Nineteen
Audrey
“You got laid,” Bennett said the day after Brody and I got back from our weekend away. How he knew I got laid, I didn’t know. I tried to deny it, and he wouldn’t believe me, no matter how much I argued. Thankfully, he seemed to be the only one who had some sort of twisted sex radar, as no one else appeared to be any the wiser.
Brody and I had agreed not to tell everyone yet, but also not to keep it a secret. We were being careful and trying not to get caught, but if we did, we wouldn’t lie. It wasn’t an easy topic to bring up for discussion, and there was never a right time either. We couldn’t very well stand up at the table at Sunday night dinner and say, “Guess what? We’re sleeping together.” Though I suspected it was more than just sex.
We’d never really discussed it. Not like they did in movies or books. There were no deep conversations or confessions of undying love. There was lots of sneaking around and tiptoeing up and down the stairs. Too many cold showers for both of us, stolen kisses and secret glances, but no huge conversations. I was okay with that. I didn’t cope well with expressing my feelings or my thoughts, so deep and meaningful discussions were a no-go. But I knew enough about Brody and his feelings for me to know that it wasn’t just a fling or a way to pass the time. If it were, we would have stopped by now, and not dragged it on for over a month.
But clearly, it wasn’t, if my bedroom door creaking open for the third night this week was anything to go by. Brody climbed into the bed behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“I could not wait to get home to you,” he said softly, placing a kiss behind my ear as his fingers found their way under my shirt.
“Oh, baby, this sounds like it could get interesting.” Bennett’s voice echoed through the room.
Brody froze, his fingers stopping their movements as he said low in my ear, “Audrey.”
I rolled over and smiled at him, lifting my phone up to show him Bennett’s face on the screen.
“Hey, man!” Bennett waved and blew Brody a kiss. “Don’t mind me. Just prop the phone up on the desk to give me a better view and think of me as a cheerleader. I’ll be shouting encouragement.” He laughed.
“You’re video chatting right now?” Brody asked through gritted teeth.
“Yep.” I patted his cheek. We video chatted almost every night, even though we saw each other at school every day. “Won’t be long, though.” I rolled back onto my side to keep talking to Bennett.
He was fighting with his dad again. I hated his dad. I wished I could offer for Bennett to live with us, but it wasn’t my house, and it wasn’t my place. Leanne and Steve already had enough to worry about with Brody and me sneaking around under their roof. But I really did want to save Bennett.
Principal Sawyer was an asshole.
There was no other way to describe the man. He treated his son like crap. Blamed him for everything. And he was more interested, according to Bennett, in chasing tail at the golf club he was a member of. Apparently, he’d been caught in a compromising position with a waitress tonight after dinner, and of course, was blaming Bennett for not keeping a better eye out. Like he was the watchdog or something.
“What did he say?” I asked.
“Told me if I screw up one more time, he’d ship me off to live with my mother. I can’t do that, Audrey. I won’t.”
“You won’t have to, Bennett, I promise. Four more months, and the school year will be over. You just have to hang in until then, and then we’re out of here.” I hated the way his father treated him. It wasn’t like Mr. Sawyer was perfect, obviously. From what Bennett had told me, there were a few more skeletons in his closet. A few mistakes made in the not-so-far-back past that could come back to bite him in the ass, along with the waitress scandal, if they ever got out. Not a great image for a high school principal to portray.
“I know. You’re right.” He groaned and rubbed a hand across his face. “Okay, I’m going. I’ll see you tomorrow. Night, bro.”
“Night, bestie.” I grinned into the phone when he rolled his eyes at me calling him bestie. He’d been trying to get me to call him bro because it was much manlier than bestie, which was my exact argument for him to stop calling me bro. We’d reached an impasse. I was bro. He was bestie. It would never get resolved.
I ended the call and rolled over to find Brody sleeping. Pressing a kiss to his cheek, I rested my head on his chest and made myself comfortable.
***
When I woke in the morning, Brody was gone. It was the way things happened. He always snuck out of my room before anyone else woke up. And if I stayed the night upstairs in his room, he usually woke me up to kick me out before anyone noticed.
I rolled out of bed, grabbed my clothes, and stumbled up the stairs, half asleep, to have a shower. As I passed Brody’s room, his door opened, like it did every morning when he was home the same time I was, and he reached an arm out to pull me inside. His fingers were in my hair, and his mouth was on mine. His tongue danced with mine, moving languidly as his hands leisurely explored my body.
“Brody,” I moaned into the kiss.
“Good morning,” he said, pulling back, turning me around, and pushing me back out the door toward the bathroom.
“Very good,” I called over my shoulder as I closed the door behind me, shutting out his laughter. We were getting good at the sneaky kisses and hidden touches but still had to be careful.
After my shower, I made my way back downstairs and into the kitchen. Indie was coming over any minute to go through wedding plans with Leanne, and if I had to sit through all that, I needed coffee.
Brody was in the kitchen talking to Steve when I entered. He gave me a little smirk and picked up the paper, pretending to be interested in the news. I said good morning to Steve and made a beeline for the coffee pot. While I was making coffee, Brody came to stand directly behind me. He reached up into the cupboard above, causing his chest to press into my back. My heart beat faster, and my mouth went dry. What was he doing?
“Sorry, just need a mug,” he said, his voice sounding husky in my ear as I leaned back into him slightly, before realising what I was doing. “Pour me a cup while you’re there.” He leaned down and pulled my earlobe into his mouth, making me gasp and almost drop the coffee pot.
I elbowed him gently and glanced over at Steve, who was none the wiser. Breathing a sigh of relief, I finished making Brody’s coffee and handed it to him. “Thanks.” He winked and walked out of the room, leaving me flushed and a little breathless and trying my hardest not to chase after him. “See you all later. I’m going to be late for work,” he said as Leanne came into the kitchen.
Steve looked up briefly then returned to his paper. I sat on the stool at the breakfast bar and grabbed an apple while I waited for Indie to arrive. The wedding was a week away, and we were going shopping to buy Bailey a wedding dress and to organise the flowers for her bouquet. It wasn’t my idea of a fun Saturday, but we were driving to Storm Cove, which meant I could meet up with Bennett after we were done. Which I hoped wouldn’t be too long, because we all knew I hated shopping.