A rough noise tears from him and he captures my nape with his big hand. “Bring that pussy up here while you put that pretty mouth to work.”
We’re so wrapped up in each other, it catches us off guard when there’s a distant slam in the apartment.
“Hey, man, I called and texted, but you’re not answering! We’re going to be late.”
We both go rigid at Benson’s voice.
“Shit,” Cole mutters. “He must’ve used the spare key I made for him when he helped me move in the new TV console.”
He reaches for his phone. I lean in, seeing a string of missed texts from my brother.
“Cole, dude! Are you even awake? I know you don’t sleep til noon these days.”
I’m frozen with indecision. There’s no time to race from the bed to hide. My only option is to dive beneath the sheets as my brother’s voice grows closer.
“Oh—shit, sorry,” Benson stammers when he reaches the bedroom. “I didn’t think you’d have anyone over since you keep dodging my attempts to be your wingman.”
“What are you doing here?” Cole’s tone is flat.
“Did you forget? I’ve got the beer for the barbecue. You said you’d help me bring it to the lake before everything gets started.”
“Damn it.” Cole’s voice muffles like he’s scrubbing his face. “I did. Alright, could you give me a minute here?”
“Oh, right. Yeah, of course.” He’s silent for a beat too long and Cole stiffens, setting me on edge. “Isn’t that Eve’s laptop?”
Fuck! We left it on the nightstand after watching our show last night.
Cole covers quickly. “Uh, yeah. She lent it to me. Mine’s a piece of shit. Keeps freezing on me.”
Benson buys it. “I’ll meet you at the brewery and we’ll load up.”
“Fine.”
I listen to the entire exchange, cringing at the fact that there’s only a sheet covering me while my brother is right there talking to his best friend.
There’s another pause, then Benson jokes, “What’s up, mystery girl?”
I press my face against the mattress, wishing I could disappear.
“Benny,” Cole snaps.
“Just saying hi. You’re going to land yourself back on top of the town’s hot gossip list if you’ve got a secret girlfriend.”
Cole groans. “Benny, fuck off.”
“Going, going. Don’t take too long. I promised to get everything over before one.”
I remain hidden until Cole lifts the covers to peek at me.
“Sorry, I forgot all about him asking me last week.”
“It’s okay. I forgot today was Fourth of July.” I emerge with a sigh, leaning against his shoulder. “I guess we have to get out of bed after all.”
He blows out a breath, dropping his head back. It thunks on the headboard.
“I think my life flashed before my eyes.”
“Yours? What about mine? He thinks you’re hooking up with some random chick, but I have to live with the fact he caught us in bed together.”
