A JOLT WAKES ME, my eyes popping open in the dark. It’s a small moment of confusion as I process the room and the weight of the arm draped around me. The bedside clock reads almost three a.m.; its red glow lights up the face of Niko as I glance behind me.
That’s when I remember why we’re both passed out. I can feel it in my abdomen, the memory of Niko inside me. The strength needed to pull myself from the warmth of his arms is intense, but I manage. I spot a phone charger in the glow and pray that it’s a match for my iPhone.
Each movement when prying my body from his is calculated so that I don’t wake him. I don’t want him asking questions. I got what I wanted from him, and I plan to leave the way I’ve heard that he usually does.
He doesn’t move, his breath even. Why does he have to look so good even asleep?
A question for another time.
The bed that once had a place on the left side of Niko’s large room is now almost blocking his bedroom door. We just fucked so hard that we moved his bed across his bedroom.
Holy shit.
Niko wrecked me. There is no way that any man will come close to what we just did tonight. I’m not sure how I feel about that considering I don’t plan on seeing him again after this. The thought makes me sad, but I’m too tired to dwell on the feelings.
My legs are weak, making my steps unsteady. There are clothes all over the floor around the bed, a few condom wrappers mixed in, and I pick up my clothes as I make my way through. I’m almost tempted to stay until morning and wake him up just to see what sex looks like with Niko Callahan in the light of day, but I can’t risk that. I let out a small sigh and turn away from him.
As I slide between the thin gap between the bed and the wall on my way toward the door, I notice the massive blackness on his back and wish the light was better so I could see the tattoo. Then again, I didn’t get a good look at any of the ink covering his skin. Preoccupied with other parts of his body and all.
Quietly, I move about his apartment in search of my bag.
There’s a nightlight on in the kitchen, highlighting my purse along with another phone cord.
Perfect.
I pull my phone out of the outer pocket and plug it in. Hopefully, it will give me just enough charge to call for an Uber and see if Cam sent me anything.
I slip my thong on and look back into the bedroom—no change.
My phone has just enough juice to turn on, and I nearly jump out of my skin as the startup music begins to play. Phone clutched in my chest, I frantically try to cover the speaker while pressing the volume button down.
Another glance finds Niko has rolled onto his back, but he’s still sleeping soundly. I blow out a breath, my frayed nerves calming as my heart slams in my chest. Another glance at his sleeping form and the sheet that barely covers the lower part of his body has slipped, showcasing the V that leads down his happy trail. I should say my happy path. The tent he’s currently sporting under the sheet has my hands itching to touch him, and my mouth salivates.
Holy shit.
I remember the last few hours. How my tongue owned every part of Niko’s body, and I’d love to do everything again. I’m getting lost in the memories, the feelings, and the desire to pull the sheet down and straddle him again.
I can’t. I need to leave, I remind myself.
Dragging my eyes away from the sex god in front of me, I look down at my phone. There are half a dozen texts from Cam along with a few voicemails, but he’s not the only one. Thoughts of Niko completely disappear as I read a few and then scold myself for even going there. Cam’s text message is all I care about. Screw Tate and his weak excuses. I’ve ignored his text messages this long. I’ve no plans on changing that now.
The last message from my brother says to go to the station. It’s well past midnight—will he still be there? I’ve no idea what time they work till at a fire station, but I guess I’ll find out when I get there. I also notice the messages before that.
Cameron: I’m heading to work, but Niko is going to wait for you with the keys. Let me know when you land.
Then another.
Cameron: I just looked up your flight. Says your plane is delayed due to weather. I’m going to let Niko off the hook so he can go home. Just in case you don’t see this and head to the pub, call me and let me know you’re safe. If you can’t get me, I’m probably out on the job. Have Niko call the station. He can reach me faster.
God, he’s like a mother hen sometimes. There are about ten messages from Cam.
Cameron: Niko went home. God, I hope you turn your phone on soon. Call me as soon as you land! You know I’ll be worried until you do.
The night probably would have turned out a lot differently had I seen all those messages before getting to the pub. I let out a breath. There’s no use thinking about that now. It’s too late anyway.
Time is moving fast, and I need to get out of here. The Uber app is on the first page, and I quickly pull it up and input the address back to the bar and my rental car.
Seven minutes to get dressed and get out.
I keep my boots off; the heels make too much noise. I should probably let Niko know I left. Or acknowledge that I enjoyed my time with him. Is that what usual one-night stands do?
No . . . that’s stupid, Everly.
I have no clue if there is some one-night stand etiquette, seeing as this is my first one, but I feel weird leaving without letting Niko know that I enjoyed our time together. I don’t want to seem rude. That thought almost makes me laugh.
