all hanging out at Brody and Wes’s place having pizza. After a long week of work and school, I was really grateful for the opportunity to relax and be with people who were quickly becoming great friends.
“Because they would literally offer soup and sometimes bread in order to give a nutritious meal to those who would not get one otherwise,” I replied. “Now, more often or not the meals will be more elaborate, or like potluck
s instead of just soup, but you still find traditional soup kitchens.”
“How hard do you think it’ll be to find a place?” Ridge asked, picking up Karrie’s discarded crust and eating it.
“Probably pretty hard. There are already locations in and around the city that offer meals every other day of the week, so I’m not really sure where to start. But, we’re approaching the end of the year and if I could get this accomplished, not only would I feel great and excited for those it will benefit, but I think it’ll give me a leg up on other candidates for the internships I really want.”
“That’s smart,” Trixie said, pushing her empty plate away. “I can put something in the paper if you want. Like an in search of post in the classifieds.”
“Thank you so much,” I said sincerely, leaning back and snuggling into the crook of Brody’s arm.
“And I can bring it up to the Frat,” Brody said, looking at his brothers. “As Community Chair I may be able to do something, right?”
Wes shrugged and Ridge said, “I don’t know … maybe, but I’m not sure where you could hold it.”
“Doesn’t hurt to ask, right?”
Ridge nodded at Brody and replied, “No, never hurts to ask.”
I tipped my head back to look up at Brody and say, “Thanks, babe.”
His eyebrows lifted at the endearment.
“Uh-oh, you’re at the babe stage, huh?” Wes asked with a chuckle.
“You all love nicknames so much I thought I’d try one out,” I replied, before asking Brody, “What do you think?”
“I like it,” he replied.
“Good,” I said, moving slightly to offer my lips up for a kiss.
He complied and I heard Wes say, “I’d tell y’all to get a room, but Brody would take it to heart and actually leave. Man, I can’t believe you’re moving out.”
“I can’t believe he gave me his Amex and gave me carte blanche on furnishing the place,” Karrie said.
I looked over to see her clapping her hands gleefully.
“All I ask is for simple, tasteful, and neutral colors,” Brody said.
“I don’t care, it’s still going to be so much fun. He only asked for one specific item, the rest is completely up to me. It’s like playing one of those decorating games on my phone.”
“What specific item?” I asked, curious what Brody would want.
I was thinking maybe a certain TV or gaming setup.
“A butter-yellow leather chair,” Karrie replied.
Brody caught my eye and grinned.
“Really?” I asked.
“You bet.”
Overcome with emotion, I didn’t think, just turned on the couch until I was straddling him. I placed my hands on his face and said, “You’re the best,” before dipping down and crashing my lips down on his.
I felt Brody’s fingers gripping my ass and deepened the kiss.
“Whoa, that must be some chair,” Ridge joked.
“I think maybe we need to go to our rooms,” Trixie added.
“I’m seeing the urgency to get his own place now,” Wes quipped.
“We’ll just get out of your hair,” Karrie said, clearing her throat before saying, “Come on, guys.”
Honestly, it didn’t matter to me if they were in the room or not. I was swept up in all that was Brody.
Not just his mouth, which was fantastic, but in his heart and generous spirit. To say he was completely different than I expected him to be when I first met him was a gross understatement.
I’d had blinders on where frat boys were concerned, especially the rich ones, and I was so grateful he’d been so persistent when it came to me.
I rocked against him, moaning when my clit rubbed against his hard length. Even between our clothes, the feeling was spectacular, and I never wanted it to end. So, I moved my hand over his pecs and abs, before tugging up the hem of his shirt, needing to feel his warm skin.
Brody turned his head so I lost his mouth, but rather than give up, I simply moved along the column of his neck, nipping and sucking at the flesh there.
“We should move this to my room,” Brody said, even as his hands urged me to rock faster against him.
“Mmmmm,” was all I could get out, I was too caught up in what I was feeling.
Brody shifted, scooting to the edge of the couch before standing and lifting me in one go. Latched on like a monkey, I continued my exploration of every available surface as he carried me to his bedroom.
Twenty-Six
Brody
“Antoine, this is Brody,” Juan said, introducing me to my new little brother.
“The Tesla guy?” Antoine asked, his expression skeptical.
“Hi, Antoine,” I said, feeling strangely unsure of myself.
