“I just can’t believe he won!” Macey practically yelled as she got ready the next morning. I rolled my eyes but smiled. It was surprising, well, to us at least.
Yesterday, Gage had had a fight, which Macey and I tagged along to, and he won. His competitor was this huge burly guy that was more like a bear than a person. The moment I saw him come into the ring, I wanted to pull Gage right out of there. Dylan kept telling me Gage would do fine, but how was I supposed to know that? The guy looked like he could squish Gage like a bug.
Although Gage’s opponent was huge and apparently “amazing,” Gage had no problem taking the guy down. Of course, he had to taunt the guy for a few minutes until he got tired of dodging the man’s punches. Within minutes he was down on the ground, and Gage was declared the winner. I shouldn’t have been so surprised that he won, but I just couldn’t help myself. This definitely proved the point, “never judge a book by its cover.”
Gage just walked out of the ring like nothing had happened and headed for his room to change. Everyone round us were either groaning or yelling, handing money to the person they bet on. Dylan acted like it was no big deal and led us back to the room, not batting an eyelash at the guy lying in the middle of the ring groaning.
Now it was the next day, Saturday, and Macey was still talking about it. I think the reason she was so fascinated was because last time she didn’t see much of the fight, given she was trying to find me, and she didn’t know Gage then either. It was very impressive, I had to say.
Along with going to the fight with the two boys, we ate dinner together, which turned out to be a lot of fun. Macey got along great with Dylan and Gage, and surprisingly, Gage wasn’t rude to me—something I did not expect. It was like something small had changed between us the night of the party last week. I still wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not.
I was lost in thought as Macey went on about the fight. Lately, my mind tended to slip off into no-man’s-land. I was busy not listening to Macey and she was too busy talking animatedly for either of us to notice the front door opening until two loud voices reached our ears. I turned my head turned toward the sound to find Luke and Ethan striding through the door like they owned the place.
“How did you get in here?” Macey asked, standing up and putting her hands on her hips, staring the two boys down. Of course, neither cared.
“I have a key, remember?” Luke held up the key my parents gave him when we moved in. I’d almost forgotten he had it, honestly. Both boys ambled toward the couch and wasted no time in getting comfortable and making themselves at home. Because we had the same furniture that they did, one person had to sit in the chair beside the couch that held three people. For a dorm room, we actually had nice furniture that held more than two people.
“What are you two doing here?” I asked, glancing over at Ethan in the chair and Luke on my other side.
“We had nothing to do, so we decided to come hang out with you guys,” Ethan replied.
“No hot dates on a Saturday?”
“Car, it is noon,” Luke pointed out.
“So? You don’t need to have a date at night. Girls expect day dates too, you know.”
“Aww, are you jealous? You want us to just hang out with you,” Ethan said in a babyish tone.
“I am not jealous, just wondering.” I shrugged. The thought of Ethan going out on some date did make my insides clench, but I ignored the feeling. There was a moment of awkward silence, but I quickly quenched it.
“So, how was the game last night?” As I predicted, both boys immediately dove into details.
“It was a good game. The Ducks were pretty good. They had a great defensive team that stopped us from scoring multiple times. Definitely well matched,” Luke said. I knew they won because Luke had texted me about it, but I knew they liked to give me the details of what happened. At least I liked football, or I would have no clue what they were going on about.
“Number fifty-four was quick, dude. Did you see how fast he got to the ball? I would have hated to be put on him,” Ethan said to my brother.
“How many touchdowns did you score?” I asked Ethan. Knowing him, it was probably most of them.
“I made five.” He grinned at me and leaned back in the chair, a proud smile clear on his face. My eyebrows shot up. Five touchdowns were amazing—most people only got one or two.
“Wow, that is…wow.” I breathed out. I think that was a record for him as well. There was no doubt Ethan had talent when it came to catching a football.
“Caught every ball I threw him,” Luke said, his tone just as proud. They definitely made a great team. Without one, the other wouldn’t do as well. They came as a package deal, almost like Mario and Luigi.
“I’m so proud of you guys. I’m glad you won.” I smiled at the both of them.
“Good job,” Macey said, but kept her gaze on her cell phone. I watched from the corner of my eye and saw Luke frown at her.
