He sucked in a breath through his teeth. “Yeah, about that. Taylor—Rorie’s friend that you’re meeting tonight—she heard the word Marine and about died. So she’s probably not your best option, either.”
A huff shot from my chest. I hadn’t even been in the truck for three minutes, and Declan was already mentioning his girlfriend. That might have been a new record for him.
“Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll be sure to stay away.” Not that I’d needed his warning to want to. It would be impossible to find another girl I wanted to give even half an hour of my time to. It had been impossible for over ten months now. I reached over and swatted at Declan’s tie and said, “Maybe I’ll just steal Rorie, since she prefers contractors in ties.”
He shot me a weak glare and loosened the tie to slip it over his head. “Touch my girl, see how long it takes me to kill you.”
A wicked smile crossed my face as I taunted him. “But it would be such a fun challenge.”
“Okay.” He shrugged and nodded. “I guess I’m killing you now.”
A sharp laugh burst from my chest. “No, you know I’m happy for you. I don’t want your girl. I want . . .” I trailed off and blew out a slow breath before mumbling softly, “I want something I can’t have.”
“What do you—wait, you met someone and didn’t tell me about it? Who is she?”
She’s a violet-eyed siren who probably isn’t even real. Flashes from a night—or maybe a dream—all those months ago hit me hard, and I welcomed every one of them.
“Is she married?” Declan asked suddenly.
My head snapped to the left to look at his curious expression, and it took me a few seconds to remember what he’d been asking. “Married? No. She’s just—I’m pretty sure she doesn’t exist.”
The curiosity on his face vanished. “Man, how many drugs are you on?”
“Yeah, none,” I said with a laugh. “Forget I said anything.”
When Dec’s cell phone chimed he grabbed it from where it sat in the cup holder and glanced at the screen for a second before setting it back down. As he did, an uncomfortable tension suddenly filled the small space. Before I could question it, he cleared his throat and said, “Hey . . . speaking of drugs, there’s something I think you should know.”
My brow furrowed as I waited for him to elaborate. “You already warned me about Taylor; you don’t need to continue adding reasons for me to stay away.” I tried to say it jokingly, but my voice came out strained.
There weren’t many reasons Declan would bring up drugs around me, and even though I hoped I was wrong, I had a feeling I knew where this conversation was about to go. The simple thought of it—of her—set me on edge.
“Jessica found me,” he finally said with a rush.
I hissed out a curse when his rapid confession confirmed my worries, then sighed through my nose as I tried to figure a way out of this conversation. But I still found myself gesturing to his phone and asking, “Was that her?”
“No. Dad.”
I nodded, and after a moment, admitted, “Yeah, she found me, too. I don’t know how. We’ve talked a few times since I got back.”
Each time had been worse than the time before it, and much worse than the previous time she’d found me. My hands slowly clenched into fists as I thought about her words and her taunts and her desperate pleas.
Declan looked quickly between the road and me. “I didn’t tell her how to find you, Jent, I swear. I haven’t been responding to her.”
“I know you wouldn’t have,” I responded numbly. “When have you ever? She just has her ways.” After all, psychotic people are usually brilliant. “How long ago did she find you?”
“Just after you got back from this last tour; right before I graduated. She was in my room at the frat house one day when I got back from my classes, and I know I’d locked my door before I’d left.”
A sound between a laugh and a sneer left me. “And how did that reunion go? Did you need to tell Rorie about it?”
Declan knew what I was implying and referring to. It had been the only time Dec and I had fought. One of the only times I had ever truly scared myself . . .
He rubbed a hand over his face, and kept it over his mouth when he mumbled, “I didn’t know, dude.”
“I know.”
“And there was nothing to tell Rorie. I made Jessica leave. . . . I had to give her money, but I made her leave.” When I just nodded absentmindedly, Declan said, “So you’ve talked to her?”
I paused for a second before saying, “A few times, for as long as I can handle her.”