Only I would think it was rude not to say thanks for fucking the shit out of me. A flash of yellow in my purse catches my eye, and I know there’s a pen near it, giving me an idea. A small scribble and I leave it with Niko before carefully making my way out his door and down the stairs.
Thirty minutes later, I’m in my rental pulling up to the firehouse. The engine is in the garage, multiple men folding up hoses and putting equipment away. They must have returned recently from a call.
The slam of my car door draws attention from the open door, and the familiar silhouette of my big brother turns toward me. His blue eyes find me, his mouth slipping up into a smile as he drops whatever chore he is working on to jog over to me.
I’m barely in the door when his hands are under my arms, and he’s lifting me into the air. “Everly! Jesus, kid, I was worried the fucking plane crashed or some shit!”
I squeeze him hard. I love my brother, and I’ve missed him and my family. Sure, I’ve seen them every few holidays, but it’s never the same. A wave of peace and the thought that I’ve made the right choice by coming home overwhelms me, and I almost want to cry.
“Hey,” Cam says, pulling back to search my face. “You okay? I knew you’d be fine. You know how I feel about airplanes.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m just tired. It was a long flight. Nothing that a shower and a few hours of sleep won’t cure.”
“You sure? We haven’t had a chance to talk about you coming home.”
“Yes, I’m positive. I’m just happy to be home. You know?”
He eyes me for a second, searching my face for any sign that something more is wrong. Cam has always been able to read me. We were always close growing up. Even though he is five years older than me, we have a deep sibling connection. He just always knew when I needed him and was there to fix things and still tried to make things easier on me.
“Well, if you need to talk, you know I’m here to listen. You only have to say the word, Ev.”
I smile because I do know this. “I know, and I love you for it.” I pull him back in for a hug. “God, I’ve missed you, big brother.”
“Missed you, too, kiddo. Let’s go grab the keys so you can go get some sleep and then get yourself settled in, yeah?”
“Yeah. Sounds good to me.” We start walking toward the garage door of the firehouse. A few of the guys are still putting some things away while double-checking their equipment. “Eyes to yourselves, fellas. My kid sister is totally off limits to you fuckers.”
I shake my head and giggle at Cam’s words. He’s ridiculous. I’m not sixteen years old anymore, but he still seems to think that his friends can’t check me out. It was like that when he was home from college on break. I wasn’t interested in his friends back then.
Well, not all of them anyway. Just one, and I was always disappointed when Cam would come home for break alone. Niko usually stayed in the dorm during breaks. I’d heard Cam telling my parents once that after Niko’s dad died and his mom moved back to Greece, coming home made him sad, so he chose to stay at school.
God. My brother will flip if he finds out what I did with Niko only a few hours ago.
“So what happened?” Cam says, breaking me from my thoughts of Niko.
I wave my hand in the air and shake my head, adding an exasperated sigh. “Plane delay and a bunch of other stuff. Ran into an old friend before my phone died. It’s been one hell of a day.”
An omission isn’t lying, right?
“I bet. Is your friend cute? Unless it was that witch of a best friend Alyson you insist on keeping around. Then I don’t want to know. And how did you know to come here?”
“No . . . not Aly, but not your type. I was able to charge my phone some when I got to the rental. Took a few minutes, but finally got just enough juice to get your messages.” I didn’t lie. Niko is probably not his type. I smile to myself, and Cam blows out a breath.
“Good thing I didn’t have Niko wait.”
“Oh yeah. Niko was waiting for me, right? He wasn’t mad, was he? I would hate to have ruined his night,” I say, knowing that his night was in no way ruined while waiting for me. He just doesn’t know exactly who it was that made his night. Good thing I’ll be too busy working crazy hours once the new job starts on Monday. My chances of running into Niko are slim, and even if I do eventually run into him, well . . . I’ll worry about that part later.
“Earth to Everly,” I hear Cam say, bringing me from my thoughts and deception.
“Sorry, I’m just tired. What did you say?”
“I don’t think anything ever ruins Niko’s nights.”
I’m sure that’s true, but if he finds out that his latest flavor was me, he’ll likely be more than a little pissed off.
“When is your stuff getting here?”
I need to stop with the Niko thoughts. It’s over. No use crying over spilled milk.
“The moving company is packing up my apartment and then will head out, so I need to find a place soon. My car should be here by the end of the week. The rest shortly after.”
“Your car? Seriously, Ev?” Cam shakes his head. “You could’ve just bought a new, more practical one here.”