“So what did you girls do?” Luke asked a second later. Macey’s head shot up to look at me. Her eyes silently asked what we should say.
“Nothing much, honestly. Just studied forever and went to go eat dinner,” I said. Part of it was true, at least. If they knew we went to an underground fight, they would have our heads. I didn’t think either of us wanted a lecture today. Plus, it would sour their good mood from their win.
“Boring!” Ethan stated.
“Well, sorry, not all of us can go and play football and win,” I shot back at him, rolling my eyes.
“That is true. No one is like me.”
I scoffed at that but didn’t say anything in return. After a few minutes, I stood up.
“I am going to get something to drink. Do you guys want anything from the kitchen while I’m there?” I asked.
“Water for me,” Luke and Macey said at the same time.
“Bring me a snack,” Ethan said.
“A snack? What kind?”
“Surprise me.”
I stared at him for a good few seconds before turning and heading for the kitchen.
As I got to the kitchen and went over to the fridge to get everyone drinks, I somehow missed Ethan getting up and following after me. Just as I was pulling my head out of the fridge, Ethan decided that was the moment to announce his presence. Hearing his voice made me jump in surprise, which resulted in me hitting my head on the fridge.
“Ow!” I rubbed my head and shut the fridge door forcefully. I glared over at Ethan knowing he probably did it on purpose.
“Oops, sorry.” He shrugged, but I could see he was fighting a grin.
“You are so rude,” I mumbled, setting the drinks on the counter. Going over to the cabinet that held our treat stash, I was stopped by a hand on my arm. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Ethan staring down at me. He was close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off his body.
“Carter, I actually came in here to talk to you.” His voice was low, like he didn’t want the others to hear. Confused, I turned to face him.
“What’s up?” I asked. From my angle I could see how bright blue his eyes looked today. I just wanted to drown in them.
“I uh…” He brought a hand up and rubbed the back of his neck. I raised an eyebrow at him, noticing that he was nervous. He only rubbed his neck when he was nervous or when things were awkward. It made him look so cute.
“Ethan, what is it?” I asked, slightly worried. Was something wrong?
“You know, I never got the chance to apologize for the way I acted last Friday at the party. I was drunk and not in the right frame of mind,” he started to say. At his words, my heart sunk a little. He regretted dancing with me. He was saying he was drunk and not responsible for his actions. My face fell at the thought of him not liking dancing with me. I mean, I thought he’d had a good time…well, had some fun at least before he left me for another girl.
“I shouldn’t have left you when that other girl came up and started dancing with me.”
His words broke through my thoughts. “Wait, what?” I interrupted him. I thought he was talking about dancing with me, not about what happened after.
“I shouldn’t have danced with that other girl. I was having such a great time with you, and when she suddenly appeared, my drunken mind didn’t realize what I was doing.” He stared down at me.
“I am so sorry, Carter. I really am. By the time I came back around, you weren’t there anymore, and when I tried to find you I couldn’t.” He tried to find me! my inner voice screamed. “All week I wanted to come and apologize, but I couldn’t figure out what to say or when to say it. Every time I tried to, you were busy or someone was around you. I know it is a little late, but I hope you can forgive me.”
I looked up at him, my heart beating hard in my chest. Here he was, apologizing for leaving me on the dance floor. I had thought he just didn’t want to talk about it, and that was why he didn’t bring it up. I told myself I didn’t care, but deep down I did. Now, hearing him apologize, my heart soared. His eyes were shining down at me, pleading for me to forgive him.
“Carter, please say something.” I hadn’t even noticed I didn’t reply.
“Ethan, it is okay. I figured you had been drinking and weren’t thinking properly.” I was still hurt seeing him dancing like that with that other girl, but I couldn’t resist him when he stood right in front of me looking like that. He was apologizing when I thought he wouldn’t; that was what meant more to me than anything.
“No, it is not okay. I shouldn’t have done that to you, Carter, and I want to make it up to you.”
“Make it up to me?”
“Yes. Would you like to, um…” He glanced around to make sure neither Macey or Luke had walked in to the room. He lowered his voice even more and leaned closer to me. “Would you like to go out to eat with me tomorrow?”
