“Thanks.” I take the bottle from him, our hands touching briefly in the exchange. I lift the bottle to my lips and drink, our eyes still connected. I hand him back the bottle and sit down on the mat.

  “How old are you?” I ask him.

  “Twenty-three.”

  I nod, he looks about that age. “Who’s older?” I ask him.

  “I am,” he says, then drinks more water. I thought he would be older, even if it’s just by minutes. Something about the way he can be so serious, whereas Ryan is carefree and easygoing.

  “Thanks for staying with me, and for not being a dick,” I say honestly, my eyes riveted on the smile that curves his lips.

  “I have my moments.”

  I can't help smirking. “I’m glad.”

  “You liking it here?” he asks.

  “I am.”

  “Anyone asked you out yet?”

  “Nope.”

  “Probably don’t know what to do with such beauty,” he says softly.

  I open my mouth, and then snap it shut. “What?” I whisper.

  He shakes his head, as if clearing it. “You have to know how stunning you are.”

  I know I’m not completely unfortunate looking. I’ve been called pretty, and been noticed by men before. But no one has ever complimented me with such passion and intensity.

  “You confuse me,” I reply, averting my gaze.

  He laughs humourlessly, sitting down next to me. “I can’t even explain it. There’s something about you.”

  We watch each other in silence for a few moments.

  Reid clears his throat. “I should get you home.”

  “Okay,” I say. But we don’t move.

  “Summer…” he trails off, staring at my lips. I move a little closer to him, and he moves the rest of the way so there is no space left between us.

  “Are you going to kiss me?” I whisper, arrested in his blue gaze.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he whispers back, his eyes dropping to my mouth.

  “Good ideas are overrated,” I say breathily. I lick my lips, and his breath hitches.

  He emits a low curse before capturing my lips with his, his hands in my hair. He licks at my mouth until I open for him, and then groans as he tastes me. When he starts to suck on my bottom lip, I shudder with pleasure. His hands move to my hips, but instead of pulling me closer, he pushes me away. He stands, turning his back to me and locking his fingers behind his neck. When he faces me again, his expression is once again shuttered. I puff out a sigh, and stand up, getting off the mat and walking towards the exit, picking up my jacket and phone on the way. I know exactly what he's going to say and I don’t want to hear it.

  He catches up to me and touches my elbow, steering me in the right direction. We walk in silence to his Jeep, and he opens the door for me to get in. Reid turns the music on, but it doesn’t dispel the tension surrounding us. Rihanna comes on, and I sing the lyrics to her song in my head as I stare out the window. My phone beeps with a text, and I giggle when I read it. It’s from my friend back home about her new boyfriend.

  Talk about TMI.

  “Who’s that?” Reid asks, being nosey.

  “A friend,” I reply, quickly texting her back saying that I really didn’t need to know that.

  “Who is he?” he asks, his voice tight.

  “How’s that any of your business? Just cos you don’t want me doesn’t mean others don’t,” I snap.

  Reid curses, opening his mouth as if to say something, but then he closes it and stays quiet.

  When we pull up to my house, I’m desperate to leave his presence.

  Being rejected by him hurts.

  “Do you have a key?” he asks in his deep sexy voice.

  I nod. “Thanks for the ride,” I say as I jump out, and walk swiftly to the house.

  I don’t look back, no matter how much I want to.

  Chapter Four

  I hop off Xander’s motorcycle, adrenaline still pumping through my body. I’ve never ridden on a bike before, but wow, I'm definitely going to want to do that again. I take off my helmet and hand it over to Xander, along with his battered leather jacket and pull down at the hem of my red top which has ridden up past my belly button. I decided on this top with my favourite pair of skinny jeans, and my black knee high boots.

  “You sure you don’t wanna keep the jacket on?” Xander asks, not for the first time.

  “You act like an old man, you know that?”

  “I just got my sister, so I can’t help it if I wanna protect you.” He sticks his hands in his pockets.

