Scarred: A New Adult Romance (The Anderson Brothers Series Book 1) (16 page)

I
finish the sandwich and chug down a glass of milk.

Chris’s
door creaks open from down the hall, and I hear his tromping footsteps enter
the living room. I don’t turn to acknowledge him.

“All
right, Dom. How’s this?”

I
shift my gaze to where he stands, dressed like a male model. I’ve never seen
him go all out like this. With what has to be the twentieth combination he’s
shown me since I got home, I reluctantly play along to keep my mind from slipping
into dark places. “I dunno, man. How about long sleeve instead?”

He
looks dumbfounded and does an abrupt about-face. “Dude! Make up your mind. You
said short sleeve would be better last time.”

“Yeah,
but that shirt had a pocket in the front. Made you look like a poindexter.”

“Argh!
Fine! I’ll find another damn shirt.” He marches back to his room.

I’m
sure my opinion won’t matter in the end, anyway. It never does. He’s just doing
this to calm his nerves, but
damn
, is
it annoying. “Why don’t you just pick something you like instead of consulting
me?” I call. “Do I look like a fucking fashionista to you?”

“Well,
yeah? You always dress sharp when you go out. Besides, I got a hot chick to
impress. And I’m not about to look like shit in front of all those Xi guys.”

I
roll my eyes.

Shirtless,
he comes out of his room, holding up a short-sleeved, dark green shirt. “How
about this one?”

I
slam my fists down on the couch cushions. “Damn it! Quit asking me! Do whatever
the hell you want!” I spring up. “Just please. Do me a favor. Don’t fuck up
with Adrienne.”

“What?
Of course not! Why do you think I’m doing all this? I’m not even sleeping
around any more. I mean, seriously, dude, everything about her is amazing.”

I
raise an eyebrow at him. Chris? Not sleeping around anymore? This has to be
some sort of apocalypse. He’s never talked like this before. “That’s a bold
statement, Chris. You really think you’ll be able to refrain from sleeping
around?”

He
nods curtly and lays the shirt on the back of the couch. “I
know
I can. So far, I haven’t looked at
another girl the same way I look at Adri. She’s got the whole package and more.
Kinda like how you feel about Denise, you know?”

His
mention of Denise makes me tighten my jaw. “Denise is a different story,” I
say, and leave it at that. “Anyway, this isn’t about me or Denise. This is
about you.”

“Ohhh
no.” Shaking his head, Chris waggles a finger at me. “You and Denise have
everything
to do with this.”

Grumbling,
I push my way past him to the kitchen, and he tails me. I rummage in the fridge
for more milk.

“You
haven’t said much about Denise,” Chris says, as I pour a glass. “Hell, I don’t
even think I’ve seen her before. Does she even exist?”

“Oh,
she exists, all right,” I say, sticking the carton back inside the fridge.
Chris slides his hand past me and grabs a beer before the door closes.

“Okay,
then. Show me her picture.” He pops open his beer and guzzles it.

“Don’t
have one.”

Chris
looks at me stupidly. “No picture? Dude, What the hell?”

I
finish the milk and set the glass in the sink with the rest of the dirty
dishes. “You need to get on these dishes, Chris. It’s your turn.”

“I’ll
get to them when I—hey! Don’t change the subject.”

I
head for the stairs.

“We’re
not done with Denise!” Chris yells, following me. “So you don’t have a picture,
but what does she look like?”

I
stop at the foot of the stairs and think about her. That smile, her trendy
clothes, her ebony eyes, her braided hair. “Words can’t describe how beautiful
she is, Chris.” Leaving it at that, I begin climbing the stairs. Chris keeps
following me.

“Measurements?”

I
scowl. “I’m not telling you her measurements.”

“Dude,
come
on
! Not like I’m gonna go after her or something.”

I
say nothing and head toward my room.

“Just
tell me one thing, Dom,” Chris says.

I
stop at the doorway and spin around as he chugs down the last of his beer.

He
gives me a serious look. “
Are
you
taking Denise to the party tonight?”

My
mouth twitches. He’s really pissing me off. “No, all right?
No,
I’m
not
taking her to the fucking party! Now enough with the damn
interrogation, understand?”

He
shifts his weight, thumps his chest with his fist, and burps. “
Capisce.
”

I
slam the door in his face and lie on the sheets of the unmade bed. I don’t have
a date for the party and consider calling Trinity, but I don’t want to use her
like that. But she knows I’m into Denise, so maybe it could work.

