Poser (8 page)

Braeden

I didn’t need to be an art major to see this guy was a piece of work.

When I first walked around the corner and heard some guy talking to Ivy like she needed a good scolding, I almost went out swinging.

It’s probably a good thing I didn’t. Wouldn’t want to send the guy home packing a bloody lip. That wouldn’t buy me any points with Ivy’s parents.

I shook my head as I poured some coffee down my throat. I’d never been the type of guy to worry about what a girl’s parents would think. But Ivy changed all that. She changed so much in my world it was a wonder I didn’t have whiplash.

“You know he was coming?” I said low to Rim.

She smiled and shook her head. “He seems nice, though.”

I made a rude sound. “Did we just meet the same guy?”

She giggled.

My phone beeped and I held it up to glance at the text message. It was from Romeo. He got the pic I’d sent him of Rimmel.
I love that face. Coming home next weekend.

Good. Might need backup.

Romeo replied quick.
What’s up?

Ivy’s bro was on the doorstep this AM.

Douchebag?

I snickered to myself. Sometimes Rome just got things.
Possibly.

Be strong like bull.

I laughed out loud as Ivy and Drew came into the room.
Will do.
I shot the text back and then slid the phone into my pocket.

“What’s so funny?” Ivy asked.

“Just Rome being Rome,” I said.

She went about pouring two cups of coffee while Drew made himself at home with the donut box.

“How long you staying?” I asked him.

“Braeden!” Ivy and Rimmel scolded at once.

“What?” I shrugged. “It’s a legit question.”

Drew polished off his donut. “Not sure yet. I’m in no hurry to leave. Haven’t seen my sister in a long time.”

“Where are you staying?” Ivy asked.

Drew shrugged and took the coffee she offered him. “Don’t know yet. Didn’t think about it. Just got home and Mom said you’d shacked up with your friends and boyfriend.”

“I’m not shacking up,” Ivy retorted.

“Well, how was I supposed to know that? Mom and Dad haven’t even met him yet. I can’t believe they just let you move in with him.”

This guy was a real piece of work. I straightened off the counter, but Ivy didn’t seem to need help telling big bro how it was.

“I’m an adult, Drew. I don’t need their permission. But even so, they gave it. No one has a problem with my living arrangements but you.”

“I didn’t say I had a problem,” he rebutted. “I just wanted to see for myself how you were.”

“You can stay here,” Rimmel offered from her seat at the island.

I gave her a
WTF
look.

“Are you sure Romeo won’t mind?” Ivy asked.

“Nah. He won’t care,” Rimmel replied.

“I do,” I chimed in.

Everyone ignored me.

“Awesome. Thanks, ladies.” Drew picked up another donut and took a bite. “Nice place,” he said, glancing around while chewing.

I grabbed my mug and started toward the opposite end of the island from him.

Ivy stepped into my path. I tried to give her an irritated look, but I didn’t quite succeed. Her chin was tipped back, her face still free of makeup, and her hair hung like a waterfall following the curve of her back.

Thank you,
she mouthed.

I reached around her back and let my fingers play in the loose ends of her hair. Her body swayed toward mine just slightly. I lowered my mouth, ignoring everyone else in the room, and kissed her softly.

It wasn’t a terribly long kiss, but it was satisfying.

I hope it also showed Brother Dearest I wasn’t going anywhere.

When I pulled back, I took her hand and led her around to where I was sitting and pulled her into my lap. She cradled her coffee with both hands and turned toward her brother.

Rimmel got up and set her cup in the sink. “I wish I could stay, but I have to be at the shelter in an hour.”

“Girl,” Ivy said, “it’s gonna take me that long just to fix your hair.”

Rimmel glared at me, and I grinned.

“I’m going to wash it. Maybe you can just braid it for me before I go?”

“Sure! I’ll be up in a bit. I have to shower too.”

When Rimmel was gone, Ivy turned back to Drew. “So what have you been up to? How was the internship?”

Drew sat back in the stool and sighed. “It went well. Dad’s thrilled.”

