Chapter Twenty-Seven

 

 

 

 

Megan

 

 

 

 

 

“Okay. We should go,” Kelly said suddenly when I walked in the door with Simba. I unclipped his leash and looked at her in surprise.

“You waited until we got home to decide this?”

She shrugged and gestured to me with her hand. “At least I didn’t let you change into your pajamas first.”

“Fine,” I replied with a sigh as I turned to look at my reflection in the living room window. I contemplated heading to my room to refresh my make-up but decided against it. “Let’s go. You drive, though.”

Kelly didn’t argue and instead led me to where her car was parked. Once we were on the interstate, I looked at my sister.

“Why the change of heart? It was your idea not to go in the first place.”

She sighed and glanced over at me before looking back to the road. “I kind of slept with someone from Simon’s team a couple of weeks ago and I was hoping he’d call but he didn’t.” When I didn’t respond, she kept going. “So then I looked like a stalker at the game earlier and I didn’t want to stalk him all the way to the bar. But I decided that I don’t really care. I want to go and have fun.”

“Who was it?”

Kelly shook her head. “I don’t want to say but I feel stupid. He was so awesome the night we hung out and I really thought he liked me. But, you know, he just wanted to get laid.”

“Then fuck him, Kel,” I said earnestly as I reached over and touched her shoulder. “You are a prize. Any guy would be lucky to have you. I wish you could see that. You don’t give yourself nearly enough credit.”

“You’re my sister. You have to say that.” She used the steering wheel controls to turn up the music on the radio, effectively ending the conversation.

I wanted to shake her until she realized how amazing she was but instead I let the conversation go. People saw my gorgeous, sexy sister and they just assumed she used that to her advantage. What those same people didn’t realize was that Kelly had a really low self-esteem and sought approval anywhere she could get it. I wished she’d see herself the way I saw her.

The parking lot of Naked Joes was packed and it took us a few minutes to find a spot. People laughed loudly from the outdoor patio as Kelly and I passed and we flashed our ID’s before we were allowed inside. The sports bar had TVs covering almost every inch of the walls and they all had different sports games on. I searched the area until I found a few guys who looked familiar. As I led Kelly in their direction, she leaned in close so I could hear her over the noise.

“What’s with all the random women?”

There were a bunch of girls hanging around the guys, most of them dressed in minimal clothing and with a lot of make-up on their faces.

“Simon calls them badge bunnies. They’re the cop and fireman form of groupies.”

“Shit,” Kelly mumbled as she pulled me to a stop. “One of them just climbed in Simon’s lap.”

I looked up and scanned the group until I found him. Sure enough, a girl who looked barely old enough to drink had placed herself in Simon’s lap, a feat that couldn’t have been easy with the high stool he was sitting on. Her short, red skirt rode up her thighs and she had moved so the breasts that were spilling out of her black tube top were pressed against his chest.

“Is he going to shove her off his lap or what?” Kelly asked as she squeezed my hand and I shook my head.

“He’s too nice for that. He’ll do the subtle thing. Watch.”

And he did. Simon didn’t engage her as he continued talking to Williams across the table but I saw him shift in his seat to try to get her to move. When she didn’t, he tried again and shook his head at her.

I pulled Kelly forward and gestured for her to take the empty stool between Simon and Chad Hughes. With confidence I didn’t know I had, I extended my arm and tapped on the girl’s bare shoulder twice.

“Excuse me.”

She turned her head to look at me, a frown on her lips as she ran her eyes up and down my body before landing on my face. I glanced at Simon briefly and saw that his whole body had frozen when he’d caught sight of me. Ignoring him, I looked back to the occupant in his lap and raised my brows.

She gave me an indignant expression. “Can I help you?”

“Actually, you can,” I said as I gestured to Simon. “You can get off of my boyfriend.”

I watched as she turned her head towards Simon, as if she wanted him to dispute the fact, but he just gave her an expectant look and she finally slid off his lap without another word.

As if nothing had happened, I closed the gap between Simon and me so I could press a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth.

“Hey, Si.”

He blinked at me for a moment, obviously surprised with my assertive actions. Finally, he smiled and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me to his chest.

“Megs. You came.” He leaned in close and shook his head. “That girl. I was trying…”

I interrupted him with another kiss. “I know. I watched the whole thing.”

“You’re amazing.” He grinned and stood from his stool. “Take my seat.” I tried to protest but Simon all but picked me up and sat me on it. He turned to Kelly and dropped an arm around her shoulders as he greeted her.

“You guys decided to come. What do you want to drink?”

Kelly smiled and asked for a vodka cranberry. I just shook my head.

“Water. I’ll drive us.”

“I’m only on my second, babe. I can drive.” Simon shook his half-full bottle of beer as if to prove his point.

