Mending the Blur (a Forever & Always novel) Page 3

  “What?” Braydon asks as he moves to the bathroom to brush his teeth… with my toothbrush… naked. “I’m going to kill Braxton aren’t I?”

  “Yep,” I giggle before finding and pulling a pair of bikini bottoms up underneath my robe and turning my back to Braydon before dropping the robe and securing the top around my chest and tying the back and neck. “It’s kind of funny, it also insinuates y’all are either gay or into polygamy… not that there is anything wrong with either of those lifestyles.” I shoot him a cheeky grin over my shoulder when I turn around to see him staring at me. Once I turn around, I can’t help but look down to ensure my goods are covered because I feel naked under those crystal blues. His eyes go wide before he shakes his head and goes back into the bathroom to finish getting ready for dinner. “We aren’t going to be weird are we?”

  “Nope, let’s go get dumb and dumber and go eat.” And as simply as he says it, we fall back into our normal antics. Best friends.

  I bang on the guys’ door until Brenton flings it open with a scowl on his face to greet me. “Hey, Sunshine, let’s go eat!”

  “I’m going to kill you,” he growls.

  “Me? What’d I do?” I laugh. I assume Brenton has had a few alerts from his social media apps today too.

  “Not you, Zach! Brother Husbands, fucking seriously? I’m supposed to be laying low, drafts are in a month, Addy!” Brenton’s face is like a stone, and on top of that he called Braxton by his first name which means he really is on a whole other level of pissed off. That is until I lean up on my tiptoes and pull him down to my level with my hands on his cheeks, kissing his nose. A small smile pulls at the corner of his mouth as he pulls back. “I kidney punched that punk.”

  “I’m sorry, I just wish I had an idea of what happened after karaoke,” I laugh as we all head toward the elevator banks.

  “Whoa, wait up, you don’t remember anything from last night? Dumbass was a little foggy too. He remembers me riding piggyback on Braydon and falling face first into the couch,” Brenton laughs, looking between Braydon and me as we wait.

  “I remember the couch because my face bounced off the damn armrest,” Braxton groans.

  “I remember you on my back and talking to that midget Elvis before we all threw back a few shots of fireball,” Braydon recounts.

  “How don’t I remember Elvis?” I ask, rubbing my head before remembering the events right before I blacked out. “Bub, you kissed Brax. Y’all got married!” I exclaim as we exit onto the main level and head into Cabo, the Mexican restaurant. Eyes hone in on our loud arrival.

  “Shut the fuck up, Adalyn. Holy shit!” Brenton growls quietly just as Braxton heaves and Braydon starts to shake with laughter.

  “ARE YOU SURE Y’ALL are okay with me taking Brenton’s room for the rest of the summer?” I ask before bringing anything inside. It’s been a little over a month since we’ve been back, and Brenton was the second round pick to Oklahoma City Thunder in the National Basketball League draft. It was the best last vacation for us all together, at least for a while. We are all beyond proud of him. I think we celebrated for a week before he officially left.

  “Stop asking,” Braxton laughs, passing by me on the small porch to my truck to get the few boxes I have containing my books, clothes, and toiletries. Even though I have an apartment, it was an “on-campus” structure, so I have to vacate for the summer.

  “Okay, I just don’t want to cause issues.” I shrug, following behind him. Braydon pulls into the drive, blocking in my truck, and jumps out to help.

  “Shit, Ads,” he grunts, lifting the last box. “What the hell is in this thing?”

  “Um there’s a label, Mr. Gibson.” Arching my brow before rolling my eyes, I huff out a breath. “Textbooks. I’m doing clinicals starting the first of the month through the start of the semester. So, I figured I should probably study in my downtime.”

  “Nerd,” Braydon laughs, dropping the box on my new temporary bed before bumping his hip to mine. “I’m gonna go shower; games and pizza in an hour, roomie.”

  “K,” I mumble before turning back to the boxes and begin to unload them as I think of the past three years under my belt here at the University of Alabama. There’s no place I’d rather be than here, with two of my best friends. I love these guys and they love me back… I think.

  “WHAT IN THE EVER loving fuck is that smell?” I gasp and gag at once.

  “Hmm?”

