The Social Experiment

  “Please, Soph—don’t let this affect your relationship with your brother.”

  I think on this for a minute. “I’m not going to lie. I’m going to sock the shit out of him. But no matter how heartbreakingly low he falls, he’ll always be my brother. I can’t believe he did that to you. Why? Why would he do it?”

  “I have my theories. I can’t say for sure, but once your mother died, he needed someone. I think Becca took advantage of him. I don’t think her heart has ever been in the right place. She’s made it clear she wants something with me. And I need to take that to Braden. I’m just not sure if he’ll hear me.”

  “He’ll hear you because I’ll back you up. Not only did I see her with my own eyes, but she’s said something to me, too. I’ve always known Becca’s heart wasn’t in the right place. My brother deserves better. You both do.” I lean in and press a lingering kiss over his lips.

  “I already have something far better.” He kisses through a smile. “I have you. I do have you, right?” He leans in and takes a nibbling bite over my lip.

  “Always and forever. Wow, that sounded cheesy.” I give his ear a quick pinch. “But then, you’ve always brought out the cheesy in me.” My lips invert in an effort to keep from losing it. “I love you, Rowen. I love you ten times harder at this moment than I ever thought possible. The fact that you tried to protect me makes me fall in love with you a thousand times more.”

  “Just a thousand?”

  I look up Rowen’s chiseled features, that dark three-day stubble that makes me insane, and a fire bursts through me. “There is no number big enough to express how I feel about you. Are you ready to ditch this party? Because I want to express my love to you in far more creative ways.”

  A dark laugh strums from him. “I was hoping you’d say that because I happened to be at Paradise Falls this afternoon setting up a tent for the hell of it.”

  “A tent by a lake on Halloween night? You do realize that’s the stuff horror movies are made of.”

  “Not anymore. Starting tonight, they’re the things that dreams are made of.” He plants a kiss square on my lips.

  We exit the conference room as quick as possible, and Petra and Seth quickly disarm us of our mics.

  “Why do we always forget that we’re wearing those damn things?” I marvel as Rowen and I leave the psychology building hand in hand.

  “Because whenever I’m with you, everyone else ceases to exist.”

  An audible sigh escapes me as I wrap my arms around this beautiful man. “You’re all I see, Rowen. You’re all I’ve ever seen.”

  And just like that, Rowen and I share a kiss under a lavender evening sky, right there on campus in front of the entire student body.

  Rowen and I are in love, together, forever. Nobody could stop us from happening. Not Becca or Braden, least of all our stubborn selves.

  Paradise Falls gleams under the duress of a crescent-shaped moon.

  The little blue tent glows like a fallen star with all the magic and wonder it held for us that very first night.

  “I hope you came armed with an entire box of missile shields,” I say as I crawl over his lap, the sleeping bag slick beneath us. Rowen has doubled the blankets, and for that I’m thankful because turning into a Popsicle tonight is a very real possibility.

  A deep laugh brews in his chest. “I’ve got us covered. Our future children will have to live in our imagination for another day.”

  An instant bite of lust spreads throughout my body. Face it. There is nothing hotter than the love of your life informing you in no uncertain terms that you will one day bear his children.

  “Our future children are going to be awesome.”

  “Our future children are also going to be beautiful.” He kisses me on the tip of the nose, another sure-fire way to turn me into one giant exploding ovary. He lifts my chin gently until my eyes meet with his. “They’re going to be beautiful both inside and out because they’re going to have you as their mother.”

  Dying.

  “Maybe we should practice creating those children? You know, just to make sure we get the moves down so that when the time is right we can get straight to it.”

  “You’re full of great ideas, you know that?”

  “I’m with you, aren’t I?”