“Drink. I’m not driving your truck but we brought Kelly’s car and I can take us home.” I’d never seen Simon drink more than a few beers and I saw the indecision on his face as he brought his bottle to his lips.

“I might, if that’s okay.” He squeezed my hand and gestured towards the bar. “I’ll be right back.”

Kelly engaged in conversation with Chad and I watched them closely, trying to decide if that was who she’d slept with. She’d just said team and not company so I realized there were quite a few men it could have been. Nothing looked out of the ordinary between them, though, so I turned to greet Tori, who was on my other side.

She was looking at her phone when I spoke to her and her gaze snapped up to meet mine.

“Megan, hi. How are you?”

“I’m good,” I replied as I took a moment to look at her. She seemed sad. “Are you okay?”

Tori stared at me for a long moment, as if she was deciding whether or not to be honest with me. She finally bobbed her head twice. “I’m okay.”

“It’s okay to not be okay, you know,” I said quietly. “And I’m a really good listener.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Megan.” Tori offered me a smile and looked back to her phone.

A glass of water was placed in front of me and I turned to thank Simon. He just grinned as he gave Kelly her drink and took a long pull of his own.

“I ordered a sampler plate, too. I figured you ladies would be hungry. I even made sure some of it was vegetarian,” he added as he looked at my little sister.

Kelly let out an exaggerated gasp as she put down her vodka cranberry. “You know the way to my heart, Owens.”

We spent the next few hours at the table talking and telling stories. The food came as the drinks continued to flow and I could tell my sister and boyfriend were both feeling pretty good. Simon had found a vacant stool to drag over to the table and I’d been forced to place myself between him and Kelly after she’d fallen off her own the second time. When I noticed that Chad was trying to convince her to go home with him, I decided it was time for us to leave.

He was whispering into her ear, causing her to giggle, and I heard her agree to leave with him. I stood from my stool and shook my head.

“Kelly’s going to come on home with me.”

Chad gave me a shitty look. “She wants to come back to my place.”

I leaned across the table and leveled him with my own shitty look. “She’s drunk. Only a total douchebag would try to take home someone who doesn’t have the capacity to consent to sex.”

“She would be fine with it if she were sober,” he said with a snarl and I had to force myself not to slap him.

“Then next time you try when she’s sober. Don’t wait until she’s six drinks in, asshole.”

He opened his mouth to retort again but Tori interjected herself into the argument.

“I’d shut the fuck up if I were you, Hughes.” Her tone was a warning and he snapped his eyes to hers. “First of all, she’s right. Second of all, Owens will kick your ass tomorrow if he learns you were disrespecting his girlfriend or his girlfriend’s sister tonight. Hell, depending on what you choose to spew next, I might hold you down and let Megan have a go at you first.”

He narrowed his eyes but wisely chose to shut up. Tori probably could have taken him and he knew it. Instead, he stood and finished off his drink before walking away.

“Thanks, Tori.” I flashed her a grateful smile and she returned it easily.

“Anytime. Better get them to bed.”

I bid her goodnight and turned to Simon. “Let’s go home, baby.”

“Okay,” he agreed without hesitation as he stood from his stool. “Night, guys.”

I reached over and wrapped an arm around my sister’s waist before lacing the fingers of my other hand through Simon’s.

“Goodnight!” Kelly exclaimed to no one in particular as I forced her to walk with us.

Kelly had obviously had more and harder alcohol than Simon because she stumbled quite a bit as we walked through the parking lot. Simon wasn’t as surefooted as he normally was but otherwise he was fine. I had pulled Kelly’s keys out of her purse and I used them to unlock her car as we got close.

“I’m going to put Kelly in the back, okay?”

Simon nodded and smiled as he looked at me. “Do you need help?”

“I’ve got her. Go ahead and get in.” I opened the back door on the driver’s side and encouraged my sister to get in. After she finally sat in the seat, I helped get the seatbelt around her and buckled securely.

“You good, Kel?” I asked as I looked into her glassy, dark blue eyes.

She nodded and gave me a relaxed smile. “You’ve changed. You stood up for yourself twice tonight. I love you, Gan. So much.”

“I love you, too, Kelly,” I said with a chuckle before straightening up and closing her door. Simon was in the passenger seat with his seatbelt on and his head against the window.

“Simon, do you think I’m a hot mess?” Kelly slurred from the back seat when we were about halfway home. Simon turned his head so he could look at her and shook it clumsily.

“You’re hot but not really a mess.” He sucked in a sharp breath and straightened up so he could look at me. “I don’t mean that she’s hot like I think you’re hot but more of a she’s hot and I would think she’s hot if I didn’t have such a hot girl like you.”

I burst out laughing and reached over to put my hand over his mouth. “Stop, stop. You’re rambling. You can tell Kelly the truth. I’m really okay with it.”