“About—”
“I don’t want to do this,” I said roughly. “Not now. Maybe not ever if she can’t figure her shit out.”
“Well, that’s not a possibility.”
My brows lifted in agreement though I knew he couldn’t see. Clearing my throat, I attempted to put all thoughts of Jessica out of mind by switching the conversation to Declan’s favorite topic these days. “So what else has been going on since graduation? I know you moved in with your girl. What is she doing now that you’re back working for Dad?”
Dec gave me a look that said he wouldn’t forget this conversation, but thankfully let it go for now. “She’s been neurotically cleaning our apartment. Actually, she just heard back from an elementary school on a kindergarten position, so she’s excited about that.”
Declan dated pageant queens and girls that—well . . . that looked like whores. None of them had the teacher look or were obsessive cleaners. Knowing Dec had been continuously cheated on by one of those girls not long before he met Rorie, I was wondering if he went for the first girl he found who was the exact opposite, and now all I could picture was our third-grade teacher, Miss Haggerty.
She had been the very definition of a lonely cat woman and had smelled like she never showered or washed her clothes though she was constantly cleaning the classroom. She also dressed like she was homeless.
Declan glanced at me and laughed at my expression. “What?”
“So she’s a teacher and a neurotic cleaner.” I blew out a slow breath and tilted my head to the side. “She sounds fun, Dec.”
He was shaking his head before I’d finished talking. “No, it’s not like that. The cleaning . . . Rorie just started it, and I’m positive it’s only because she’s trying to impress Mom. She’s not usually like that. And what’s wrong with being a teacher?”
“Nothing. I just know the kind of girls you’ve been with in the past, and suddenly you’re with an OCD girl who wants to be an elementary school teacher. It’s the complete opposite of what you usually go for, so I’m picturing a really boring girl who looks like Miss Haggerty.”
“Again, what’s wrong with that?” he asked innocently, and barked out a laugh when he saw the disgust that flashed across my face.
“I’m joking. Rorie . . . she’s . . . God, I don’t even know where to start with her, or how to explain her other than what I’ve told you. She’s quiet at first, yeah, but give her a bit and she’ll open up. There’s just something about her that draws you in. I don’t know what it is or how to explain it. You’ll see when you meet her. But boring?” He grinned impishly and let that hang in the air for a few seconds. “Fuck . . . the last thing you could say about that girl is that she’s boring.”
His tone hinted at everything he wasn’t saying, and made his attraction to a girl I was still picturing as Miss Haggerty make sense. “Really?”
He raised a brow and looked over at me for a second before looking back at the road. “Best of my life.”
“Come on, Dec. . . .”
“I’m not kidding. It’s like someone unleashes her, she becomes a totally different person.” He stopped talking abruptly, and I knew in the way he was clenching his jaw that he was done talking about that part of their relationship.
Before, we would share stories about every girl—but I understood his want to keep Rorie to himself. I had one of those, too.
“Damn you
for finding the girl every guy wants,” I mumbled, but couldn’t stop the genuine smile that crossed my face. He deserved Rorie after his last relationship. “You better marry her before your dumb ass messes up.”
Aurora
An hour and a half later, I was showered and shaved, my hair was falling down to my waist in large, loose curls, and my makeup had never cooperated so well. If everything else failed this weekend, at least I would have tonight.
“Are you re— Whoa, Rorie!” Taylor skidded to a stop just inside the closet. Her eyes were wide when she found me. “Just which one of us is meeting someone new tonight?”
I rolled my eyes but didn’t respond as I started dressing.
“Since when did you start wearing sexy lingerie?”
“Since I started sleeping with a boyfriend who really likes finding out what I’m wearing underneath.” I gave her a knowing look as I fought a grin.
She patted her covered chest for a second, and her tone dropped. “I feel like I should go change.”