  Our lips meet with an open-mouthed kiss, our laughter tumbling together to create its own special rhythm. My hands get straight to work tugging and pulling at his clothes. I’m fascinated by the way his jersey feels beneath my hands, slippery with a plastic sheen, and those numbers—they make my hands stick over them as a reminder how important they are. Rowen removes my sweater. He works off my bra before pulling me over him as he lies back onto the ground. It feels heady like this, partially airborne with Rowen raking hot kisses across my chest, owning my nipples, flicking, licking, biting down just enough to make me want it. We strip ourselves clean, and I lie back on my side, just observing his sculpted body. His erection salutes me as he rests on his elbows, his dimples digging in as his grin widens. My finger creates a giant letter S over his chest, over the rocky crags of muscle with their severe crevices, dips and valleys. Rowen Garret has an eight-pack. He has always had a body on him, but, my dear God, these last three years have been generous to him.

  My finger bounces down past that hard V that points the way to that colossal flesh-covered promise he holds just for me.

  “I think we should rename it—something just for the two of us. You know, a private reserve.”

  “A private reserve.” He offers up that cocky grin that makes me wet, each and every time. Rowen has always had the power to seduce me with nothing more than a smile. “What are you thinking? The King? Sophie’s Cave Hunter?”

  I swat him over the arm. “That’s crude.”

  “How about the Dicktator?”

  “I can see you’ve given this a lot of thought.” A laugh gets caught in my throat. “I was thinking something far more noble like Excalibur or the Womb Broom.”

  “Womb Broom?” he mouths, shaking his head at my distaste in this penile name game.

  “Rowen’s Earthworm?”

  “Honey”—he tips his head, his expression suddenly dead serious—“that ain’t no worm you’re dealing with.”

  “Touché. I may not have much to juxtapose you with, but even I know that. Okay, I’ve got it. The Sperminator.” I tip my head right back at him, and Rowen closes his eyes. “Just kidding. The official—totally secretive and private new moniker of the beast formerly known as the Colossus is—Weapon of Ass Destruction.”

  “Sophie.” He winces as he rubs his face down with his palm.

  “Okay, okay, I was just teasing. Thank God you’ve got a sense of humor. Ready?” I bite down on a juicy grin, and he nods, clearly eager to get on with the show. “Mr. President.” A sigh expels from me as I say it.

  “Mr. President.” Rowen straightens as he says it.

  “I can see that title is already going to your head.” I glance down as we share a dark laugh.

  “I like it. And that makes you my first lady.” Rowen pulls me under him. “The President will see you now—I’ll be using that phrase a lot.”

  “You are the head of state—commander-in-briefs.” I can’t help but giggle.

  Rowen’s brows furrow as if he were pretending to frown and is failing miserably. “Are you laughing at your fearless leader?” He lands a kiss over my mouth and unleashes his wild roving tongue as if teaching me a lesson. He pulls back and licks a line straight down my torso. “I think it’s time I use my executive powers and issue a decree that mandates a ladies come first rule.”

  “I think I like this ruling.” I hike back up on my elbows. “It sounds as if our first executive agreement in foreign relations has been achieved.”

  Rowen’s dark head bows to my abdomen as he presses in a gentle kiss. He glances up with that all too familiar drugged look in his eyes, his lips full and ruddy with color.

  His chest rises and falls with great dram
a. “I can guarantee you, the law will be faithfully executed.”

  Rowen dives in deep, loving me frenetically until that little tent we’re locked away in spins right into the stratosphere. I know I probably shouldn’t, but I keep sneaking glances at that dark head of hair working hard to please me, moving slowly, then quickly with a rhythm all his own. This is Rowen loving me, drinking me down, moaning as if I were his favorite meal.

  Rowen and I make love—yes, the cheesy old-fashioned way, we fuck—something just this side of crude, and everything beautiful in between. Rowen is my forever. I knew it then, and I know it now.

  When we’re through, Rowen and I lie wrapped in one another’s arms, content with the sound of our own breathing.

  Morning comes too soon, but it doesn’t matter. He’s still with me.

  And I know for certain, he always will be.

  Rowen

  I have always believed in true love. I’ve had great examples by way of my grandparents, my mother, and my father. I’ve seen a few friends get lucky with the L word themselves. And for myself, I knew it was there lurking around the periphery. I’ve always had it with Sophie. It’s a love that’s evolved from a sincere affection, to a heartfelt friendship, to an all-out sensual, sexual desire—a flame that cannot be extinguished. There are just some people who you know will be a part of your life forever, and I’ve always known that about Sophie Meyer. She’s had my heart as a friend, and now as something far more intimate than that. She’ll have my heart forever. There are some things you just know, and I know that for a fact.

