by TARA GALLINA
"Well, go get her." Harper steps back and crosses her arms, though I think she only does it to push her boobs in my face.
I give her a calculated grin that I learned from my father. "I don't take orders. You've already pissed off Nathan and been told to leave. I suggest you follow his request. I'll make sure your friend gets a ride home."
She opens her mouth like she wants to argue but must see in my gaze that I'm not playing around. With a huff, she stomps to the door and wrenches it open. "Are you the one who's going to take her home?"
"What does it matter?" I ask, unblinking, my patience wearing thin.
"She said you weren't going to be here."
"She wasn't lying, and I’m not staying. Not that it's any of your business."
She gives me a once-over. "You look sexy when you're angry."
I raise a brow to her in warning.
"Geez. It's a compliment. Lighten up." She rolls her eyes again and leaves. Finally.
How in the fuck is Ainsley friends with a girl like that? Talk about different worlds. I don't get it. I get Nathan's interest. It's in his pants, but a guy doesn't have to like a girl to fuck her. Although with the way he acted tonight, I'm not sure it's all about the sex with him when it comes to her.
I check on Nathan to make sure he's okay, and then head upstairs to my room.
The first glimpse of Ainsley on my bed rocks me on my feet. She's even more beautiful in person, a sleeping beauty. Quiet and peaceful, and so different from her disastrous friend.
I’m torn between waking her and leaving her be. She didn't plan to do this. I know her well enough to know she wouldn't purposefully fall asleep in my room. She'd been reading and yawned several times.
I turn off the desk lamp. To help her stay asleep?
Shadows fall over the room, darkening the space. A streak of silver moonlight crosses the bed above her head. The closer I get to her, the more intense her scent becomes. Lemonade and strawberries. I bet my covers smell like her.
More sensations hit me. In my chest and in my damn pants, like my dick knows she's near. What the hell?
My phone dings. I tense and rip it from my pocket, turning it to silent.
My gaze shoots back to Ainsley. Did she move?
I ease down onto the bed, careful not to jostle her, and lean in wishing I could see her clearly. Should have left the desk light on.
She stirs, and my pulse rises. "Harper?" she asks in a sleepy voice. It's even raspier. Sexy as hell.
"Sebastian," I say, angry that I woke her, even if it's for the best. I doubt she plans to sleep over.
"Sebastian?" she mumbles, sounding half a sleep.
"Yes?" I lean over her more, so she can see I’m real. All it does is make me want to kiss her and see if she tastes as sweet as she smells.
"Am I dreaming?" she asks.
"Depends. Do you dream about me?" In this state, she'll answer honestly.
"No." Disappointment laces her tone.
"Hmm?" I straighten and scratch the light stubble on my chin. "I'll have to work on that." I don't know if I'm teasing her or plotting to make this happen.
"Why are you in my room?" she asks, turning her head in my direction.
"I'm not. You're in my room."
A few moments pass and then she shoots upright.
I raise my hands to stop her from standing, in case she's planning to. If she tries, she'll topple over given she just woke up.
She sways and then flops back onto the bed. "I'm sorry. I must have fallen asleep." Tension wraps her voice. "I hope you're not here because of my texts. You were with your dad and I shouldn't have bothered you. I'm so sorry I sent them. And I am so sorry I keep saying sorry. You probably hate the word even more now."
"I don't hate the word." I plant my hand on the mattress and angle my body toward hers. "I don't use it, but I don't hate it. My father does. He says only the weak apologize; the strong have no reason to be sorry." Since I was five, he's been beating that into my brain.
"Wow. He sounds delightful," she throws out in a teasing tone and then seems to stiffen. "I'm tired. That didn't come out right."
She's worried? "I’m not offended," I assure her. "It was perfect. Funny too." I release the small laugh caught in my throat. The habit of holding it in comes from being around my father lately. This is Ainsley though. I can relax with her.
She pushes up to her elbows. "I like when you laugh. It's nice."
