Chapter 17: Chapter 17

AVERY

The sound of laughter from the kitchen rouses me the next morning. As I sit up, my stomach feels a little queasy, and a dull ache throbs behind my eyes. I groan, rubbing my face.

~Never again~.

I hunt for my pajamas and shuffle toward the kitchen where the sound of a male voice grows louder.

~Is that Reed?~ Hazy memories of Reed hovering over me play in my head. ~That was definitely a dream. He’s probably here to take me to the gym again.~ ~Not happening today.~

“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Reed says, greeting me with a smile as I slump onto the stool across from him.

I moan, peering at him and Olive through my fingers. He’s still in his clothes from last night.

~Did he stay over? I thought he went home.~

There’s something in the back of my mind, begging to be remembered, but the moment I try to focus on it, it’s gone.

“Promise me you won’t let me touch whiskey again,” I groan, resting my head on the table.

“You wouldn’t feel this bad if you hadn’t mixed it with tequila,” Reed chuckles, popping a grape into his mouth. “That’s a recipe for disaster.”

“Whiskey is awful. I feel terrible,” I grumble.

He shakes his head. “Pretty sure that’s those two tequila shots you had.”

I glare at him.

He laughs. “Mind if I take a shower before I head to the gym?”

“Sure,” Olive replies from the sink. “Our shower is your shower.”

Once he’s gone, Olive slides onto the stool next to me. “How are you feeling, sweetie?”

“I am never drinking whiskey again,” I groan.

“That bad, huh?” She pulls me into a hug and pats my hair. “You’re in luck. I happen to know the best hangover cure.”

My stomach lurches. “Olive, I love you, but I am not drinking a fish smoothie.”

She gets up, walking around the counter. “That’s not what I was suggesting—even though it works. I’m going to make you a banana, kale, Tylenol, and antacid shake. It’s saved me from countless brutal mornings,” she promises.

She quickly tosses everything into the blender, adds a splash of apple juice, and turns it on. The noise makes my head pound harder for a few seconds, but it’s over quickly and she pours the pale-green mixture into a glass.

“Drink up,” she says. “I call this the Olive Supreme.”

I take it and gulp it down as fast as I can. At first, my stomach protests, but the nausea quickly subsides and the throbbing in my head eases.

“So?”

“It’s not bad.”

“No, silly. How do you feel?”

“Actually, I think I feel better.” I smile. “I don’t know how it works, but it works.”

“I rock.” She dances away. “You’re welcome.”

I laugh and head back to my bedroom to get dressed. I’m at my door when my phone rings. It’s Josh.

“Hey, Josh,” I answer. “What’s up?”

“Hey, little sis! Guess what?!”

“Can’t you just tell me?”

“No fun. All right, fine. I just landed in New York! Thought I’d surprise you, and I have something special to tell you. We’re catching a cab to your place right now.”

“We?”

But he cuts me off. “Oh! Got one! I’ve gotta go, sis. We’ll see you soon.”

When he ends the call, my heart leaps into my throat.

~Josh is on his way here…right now. Oh no!~

I rush toward the bathroom and burst in without thinking.

“Reed, Josh is—”

The sight of a mostly naked Reed hits me like a lightning bolt, making me stop. Reed swivels around, his fingers clutching the waistband of his underwear.

His abs are carved to perfection, his pecs are rock hard, and his long torso is just begging for my touch. His briefs hug his hips as if they were molded to fit, putting his package on display like a prized possession. His strong legs look like they could run for miles or easily hold my weight, my legs wrapped around his waist while he…

“Josh what?”

I can’t seem to find the words to respond. I’m frozen in place as he closes the gap between us.

“Cat got your tongue, Avery?” He smirks, leaning into my space. “Or do you just see something you like?”

I like everything I see right now. My fingers itch to reach out and trace every line of muscle on his firm body.

~That would lead to disaster. A very satisfying disaster, I’m sure, but it’s a terrible idea. A foolish idea. The epitome of bad decisions.~

But I can’t stop thinking about it.

~Josh would go absolutely mental.~

The thought of my brother jerks me out of my shocked stupor.

“J-Josh is in New York. He’s on his way here right now,” I mumble, unable to look away.

“Well, if Josh is on his way, don’t you think it’s about time I shower and get out of here?” he asks, his voice husky and smooth, looking at me as if he can hear my thoughts. “Unless you had another reason for barging in? Maybe you want to join me.”

~What would he do if I said yes?~

“What’s wrong? Nervous? What a different Avery I’m seeing right now. So different from the one last night…the one who masturbated beneath me in her bed.”

~When I—WHAT?!~

My cheeks flame red-hot with embarrassment.

~Oh my god, I’m never touching tequila again. I knew things were heating up in the backseat of that Uber. But I thought ~that~ part was a dream…a really, really hot dream…~

“I-I what?” I manage to croak out. “Why didn’t you stop me?”

“I tried to. You wouldn’t let me.” He reaches out to brush a stray hair from my face. “And I didn’t really want you to stop,” he murmurs, pausing for a moment and letting his gaze drop to my parted lips.

