XAN SENT ME A TEXT this morning to let me know that he’ll be home around two and wants to take me out to lunch.
As excited as I am about seeing him, I can’t help but to worry about how he’d react if he knew what went down with me and Micah last night.
As far as I know, Micah is his closest friend here and one of the only people that he truly trusts. That’s a huge deal for Xan, and as badly as I want to jump on Micah and take him on a test ride, especially after how hard he made me come with my vibrator, I know that it could possibly ruin their friendship and trust.
He’s so damn hot and tempting, but I need to stay strong. I didn’t come here to mess things up for my brother. The thought alone makes me feel sick to my stomach.
When I close the fridge, I look up to see Micah going through the cupboards. “Hey,” I say while spreading out the ingredients to make a chicken quesadilla. “Xan will be home in about four hours.”
“Yeah.” He closes the cupboard and looks down at the stuff I just laid out, before bending down and pulling out a couple of pans. “He texted me a bit ago to check on you and the bar . . .”
I watch as he pulls out the butter and then opens the bag of frozen chicken strips, tossing some in one of the pans, along with some butter and seasonings.
“Yeah . . . and what did you tell him?”
“I told him that you were both in good hands and that I’ve been keeping a close eye on you. Then he sent me some knife emojis. Not sure how he got that shit, because they’re not on my phone. Not those specific ones at least.”
I can’t help but to laugh at the face that Micah makes while glancing back down at his phone when it vibrates.
He holds it ups. “He sent another knife emoji for good measure.”
“I’m sure he’s kidding,” I say with a slight laugh. “Maybe. Most likely.”
“He’s not. Trust me. I know him when it comes to you. He’s been talking about you for the last five years and how protective he gets when it comes to you. You’re still his little sister; doesn’t matter that you’re not so little anymore. He’d kill anyone who hurts you.”
“You headed to the bar soon?”
It’s best to change the subject. I’m sure it’s getting uncomfortable for him, because I’ve seen Xan go off on more than one jerk in the past who’s broke my heart and I’ve never seen him look more lethal. I don’t want to see that happen to Micah . . . especially with how close they are.
He presses against me, pinning me against the counter as he reaches into the drawer next to me and pulls out a fork. His lips brush against my ear, sending chills up and down my body. “I’m heading there in a few.”
I release a breath as he walks away and starts forking the chicken. “Yeah, well I might stop by after I get back from lunch to get some writing in before it gets too crowded.”
He begins flipping the chicken with one hand and preparing the tortilla shell with the other. “Who are you going out to lunch with?”
“Xan.” I toss him the cheese and then search through the cupboards for plates. “We’re going as soon as he gets back.”
Releasing a slow breath, he turns to face me. “About what happened last night . . .”
“Don’t worry. Xan doesn’t need to know you even set foot into my room. I’m not trying to come between you guys, and he definitely doesn’t need to know what happens in the privacy of my bedroom.”
He quickly looks me over, his eyes landing on my lips, before he turns away and flips the chicken again. “Good. The last thing I need is Alexander on my ass. That’s the only reason I chose not to use my tongue last night instead. I don’t want one of those knives through my chest.”
I swallow hard as my body heats up with need from his words. There’s so many things I want to say to that, but choose not to. Nothing good can come from it.
When he’s done cooking the chicken, he makes one quesadilla and throws it on a plate for me. “I need to get out of here. I’m running late. Tell Alexander I’ll catch him later.”
I look down at the plate and smile. “Why didn’t you say something? You didn’t have to cook my food.”
“I know.” With that, he disappears around the corner, most likely headed back downstairs to get ready.
My mind stays stuck on Micah the whole time I’m eating. For some reason I want another glimpse of him before he leaves for Vortex. I shouldn’t, but I do. Despite my brother warning us to stay away from each other, we both seem to be fighting it.
By the time I’m finished eating and throwing the dishes into the dishwasher, I realize that Micah must’ve left out of the backdoor.
It’s probably best if we don’t get any more alone time before Xan gets home anyway. I guess Micah feels the same way.
Either that or he’s actually scared of the knives that Xan probably has hidden to cut his throat out with if he betrays him.
I told Xan that I would just meet him at Villy’s because there was no way I was going to jump onto the back of his bike and look like a dork behind my brother.
