“Okay. I love you, Bradley. Stay safe, okay?”
“I’ll do my best. Talk to you next week.” He ends the call, and I set my phone on the vanity. I plant my palms on the cool surface and drop my head, taking a few deep breaths, trying to curb the mounting panic. It happens every time I talk to Bradley. He’s said before that he’d call again the next week, but more often than not he doesn’t. And the timing and day are never the same.
I don’t want Van to think I’m taking Bradley’s side, but I also don’t want to leave my younger brother with no one and nothing. Sending him books at least shows I care.
I open the medicine cabinet and pull out my prescription, rolling the bottle between my fingers, trying to decide if I can deal with everything tonight or not. I haven’t had to take my anxiety medication all that much since moving here. Although the last couple of days I’ve been stressed about the Footprint Construction design consultations because I had to go back to the drawing board with one of the rooms in the Winslows’ pool house. I forgot to take my sleep meds and spent most of the night on my laptop. It meant I was exhausted the next day for my shift at Harry’s and basically mainlined energy drinks to get through the day.
And now, after the call with Bradley, I don’t feel like going out at all. I can’t talk to Dillion about this. Her loyalty lies with Van, as it should. But if I bail on her tonight, Van might come up here to find out why I didn’t go, or worse, I’ll call Aaron and ask him to come over.
And while seeing Aaron would be a great way to take my mind off things and relieve some stress, I worry that I’ll do something stupid, like tell him about the call from Bradley and that I feel guilty about hiding it from Van. I like what we have. It’s fun and easy and mostly light. I don’t want to start bogging things down with my insecurities and my fears. If I get clingy, he’s going to stop coming over, and I’d like this to continue for as long as possible.
So I do what I need to in order to avoid disappointing Dillion and potentially messing up this thing with Aaron. I pop the cap on the bottle and shake my medication into my palm. But I break one in half instead of taking the full pill, hoping it will be enough. I set it underneath my tongue and let the bittersweet pill dissolve. This stuff tends to make me tired, so I crack an energy drink to offset the effects.
By the time Dillion comes knocking on my door, I’m calm again, and all my worries are softened. The edges like Sherpa blankets, fuzzy and comfortable. The fears all tucked away. I just wish they would stay that way.
CHAPTER 12
MR. MYSTERIOUS
Teagan
“Okay, so I’ve kept my mouth shut so far, but I need to know: What the hell is going on with you and Aaron?” Dillion asks as soon as we’re on the dirt road, heading toward town.
“We’re hanging out. He’s teaching me all kinds of stuff, and he’s fun to be around.”
“What kind of stuff is he teaching you? How to have multiple orgasms?”
I can feel my cheeks heat. When I was in college, I briefly went out with a guy who was amazing at giving multiples. Unfortunately, it was pretty much the only thing he was good at. As much as I appreciated having three orgasms in a row, when it was always followed by several hours of him playing video games, I stopped answering his calls. I haven’t been with another guy whose sexual prowess matched his, until now. Aaron is the whole package, giving in bed and great at conversation.
“Oh my God!” She slaps my arm. “Are you sleeping with Aaron? You totally are!”
“We’re having fun.”
“The naked kind of fun?” Dillion is practically bouncing in her seat. I’ve never seen her this excited about anything. Not even her engagement ring. And that’s saying something, because she was pretty excited about that.
“Yes, the naked kind of fun. Can we not make a big deal of this, though? I don’t know what we’re doing, and it’s pretty casual, so I’d like to keep it low key.” As long as I keep telling myself that the butterflies in my stomach are just anticipation and I continue to do what I’m doing now—make sure I’m not always available and don’t call on him when I need emotional support—then I can keep a nice, clean line between fun and feelings.
Dillion taps on the steering wheel. “Sure, sure. Not making a big deal at all. But now I want to know if the rumors are true.”
“What rumors?” I do not like the spike of jealousy that comes with that question.
“That he’s got it going on.” She motions below the waist. “And that he’s an animal in bed.”
I twist a lock of hair around my finger. “Well, he’s definitely got it going on, and I don’t know about an animal, but he has a high drive and excellent stamina.” He’s very attentive and seems to derive an immense amount of pleasure from giving me orgasms. “Please don’t tell my brother any of this. Or say anything to Aaron. I don’t really know what this is, and like I said, I don’t want to make a thing of it.”
Dillion raises a brow. “Van already knows.”
“How?” I sincerely hope he didn’t come knocking on my door when Aaron was over and hear things he shouldn’t have.
“Aaron’s truck is parked in the driveway four nights a week. After work. And he’s here for hours. He was almost finished with the loft when you moved in, so it’s pretty obvious what’s going on. But it’s cool. I’ll keep it to myself. I can’t speak for Van, though. I’m sure he’s already done the protective-bro thing.”
“I seriously hope not.”
We pull into the parking lot of the Town Pub, and Dillion backs the truck into one of the only available parking spots. As soon as we step inside, I’m surrounded by familiar faces and smells. The comforting scent of fried food and the pungent aroma of fresh beer mix with the sound of happy chatter. Some of the patrons recognize me and wave as I pass, calling me over to say hi.
“I didn’t know you were working Wednesdays now, too,” Mike, one of my Thursday regulars, says.
“I’m here as a customer tonight, but I’ll be behind the bar tomorrow.”
“Good, you pour a better pint than Louis.” He winks and we move on, stopping a couple more times before we reach the booth in the back corner where Dillion’s friends are already seated.
Dillion introduces me to Allie, as well as Tawny, who I’ve already met.
“Hey! I’m so glad you finally came out.” Tawny’s smile is genuine, if somewhat chagrined. “Next time we can go to my place, though, if it’s weird to hang out where you work.”
“Oh, I’m fine. I don’t mind,” I tell her.