The Rules of Dating My Best Friend's Sister(4)

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Knock. Knock. Knock.

Jesus Christ, my palms actually started to sweat. What was I, twelve?

Lala had texted a few hours ago to say she’d probably arrive around five o’clock, and the time on the microwave read 5:01. The last time I felt this nervous was when my band played at a festival in front of ten-thousand people. I had to wipe my palms on my jeans.

“Hey.” I smiled as I opened the door. But my smile wilted when I realized Lala wasn’t alone. There was someone standing next to her.

Lala looked over at the buxom redhead and motioned between the two of them with a hesitant smile. “We took the elevator up together and got off on the same floor. Turns out, we were going to the same place.”

Fiona—the woman I’d met at a bar last weekend—shrugged. “Sorry to stop over without calling, but I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d see if you were home. I forgot something at your apartment when I was here.”

“You did?”

She winked and pointed inside. “I believe they might still be attached to your headboard.” Fiona looked over at Lala and back to me. “Can I just go grab them, and I’ll be out of your hair?”

Not knowing what else to do, I stepped aside for Fiona to enter. Meanwhile, Lala remained outside my door with her suitcase. I shook my head and reached for the handle. “Sorry about that. Come on in.”

Before I could wheel in Lala’s luggage and shut the door behind us, Fiona came strutting back out from my bedroom. She held up a set of handcuffs. “Found ’em.”

I shut my eyes. Great. Just fucking great.





CHAPTER 2


Lala



The door shut behind the redhead. When I looked back over at Holden, you could’ve heard a pin drop.

“I can explain…” he finally said.

I held my palms out and laughed. “I’m sure you could, but I don’t think I want to hear about it.”

Holden ran a hand through his thick mane of shaggy hair. “Fair point.”

Then his face turned red. Holden seemed embarrassed. It wasn’t like his history with women was a secret to any of us, so that surprised me.

“Well, that was a fucking awkward way to greet you.” He held his arms out. “Anyway, welcome to the building, Lala.”

“Thanks.” I fell into his warm embrace. “I’m so excited to be here.” My body buzzed at the contact of his chest against mine.

I could feel his heart beating fast, which was interesting. He had that delicious fresh-out-of-the-shower scent—soap and cologne—mixed with an intoxicating smell that was all his own; I remembered it from the last time we were this close—when we’d danced at Colby and Billie’s wedding.

I looked around. “Your place is exactly how I might have imagined it, Catalano.”

He cocked a brow. “Why’s that?”

“Drum set in the corner. Black furniture…”

“Please don’t say handcuffs on the bed post.”

I sighed. “That, too.”

He shut his eyes again, in apparent embarrassment, and then flashed the most beautiful smile.

I’d always had a crush on Holden. But believe it or not, it wasn’t purely physical. When we were younger, we used to talk a lot. Ryan never knew about all those private conversations. I suppose I’d had mini crushes on all of Ryan’s friends at one point or another, but nothing touched the one I had on Holden, and it had never gone away. That said, of all of my brother’s friends, Holden was the last one Ryan would have approved of for me. Holden wasn’t boyfriend material, even if women—myself included—couldn’t take our eyes off of him. Actually, Ryan had picked up on my admiration for Holden once. He’d caught me staring as Holden climbed out of our backyard pool and dried off his half-naked body one summer when we were all teenagers. My brother had warned me “not to even think about it.” Ryan loved Holden, but the idea of me and Holden together would have probably killed him—if he weren’t already dead.

“So…” Holden clapped his hands together. “Should we go next door?”

“Yeah. I’m excited to see it. Thank you again for letting me stay here.”

“Of course. Anything for Ryan’s little sister.”

“Thanks, although I’m not exactly little anymore.”

“I’ve noticed.” He smiled.

A chill ran down my spine as I followed Holden out to the hallway and watched as he opened the apartment next door for me.

I took a look around. Wow. The place was stunning.

The living room featured cream-colored leather furniture that looked brand new. A couple of chunky knit throws on the sofa and loveseat gave the space a cozy yet trendy feel. Everything smelled new. It was an open floorplan with the kitchen adjacent to the living area, and the light-colored granite countertop complemented the earth tones of the rest of the apartment.

“You guys did a great job setting this up. It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, thanks. Like I said, we’re experimenting with renting it out as an Airbnb. You got lucky that it was available.”

“I should say!” I wandered over to the kitchen. “Oh, thank God. There’s a coffee maker and pods. I was wondering if I’d have time to get coffee in the morning.”