“I know all too well just how older brothers irritate the hell out of their younger siblings. That’s why they’re put on this earth. To torment and tease.”
“I doubt anyone misses me, though. They’re probably just glad I’m out of their hair for the summer.”
He squeezes my hand. “I don’t believe that, Kady. You’re too much fun not to miss.”
It’s not what he says, but how he says it – with such reverence and certainty. I bend over at the waist, toying with the drawstrings hanging from my blouse that synch together at my breasts.
My voice is quiet, filled with a swirl of emotion. “I don’t know. I really do think it’s much easier for everyone when I’m not home. They don’t have to deal with my drama all the time. I’m doing everyone a favor by being away.”
I pause and consider where all this is coming from. This sadness and home sickness. Everything has changed so much over the last year. My mom got remarried. Cade graduated college and is engaged. Kylah came into her own and found love. Even my dad has started dating again.
That leaves me the oddball out. Nothing and no one that makes me smile or dance or dream.
****
It’s strange to have a girl in my room that I haven’t fucked. Or plan to get naked with.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d be naked with Kady in a red-hot minute if I could. There’s no doubt in my mind that she’d be wild in bed. Just based on what I’ve observed so far, she’s made no secret of being DTF. Even when she’s ripping me a new asshole for staring at her boobs or ass, she’s only responded in a kittenish, almost coy, manner. But she’s also made it clear she wants to stay in the friend zone, even though I think we both recognize there’s something there.
And I am certain that attraction would mean some hot fucking sex.
Those kinds of thoughts should be farthest from my mind, especially after the deep and meaningful conversation we just had about our families. But I can’t help it.Being in my room with Kady messes with my head and turns me into a horny monster on the verge of attack.
Her doubt has clearly caught me off guard and I have no idea where such a seemingly self-assured woman can have those uncertainties. I don’t understand how she can think no one cares about her or misses her. The heaviness of our conversation has shut her down and she now seems lost in her thoughts, having expressed her uncertainty about her place in the world.
The physical chemistry I feel toward her may also stem from the similarities we share. That connection isn’t lost on me. Although in completely different places in our life, we both seem a bit uncertain about who we are and where we are going. Although I have my basketball career, there’s no guarantee I’ll make it to the U.S. pros. I could stall out here and then have nowhere else to play. If that happened, I don’t know what I’d do.
For Kady, it’s the sheer magnitude of the unknown. She doesn’t know yet where she wants to be or what she wants to do and doesn’t have a clear plan. She compares herself to her brother and sister. I tried reminding her that she is her own person and has her own path to follow. She grumbled when I mention that and flops back on my bed, throwing her arm over her eyes.
My body stills when I’m hit with a realization that she’s now lying right next to me on my bed. In my mind, I picture her naked across the sheets, her long hair spilling out and over my pillows. Her legs spread out across the comforter and her hand skimming down the center of her body, her fingers teasing her sensitive flesh along the way.
My pants grow tight behind the zipper and I move away from her, standing up and picking up some of my shit.
I know I need to get Kady out of my room. Otherwise, another five minutes and I’ll have her undressed with my mouth between her thighs. And fuck, that sounds too good right now.
Setting the laundry basket back down on the floor, I turn back to her on my bed and find her watching me. I swallow thickly, offering up a solution that will help me get her out of my bed.
“Hey, want to get out of here and go do some sightseeing?”
She blinks, a little confused. “I thought you had laundry to do?”
I wave her off. “Meh. I can do that shit later. That’s the beauty of dirty laundry. It’ll always be there.”
Her infectious laugh fills the room. “True dat. Okay, let’s do it, then. Where are we going?”
“Not sure. I guess we’ll wing it,” I confirm, offering my hand to help her up. When she takes it, I’m pulverized by the shock her touch sends up my arm.
She grins, her mood brightening. “Perfect, cause I’m a wing-it type of girl.”
And just like that, I realize how easily “winging it” could get us into trouble.