Would you like to go out to eat with me tomorrow? LIKE A DATE? I screamed inwardly. Did Ethan just seriously ask me out? The way he said it and was now rubbing his neck and avoiding my eyes made me think he meant it in that way, instead of a friend way.
I stared at him trying to see if he was messing with me, but his eyes were clear and looking right at me. He was waiting for my answer. He is literally asking you out right now! This is everything you have ever wanted. Why haven’t you said yes? My inner voice was yelling at me. I just stood there like an idiot, my mouth opening and closing like that of a dead fish.
“I-I uh…” Damn it, Carter, get the words out! “Um, yeah, sure. I’d love to,” I finally said, but my voice was all high and squeaky. I bet my face was bright red too.
“Really?” His face lit up, and his hand dropped from his neck like he was surprised I said yes. I was just surprised I managed to respond at all.
“Yeah.” There goes my high voice again. “I’d love to go out to eat with you.” It was like my mouth was moving on its own. Both my mind and heart were going a million miles a minute.
“Great! I was thinking we would do something tomorrow and then go out to eat. My way of making it up to you.” The whole thought of spending the entire day with Ethan made my knees weak, and I was glad I was able to stay upright.
“That sounds good.” A smile appeared on my face.
“Maybe we can get together around—” he started to say, but Luke’s voice interrupted him.
“Hey, where’s my water?” he yelled. I stifled a groan at my brother’s timing. Of course, he had to interrupt whatever Ethan was saying and interrupt our moment. The best moment I had ever had with Ethan.
Ethan sighed and closed his eyes. He obviously wasn’t happy with my brother either. Perfect timing, Luke. Perfect timing. I couldn’t help but giggle at how annoyed he looked. At my giggle, his eyes snapped open and a smile appeared on his face.
“Guess we better go out there before they come in here,” he said.
“Yeah, I guess.” I didn’t really want my brother to walk in and see Ethan standing so close to me. Who knew what he would do to us?
“I’ll text you more about the details. Your brother would skin me alive if he knew I was taking his sister out.” My heart skipped a beat at his words. He was referring to it as a date! I had to force myself to stay calm and not freak out. That would have to wait until they were gone.
Ethan leaned even closer, and I almost thought he was going to kiss me. My pulse started to go crazy the closer he got. He is going to kiss me! I screamed internally. He stopped a few inches away from me before disappointedly pulling away, a big smirk on his face. I stood there frozen with my jaw hanging open like a freak. As he pulled away, I looked down and saw he had the two waters in his hands.
“Better go give these to them.” He lifted them. Sending me one last grin, he turned and left the kitchen. I stood there, not moving, trying to process everything that just happened in the last two minutes. Ethan had apologized for what happened at the party, he asked me out, and teased me by almost kissing me.
I slumped against the counter, a grin taking over my face as I thought about going on a date with Ethan. I was finally going on a date with him. Well maybe not a “real” full date, but a date nonetheless. I brought my cool hands to my heated cheeks, grinning like a lunatic. I just prayed I wasn’t dreaming right now.
***
Macey
Last Friday night…
I’d looked forward to this party all day. I needed to unwind and get my mind off of school work. It was literally only the second week and I felt like I was already drowning. But what made this party great was that Carter was going. She really needed to let go and have some fun. With Ethan and Luke always governing her actions, she deserved to let loose once in a while, and it was just the way to do so.
When we arrived at the party, I made sure to keep my hand on Carter to make sure she didn’t get lost. Knowing her, she would have or she would fall. She was like a little puppy you had to keep track of. Out of the two of us, I was the partier and Carter was the one to stay home. We did even each other out, and I did like to stay home and watch Netflix with her instead of partying sometimes.
We finally made it to the “bar,” aka the kitchen barstool, that held all different kinds of alcohol. Although the party only just started, a few bottles were already almost empty. A huge stack of red Solo cups were on one side, ready for people to just grab. Perfect spot for people to just come up, make their drink, and go elsewhere. Grabbing two cups and a can of some kind of beer, I filled the cups up before handing Carter one.
“Here you go!” I yelled over the music.
“I don’t want any alcohol,” she replied, yelling as well.
“Just hold it. It will make people leave you alone, and don’t set it down anywhere!” I told her. It was always better to have something in your hand than not. Without it, guys got the idea that they could just give you whatever. Easy way to be drugged. Having a cup filled with something limited the number of guys coming up to you to try and get you a drink.