I
dial her number, and she picks up on the second ring.

“Hi,
Dominick!” she answers in a bubbly tone.

“How
are you, Trinity?”

“I’m
good. Don’t you have a party to get to or something?”

“Yeah,
but I don’t have a date. I can’t get in without one.”

“Oh.”
Suddenly her bubbly tone dulls.

“You
wanna go with me?”

There’s
a brief pause. “No offense, Dominick, but there will be people there that I
don’t particularly get along with, and I don’t want that to ruin everyone
else’s night.”

“You
know, I don’t really wanna go, either, but Denise’ll be there, and I need to
keep an eye on her and William. More so William.”

“That’s
sweet, in a creepy kind of way.” She sighs. “Since I can’t be there, I hope you
can be Denise’s wingman instead. I bet you can find a way into the party
without a date. In fact, I
know
you
can.”

I
purse my lips. Now I
have
to go no
matter what. “All right. I’ll talk to you later, Trinity.”

“Dominick.”

That
tone. It’s similar to Denise’s cry for help. “Yeah?”

“Take
care of Denise, okay? Please?”

What does she mean by that?
As I’m about to ask, I’m
met with a
click
on the other end.

Maybe
she’s counting on me to make things right. I stare at the phone screen.
I’ll make it work somehow.
I run my finger
through the contacts and dial Kevin’s number. Five rings. Straight to
voicemail. Grumbling, I hang up and text him:

Call me ASAP

I
call Shane next.

“Hey,
Genius!” His voice is always excited and happy—always in a partying mood.

“Hey,
Shane. Are you still gonna be manning the door at tonight’s party?”

“Sure
am. Why?”

“Good.
’Cause I need a favor. I need you to let me in.”

He
laughs. “That’s not really a favor, bro. You’re invited to the party. Just come
with your girl, and—”

“I’m
coming alone.”

There’s
a brief moment of silence. “What?”

“Long
story short, my ‘date’ is going with someone else, and I need to be there
tonight to make sure nothing stupid happens.”

“I
thought you said you had a date?”

“I
said it was
complicated
.”

“Sorry,
man, I can’t let you in without a date. It’s the number one rule of this
party.”

“Shane,
I wouldn’t be calling you like this, asking a favor like this, if it wasn’t
important. Please do this for me.”

He
grumbles. “You know you’re gonna get me in serious trouble, right? Probably
kicked out of the frat?”

“I’ll
take the heat for you. Please do this for me, bro.”

He
heaves a huge sigh. “Fine. What time are you coming?”

“Around
nine forty-five or so. If you see William there, then I won’t be too far
behind.”

“William?”

I
shake my head. “Don’t ask. You’re doing this for me, right?”

“Yeah,
sure,” he says, a little less enthused. “See you around nine forty-five.”

I
hang up and exhale. Sometimes it’s great to have friends in high places.

Kevin’s
ringtone suddenly goes off, and I hastily answer it. “Kev, I need a favor,” I
say, foregoing the greetings.

“Well,
hello to you, too, Dom,” Kevin says, sounding annoyed.

I
exhale and gather my thoughts. “I’m going to a party, and I need to keep an eye
on Denise, but—”

“What’s
going on?” he says in a low, serious tone.

“To
put it simply: frat party, drugs, and virgin.”

“Holy
shit.”

“I
can’t let whatever stupid shit William intends to do with Denise happen.”

“Understood.”

“Can
you take me to the party tonight? I don’t know what’s gonna happen, and I
probably shouldn’t be taking my bike.”

“Naw,
don’t ride. I’ll come and get you. I’ll call one of my buddies to fill in for
me at the club tonight.”

I
smile. I can always count on Kevin for anything. “Thanks, bro, you’re the
best.”

“I
know.” I can imagine him smirking at that.

Chapter 17

Kevin honks his horn around nine thirty and I rush out
the door, all dressed to impress. I hop in the passenger’s side of Kevin’s car,
and he and I exchange our secret handshake.

Kevin
looks me up and down and then raises his eyebrows. “Damn! Looking good, li’l
bro.”

“Thanks,”
I say, though my mind is still too scattered to really appreciate his
compliment.

Kevin
puts the car in gear. “So where we goin’?”

“Windermere,
east of campus. Just drive.”

