I ran my fingers through the coarse, spiky grass while I listened to the banter of the men inside. Apparently, they were having a good time insulting one another .

My older brother and his friends were having a poker night, which mostly consisted of drinking beer and trash talking one another. There was a little card playing mixed in when they actually remembered to deal a hand between drinks .

The group of them got together every couple of weeks for poker night. Since I lived with my brother in his house to save money, I had to follow his rules. He wanted me to make myself scarce, or if I didn’t have anywhere to go, I was allowed to hide upstairs while they were here. It was strictly a no girls allowed kind of thing .

My brother, Cal, was quite clear about the fact that he didn’t want his sister around when the guys were over. Maybe he was afraid I’d cramp his style .

Lucky for me I didn’t care. It wasn’t like I even wanted to be hanging around with his lame friends .

Tonight, however, was a little different because I’d actually went out instead of hiding upstairs. The problem was, I’d gotten bored, and now I was stuck waiting in the shadows in the backyard until the party was over or waiting for a chance to sneak up to my room unnoticed .

There hadn’t been anything to do around town. We lived in a small town where there wasn’t much to do, and places closed early. I’d walked around town for a while, but when I couldn’t find a damn thing to do, I had no choice but to go home .

All my old friends had gone off to college. I had the great idea of taking off a year and living with my brother. It was a decision I often times regretted .

I rested back against the thick oak tree and pulled out a long blade of grass. My fingers twisted and twirled it until I ripped it into small pieces and sprinkled it around my worn-out converse .

The tree was big enough that I could easily keep myself hidden. If my drunken brother noticed me, I was sure it would be dreadfully embarrassing for at least one of us. Most likely me .

Most of the time I felt pretty invisible anyway, so of course, that helped. I just wasn’t one of those wildly outgoing women that men wanted .

I was shy and awkward. I didn’t care about the latest fashion trends or what Kim K. was up to .

Listening to their conversation was both disgusting and entertaining. Most of what they said had me rolling my eyes so much I was starting to feel dizzy .

“How have things been with Julie?” my brother asked his best friend .

I’d known Doug for quite a while. My brother had him over sometimes when I was home, but for the most part, they just ignored me .

“Fuck man. Good I guess,” Doug said and then loudly yawned. They all busted out laughing .

I twisted my hair and pulled it to one side so I could hear them better. It had gotten so long it apparently had affected my ability to hear well. I pulled my legs to my chest and tucked myself tighter inside my hoodie. Maybe if I made myself smaller, I’d be able to focus on their gossiping better .

“That’s the way relationships are, man,” one of the others said .

“Shut the fuck up, Peter! Your wife is so fucking hot, and she still puts out after all the time you’ve been with her. You don’t get to fucking complain,” the heavy-set guy said, as he slammed his cards down on the table. “I’m out, and I gotta get back, my wife is waiting up for me .”

“Getting lucky tonight, George?” Peter asked, taking a long swig from his bottle of beer .

The large man, George, snorted. “Shit. Do you think if I got laid I’d look like this?” He patted his round belly .

“Yeah, yeah you would,” Doug said, reaching over to rub George’s gut. “How far along are you now? Eight months?” The men all laughed, except for George .

“Very funny, Doug. Verrrrrrry funny. You’d think we’d share a bond considering neither of us are getting laid,” George said, with a grunt .

“Shit, man. You have a point,” Doug said .

“Anyway, I’ll catch you guys later.” Moments later, I heard the front door close. One down. Two more to go. Then I could go to my room and warm up .

“Aww, dammit, I should really get going too,” Peter said, tossing his cards on the table. “I’m out of money anyway .”

Doug shook his head. “Pussy .”

“Fuck you. I have to work in the morning,” Peter said, standing up so quickly the chair squeaked against the floor. “Later numb nutses .”

“Need a cab?” my brother asked .

“I’m walking .”

He walked away from the table and seconds later the front door closed again. One left. Doug .

Maybe since it was just Doug, my brother wouldn’t care if I came in early. Then again, he probably had more than enough to drink. I’d wait .

Doug was the best looking out of my brother's friends. He was tall, with wavy dark blonde hair. Unlike the other guys, he shaved his facial hair which made him look quite a bit younger. But his very best feature was his sparkling cornflower blue eyes .

I watched him as he stood up from the table and took a drink from his beer. His body was far better than the others too. He had broad shoulders and quite muscular. It was obvious that he worked out .

Doug dressed differently than the others too. It seemed as though he actually put thought into what he was wearing rather than grabbing the first clean t-shirt he found. George had worn a Hawaiian shirt, but Doug wore a button-down shirt with a collar. The first couple buttons were undone as if to say he was fun too .

My brother, Cal, was a bit older than I was. Our parents had me when they were older. I was what they called a surprise. His friends had already graduated college, had jobs and some of them married. Cal, however, had a job, but he didn’t want to grow up, hence the parties .

If things were different, I would easily have Doug be my first. He was freaking hot. But of course, he was with stupid Julie who didn’t put out and my brother’s best friend. Not to mention the fact I was pretty sure he barely knew I existed .

I don’t even know why I was thinking about him. He wouldn’t ever be interested in a girl like me… young, no job, no friends. And let’s not forget about Julie .

But if things were different and there was no Julie… I’d let Doug put his hands anywhere he wanted. He’d slid them up my arms and into my hair before tugging it back slightly so he could kiss me. His lips would move over every inch of my skin .

“Mmm,” I whispered softly when I felt the little twinge between my legs .

I tilted my head back and shivered when the cool breeze danced over my skin .

“What are you doing out here?” Doug asked, and my entire body jerked as if I had been caught doing something wrong. I squinted up at Doug as he lit the cigarette dangling from his lips. “Want company ?”

My insides warmed, and I swallowed hard. “Sure .”