Page 3 of Burn It Down
Things were never the same between us after that. Not good or bad, just different. Then, one night a few months ago changed them forever, and that was the second before of my life.
My second before and after consisted of one thing; my life before and after Gigi Cooper.
“Yeah. Charli comes home next week. I’m just going to stay at the cottage. Think you might want to help me move my shit?” Cage asked as we played Xbox and I pretended to be okay. I had gotten pretty good at it the past few weeks. I think Cage knew better, though.
“Absolutely, bro. So, moving in, huh? Like all the way moving in?” I already knew the answer, but I was cautious about what I said to him now.
The night after Cage caught Gigi at my place, he followed Charli home to Iowa. They worked things out, and she was coming home soon. This was great for us both because for one, he was a miserable fuck without his woman.
For two, I was a miserable fuck withoutmy woman,but I felt guilty as shit too. If they hadn’t worked things out, I would have felt responsible. Shortly after they met, one of the badge bunnies who he had fucked a few times started angling for another chance.
Ariel.
Days after they first hooked up, almost two years before, she had gone a round with me. Lack of morals, I said. Really though, I knew what she was and Cage didn’t see it.
Ariel knew about nothing but quick pleasure; that’s all she was good for because it was all she was willing to give. Cage deserved better; I on the other hand didn’t. Not really. When he asked me what to do, I went with my go to answer.
Lie. Lie, lie.Lie.
So, for weeks, when she showed up at his place, at the fire station, called and texted filthy shit, he lied to Charli. They were just starting, and Charli wasn’t sold on the life of the woman of a firefighter. I didn’t know if it was the danger it posed or the lifestyle. Women just like Ariel, who we called Badge Bunnies, being a constant temptation.
Both of us had lost ourselves in them plenty. We had been eighteen-year-old kids thinking we were studs that they were so ready to drop their panties. I learned long before Cage did that there was nothing but orgasms down that road. Plenty of them, sure. Still, empty fucking with chicks whose names you can’t remember and faces you hardly see gets old. Faster for Cage than for me, though.
“Yeah, moving in. I actually, uh.... I wanted to talk to you about that, man.” Cage paused the game; right away, I felt pain tear through my chest.
“You might let Gigi take your apartment.” I knew Gigi loved the city and crashed at his place all the time. No one else but me knew that she wasn’t thrilled with college life.
“Yeah, bro. Look,” he let out a sigh and sat forward, running his hands through his hair, “I love you like a brother. I do. I never...I don’t know what was between you two. I just know I don’t want her hurt. Maybe....this time, keep your fucking word and stay away from her.” I looked away as his words cut me deep, ashamed to feel stinging in my eyes.
“Gigi hates me now. I fucked up. Cage...man I love your fucking family more than my own. You’re the only family I have. I never....it just...it just happened.”
This was not entirely true. Things were different after that night on her parents’ deck. Not different enough for anyone but the two of us to notice. Gigi was always around and then, for a while, she wasn’t. I was fucking everything that moved and still, I always thought about her.
Then one day she was there. As if she had never been gone. Right after the mess with Ariel, Gigi let me have it. Got right in my face in the hall separating our two apartments. Told me just what she thought of my pathetic act of fucking Cage’s sloppy seconds.
Besides her filthy mouth, that did nothing but get me fucking hard, I was speechless. Gigi was fucking stunning and not at all like I remembered her. All her soft edges were gone, and she was sexy as fuck.
“Hope you like the taste of Cage’s dick in your mouth. Pretty sure it’s what that whore tasted like.” Of course, she was right to give me shit. I deserved it. I didn’t care about that.
What I cared about was how Gigi was looking at me. With those dual colored eyes, fiery and passionate. I loved her eyes; one was mossy green, the other blue and hazel. Beautiful. Pressing her full tits against my chest and filling my lungs with her fresh cherry scent. Fuck, I wanted to pin her to the wall and sink inside her right then.
What made me hotter was Gigi knew it. Her beautiful eyes dropped to my mouth, her tongue came out, and I groaned as it drug slowly over her full pink lips. Then she smirked. Fucking smirked right at me.
Afterwards, she carried her sexy ass across the hall and away from me. It was the beginning of everything and we both fucking knew it. Gigi taunted me for ages after that. I still plowed my way through most of East Side Chicago, but I wantedher. I knew I couldn’t fucking have her.
For more than two years, she watched me bring home random after random. Almost all of them with dark hair, but none of them with eyes like hers. Gigi started rating both Cage and my conquests; she based it on a rating scale she made up using her literary heroines.
For a while, after I kicked out whoever I brought home, Gigi would poke her head out of Cage’s door and smirk at me. Then she’d give me shit, rate them, and make me feel like shit. Which I deserved.
One night, I realized the ratings were changing. Because my conquests were hurting her. I knew what I was doing; didn’t matter if I wanted her, which I did. I not only couldn’t have her, I shouldn’t. What I felt for her was irrelevant. I was no good for her.
“Finn, I don’t mean stay away for good,” Finally, I really looked at him because I was startled by this, “Look, I don’t like it because it’s Red. That’s my baby sister, man. You're...you. But, I mean...Gigi knew what she was getting into. Red’s a smart kid, smarter than both of us. I just...I know you didn’t do it to do it, you know? Because I forbid it. I also know Gigi likely pursued you. Gigi gets what Gigi wants; she’s just like Gwen.” At that, we both laughed.
Gwen Cooper was beloved by all who knew her so her getting what she wanted came easy. Gwen never asked for anything really, she just did what she thought needed done. Made things happen. Deacon never complained because he would give her anything.
Gigi was most like her, and Cage was right, she got what she wanted. Just months ago, it seemed what she wanted was me. After so long of rating the women I fucked and forgot, she changed things.
Gigi teased me, flirted with me, and laughed up at me with those big pretty eyes and that sexy laugh. After giving me her rating, we talked and laughed, and fuck, I was falling for her faster than I knew what to do with.