Kevin
pulls out of the complex. We ride along in silence, and I stare out the window
at the passing streetlights as we head toward the 513 overpass.

Crossing
the Montlake Cut, Kevin asks, “So what do you intend to do, anyway?”

I
look to my brother. “About what?”

“About
the situation.” Kevin keeps his eyes on the road.

“I’m
gonna watch him. And her. But mainly him.”

“And
what if shit goes down?”

“Then
I kick his ass.”

“In
front of everyone? That I gotta see.”

“They’re
not gonna let you in without a date,” I say flatly. “I was barely able to get
one of my club brothers to help me out.”

“So
you’re saying they’ll turn even DJ Kevitron away?”

I
raise an eyebrow. Was he really going to intentionally show himself like that?
“Uh, I dunno. They might. Even if they don’t, it’ll be pretty boring there
without a date. I mean, c’mon, it’s a frat party.”

“I
don’t care about the party, man. I’m worried about you.”

My
lips tug into a smile. “I’ll be fine, Kev.” I point ahead. “Turn right on
58th.”

We
weave around the winding residential street of the upscale neighborhood toward
a dead-end street, where a bunch of cars are parked. I notice William’s car in
front of a blue one that looks just as decked out as his. The only house at the
end of the street is lit up like a Christmas tree with multicolored lights and
paper lanterns extending from the front door down the length of the walkway.
Music thrums from the direction of the house, but it’s not loud enough for
neighbors to be calling the cops. Groups of college kids are hanging out around
the yard. Kevin manages to squeeze into a spot along the curb, not far from
Adrienne’s car, which is parked three cars ahead.

As
we get out, Kevin tips down his sunglasses at a group of girls standing near
the walkway, talking. “Holy shit, Dom. You did
not
tell me there would be some beautiful honeys here.”

I
roll my eyes. “What do you expect at a frat party? Anyway, I thought you were
done with relationships?”

“Who
said anything about relationships? I’m simply enjoying the view.”

“Okay,
well, you do that while I take care of business inside. I’ll call or text if I
need you.”

“Mmhmm.”
He seems too fixed on the group of curves to listen to anything I have to say,
so I leave him.

I
brush past the girls, not even stopping to acknowledge them. Arriving at the
doorstep, I tilt my head to Shane, who stands with his arms folded over his
chest like a bouncer.

“’Sup,”
I say.

Shane
returns the nod, glances over his shoulder, and then glares back at me. “You
owe me big time for this, Genius,” he whispers.

“Only
if I get you in trouble.”

“They’re
gonna find out.”

“Not
if you keep your fucking mouth shut. Now, are William and Denise here?”

Frowning,
he thumbs behind him. “They got here about five minutes ago.” He steps to the
side to let me though. “You better know what you’re doing.”

“Don’t
worry, I do.” I pat his shoulder as I walk past. “Thanks, by the way.”

People
are everywhere, drinking, smoking, dancing, socializing. Techno music blares
from unseen speakers, and the floors and walls vibrate to the thump of the
bass. Christmas lights and paper lanterns strung about the walls and ceiling
keep the room dim, colorful, and inviting. Weaving my way through the living
room, I notice all the furniture has been shoved against the walls, leaving a
wide enough space in the center for people to dance. Couples laze around on the
sofas and chairs, either making out, or looking pretty damn close to doing so.
I try to act casual and not make eye contact with anyone. But my focus is on
Denise and William, who are mingling in the crowded kitchen and bar area, where
the drinks flow.

They
stand among a growing crowd, waiting for their drinks to be prepared by the two
Xi guys manning the bar.

“What’s
happenin’, Nick?” William says to one of the guys, and they do a special
handshake.

Nick.
The guy who called William
yesterday.

William
asks for a margarita and a Long Island iced tea. As Nick prepares the drinks,
William turns to Denise and kisses her intimately on the lips. William blocks
my line of sight to Nick, and I crane my neck, but a group of people push past
me and crowd the bar. Breaking the kiss, William turns and grabs the prepared
drinks. I stare at Denise’s drink as William hands it to her, making sure he
doesn’t discreetly drop something in it. Keeping my head lowered, I blend in
with the crowd and make my way to the bar just as they leave. Denise and
William wander out to the back patio, where they mingle with more people, some
of them frat guys. William gets into some intense conversations with them and
shows off Denise.