Simon pulled my hand off of his mouth and kissed my palm. “God, you’re so hot when you’re bossy.” He turned so he could look at Kelly again. “You’re a catch, Kelly. The thing is that you don’t realize that and you work too hard to make people like you. Don’t make people like you. Either they like you or they don’t. And if they don’t, it’s their loss because, in my experience, the Gold girls are a pretty awesome duo. You should never settle for less than amazing because you are amazing.”

His words were slightly slurred but perfect none the less. I really wished Kelly had been sober enough to absorb the speech. Silence spread through the vehicle for a moment and I figured she had passed out. I was wrong, though, and she finally responded.

“Thanks, Simon. You’re a good man.”

“Yes, he is,” I agreed quietly as I reached my hand out to grip Simon’s.

I pulled into our complex a few minutes later and parked Kelly’s car in her spot. I helped my little sister out, refusing Simon’s assistance as I did, and walked her inside.

“I’m going to get her in bed and then walk the dog. Go ahead and get into bed. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Simon nodded and gave me a smile before stumbling towards my bedroom. My sister leaned against me as we walked into her bedroom and I sat her on the bed so I could pull off her sandals.

“Want some pajamas on?” I asked after getting a washcloth to wipe her make-up off of her face.

She nodded and attempted to take her shirt off clumsily. I helped her get it over her head and reached around to unhook her bra. I grabbed her pajamas from the floor and pulled the tank top over her head before pushing her down on her back. Once her pajama shorts were on, I left her in the room so I could grab a bottle of water and some ibuprofen from the kitchen.

Kelly was already asleep when I walked back in so I put the water and ibuprofen where she’d see them in the morning and covered her with the sheet. I plugged her phone into the charger and whispered for the dog to follow me. He and I went outside for a few minutes, long enough for him to relieve himself, and I took him inside so I could lock up the apartment. After ridding myself of my sneakers, I grabbed two waters and some more ibuprofen to take into my room and I was surprised to find Simon still awake. He was in only his boxers and sitting up against the headboard with his phone in his hand.

“Hey. I thought you’d be asleep,” I said softly as I closed the door behind me and turned off the overhead light. Simon looked up at me, putting his phone on the nightstand next to him as he did, and he gave me a sideways grin that was illuminated in the light from the table lamp.

“Come get in bed.”

I chuckled and nodded as I headed towards the bathroom. I held up one finger, signaling that I’d be right back, and hurried through washing my face and brushing my teeth. Once my contacts were out, I went back into the bedroom and grabbed my glasses off the dresser before unbuttoning my shorts. I looked up and Simon was focused on what my hands were doing. I pulled my zipper down slowly, keeping my eyes on Simon, and shimmied my bottoms down my legs. His lips parted as he watched me step out of the shorts.

Grabbing them hem of my shirt, I tugged it up over my head and walked over to the bed in just my bra and underwear. As soon as he could reach me, Simon’s hands gripped my waist and he drew me into his lap.

“Have I told you how beautiful you are lately?” His blue eyes slowly roaming my face only bolstered his statement and I smiled at him.

“You tell me all of the time.” I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his, encouraging his tongue to dance with mine. He tasted like a weird mixture of my cinnamon toothpaste and beer. His warm hands ran up my bare back as he tried to undo the clasp on my bra. After a moment of fumbling with it, he pulled back slightly and gave me a sheepish smile.

“I’m drunk.”

I ran my hand down the stubble on his cheek and nodded. “You are.”

I let my fingers trace the bruises on his face for a moment. I wanted to talk about what had happened with him and his brother but I’d wait until he was sober that that. Instead, I pulled my glasses off before reaching behind my back and undoing my bra.

Simon groaned as he helped pull the straps down my arms and he brought his hands up to cup my breasts gently.

“I want to make love to you so badly but I can’t even get your bra undone. You deserve only the best and I feel like an asshole for drinking too much to give you that.”

I stared at him for a moment. The vulnerability and honestly on his face was breathtaking. The fact that he cared more about the experience I had during sex than actually having sex caused me to swallow around a lump that had formed in my throat.

“Babe. Megan.” Worry clouded his features and he shook his head rapidly as he cupped my jaw. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to upset you.”

I pressed my lips to his again, giving him a hard kiss before wrapping my arms around him and burying my face in his bare shoulder. He hugged me back, his hold equally tight.

“I’m not upset.” My voice was muffled as I spoke. “I’m just in awe by you. It’s overwhelming sometimes.”

Simon shifted us so we were lying down, still wrapped up in each other. He reached over and turned off the lamp, plunging us into darkness as he brought the blanket up to cover our bodies.

“I love you more than I could ever tell you, Megs.” Simon’s lips pressed against my forehead.

I shifted so our legs were tangled together and cuddled deeper into his chest. “I love you, too, Simon.”

It wasn’t long before he was snoring lightly and the comforting noise eventually lulled me to sleep, too.