The five of us are up early the following morning, but only for long enough to finish cleaning up from the night before. After that, Cam and I tuck ourselves beneath the covers, eating chips and dip for breakfast. We’re on episode three of Emily in Paris when she presses pause with a sigh.
I already know what she’s going to say, and to be honest, it took a little longer than I expected.
“Mason shook his hand,” she rasps, and our eyes meet. “He shook his hand…”
My smile is sad because we both know what it means.
Mason didn’t feel threatened by Trey, no jealousy or anger.
He didn’t pull a Mason and make a scene, knock Trey on his ass and dare him to rise to his feet.
My brother shook Trey’s hand.
It was the first time my brother’s feelings have been truly clear.
He loves Cameron, but not the way she wants him to.
“You know what’s weird,” she whispers, tears brimming her eyes as they meet mine. “It doesn’t hurt the way I thought it would. It stings, but I kind of thought I’d feel like I was dying.” She chuckles through her sniffles. “Does that even make sense?”
“Of course it does.” I curl onto my side, tucking my hands beneath my head.
“I’m sad, but I don’t know, I’m also kind of happy Trey’s here.”
“As you should be. We said we’re having fun, boys be damned, remember? So damn them. You’ve now got a fine ass man willing to turn your nights from a five into a ten. That’s more than I can say.”
“True.” Her laugh is laced with a sob, but she shakes her head. “I can’t believe Trey’s actually here.”
“Maybe it’s a sign.”
“A sign I need to get laid.”
I grin, and Cameron’s famous smirk comes back.
“Atta girl.”
With that, she presses play, and we binge the rest of the season, eating the same thing we did for breakfast, for dinner. We don’t leave the room once.
By seven, Cam retired to her room, and we both passed out. It was a fantastic day, but too early to go to bed, especially when we basically took mini naps all day.
Now I’m wide awake and my room is dark, despite the curtains being drawn, and when I look to the clock, I find it’s only one in the morning, still a crap ton of hours left in the night.
I try finding another show, but after thirty minutes of watching trailers, I give up and tiptoe down the stairs for something to drink, careful not to wake the others.
Snagging a water bottle from the fridge, I step up to the floor-to-ceiling windows, admiring the ocean beyond it.
The glow of the moon against the dark waters is unreal, and one of my favorite sights. It’s peaceful, scary as shit after a horror movie marathon, but peaceful any other time.
“Hey.”
I scream, but a large hand quickly wraps around my mouth, and I spin, coming face to face with Chase.
“Shit.” My shoulders settle, a huffed laugh leaving me. “You almost caught a water bottle to the face.”
He grins, slowly letting me go as he looks around the room. “Walking around in the dark?”
I rub my lips together, tipping my head at him. “That’s where all the fun happens.”
A scowl forms along his face, and I bite back a laugh.
He says nothing for a several seconds, so I nod. “I’m going back to bed.” But before I can slip away, Chase gently grips my wrist, so I look over my shoulder, into his green eyes.
“I got a smoothie earlier. It sucked,” he tells me randomly.
I suppress a grin. “That’s too bad.”
“It was Brady’s fault.”
I chuckle and his smile slips free.
“I’m craving a sundae.” His eyes search mine. “You know you want one, too.”
“It’s the middle of the night.”
“So.” He shrugs.
“So…” I glance around the room, having no idea why I’m trying to escape. “I’ll get the spoons?”
“That’s my girl.” He turns to the freezer, and I pretend he meant that in a far more literal way. He moves over to the cupboard for toppings, quickly setting them on the counter to his left.
With his eyes on the floor beneath his feet, he heads my way. Assuming he’s coming for the spoons, I slip to the side, but Chase shocks the shit out of me when his left arm darts out, caging me in.
My eyes slice up to meet his, and his palms find my hips. He lifts me, slowly lowering me onto the kitchen island.
The unexpected chill of the granite has me squealing, my body lurching forward, right against Chase’s chest.
He chuckles as my hands latch on to his shoulder, and I ease my ass down.
As I look up, my breath hitches. His mouth is no more than an inch from mine, and I’m not the only one who noticed.
All I would have to do, all either of us would have to do, is tilt our heads the smallest bit, and our lips would be touching, but I tried that once, and we both know how that turned out.
