GARRETT
“I win again.” Jennie gathers her chestnut waves, piling them on her head and securing them with a velvet scrunchie the color of champagne. “How you feeling? Tired? Angry? Emasculated?” She wiggles her brows, cheeky grin in place. “Want me to hold you and tickle your back while you cry, big guy?”
“Shut up.” I shove her to the couch and turn off the stupid dancing video game. “You cheated.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
You know what’s not gonna help me sleep? The image of Jennie dancing around my living room in nothing but a pair of lacy red panties and my T-shirt. No, that image is definitely going to keep me up tonight.
We’re riding together to the New Year’s Eve party—Carter’s idea; can’t wait for him to regret that one—and Jennie came by early to hang. She showed up at my door in this shimmery midnight blue dress painted over her ass, then promptly discarded it so we could have dance battles. Dance battles were delayed by other types of battles, and I accidentally held her to the wall by her throat while I made her come on my fingers. The throat thing was because she already had her makeup on, and she didn’t wanna ruin it.
I wanna ruin all of her.
“What are you doing?” Jennie asks as I tear open a bag of snacks.
“Eating my feelings,” I mumble, tossing a handful of Flamin’ Hot Funyuns in my mouth. They’re crunchy and spicy, bursting with flavor, kinda like Jennie. Everything I want in a snack.
“Ew. Have fun making out with yourself tonight.”
“Nah.” Another handful. “Gonna dwag you off ta da closet, shub ma tongue in yo mouf.”
“You’re absolutely not coming anywhere near me tonight.”
I swallow, wiggling my red fingers at her. “That’s what you think.”
Jennie’s face twists with disgust, and she gags when I lick my fingers. “That’s utterly disgusting. I can smell your breath from here.”
I tuck the bag away and wash my hands. “You wanna smell it up close and personal?”
She pins her arms over her chest and crosses her ankles on my coffee table, ignoring me as I creep toward her. “Keep your breath away from me, Andersen, or else.”
“Or else what?”
“Or else I’ll kick your ass.”
“Creative.” My fingers circle her ankles, spinning her on the couch and opening her legs so I can crawl between them.
“I’ll karate kick your ass so hard you’ll be playing tonsil hockey with your balls.”
I bite back my laugh, straddling her hips and pinning her wrists on either side of her head. “I’ve never met a more violent person in my life. Lucky for me, I’ve learned my size means I can hold you down, and you very much enjoy me doing so.”
She wiggles her hips, lifting them off the couch, smashing her pelvis against mine as she tries to kick me off. My grip on her wrists tightens as I cover her body with mine.
“Garrett,” she warns lowly. She’s got the wild eyes going on. I love the wild eyes.
“C’mon, Jennie.” I purse my lips, making smooching sounds. “Lemme kiss you.”
“Garrett!” Shrieks of giggles fill the air as she rolls around beneath me, trying to shake me off. When my fingertips descend on her rib cage, tickling, she starts wheezing, crying as she laughs and gasps for breath at the same time, begging me to stop.
When I think she’s on the verge of passing out or nailing me in the nuts, I ease up on the tickling. Circling her wrists, I pin them beside her head and chuckle, skimming the length of her nose with the tip of mine. When she’s able to breathe again, I roll off her, heading for my bedroom.
“Where are you going?” Jennie swipes at her hair. She’s gonna need to fix that before we show up to her brother’s house.
“To brush my teeth. I wanna spend my night kissin’ you.” I hit her with a wink. “Secret kissin’, of course.” I grip my junk. “I like getting blow jobs. Can’t do that if I lose my dick tonight.”
Jennie chucks a pillow at my face. “Go brush your teeth, you brussel sprout.”
An hour and a half later, we’re rolling up to Carter and Olivia’s house, and I’ve spent the entire twenty-minute drive trying to slip my hand under Jennie’s dress.
“Are you sure you don’t want to drink tonight?” She slaps my hand and stuffs it in the middle console. “We can take an Uber home.”
“Nah, I’m good.”
“Well, if you change your—”
“I won’t. I’m gonna fuck your mouth later, and something about me being drunk and you being sober while I do it doesn’t sit right with me.”
Jennie doesn’t even miss a beat as she stares out the window. “Whether you’re drunk or sober isn’t gonna stop me from sitting on your face and coming all over your tongue.” She looks my way with a dazzling grin as I leave the car idling on the street, slack jawed, and she squeezes my thigh, right next to my cock. “Ready, big guy?”
