Anti-Stepbrother (16 page)

We turned as one, Rainbow and Pink Streak held against our chests, and started back to the guys. They were already warming up.

“Caden’s kinda…” She hesitated. “Overwhelming, isn’t he?”

“What do you mean?” He was a big teddy bear to me now. Well, a hot and delicious teddy bear that wasn’t a teddy bear. He was more of a grizzly bear. No, not even that. What was I thinking? He was a damned panther, but I could hope one day he’d turn into a teddy bear. Much safer.

We stopped a few lanes down from them and watched. Neither seemed to notice us, but I knew that wasn’t true. Caden knew we were staring; he just didn’t care. He did what he wanted, no matter the audience. He didn’t give a damn.

He was raw power, the kind that was primal, rippling over everyone in a room, overtaking them. Avery loved Marcus, I could tell, but she wasn’t immune to the effect Caden had on people. It just seeped into your pores, lining your lungs as you breathed. It wasn’t a conscious manipulation. He wasn’t purposely affecting everyone with his presence, he just did.

“Picture him wearing only underwear,” I suggested. “It offsets him a little bit.”

Her eyes widened.

“Grandpa underwear,” I added.

Her eyes went back to normal, and she shook her head. “It doesn’t work. He’s Marcus’ brother too. That adds to the intimidation factor.”

I tried to look at him from her perspective—someone getting back together with his brother—and she was right. Caden was downright scary.

I flashed her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry.”

“It’ll be fine.” She switched Pink Streak to her side. “Besides, it might not work out with Marcus. It didn’t before.”

“Because of
him
.”
I’m not even sure he’s good enough for you, Av.
I didn’t say those words. She already loved him.

There was no reaction on her face, but she aged in front of me, looking tired and worn for a moment. I noticed a glimmer of sadness in her eyes.

She was scared. He could hurt her again.

I nudged her shoulder with mine, gently. “Let’s not think of the hurts right now.” I patted Rainbow in front of me. “It’s only about Rainbow and Pink Streak tonight.
Mano a mano
.”

“Our bowling balls are male?”

“
Chica a chica
.”

Avery laughed.

Marcus called, “Is the girl talk portion of this evening done with? Avery, we got a game to win.”

“My rainbow ball laughs in the face of your arrogance,” I told him.

“There’s nothing wrong with feeling sure of yourself,” Marcus countered.

“Said the lone camper when he didn’t realize a hungry lion was behind him.”

“What?”

I placed my ball with theirs. Avery did the same, snickering under her breath.

Marcus looked at his brother. ‘What the hell?”

Caden shrugged, sitting down behind the score sheet. “Just nod and smile. That’s what I do.”

I plopped down into the seat beside Caden. “And let the games begin!”

Caden won. Marcus was second, but I got the best prize: Most Gutter Balls. Apparently Rainbow and Pink Streak both liked to curve to the left—all the way left. Avery tried to take my win from me, but alas, I had three more gutter balls than her. I was a little miffed there were no trophies. Marcus informed me that I had to join a league for those, but the type of trophy I wanted wasn’t handed out.

I sniffed as we headed for the doors. “It’s their loss really.”

Marcus glanced back with a question in his eyes, but he didn’t say anything.

I didn’t expect him to. He’d been giving me those looks all evening. Since settling in at college and becoming friends with Caden, I’d embraced my tendency toward random statements. Even I didn’t know when they were coming, but they always meant something.

Caden and Avery were used to me. Marcus wasn’t. His loss too.

“Dude.” Caden placed his hand on his brother’s back and urged him forward. “Just keep going. Her comments will hit you as being funny a couple hours later.”

“Yeah?” He didn’t look convinced.

“Trust me.” Caden eyed me. “Once she grows on you, you can’t get rid of her.”

I perked up. “Like mold.”

And again, no reaction from Caden and Avery, but Marcus’ eyebrows arched.

