AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I stand and smack my hand against the table.
“We didn’t. I didn’t. I don’t have any pills right now, okay? I swear. We only drank. But look. You fucked up a nail. Sit down and I’ll fix it.”
I fall into my seat with a sigh. She soaks a cotton ball with nail polish remover to clean the messy nail and start over. Her words become that steady low beat in a song that tries to distract you from the frantic notes scrambling your brain. “I won’t do the hard stuff again,” she says. “I swear. I swear. I’m not trying to die. I just want to relax. Forget.”
I move around the table to hug her. I wish she would tell me more about what she’s trying to forget. I know something bad happened to her, but she refuses to talk about it.
“Hey, you’re messing up more nails,” she protests before hugging me back. After a beat, she adds, “Brody has been leaving you alone, right?”
I nod. I want to say, “Unfortunately,” but I know Amber doesn’t like the idea of me and Brody together. That was clear the first day I arrived. I don’t understand why it’s an issue. She loves both of us, so wouldn’t us being together be a good thing? I won’t tattle, though. I won’t get Brody in trouble. Not that he’s done anything except brush me off.
“Good,” she says. “And Troy has been cool?”
I don’t have time to respond because the front door creaks open. Brody walks in. Normally I enjoy his presence, but right now he’s a gray cloud warning of rain. “Am I interrupting girl time?” he asks blandly, looking at the nail files and bottles spread across the table.
“Yes. Go away,” Amber says sharply, releasing our hug.
After a second to re-focus myself—to shift from my worry about Amber to my mission with Brody—I smile at him.
Giving up on my nails, Amber packs her supplies. “You need to stop cooking for that oaf.”
I cast a sideways glance at her and she rolls her eyes.
Brody stares past me at the wall. He’s more guarded than usual. Maybe he’s still upset about this morning. I didn’t think joining him in the shower would startle him that much. “Thanks, but I’m not hungry.”
“Good. Because she shouldn’t be cooking for you,” Amber snaps. “Don’t you have other things to do? Weights to lift or something?”
He sulks away without another word. I wish she would stop scaring him off.
Amber’s mood lifts instantly. “Good riddance. Now, I’m making myself a sandwich before I run errands. You want one?”
I shake my head.
“Yes. Errands. I’ll be back in an hour.”
While she’s fixing a sandwich, my phone buzzes. A text from Brody. My heart dances, and I stare at the screen in a daze before the words register in my brain.
Can we talk later?
Talk? Is that code for something sexy? Amber’s birthday isn’t coming up, so it can’t be about a surprise party. Did he discover that Troy sneaks Candy over? Maybe I can pretend I didn’t know. Now my stomach is churning. Talk about what? Oh, no. What if he’s kicking me out? I startled him so much this morning that he decided he wants nothing to do with me. I press my phone against my chest. I don’t want to leave yet. I love it here. I want to stay a little longer. Just a little.
“Okay. See you soon,” Amber says after a quick hug. She grabs the sandwich and her purse and then walks out the door.
Brody wants to talk. Later. Why not now? I can’t wait until later. Amber left, so we have to talk now. Not knowing what he wants to discuss will destroy me.
I march down the hallway and open his bedroom door, ready to confront whatever he needs to say.
I almost drop my phone. Time slows as I glimpse what’s in front of me. Brody is laying on his bed, back propped against pillows, an open laptop on his thighs. His jeans are unzipped, and he has one hand fisted around his thick, veiny, very hard cock.
I only get a second to look before he sucks in air and slams the laptop shut. He fumbles to yank sheets over his body. “Jesus,” he pants. “Knock, Paige. You have to knock!”
My finger hovers over the word ‘sorry’ on my phone. I don’t tap it. My heart pounds faster than it ever has, even faster than when I was high. My knees shake. A strong, warm ache settles in my pelvis. This is it. The opportunity I’ve been fighting for. I’m minutes from climbing on top of him and soaring toward ecstasy. Nirvana. I’m glad I wore my good panties today.
Do I tell him about my problem?
My excitement falters, and my heart becomes an unsteady rhythm. I had planned to tell Brody once this moment arrived. Otherwise, how would he help? But with me feeling different, whatever this feeling is, I suddenly don’t want to. I don’t want disappointment filling his eyes when he looks at me. He’s so kind that I know he’d agree to help while secretly feeling disappointed and turned off that I’m not fully functional. Sex isn’t fun for a man if the woman can’t come. I learned that from Josh.
I’ll get there on my own without telling him. If I can’t, I’ll fake it. No harm to either of us.
