Page 17 of Such A Bad Girl

Everleigh and I have been circling each other like hawks for years. I wasn’t sure who was the predator and who was the prey at this point. But we were both doing our damnedest to stay away from one another, while also staying uncomfortably close.

She acted like she hated me. Yeah, we had our big secret. And we both respected that. But I suspected she only acted so rudely because she felt that same underlying chemistry between us that I did. She’d never admit that it ate her up just as much as me. That was fine. Neither would I.

The risk of West finding out was too great. I’d never forgive myself if I lost his friendship. Losing him would be like losing a brother.

So, I yearned for Everleigh secretly. I kept the things I imagined doing to her body to myself. Keeping my distance was the only thing that kept me from going crazy. When she did get close, just the faint scent of her was enough to bring me to my knees.

When the woman next to me laid her hand on my knee, I knew it was time to find a change of scenery. I scanned the crowd for an escape plan, my gaze clashing with West’s.

“Theo!” West called out to me.

“Excuse me.” I said, nodding politely as I untangled the blonde’s arms from my body, welcoming the excuse to extricate myself from her grasp.

When I reached West and Kaylee, the happiness in their eyes was like beams of sunshine. A pang of envy hit my heart.

Would I ever have a love like the one that they shared?

I pulled West in for a hug, patting him roughly on the back.

“I’m so happy for you, brother,” I said, after pulling away.

“Thanks, man,” he replied, pulling Kaylee into his arms. “I can’t believe my luck.”

Kaylee beamed up at him. “I’m the lucky one.”

They’d found each other amidst chaos, their relationship beginning under false pretenses. I’d been the most surprised of all of us to learn that our new waitress was actually an undercover cop. And then I’d been pissed. But Kaylee had won me over, just as she’d won over the rest of us. West the most of all, of course.

Seeing him happy was enough to make me forgive her. Now, we were all one big family.

As if to drive that point straight into my heart, Everleigh reappeared at Kaylee’s side, reminding me that I’d never be free of her.

The truth was, I didn’t want to be free of her. I wanted to be as close as possible, but that was forbidden. So, I did the next best thing and put myself in situations where I could at least be near her.

Because being away from her completely was a kind of torture I couldn’t endure.

Chapter Seven

EVERLEIGH

Heat rolled off Theo’s body. He was close. Too close.

Forced to be in his proximity like this, I had no choice but to endure these feelings. They were always there, bubbling under the surface, torturing me with their incessant appearance at the worst possible moments.

I was sure Theo could see my nipples harden when he came near me. I hadn’t thought about it when I’d left the house in this thin white silk dress, but now I desperately wished I’d brought a sweater.

I wondered if he could smell the scent of my desire for him. I wondered what he would do if he knew it was me he’d been playing with in the temple the last few weeks.

Tonight, my body did what it always did when he was within ten feet of me. My heart rate quickened, my blood rushed through my veins, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. Nobody else had this effect on me, and it was incredibly frustrating that it was Theo, of all people, who did. My brother’s best friend.

I’ve often wondered if West could see it. Nobody I’ve dated has ever been good enough for my overprotective brother, and I guess nobody ever would be. I knew without a doubt if Theo ever laid a hand on me, West would lose his mind.

That didn’t keep Theo from flashing me those looks full of smoldering, forbidden desire when nobody else was watching, though.

With West and Kaylee lost in each other’s eyes, Theo took the opportunity to catch my gaze and hold it hostage. He had a way of doing that, like he knew I was powerless to look away.

He stared at me like he could see right through me. Could he see how much I wanted him? Was that my desire I saw reflected in his eyes? Or was it his own?

Did he know?

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