  “Don’t fucking ‘hmm’ me, you nasty shitbag!” I gag again while fanning the Cosmopolitan magazine I picked up off the cherry stained coffee table to my left. “Those silent ones are always killers.” How can I possibly be attracted to someone who smells so foul?

  “Damn, Ads,” Braydon laughs and covers his face, “didn’t your parents teach you manners? What the hell did you eat today?”

  “Really? Can’t even fess up to your repulsive yet impressively silent odors?” I toss the magazine to the table. I lunge forward and slightly to the right, my left hand meeting its target with all my weight behind it, and straight into his right bicep.

  “OUCH!” he squawks, trying to scoop me up. Keeping in motion allows me to slip out of his grasp and head into the kitchen. It’s been a month that I’ve been living here. Summer is in full swing, and living with two guys has its advantages – tanned muscle at the ready for my viewing pleasure, and no chick drama. Keelie struck out with Brenton wanting a relationship. He was leaving and not interested in taking anyone along for the ride. Braxton claimed he couldn’t handle the baby voice and Braydon seemed relieved that she’d gone home. HA!

  “Lil baby need an ice pack or a beer?” I taunt from the fridge after topping off my sweet tea.

  “Please— the beer, not a damn ice pack,” he chortles while flipping the television back to the baseball game, his baseball game… that shit is not playing in my house. NO. FREAKING. WAY.

  Tossing the bottle in his lap as I pass, I nod to the screen. “Change it.”

  “Deal, it’s my turn,” he grumbles after unscrewing the beer cap and taking a pull from the bottle. It’s only his turn because he killed me first last night in Call of Duty; stupid freaking video game— sucks me in every damn time. And I suck, bad!

  “I just got comfy, and I don’t wanna have to get up,” I pout, pulling my knees underneath me as I sink into the sofa.

  “You are such a brat, Adalyn. I don’t know why I even hang out with you anymore.”

  “’Cause I’m a cool chick, I’m sexy and yes we both know it, oh and I put up with your ass.” I shrug with a smile. “Shall I go on, or is that sufficient?”

  Braydon

  SEXY IS RIGHT. DAMN, I’ve always thought Adalyn was beautiful, but having her prance around in loungewear, shorts and t-shirts— hell even her scrubs— makes it almost unbearable to not sneak another taste of her. As more time passes, a few weeks seem more like decades, and it’s taken every ounce of control I can muster not to act on the flirtation and apparent sexual frustration we have been battling. Vegas did me in. I’m a weak man, with an exhausted hand.

  “It’s sufficient,” I puff out before taking a long pull of my beer. Giving her a sideways glance, the dimple resting on her flawless cheek further dents in.

  “Stop looking at me,” she laughs then kicks her feet out to the side, resting them against my leg. Picking her left foot up, I slowly manipulate my fingers and rub deeply into the arch before moving the pressure along to the heel and back up. Within minutes she scoots closer, resting her head on the armrest, content with losing the battle against what to watch.

  “I can do what I want, remember?” I press my thumb further into her arch and chuckle when a soft moan passes her lips. “Yeah, I thought so.” Her right foot flexes straight into my groin, slowly moving up and down my now hardened length as a sneaky smirk crosses her lips. ”Ads,” I warn.

  “Hmm,” she says, continuing the slow strokes against me. Dropping her left foot, I sigh before grasping her right ankle and beginning the same tr
eatment as I had offered the left. “God, your fingers are magic, Bray,” she moans, sexual innuendo drenching her words.

  “Shut up,” I bite out in a groan, now staring at the ceiling willing her to stop talking; the low tone and raspy infliction of her voice has me damn near ready to rip her clothes off. Stupid idiot… I just had to touch her and clearly she needed the same, but this back and forth game and constant suggestions when others are around isn’t cutting it.

  “Make me,” she rasps before sinking her teeth into her lip.

  “Don’t tempt me, Ads. I’m at my breaking point, and we talked about this after Vegas; I can’t lose you.”

  “You’ll never lose me, dumbass.” She winks before flexing her left foot into me. “Unless you leave, I’ll always be your best… mmm that feels so good… friend.”