She already put herself in a prime kissing position, then she goes and says something like that. Her sweetness is addicting. I'm suddenly thankful for the darkness or else she might see me staring at her lips with need.
As if she can feel me staring, or perhaps she can see me in the dark, she sits up and lowers her head. Her hair falls forward, forming a curtain of waves between us. "Are you sure you're not mad at me for being in your room. I did not plan to fall asleep in your bed. I swear. I'll wash the bedding if you want."
"I'm not mad. And my bed has never looked better. Why are you hiding from me?" I tug a strand of her long hair, sensing her nervousness.
"I’m not."
"I can't see your face."
"We're in the dark. You can't see it anyway." She lifts her head a little, seeming to stare across the room. "Did you turn off the lamp?"
"It's on a timer." Truth, but that's not why it's off.
She lowers her head again like she's curling in on herself.
"Ainsley?" Her name leaves my lips on a breath. I give another gentle tug to a strand of her hair. "Do you often use this as a barrier to hide behind?" I don't want her to hide anything from me. Asinine considering my life is a shroud of secrets and lies.
She lifts her face to mine, again positioning herself perfectly for a kiss, yet utterly unaware. "I'm not hiding. And it's not like you can see me anyway. My head is a dark blob."
Unable to resist, I lift my hand to her chin and tilt her face a little more to my level. Then I brush my thumb from her chin to her lips sweeping it over the bottom, fuller one. "I found these easily enough."
Her lips part under my thumb with an uneven breath. Blood shoots to my groin, and I can't help but smile at her reaction to me. Does she want a kiss as badly as I do?
All the reasons why this is a bad idea leave me in a rush of excitement. With my hand still on her chin, I slowly lean toward her and tilt my head to the side, letting her know my intentions and giving her time to back out.
Don't back out. Back out.
She tenses but doesn't move away, might even lean closer. "I …" She pauses and inhales a sharp breath. Then she sighs and drops her head to the side as if lining up for the kiss.
Fuck me. I'm going to love and hate this.
Chapter 13
A flash of light on my left brightens the bedroom.
Ainsley turns her head toward it, and my fingers slip from her chin. "What is that?"
I swipe the mobile from my bed. "My phone. I get camera alerts when it senses motion." Not a peep from it, until I lean into kiss her. A blessing or a curse?
"Motion where?" she asks.
"This room." I stifle a frustrated sigh.
She glances around in search of the camera, which has my lips hiking up at the corners.
"You won't find it," I say. "It's hidden like the others around the house, inside and out." I won't lie to her about this, or anything that doesn't involve my family. I don't want to, feel it's only fair with how honest she is with me.
"Why?"
"Why are they hidden or why are they all over the house?"
"Both."
"Cameras are most effective when they're hidden, and I take my privacy and safety very seriously. We all do, especially when we have parties. Keeps stuff from getting stolen and bad things from happening to guests."
"You spy on people when they're here?" Suspicion rings in her tone.
"We don't spy. We're usually busy or partying too. But we're always mindful and check on them at times. We don’t abuse it. We're not
pervs," I add pointedly. "It's not like any of us can't get laid. It's responsible."
Her breathing slows, and I feel her tension fading, but not all the way. What now?
She scratches her arm. "Did you see me in your room tonight?"
Ah! That's the reason. "I got an alert when you entered, but I didn't know who it was. I also didn't assume it'd be you. I figured you'd text me again if you needed me."
"So, you just came home and found me in your bed?" Does she sound pleased by this, or is it my twisted imagination?
"No. I came home because I noticed you were asleep in my bed," I make clear and peer down at her profile, somehow closer all of a sudden.
Her head turns, and she tilts her face as if meeting my gaze in the dark. "And you came to kick me out?"
Kick her out? More like hold her captive. Can she be any more clueless to how seductive she is? All I can think about is kissing her again, among other things.
"Do you like Harper?" she asks, sending me reeling.
"What?" I straighten away from her.
