I hadn't planned on taking Tawny to the apartment. In fact, it hadn't even occurred to me to do so.
“I guess. I can't promise he's going to be there.”
“Text him. I didn't come all the way up here from Belfast and bring your clothes to not see this guy.”
I sighed and pulled out my phone.
U home?
Maybe. Y?
Bringing my sister by.
If she looks like you, she's welcome.
And if not?
I'll vacate the premises.
U ass.
He didn't answer, so I shut my phone.
“He said he'll be there as long as I said you looked like me.”
She laughed.
“Yeah, that guy totally wants you, Kid.”
“He's just pushing my buttons.”
“That's not all he wants to push,” she said, pointing her fork at me. Ugh. Maybe Hunter and Tawny would get along. That would be the worst.
We left Tawny's car downtown and took mine back to campus.
“Stop freaking out.”
“I'm not freaking out,” I snapped.
I was freaking out and I couldn't exactly say why. Maybe it was because Tawny's was the opinion I trusted the most. I trusted her judgment more than my own. If she didn't like Hunter, really didn't like him, that was it.
“Aw, this is so cute,” she said when I opened the door. “Not nearly as scuzzy as I was expecting.”
I glanced around, but didn't see Hunter. Guess he'd decided not to be home after all. I heaved a sigh of relief, and then the bathroom door opened and he emerged in a cloud of steam wearing only a small towel around his hips.
He saw us and his face spread into a grin.
“Hello there, you must be Tawny. I'm glad I stuck around. I figured if you shared the same genes you would be just as hot.”
I glanced at Tawny to see her reaction.
“And you must be Hunter,” Tawny said, her eyes raking him up and down. I had a hard time not doing the same thing, even though I'd seen him shirtless before. “Yup, you were right,” she said to me.
“Right about what?” Hunter said, shifting the towel so it didn't fall. Sweet Christ.
“You think?” I said. It was fun having a secret that Hunter didn't know. How do you like me now?
“Yup,” she said, walking closer to Hunter and slowly circling him and taking him in. “Just as you said.”
I nodded.
“Red flags?” I asked.
“Not yet,” she said, making another circle. In all fairness, Hunter stood still and let her assess him.
“You look like you're enjoying yourself,” I said, because he did.
“I have two beautiful women undressing me with their eyes. What's not to enjoy?”
Tawny tipped her head to the side and squinted. I saw his eyes flick down to her forearm, which was covered in a peacock feather tattoo she’d gotten as soon as she turned eighteen.
“So, what are you intentions toward my sister?”
Hunter's met her eyes without blinking.
“Well, at first I wanted her for the best one-night-stand of my life.”
“And now?”
“I don't just want her for a one-night-stand,” he said, his eyes lasering into me. My skin went cold and then hot in waves.
“Are you aware that I am in the position to grab your dick and break it off if I wanted to?”
“Very aware,” he said, tearing his eyes away from me. Was it getting hot in here? I needed to open the window.
“Good,” she said, patting him on the shoulder and sitting on the couch and grabbing the remote. “Why don't you put some clothes on before you and my sister eye fuck each other to death?”
Hunter laughed and shook his head.
“You're not single, are you?” he said.
“In your dreams, towel boy. Run along and put some clothes on,” she said, motioning with her hands.
“Yes, ma’am.” He winked at me before shutting our bedroom door. It must have been my imagination that I heard a hint of a southern accent when he said it.
“Well?” I said.
Tawny grabbed the remote and clicked the television on.
“He's one of those guys. But there's something about him I like. I can't really put my finger on it. If I was a few years younger, I would have totally gone for him.”
“Really?”
“Hell, yeah. What girl doesn't want a guy who isn't ashamed to say he wants her? Everyone wants to be wanted.” I sat down next to her, and she put her arm around me. “Just be careful. A boy like that can be the greatest thing to happen to you, or the worst.”
“What do you think Hunter will be?”
“That's up to you. You've got him totally whipped already. Despite what he says, if you told him to jump off a bridge, he'd do it.”
“Yeah, right.” I put my head on her shoulder and pulled my feet up on the couch.
“Just wait, Kid.” Tawny didn't mess around and she called things like she saw them. But I couldn't believe that about Hunter. To him, I was just another conquest. A shiny toy that was out of reach. While he didn't know I was a virgin, I was sure he suspected. Guys like that had virgin radar.
“Just wrap it before you tap it, Kid.”
“Tap what?” Hunter came around the corner wearing a Radiohead t-shirt and black workout pants. Even that made me stare at him. He was really good-looking. How had I not seen that? He really did have a fabulous jawline. He’d shaved, but I preferred the non-shaved look on him.
“Wouldn't you like to know?” Tawny said, grinning at him.
“I think I do,” he said, taking the crappy chair because Tawny and I had taken over the couch.
“God, it's hot in here,” she said, fanning herself.
“You want some water?” I said.
“I'll get it,” Hunter said, before I could get up.
