Double The Ache(4)

I get out of the shower and towel off as I go to the sink and grab my razor. I look down to see the blade is dull so I go to the other side of the sink and grab Dean’s. We share a bathroom and bedroom just like we did in college. Our mom says we must have been conjoined twins in a past life and we don’t disagree. If we’re not in the same room, we usually go find the other one so we can hang out. Some people might find this weird, but we usually just keep our private life private.

There’s a knock at the door and I walk through the bedroom into the living room to see Dean answer the door. Cassie and Emma come in and I nod in greeting before going back into the bathroom. Cassie is Dean’s older sister and Emma is his younger sister. They’re my sisters, too, to all intents, and they’re in town for the weekend.

They know about our living situation, having grown up with the two of us always together. I guess looking back on it, it could have seemed weird to outsiders, but in our family it’s just the way it was. I got real lucky Dean’s family welcomed me and never made me feel different.

Cassie comes in the bathroom and opens the cabinets under the sink. “Do you guys have any tampons?”

“No,” I say, as I rinse off my face and go to the bedroom closet. Emma comes into the bedroom with Dean behind her.

“You guys still haven’t had a chick in this place. Whatever, I’ll just get some on the way out tonight,” I hear Cassie say from the bathroom.

“No chicks. But I think we’ve found the one,” Dean says, falling onto the bed and lying across. It.

“What!?” our sisters squeal at the same time.

I close the closet door and get dressed, but I hear Dean mumbling to them. He’s telling them about Amelia and our flight home.

Amelia.

I rub my eyes and take a deep breath. We didn’t talk about it when we got back. I knew what Dean was thinking the whole time without having to say a word. He’s always thinking and planning. She’s the one. We’ve been waiting for years thinking we might know when the time came. Turns out we were right.

I put on a pair of jeans and a polo before I exit the closet. Dean is lying on the custom bed we had made when we bought the place. We share it, but it’s big enough that I could roll over three times and still not touch him.

Cassie and Emma are sitting at the end of it hanging on every word he says.

“Didn’t I buy that shirt for Dean?” Emma asks as she shakes her head.

“It looks better on me,” I say as the material stretches tight across my chest.

“So you’ve found her,” Cassie says, smiling from ear to ear. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

“We haven’t even met her,” Dean says, and I shove my hands in my pockets. “It’s complicated, but she’s it.”

“Wes?” Emma asks, waiting for my confirmation.

I nod and she does a little excited clap of joy as she bounces on the end of the bed.

“We should celebrate. You guys have anything to eat?” Cassie says as she gets up and walks towards the kitchen.

We have a nutritionist who stocks our fridge twice a week, so she knows good and well we’ve got food in there. Cassie is like us when it comes to food and she’s not going more than an hour without a snack.

We all go into the kitchen and I grab a drink of water while Dean and Emma make food. After about an hour or so Cassie tells us she and Emma are going to a club, something they often do when they come to Vegas to see us.

“I’m out,” I say, and all three of them roll their eyes.

“We know,” Emma says, and she and Dean laugh.

Dean’s phone chimes and he reaches into his pocket to grab it. I take a sip of my water, but I feel the energy in the room change. I glance back at him and watch as his face turns white.

“What is it?” I ask, and I’m beside him instantly.

He doesn’t speak, he just turns his phone towards me. There on the screen is a picture of Nelson and Amelia together in a Vegas club, the two of them laughing and holding drinks. There’s another chime and it’s a text from Nelson.

Nelson: Y’all are missing out

Dean grips the phone so tight I think the screen might shatter. Usually I’m the one with the anger management issues, but not today. I take the phone out of his hand and text him back.

Dean: Where you at?

Nelson: The Strip…come and find us!

I growl as I hand the phone back to Dean, but before he can take it Cassie snatches it out of his hand.

“Looks like Nelson has something you want,” she says, showing it to Emma. “They’re at Viper.”

“How do you know?” I ask, and she rolls her eyes.

“Are we going or not?” Cassie says, looking between me and Dean.

