Deven is getting home. I hear them talking from my room, but I don’t go out to greet him. Instead, I start getting ready for this date. I pull on a pair of dark wash jeans that hang from my hips just the way I like. They don’t hang much, but just enough to give the slightest peek. Plus, girls seem to like them. I pull on a black T-shirt that hugs my biceps and chest, figuring that we’re probably not going anywhere fancy in this little town. I grab a jacket just in case, though, and toss it onto my bed. I pull on a pair of worn work boots. They’re name brand but have been used and abused for far too long, so they look dirty and worn. I add some product to my hair and style it in the messy way that I like now that it’s starting to grow out from my military-issued buzz cut. I finish off with just a splash of cologne. I check my reflection in the mirror and decide that I don’t look my best, but it’s better than nothing and it looks as though I’ve tried, which will make Brad happy.
I grab my jacket, wallet, and keys and head to the living room. Deven’s eyes lock on mine, and she freezes the moment she sees me. Her mouth drops, and her dark eyes fill with enough lust that I literally get hard. Fuck. All I can picture is throwing her up against the wall and ravishing her body while she begs me to fuck her the way I used to.
Brad comes out of the kitchen. He looks at me, then at her quickly. He laughs. “You look nice, man. I think Virginia will love you.”
That’s enough to break her gaze on me. She looks at Brad with disgust. “Who in the hell is Virginia, and who names a baby that?”
He laughs but takes on a serious edge. “She’s from Georgia. We don’t know the norm down there. Don’t fuck this date up for me with your smart mouth. When they get here, you make yourself scarce, okay?”
“So, whose date is this?” she asks, looking between the two of us.
“It’s a double,” he answers, walking back into the kitchen.
I offer Deven a sympathetic look and shrug one shoulder, but she looks like me like she’s ready to claw someone’s face off with her nails.
“He asked me to do it,” I whisper for reasons I don’t understand.
She snorts. “If he asked you to jump off a cliff, would you?” She flops down onto the couch and picks up the remote.
I let out a long breath, wondering why she’s so upset by this. She’s the one that’s been ignoring me. She’s the one that left me! With a shake of my head, I push forward, meeting Brad in the kitchen.
10
Deven
I hate myself. I literally fucking hate myself. Two weeks ago, I freaked out and pushed away the one person I never wanted to leave me. But he didn’t have a choice because I didn’t give him one. I gave him an ultimatum: tell my brother, or we’re done. Why the fuck did I do that? Why didn’t I just enjoy being with him? Why didn’t I just enjoy the time I had? I’d wasted nights upon nights praying for one more night alone with him and I was getting my wish. Until I ruined it anyway.
Now I have to sit back and watch as he gets himself sexy as fuck, only to walk out of here with another woman on his arm. A woman who will probably be smart enough to not push him away. A woman who will probably be able to openly flirt with him, touch him, kiss him. She’s probably a whore who will seduce him into her bed tonight. And my stupid brother will enjoy hearing every last detail while I listen from the sidelines, slowly dying inside.
I fucking hate myself.
Someone knocks on the door, and my back goes stiff with anger. It’s like my body is preparing for a fight as I sit and watch Brad open the door. Two women stand behind it. And of course, the women are drop-dead fucking gorgeous.
“Ladies, this is my sister, Deven. Deven, this is my date, Abby,” Brad introduces the less pretty one. “And this is Hudson’s date for the night, Virginia.”
I don’t know what I was expecting. Yes, I do. I heard that name, Virginia, and I was expecting a tiny