  When she looks up at me with those dark as night, hooded eyes, I lose my self-control. Like an over-extended rubber band, I snap, dropping her foot and pulling her to me from around her waist. The lighthearted giggle that erupts from her causes my heart to kick into overdrive. Pulling her face to mine with one hand cupping her cheek and the other tangled in her hair, I press my lips into hers. Craving more, I trace my tongue along the seam of her mouth; willingly she parts her lips, teasing my tongue with hers as her body sinks into me, her hands gliding up my chest and into my hair.

  “Adalyn,” I groan against her lips.

  “Shhh.” She smiles before devouring my mouth as my hands glide down her back, gripping her ass through the thin sweatpants covering her. Lifting her up, I break my mouth away from hers and give her a small smile before I press her down into the couch, covering her body with mine. “Fuck, I’ve wanted this for so long,” she murmurs as I nip and suck down her neck.

  Gliding my hand under her shirt and kneading her bare breast, I bite down on her collarbone evoking a gasp from her mouth before she arches into my palm. “Me too, Ads, me too.” Continuing my perusal of my best friend’s body with sex-crazed desire, I lose all focus when my mouth reconnects with hers. I haven’t made out like a teenager in heat for years; I’ve basically just been on a mission of sex with a touch of foreplay with whoever I was seeing before Vegas. But I find myself content just getting to know her body, her noises, and what makes her tick. Only her.

  “Hey, guys, don’t mind me…” Braxton booms as he passes through the living room, snapping us both out of the moment. Adalyn bites my lip, tugging my mouth back to hers for a quick peck before chuckling against my chest.

  “Hey, Brax,” she smiles, greeting him before turning her eyes back to mine. They are darker than I have ever seen them. “Maybe we should take this to my room?” Winking, she bucks her hips against mine before slipping her hand into the gap between our bodies and cupping my throbbing hard-on.

  “You guys done dry humping or…” Braxton asks, and I look up to see him staring at us, his eyebrow quirked up with his cell phone against his ear. “I was just asking, shithead, I wanna play some Call of Duty.”

  “I’ll watch,” Adalyn sighs before I look down at her and glare. “What? He’ll just sit out here and try to listen.” She shrugs while he laughs.

  “Fuck my life.” Sitting up, I pull Adalyn with me and Braxton sits on the now empty end of the couch.

  “Don’t be grumpy; I’ll make it up to you,” she laughs before sitting right up against me, her head on my chest and her legs entwined with mine resting on the ottoman. Reaching over for the second remote to the game system, I keep my arm around Adalyn and begin playing the video game.

  A few hours later, Braxton calls it a night having just come home from his internship at the hospital he and Ads both work at. He has to be back in under six hours for morning rounds. “Night, man—” I nod “—Oh and thanks for the cock-block,” I laugh as Adalyn snuggles closer into my chest. She fell asleep about 45 minutes into the game, her mouth in a slight pout and her dark brown lashes feathered against her cheeks.

  “My pleasure, you hurt her and I will kill you. She’s my best friend, bro, has been for half our lives.”

  “I know, she’s mine too,” I counter as he walks away with a nod. Slipping out from under her, I scoop her into my arms and carry her back to her room. Once she’s settled, I lean down and kiss the top of her head. A small smile dances across my face as I remember how many times I have carried this crazy girl to bed. Usually it was mine and I’d sleep on the couch after she’d consume a few too many drinks. It’s always been a promise between all of us, no drinking and driving. I refuse, I’ve lost friends to that nonsense.

  Stepping back, I turn to leave until she groans while stretching out, “No, be my snuggle buddy?” I can’t help but laugh. When that Greg guy broke up with her freshman year, she asked me the same thing after a night of binge drinking. I had complied, but then again, I wasn’t thinking of ripping her clothes off and having my way with her like I am now.

  “Not a good idea, sweetheart,” I respond, stepping back again.

  “Stop thinking and get into my bed,” she grouches before flipping the covers back. “I mean, you’ve already mauled me. Be my snuggle buddy.”

  “You’re such a dick,” I laugh before chucking my shirt to the floor and crawling in her bed with just my athletic shorts on. “Don’t molest me. I’d probably like it.”