“It’s a BMW Z4 convertible. No way in hell I’m leaving my baby.”
“A convertible won’t do you much good here.”
“It’s a hard top.”
“Whatever. Hard top won’t help you once that snow hits us, little sister, and it’s rear-wheel drive so you’ll get stuck for sure.” Cam shakes his head at me before digging into a bag he obviously brings with him to the firehouse during a shift. He rummages through it for a second and then pulls out his keys, twisting a set off. “Mom and Dad left two days ago and won’t be back for a few weeks.”
“So specific.”
Cam shrugs. “You know how they get when they’re in Martha’s Vineyard.”
Our parents are third-generation owners of a good-sized estate, a place we spent every summer at when we were younger. We never fit in very well, not acting like spoiled rich brats like all our neighbors. I mean, the Kennedys have a place there for crying out loud. Not to mention all the other wealthy families. Money pours in there during the warmer months.
“When do you start your new job?” Cam asks.
“Monday,” I say as I slip the keys onto my key ring.
“I’m booked solid this week, but let’s get dinner on Friday or Saturday, fill me in on everything.”
I step forward and wrap my arms around his shoulders. “It’s a date.”
His arms tighten around me. “Missed you, kiddo.”
“Missed you, too.”
“All right, get to bed.” He pats my shoulder, then pushes on my back.
I give him a wave goodbye and head back out to my car. The firehouse is only a few minutes away from my parents’, especially at this hour with the lack of other vehicles on the road. The driveway is dark, but a sudden flash of light as I punch in the security code for the gate surprises me. The exterior is suddenly blinding, the motion detection lights activating all around the property.
As I drive up and park outside of the garage, I see a camera at one of the lights and wave, knowing my dad will see it. Maybe not now, but he’ll get the alert on his phone and see it when he wakes.
After unpacking the car, I flip through the keys Cameron gave me. When I moved across the country, there was no reason for me to have a set, especially since I didn’t make it home very often. Mom and Dad always flew out to visit me. In fact, I am sure the set Niko was supposed to give me was the set I used to carry.
The house is still, the flicker of light bringing life to a lifeless, dark room. I flip more switches, lighting the house up as memories come flooding in. It’s my home, my one real home. I grew up here, and while some of the decors have updated, it still holds the warmth and familiarity that sends a wave of calm through me.
“I’m home,” I call out into the quiet.
There’s no response, and sadness washes over me. No Mom to pop out and welcome me, no pitter-patter of Bruno and Sasha’s nails on the hardwoods as they bound over for a lick attack.
My suitcase is heavy as I lug it up the stairs, a point that is proven by the “Heavy” tag the airline attached. There’s still another one, and I wonder if it’s needed tonight or if I can get it in the morning, because my legs are still on the weak side due to the night’s activities. The laptop bag is a must, but I’ll get it when I grab a snack.
Entering my room is almost like opening the fourth dimension. It has the same warmth of familiarity and security of the rest of the house, but laced in my eighteen-year-old self’s sense of style. Is geek chic a thing?
Bookshelves covered in books, some shelves two deep. My sleigh bed is encased in a pink floral comforter that I think has been there since I was eight. Pictures from high school are on my dresser, and, embarrassingly enough, Niko’s senior photo taped to the mirror.
I just did a fuck and run on him.
Holy shit!
My mind reels with the reality of my actions, a smile curling up and practically breaking my face in two. I want to scream it from the rooftops, let everyone know that I, Everly Hayes, was fucked senseless by Niko Callahan.
My eyes widen.
Alyson.
The night’s namesake needs to be informed. I run back downstairs and grab my laptop bag. The phone charger is buried, knotted in with the other cords. I pick out the tangled mess and run up for my purse.
I’m a mess with my purse in one hand and a tangle of cords in the other, all the while my stomach rumbles because I never did get to eat dinner. A groan slips out, and I run back down and into the kitchen.
My fingers work at the knots that somehow happened during the security inspection because I was very meticulous when I packed the bag yesterday morning. Once I fish the charger cord free, I plug it into the nearest outlet and immediately plug my phone in.
Next item to find is my Bluetooth, which has me rolling my eyes on where it ended up. After five minutes of searching, I see it in an interior pocket of my purse, which is just enough time for the phone to get enough of a start-up charge.
The whole process takes longer than I think it should, but finally, the phone is on and I’m pulling up Alyson’s number. She’s working at the bar tonight, so I know she’s still awake.
Three rings and then a distorted, “Hello.”
“Hi.”
“Oh my God, Everly! Are you here?” Alyson asks.
My lips pull up into a smile. “Yes.”
