Page 24 of Brazen Deceits

RJ shakes his head. “Nothing planned yet, but if the guys head out, I’ll tag along.”

Finally able to run without a hitch in my step, we trot down the path, the pale sun burning the frozen dew from the grass.

I try not to stare at the hint of a smile that’s locked in the corner of RJ’s mouth, at his serious eyes focused ahead, or his obvious intelligence sparkling in those umber depths. Hacker. I’m going for a morning run with a beautiful fucking hacker. I’m not sure my life could get any weirder.

“So why a motorcycle?” I ask as we wind through a few trees.

RJ shoots me a grin. “Do you want the reasons I gave my mama, or the real reasons?”

I chuckle. “Let’s start with the parent argument.”

We skirt past an old man on a bench, RJ nodding politely before answering. “I told her it’s cheaper than a car, it’s more eco-friendly, and that I mostly ride in residential areas, so she shouldn’t worry about a major accident. Also, I can’t text and drive because riding requires my full focus. That alone makes it safer than a car, but most important, if I ever get pulled over, the police can’t racially profile me with my helmet on. Bonus, my hands are always fully visible, so I probably won’t get shot.”

“Fuck.”

RJ tosses a half a shrug. “I mean, it got me the bike.”

We run another block, enormous mansions with sweeping lawns just across the street from us. “So what are the real reasons?”

RJ laughs. “That thing is fucking sweet—have you seen it? And it goes stupidly fast. I feel like a badass riding it. And best of all? My mom can’t use me as a taxi service for my sisters unless she’s willing to give me her car for the day.”

We both laugh at that.

“You have sisters?” I ask.

RJ’s face gets a little softer, his eyes a little less focused. “Yeah. Trish and Jade. They fight like fucking cats, but love each other even harder.”

“How old are they?”

“Trish is a freshman at Madison and is loving her freedom. Jade is a sophomore in high school, and she’s at the age where she already knows everything, you know? I’m sure someday she’ll let me be her big brother again, but for now, I’m just a nerdy nobody to her.” He shrugs, looking across the street at the next uber mansion.

This one has a belfry or something—I honestly don’t understand who can afford to live around here. And who needs 10,000 square feet of house? I mean, I guess if you never wanted to see your family, it might make sense. But otherwise, it’s just excessive. The only plus I can think of is that they make amazing scenery.

“What’s it like? To have sisters?” I ask, wondering if RJ has the same grudging love for his sisters as Emma has for hers.

RJ rubs the back of his neck, thinking. “I love them, but sometimes I just want to hide from them. They are always everywhere, getting into my stuff, talking to me, wanting me to have an opinion on some random shit I know nothing about. But they also stand up for me.”

“How so?”

RJ sneaks a glance at me before focusing on the path. “Well, you know how when you first moved in, I didn’t really talk to you much?”

“I mean, I guess so? I was worried I was annoying you, but Jansen said to give you time, and then we were good, so I didn’t really think about it after that.”

RJ rubs his neck again, his lips pursed like he’s deciding which words to pick up and use. “I’ve always been shy. As I got older, I started making friends, but they were all online, not real life, in-person people. Trish kept pushing me to talk to actual humans. She said she didn’t want a social reject as a big brother.” He chuckles, obviously remembering an old conversation. We circle the gooseneck of the lake, the other side so close we could practically throw a rock across it, but unreachable by foot for another few minutes.

I wait, knowing there’s more to RJ’s story. Eventually, he sighs. “So after a few god-awful fights, I started working on it. I ended up with a few friends by the time I finished high school. We weren’t close or anything, but we’d hang out and play video games on the weekend. Only for some dumb reason, I still couldn’t talk to girls. They seemed too, I don’t know, socially superior for me to toss my awkward ass at. So I just didn’t. I got a little better, over the years, but not much.”

RJ’s honey-brown eyes lock on mine. “You’re the first girl I’ve been totally chill with besides my sisters. Ever.”

I swallow, not sure how to take this confession. A sad smile falls across RJ’s face before he turns back to the path. “Not being able to talk to half of the student population did not make high school easy for me. Add the fact that I spent more time with computers than people, well, I was a social pariah. But Trish stood up for me. She wouldn’t let people say the worst stuff about me. Jade probably would have too, but shewas too little to know what was going on. So, yeah. My sisters are annoying, but also kind of awesome.”

I bump up against his arm, wanting to show support for sharing with me, but not sure if he’d be open to anything bigger. He flashes me a smile, so maybe I guessed right. “You obviously have amazing sisters—it must be a family thing,” I tease.

RJ laughs, the same smooth melody from earlier, and my insides get all gooey. I want to make him laugh all the time to swim in the bliss of listening to it. We follow a twist in the path to the other side of the lake, but I pause as I pull off my long sleeve shirt, my body boiling from the run, among other reasons. RJ does the same, and I can’t help but eye his biceps. The way the muscles stretch the sleeves of his t-shirt makes me want to lick them.

Good God, what is wrong with me today? It’s like I’ve bottled up all my horniness for years and decided last night to pour it into my bloodstream by the gallon. This is preposterous.

But with RJ right in front of me, his breath fogging out and his shirt riding up as he straightens his ear warmer, giving me a glimpse of some serious abs? It’s just…damn.

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