He used to ride me around everywhere as kids. In the beginning it was on his bicycle and then later on his first motorcycle. I felt cool back then, hanging with my big brother and all. Now . . . not so much.
When I walk in, I spot Xan in a booth at the back of the diner with two Pepsi’s already ordered for us.
I smile and slide into the booth across from him. “What makes you so sure that I still drink Pepsi when I go out to eat, Xan?”
He gives me that look, as if I’ve lost my damn mind. “Because you’re my baby sister. And no one knows you better than I do. Not even our parents.”
“Thanks for that.” I give him an appreciative smile and grab my drink. “And for always being nice to me. Not a lot of younger siblings had it as good as I did growing up. You’ve always looked out for me.”
He smirks. “I had my moments. Not all of them good, but I tried.”
“I know. That’s exactly why I’ve missed you so much.”
“I’ve missed you too and you know that. I tried getting our parents to let you come and visit me sooner, but they wouldn’t budge.”
“Because they’re too set in their ways. Especially Mom.” I take a sip of my Pepsi. “But I’m here now and I’m loving it so far. The bar, the beach, you and Jamie . . . I can’t stop smiling.”
He smiles, as if it makes him happy to hear how happy I am. “Good. I knew you’d fall in love with this place. But I don’t want you getting too attached to being here if you promised our parents you wouldn’t move yet. Remember that.”
I nod. “I know.”
We continue talking for a good ten minutes, catching up on things, before the waitress comes over and quickly takes our order.
We’re close to finishing our lunch and not a single word has come up about Micah yet. He keeps giving me this look, as if he’s waiting on me to confess or to tell him something before he brings it up.
I won’t do it. I won’t do it.
“How was your trip?” I ask instead.
He sets his fork down and begins stacking up the dirty plates. “Pretty good. Had a couple of late nights, but business got done.”
I watch him as he reaches for his wallet and begins pulling out bills. “Want me to get the tip at least?”
“No. A man always pays for a woman’s meal. Relationship type doesn’t matter. That’s how I was raised and you know that, so don’t ask that shit again.”
“Just seeing if living here has changed the sweet boy who practically raised me.”
He stands up and gives me a confident smile. “Some things have changed, but things you don’t need to know about.”
“Ugh! Yes, I’m guessing not. Especially since I see the women practically throwing themselves at your feet at the bar. It’s disgusting.”
“None of them are the one. Might as well have a little fun while waiting for her to show up.” He gives me a hard look when I smile at the memory of Micah and the excitement from last night. “That doesn’t mean I want you doing the same. You’re a girl. Which reminds me . . .”
He holds the door open for me. I quickly walk outside and over to my car as if I’m in a hurry. This will at least give me a few seconds to compose myself and pretend that what happened last night wasn’t breaking the rules.
But even the reminder has me all hot and bothered.
“Hold on a sec.” He grabs my arm and stops me from opening my car door. “Did Micah try anything with you when I was gone? Don’t lie either. You know how I feel about that. I can’t tell from his texts.”
“He didn’t lay a finger on me,” I lie. Well, it’s sort of a lie. His finger didn’t do the touching that got me off at least. I’m doing my best to convince myself that I didn’t just betray my brother’s trust.
He looks me over. “Good. I’d hate to have to kick his ass before I even have time to settle back in. He knows the rules.” He kisses me on the top of the head and then backs up to his motorcycle.
“Where’s your luggage?”
“With a friend of mine at the airport. They’re dropping it off for me later.”
I watch as he hops on and straddles his shiny, black Harley. His muscles flex as he grips the handles and looks back at me. “Where are you headed?” I ask.
He winks and revs the engine. “Don’t ask me a question when you don’t want to know the answer.”
“Eww. Well, I’ll be at Vortex for a few hours, writing out back. Find me when you show up.”
“Text me if you need me before that. Just not within the next two hours.”
I roll my eyes and open the door to Jamie’s car. She’s letting me borrow it while she’s at work. “I won’t. I’m a big girl. Stop worrying. And don’t ever tell me how long you will take. Shit, Xan.”
He waits and watches me pull off, before he finally speeds out of the parking lot and past me, in a hurry to get to this chick’s house.
“Shit,” I mumble to myself, feeling my stomach knot up.
Why the hell do I feel so guilty?