The group of us walked down the sidewalk toward the main party street on campus. There were six bars that all competed with each other with different specials, music nights, and tonight we were going to the raunchiest one.Peter Jays.The lights were darker, the music louder, and the girls wilder. No other way around it.
I fell behind the group, watching how my teammates laughed and teased the soccer girls. I liked it. I loved how Lo and I always had a great relationship, which spread to our teammates and friends. I never thought that us going to the same college would have our lives so intertwined, but Lo and I were friends for life.
Speaking of…
My sister slowed until she walked right next to me, her gaze blasting with curiosity. I tensed. I hadn’t opened up to her. It felt too real, too uncomfortable. She’d support me and try to help, so I’d lied and avoided her the past few months. Something I never did.
“Is this because of Luca?”
“Is what?”
“The gap between us now. Our teammates are hanging out, having a good time, and I can feel the heavy cloud over you. I thought we were okay when Luca and I got together, but we have the twin thing, Dean. Something isn’t right, and if I’m at fault, I need you to tell me.”
“Lo, it’s not you.” My stomach twisted. I hated that she felt guilty. “You and Luca are great together.”
“You say the words, but they seem empty.”
She grabbed my forearm, stopping me from walking. Her wild hair was up in a ponytail, and the wind made it go in every direction. The summer humidity washed over me, making me sweat, and I braced myself for whatever she planned to say.
“I need you to tell me what’s going on. It’s eating at me, andI can’t help, and it’s putting a strain on Luca and me. He won’t tell me, and he constantly feels like he has to pick you over me, and that’s a trigger for me. Do you think I’ll judge? Or be mad? I won’t, Dean. We did a blood oath. I’m there for you if you need to hide a body or if you’re the father of ten babies.”
I sucked in a breath.It’s a joke. She’s joking.
“Can we set a time to talk, please?”
My jaw ached from all the tension, and I nodded.
“Unless we just… aren’t… close anymore? I know siblings grow apart. If that’s the case and I’m clinging to what used to be, you can tell me that too. I’ll adjust. But I can’t do a goddamn thing until you talk to me.”
She let go of my arm, gave me one more look, then returned to the group and grabbed Luca’s hand.
Her words gutted me. She had been my best friend all my life, and here she was, thinking I didn’t want to be close with her anymore. That she wastoo clingyas a sibling. Fuck. I wiped a hand over my face, irritated at myself. I never wanted to hurt my twin or have her doubt our friendship. But sharing what happened would be embarrassing and hard. I’d worked hard as hell to not think or talk about what went down last fall, but maybe that hadn’t been the best plan of attack. Not when Luca was pissed and Lo felt mistreated.
I scrubbed a hand over my face. The excitement I had to spend the night with Mack disappeared as everyone stole her attention. Her melodic cackle—because that’s what it was, a snorting honk sound that was ridiculous but charming—carried over to me, and it caused my lips to quirk up. She was having a good night, and that made me happy.
Lo’s comments brought me down a bit, but being around this group gave me a sense of peace. I’d just get a beer and see what happened. Maybe I’d find some time to assist Mack, maybe not. At least being near people I trusted was a safety netin itself. Maybe the first legit step in getting over what happened was speaking to Lo. She’d know what to do.
Suddenly, it was like a weight lifted off me.Of coursemy sister would know what to do. She’d help me!
With that, a real smile broke out as we entered the bar. It wasn’t too busy since it was early summer, but the bouncer shook my hand, talking about the season. A group of girls who sat at a high-top table all assessed me head to toe, the familiar tells of interest coming from them. Twirling the hair, sitting up straighter, touching their necks. I could…if I wanted, go over there and flirt?
Maybe I could try? See if my mojo came back?
I ran a hand down my chest, pumping myself up when a familiar scent of summer flowers hit me. Mack stood next to me, her wide eyes pleading with me as she gripped my hand.
“Okay, I’m nervous. Can you help me?”
CHAPTER
SEVEN
Mack
Dean frowned, glanced around my shoulders, and pulled me close to him with a protective arm. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing… well, I’m fine. It’s these challenges.” I triednotto think about how good he smelled and how nice it was to have his arm around me. He had a good six inches on me, and his broad shoulders, strong arms, and overall height made me feel cute. And I wasn’t a cute, petite woman.
My heart raced at how close we were. His mouth was right there, his full lips pulling down at the sides as he studied me. For one hot second, I was the center of his attention, and it made my skin burn with want and my thighs tremble. No wonder I had a huge crush on him all three years. Dean was so hot and protective.
