Jaded (Jaded #1)

Bryce and I looked over and saw that she was giggling with another friend. They both blushed when they realized they were the center of our attention.

In the car, Bryce kept a hand on my leg. It stayed in place.

When we pulled into my driveway, I hit the garage opener on my keychain and Bryce pulled his car beside my mom’s Chrysler. Mine was still parked outside.

“Sheldon.”

We were startled when a figure spoke up from the driveway’s darkened edge, but she stepped forward and the light shone over Mena’s strained face.

Bryce swore.

I let out a breath I’d been holding when I murmured, “Mena. What are you doing here?”

It was almost midnight.

“My brother came and talked to you, didn’t he?” she asked, anxious.

“Uh…yeah.” We moved inside and into the kitchen. Mena followed and perched on the stool she’d earlier occupied. She hugged herself.

“I knew he would.” She shook her head. “He’s just being an overprotective brother, but he doesn’t understand anything.”

Bryce frowned at me. He nodded towards the kitchen table, but I shook my head.

He went to the fridge and grabbed a beer before he disappeared upstairs.

“Wow,” Mena breathed out.

“What?”

“Bryce Scout. Wow.”

“Are you serious? Your brother is Denton Steele.”

“And my brother is my brother,” she replied, dryly. “Believe me. I don’t see the allure.”

Let’s hope not.

“Uh…” I shifted uncomfortably. “I’ve had a really long night, so…”

“Right. Cut to the chase.” Mena nodded. “I can do that.”

I relaxed slightly.

“Here’s the thing…my brother thinks I’m this innocent little girl. He doesn’t want me to be as worldly as you. That’s a load of crap. Denton just wants to shelter me from all the bad stuff in this world and he thinks that you’ve seen more than your fair share.”

Um… This was nearing a ‘near emotion’ event.

Mena proceeded, unaware, “I am a little sheltered. I’ll own up to that, but he thinks that I haven’t even had sex. That’s not true. I’ve had sex with lots of guys, he just doesn’t know about any of them.”

“He seemed pretty sure that you hadn’t had sex with your boyfriend.”

“Because I hadn’t,” Mena said bluntly. “Justin was Denton’s errand boy. He told him everything. Justin and I never went further than kissing on the lips.”

Ewe. I cringed and asked, “He asked your boyfriend if you guys…?”

“Yeah. He was like Denton’s spy. I figured it out pretty quick and realized that Justin was the perfect cover for me to live my life my way.”

I sucked in my breath. This talk was really becoming too uncomfortable.

“Listen, I uh…” I glanced towards the stairs and gestured upstairs. “I’ve got…”

“Okay.” Mena grinned widely and nodded, “I get it. You have more important things to do than listen to me complain. I’ll see you at school tomorrow?”

“I doubt I’ll be there.”

“Oh. Oh yeah because of…that thing that happened, right?” She watched me intently, but I smiled.

“Okay.” Mena laughed again and moved to the front door. When she left, I locked the door, hit the garage button, and reset the security system. I stopped in the bathroom before I moved towards the light that shone out of my bedroom.

Bryce leaned against my headboard, shirtless, with an empty beer beside him.

ESPN was on my flat-screen.

I shut off the lights and shimmied out of my jeans and sweatshirt. I crawled underneath the covers and felt Bryce pull me into his arms. I could smell my mint toothpaste on his breath.

“Who was that girl?” he asked.

“That was Steele’s little sister. She started at our school today and asked to be my friend.” I still felt weird about the whole thing.

“That’s the girl that Corrigan wants to bag?”

“Yeah, but I don’t think he knows how protective Denton is of his little sister.” I turned over and grinned up at Bryce as he looked at me.

“It’s kinda freaky,” he frowned.

“What is?” I slid a leg up and nestled it between his.

“That dude was here before and she showed up tonight. That’s what’s freaky.”

“They’re just…I don’t know. Messed up or something. He cares about his sister and she’s trying to have a life. I can relate.”

“You can?”

“No. Not really, but I think it’s sweet.”

“Because you haven’t had that,” Bryce bit out.

I slid my hand around his neck, but we both swore when his phone rang.

Bryce reached over me to grab it and cursed swiftly before he flipped it open. He sat up and murmured, “Yeah, mom?” He yawned a replied, “No. No. I’m at Corrigan’s house. We were watching the game. It’s still on.”

A second later he closed his phone and placed it on my bedside table.

Since he was up there, I shifted smoothly underneath him and wrapped my legs around his waist.

Startled, Bryce shifted more comfortably, but bent and kissed my chin, then my cheek, lips.

He finished under my ear and I moaned.