I studied him as he told Ivy about the internship he had over the summer at some big software company. Ivy’s dad was some big computer programmer or something, and he was hoping at least one of his sons would follow in his footsteps. Apparently, that son was going to be Drew.

I guess he and Ivy looked somewhat alike. He had blue eyes like her (but hers were better), his hair was a darker shade of blond and cut short, almost like it had been buzzed off but was slowly growing back.

He was a big guy, not quite as big as me, but if he wanted to, he could bulk up. He was probably just under six feet and gave off the impression of a carefree surfer dude. But I knew better. This guy was not a pushover.

Part of me was glad for it; the other part of me didn’t like it.

After he talked a little about his internship and how their dad was pushing him to apply at the same company he worked at, I interrupted. “So you saying you don’t want to work in computers?”

Drew shrugged. “I like technology. I’m good at it. But sitting behind a desk all day doesn’t seem all that appealing. I have a feeling you know what that’s like.”

“What makes you say that?” I asked.

“Aren’t you a football player?”

“Thought you hadn’t heard shit about me.”

Ivy laughed.

Drew grinned. “Touché.”

I grunted. “I play ball. You play?”

Drew shook his head. “Not my thing.”

“What is your thing?”

Ivy seemed excited to tell me. She sat up and looked over her shoulder. “Drew likes cars!”

Interesting.

He seemed to pick up on Ivy’s excitement. “You like cars?”

I shrugged one shoulder. “It’s a hobby.”

“Braeden does all the work on my car when it needs it.”

That earned me a look of interest. “Does he?”

“I’m not having my girl driving around in a car that ain’t safe.”

Drew nodded thoughtfully, and something seemed to shift in the air. I’d just earned my first piece of respect from him.

Not that I cared.

“Drew fixes up cars too,” Ivy said. “Did you see his car in the driveway? It’s beautiful.”

“Muscle cars are not beautiful, Ives,” he said, exasperated.

I shook my head. I hadn’t seen it. I was too busy watching him. “What kind of car is it?”

“Vintage Mustang. I restored it.”

“It took him almost the whole four years of college,” Ivy added.

“Sweet. I’d like to see it.” Well, if the guy could restore a Mustang and keep its integrity, then he might not be so bad after all.

“That your truck in the driveway?”

“Yep.”

Drew nodded.

Ivy sighed loudly. “You guys are like a pair of cavemen standing around beating your chests.”

I set aside my coffee and wrapped both arms around her so her back was firmly against my front. “You love it,” I whispered in her ear.

Her hand covered both of mine and she giggled. “No, but I do love you.”

I kissed the side of her neck and enjoyed the slight way she shivered.

“So what do you guys have planned today?” Drew asked.

“I don’t think anything. It’s our last free day ‘til classes start.”

“Sweet,” Drew said around a yawn.

“Did you drive straight through to get here?” Ivy asked.

He nodded. “Yeah, I might crash for a bit.”

That was a long-ass drive to make alone, from North Carolina all the way to Maryland.

“I’ll get the extra room ready for you.”

“I get a room?”

“Of course!” she said.

From upstairs, Rimmel called down to Ivy. She jumped up from my lap. “I gotta go help her with her hair. Be right back.” She leaned around and pressed a quick kiss to my mouth and whispered, “Be nice,” before rushing out of the room, Prada chasing along after her.

“You drove a long way just to check me out,” I said, blunt.

“Judging from the way your hackles rose when I was flirting with Rimmel, I think you’d do the same for her.”

“Flirt with her again and I’ll kick your ass.” I meant it.

“Don’t think I won’t do the same for my sister.”

I sorely wanted to point out I’d done way more with Ivy than flirt. But I wasn’t about to kiss and tell; there was no way in hell I would disrespect Ivy like that. “You don’t need to worry about Ivy. I’ll make sure she’s taken care of.”

Drew studied me like he had something to say. So I called him out. “Just say it.”

“Something’s off with my sister. She might not say it, but I know. She fed our parents some lame excuse about being all stressed about finals last semester, but I don’t buy it. Ivy doesn’t stress about tests. And then I got home to find her moved out and in with you.”