I wasn’t ready.
I had to hang back and tuck my dick into the waistband of my boxers while Jennie went on ahead; I’d accidentally pitched a tent in my jeans.
Now it’s two hours later and she’s been flirting with Jaxon all night long, batting her stupid lashes at him, licking her stupid lips, smirking at me over his stupid shoulder. She mentioned something about me decorating her ass with my handprint later tonight. I guess this is her way of ensuring it’ll be fucking permanent.
“Watching you fall is adorably hilarious.”
I trip over nothing, catching myself on the wall. My cherry soda water sloshes and fizzes, coating my hand. “Fuck, Care. Why are you always sneaking up on me?”
Cara grins. “I’m very, very sneaky.”
“And annoying,” I grumble, then cover my shoulder when she punches it. “Ow! What was that for?”
Her eyes slice sideways, landing on Jennie and Jaxon. J&J. JJ. J². Those all sound stupid. Stupid J’s. G&J sounds way better, if I were to put any two totally random letters of the alphabet together.
“Poor baby. Did the green-eyed monster get you?”
I frown. “What are you talking about? Stop speaking in codes.”
“Okay, Garrett. I’ll stop speaking in codes.” She backs me against the wall, fiery eyes making my neck clammy. She’s tall and fierce and scary. “You’ve been staring at Jennie all night, and every time Jaxon touches her, you look like you’re on the verge of popping this vein right—” she pokes my neck, “—here.”
“Carter doesn’t like him talking to her.” Oooh, good one. Quick thinking, Gare.
“Carter’s not the only one.”
Jaxon chooses this moment to saunter over, tipping his beer to his lips. “What’re we talking about?”
“Oh hey, Jax.” Cara gives his shoulder a squeeze. “Gare-Bear was telling me how he doesn’t like you talking to Jennie because he has a crush on her.”
“Cara.” I fling my arms wide. My drink fizzes again, soaking my left sock. I look back at Jaxon. “I didn’t say any of that. She’s being a…a…a Cara.” Smooth. “She’s drunk.”
Adam appears out of nowhere, swinging one arm around my shoulders. “I’m drunk.” His tone is as proud as his broad grin. “There’s a cute girl here. Her name is Stacey. Samantha?” His brows crumple. “Maybe it’s Sarah. She likes hockey, and I showed her a picture of Bear, and she said he was cute. Should I ask her out?”
“Oh, sweetie.” Cara pats his chest. “No. No, you shouldn’t.”
He frowns. “Yeah, I thought so. New year, same single me.”
“Man, even I’m rooting for that guy to find someone,” Jaxon mumbles as we slip away, heading into the dining room where a game of beer pong has just ended.
“Garrett!” Carter bounces a ping pong ball off the walnut table. “I need a partner.”
“I’m not drinking.”
“They’re not drinking either.” He gestures across the table where Jennie and Olivia are fixing their cups. “Gonna plow them into the ground, alcohol or no alcohol.”
Jennie’s eyes meet mine, brows lifting, a challenge. “Andersen doesn’t have it in him.”
“Uh, Liv and I took the entire tournament last year,” I reply, high-fiving Olivia in the process.
“You guys cheated,” Carter grumbles.
Olivia smiles sweetly. “You know what they say. You have to learn to lose before you can truly appreciate winning.”
His eyes darken. “Garrett! Get over here!”
The thing about those two is they both hate losing. Carter might seem like the type of guy to let his wife win to shield her feelings, but he never willingly loses. So it’s always highly entertaining to watch his tiny wife beat him at nearly everything.
Including the first beer pong game, in which Olivia and Jennie sink all six fucking cups in a fucking row, and Carter demands a rematch.
“How is it even possible?” I murmur.
“I don’t fucking know,” Carter mutters. “Fucking horseshoes up their asses.”
“Nothing to do with luck, bud,” Emmett chimes in, but maybe luck is on our side this time around. Because Olivia misses one shot, Jennie two. Carter’s more focused, refusing to look at Olivia when it’s his shot, relentlessly taunting her when it’s hers, and I’m as good as I’ve always been.
With two cups left on each side, tensions are high. The girls are up first, and Cara runs in, smacking both their asses.
“I want to see them cry, ladies.”
Jennie bounces her ball three times then bends, poised at the edge of the table.