I’m barely remembering to breathe as his face lowers slowly to mine. His lips hover just out of reach, tempting me to rise up and meet them. My body tells me there’s time.

~There’s always traffic on the bridge. We can totally do this before Josh comes in, right? Oh shit…Josh!~

The realization hits me all over again. I panic and push Reed back, trying not to moan in delight as my hands press against his chest.

“Josh is on his way here, Reed!”

Reed’s hands grip the counter on either side of me, flexing as he slowly backs down and steps away. With a half-smirk and a chuckle, he turns around and heads back to the shower.

“Might want to get out then,” he teases, playfully lowering his underwear and revealing a glimpse of his firm, toned ass. “Unless you want to stay for the show.”

I squeal like a flustered teenager and make a beeline for the door, Reed’s deep laugh echoing behind me.

“Oh my god.”

I sprint into the kitchen, my hands covering my face. Olive, ever observant, stops cleaning the counter and comes over.

“I recognize that look. What happened? Did you sleep with him?”

“N-no.” I shake my head. “I thought it was a dream… You know how tequila hits me, but I…I…apparently, I touched myself last night. In front of him,” I admit, voice barely a whisper.

“I’m sorry… You did what?” she asks.

“I pleasured myself while he watched!” I hiss.

“See, this is why you shouldn’t drink tequila, Avery. You turn into a total horndog,” she chuckles.

“So, you flicked the bean for him?”

~Classic Olive.~

I give her a sideways glance and nod.

“What were you just spread-eagle on the bed?” she asks.

“No!” My face turns even redder. “He said that he didn’t ~see~ anything, but I was…vocal.”

“Oh, Avery. You naughty girl,” she laughs.

“It’s not my fault,” I grumble.

She hugs me. “I know, I know. It’s that mean, mean alcohol’s fault.”

“Okay…it’s sort of my fault.”

She laughs again. “So, did you tell him you like him? Or did you drunkenly drop the L-bomb?”

“I don’t love Reed, Olive.”

“Whatever you say, sweetie,” she says, grabbing her bag as she heads out the door for her morning class. “I think you want a little more from him than just to ride his face though. Love you!”

I stare after her as the door closes.

~She’s crazy. I’m not in love with Reed. It’s just…been a while. Yeah, that’s it. I just need to find someone and…let loose a bit.~

But my thoughts keep drifting back to Reed’s well-toned ass as I get dressed and prepare for my brother’s arrival.

***

Reed appears in my bedroom, thankfully clothed, a little while later.

“I’m heading out before Josh gets here and blows a gasket. We good?”

I quickly look away, not sure I can face him after what I did.

“Avery, please talk to me.”

The pleading in his tone wins me over. Reluctantly, I turn to face him, smiling like nothing happened.

“What’s up?”

“Are we okay? After last night—”

“I’m sorry about that,” I say quickly. “I don’t know what came over me.”

“Tequila apparently.” He smiles back, scratching the back of his head. “It surprised me.”

“Well, glad I can do that,” I mumble, turning back around to finish making my bed.

~The bed I did…~that~ in front of Reed Everett in.~

“What’s wrong?” he says with a frown.

“Come on, Reed, you’re always calling me ‘Little Avery.’ Last night, the attention from the bar… from you… It didn’t make me feel like all you see when you look at me is that same little kid you grew up with. I guess I just liked being seen as an adult for a change,” I say, with a dejected sigh. “I don’t know. It sounds stupid now.”

“Why does it bother you so much when I call you that?”

“Because I already have one controlling brother. I don’t need or want another one.”

He sighs, a heavy, slightly mocking sound. “Yeah…Josh hasn’t done you any favors shielding you like he has.”

I turn, hand on my hip and stare at Reed.

~What does he know that I don’t?~

Josh scared off all of my boyfriends in school. No one was good enough for his sister. He even tried to chase Devon away when he started hanging around Olive and me during our second year in college. He wasn’t a big fan of David either.

I thought he was just being an overprotective big brother, but the look on Reed’s face makes me think there’s more to it. I step closer, pushing his shoulder playfully and hoping he’ll spill the beans.

“Well, now you have to tell me.”

“I don’t ~have~ to do anything,” he counters with a smirk, eyes flicking down to where I touched him.

“No one likes a tease, Reed,” I scoff.

“No?” A spark of heat flashes in his eyes. “I didn’t mind being teased last night. Did you enjoy teasing me, Avery?”

He laughs, the deep, low sound adding fuel to the fire and making my face turn red.

“I didn’t know what I was doing.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

I squirm under his gaze.

“Yeah, I guess I liked what I was doing while…you know, I was doing it. What does it matter?” I step closer, wanting to be that brave, uninhibited Avery from last night. “Did you enjoy watching me, Reed?” I ask, my voice sultry.

His throat works as he swallows and nods. “You called my name. More than once.”

A flicker of panic rushes through me as I wonder if I accidentally revealed my true feelings toward him during last night’s activities. He studies me, the tension between us building as we both wait for the other to fold first.

“I should leave,” he says finally, breaking eye contact and stepping back. “Josh will be here any minute. See you later, Avery.”