“You haven’t seen her in a while. Maybe you’re reading her wrong.” He wasn’t reading her wrong.

“Maybe you’re lying to my face.” Drew challenged.

“End of last semester was hard on her. Someone started some rumors. Made it tough,” I said, keeping my words close.

“Thought this was college,” Drew muttered.

“Have you met women?” I cracked. “They’re vicious.”

“Word.” Drew agreed. Then he glanced at me. “Look, I know Ivy’s outgoing and quick to throw out a sarcastic line, but that’s all on the surface. She was sheltered growing up. She’s the only girl out of three kids. We watched out for her. We protected her. She didn’t have a lot of freedom in North Carolina because one of us was always there, watching…”

I swallowed thickly. I knew she posed as the party girl. She acted the way she thought she should to fit in here. I knew she had a big family. I knew her parents were strict. But damn if hearing all this from her brother didn’t make everything she’d been through worse.

It also explained a lot of how this could happen. How it could happen to a lot of girls. They just didn’t think about it. Or they didn’t understand people could be so calculating and cold. They hadn’t been taken advantage of before, so they had no idea what the signs were when it was happening…

Until it was too late.

“Look.” My voice was hoarse and I cleared my throat. “I might not have looked hard enough when I first met her, but that’s since changed. I know underneath her blond hair, cute-ass clothes, and smile, she has the heart of a marshmallow. I’ll do anything.” I paused for effect and stared him in the eye. “To make sure no one hurts her again.”

Drew nodded. “I believe you.” He ruined the words with a smirk. “But you won’t mind if I stay for a while? Another set of eyes on her wouldn’t hurt.”

Unless he saw the things I didn’t want anyone else to see.

“It’s cool,” I said. “But we’re busy tonight. I got plans.”

“What kind of plans?”

“Plans that only she needs to be privy to.” I might have decided he wasn’t the giant jerkwad I originally thought, but that didn’t mean he needed to know my business.

“Dinner?” he bargained.

I nodded once and stood. “Sure. Dinner. But after that, she’s mine for the night.”

Ivy

He said he had something planned.

A surprise.

Braeden was good at surprises, at planning things.

Maybe that was the biggest surprise of all.

He totally wasn’t the kind of guy anyone would think of as the type to make big gestures.

But I had a room full of stars that said otherwise.

I had no idea what to expect. After Rimmel left for the shelter and Drew was snoring in the guest room, he kissed me and said he’d see me later.

The entire time I was in the shower, I wondered if maybe it had something to do with whatever he wanted to talk to me about before Drew showed up. I hoped whatever it was wouldn’t make the barrier I felt between us stronger.

The truth was I needed Braeden. I needed the connection between us. I needed the feeling of being safe I always had when I was with him.

After my shower, I took my time getting dressed and doing my hair. Drew was asleep, and Prada was attacking a brand new chew toy. I wasn’t sure what B had in mind for tonight, but I knew whatever it was wouldn’t be fancy.

Braeden wasn’t a fancy type of guy. Whatever he had planned would be a product of who he was, and it would be genuine.

I settled on a pair of destructed white jeans that cuffed at the ankles. On top, I added a loose A-line tank top in a silky soft material that floated around my waist and hips when I moved. It was in a graphic turquoise leopard pattern. For my feet, I found a pair of pale-pink wedges and set them by the door.

I left my hair down but curled it in big, loose waves. It had grown over the summer and now fell past my bra strap. I kept my makeup simple, a natural glam look with glowing skin and eyes with a little bit of sparkle. Instead of perfume, I smoothed on some body lotion in a blackberry mojito scent, and I piled a few stackable bracelets on my wrist. The only other jewelry I wore was the silver star necklace B gave me. I never took it off. The low neckline of the tank showcased the gift perfectly.

Braeden got home a little while after that while Drew and I were sitting in the living room, catching up on everything since we’d seen each other last. When Rimmel got home, we ordered some takeout (big, fresh salads and a few pizzas), and the four of us sat around eating and joking.

It wasn’t until the sun had gone down and the sky was dark that Braeden reached for my hand. I thought Drew might be upset about us leaving on his first night here, but he didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, he yawned loudly and said he was going back to bed.