I took a sip from my own cup, tasting the cheap beer. It wasn’t terrible, but what do you expect at a college party? The only thing ever available was cheap stuff we could afford. I wasn’t a huge drinker, but coming to a party, you had to drink something.
“Two o’clock,” Carter suddenly muttered to me. My eyes snapped in the direction she was talking about. I bit back a groan at seeing Luke. Knowing him, he was coming over to force Carter to go home, me included.
“Carter, what are you doing here?”
“Hey bro!” I bit back a laugh at Carter’s words.
“You are here because…”
“Because it’s a party.”
“Carter—” Luke started to say but Carter stopped him.
“Luke, stop. I’m here and I’m not leaving. Don’t try to guilt me into leaving or force me to go, because I won’t. I can do whatever I want for once,” Carter said, her voice firm. I smiled at the side of her face. She was standing her ground, which I was so proud of. Luke stared at his sister for a good minute before he relented.
When Luke turned to leave, I stuck my tongue out at him. He shook his head at me, but a small smile was on his face. Maybe he was proud to see his sister finally standing her ground.
As we walked off, I looked back at the dance floor and saw Amy grinding against some guy. I rolled my eyes, of course. It never took long for Amy to make herself at home at a party. Seeing her dance, I turned to Carter.
“Let’s dance!” I yelled, tugging on her arm.
“You go.” Carter waved me off, pulling her arm out of my grasp.
“But what about you?” I wanted to her to dance with me. Sure, she wasn’t the greatest dancer and neither was I, but it was to have fun.
“I’ll be fine. I’ll be right here, okay? Go have some fun! That guy keeps eyeing you anyway.” She gestured to a tall blonde guy who was making his way toward us. I sent her a look that told her to come on, but she only answered with shoving me toward the stranger. I shot a glare over my shoulder at her for shoving me, but couldn’t stop a grin from appearing on my face. Of course, she would think of me first, before herself.
I danced with the unknown guy, silently praying that Carter danced with someone and had fun. She deserved it, and I just hoped she would do something. The guy I was dancing with wasted no time grabbing my waist and holding me flat against him. I wasn’t complaining, it but felt weird that I didn’t even know his name before he started grinding against me. With the beat of the music flowing over me, I let myself go and danced.
The next little bit was a haze. I danced with the same guy for a few songs before I had to get a drink, and I wanted to find Carter to make sure she was okay. I told myself I wasn’t going to get drunk tonight, so I could keep an eye on Carter. If she needed me, I didn’t want to be flat-on-my-ass drunk.
Untangling myself from the guy, I made my way to the bar to grab another drink. My throat was so dry that made it hard to swallow. Grabbing a new red cup, I filled it with beer once more before looking out at the dance floor. My eyes took everyone in, from the couple making out against the wall a few feet from me, oblivious to everyone else, to the girls standing in a circle by the back door.
Finally, my eyes landed on a familiar figure, and I couldn’t stop a huge grin from spreading across my face. My best friend stood in the middle of the dance floor with her arms wrapped around Ethan Galloway. Her eyes were closed, and Ethan had his arms wrapped tight around her so she was pressed up against him. In that moment, I couldn’t be happier for my friend. She was finally getting a moment with her long-time crush.
I had been telling her for years to tell Ethan about her feelings or make some sort of move, but of course, she waved me off the entire time. But now, seeing them dancing, I knew it was a move in the right direction. After all these years, Carter deserved to be with Ethan. She had been crushing on him for far too long. My only concern was Ethan not liking her back. I had no clue what his feelings were toward my best friend, but for her sake I wished he felt the same way, that he had just been holding it in all these years. And by the way they were dancing, I knew he felt something toward her. I only hoped he wasn’t drunk and using her. If he was, I would make sure to follow his ass and beat him with a bat.
As the music continued and the crowd moved, I lost track of Carter. More and more people were piling onto the makeshift dance floor, making it impossible to see anyone. I lost Amy a long time ago, and had no idea where she ran off to. I wasn’t too worried because I knew she could handle herself. This was her scene anyways.