“Hey, Jen—ah!” Carter bends, clutching at the toes I’ve accidentally stepped on.
“Whoops,” I say. “Sorry ’bout that, bud.”
With her brother distracted, Jennie lets the ball fly, sinking it with ease, and poor Carter’s gonna be so drunk by the end of this.
He’s apparently decided to try his hand at another distraction tactic for this last round. When Olivia steps up to the table, he drags his shirt up his torso in slow motion, one finger on his lip as he gives her the eyes.
“Like what you see, princess? Want me to take you upstairs and—ah, for fuck’s sake!”
That, my friends, is the sound of Olivia sinking her last shot, all while looking her husband dead in the eye.
“Hey, c’mon now.” I clap Carter’s back as he whines. “We’ve still got a chance. We’ve got as many cups as they had. We can do it.”
He grips the edge of the table, swallowing. “You go first.”
You’re going down, Jennie mouths to me.
One way or another, I definitely am. Down on her, or down in this game. Either way, when I effortlessly sink my shot, I know I’m not at fault for whatever happens next.
With a shaky exhale, Carter steps up. He rolls his shoulders, bending his neck left, then right.
“Any cup, Carter,” I tell him, rubbing his shoulders. “Any cup.”
It’s in this moment, as he’s poised and ready to throw, that Olivia makes eye contact with Emmett, and he tips his chin just slightly, an instruction.
“Don’t look at her,” I growl at Carter. “Don’t you fucking look at her.”
But does he listen? No, of course not. Carter never listens.
Olivia twists away, slow as hell, bending, and Carter snorts a laugh.
“Don’t even try it, Ollie girl. I’m not falling for…”
I see it all happen in slow motion. The water sloshing between her legs, covering the floor as she gasps, the color draining from Carter’s face as Olivia cries out that her water just broke. His eyes widen with fear as the ball slips from between his fingers, bouncing once, twice, three times on the wooden table before clattering to the ground. Through it all, I don’t miss Jennie snickering in the corner.
“Ollie—”
“Ha!” Olivia twirls back to us, face shining with arrogance, and she crushes the empty water bottle between her hands. “Gotcha, sucker! You missed!” She claps Jennie’s hand before Emmett embraces her.
“I told you he’d fall for it!” he shouts, and Carter curls over with a snarl.
I chuck a ping pong ball off the table. “I knew I shoulda been Ollie’s partner again this year. Carter sucks.”
“I thought my wife was in labor! This isn’t fair! It’s cheating! I call a rematch!”
“That was the rematch,” Jennie reminds him. “You keep losing.”
“I’m not losing! I didn’t lose! I-I-I—”
“You lost,” Cara cuts him off. “Twice. And you lost three times last year. Your wife continuously beats you at this game, and yet you continue to have hope that the next game might be yours. It’s inspiring, Carter, but it’s also sad.” She pats his chest. “Midnight is in five. We don’t have time for you to find your balls.”
Chaos ensues as everyone piles into the living room and the kitchen, and the temperature in the house instantly spikes. Too many people, too many bodies crammed onto the main level as everyone starts pairing off with their respective partners. Adam and Jaxon are gathered at the island, lining up shots for all the single guys and girls. There are so many people in this space that it’s hard to see anyone other than the person standing next to you.
For me, it’s hard to see anyone other than Jennie, the way she stands at the edge of the living room like she’s damn well trying to disappear, eyes moving anxiously around the space. Her glowing personality has been shoved aside, replaced with this shell of who she is, preferring to hide away than be part of the excitement.
I slip through the kitchen and into the dining room before I loop back around to the dark, empty hallway, right behind Jennie.
My fingertips dance their way around her waist until I splay my palm out on her belly, and she gasps, jolting.
My lips touch her ear as the countdown drops to the final minute. “Come with me.”
“What are you doing?” she whispers as I usher her up the stairs. “What if Carter sees?”
“The only thing that exists in your brother’s world in this moment is his wife.” I peek into a bedroom, the same one I first tasted Jennie in. “He won’t notice we’re gone.”
“I’m playing amnesia if you’re wrong.”
I pull her into the dark room, pressing her against the wall. “And I’ll jump out the window and you’ll never see me again.”
Downstairs, people start counting backward from twenty.
My hand curves around Jennie’s neck, and my thumb settles over the pulse point hidden below her warm skin. It thuds violently, and I love being the reason she’s coming back to life right now.
Fifteen.