I won’t try again, even if, since that night, something’s shifted. I can see it in his eyes, in his words.
I can sense it in his touch.
It’s almost as if, for the first time, he’s testing the feel of my skin. His hands have grabbed hold of me thousands of times, but not with a firm grip, and never did they linger. Not like now.
Chase is frozen, standing completely still as he stares at my mouth, and I can’t help but wonder if he’s replayed our kiss, as fleeting as it might have been, in his head as many times as I have.
Heat spreads through my abdomen, so in effort not to embarrass myself more than I already have this week, I avert my gaze. The second I look down, I jerk with realization.
I climbed straight out of bed, and only came down for a quick drink, maybe a snack… in nothing but a T-shirt cut around the collar and a thong—the countertop freezing my ass cheeks should have reminded me of this.
Chase follows my line of sight to where my tangled shirt rides high over my hips, to the bright yellow V of my underwear, currently getting cozy with his abs.
He jumps, swings around and gets right back to his original task.
“You want caramel syrup?” he rasps, promptly clearing his throat.
“Chocolate.” I curse myself for sounding all breathy, but son of biznatch!
Who is this man and can I keep him?
I scoff internally, because yeah right. He’s just high on summer. Or something like that.
Whatever, I’m not about a wasted opportunity, so I sit back and watch the way his muscles move as he works.
Did I mention he’s shirtless? ‘Cause it’s glorious.
His brown hair is perfectly messy, his skin tan from spending as much time as possible beneath the sun, and so smooth. He’s been talking about getting a tattoo for years, but as of right now, he’s still all-natural.
I lick my lips.
So fine.
“I can feel you checking me out.” He doesn’t bother turning to confirm.
“Yeah, well.” I grip the countertop and lean forward a little. “When the man above blessed us with wine, we indulged. It’s only fair his other masterpieces get the same treatment.”
Chase sets the ice cream scooper down, and spins with a smirk. He leans his ass against the granite, one leg crossed in front of the other, and holds his arms out wide. “Then by all means.” He surprises me for the third time in three days, encouraging me to openly gawk.
He’s being playful, and I’m so here for it.
So I take his unexpected invitation before he comes to his senses.
For the first time I have no time limit, no need to peek beneath my lashes or hide behind shades. I look my fill, unabashedly taking him in from the tips of his brown hair to the bottoms of his bare feet.
At first, it’s a quick run of his body, and then I start over. I trace the firmness of his jaw down his neck, noting the way it thickens, widening into his broad shoulders, courtesy of years of football. I move to his arms, and the deep cuts that disappear behind him, roaming over every ridge of his abs, daring myself to travel farther south.
My knees meet each other as I trace the sharp lines of his hips, his pajama pants sitting loose and perfectly low. I suck my cheek between my teeth, fearing I might make an incredibly embarrassing sound as I do my best to conjure up the shape of the bulge pressing against the thick, striped cotton.
My eyes dart up and the look in his…
It’s new.
Dark.
Desperate?
Chase’s throat bobs with a heavy swallow and my core throbs. I drop my left shoulder, aware my T-shirt will slide with it, and it does. The gaping neck allows it to continue down my skin, and it only pauses when the material meets the hallow of my chest, outlining the swell of my breast.
Just a tease… just enough.
His gaze slices to mine, narrowing. “What are you doing?”
“That seems to be your question of choice this week…”
His frown is small. “Maybe I should wonder a little less.”
My stomach hollows. “Maybe you should.”
Feeling brave, I allow my hands to slide farther back, willing him closer, trying to make it as clear as possible, just in case he’s not getting it.
I want you.
Instantly, his gaze drops to my mouth, so with nerves running through me, I glide my tongue across my lips.
That does it.
Chase pushes off the counter, and like an animal after his next meal, he makes his way to me.
Three more steps.
His fists flex at his sides.
One more…
He reaches me.
I push up.
My brother appears.
Shit!
I jerk upright, and Mason’s sharp eyes fly between us.
“What the fuck is this?” Mason shouts, the patio door slamming him in the ass as he’s frozen halfway through it.
I damn near jump and run, but my body went from flight to frozen in two-point-five seconds.
I’m once again teen me who got pulled onstage at a One Direction concert and threw up all over Zayn Malik’s shoes, while he was still wearing them.