  Come Monday, after classes are done and practice is through, I pick up Soph at her dorm and we head to the Underground for a quick bite. We’ve decided to draw up a plan of attack to get Braden to come around, maybe Mindy if we’re lucky. We’re still undecided what to do about Becca. I still haven’t told Soph about the baby. I’m still not convinced it’s true, but last night at the tent wasn’t the time or place.

  The Underground is pumping as the band pounds out the beats and the girls below the stage grind their hips to the music. I spot a few guys from the team while doing a quick pan of the vicinity for Braden, but no such luck on that front.

  Sophie and I find a table near the back. Everywhere we go, together or alone, half the campus comes up and greets us, gives their two cents on the state of our relationship. The hard part is knowing how raw and truthful we were in those conversations. Soon, everyone will know the truth about Braden and me, and I kind of feel like crap about that. I couldn’t help it, though. I needed to get it all out like a festering wound and clean it with Sophie’s acceptance, her forgiveness.

  From where I’m seated, I’m afforded a direct line of vision into the poolroom in the back, and my eyes snag on a beefed-up dude mauling some poor girl and I can’t help but grunt a dull laugh. I recognize that side of beef.

  “Check this out.” I lean to Soph and nod over. “That’s Boomer going at it with some chick.”

  A light laugh blooms from her, and she stops abruptly, her mouth rounding out in horror. “Oh, Rowen.” She closes her eyes a moment. “Don’t freak out, but—”

  Sophie doesn’t have to finish the sentence. My eyes bulge out of their sockets as I catch a glimpse of that familiar face behind him, her innocent ponytail leaping from side to side.

  A roar rips from my throat as I launch into the poolroom and tear that son of a bitch off my sister.

  “Rowen!” Honestly, I can’t tell whether it was Mindy or Sophie who shouted it, perhaps it was both.

  I sock the holy shit out of Boomer Get-Your-Fucking-Rocks-off-of-My-Sister Alderson.

  “Whoa.” He holds up his hands in surrender, and I take the opportunity to shove my fist into his jaw. I want to hear it crack, feel his bones crunch under my knuckles until he’s nothing but dust.

  “Shit!” someone barks into my ear as they pluck me off, and I glance back to see that guy from the other night that listened to me sulk at the bar, Lane. “Stop acting like animals,” he shouts as he tosses me to the side. “Dude.” He gives Boomer a kick in the seat. “Go get yourself cleaned up.”

  No sooner does he say it than Boomer scampers the hell out of the room.

  “I hate you!” Mindy screams from the hall while Sophie does her best to hold her back.

  “Do not move,” I growl as I steady myself on the table a moment. I turn my attention back to Lane. “Thanks, man. I owe you one. And don’t worry. It won’t happen again. That’s my buddy.” Those last words come out a little more subdued than I’d like. “I guess I have to face the fact my sister is growing up.” I shake my head. “I just wish she’d make better choices.” I slap him five. “I’ll see you around.”

  “Will do, man.” He takes off, and I motion for Sophie and Mindy to fall into the nearest table.

  Mindy’s face is slicked with tears, her eyes red as Christmas ornaments, and Sophie is right there offering her a tissue, rubbing her back as if their relationship hasn’t missed a beat. I wish it were true. I’d do anything to make it so.

  “I’m sorry,” I say to my sister, and her demeanor changes on a dime.

  “What do you mean you’re sorry? You just beat the snot out of your best friend.”

  “Because he was mauling you!”

  “He was not mauling me!” She crumples up her soggy tissue and tosses it in my face. Tears burst from the corners of her eyes, straight into the air, and for a second, her newfound tear-spouting talent fascinates me. “Boomer and I have been seeing each other. And we’re tired of having to hide it from you.”