"She said you told her you're not engaged and that she thinks you like her, and since she's my best friend and she likes you, I feel like it's important to bring up." She gasps and springs from the bed like she was pushed. She stumbles forward and catches herself on the dresser across from the bed.
I'm on my feet in an instant, my muscles tight. "What's wrong?"
"Harper," she blurts. "Does she know where I am? Does she know you're with me? If she knows I'm in your bed, she'll kill me."
"Kill you." I almost laugh. "That's dramatic." And not a phrase that's thrown around lightly in my family.
She touches her forehead, like she has a headache, and her breathing spikes. "What am I going to say? How long have I been up here?" She freezes. "What if she came up and saw me?"
Her hand drops to her stomach, the panic coming off her near palpable.
"Ainsley, calm down." I gently grasp her wrists and hold them at her sides as I bend to her eye level. "Relax. Everything is fine. I talked to Harper and she's not mad at you." She's not a good friend to you either.
Ainsley tenses. "You talked to her? What did she say? How did she act?"
Like a horny bitch bent on revenge. "First breathe." I pull her into my arms until her cheek is pressed against my chest. "Breathe," I repeat. "Everything is fine. I promise."
For a moment she softens as I hold her, but then her breathing grows faster, huskier, and she shivers. Holy fuck. Is she turned on? This isn't part of my soothe-her plan.
"It's not that simple," she says and leans away, tilting her head back to look at my face. "Harper likes you and if she thinks I’m interested in you she'll be pissed, and I can't have that. I'm living with her now, and I can't go back home, so I need her happy with me."
I nod, understanding her freak-out better and pissed that she moved in with a girl who slept with my good friend more than once then hit on me in front of him.
I lower my hands from Ainsley's waist, so she doesn't feel my fingers ball into fists. "When did you move in with her?"
"Today."
I nod again. "Well, I can't control Harper or her feelings, but I can assure you I want nothing to do with her. I don't pass girls back and forth with my friends. And even if I did, she's too dramatic for my taste. I have enough of that with Marina." I walk to the nightstand and turn on the light, just to put distance between us. It's too easy for me to forget myself around her. This new living arrangement with Harper might be good, another reminder of why I need to keep my hands off Ainsley.
As I think it, I lift my gaze to her and am dumbstruck. If ever I’m in the dark with a girl, she's naked or wearing something provocative to tempt me. I didn't expect to see Ainsley in either, but I didn't expect to see her like this. A baggy t-shirt with a big sunflower over her boobs, leggings, and light green converse sneakers that match the green in her big eyes.
"Cute outfit," I say. I imagine she dresses like this at home and find it oddly sexy, which shouldn't be a shocker considering everything about the girl seems to turn me on.
She glances down, her brows knitted with concern, like she forgot what she's wearing. I would say, no way, but this is Ainsley.
"A lot happened today." She lifts her head and frowns.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I stroll back over and sit on the edge of the mattress, clasping my hands and resting my elbows on my thighs. My father loves when I do this, thinks I'm engaged. In this instance, I am. I want to help Ainsley. I want to know her better.
I peer up at her from my lower position, done intentionally to ease her and make her feel like the one in charge. She is. I'm giving her the power with the hope that she'll open up to me.
Her eyes seem to flutter as I hold her gaze. She swallows deep in her throat. From desire or nerves? Before I can determine which, she asks, "Talk as boss to employee, or as friends?"
"Friends."
"I don't want to bother you."
Most girls would be gushing about their problems by now. "You're not."
Seeming unsure, she moves to lean against the armoire behind her, and tucks hair behind her perfect little ear. Her gaze drops to her sneakers. "I told my mom I was moving out, and it got ugly. I expected it to, but then she said if I leave, I can't come back. I wasn't expecting that. It hurt. Then she informed me that she and my dad are getting a divorce, and she's selling the house to move to the beach possibly. She wouldn't even let me take my bedroom furniture. Which is fine. Harper has a beautiful set for me to use. I just … I was sort of attached to my old set. I'd had it for a long time and I always imagined taking it with me." She cringes. "Saying that out loud sounds stupid."
