Waking Olivia(39)

           


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Brendan catches up with me as I near the stables. "You don't need to come," I tell him.

"It was worth it to watch my brother's head explode when I left.  Besides, you need to tell me what the hell is up with Peter and my mom."

I smile. "It's pretty obvious what's up, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but how long has it been going on? They seem more married than my parents did."

"I don't know. Your mom is pretty evasive about the whole thing."

"Well, what does Will say about it? I mean, Peter's his boss. That's got to be weird."

I laugh. "I think Will doesn't have a clue, shockingly enough."

Brendan shakes his head. "That's not shocking at all. His head is  totally up his ass about his own feelings, so why wouldn't they be about  Mom's?"

We get to the stables and I groom Little Boy while Brendan lays there comfortably, watching. "You could help, lazy ass."

"I could," he replies, "but that would take work away from you, and I  know how you love it. Besides, what endearing nickname would you give me  if Lazy Ass no longer fit?"

"I can think of plenty, believe me."

"I'll have you know I'm extremely dedicated to things I care about."

I raise a brow. "Oh, is that right? Like school?"

He laughs. "Don't get carried away."

"Then what?"

"I do P90X religiously every morning."

"I've never seen you do P90X."

"I haven't started yet. But come December, I'm going to be the P90X poster boy."

Something cuts into my corresponding laughter. Voices approaching.  Brendan and I glance at each other. Jessica's high voice, her dumb fake  giggle. Will's low rumble.

Jessica strides into the stables with purpose, while Will comes up  behind her reluctantly. "Jessica insisted on coming out to say hi to  Brendan," Will says, shoulders sagging.

But Jessica is only looking at me, with malice so intense I'm surprised  it doesn't actually burn my skin. "I knew you'd be here," she says.

Brendan pulls me into him, his arm wrapped around my waist. "Do you have a problem with my girlfriend, Jessica?"

"Your girlfriend?" she asks. "Since when?"

He glances at me. "How long has it been, baby? I guess since that first  night I made you sneak out of your window? Four weeks? Five weeks?"

Will is glaring at both of us, but I have no choice but to play along now. "Yeah, about five," I agree.

"What night at the window?" Will hisses. His eyes have turned bright blue, the anger in them palpable.

Brendan gives me a cocky smile. "I climbed out of my window, pulled her out of hers and the rest is history."

His story rings true because, I suppose, it is true. Not a word about it  is a lie, but then he failed to mention that absolutely nothing  happened.

Brendan turns me toward him at the waist, wrapping his hand around my  neck. "Best five weeks of my life," he says, bringing my mouth to his.  He holds me there tight, not letting me pull away, opening my mouth with  his tongue, grabbing my ass as he does it. I stagger a little when he  finally lets me go, and he gives me that sidelong grin of his that would  make me laugh if I wasn't so inclined to slap him.

"So you finally managed to wedge your way into their family," Jessica snaps at me.

"Yeah," says Brendan, "and you tried and failed, so get lost."

Jessica turns on her heel and storms out. Will stands there a second  longer and there's something in his face now aside from anger. He looks  hurt. So hurt that I want to run after him as he turns to follow her  out.

I lean back against the pillar that stands between the stalls. "You shouldn't have done that," I breathe.

He laughs. "Did you see his face? Oh my God. I wish I had that on film."

I raise a brow. "Why do you enjoy torturing him so much?"

"That's just what brothers do. And besides, he needs someone to light a fire under his ass."

"I think maybe you ought to find a better way to do what brothers do," I  sigh, picking up the grooming brush I dropped when he attacked me.  "Like coming back to help for a while after you graduate."

"Help?" he says. "Why? Will's got it under control."

I look at him in disbelief. "Do you really think that, Brendan? He's  working two jobs to keep you in school. Your dad left so much debt they  can't even afford full-time help anymore. I know it's not my place to  say this, and Will doesn't want you to know, but this place is a sinking  ship and you're swimming away as fast as you can while he bails water."                       
       
           


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He looks stricken. "I had no idea. The farm always did well."

"I don't think it's done well in a long time. Your dad took out a second mortgage a while back just to stay afloat."

"Why the hell didn't my mom tell me? Or Will?"

"He's been trying to give you what he had-four years of college without  feeling responsible for anyone but yourself. But his life is hard,  Brendan. So when you sit there talking about biking through Europe, it's  got to piss him off."

"Great. So he's doing all that and he thinks I'm trying to steal his girl on top of it."

"I'm not his girl," I counter.

"The hell you aren't. But admit it-that was the best kiss you've ever  had. And for the record, I'm just as good at everything else."

"I've had better," I reply, thinking of Will.

"No one's better than me," he argues.

My head raises just in time to see Will coming at us, looking only at Brendan.

"Oh fuck," mutters Brendan and seconds later Will's fist is airborne,  connecting with Brendan's jaw. Brendan takes the hit, stumbling  backward. He flinches as he rubs his face. "I'm going to let you have  that one," he tells Will, "but that better be the end of it."

"Will," I breathe. "What the hell?"

He grabs my wrist, pulling me outside of the stables. He rounds on me as soon as we're out. "What the fuck was that?"

"I could ask you the same question!" I cry. "Why the hell did you punch him?"

"Are you dating him?"

"No, of course not. You know I'm not."

"Well, that was pretty damn convincing back there," he growls. "And if  you're not dating, what was up with letting him kiss you?"

"What choice did I have?" I cry back. "He lied to save your ass and I went along with it. You should be grateful."

He presses me to the wall, pinning me there with his hands at my  shoulders, his face an inch from mine and angrier than I've ever seen  him. "Well, I'm not," he snaps. "So don't do it again."

He is solid muscle as he presses against me, and the anger inside me is  morphing to something else, something hot and liquid and weak. I can  feel his breath against my mouth, his angry eyes registering the  difference in me just as I register it in him. And then his mouth  descends, crushing mine beneath his, pulling me into him with his hands  tight on my waist.

This can't be happening. But it really is. I've never wanted anything so  much in my life and it's too much to take in, to memorize. His soft  mouth and the rasp of unshaven skin and his smell and his warmth. It's  too much, too good, and yet not close to being enough.

There is no uncertainty, no hesitation. There's something urgent, almost  desperate in it, and I am senseless to everything except for him. His  mouth, his tongue, the rasp of his breath, his hands beneath my dress,  sliding along my thighs.

He pushes away from me suddenly, looking stunned. "Oh God," he breathes. "I'm so sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Because I'm your coach. I can't  … " He trails off, shaking his head,  backing away from me with a look of horror on his face. "I can't."

He turns, disappearing from view as quickly as he appeared, leaving me  so angry and sad and turned on all at the same time that I have no idea  how to react.

I walk back into the stables. Brendan takes one look at me and grins, still rubbing his jaw. "Told ya."





57





Will



What the fuck am I doing? I just punched my brother and kissed the girl I  coach, all while my boss waits inside the house. And in spite of this I  just want to do both things again.

Our first kiss, the night she was asleep, felt like I was merely going  along with something I shouldn't. But this time, I demanded it and it  was as if the part of me that's shown any restraint whatsoever these  past few months had walked straight out the door. I didn't care that it  was wrong in a thousand ways and couldn't go anywhere or mean anything,  that it would only create more problems to be solved and more memories  to be forgotten. I just didn't care. I wanted her and for a second,  before I finally came to my senses, I planned to have her, right there  against the back wall of the stables with my brother a few feet away.