We don’t even have to speak to know the answer to that question. We’re already in motion by the time she’s finished asking it.





Chapter Four





Dean





When we get to Viper we walk right up to the front of the line and the bouncer opens the velvet rope. I nod to him and slip him some cash, and Wes, Cassie, Emma and I make our way through the crowd. I’m leading the group and head all the way to the back for the VIP lounge. If Nelson is in here, that’s where he’ll be.

When we get to the next bouncer, he steps out of the way and shakes our hands, welcoming us and offering bottle service. Wes and I turn it down because we don’t drink. Not even in the off season. Cassie and Emma immediately start ordering drinks when a waitress comes over to us. I’m scanning the room and I feel Wes beside me doing the same.

“There!” he shouts over the music and points to the back where the DJ booth is.

Nelson is up on top of it with headphones on pointing out into the crowd. Running backs are always show-offs. I look around again but don’t see Amelia anywhere.

“Fuck,” I mutter as we make our way over.

When we get to the booth, Nelson spots us and for a second he’s laughing, then, when he sees our reaction, drops his smile and comes out of the DJ booth.

“I knew I could get you guys to co—”

“Where is she?” Wes and I say at the exact same time.

Normally Wes is the crabby one while I’m the comic relief, but right now we both have the same goal. To find Amelia and get her out of this place.

On the way over, Cassie and Emma told us all about the Viper and what kind of celebrities come here. It’s one of the hottest clubs in Vegas right now, and there are a lot of people in here that we sure as hell don’t want around what’s ours.

“Calm down, she went to the bathroom,” Nelson says, holding up his hands.

He looks past me, smiling and winking. I glance over my shoulder and see Cassie holding up a drink to him and then giving him a wink back.

“Stay away from my sister,” Wes orders before we turn and go towards the bathrooms.

I see Cassie shrug as she walks over to Nelson and gives him a hug. They’ve met a few times when my sisters came to visit, but I never thought anything about it. Now I’m wondering how well they know one another. Emma is dancing with one of our guys, Linsley, and I give him a look that tells him to take care of her. He nods as he switches out her drink for water and keeps on dancing. He and Emma usually hang out when we’re all together, but she says she’s not interested. She doesn’t want to date a jock, which I personally find offensive. But whatever, she’s twenty-one now and can make her own decisions.

Wes and I don’t have a problem if Emma dates Linsley, he’s a good guy from a good family and doesn’t drink or party. I’m actually shocked he’s here tonight, but when I look around I see most of the team is. Nelson, on the other hand, is a player, and Cassie damn well knows it. She’s too good for him, but I can’t tell my big sister what to do.

My family is close knit, so I’m sure I’ll find out exactly what’s going on soon enough, but for now I’ve got bigger things to focus on, and it’s in the shape of an hourglass with skin as soft as silk.

When I reach the women’s bathroom there’s a long line. Shocking. Wes and I go up to the door and there are some catcalls while we go. We ignore them and enter. There are three stalls inside with about ten women standing in front of the mirror. I glance around and don’t see her, so I decide to try plan B.

“Yo! Amelia, you in here, baby?” I shout over the music and the noise.

The bathroom bursts into a flurry of giggles and I roll my eyes. After a second of no one answering I decide to try it another way.

“Paging Amelia Green! You’ve got ten seconds to get your apple bottom out of this bathroom before Wes and I come in and get you!”

Suddenly one of the doors is flung open and she steps out scowling at me, mad as hell. The girls in the bathroom start cheering, and her face turns bright red. She walks over to the sink and calmly washes her hands before taking a paper towel and drying them off. She squares her shoulders and marches to where we’re standing, but instead of coming to where we are, she pushes past me, elbowing me in the side as she goes.

“Gahh,” I cry out as I grab my side. I feel Wes chuckle beside me as we watch her go back into the VIP. “What’d I do wrong?”

“You’re an idiot,” Wes says.

“An idiot that’s going to get her to come home with us,” I say, and chase after her.