Thank god Chase isn’t wide-eyed and tongue-tied like me.
“Nothing, man, just getting some ice cream. You want?” Chase asks him, as he casually reaches behind me, finding something to grab from the cupboard, and moves back to the forgotten ice cream cartons.
“Ari, go to bed.”
That snaps me out of it.
“I’m having ice cream.” I don’t bother trying to hide my annoyance.
“Have it in your room,” he demands, his nostrils flaring.
“Maybe I don’t want… wait.” I look him over, finding he’s still in jeans and a hoodie, and he just came through the back door. “Where were you?”
“Go. Now.”
Dramatically rolling my eyes, purely to annoy him, I snag my water bottle and hop off the counter, my brother’s glare burning into my back as I curve around the countertop.
I bump Mason’s shoulder as I walk past him and he’s quick to grab my arm. His hold is gentle, but his eyes are hard and pointed at his best friend. “You have pajamas for a reason, Arianna. Wear them,” he grits out.
“Tell you what, when you start wearing a shirt in the gym, I’ll consider it.”
He frowns and I slip past him.
Mase can have his little tantrum all he wants. Meanwhile, I’m over here trying to muster up all the control I can find to keep from skipping my way up to my room, but the minute I’m inside it, I do a little happy dance.
Holy. Shit.
He couldn’t look away.
He couldn’t stay away.
I don’t even know that he realized it.
Maybe it was best Mason slipped in when he did. Had it been fifteen seconds later, he might have walked in on something else entirely.
Because Chase can’t pretend tonight was all me. It wasn’t.
He asked me to stay.
He stalked toward me.
He—
My door is pushed open, and I jump, spinning around.
“Chase,” I breathe.
“Forgot your ice cream.” His brows are drawn tight, and he blindly sets the treat down on the desk near my door.
I glance at the bowl, layered in caramel. “That’s yours.”
“Right.”
He spins, stepping out into the hall.
Frowning, I push it closed, but before it clicks, he’s there again, and then his hand is sinking into my hair, I’m spun and pressed into the frame.
He glares, his hand shaking, and then he says, “Fuck it.”
His mouth crashes down on mine and I gasp around him.
He presses closer, holds tighter, and when my mouth opens, allowing his inside, he groans.
And then he pulls away, his retreat is as quick as his kiss, and I’m left frozen, my hand in the air.
“Bitch!” is hissed, and my head jerks right.
Cameron peeks from the shadows, stepping out of the joining bathroom, her jaw dropped in awe.
I face her and we both quietly squeal, jumping onto my bed top.
My smile couldn’t be wider because I finally got a sign I’d hoped to find.
One that can’t be denied.
Chase Harper isn’t as immune to me as he would like me to believe… or had liked me to believe.
This was all him.
Where this man came from, I don’t know, and I don’t care.
His eyes are open and that’s more than I could have expected.
I smirk, burying myself under the covers.
Cam sighs. “Maybe we’ll both have a hottie to hump this summer.”
We look to each other and laugh.
May-freaking-be.
Today is one of those summer days in Southern California where the warm sun decides to pop out after lunch and disappears before you’ve even gotten the chance to eat. So Cam and I put our towels away and met Lolli and Payton downtown for tacos, while the boys stayed behind watching football highlights on YouTube.
As soon as we got home, Cameron went upstairs to paint her nails and I dropped onto the couch.
I’m just ending my phone call when Mason steps into the living room.
“Mom?” Mason wonders.
“Yeah. She talked to Aunt Sarah about Kenra and tried to check on Payton, but she didn’t answer. I told her she’s probably taking a nap.”
He scoffs a laugh. “Mexican food will do that to you.”
“And growing a human might add to that.” His lips twitch. “Dad said they’re about ready for their trip.”
“Good, they need to take a vacation now that we’ll be out of the house. Scoot over.” He taps my knee, so he can fit into the spot beside me, and throws his arm over the back of the couch.
“Did you just get out of the shower?” I take in his wet hair.
He nods, snatching the remote from my hand with a smirk. “Yeah. We got that new weight set Brady’s dad sent him all put together. It’s legit. Once we have a chance to haul his bench press out here, we’ll have everything we need, and won’t have to pay to use the gym downtown anymore.”