Braeden drove for a while, turning on roads I’d never traveled before. When we were about forty-five minutes away from campus, he slowed and turned onto a road I never would have seen had I been driving.

It was a one-lane road that made a path through a bunch of trees. It went up and curved around the hill, seemingly without end.

I was a North Carolina girl. I grew up near the mountains, so this wasn’t anything new to me. But it was the first time I’d been somewhere like this in Maryland. I stared attentively out the window as we passed clearings and trees, even a few homes, until finally the road leveled off and straightened.

Out the windshield, a sweeping view literally spread out before us. It was like we were on the edge of a precipice that overlooked a valley of trees rising up to never-ending mountains. It was hard to appreciate the view fully with just the light from the headlights and the moon, but what I could see was beautiful, and I knew in daylight, it would be breathtaking.

“What is this place?” I asked, my voice reverent.

He drove slowly as he spoke. “We used to come here as teenagers to go mudding or just hang out. Lots of people came here to park.”

His teeth glinted in the dark, and with the glow of the dash, I could see his eyebrows wag in suggestion.

I laughed. “You brought me parking?”

“Something like that.”

A few minutes later, the truck slowed even more and he pulled to the side of the road, on the edge of a large clearing. “Stay here a sec,” he instructed once the truck was in park.

“Where are you going?” Suddenly, whatever he had planned didn’t seem like such a fun idea.

Braeden slid across the seat and brought his body right up against mine. “I’m not going far, baby.” His voice was as smooth as dark chocolate and soft like cotton. “Just wait here, ‘kay? I’ll keep you safe.”

“‘Kay,” I whispered, lifting my fingers to brush over the side of his jaw. He caught my hand and kissed it.

I was left in a little bubble of warmth and watched him walk around to the bed of the truck. The sound of the tailgate being released and the jolt of him jumping into the bed made me smile.

Braeden had totally brought me parking.

A few minutes later, the passenger-side door opened and his hand appeared in front of me. Without hesitation, I placed mine in his and allowed him to guide me out of the cab.

It was incredibly dark, but he seemed to know exactly where to step. With his arm around my waist, I made it to the back of the truck. B’s arm left me and he leapt up into the back.

Seconds later, the space illuminated.

Once again, Braeden surprised me.

The entire bed of the truck was filled with blankets and pillows. It was layered with a thick comforter, blankets that looked filled with down, and ones that appeared so soft my hand flexed with the desire to stoke them.

There had to be at least fifteen pillows. Some were huge and fluffy, while others were smaller and round.

Everything was colorful, not like circus colors, but muted, soft ones.

Braeden sat in the center holding an electric lantern. It cast an amber glow over everything, creating an intimate space.

“You did all this?”

“I wanted some alone time with my girl.”

My stomach turned over and danced with butterflies. He set the lantern off to the side, next to a bottle of wine and a couple plastic cups.

I smiled.

He leapt down and practically lifted me into the bed. The second I was there, I kicked off my wedges and buried my feet into the piles of blankets.

“This is amazing, Braeden.”

The air was crisp and cool. Technically, it was still summer, but up here on the mountain and without any trace of the sun, there was a definite bite of autumn in the air. The weather was going to start cooling down fast, but tonight it was perfect.

I breathed in deep and lifted my chin a little to let the air caress my cheeks. I missed this, being out in the open, surrounded by nature. Everything seemed a lot smaller when you stood in such a sprawling space, and oddly, it was comforting.

Braeden flipped back the edge of some blankets and sank in the center, crooking a finger in my direction. I sank down right beside him and leaned back against the piles of pillows to gaze up at the sky.

“The sky is filled with stars,” I whispered.

Braeden tucked the blankets around us and pulled me into his chest. “They’re our stars, Blondie.”

I leaned back into him and sighed. “I like that.”

“Everything seems easier for us when we’re under the stars. Ever notice that?”

“Yeah, I have.”

“You know why?” His voice was a mere rumble against my ear. I felt his breath with every syllable he spoke, like my personal lullaby.