“With ice,” Tawny called as Hunter went to the kitchen. What the what?
“Told you so,” she whispered in my ear.
“You're crazy.”
“No, I'm right,” she said as Hunter came back with a sweating glass, complete with ice.
“Thank you, towel boy. Now fetch me a piece of cheesecake.” I nudged her with my shoulder. “So, what's your story? Did you win the room assignment lottery?”
“Looks like it. I was supposed to live with my cousin, but that fell through. I contacted housing, and they sent me an email and I showed up. Your sister answered the door and that was it.”
“I also heard she punched you in the face.”
He rubbed his jaw, which was now bruise-free.
“And kicked me in the balls, yes.” Hunter looked down and smiled, as if it was a fond memory.
“What did you do to deserve that?”
I was staying quiet through Tawny's interrogation. I wanted to watch Hunter flounder under her scrutiny.
“I may or may not have offered her a proposition,” he said.
“I heard, and that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, that my sister would agree to something like that. And YOU,” she said, pointing at Hunter, “you are an ass, plain and simple.”
“I am aware of that fact,” he said, calmly. “I thought it would give her a way out.”
“Yeah, but only when you decide. That's an asshole move, and you know it. How dare you take advantage of my sweet baby sister.”
“Tawny,” I said. “I think I can take care of myself.” This had been a bad idea. I’d thought she’d simmered down about the bet, but apparently not.
“No, don't you do that thing. I'm your sister and I get to be pissed if someone is taking advantage of you.”
“He's not taking advantage of me.” Hunter sat back and watched, but I could tell he was taking everything in. “Maybe he is, but I'm not unaware, and he knows that if he does anything I don't like, I'll punch him again. I'm not a damsel in distress. I'm not a baby, and you can't fight my battles for me.” I stopped talking, emba
rrassed that Hunter had seen that.
“She takes good care of herself,” he said.
“Don't you dare tell me about my sister. You've known her for five seconds. You probably don't even know her middle name.”
“Elizabeth,” he said. How did he know that? I couldn't recall ever telling him. “It was listed on your Mainecard. You left it on the table one day.”
“Oh,” I said. That was way less creepy than I thought it would be.
“Prove to me that I can trust you with her. I'm not leaving until you do.” Tawny pulled me closer and angled her body so she was in front of me. Oh, please. Now it was going to turn into a pissing contest.
Hunter stood up.
“Hit me,” he said, looking at me.
“What?” I said.
“Go ahead, hit me. I know you want to. You always want to hit me, so get it out of your system. It’s been almost a week since the last time.”
“I'm not going to hit you.” Given other circumstances, I'd love to, but I didn't want to do it just because he told me to.
“Come on, Missy. Go ahead,” he said, putting his hands behind his back and looking at the ceiling.
I glanced at Tawny, who was studying Hunter.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Give him a good one.”
Tawny tried to pull me upright. What the hell was she doing?
“I am not going to hit him just for the hell of it. You're both crazy.”
“Why not?” Tawny said. Hunter started whistling the Jeopardy tune. That was it; they were both psychotic.
“Yeah, I'm going to go the bathroom. Don't kill each other until I get back.”
I got up and blew past them, not breathing until I'd shut the bathroom door and locked it. It was still filled with steam from Hunter's shower.
I couldn't escape him. He was everywhere. In my head, in my room, in my face. I sat on the sink after wiping it off with a towel. I had to hand it to Hunter; at least he wasn't a slob. In fact, he was one of the cleanest guys I'd ever met. He didn't leave his clothes on the floor or hair in the sink when he shaved. He showered regularly and cooked. So what was the problem?
I put my head on my knees and let out a sound of frustration. I waited for a knock at the door and a voice to ask me if I was okay, but it didn't come. I took a deep breath and hoped that Hunter and Tawny weren't strangling each other in the living room.
I peeped out the door, and laughter met my ears. What the what?
“No way, she did not do that.”
“I swear, she did,” Hunter said.
I came around the corner and saw that he was sitting down again and Tawny was back on the couch. There wasn't any blood, and no one was missing a limb, which shocked me.
“Hey, guys...” I said hesitantly.
“We were just talking about that night at Blue Lagoon,” Hunter said. “I was filling in your sister on your dance skills.”
“You hussy,” Tawny said. “I didn't think you had it in you.”
“Why not? I went to plenty of dances.”
“There's a difference between high school prom dancing and club dancing and you know it.”
“Is there? Because I saw plenty of girls at prom who should have been attached to a pole.”
They both laughed at me.
“Has she always been like this?” Hunter said.
“Not always. She changed a lot after our parents’ divorce.”
I glared at Tawny. Hunter didn't need to know about Dad.
“So your father isn't in the picture?” Great, thanks a lot Tawny.
“You could say that,” Tawny said.
I struggled to find some way to change the subject.
“Why don't I give you a tour of campus?” I blurted out. It was the first thing that came to mind.
