Hooking - Kristine Allen Page 0,58
called her again.
“I take it you’re home?” she asked, and the sound of her voice coming over my speakers was a balm to my soul. She did crazy shit to my head. Made me think things that I didn’t normally consider.
“Sort of. I’m stopping to grab Victor, then I’ll be home.”
“Oh, I was going to see if you wanted to see my new place in person.” She’d walked me through it via FaceTime, and when she’d gotten to her bedroom, I’d been so tempted to have her take her clothes off. In the end, I hadn’t because I didn’t want to push my luck after my colossal fuckup.
“If I didn’t have to get Victor, I would. Maybe tomorrow night?”
“That works. Maybe I can make you dinner for a change.” The smile was evident in her tone and had me grinning like an idiot too.
“That sounds fucking amazing,” I told her as I turned onto my brother’s street. “Would you consider coming over to my place tonight? Then we’ll do your place tomorrow night.”
“Hmm, I think I could do that,” she agreed. My heart flipped in excitement at the possibility of seeing her.
“Give me about an hour and I’ll be there.”
“Okay. See you then,” she said and ended the call.
I parked in my brother’s driveway and climbed out of the car, trying not to wince. Despite being in shape, I was sore.
“Getting old?” Cooper called from his front porch. I promptly flipped him off, and he laughed. “Come in and get your beast. He scared the fuck out of the chick I brought home on Friday night. Then he jumped in the freaking shower with her.”
That had me laughing, which brought Victor running from the bedroom. “He did the same thing to Sydney. And you knew shower curtains didn’t keep him out; she should’ve closed the door.” Victor jumped up in my lap as soon as I sat down and shoved his head into my hand.
“Speaking of which. What’s up with that?” he said as he sat on the couch and rolled a joint. He glanced up at me as he sealed it. Out of respect for me, he didn’t light it, merely stuck it over his ear before he leaned back on the couch and waited for me to answer.
“It’s nothing.” I tried to play it off as the truth.
He scoffed. “Bullshit. My little brother doesn’t go out of his way to make sure a chick doesn’t see compromising pics of him, nor ask his brother’s club help her move, when it’s nothing. Do you forget who you’re talking to?” He reached back and placed his arms along the back of the couch. His chin rose and his head tipped as he studied me.
It was crazy to look at him now compared to when we were kids. He was a fairly scary-looking dude now. We had several similarities, like the shoulder-length dark hair, short beards, and blue eyes, but where he was buff and bulky now, I was built but leaner.
“Of course I didn’t, but I’m not lying. Syd and I are just friends.”
“Sure you are,” he said with a chuckle. “Okay, keep lying to yourself. Tell me how that works out for you in the end.”
Rolling my eyes, I stroked Victor’s velvety soft fur as he loudly purred.
“So if she’s your nothing-but-a-friend, does that mean you fucked around with that chick that you said you didn’t?” He smirked.
“Fuck, no,” I replied. “I absolutely did not. Did I do something stupid by taking that shot from her tits? Yeah. But I swear to Christ that’s all I did. She tried to go back to my room with me, but I wouldn’t let her in. Even drunk off my ass, I knew I didn’t want that.”
“Of course you didn’t. Because you have Sydney here.” His snarky raised brow had me shaking my head.
“Drop it. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Sure I don’t. I’ve watched four of my brothers, including my fucking prez, go apeshit over their ol’ ladies. You think I don’t know what that looks like? Bro, you’ve got it bad and you have no clue. This is priceless.” He slapped his knee, laughing as my jaw worked in frustration.
“That’s ridiculous. I haven’t known her that long. We’re friends.”
“Well, you’ve sort of known her since the end of last season.” He grinned, and I flipped him off. “Besides, who says there’s a certain period of time that has to pass before you know? I believe people enter our