“Thank God! Okay, I’m coming this weekend, and we’re going to drink wine and play catch-up.”
“Not too much wine,” I say as I open the fridge, it’s shelves empty except for condiments and about a case of wine. Seriously? There is a wine cellar in the basement. Why is there so much in the fridge? “You know I try not to drink that much and usually only a glass or two with dinner.” Or one or two fruity drinks when I want to have hot sex on a platter with one of the sexiest fish in the sea, but I’ll save that little tidbit for a few more minutes.
I close the door and move to the walk-in pantry.
“Boo. That’s so lame, Ev. So I’ll bring dinner!”
I laugh at my best friend and give in. “Fine, but only because it’s you, and there is a lot to catch up on. I’ll probably need a few glasses of wine once I fill you in.”
There is silence from Alyson a beat longer than I expect.
“What does that mean? Everly Hayes, you tell me what you did, and you tell me now.”
I shake my head, my gaze scanning the shelves. There are some necessities, but nothing dinner worthy. “How do you always know when I’ve done something worth talking about?”
“First, you didn’t call me when you got into your parents’, which means you are just calling me now, and therefore, you just got to your parents’. You should have arrived like, six hours ago, so what have you been doing?”
I’m completely shocked, unable to respond.
“Or is the question who have you been doing?”
Jesus. She’s a little mind reader.
“When did you become the psychic Miss Cleo?”
I begin rifling through drawers. There used to be a stack of takeout menus, a few open almost twenty-four hours, but the usual stash place is empty. Maybe my parents have finally embraced Siri.
“Oh my God! You did do someone! Tell me all about it. Was it some hottie sitting next to you on the plane? Did you join the mile-high club?”
“No. I was going to tell you this weekend, but . . . Do you remember me talking about Niko Callahan?”
If she were sitting in front of me, she’d be rolling her eyes.
“How could I forget? He was who you measured all guys by. If they didn’t make you feel as much or more of the butterflies, you bounced. The almost-as-much was the only reason you stuck with Tate for two years.”
I lean over the counter as I thumb through my GrubHub app, searching for anyone who delivers.
“Yeah, well, let’s just say that my childish crush on the boy he was has nothing on what he looks like now as a grown man.”
“So, he’s hot?”
“Hot doesn’t begin to explain how he looks now. He’s something, though.” She chuckles in my ear, but she has no idea that I’m not kidding. The Niko then has nothing on the Niko now. He’s like something off one of those men’s fitness magazines that you see on the store shelves. No way does that man has an ounce of fat on his body. I know I didn’t feel any.
“Okay, back to that later. What about Niko?”
“Well, he was waiting for me when I arrived.”
Chinese, burrito, or pizza seem to be my only late-night options.
“Are you telling me you finally tapped that?”
“Multiple times.” I scan through the menus, letting my stomach dictate.
“Holy shit. Holy-motherfucking-shit!” Aly screams on the other end of the phone. “Oh, yes, we do have a lot to talk about! First, how was it?”
I let the phone drop back against the counter, my mind swirling with images of him over me, the feel of him inside me, the way our bodies moved together. The look in his eyes as he stared into mine, the way he made me come.
It was . . .
“Perfect.”
“Seriously?” she asks, sounding in disbelief.
“Yes.” Did she think he’d be one of those cocky assholes who couldn’t live up to his ego? Probably. She has more experience in that department than I do.
“Are you going to see him again?”
“No.”
“Wait, why not?”
I blow out a hard breath, the euphoria of the night darkened by one small fact. “He didn’t know who I was, Aly.” My fantasy never included him calling me by someone else’s name.
“What do you mean?”
My sudden shift in mood answers my early morning dinner debate and I pick Chinese. A big bowl of noodles sounds perfect.
“We were talking, and I stared straight into his eyes, and there was not a single spark of recognition. Not even a nod of familiarity.” There is a part of me that is disappointed that Niko didn’t recognize who I was, but the other part of me knows that had he known who I was, last night probably wouldn’t have happened. Who am I kidding? There is no perhaps about it. Niko would never have looked twice at me had he known that I was Everly Hayes, Cameron Hayes’s younger sister.
“I don’t even know what to say to that, babe. I want to say that it sucks, but I’m jumping up and down here for you because you finally did something that I would have encouraged you to do! I’m so proud of you, girlfriend!”
I smile at my best friend’s words, and I can’t help it. She’s right. I stepped outside my norm and entirely channeled my inner Alyson.
“I’m glad you mentioned that. I have to tell you something.” I start laughing and clear my throat before I expose my lie.
“Tell me what?”
“Well, I told you that he didn’t know it was me, so I didn’t tell him my name.”