“I don’t know…” Antoine began, but Juan held up his hand and said, “Just give it a shot. Sometimes the perfect fit isn’t as obvious as you’d think.”
Juan looked at me and said, “I’ll give you two some time to get to know each other,” and left the room, closing the door behind him and leaving us alone.
I could tell Antoine’s guard was up as he looked me over, but I gestured to the seating area in the corner and asked, “Want to sit?”
Antoine shrugged, but shuffled over and sat on one of the chairs.
I chose to sit on the couch across from him so we could be face to face as we spoke.
“So, Antoine, why don’t you tell me about yourself … where do you live, do you have any brothers or sisters, how do you like school?”
I was rambling, but the kid made me nervous.
Antoine pursed his lips and huffed a bit before answering, “Live in the heights … only child … it sucks.”
I bit my cheek to keep from smiling.
“O-kay … how about sports? You play anything?”
“A little streetball.”
“That’s basketball, right?” I asked
Antoine scoffed and said, “Yeah, somethin’ like that.”
I tried to switch tactics.
“Do you live with your parents?”
I could have read his file to learn all the basics, but I wanted to get to know him by talking to him, not reading about him. I’d go over it all later, but I thought this would help us bond faster.
I coulda been wrong.
“My pop’s a no-good, low-life druggie who up and left my mom to keep me alive on her own.”
That sounded like a direct quote.
“You get along with your mom?” I asked gently.
“She’s the best. She works a lot, that’s why I come here after school and on weekends sometimes.”
“Sounds like she works really hard for both of you. I’d like to meet her sometime.”
“What do you know about it, Tesla?”
I kept my eyes on him while I answered, hoping he could trust what he saw on my face and hear the sincerity in my voice.
“Look … I didn’t have it all great either as a kid. Just because our situations were different growing up, doesn’t mean my life’s been all that great.”
“Yeah? Like what?” he asked, his chin jutting out stubbornly.
“Well, my dad wasn’t a drug addict, but he was a workaholic, so he wasn’t around much. And, when he was around, he was angry all the time. He took out his frustrations by hitting my oldest brother, Ridge. And my mom, well, she only cares about shopping and keeping up with the latest gossip. She spent her free time smothering my other brother Wes and making sure he was happy. Which meant, I was alone all the time. My brothers were living their own lives back then, trying to survive our parents, so I pretty much hung out by myself or at my friends’ houses.”
“But you didn’t get beat.”
“No, luckily I didn’t. Ridge wouldn’t allow it. If my dad looked at me when he was pissed, Ridge would step between us.”
Antoine seemed to think on that a minute, then shook his head and argued, “At least you’re rich.”
“I’d rather have one parent who
cared about me, the way your mom cares about you, than all the money in the world. You’re far richer than I am.”
He looked contemplative, so I added, “Don’t feel too sorry for me though, now I’m close with my brothers and it turns out we have three older sisters as well, so my family is getting better all the time.”
Antoine nodded and looked around the room before bringing his gaze back to mine.
“What do you want with me?”
“Well, I’ve never been a big brother before, but I was hoping we could hang out. Maybe I can help you with your homework.”
“I get straight As,” he said proudly.
“Maybe you can help me with my homework,” I amended with a grin.
Antoine’s lips turned up a little at that before he realized it and straightened his lips back out.
“Can you play ball?” he asked.
“I’m okay … You’ll probably beat me.”
“Probably,” he agreed.
“We can do other stuff too. Catch a movie, play video games, whatever you want.”
“I like video games.”
“Me too,” I replied, feeling relieved that he seemed to be warming up to me. “What’s your favorite?”
“I like Call of Duty, NBA 2K, Grand Theft Auto.”
“Well, I don’t think we’ll be playing GTA, but the rest are no problem,” I said, thinking Antoine was definitely going to push me to see what I’d allow and what I wouldn’t.
I’d feel more comfortable making those decisions after I had the chance to talk to his mom.
“So, Juan was saying it’s best to make up a schedule and stick to it, so what do you think about Wednesdays after school and every other Sunday to start? I’m in a fraternity, so sometimes we have events I can’t get out of, but those days should work with my school schedule.”
Antoine nodded slightly, still looking unsure.
“Great, so I can meet you here or pick you up from school on Wednesday.”
“You can pick me up, but you probably want to leave the Tesla at home. I’m not trying to have everyone in school coming at me for getting picked up in it, and when you take me back home, you won’t wanna be driving it.”
Frat House Confessions: Brody Page 9