“It’s not like anyone is going to see it until later,” I said through my laughter. “Besides, I’ve seen what you wear underneath your clothes, and it puts mine to shame.”
Taylor narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to argue, but then nodded. “True.”
My phone chimed repeatedly from where it sat on the bathroom counter, and I finished pulling my shirt on as I went to check who the texts were from.
Dec: Got the package.
Dec: Meet me at the restaurant.
Dec: Bring the money.
Haha. Be there in a minute.
“One guess who that’s from.” Taylor’s face pinched like she’d eaten something sour when I looked up at her with confusion after I sent my reply. “You’re all smiley and whatever.”
“He was being funny.”
She lifted an eyebrow to show she didn’t agree that that would be my reason for smiling. “Uh-huh. You know that you two are so cute it’s nauseating.”
“Oh, is someone jealous?” I teased, and bumped into her as I walked out of the bathroom. Taylor thought relationships were pointless and always made fun of mine, so I knew jealous was the last thing she was. “Anyway, they’re at the restaurant. Are you ready?”
Her eyes widened like she’d just remembered the reason we had been getting ready. After a handful of seconds, she finally nodded. “Yeah, sure. Jentry time. Blind date and Jentry time. Oh God. No. No, wait, I can do this. He’ll be great.”
“Yes, exactly. Now let’s go.”
Thankfully the restaurant was only a few minutes from the house, so I didn’t have to listen to another one of Taylor’s meltdowns over Jentry for long. I was so ready for this dinner to start so I could have my overly confident friend back that I practically shoved her toward the entrance of the restaurant when she started hesitating again.
“Average in every way!” I reminded her, and wondered if this was how she felt when she had to give me pep talks.
If so, I felt sorry for the years that Taylor had tried to bring me out of my shell.
I breathed a silent sigh of relief as I followed her into the restaurant, and after a second of talking to the seating hostess, we were taken back to the table where the guys were waiting for us.
My eyes were on Declan as he talked to a guy next to him, so I saw when he caught sight of us. Within seconds, he and Jentry were standing. My smile widened as my eyes shifted over to get my first glimpse of this best friend, and then promptly fell. I blinked quickly and shook my head, and wasn’t sure if I was still following the seating hostess and Taylor, or if I was rooted in place.
But I knew with one hundred percent certainty that I couldn’t take my eyes off the person next to Declan. The guy who was supposed to be Jentry. The guy who was supposed to be Declan’s adopted brother that I’d heard countless stories of. Instead, it was the guy who had spent an entire night worshipping my body nearly a year before. The mysterious guy, who’d said his name was Jay. The same Jay I’d gone back to find when I’d ended up meeting Declan instead. Jay, who could have my skin covered in goose bumps with just the thought of his lips against my skin. Jay, who had somehow managed to touch my soul within the span of a few hours. Jay, who was now standing next to the guy I loved.
4
One Month Ago
Aurora
Feelings I couldn’t begin to describe rushed through my body the moment his eyes met mine. This had to be some cruel joke.
Jay—no . . . Jentry’s dark eyes widened a fraction before narrowing as they traveled the length of my body. His gaze seared everywhere it touched, and my cheeks heated in embarrassment when I shivered from his knowing stare alone.
“Gorgeous,” a deep voice muttered into my ear as familiar arms wrapped around my waist.
I turned to look into crystal-clear green eyes an instant before Declan’s lips brushed against mine.
Keeping an arm wrapped possessively around me, Declan held out his other arm toward the tall, intimidating-looking man Taylor had just finished introducing herself to. “Rorie, I want you to meet my brother, Jentry. Jentry . . . this is her,” he said with pride and a wide smile.
“Her,” Jentry teased as he stepped closer, his tone and the curl of his lip almost making the word a sneer. Just having him this close had another shiver ripping through my body; had our night flooding to the surface.
That night had stayed etched into my soul, hidden from everyone else ever since I’d met Declan. Now that the man who had helped me write that nearly indescribable night was so close, it was as if our story were crawling over my skin for everyone to see. As if that part of my soul was reaching for him.
