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ME:Don’t call me brah
FLUX:Got it, Coach
I stare at the screen for a long moment, letting my gaze flicker to my own face. The smile I’m wearing in the picture almost unfamiliar.
FLUX:Need anything else, Coach? A beer? Phone number? Invite to a Memorial Day BBQ?
He’s baiting me. He’s giving me an easy out. An easy chance to ask for her number. Or a chance to see her. I should do it. Hell, enough is enough. I can’t keep beating off to the memory of this girl.
But then, why would he do that? She’s his friend, and another thing I’ve learned about Flux is that he’s fiercely loyal. That’s why I trust him with these recruits. And that’s why I can’t ask him to connect us. Because I couldn’t ask him to keep from her what he knows about me. This girl deserves someone so much better than a guy who pays for blow jobs.
Another notification comes through.
FLUX:???
With a heavy sigh, I type out the only answer that makes any sense.
ME: I like BBQ
CHAPTER10
MEGAN
I pullthe blinds closed and collapse on my bed. It’s all too much.
There are just so many people here. I didn’t realize it was going to be such a big thing to host a little start-of-summer barbecue. But then Faye and Zeke arrived with a cornhole game and something else Faye called Polish Horseshoes in a low whisper. When I’d asked her why she was whispering she said she didn’t know what else to call it but she was pretty sure it was offensive.
It was all good until Aly’s boyfriend, Lex arrived and started grilling the meat. I don’t know what he did to that poor pig, but I feel confident he or she didnotdeserve to be desecrated that way. I’m glad I didn’t have any of Ainsley’s party punch because between the noise and the stench of the ribs, I’m feeling queasy again. This lingering stomach bug has officially worn out its unwelcome.
Or maybe it’s the fact that Derek is here.
I haven’t seen him since we were in Seattle and he was giving me the most intense orgasms of my life. Every dirty thought I’ve had since has involved him. He’s been so hard to shake, and now he’s here, as if it’s nothing. As if nothing happened and it’s no big deal. I wish I felt the same way. It would be so much easier.
I’m not sure who invited him, but I walked out the back door and saw him standing next to Freddy next to a PVC pipe with a beer balanced on top. He looked like he was completely comfortable in my backyard. The perfect image ofcasual.And really freaking hot. Good for him.
So now, here I am, sitting on the end of my bed in my dark bedroom, during my own party, because I’m embarrassed and exhausted and turned on and the only thing that sounds any good at all is a nap.
There’s a knock at the door, three short taps that sound soft and hollow like a single knuckle rapping against the wood.
“Come in,” I say, looking over my shoulder as the door opens.
Derek stands in the doorframe, his shoulders wedged between the narrow opening, and I suck in a breath as the soft lamplight highlights his strong features.
“You hiding?” He wears a wolfish grin that has my thighs clenching.
I had started to wonder if maybe I’d built him up in my memory as being more handsome than he actually is.
I hadn’t.
His dark wavy hair is just messy enough that I can’t tell if he used product or woke up that way. His eyes flash silvery blue in the low light, and his cheeks bear just the sexiest trace of stubble. When I don’t respond, he straightens, and pauses.
“Okay if I come in?”
“Sure,” I say, not moving from where I’m sitting on the bed. Partly because I don’t trust myself to be any closer to him. Partly because I’m not sure what will happen if I try to support my weight on my shaky legs.
He ducks through the door and closes it behind him silently. He stuffs his hands into the pockets of his faded jeans and flicks his thick, wavy hair out of his eyes. Oh, those eyes. They land on mine and don’t move, penetrating, leaving me feeling exposed.
“How are you?” I ask, not sure what else to say.
