No
Ally Rose: WTF, Ky???? Are you serious?
Yes, I’m serious. The house is having a party and I’m busy. Ask mom or get a babysitter. Whatever the fuck you do, do not leave Lacey home by herself!
Ally Rose: As if I would
Hmm . . .
Lovely, now the rest of the night I’ll sit here and wonder if my niece is home by herself. Ally’s done this once before and I threatened to have Lacey taken away from her. I get being a single parent is hard, but Ally needs to be smarter and put her daughter first. Most of the time she does, but her friends manipulate the shit out of her and they’re a bad influence. They’re all single and living the life Ally wanted, and they make sure she knows it.
I pour myself a beer and head into the other room to have a look around. Anything breakable has been put in a box and stuffed into the closet and there’s a sheet over the television. I hate having parties here. We get asked all the time because the house is big, but it’s always a hassle. Undoubtedly, I’ll find some drunk ass trying to get into my bedroom so he can get laid. After making another round, I head into the kitchen and out to the back yard where more people are gathering.
“Ky, you stoned-ass motherfucker. How the hell are you?” Josh Perring grabs my hand and pulls me into a bro hug. He graduated last year and was a second and third string center for four years. He hated backing me up, but I’m better and everyone knows it. He prides himself on being a bash brother and couldn’t wait to get out of college so he could kick someone’s ass in the minors.
“You do know I don’t smoke pot, right?”
“Yeah, man,” he says, jabbing me in the ribs. “You just always look stoned.”
“No, he always looks pissed off.” This red head saddles up next to me and places her arm around my waist. “I think he needs a good and proper—”
“Blow job,” Josh yells.
“I can assure you,” I say as I pull her arm away, “it wouldn’t remove the scowl from my face.”
“We’ll see about that later.” She licks her lips as if she’s going to entice me to drop my shorts to my ankles and let her suck me off.
“That’s a challenge, Ky!” Josh seems overly happy about this, and I don’t understand why.
“One I’m going to win. See ya around, Josh.” It doesn’t take much to remind myself why I keep to myself. I head back into the kitchen and recognize Thea immediately. She doesn’t know I’m behind her, watching as she mixes a drink. I chuckle at the thought of her preaching to me about being healthy when she’s about to down a sugary-sweet drink full of juice and coconut rum.
I step up to her and inhale her sweet perfume. Fuck! My dick jumps to ready. He’s willing and able, as am I, but Thea and I can never happen. Every thought I have about her is pure torture and as much as I hate it, I enjoy it just the same. I step back before she can sense me.
“So, you don’t drink hot chocolate, but sweet and sickly fruit punch is okay?” I ask, alerting her to my presence.
Thea turns, her cheeks flush, and her mouth widens into a grin. Damn, she’s beautiful. “Hey, I may eat healthy, but I’m not a saint. I’m surprised to see you here.”
I shrug as if it’s no big deal that I made an appearance. “I may be a loner, but I don’t lack all social skills. Besides, Jude said this party was your housewarming, so here I am, welcoming you to the house.”
Thea smiles again and I soak all of her in, from her rich brown eyes to the shoes she has wrapped around her perfect toes. “Well, I appreciate it. Maybe you might even push the boat out and join us for dinner one day this week?”
“Don’t push your luck.” I need to feel close to her again. It’s like my body craves her essence. I reach around her and take a bottle of water off the table. I’ve had enough to drink for the night. I want to keep my wits about me, especially if she’s drinking. I’ll happily spend the night protecting her if she needs it.
I’m about to suggest we go outside, but a guy steps up behind her. He puts his arm around her waist and pulls her toward him. “Hey babe, what’s taking you so long?”
Thea looks at me. I can’t maintain eye contact with her. My hand fists, and I find I want to pummel this fucker into the ground for touching what’s mine. No, she’s not mine. She never will be.
“Oh hey,” this guy says, “I’m Adam, and you are . . .?”
Thea steps forward slightly and says, “This is Kyler, my fourth roommate. Kyler’s also on the team with Jude and the others. Kyler, this is Adam, my boyfriend from back home.”
Boyfriend?Boyfriend!How could no one tell me this?
Because it’s none of your business.
My jaw clenches. It throbs. I nod in this kid’s direction. “Good to meet you. Excuse me, I’ve gotta go and make a call.” I turn and head toward the stairs, taking them two at a time until I’m at my door. I fumble the knob. Once I have it open, I slam it shut with such force the pictures on my dresser rattle. I shouldn’t let the fact Thea has a boyfriend bother me, but it does. Clearly, Jude doesn’t care, or he’d tell the little shit to take a hike, so why should I? I shouldn’t. I shouldn’t give a shit about her, about her boyfriend, or anything else going on with her. She’s a roommate and needs to be treated as such. And she’s an adult and can take care of herself. What I need to do is take care of myself. I open my dresser and move my socks until the bottle of vodka I use to numb the pain is in my hand. After the cap is off, the bottle is pressed to my lips and my head is tilted back. The burn is instant and welcoming. I swallow two, three, and four times before giving up and putting the cap back on. I put the bottle back and head downstairs with a completely different mindset.
As soon as I get downstairs, I spot Thea. We stare at each other for a long moment before I walk into the kitchen and head toward the liquor. I mix myself a drink, swallow it down, and refill.