  “I get that, but I should be looking after you, baby bro,” I tease.

  He looks me over from head to toe. “You’re what 5’4? I’m 6’2, I don’t think anyone’s gonna believe you’re older than me, Sum,” he says, looking amused. “You're short and have a baby face.”

  “I’m 5’5,” I huff.

  Xander just laughs. “Besides, I don’t wanna get into a fight when some asshole hits on you.”

  “Hey, I have needs, too,” I joke, laughing when I see the look on his face.

  “I’m gonna pretend you never said that,” he says, rubbing his temple as if to erase the image.

  “Well, if some chick comes to hit on you, maybe I’m gonna feel a little protective myself,” I tell him.

  He groans. “You mean you’re gonna be a cock block.”

  “Depends. Are you?” I ask, knowing I have him.

  “We’ll see.” He shakes his head at me. He seems so much older than this age.

  We walk into Reid’s bar, and I take a look around. It’s a smallish place, but it’s packed out. There’s a bar, tables, a few booth seats and a small dance floor. I can see Reid manning the bar, wearing a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. I quickly look away, not wanting to think of him right now. Dash calls us over when he sees us, sitting at a table with a cute looking redhead. He whispers something in her ear, and she frowns, but gets up and walks away.

  “Hey, Dash,” I say, taking a seat next to him.

  “Don’t you look gorgeous?” he says, his violet eyes gleaming in appreciation.

  “Thank you,” I say, wiggling my eyes at Xander, who scowls.

  “What?” Dash asks, laughing.

  I grin and wink at him, but don’t reply. Xander gets us a round of drinks. I have a vodka sunrise, my favourite.

  “You want me to ask the twins if they can give you a job?” Xander asks.

  “No, I can ask myself,” I say. I don't want my brother to have to talk for me. After not being able to find any jobs around, I decided I was going to have to suck up my pride and ask. I wait until the bar isn’t busy and stand up, hoping to find Ryan.

  There's no way in hell that I’m gonna ask Reid.

  Reid

  Why the fuck is she here? My eyes must be popping out of my head right now. Summer just walked in, wearing a pair of jeans that I have to wonder how she managed to get on. They're like second skin, and riding so low on her hips I hope she doesn’t need to bend over for anything. The thought of her bending over makes me instantly hard, and I cringe, discreetly adjusting myself.

  I know Xander brought her here because this is a safe place for her, she can’t get into any trouble with the amount of people that would protect her in here, but still.

  I can’t get that kiss out of my mind. She tasted so good, smelt so good.

  It was perfect.

  I’m not the man for Summer Kane, that much is true.

  I turn around to get something out of the fridge, and when I turn back, there she is, standing right in front of me. Her lips are a shiny red, and my gaze can’t help but be drawn to them, remembering how soft they were.

  “Is Ryan here?” she asks, twirling a ring on her index finger. Of course she wants Ryan. She seems nervous, maybe she wants to ask him out after what happened between us. The thought makes me grip onto the side of the counter until my knuckles turn white. Why does it bother me so much? I have no fucking idea.

  “He’s back there,” I tell her, gesturing to the office. “Go right in.”

  Fuck, I’m a bastard.

  Summer

  “Oh my god,” I gasp in embarrassment, as I open the door to their office. Ryan is here alright. He’s currently got a woman up against the wall. She's fully naked, and he has his jeans around his ankles. The man has a great ass, and it’s in full view for me to see.

  “Fuck,” I hear him grunt as he sees me. He opens his mouth to say something, but I quickly turn around and leave before I can hear what he has to say. I don’t look in Reid’s direction as I walk back to our table.

  “Everything okay?” Xander asks me.

  “Fine,” I huff.

  “Then why are you blushing?” he asks, lifting up his beer and taking a long sip.

  “Don’t make me say it,” I groan. Xander and Dash both sit forward, obviously not going to let this go.

  “I went into the office to talk to Ryan, and let’s just say, he’s… busy,” I say, rushing the words out. My face feels like it’s on fire.