“You gonna let me be your midnight kiss?”
Ten.
Her wild eyes jump between mine. “Maybe.”
Five.
“Not the answer I’m looking for.”
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
“Then maybe you should just take what you want.”
Our mouths clash in a frenzy, fingers plowing through hair, hips grinding, tongues sweeping, all while the house erupts with cheers and hollers below.
My hand slips up the back of Jennie’s dress and I give her ass a light smack. “Bite me one more time and I’m gonna make you scream.”
Her fingers curl around my hair as she kisses me deeply, teeth sliding along my lower lip before she tugs. “I’d like to see you try.”
I swing the bedroom door shut and shove her into the bathroom, flicking on the light as I lock us in. Her cheeks are flushed, rosy lips swollen, chest heaving as I stalk toward her.
“Take off your panties.”
“Gar—”
“Now.”
I’m playing with fire, but I can’t find it in me to care. I’ve had to stare at her from a distance all night, and all I wanna do is taste her.
Jennie’s not moving fast enough, so I spin her around, push her against the wall, and with one swift yank, her panties are balled up in my fist.
One hand wraps around the base of her throat, the other dipping between her legs. “Guess what happens when you scream?”
“People hear,” she whimpers.
“People hear. Do you want people to hear?”
She gasps as I slide my fingers through her soaked warmth. “No.”
“Then you’re gonna have to be a good girl and stay quiet.”
I swing her up into my arms before depositing her ass on the countertop, bunching her dress up around her hips as I spread her legs wide. In the mirror, her pussy glistens with need, and my mouth waters.
“You’re gonna watch yourself come for me, and you’re gonna try not to be loud when you do it.”
Her wide eyes stare up at me with wonder as my palms sweep over her thighs. When I open my mouth on her neck, her lips part with a raspy inhale that quickly spirals into a moan the second I stroke her clit.
I tsk, give my head a small shake. “Not off to a good start, sunshine.”
Her hips buck, eyes pleading with me as my touch ghosts over her, almost giving her what she wants, taking it away at the last second.
My mouth trails the columns of her throat, along her jaw, stopping at her ear. “You want me to fuck you with my fingers?”
Jennie’s a sight to be seen, bare and open to me, vulnerable as she peers up at me, head thrown back over my shoulder. When she nods, I realize I’ve rendered her speechless for the first time since I’ve known her.
Maybe that’s why I put her out of her misery, keeping our gazes locked as I sink one finger inside her. When her mouth opens on a moan, I clamp my free hand over it, drowning out my name as it leaves her lips.
I plunge a second finger. “What did I say?”
Her hands reach back, frantic, looking for something to grab hold of. One grips a fistful of my shirt, the other the counter, and when I pump harder, faster, her eyes roll to the ceiling as she whimpers into my hand. My thumb finds her clit, pressing, edging, driving her wild.
“I want you on your knees when we get home,” I whisper in her ear. Her walls start squeezing around my fingers as she thrashes in my arms, toes curling against the mirror. “And I want to see how far back you can take my cock.”
Jennie moans loudly behind my hand, making me squeeze harder, and she starts ripping at my hand between her legs, trying to pull it away as her orgasm barrels down.
Her body trembles and quakes as she gives up the fight, head lolling backward as she screams my name into my hand, and when she finally stills, coming down from her high, her blue eyes are glossy and dazed.
I cover her mouth with mine, coaxing it open with my tongue, and she sighs as she sinks into my hold.
Two minutes later, I’m trying to figure out how to tell Carter he needs to sanitize the bathroom in his spare bedroom while Jennie gets dressed.
“Go make sure the coast is clear,” she whispers, producing a container of wipes from the cabinet. “I’ll clean up.”
I creep into the dark bedroom and crack the door. Light and noise from downstairs filter in, but the hallway is empty.
I tiptoe back to the bathroom, where Jennie wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me in for a kiss.
“First orgasm of the new year. Solid six outta ten, Andersen.”
“Get outta here, sunshine. I rock your world night after night.” Linking my pinky with hers, I tow her into the bedroom. “I checked. The coast is—”
“Not clear,” Cara finishes for me, from where she’s standing in the doorway of the bedroom. “Those were the words you were looking for, right, Garrett?”
Behind me, Jennie cowers, pressing herself into my back, her face peeking out beneath my arm. Beside Cara, Adam’s jaw dangles.