I stood there leaning against the wall, slowly sipping my drink as I people-watched. It was something Carter and I usually did whenever we went somewhere to eat or somewhere like the mall. It was interesting what you could tell by looking at someone, but we got the most fun from making up stupid stories about the people’s lives.
I was fine doing that for a while until all I saw were people grinding and making out with each other, regardless of who was near or watching them. Most were practically having sex, and that was something I did not want to keep watching. I turned around to face the bar with a grimace on my face. I needed more alcohol after seeing that; my eyes were burning.
“Why aren’t you dancing?” a voice asked beside my ear. The hot breath on my neck sent a shiver down my spine, surprising me.
“Why aren’t you dancing?” I shot his question back to him while I turned around.
“Needed a drink.” Luke held up his cup.
“Want me to fill it for you?” I offered. His response was to hand me his cup like I was his maid. Shaking my head at him, I poured him the last beer I could find.
“Seriously, though, why are you standing here alone?” Luke asked, leaning against the wall with me. He looked over at me while casually sipping his drink.
“Eh, got tired of it.” I shrugged. That wasn’t really the case, though; the guy I was dancing with had been getting too grabby for my taste. “Now how about you? I think I saw you with some cute brunette girl.”
“Oh, Rebecca. Too touchy, and I think she would be way too clingy.” He cringed at that. I couldn’t help but chuckle at him. The boy had serious commitment issues.
“Where’s my sister?” he asked after a few minutes.
“I think she’s dancing.” I watched as he took in the dance floor, unsuccessfully trying to find his sister. “You are too hard on her.”
“What? I am not,” he said defensively, looking back at me.
“Yes, you are. You don’t let her do anything. Hell, even me too.”
“I let you both do things. It is not my fault you make bad decisions!” I raised an eyebrow at him, almost willing him to continue speaking.
“Luke, seriously. We are in college now. You need to let Carter have some independence. Let her make her own mistakes. She needs to.” I sipped my beer. Luke wasn’t as bad with me, but then again, I wasn’t his sister. We had known each other our entire lives, but blood was thicker than water.
“I know.” He let out a sigh. “It is just hard. Seeing all these guys wanting her and talking about taking her on ‘dates,’ I can’t help but be protective.”
“I know.” I put my hand on his arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. I couldn’t help but notice how big his arms had gotten. They felt hard and muscular under my fingertips.
“I’ll try, Mace, I will. I’ll try with you too.” He smiled down at me. I took in his smile, which immediately made me grin back. He had a contagious smile that I would always find myself returning no matter what. His smile was slightly crooked, which gave off a cute, adorable vibe.
I found myself staring into the grey eyes I’d always known. They seemed to glow, especially against the light grey shirt he decided to wear to the party. Luke was so close I could also see the small little specks of blue in his eyes. It always amazed me that Luke got his mother’s eyes while Carter got their father’s. It was not normal to see a guy with such pretty grey eyes, but they suited him. It made Luke seem even more mysterious in a way.
My hazel eyes took in his entire face—everything from his perfectly shaped lips to his defined jawline. For some odd reason I hadn’t realized how nice-looking Luke had become. Gone was the baby fat on his cheeks, replaced with high cheekbones and a sculpted face. It was no wonder he had girls all over him. I wanted to run my fingers through his soft-looking brown hair.
Wait, what? Where had that thought come from? Never in all my eighteen years of life had I thought Luke Miller was…dare I say, sexy. His body was shaped nicely thanks to years of football and hard workouts. He was all lean muscle that showed clearly through his tight shirt and even his jeans.
I hadn’t realized I was bluntly staring at him until I broke out of my thoughts by him talking.
“Do you want to dance?” I heard him ask. I continued on staring at him like a total weirdo. “I’ll take that as a yes.” I watched helplessly as he took both our cups and set them down. He then took my left hand, leading us into the floor.
We were surrounded by people as they danced away, but I could only keep my eyes on Luke. He was well above my five-foot-two frame, making me crane my neck up, but not in a bad way.
“You know, this is the part where you wrap your arms around my neck,” Luke said, smiling at me. I hadn’t even realized the song switched from a fast to a slow one. Of course, it did, I thought sarcastically. Feeling myself blushing, I reached my arms up and wrapped them loosely around his neck. I felt his arms wrap around my waist before pulling me slightly closer. Thanks to my heels, my head came to his shoulders, making it easier to move around.