  “Rookie mistake, Sum, never go into that office,” he says, chuckling.

  “I’ll definitely remember that.” Lesson learnt. Why did Reid send me there? He must have wanted to embarrass me, and he sure as hell succeeded.

  “Don’t be embarrassed,” Dash drawls, pulling me in closer to him. I relax my shoulders and try to forget what I just witnessed, which is hard to do when Ryan walks over about twenty minutes later and sits next to me.

  “Like what you saw?” he asks, wiggling his eyebrows. He doesn't seem that embarrassed, which makes it just a little more bearable.

  “I think your technique could improve,” I quip, smiling when everyone bursts into laughter.

  “Is that right?” he drawls, smiling. He doesn’t even get offended, which means he must be a stallion in bed.

  “Definitely, maybe you should practice some more,” I say, pursing my lips together to try and keep a serious face.

  “That’s a great idea. You wanna dance?” he asks me. I shrug, why not? When I stand he chuckles, and I can tell he thought I would turn him down. I did just catch him screwing another woman, but I have no interest in Ryan other than friendship.

  “Look after her,” Xander calls out, but I can see his attention is on a girl sitting in the corner.

  I walk to the small, crowded dance floor, and Ryan pulls me closer, making a grinding motion with his hips. When he adds in a thrusting move, I burst out laughing.

  “See, I can practise right here on the dance floor,” he says, leaning closer so I can hear him. He smells like cologne and sex, and I wrinkle my nose at him. He smiles and puts his hands on my hips, as I swivel them seductively. He doesn’t come too close, or move his hands anywhere inappropriate. This is just us dancing as friends, and I find myself having fun.

  Ryan spins me around, and we're both laughing by the end of the song. We're walking back to the table when I see Reid staring daggers at me. Then he turns, looking around the bar until his eyes come across a stunning blonde. He waits until her eyes meet his, then tilts his head slightly towards the office. She smiles seductively, and walks towards the office, her hips shaking with each step. She opens the office door and walks in, Reid following her, and closing the door behind him. Ryan heads to the bar, taking over.

  I swallow and look away, taking my seat at the table. I skull the rest of my drink, not even wanting to contemplate why I'm reacting the way I am. Reid and I are nothing, not even friends. I don’t know how much time passes, but I distract myself with talking to Dash, Ryan and Xander, and having a few more drinks. The bar empties, so Ryan sits with me at the table.

  When someone stands at the table, I can tell it’s him without even having to look up. It’s like he has some sort of pull over me, some sort of energy that attracts me.

  I can feel him, without even touching him.

  Ryan laughs at his brother. “'Bout time you got some action brother.”

  I swallow hard, still not looking up at Reid, waiting for him to leave.

  Needing him to leave.

  But he still stands there. I look at my brother instead, smiling shyly across the room at the mysterious girl.

  “Summer.”

  Why can’t he just leave? Now he wants to talk?

  “Yeah?” I say, reluctantly looking up at him. He looks angry, for some reason. Like it was me that just screwed some random person in the office, like we didn’t share that kiss.

  “Did you ask Ryan whatever you needed to?” he asks with a smirk.

  I look at Ryan. “Oh, right. I was wondering if you had any job openings?”

  Reid looks surprised for a moment, but I don’t have it in me to care why right now.

  “Sure, you can work in the bar,” Ryan offers, giving me a smile. Ryan is so easy to be around, I’ll be glad to have him as my boss. Reid, on the other hand…

  He watches me carefully, as if looking for a reaction from his little office romp. But he isn’t gonna get it. My body reacts to Reid, that much is certain, but I’m not one to play these games. I may not have that much experience, but I know I deserve better than this.

  I ignore Reid for the rest of the night, but I can feel him watching me. I’m doing a shot with Ryan and Dash when Xander walks over, looking sheepish. He rubs his jaw, looking at me.

  “What?” I ask him warily, rubbing the alcohol off my bottom lip.