I wondered if Declan noticed any of the guilt, devastation, or betrayal that were currently pulsing from me, but I was pulled from him before I could judge his reaction.
I inhaled sharply when Jentry drew me into his arms for a hug that lasted entirely too long. That intoxicating smell teased my senses—just as I’d remembered. Something sweet, but warm and spicy that I couldn’t put my finger on. When he released me, he stayed close enough that I had to take a step toward Declan, and watched as Jentry smiled slowly in response.
“Declan talks about you so much that I feel like I already know you.”
“Likewise,” I forced out, then cleared my throat. “It’s great to finally meet you.” A weighted silence passed between the four of us, so I glanced at the table and asked, “Should we sit?”
Taylor waited until we were sitting and the guys were going to their side to turn toward me with an “Oh my God!” look while dramatically fanning at her face. By the time the boys were sitting, she appeared calm and collected.
I understood her previous look all too well. I knew the kind of effect Jentry could have on a girl just by looking at her. I also knew other kind of effects—stop it, Rorie! I took a deep breath in and held it for a moment before releasing it, and tried to mimic Taylor’s posture and expression. But I doubted I looked half as calm as she did. I was freaking out and doing everything to keep my eyes away from Jentry.
A foot connected with my shin, and I grunted, but managed to bite back a curse as I looked up at Declan.
“You okay?” he mouthed.
I just raised my eyebrows, hoping to go for innocence and confusion.
“So . . .” Taylor drew out the word and shot me an awkward look, then focused her attention on Jentry. “Marine Corps, huh?”
He nodded slowly, and I glanced over in time to see his dark eyes slide away from me. “Yeah.”
When he didn’t elaborate, Taylor glanced uneasily at me, then back to him. “Um, Rorie said you planned on getting out soon. What will you do when you’re back in Wake Forest?”
Jentry shrugged and leaned back in his chair as he folded his arms across his chest. He looked relaxed and amused, like he couldn’t wait to see how the rest of the night was going to play out—let alone the weekend. His dark eyes flickered toward me again, and the corner of his mouth twitched up.
r /> It was a challenge—there was no other way to describe it—but I would not be stepping up to it.
“Not sure yet, but I’d rather know more about the two of you. You’re from . . .” He trailed off, and kept his eyes on Taylor for only a second before looking at me questioningly.
I kept my mouth tightly closed.
“We’re from Raleigh,” Taylor answered easily, either ignoring or not noticing the way his eyes kept lingering on my face. “We’ve been best friends since high school, roomed together in college.”
“And you went to Duke, too?” he assumed. My pulse pounded when he obviously directed the question at me.
Thankfully Taylor still hadn’t noticed, and Declan was talking quietly to a waiter and slipping him a credit card for later.
“No, we went to NC State.”
“Rorie.”
I looked slowly over to where my name had been called from, and tried to keep my breathing steady. “Hmm?”
“Taylor was just saying that the two of you went to NC State. I was wondering how you happened to meet Declan up at Duke.”
Taylor’s laughter broke through the tension that had crept between Jentry and me, and while her laugh would have normally had me smiling, at the very least, I was now worried that I was going to hyperventilate. Or have a panic attack.
Taylor nudged me and snickered. “Oh, that’s a good story. Rorie here had dragged me to a party up at Duke—”
“You volunteered,” I added breathlessly, and was suddenly wishing for the insecure Taylor to come back, as long as it would shut her up.
“—because she was dying to find this guy she’d met the weekend before.”
My eyes fluttered shut at the same moment Declan said, “Wait, what?”
“Shit,” I mouthed, and tried to swallow. I couldn’t tell if my mouth had suddenly gone dry, or if my rapid breathing was getting in the way of me swallowing. I opened my eyes and reached for the water in front of me anyway, and shook my head once at Declan.