Bowling had been fun. It had soon become more fun to watch Marcus’ reactions to me than the actual bowling itself. Avery was reserved at first, but she relaxed once she realized Caden didn’t care about her. He wasn’t mean, he just focused on talking to me or his brother. Then Marcus began teasing her, and the flirting commenced. After that they flirted all night long.

The only bad part had been earlier in the evening when I’d returned from the bathroom.

I’d come back to find Caden’s seat empty. Marcus was up on the lane to bowl, and Avery had scooted into Caden’s seat.

She’d poked my arm. “How was the bathroom?”

I poked her back. “An adventure to check off my bucket list. I sailed the golden seas and cleansed myself in the Greek sinks. I’m quite proud.”

A line marred her forehead. “You keep getting a little bit weirder the longer school goes on, you know?”

I shrugged. “It’s like crack cocaine.”

“Wha—never mind.” She shook her head and gestured over her shoulder. “Who’s the girl?”

This had been the bad part.

Caden had been in the bar of the bowling alley, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest. A girl stood in front of him. She was close, so close I’d felt a growl building in the back of my throat. She was stunning—long blond hair that fell almost to her ass, and it was a cute, tight little ass.

I knew how guys thought. Plus, a table of guys across from them had been checking it out. She wore a short white skirt. If she’d bent over, I was sure her underwear would show, and that was if she was even wearing underwear. She turned to give us a side view of a cropped white shirt that was skin-tight and dipped low. She had long, dark eyelashes and a mole just above her lip, seemingly placed there to give her a Cindy Crawford look. Her lips were a pale pink, and Caden had been watching them intently.

“Dickhead.”

I could feel Avery’s pity as I spoke. I didn’t want to look any more. I slumped in my chair.

I was doomed.

Avery’s voice had dropped low. “His arms are crossed over his chest. That means he’s closed to her.”

I looked again, and as if he’d heard her—even though they were clear across the bowling alley and I knew he couldn’t have—his arms dropped to his sides.

I groaned. “He’s open to her now.”

They’d continued to talk, with smiles, batting eyes, and pouting little lips—that was the girl, not Caden—and then she’d reached out and touched his chest. He didn’t bat her hand away, or shift to the side so it would drop. He continued watching her, but his smile seemed more welcoming. She inched closer so her hand and half her arm lay against his chest, then her hand trailed down, all the way to his stomach.

Avery had sucked in her breath.

In the back of my mind, I knew Marcus had probably finished his turn. We needed to turn around, pretend we weren’t spying on his brother, but I couldn’t bring myself to look away. It was like watching a car accident. People were going to die. Hearts were going to be shattered. And it was my heart getting stomped on.

Caden had wanted to sleep with her. I could tell. Being around him for the last few weeks, I’d started to know when he was interested. There wasn’t really a look in his eye, but I felt it in my gut every time, and I’d felt it as I watched him with that girl.

He would’ve said he wanted to plow her. Judging by how she kept flicking her hair back and touching her face, her other hand still lingering on his stomach, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d taken her to the bathroom.

I didn’t know what would be worse, if he took her now, or if he took me home and called her for an actual date later.

My throat had burned when I got my answer.

The bartender brought over Caden’s drink. The girl had leaned forward, brushing her breasts against his chest as she reached behind him for a pen. Grabbing it and holding Caden’s arm, she wrote something on him.

“She’s giving him her number,” Avery had hissed.

“Duh.” Marcus had sat in one of the side chairs. “She’s hot. I’d get her number too.”

Avery had twisted around. “Really?”

“If you didn’t exist,” he’d quickly added.

“Better.” Her tone had been cool, but I’d heard the smile. “Quick thinking, Banks.”

Marcus had chuckled, and the fondness in it had me gritting my teeth. I’d torn my gaze away. Finally. Pain smoldered in my stomach.

“Hey.” Caden had come walking back. “Who’s up?”

“You.”

