Anti-Stepbrother - Tijan Page 0,51
Or—”
“Like, we’re friends fine. He’s doing that flamingo thing tonight. I’m helping him.”
“Really?” Her shoulders dropped, dejected.
“I know. I thought you guys did the flamingo thing a long time ago.”
“No.” She scratched behind her ear and laughed softly under her breath. “I didn’t mean the flamingo thing, and we did, but it was so popular that a second round is going tonight. A bunch of guys are supposed to flock the lawns. He must be helping Marcus. It’s his crew that’s in charge of it.” She paused, a glimmer of regret appearing. “I got excited. I’m sorry, Summer. I thought maybe him being here meant something else.”
“Well, it doesn’t. He’s a friend.” A friend who held my hand and told me I was beautiful. I kept that to myself.
She studied me, and a determined gleam appeared in her eyes. “Maybe he just needs more convincing?”
She reached for my hair, but I backed toward the door. “I’m good. I don’t want a change my appearance.”
“Come on. Just let me experiment.”
“No. My hair is shiny. I don’t need to lose weight. I know my skin is clean and smooth. Other than having bigger boobs, I don’t want any other changes.”
“I know. Your hair is gorgeous, long and thick. Those doe eyes don’t hurt either. Maybe he wants you to show more skin.” She began to reach for my shirt.
I slapped her hands away, yanking the door open. “Hands to yourself, woman. I gotta change clothes anyway. I’ll be back.”
“Summer!”
“Can’t hear you,” I yelled over my shoulder, hurrying to my room. The once empty hallway was not empty anymore. My floormates had taken point, sitting down with textbooks, laptops, notebooks, and whatever else they needed for studying.
I snorted as I opened my door.
Studying, my ass.
As I swapped my clothes, Caden texted that he was downstairs in the lobby waiting for me. I found him leaning against the front desk, talking to a girl and a guy. His back was to me when I came around the door, so his friends saw me first. The guy looked me up and down, and the girl gave me a side-eye. I didn’t care. I took that as a compliment.
Maybe I was only going to be riding around in Caden’s Land Rover, maybe I was only helping him run an errand to help his brother out, and maybe I was just wearing black so what did it matter how I dressed? All those thoughts swirled in my head while I was changing, making me feel a little foolish. But Avery’s voice had been even louder, and the result was an outfit that got me some attention. Score.
Their eyes really opened wide when I stepped forward, and Caden turned to me.
I wasn’t wearing anything sexy or skimpy, but the combination looked killer. Even I had to admit it myself. Skin-tight black jeans, a black tank top, and a black leather jacket—Caden had never said what kind of black clothing was needed, so I improvised.
His eyes darkened, and his hand jerked. Then he lingered on the leather jacket. “Really?”
“Why not? You think you’re the only cool one around these parts?” I pulled it tight, knowing it’d emphasize my boobs a little more. “I’ve recently been told I’ve got hot tits.”
Caden laughed, his hand coming to the small of my back.
The girl noticed that too. Her mouth turned down in a pout.
“Come on. Marcus just called. He’s getting worked up that we’re not there already.” Caden nodded to the other two. “I’ll see you guys later.”
The guy fist bumped him saying, “What are you doing later tonight?” He indicated the girl with him. “Felicia and I were thinking of checking out a Mexican place in town. It’s not new, but it’s new to us.”
“Yeah.” The girl moved in. “My sister told me about it. It’s one of those hidden gems. She goes there all the time now. Diego’s—that’s what it’s called.” She touched Caden’s arm. “You should come.”
You. Not you guys.
I had visions of yanking her hand off of him and stuffing it down her throat, but Caden stiffened and pulled away, saving me the trouble. His tone was noticeably chilly. “No, thank you.” His hand pulled me tighter against him. “We’ve got plans anyway.”
I waited until we got in the Land Rover. “That’s your spot.”
“I know.” His jaw clenched. “I get territorial over things I love.”
A tingle went down my back.
I reacted to the possessiveness in his voice, the knowledge that he’d protect a place or person no matter