Chapter 19
The next week, it was rather awkward to have that talk with Carter about getting serious with Brody. I expected an angry comment or something more dramatic, but I was surprised that he was acting all—well, brotherly and quite happy for me.
“Anything to make you smile like this, sis,” he voiced out, happy for me.
“Thank you,” I murmured, noting how he looked tired. He still looked like the same old Carter, but he looked exhausted and somewhat pale at the same time.
I took hold of his hand, showing him how concerned I was because I didn’t just hug or touch his hand when I didn’t care much. “Hey—you okay? You’re not practicing too much, are you? Or maybe you’re putting in too much overtime with partying and booze?”
Carter shrugged, uncaring, as he slid lower on the couch, resting his head and closing his eyes. Never did he look so sad than at this moment. Carter was self-reliant and didn’t care much about things, but I suppose the break-up with Emma really was messing with him far too much.
“Let her go… you’re killing yourself over something that’s not there anymore. You need to start seeing other girls. Hell, go back to being a manwhore, you have my blessing.” Hell, anything at all so he didn’t have to be like this. It was utterly troubling.
“What’s the point of f*cking another woman if I imagine it to be her? Why should I even try moving on when I know my heart is not even in it?” He was desperately and hopelessly in love with my best friend. “Even if I start liking someone—maybe even love someone again—I don’t think it’ll ever be like Emma. I guess, I’ll just f*cking live, pretending that I don’t love her.”
Why was he being such a pessimist? “You won’t know until you put yourself out there again. The rest is just a big ‘what if’ right now.”
“Guess I’ll just have to live with it.” Carter gave me a quick hug, kissing my cheek before getting up to leave.
Five minutes after he left, I was still on the couch, unmoving. Something about what my brother had said made me think of Dimitris. The need to search him on the Internet was a fight that I had to struggle with on a daily basis. I suppose I could only pin it down to my making sure that he was okay and happy with Claudine, but in truth, I knew I didn’t need to because they were great together. The last article I had read about engagement rumors took a long time for me to get over. Another chance to torture my loose imagination, I definitely didn’t need. Also, I shouldn’t even be thinking about him because I was with Brody.
Brody was all I needed.
~L~
It took a good two weeks for people we know to get used to us dating—my aunt and uncle included.
I was on my knees, rearranging my collection of shoes when I heard someone enter my room, slamming the door while they were at it. “Geez, take your anger somewhere else!” I yelled out, wondering who it might be.
It didn’t take long until Trista pouted her way into my closet, brows furrowing. I was about to say something snarky when she screeched like a banshee. “My mother is demanding that I attend my cousin’s christening next month! I told her I wasn’t interested, but she was being such a bitch again, saying that I should support my cousin and show her some love and support!”
From what I had gathered before, Trista hadn’t seen Harry—the said cousin’s husband—after what’d happened; adultery and the fallen pregnancy. “Honestly, Trista, did you think you could avoid seeing him? Hell, he and your cousin had a baby. If it bothers you that much, bring Taylor with you. Guess he could knock him out for the second time. Horrible Harry sure does deserve another.”
“What the f*ck’s wrong with you, Lindsey? Why aren’t you hysterical like you usually are after you hear shit like this?” Trista kept on rambling. “I need that person back.”
Was I always that predictable? Guess so. “Nothing’s wrong—in fact, everything feels good. I suppose being in a relationship isn’t so bad. I’m really digging it.”
“I’m happy for you, babe—truly—even if I don’t look it at the moment,” Trista said. Then, she snapped her fingers, eyes popping out of her sockets as if a bright bulb had lit inside her head. “Dude! I need to convince Emma to take me with her!” she yelled, giddy and slapping at the same time.
“You’re going to tag along with her when she visits Bass on location? You’re just going to end up hearing and seeing them having sex all the time. Maybe you should join the fun so that you won’t be so bored, I guess,” I said, snorting as I resumed color-coordinating my treasured labels.
“As much as I love Emma, if I got to score with Bass like that, I’ll probably kick her off the bed!” Trista laughed, probably picturing it in her head. “On a serious note, I love my boyfriend very much and my major crushing for Badboy BC will certainly just stay in my imagination.”
I glanced at her, smiling. “I second that! BC is darn hot—yummy eye candy.”
“Anyway, I gotta go and text Emma to see if she could bring me to see Jacques in Monza. I know it’s next month, but I need to prepare, you know? As I stated before—I’m head over heels for Taylor Montgomery—but I’ll be damned if I’m not going to enjoy all the Italian machismo.” She waved me a quick goodbye before slamming the door on her way out.
Emma was going to Monza to watch Jacques? Jacques—the Formula One star and a very good friend of Dimitris?
Shit.
I was about to get up and call Emma when a knock on my door made me halt a bit. “Yeah?”
“Where’s my girl?” Brody called out, looking for me.
I grinned, like I always did when he called me anything that had my in it. “In the closet.”
“Hey, hey,” Brody greeted me as he came into view, bending over to give me a lingering kiss, which evoked a low, deep moan from me. “Hello, love of my life,” he whispered, nipping my bottom lip.
“What have you been up to? Are we going anywhere tonight? Who’s having a house party this time?” I asked as he helped me get to my feet before we started to stride out of the closet.
My questions went unanswered because I ended up straddling him with his back against the headboard while he kissed me, hands cupping my butt cheeks, rolling them against his apparently aroused state. God, I’d been horny, so horny that I’d exhausted two vibrators in the past month.
“Brody,” I gasped, fired up and stimulated.
“I want to take you somewhere. Do you feel like going away with me for the weekend? I’m tired of going to parties and hanging out with strangers. I want to spend some time with you, just you and me. Say you’ll go?”
Blinking back a few times, I peered at him, weighing things. “Where do you propose we’ll go?” Spontaneity, I’m loving it.
He pulled my fingers to his lips, kissing each pad. “Wherever you want to go.”
Well, there’s this one place I’d been wanting to see, but I’d never gotten the chance to. “Feel like going to SeaWorld with me? In San Diego?”
Brody looked amused, probably thinking that I didn’t look like the type to be hanging out in an amusement park. “Can you be ready in an hour?”
“Heck yes!” I retorted back, jumping off his body, excited to spend the weekend with him.
Before he left, Brody decided to pat my ass before kissing me again. “Oh, by the way, I’m going to seduce you all weekend long. See through and skimpy lingerie’s are welcome.”
After a month of abstinence and seeing how The Greek had moved on from me, from us, I knew, it was time to take it to another level with Brody.
Hmmm. Some nookie for pookie. It’s definitely on!