I loved my friend at that moment, so much. Avery’s voice had just the right amount of scathing mixed with niceness. I knew Caden had noticed, but he couldn’t say anything. I glanced over and saw that she’d covered it up with a fake smile.

“Okay.” He’d set his drink in front of me and touched my shoulder. “I got that for you, if you want it.”

Fuck him
, I’d thought.
Fuck his niceness. Fuck his thoughtfulness, and fuck how he didn’t notice when I didn’t respond
. I could see her phone number scrawled over his arm like a cute tattoo.

Yes.
Fuck him.

I’d taken the drink and gulped down half of it.

“Summer, you drink?” Avery asked.

Caden had his ball in hand, poised to take his shot, but he looked back. “She drinks all the time.”

Avery gave me an incredulous look.

I shrugged. “I drank at Marcus’ party.”

“You did?”

Marcus laughed, stretching out his legs and resting an arm across the back of the seats next to him. Avery moved into one of them and relaxed as Marcus began drawing circles on her shoulder.

“If I’m remembering right, you were wasted that night,” he told her. “Doubt you’d have the best memory.”

“Oh, yeah.”

She’d given him a dreamy smile, and I’d wanted to gut punch anyone happy at that moment.

“You okay?” Caden had dropped into his chair again.

I’d given him two thumbs up, stuffing everything down inside. “I’m gut punchy and happy.”

His eyes had fallen to my drink. “Maybe you shouldn’t have the rest of that.”

“Too late.” I’d opened my throat and thrown the rest back, letting the booze burn all the way to my liver.

“She’s fine,” Avery spoke up for me. “She’s just tired.”

“We can go,” Caden had said. “We don’t have to play the last game.”

Oh, yes, I’d thought. So you can get home and still have time to call the stunningly beautiful hussy up for a night plow.

I’d forced a smile. “Sure.”

Avery had been watching me when we handed our shoes back, but Marcus pinched her butt. She’d swatted him back, and the flirting distracted her again.

Marcus reached forward now to open the first set of doors on the way out of the bowling alley, but then he paused. He stood there, holding the door open. I’d been waiting for Avery to go ahead, but she didn’t. Her shoulders went rigid, and she didn’t move.

Two people stepped inside. I could see the top of the guy’s head and held my breath. I recognized that hair.

Caden moved forward, his hand sweeping me behind him. He stood between Avery and Marcus, facing the two new people with me tucked in the back. Normally, I’d be all,
Screw that. I want to see the action
, but in this particular moment, I was content to burrow into Caden’s backside.

“You guys are back together?”

I felt the growl coming back from earlier. I could hear the disdain in Maggie’s voice. Why was Avery friends with her again?

“We’re hanging out. Yeah.”

“Don’t even go there, Maggie.” Marcus’ voice was a warning. “You’ve got no say in who I see.”

She laughed.

I winced at the sourness.

“You’re right,” she said. “I have no say, but Avery’s boring. You told me so yourself. You think taking her out with your brother and whatever floozy is with him is going to make her fun? Think again, hotshot.”

Avery wasn’t boring.

I waited, expecting Marcus to say something. He didn’t. I waited some more, expecting Avery to say something. She didn’t.

My hands balled into fists, pressing into Caden’s back. Fuck it.
I
was going to say something. I pushed forward, but he held firm. He knew I was pissed. One of his hands swept back, touching my side, as if to calm me down. I didn’t need calming down. I needed to back my friend up, and I tried again to get through.

He held me back. Again.

So I yelled from behind him, “Avery’s not boring!”

“What?”

That came from Kevin, in a sharp strident tone.

“Summer?”

The crowds parted for me. Or, well, Avery and Marcus stepped aside. Caden didn’t. He was a big boulder that I couldn’t move an inch—not that I minded trying—so I stepped around his side.

Kevin’s eyes were narrowed as he took in the way Caden tried to block me with an arm in front. I pressed into it, ignoring the guys and glaring at Maggie. “You’re stupid.”

She started laughing. “Really?”