“That would be fun. I've never really seen the whole thing. You want to come?” Tawny directed the last part toward Hunter. “Unless you have somewhere else to be?”
“Not right now,” he said. “You okay with me tagging along, Missy?” His eyes teased me, knowing that my plan had been to get him away from Tawny.
“Fine,” I said, smiling brightly. Suck on that, Hunter.
“Let me just find some shoes,” he said.
I glared at Tawny when he left.
“Oh, Kid, you've got it so bad, but so does he.” She just shook her head. “I'll give it a week before he's tattooing your name on the other side of his chest.”
“I thought you didn't like him. What happened to being pissed at him about the bet?”
Tawny shrugged. “I was overreacting. Typical big sister move. He explained why he did it, and it makes sense, in a slightly twisted way. He's not a bad guy. He's just a jerk. But a nice one.”
“That doesn't make any sense.”
“Men rarely do.”
Nine
After the longest tour of the UMaine campus ever, Tawny decided it was time for her to get back to Belfast.
“Remember what I said. He could be the greatest or the worst thing to happen to you. It's up to you to choose,” she said as she hugged me. “Don't let my past dictate your future, okay? I want you to be happy.”
“You sound like a Hallmark card,” I said when she let go.
“I know what I'm talking about, Kid.” She pressed her thumb in the middle of my forehead, as if to impart her wisdom into my brain. “I'll call you when I get back. When are you coming home next?”
“Not sure, might do a weekend in October, but if I don't, it'll be Thanksgiving.”
“Well, I'll try to get up again before then. Love you, little sister.”
“Love you, big sister,” I said as she put the top of the Volvo down and cranked the radio. She honked as she drove away. I just shook my head.
*****
When I got back home, Hunter was gone, but there was another note on my bed.
Went out to objectify some women. May have sex with some of them. Be back later. By the way, your sister is welcome back anytime. He signed it with just the letter Z.
I crammed that one in my desk with the other. For all I knew, he was having sex with a bunch of different girls. I hated to admit it, but I'd snagged his phone one night when he was in the shower and scrolled through his contacts. He'd messed with mine, so I had to return the favor.
I recognized a few of his contacts, including his cousin and his guy friends. The others, not so much. He had six contacts named Ashley alone. Ashley B, D, H, F, R, and T. The theme continued for the other common names like Heather, Sarah and Liz. I couldn't even count how many names there were. Really, though, was I surprised? Not so much.
I rarely ever saw him talk on his phone, but he texted a fair amount. Every time he did, I wondered which one of the Ashleys it was.
I didn't see him until I came back that night from Megan's where I’d had my fill of chocolate, girl talk and objectifying Richard Gere and Channing Tatum.
“Did you have a good time talking about your periods?” he said, not glancing up from something in his lap.
“Yeah, we even started discussing pap smears. Hey, is that my e-reader?” It totally was.
“Maybe. You left it on your desk.”
“So you thought you'd just use it? How much of my other things have you used?”
“Just your underwear,” he said, his eyes still on the screen.
“Hand it over,” I said, holding out my hand.
“No way, I have to find out who she ends up with.” He held his arm up, so it was out of my reach.
“Give it back,” I said, hopping on the bed and grabbing at his arm. He kept moving it out of my reach. I grabbed his arm with both of mine and yanked, but he chose that moment to poke his fingers into that ticklish spot right under my ribs.
“Hunter, stop it,” I said, trying not to curl up in the fetal position as he continued to tickle me. I tried reaching for the e-reader, but it was no use. He tossed it on my bed and came at me with both hands, flipping me onto my bag and attacking me. I wa
s laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. He was laughing at me, but there was nothing I could do about that.
“You want it back? You really want it back?”
“Yes,” I gasped.
“Then tell me if I kissed you right now, you wouldn't kiss me back.”
His hands didn't leave my ribs, but the tickling stopped. I tried to catch my breath and tipped my head so I could look at him. He was serious. His body hovered over mine, and I realized I was lying in his bed. His sheets were soaked in his scent, and I wanted to turn my head so I could inhale it better.
“You have a great laugh, by the way. Low and sexy.”
“I wouldn't kiss you back,” I said slowly, because it took a lot of time to find the words. Most of my brain was distracted by his face and his body and how warm he was and how good he smelled and other thoughts about him.
His face came so close that his breath moved the hair on my forehead.
“Liar,” he said and slowly got off me.
I stayed where I was, unsure if I could actually move.
“Here you go, Missy.” My e-reader came into my line of vision. He had been reading the first book in the series I'd also been reading. “I'm rooting for the vampire,” he said before leaving the room and shutting the door.
It took several minutes for me to peel myself off his bed. Most of the blood seemed to have left my brain and gone to other places. It was a good thing I wasn't a guy, because I would have needed a cold shower and a few minutes alone.
Hunter was right; I was a liar. I would have kissed him back. I would have done a lot more than that. I would have wanted him to do anything and everything and then asked for more. Yeah, I needed a cold shower.
*****