“We-we-we…” Oh fuck. “We, uh…” Think, Garrett. Think! “We sanitized.”
Adam claps both hands over his eyes. “No, no, no, no. I can’t know about this!” He spins, dashing off down the hallway. He doesn’t make it far, based on the crash we hear, then the way his broken voice calls out, “Caraaa.”
“Yes, my sweet angel,” she shouts back, eyes on us. “I’m coming!”
Her smile doesn’t waver as her eyes pierce ours, one red fingernail tapping on the door frame. My entire life flashes before my eyes as I contemplate all the ways Carter is going to hurt me, torture me slowly without ever actually killing me, just so he can do it all again.
“We are so going to talk about this,” she finally says, simply, like this isn’t the last time I’ll have all my limbs, and with that, she turns on her heel and leaves us.
“So it’s over.”
“Over.”
Jennie takes my hand, towing me into the elevator. “Because Cara said she wouldn’t tell.”
I nod, pressing for the twenty-first floor. “She did.”
“Because she thinks it was a one-time thing.”
“She does.”
Jennie’s foot bounces. “So we shouldn’t push our luck.”
I follow Jennie to her door. “Definitely not.”
Her hand trembles as she jams her key in the lock, and when she finally gets the door open, she stares up at me. “So we’re in agreement? We’re done?”
“Done,” I whisper, leaning toward her.
“Totally done,” she murmurs, lifting her chin.
I bend my neck. “Done like dinner.”
Her breath ghosts over my lips, warm and sweet. “Stick a fork in me, I’m done.”
Jennie’s back hits the wall with a thud as we crash into it, the door slamming behind me. I kick my shoes off, ditch my coat, and don’t wait for Jennie to take her heels off before I tear her dress over her head and hoist her up to me, winding her legs around my waist.
“Not done,” I growl against her neck as we pinball down the hallway. “Not fucking done.”
“I think we broke Adam.”
“We definitely broke Adam.”
Jennie hands me a plate of cold pizza. “Will he be okay?”
I devour an entire slice before I answer, mostly because I need time to think. “I’m honestly not sure.” I tried talking to him outside, but he kept putting his hands over his ears and singing, I’m not listening, I’m not listening. He was pretty drunk. I might be able to pretend this was a figment of his imagination.
When I’m finished, I set my plate on the bedside table and yawn.
“Are you leaving?” Jennie takes my hand in hers, tracing the length of my fingers. “Could you stay a while longer? We could cuddle.”
A slow grin spreads up my face. “Cuddle?”
She lifts a shoulder. “If you want.”
“If I want, or if you want?”
“You.” She giggles, slapping my hand away when I reach for her waist.
I crawl toward her. “You know, you’re turning out to be a huge snuggle bear. Who woulda thought?”
“Am not.”
“Admit it, Jennie.” I knock her down to her back, straddling her hips as I loom above her. “You’re a cuddler. You like cuddling with me.”
“Nope.”
“C’mon, Jennie.” I nudge her jaw with my nose. “Admit it.”
“Never.”
For the second time today, my fingers descend on her rib cage, and I watch with pleasure as Jennie writhes below me, shrieking and giggling until she’s breathless.
Laughing, I hug her to me. “I can’t believe I was ever so scared of you.”
“Yes, clearly I need to get my fear factor back.” Jennie snuggles into my side as the tips of my fingers circle her shoulder blades, dancing down her spine, over the back of her waist. “Can I tell you something, Garrett?”
“Of course.”
“I don’t make friends all that easily. I have a hard time trusting people. I’ve learned to be okay with keeping my circle small, but you…you’ve made everything better.” She sleepy blue eyes stare up at me, showing me the vulnerability that lurks beneath them. “I think you’re my best friend.” She drops her gaze to my chest, cheeks radiating with heat. “It would really hurt me to lose you.”
Hooking a finger under her chin, I force her gaze to mine. I don’t know what happened to make friendships so challenging and unattainable for her, to make her trust a prized possession, but the fear is so real for her, the fear that I’ll just leave, that she’ll lose this all.
Is that why she’s refusing to see what’s right in front of her, what we might be able to have? Because she’d rather have me as a friend than nothing at all?
I can’t promise her forever, not when I don’t know what tomorrow holds for us, not when she’s not ready to go down the road that takes us from friends with benefits to something more. But I can promise her one thing.
“Best friends don’t lose each other, Jennie. I’ll be right here, always. I promise you that.”