“I didn’t get a chance to say it earlier, but you look pretty in that dress,” he whispered in my ear. With the music so loud, even for a slow song, he had to either yell or whisper. Unknown feelings were swarming inside of me as his hot breath fanned my neck. I couldn’t place why I was feeling suddenly so shy and awkward around Luke. I had known him my entire life. I should not be feeling this way. Normally, I had some smart-ass remark, but now I didn’t. It was almost starting to scare me.
“You’re welcome,” Luke whispered again.
“T-Thank you,” I stuttered out. Inwardly I wanted to facepalm myself. I heard him chuckle. A small part of me came back as I slapped the back of his head.
“Why did you slap me?” His eyes were wide as he stared down at me.
“No reason.” I smiled cheekily at him. I was starting to feel more like myself, for which I was glad.
“Girls are mean,” he muttered under his breath.
As the song continued playing Luke and I swayed to the beat, ever so slowly moving closer and closer to one another. I hadn’t even noticed it until my chest brushed up against his. I could feel his lean body pressed against mine, and what was weird was that I could not help but think it felt right. It felt good to have his body pressed against mine, almost natural.
Heat seemed to start to rise between us, radiating through my dress and across my skin like fire. Luke moved his fingers against my lower back, and I could feel his touch through my dress. His fingers sent tingles down my back, and my breath was starting to come out in pants. My own fingers were unconsciously weaving themselves through his hair, that was indeed really soft. I was tugging softly at the strands, unable to help myself.
As the song drew close to the end, I dragged my gaze from his shoulder up his neck to his eyes. Upon reaching his eyes, I gulped. Luke was staring down at me with so much heat and want in his eyes, it made me lose my breath. His grip on me tightened, and I found myself doing the same. My eyes moved down to his lips, only to have my knees weaken. His tongue smoothed slowly over his bottom lip to wet it before retreating back into his mouth. For some reason it was the most sensual thing I had ever seen.
My eyes stayed glued on his lips; I almost willed them to come together with mine. I had no idea why I was having these thoughts and feelings. Never have I had any feelings toward Luke. But here I was practically dying to smash my lips against his and feel his body against mine, moving in unison. Maybe it was the alcohol or the heated air around us, but I could not stop the pull that was between us in that moment.
Luke seemed to feel it too, because he dipped his head still staring into my eyes—almost like he was waiting for me to move away. It had to be the alcohol and the party vibe around us that was making us feel this way, but damn it, I could not stop. I could not pull my gaze away from his heated stare. My body yearned for his in a way I had never felt before.
Sure, tomorrow, once I remember this, I might regret it, and if Carter ever found out I kissed her brother she would kill me, but all those thoughts flew from my mind the moment I leaned my head toward his, needing to feel his lips pressed against mine.
It seemed to happen in slow motion. Both of our heads moved at the same time, turning just in time for our lips to meet. The moment they touched, I was lost. Every single thought I had was out the window, and my body took control. His soft lips moved in sync with mine. Never did I think I would enjoy a kiss so much, especially one from Luke Miller. His lips molded with mine, like they were meant to be. Like they were meant for mine and only mine.
A few seconds into the soft kiss, it started to change. His hands gripped my waist tighter and pressed me until the fronts of our bodies were as close as they could be. My fingers were holding onto his hair like no tomorrow. Our lips battled for dominance, and I wanted to moan at the way Luke was taking control of the kiss. He sure knew what he was doing.
We had to pull away for air a few minutes later. We stood there panting, staring at one another, not saying a word. My body felt like it was on fire, and my lips were tingling like no tomorrow. Luke looked just as affected as I was. I’d never had a kiss be so great and leave me as breathless as this one.
I expected him to pull away and immediately start apologizing. I was already bracing my heart, but he did no such thing. Instead, he claimed my lips once more with his. This kiss was just as intense as the first one, but in a way even better. It felt more than just a passionate kiss…it was something I couldn’t describe.
I sunk into the kiss, forgetting about everything. Forgetting that I would have to face Luke again after this, forgetting that I was kissing the guy I grew up with and kind of saw as an older brother, forgetting I was kissing my best friend’s brother. I pushed it all to the side and kissed Luke back just as he kissed me.