  “Oh you would, but shut up, I’m tired.” Clearly she was because within five minutes of her snuggled up to me, all I could feel were the small bursts of air against my chest, and I quickly lost my own battle to sleep. I’ve not slept that good in months, but when I crack my eyes open, I’m alone. Reaching for the pinging cell phone, I blindly swipe the screen and answer without looking at the screen.

  “Hello,” I manage, my voice full of sleep.

  “Hey, sexy,” a very familiar voice coos into my ear. I can’t help but roll my eyes, talking in a baby voice has become my biggest pet peeve.

  “What’s up?”

  “I’m back! Let’s go to lunch?” Keelie’s voice was about an octave higher than normal. Fuck my life.

  “Kee, I have to work, try Braxton. Sorry.” It’s kind of true, I do have to work even if it’s not until 4:30. Pulling my cell phone out, I look at the time before returning it to my ear. It’s only noon; holy shit, I slept twelve hours.

  “Oh,” she says sadly, “well, can I stop by later and see you and Braxton both? I miss you guys.”

  “We’ll see, probably not though,” I say stretching out, inhaling my best friend’s signature scent of toasted coconut and vanilla. It’s delicious, and now I’m hard thinking about her rubbing her luscious body down with lotion after a long hot shower. That’s one lucky fucking loofa. Shaking my head, I let out a breath. “A lot has changed, Kee, I’m not really sure anyone here is available for what you’re wanting. I mean, you’ve known that for a while, perhaps you should absorb its significance.”

  “Braaaay,” she whines. Yes whines. “Just let me prove to you that I’m worth it. That I can be the girl for you.”

  “That’s the thing, you shouldn’t have to prove anything. Listen, I gotta go. I’ll see you around. We’ll be friends.” Ugh, even the sound of that sets me up for failure. Keelie is a gorgeous girl, thin with a great rack, fiery red hair— yes it’s natural, Brenton was sure to confirm it— and she’s a sweetheart, when she isn’t whining or talking with that voice.

  “Okay,” she concedes, but I have a feeling this is going to be a whole helluva lot harder to navigate around than she’s letting on. She’s one of those determined at any costs kind of women. She was adopted at age four and treated like a princess since. Rejection is not part of her wheelhouse. Yay me!

  Adalyn

  THE SEMESTER STARTED AND flew by before I could even catch a breath over the summer. I worked at the hospital, which was twofold—I got my clinical hours in early and made a paycheck. Saving’s never been easier. Living with the guys with the agreement that I’d help out around the place cut my living expenses down exponentially. Living with two of my best f
riends, not too shabby of a deal.

  Now living with the man who could maybe shatter my heart, it’s difficult but not impossible. We aren’t a couple, but there are very few nights that we don’t cuddle until morning or moments when things are pushed to the brink of no return. The random kissing is not so random anymore, and the flirtation is still off the flipping charts. Sexual chemistry and the tension it brings is stifling most days, but I suppose that’s okay… we work, go to school, and sleep, then repeat.

  I PULL INTO THE driveway and see both the guys are home, and I rush into the house, a smile plastered to my face— the same smile that has been sitting there since I walked out of the admission’s office. My face hurts, but I can’t wipe it off. “Guys!” I shout before making my way into the kitchen where I find them looking at a laptop on the counter together. “Guys!” I repeat tossing my keys into the bowl that sits in the corner, “you just won’t believe this news!”

  Braxton looks up at me then smiles and Braydon follows suit. “What’s up, buddy?”

  “At the end of the term, you know this one, the one like three weeks away. This semester, I will have all my credits in, all my clinicals complete, and wait for it… I’M GRADUATING EARLY!” I squeal and jump up and down. My smile drops when they both just stare at me. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Why aren’t you happy?”

  Braydon comes from behind the counter and wraps me in his arms, spinning me in a few circles, before stopping but not letting go. His full lips move closer to mine, the right side sneaking up just a bit before covering mine. His grip tightens on my waist when my lips part, and he deepens the kiss before pulling away with his chest rising and falling rapidly just as mine is. “Congratulations,” he whispers before pecking my lips once more.

  “Dude, are you done?” Braxton asks with a smile and then chuckles after Braydon flips him off. “Congrats, Addy, I’m super proud of you. Just think, you can get a few years under your belt and then you can work under me like back in the day.”