I thought maybe that was why we were closest to each other out of the four. He never got any pushback from me, and I never felt anything but understanding for him. It let us feel totally comfortable with each other and stay tight.
“So, how’s Lindsey?” I asked.
He rolled his eyes and took a deep swig of his beer. “She’s just a friend. I’ve told you that already,” he said.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“That I’ve told you before or that she’s just a friend?”
He was having none of the conversation, and I decided to let it drop.
“All right. I get the message. You know Mom and Dad are wondering when you’re going to bring a good woman home, though,” I pointed out.
Nick let out a half laugh. “Yeah. Quentin went and ruined it for all of us. He had to find the perfect woman and get them thinking about having a gaggle of grandbabies. But at least I’m not the only one who’s still single. Speaking of which, tell me more about Kelly.”
That was seriously the last thing I wanted him to ask. I figured he would know that, but he looked at me over the neck of his bottle with raised eyebrows.
“What do you mean?” I asked, attempting to play dumb.
“Well, when I was at the bar on Saturday night hanging out with Lindsey, it just so happened Kelly was there. I introduced myself to her, and we got to talking,” he told me.
“That’s nice. She’s going to be a good addition to the team,” I said.
He clearly wanted to talk about her more. The way he was looking at me said he was brimming with curiosity and wanted me to tell him all the gritty details about how I knew Kelly and what might be going on between us. But I didn’t engage with him, and eventually he gave up and changed the subject. I was glad when he dropped it and I could just go back to relaxing and enjoying some time with my family.
The problem wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk about Kelly. The problem was that all I wanted to talk about was her. All I wanted to think about was her. But I couldn’t let myself go down that slippery slope, especially not with one of my brothers. As much as I told myself that we were both adults who were more than capable of just being friends, I was still insanely attracted to her, and there was the little voice in the back of my mind saying maybe I could eventually convince her to give us an actual try. But since I still didn’t know if that was ever going to happen, I needed it to stop there. If I didn’t know if I would ever be more than friends with Kelly, I didn’t want to put her out there in front of my family. She didn’t deserve to be scrutinized and have any of them look at her any differently because they knew about my feelings for her.
After a few more minutes, Nick got up and headed over to spend some time with Vince. Almost as soon as his chair was vacated, Dad came and sat beside me. He tipped his beer toward me, and I clinked mine against his before we both took deep sips. Dad turned to look at the fire and let out a long, contented sigh. He sat there beside me without saying anything. There was no expectation, no obligation for me to fill the silence with anything. It was the best way to spend the rest of the evening. Before I realized it, Dad and I had drank several more beers, and by the time the night was over, there was no way I was driving home. Dad had Mom to pour him into the car and get him back safely, leaving just me. I knew they were willing to give me a ride, but it would be out of their way. Instead, I crashed at Quentin’s house.
12 Kelly
Darren’s tongue slid up my body, sending shivers along my skin and making my toes curl. The anticipation was torture, yet I didn’t want it to stop. I wanted to lie there and savor every touch of his fingers, every second of his weight surrounding me. His mouth closed over one nipple, and he drew his fingers up along the outside of one leg, then around onto the soft inside of my thigh. My body shook in response to the sensation and to the increasing need for him. Every bit of me cried out for him, aching to have him inside me. He brought his mouth to mine and bit my bottom lip as his fingers sank inside me. I cried out, my back arching in response to the pleasure. Kissing him hungrily, I reached down to wrap my hand around… blankets.
I opened my eyes and saw only the bluish light of the hours just before the sun came up, filling my own small bedroom. Struggling to catch my breath, I clapped my hand over my eyes and tried to force the images of the dream