“I’ll have to check it out.”
We look at each other and laugh.
“Hey, you would have been proud of me at the bootcamp me and Cam went to. I only took like… five unapproved breaks.” I smile.
He chuckles. “Just stick to the treadmill, sister, and you’ll be fine.”
I grin, snuggling up again and pulling the fleece blanket up to my chin.
After a few quiet minutes of relaxing in front of the TV, the smile on my face begins to fall.
It’s the small stuff like this I’ll miss most, and it’s a little too heartbreaking to think these times might fade away.
“Hey, Mase?” I ask quietly, my eyes on the TV. “You think we’ll still come here every summer after this?”
He nods absentmindedly, scrolling down to SportsCenter. “Yeah, for sure.”
“Do you really? Like seriously, really?”
He chuckles, his eyes flicking my way. “Like, seriously, really. Why?”
“A lot can change in college.” I shrug against the cushion. “We might be on the same campus, but that’s nothing like all of us living in the same court at home.”
Small creases now frame his eyes. “I’m sure we’ll get busy with life at some point, yeah, but we’ll always make time for each other and this place. I mean, that’s why they gave it to us, right? Keep us linked?”
I nod. “Yeah, but will it really be that simple?”
“I don’t know, Ari. Shit.” He runs his hand over the back of his head, his eyes moving to the TV. He scowls. “It should be.”
I stare at Mason a moment.
The possibility—or likelihood—of change is a topic my brother hates. Plain and simple, it scares him, and when Mason is afraid or sad or anything the like, anger and frustration is what you get. Period. He’s been that way all his life.
I don’t know if all twins feel the same, but me and Mase? We’re a bit codependent. The thought of being alone doesn’t sit well with either of us. It could be because we’ve never really been alone. It could be because we have a large, loving family, one that Cam and Brady have been a part of since birth, and Chase joined when he was twelve.
Mason looks at me, accusation in his eyes. “You think I don’t see, or know, but you’re wrong.” He doesn’t have to say the words, we both know what, or more who, he’s referring to. “I am the way I am for reasons you don’t understand yet. I’m just trying to save you from—”
“From what?”
He sighs. “From a letdown. All our lives, you’ve been by our sides, doing what we do, and you never complain, but what about outside of us, Ari?”
“I tried that in Florida and got shit for it.”
“That’s not what I mean.” He shakes his head. “Maybe I overreacted a little, and that’s because I was caught off guard, but I’m talking about friendships… experiences you haven’t had yet.” My cheeks grow a little pink, but I don’t look away. “There’s more out there outside of us.”
“Maybe I don’t need more.”
His smile is small. “How do you know?”
I pull my knees up, wrapping my arms around them with a shrug. I guess I don’t, but they’ve always been enough. I don’t see that changing.
I understand what he’s saying and he’s not wrong. The five of us, we literally do everything together.
Vacations, holidays, and all the small things in-between.
We shop together, throw birthdays together, and rode to school together every single day since forever. First, we all sat in the same rows on the school bus, and then we piled into Brady’s mom’s van when he got his permit. Mase was the first to pass his driver’s test, so from that day forward, we rode with him. Every. Single. Day.
The five of us, we were inseparable. A unit.
And we loved it. Still do. It’s why we’re all headed to the same school for yet another four years.
Does he want that to change?
“Getting away at Avix, it’s going to be good for you.” He speaks gently. “And I’ll still be right there when you need me. And when you don’t.”
Unease settles over me. “You’re talking like it’s going to be the end of this. Of the five of us.”
“We’re family, and family doesn’t end.” He shakes his head, easing into his next words. “But that’s exactly why it’s important for all of us to stay friends, so things don’t get weird.” Mason faces forward, kicking his leg out. “So things don’t get ruined.”
“Right.”
He points his frown at the TV and mine falls to the lint on my socks.
See, the day before junior high, Mason asked Chase and Brady to help look out for us girls, which meant we were friend-zoned all around in order to avoid the extra drama our teenage years were sure to bring. And they did, here and there, but that line was clear, and we all knew it.
Me more than anyone, but we’re not in junior high anymore.
And that line?
I’d say it’s as good as gone.
There’s just one problem.
And he’s sitting right beside me.