  “What?” I glance back toward the restroom, and Boomer is still nowhere to be seen. “How long has this been going on?”

  “Since that night we had a Meyer sighting at the Pinewood Steakhouse,” she growls over at Sophie. “If you can date a Meyer, I can date anyone on this planet I like.”

  “She’s got you there.” Soph waves to the waitress and orders a platter of nachos for us.

  “So, this is a thing?” Mindy glances from Soph to me with a look that suggests she might vomit.

  “Yes, this is a thing,” I say in the same heavy cadence she gave it. “And this thing is never going to end, so get used to it.”

  Mindy huffs as if the idea were incredulous to her. “Well, I’m with Boomer, and you can kiss your own dick if you don’t like it.”

  “Mindy Garret!” Sophie squawks. “I taught you better than that.”

  “Okay.” Mindy grunts out a laugh. “You can kiss your small, little, wrinkled out, prunny penis for all I care!”

  “That’s better.” Sophie picks at her nails without looking up, and for a moment, I’m transported to about five years back when the two of them would gang up on me. It feels kind of nice in a nostalgic way—sans the insult to my manhood.

  “That’s not better, but what is better is seeing the two of you getting along. And if the price I have to pay is a few insults to my man parts, I’m good with it.”

  Mindy’s mouth opens with a silent rage. “See how dense he is?”

  Soph looks up and shakes her head at me. “Try again, Ro. You’re warm.”

  “Shit.” My insides writhe at the thought of what I have to do next. “Fine. You can see Boomer.” God, I hope I don’t kill him. “Make sure he treats you well. And he’s only after one thing, so make sure you shut him down routinely. I swear on all that is holy, if he touches you that way, I will lose my mind. I can’t be held responsible for what happens next.”

  “Is he a one-woman man?” Soph wrinkles her nose at my sister, and just the sight of the two of them within hair pulling range and not losing a single lock warms me.

  “He is now.” Mindy gives a hard glance to the exit as if he’d better be. And he will be once I shake the shit out of him later. “I watched a few more episodes of The Ro and Soph Show.” She sticks her finger down her throat and pretends to gag. “You two are gross.” She glances to Sophie. “So, Tanner was really code for my brother?”

  “Yes,” Sophie is
quick to admit. “Gross, I know.”

  “Not gross,” Min snaps back. “I always thought you two would have made a cute couple. And I guess you do.” She drags her sad eyes from Sophie to me, and I can read her mind as clear as a textbook.

  “Sophie isn’t replacing you,” I say, pushing past the knot in my throat. It hurts to see her in pain. “She’s a part of us. She always has been.”

  “But she has you now, in a different way. I guess I always thought one day we’d make up.” She looks to Sophie with tears pooling in her eyes. “I just never thought I’d lose you to my brother.”

  “Hey.” I tap her lightly with my foot. “I thought you were afraid of losing me?”

  “Nah—I figure you’ll always be there to annoy me.”

  “We can be the same.” Sophie pulls Mindy’s hand in. “Rowen told me what happened with my brother and Becca. I should have listened to what you had to say. I was stubborn.”

  Mindy is quick to shrug it off. “You were loyal.”

  “Thanks.” Sophie wipes the tears from her eyes before they ever have the chance to fall. “I plan on being loyal—to the both of you.”

  “Group hug,” I say as I pull them both in. If it had gone another minute, I would have been bawling right alongside them, and I don’t think any of us could have handled that.

  The nachos come, and the three of us indulge while Sophie and Mindy catch up on everything under the sun as if they had simply been away at summer camp. Everything is so seemingly normal, so very natural.

  I don’t dare muddy up the waters with talk of Braden or Becca. They’ll have to wait for another time.

  Tonight, I’m enjoying one of my favorite meals with two of my favorite girls, and life is sweet again.

  You can say a lot of things about Dexter Houston, but easy to find isn’t one of them. Eventually, my need to punch a hole through his skull subsides, and I reduce my hourly treks to his office to nil. Sophie and I show up together for our final week—our final day of the social experiment together, hand in hand like a hard-won trophy of love and all it can be.