The smile falls from my face. Shit, this is so not good. How is it all this time I had no idea that my younger sister had a crush on Cole? When did this happen? Could he be part of the reason why she hasn’t been dating anyone—because she’s secretly holding a candle for Cole?
I exhale hard and struggle to control the emotions warring in my belly. Angst. Guilt. Fear. After my big fuck-up in college my senior year, which was her sophomore year, Christina and I didn’t talk forever. It took her a long time to forgive me, and it hasn’t been until the last couple of years when she’s dropped her guard and let me back into her life, little by little.
Sleeping with her estranged boyfriend, Max, was the worst thing I could ever have done to my own sister, and I still don’t know how to forgive myself for it. It was so bad that I never even told Cole about it, that’s how horrible and ashamed I felt. I was drunk, Max was drunk, he was crying on my shoulder about how bad things were between him and Christina, and the next thing I knew, he and I were in bed together. The following day Max confessed it to her, hung over and feeling like shit, begging her to forgive him.
She never talked to Max again. And it took a long time of me slowly working my way back into her life for her to forgive my betrayal.
I stare blankly at my brownie. Yeah, I don’t feel like eating the rest now. All I can do is obsess about the fact that my sister has a crush on my best friend, who did something very dirty to me the other night, and deep down I want him to do it again.
And there’s no way in hell that’s going to happen now.
Putting a guy above my sister cost me everything. I can’t risk it again, not even for my best friend. Especially not for a fling that will likely die out and then break up our friendship, anyway.
If I was looking for a sign on what to do about Cole, well, it’s presented itself loud and clear. Our sexual encounter in the basement was a one-time thing, never to be repeated.
God, and I’m going to see him tonight. Blah. How messed up will it be to watch my sister crushing on him, flirting with him, while I try to not remember how turned on he made me? Granted, I have no idea how he feels about her, and it’s possible he’s not interested in her in that manner. But if she has feelings for him, I’ll feel like crap getting in the way of her finally taking another chance at love. Because she loved Max, and she’s never been serious about anyone else since.
My sister returns to her seat, dropping down with a happy sigh. Her navy-blue dress flatters her skin tone. She’s really pretty, has always been a little prettier than me, something I never felt jealous of before today. I squash the thought of wondering what Cole will think of her.
“You about ready to head out?” she says. “Hurry up and finish your dessert. We have a lot of shopping to get done if we want to look good tonight.” Her mouth curves up, her pale pink lipstick freshly applied in the bathroom. I can tell she’s thinking about Cole.
I can’t believe I missed it before, because it’s clear from the look on her face, the softness in her eyes.
She’s had these feelings for a while, and I just never knew, probably because she didn’t have any hope about him being in town and her exploring a relationship with him.
Disappointment dampens my spirit at the thought of moving back into the friend zone with Cole. And God help me, there’s a tiny, wicked part of me that wants to see him tonight, wondering if that chemistry will still be there.
I push the plate away and wave at the waiter to bring us the bill. “I’m stuffed. Let’s pay up and get out of here.”
No matter what I’m feeling right now, I can’t ever, ever, ever tell my sister that something happened on Wednesday night between me and Cole. That secret will go with me to the grave. I can’t be the one to hurt her again, regardless of my conflicted emotions about him.
I don’t know what’s going to happen tonight when we’re all out together, but I have a feeling everything is going to change.
END OF BOOK ONE
Part II
Up In Flames (Crash And Burn, Book Two) by Eva Grayson
Cole
This bar is packed. I sip my beer and scan the crowd to get a feel for the bar’s vibe. My brother should pay me overtime for the recon work.
“So when are your friends showing up?” my buddy Dave asks as he settles onto the barstool against the wall. We got here early enough to snag the corner of the room with the pool table and a small table for resting our drinks and snacks. Dave shoves a handful of chips in his mouth and chews. Despite being a stereotypical tall, dark, and handsome man, with angled facial features and a muscled body, he’s not one to put on any airs. Dave’s as casual as they come.