Page 82 of Waking Olivia

I was so happy that he’d broken up with her, but here I am looking as good I’m ever going to look and he still doesn’t care. And now his hot girlfriend is going to come over and he’s either going to regret what he did and get back with her, or he’s not and she’s going to flip out if she finds me here. She will definitely know I’m here—my stuff is all over the room and my plate is still sitting on the table.

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’veneverseen 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.

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