Play Fair (The Devil's Share Book 3)(15)
I felt her smile against my chest. “Tell me to move and I will.”
She called my bluff. I didn’t want her to move, I loved having her pressed against me. Because she was my friend. And I, uh, liked having my friends close. I needed to calm down or I was going to end up getting a semi and with the way her leg was draped over mine? She’d feel it. We were both quiet for a while, wrapped up in the movie, which ended up being not half bad.
Luke walked past my room, then backed up and stood in my doorway, eyebrows raised in question. My arm was around her, resting on her hip, her shirt hiked up. I’m not quite sure when I started tracing little circles on her bare skin with my fingers…but I was. I used my free hand to flip him off and he walked away chuckling. It wasn’t my freaking fault. Since we moved into this house, I’d been acting like a monk. At first it was just because I was exhausted from touring for months on end. Then it was because I went out and realized this was family friendly central, and there were no good bars to pick up chicks. I kept meaning to head over to Panama or Destin one night, but I just never got around to it. And now here I was, manhandling my best friend and thinking sappy thoughts. “Hey, B?”
“Hmmm?”
“Do you think you could watch Landry for me tomorrow? I need to do some work down in the studio with the band and then I have a few errands I need to run after Landry goes to sleep.” And by errands? I meant ass.
“Sure.” She scooted closer to me. “Now stop talking and watch the movie.”
I never set out to have Bryan fall asleep wrapped in my arms. I had every intention of keeping my hands to myself and tucking her into her own bed as soon as the movie was over. But you know what they say about the best of intentions. And the worst part? I didn’t want to wake her up. I didn’t want her to go to her bed. I wanted her to stay right where she was. I wanted to breathe in her sweet scent until the sun came up. She was out cold, and she didn’t know I was awake. In the morning, I could act just as surprised as she did. I buried my face in her neck and closed my eyes.
***
“Just friends, my ass.” I opened one eye and saw a very annoyed-looking Dylan standing over me. I closed that eye and took inventory of my surroundings. I was under the covers and I was big spooning her little sister.
Bryan rolled over, stretching her arms over her head, and yawned. “Leave him alone, Dylan. We fell asleep watching a movie, it’s not a big deal.”
Dylan scoffed, “That’s what I told Dash the first time he caught Smith and I like this.”
I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. “Believe me, if something had happened between me and B last night, neither of us would be wearing clothes. And I wouldn’t have woken up with this massive er—”
Bryan cut off my words with an elbow to the ribs. “Good morning, Landry.”
She was standing in her doorway, looking into mine and clutching Ello to her chest. I smiled and crooked my finger. “Come here, sweet girl.” I patted the bed and waited until she climbed on before asking, “You ready for breakfast?”
She nodded.
“Me too. I’m starving.” I looked over at Bryan, giving her my best puppy dog eyes and pouty bottom lip.
She shook her head. “Really? I fly all this way and I have to make breakfast?” But then she got out of bed, smiling. “Landry, you like scrambled eggs?”
Landry nodded again, her face buried in Ello’s fur. She was quiet again this morning. I wondered if she’d have to warm up to me all over again, if this would happen every morning.
“I’ll meet you guys downstairs, okay?” I needed them to leave so I could put on my clothes and hide my wood. Bryan put her hand on Landry’s back and led her out of my room and down the hall.
“You like my sister.”
Oh, yeah, Dylan was still here. I threw back the covers, not giving two shits if she saw it, and grabbed my jeans off the chair I’d tossed them over last night. “Of course I like your sister. I told you, she’s my best friend.”
She shook her head. “No. You like her like her.”
I chuckled. “We in sixth grade now? Boys can’t like girls without wanting to kiss them?”
Dylan crossed her arms over her chest. “You and she have been talking since the music festival?”
I ran my hands through my hair, essentially fixing it for the day. “Yeah.”
“Every night since then?”
I let out a quick irritated sigh, throwing my hands up. “Yeah. So?”
She poked me in the chest. I fought the urge to rub the spot. She was strong for such a tiny person. “So it’s just a coincidence that you haven’t gone out partying since we’ve been here? You haven’t stayed the night out. You haven’t picked up any chicks.”
Ha. Dylan said chicks. We were so rubbing off on her. “It is, in fact, just a coincidence.” I put my hands on my hips. “Despite what you might think, I’m not a sex addict. I like to party, I like girls. But lately, I’ve just wanted to take a break. And that has nothing to do with B.” Right? It didn’t have anything to do with her. Sure I talked to her every night, sure I didn’t want to miss her call… But that’s not what kept me alone in my own bed. Right? Nah. Besides, I was going out tonight.
Dylan narrowed her eyes in that way she always did, clearly not picking up what I was putting down. “Bryan doesn’t stick around. She’s a kiss-and-run type of girl.”