“Why?” I snuggled in closer against him, and his arm tightened around my waist.

“Because the stars don’t have rules. Anything goes out here beneath them. There is no right or wrong. They twinkle and shine no matter what. The stars see everything, baby. They see us for exactly who we are.”

“And who are we right now, Braeden?” I whispered.

Gently, he lifted my chin so his eyes could connect with mine.

“We’re two people drifting, like a boat without its oar. I don’t want to drift anymore, Ivy. I want to drop anchor. I want to make sure you don’t drift away from me.”

“I’m sorry.” I tried to look away, but he wouldn’t let me. Instead, he straightened and swung around so he was facing me.

“I’m the one who’s sorry. Can you forgive me, baby?”

I felt my nose wrinkle and my brows draw down. I sank back into the pillows, almost like they were a net that caught me from the shock of his apology.

“Why on earth would you apologize to me?”

A soft breeze floated through the night, and without breaking his gaze on my face, he reached behind him and tugged a furry blanket over my lap and tucked it around my legs and arms.

“I saw the look in your eyes this morning. When you walked in and saw me and Rimmel in the kitchen.”

I started to shake my head, to deny, deny, deny. I wasn’t going to be
that
girl. I was not going to be the kind who got upset when her boyfriend showed affection to another girl—to his family. I was sorely regretful he’d caught any look at all in my eyes. I should have worked harder to hide it. To lock it down.

I was incredibly tired of hiding things. For some reason, it seemed like so much was hidden lately. Even my own feelings seemed to hide from me.

He grasped my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Don’t do that. Don’t pretend with me. I wanna know everything. Remember, out here there are no rules. You can say whatever you want.”

I relented and nodded once.

“Does it bother you to see me with Rim?”

“No!” I said quickly. “I swear it doesn’t. I totally understand the whole brother/sister bond. I have it with Drew.”

“That guy is a piece of work,” B muttered.

“He’s my brother.” I defended.

“He loves you so he must be pretty decent.”

I rolled my eyes.

“So,” he began, bringing back the conversation. “What was it this morning?”

I sighed and glanced up at the stars, hoping they would lend me some strength. “I could just feel how close you two are. How you were so open with each other. I guess it made me sad. I want that with you.”

“I thought we had that.” He glanced down at our joined hands. “It’s not so easy, though, is it?”

That hollow feeling I sometimes got was threatening. I tried to push it away. I wouldn’t let it in. Not here. Not tonight.

I looked around at the blankets, the pillows, the wine. The stars overhead were brilliant, and B was holding my hand. It might not be easy with Braeden (with any relationship), but that didn’t mean what we had wasn’t good.

Things with B were good.
Better
than good.

He was all I ever really wanted. And easy or not, he was worth the struggle.

“I realized something today, something I never said but should have.” As he spoke, his thumb stroked over the back of my hand. “Something I think is creating this unidentifiable, unspoken thing between us.” He motioned between our bodies with his hand, as if to punctuate his point. “Something that’s making it hard for you to move past
that night
.”

My breath caught and everything inside me stilled. I didn’t want to talk about Zach. I didn’t want to drag him into this beautiful moment. I started shaking my head, shoving away the painful thoughts, the guilt and the self-loathing.

Braeden reached out and grasped my hips, sliding me so I sat so close our knees bumped. “It’s okay, baby. I know you’re scared to talk about it and to hear what I have to say, but I swear on every star up in that sky tonight, nothing is gonna change how much I love you.”

Tears threatened at the backs of my eyes. My chest squeezed with unnamed emotion. I drew in a deep breath and nodded.

“I never told you. I don’t care.”

It’s a good thing he already said how much he loved me, or that statement might have damaged my ego. “Honey, your grand gestures can make a girl swoon, but we really need to work on those words,” I told him with a patient tone while wearing a slight grimace.

His teeth glowed bright against the dark backdrop of night when he smiled. “We’ve already established I’m not real good at explaining how I feel.”

I slid my fingers between his and linked our hands. “As long as whatever you tell me is the truth, then I don’t care how ugly it sounds.”