Devil is right. She and I will have so many words later.
“Sorry I didn’t text you about your friend being here. It’s been a day.” Apparently, the mind reading is going around. She heads me off at the pass with a devious smile and unlaces her boots like she didn’t just set me up for disaster.
“Same.” I smile tightly at her, hoping my eyes are saying ”you traitorous wench!” Or she can read my mind some more.
She smiles back, a little too tight, making it clear the message is received, and she thinks it’s hilarious my best friend’s little brother has turned into a tall, sexy, Roman sculpture come to life without me knowing it.
I try to glance furtively back at Ben, but it’s obvious he’s watching us with amusement. The alarm on his phone goes off and saves the day.
“Fifteen minutes and dinner will be ready,” he says, breaking the tension in the room.
“Great!” Joss cheers. “I got some wine.”
I am going to need it.
“In that case, I’m going to run to my room and get changed.” I gesture down the hall and give a little wave as I head off. Which was just great. Fantastic. Very normal to wave goodbye in your house going from one room to another.
“Are we sure the dress code’s notno shirt and service?” Joss teases behind me.
“Right.” I hear him answer her. “Let me grab a shirt.”
“Oh no! You should definitely stay like that. Violet needs the excitement in her life.” She raises her voice to make extra sure I can hear her.
When I reach my doorway where I know Ben can’t see me, I flip her off, and she laughs whole-heartedly at my misery.
Someday I’m going to get her back for this.
FOUR
Ben
The universe is testing me.It has to be.
Just when I absolutely need to get my shit together, it places the one temptation I’ve wanted since I was 13 years old right in front of me.
Violet Kennedy.
She’s single for the first time since I can remember. And now I’m staying in her apartment, and she’s standing in front of me looking sexy as hell.
And then, the part I’m going to put on rerun like it’s a scene from my favorite movie, she ran her eyes over my body with very clear interest.Veryclear. Fuck, she’d even admitted she’d enjoyed it.
At least, she did when she thought I was someone else. Then she’d realized who I was, and we’d run slam back into the same routine we’d had as kids where she is the older, wiser one who scruffs my hair and tells me to run back home and be a good boy.
Probably the exact reason Nora put me here.
I throw on a shirt from out of my bag and put dinner on the table. I guess in addition to getting my shit together, I’m going to have to figure out how to live one thin wall away from my own personal kryptonite.
* * *
After dinnerand a few rounds of homework, I emerge from the room they’re letting me crash in and go to get a glass of water. Or at least that’s my cover story. In reality, I’m looking to see if she’s around. I fill my glass and then peer out from the kitchen in what I thought was a nonchalant way until half a second later.
“She’s in her room working. You can knock.” Jocelyn startles me from the couch where she’s got her legs up on the coffee table editing photos on her laptop.
I nod, feeling a little sheepish that my intent had been so obvious.
I’m hesitant to interrupt Violet, but I’d barely gotten a moment alone with her today. I wanted to at least be sure she was okay with me being here, not just under pressure from Nora, and thank her for giving me a chance.
I also just want a chance to look at her again, see her smile and joke with me like she had earlier. Dinner had been mostly formalities, introductions and info about where things were in the house.