  “I’m not coming home tonight. Ryan or Reid will take you home,” he announces. I look behind him to see the girl he was watching earlier. I decide not to make this easy on him. What are big sisters for, right?

  “So, where are you going then?”

  “To her house,” he answers, his eyes narrowing.

  “Do you even know her?”

  “Summer…”

  I cut him off. “What if she takes advantage of you?” I say it louder than necessary. The guys burst out in laughter, and Xander just shakes his head at me, amused.

  “That’s the plan, sis,” he smirks.

  “Hey!” I call out to the girl. She looks at me, looking a little frightened.

  “No glove, no love,” I remind her. Xander instantly grabs her hand and pulls her away, saving her from me.

  “They grow up so fast,” I muse, earning more laughter from the peanut gallery. Reid walks up to me, leaning on the bar facing me.

  “We needa talk,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “We don’t needa do anything,” I return, looking at the dance floor which is suddenly very interesting.

  “Summer, we can’t just…”

  “Can you call me a cab?” I ask him, interrupting his speech.

  “I’m taking you home,” he says, sounding irritated.

  “Where’s Ryan?” I ask, looking around. I swear he was here a second ago. When I see him heading to the office with a different chick, I gape. Again? Really? Reid chuckles at the look on my face and I hate that the sound sends shivers up my spine. I wobble a little, feeling tipsy.

  “Give me thirty minutes and I’ll take you home,” he says, his tone final.

  “I hope someone disinfects the surfaces in that office,” I say, more to myself than him.

  “Well, when you start working maybe that can be your duty,” he says dryly, a scowl etched on his face.

  “If I’m cleaning it, I get to use it, too,” I say, looking up at him.

  He’s so handsome it hurts.

  “I’m sorry, what?” he growls.

  I shrug, as if I don’t care either way.

  “You think you can take some guy, fuck him in there and then I’ll let him live?” he says with a humourless chuckle.

  “Don’t think it’s any of your business,” I say.

  He smiles evilly. “Xander, Dash, Ryan, your father… Do I need to keep going? There's no way any man you decide to get with will survive the night.”

  “Why do you care so much?” I snap at him.

  “That’s the question of the hour, isn’t it?” he says dryly.

  “I don’t get you!” I say, frustrated. I head for the dance floor and stay there for a few more songs. When I return to the bar, I walk up to Reid and say, “I need another drink. Want one?”

  Reid is about to reply when he looks towards the entrance. I lean to the right to see what he’s looking at, gaping when I see it’s my father. I flop down on the bar stool. My father is kissing a woman. Or maybe I should say a girl, because she looks no more than twenty five. I grimace, turning away from him, and ask Ryan for another shot.

  Ryan grins and pours me two. What a legend. I down one shot, frowning when Reid takes the other away from me.

  “I’m cutting her off, Ryan,” he tells his brother. Ryan gives me a sympathetic glance, leaning over and patting me on the head.

  “Ry, stay with her here for a sec,” he says, walking off towards Jack. He says something to him, and then my dad glances towards me, looking surprised to see me here. He says something to his girl and she nods slightly, sending a glare my way before walking to a table filled with girls. I look away, and concentrate on Ryan instead.

  “How was your second go?” I blurt out.

  He chuckles. “Better than the first.”

  “Really?” I ask, a vision of his sexy ass coming to mind. I wonder if Reid’s looks the same. No, probably sexier.

  Ryan bursts out laughing. “What were you just thinking about?”

  “Nothing,” I say quickly. “When do I start work?”

  “You can come in tomorrow, alright. We actually do need someone. As you can see it’s just Reid and me here tonight. We have another guy who works here, but today’s his off day,” he explains.

  “Interesting,” I muse. Ryan laughs, putting his arm around me and pulling me close.

  “Jack’s coming over,” he says. I notice a lock of his hair out of place, so I lift my hand up and fix it.

  “Good for him,” I say dryly.

  “Hey, don’t be judgemental,” he says softly. Is that what I was being?