"It's not stupid, Ainsley." My muscles harden with anger toward her mother. No one, not even her parents should treat her like this. She should be given things freely. Shit. I want to kick her mom's ass and buy Ainsley a freaking condo with the nicest bedroom furniture she can find. A replica of her old shit if she wants. That's how pissed I am.
Her lips quirk up a tiny bit at the corners.
It's all I can do not to haul her into my arms and promise her the world. I settle for soothing her with words. "It's a lot for one day and not being able to take your furniture sucks. I'm glad Harper has nice stuff for you to use. I would have got you something if she didn't." Buy you a fucking house if you wanted.
Her head lifts, and she meets my gaze. "That's … No. I wouldn't have let you. I’m not your responsibility."
It wouldn't even dent my bank account, but then she wouldn't know that. "You're my employee."
"That's different."
"Not if you're exhausted from not having a bed and you're messing up the scheduling as a result." I try for teasing to lighten her mood, desperate to see a smile on her sad face.
She laughs, that sweet smile easing my anger. "What about you? How are you even here? I thought you couldn't get away."
I shrug and sit taller now. "My father had to take care of some business. It happens. I used the opportunity to sneak away for a little while. He'll be back in the morning though, and I'll need to be there." Enough on that subject.
"What time is it now?" she asks.
"Two-ish?" I guess and stand.
"In the morning?" she shrieks. "I can't believe I slept for that long." She snatches the laptop and phone from the bed, like she's seconds from racing away. "Do you know where Harper is?"
"She left." I check the time to make sure I'm right. Yep.
"What do you mean she left?"
Now, for the part I've been avoiding. "She got in a fight with Nathan. He told her to go home and cool off."
"And she did? Without me?" Her face pales and her grip on the laptop looks deadly. "I don't have a ride home now. I don't even know if I have a home."
"She's not pissed at you, if that's what you think. I told her you passed out in the game room, where I left your stuff."
"And she believed you? Did she check?"
"She didn't have to
check. She had no reason to believe you were anywhere else, least of all my bedroom. It's off limits and everyone who lives here knows that. They wouldn't even let her up here to check."
"Okay." She exhales and relaxes some. "I guess she broke up with Nathan then, if they got in a fight.”
"Not exactly." I wander to the mini fridge, desperate for a beer to ease my nerves, but grab a Coke instead.
"No beer?" Ainsley asks, surprising me. Does she sense I'm agitated or is it a lucky guess?
I don't drink when my father is around. It's too risky. I need to stay sharp." Ready for whatever he throws at me—questions, threats, knives, fists.
She strolls over to where I stand, seeming worried again. "What happened between Harper and Nathan that was so bad she left?"
I rest a hand on the granite kitchen counter and swirl a sip of Coke around in my mouth, thinking. "Do you want the truth?"
"Of course."
I swirl another sip around in my mouth and try to think of the best way to approach this.
"Sebastian?" Ainsley huffs. She shoves the stuff she's holding into one arm and pokes me in the stomach with her finger. "Tell me."
Laughter puffs up my throat and I almost spit out the Coke. "Do you want me to tickle you?" I warn, welcoming the invitation of putting my hands all over her body.
She hugs the laptop protectively to her chest. "Just tell me already."
"Fair enough." I scan her sweet little body with longing, set the Coke on the counter, and take my key from my pocket before giving her the truth. "Harper licked my neck, rubbed my dick, and tried to kiss me. Nathan saw. Come on, I'll take you home."
Chapter 14
I race down the stairs, certain I'm being chased by an angry female ready to explode with questions. At the second-floor landing, I realize no one is behind me.
What the hell? Will Ainsley ever cease to amaze me?
At the door to my room, I yell up the stairs. "Ainsley? Are you coming or are you spending the night?"
That oughta get her moving. Sure enough, pattering sounds on the wooden steps as I move to wait by the grand staircase. She emerges, the laptop clutched in her arms and follows me to the first floor without a word.