“Oh! You did like they do in those erotic romance books you read! One night. No names. No strings. No repeats,” she says like that movie guy that tells you what’s playing at the theatre and then starts cracking up. She sounds like a kid in a candy store.
I shake my head even though I know she can’t see me through the phone. “Not exactly, although I wish I’d thought of that now that you say it. Sounds cooler.”
“Huh? So who did he think you were if you didn’t stay anonymous?”
“I told him my name was Alyson.” I wait a minute and then look at my phone to see if we are still connected. Aly says nothing, and then I hear her sniffle.
“Aly? Are you crying?” What in the world just happened? “Al?”
“Yes. I’m here. Sorry,” she says, and then I hear her moving stuff around and then she blows her nose in my ear. “You lied to someone? Everly freaking Hayes lied?” she says, and I smile into the phone.
“Umm, yes. If I told Niko I was you, then I’d say that was pretty much a lie.”
“Oh my God! Everly! I’m so proud right now. Let me enjoy my moment. You’ve finally been initiated into the bad girls club. My girl is growing up.” I chuckle and blow her a kiss through the phone. “I can’t wait for you to graduate,” she says, and I start laughing with her. I can’t help it; she’s contagious sometimes. “I think you should tell him who you are.”
“Are you crazy?”
“Okay, well then at least hook up with him again.”
“No. That’s playing with fire. If Cam knew what happened, he’d blow his lid right off!”
“Are you serious? You’re not a kid anymore, and Cam needs to mind his own damn business when it comes to you and your sex life. God, he’s so fucking annoying.”
Oh God. Here we go. Alyson and Cameron have the worst hate-hate relationship I’ve ever seen. I am not in the mindset to hear another long rant again on my brother’s faults and all the ways she’d love to boil his balls.
“First, I’m not getting into your thoughts and feelings on my brother. I still have no idea why the two of you can’t be civil,” I say to her. “Second, this is Niko. You know how he is. How Cam has always been when it comes to his friends. So that’s not going to fly.”
“Ev, it’s not like his best friend had sex with your mom! Come on!”
“Okay, that’s just gross. Don’t say Niko and sex with my mom to me ever again. Jesus.”
“I’m just saying. There is nothing wrong with two adults that were obviously into each other bumping uglies. I mean, you’re in your damn twenties, not a teen.”
“Thanks, Mom. I wouldn’t get too crazy over this, but I have to go. Shit . . . now I have the horrible thought of Niko and my mother! You suck.” Aly laughs, and I want to find bleach for my brain. “I’ll call you later. I need to unpack some things until I get situated, and hopefully, the things I sent from Tate’s place will arrive soon. Otherwise, I’ll have to buy a few new things for my new job.”
“Speaking of crazy, have you heard from the pond scum?”
I knew she’d ask, but I wanted to forget about Tate a little while longer if I could.
“I haven’t spoken to him, but he’s been calling every day. More than once a day. Leaving voice messages or sending me text messages. Nothing new,” I say nonchalantly and hope she leaves it alone, but I know she won’t. She is Aly, after all, and she hated Tate from day one.
“You mean he’s still trying to get you to move back there, with him?”
I’ve added a truckload of food to my cart while talking, somehow racking up more than fifty dollars in Chinese cuisine. The good news is my stomach won’t be roaring at me in twenty to thirty minutes.
“You know that’s never going to happen. It’s over. I can deal with a lot of things, but cheating and lying are not on that list. Tate is my past. I just want to move on, start new, and forget I ever knew Tate Matthews.”
“Which is exactly why you should tap Niko again. I think he might just be the best medicine for you right now. At least don’t rule the idea out. Trust me. I always know what’s right, and this sounds right.”
“No comment, but we can talk about that again later. I need to run.”
“Of course! Call you later. If you need me, you know where I am. I didn’t like Tate, but I know that was hard for you, and I’m here if you need me no matter what.”
“I know. And I will, but honestly, I’m good. Tate just isn’t the same guy he was when we met.”
“I’m not sure he ever was that guy you thought he was, babe, but I’m just glad he’s gone, and that you’re back. Even if he is the reason you’ve come home, I’m glad you’re here. Call me later; I have to get back to work. My asshole boss is giving me the stink eye. Love you!” she says before we hang up.
“Love you, too!” God, I love Aly. I’ve missed her like crazy. I know I made the right choice coming back. Everything just feels right now that I’m home.
My Chinese arrives, and after gorging myself, I throw the leftovers in the fridge and crawl into bed. It’s been a long day, but possibly the most memorable in my life. One I will remember forever.