Page 15 of Connected By Stars
“I’m taking Frankie from work. I just want to have a good time and not worry about hands on me all night.”
“Why don’t you have his partner take Bell? I’m sure the four of you would have a blast.” I ask, hoping she will like the idea and I won’t have to see her with Logan all night long.
“Oh no, Bella needs hands on her. She needs to let loose and have some fun with the new hottie,” Sophia giggles.
I grind my teeth and keep my mouth shut. The last thing I need to do is cause a scene. I shove some food in my mouth to resist the temptation of saying anything. I force it down, barely tasting it anymore.
“I’ll be right back. I’m going to head to the bathroom.” I throw my napkin on the table and leave. I need some air and to compose myself. I go into the bathroom and take deep, calming breaths. Pacing the floor, I try and get myself undercontrol. My head is one big fucked up mess right now. I have so many thoughts running through my head, and I can’t make sense of anything. I run a hand through my hair in frustration and open the door to find Emma standing there. Great. I really don’t need this right now.
“Are you ok?” She gives me a concerned look and meets my eyes.
“Yeah, I’m great. I just had to use the bathroom.” I lie and avoid her eye contact.
“You can talk to me, you know. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. I noticed it the first time I met you both. How long have you had feelings for Bella?”
“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about. She’s like a sister to me, that’s all.” I shove my hands in my pocket and try to play it off like what she says isn’t too close to home.
“You can lie to yourself all you want, Maverick. Hell, I did the same thing with Noah until I was brave enough to face it. All these feelings can be scary—trust me, I know.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks. We should head back to the table before Noah thinks I’m making out with you in the bathroom.” I give her a small smile and try and change the subject with humor.
“I’ll let you change the subject this time because I know you’re struggling with your feelings, and we do have to get back, but I’m here if you ever need to talk. I understand what you’re going through and can maybe help you shed some light on what you’re feeling.”
“Yeah, okay.” She starts to walk away. “Emma, wait.” She turns to look at me. “Can you maybe keep this between us? I don’t want to get Noah involved just yet. I have some things to work out on my own first. He has enough on his plate with the wedding.”
“My lips are sealed. When you do figure thiswhole thing out, I hope you know that all Noah would ever want is for you to be happy. Same thing he wants for Bella.”
I nod, unable to speak. She walks back to the table, and I follow her before sitting back down and trying to enjoy the rest of my meal.
After we allsay our goodbyes, I walk the girls back to my jeep. They drank more than I realized. Sophia and Bell have their arms around each other, and Bell giggles at something Sophia whispers into her ear.
I open the door for Sophia and help her into the back. Bell tries to get in the front and stumbles in her heels. I barely catch her before she falls. My hand goes around her waist as she lands against me.
“Could you maybe not be so stubborn and wait for me next time?” I say in her ear as her back is pressed against me. She shifts a little bit, and I bite back a moan.
“Sorry,” she breathes. “I thought I could get up. It’s this short dress and heels. Why did you have to get a lift on this thing anyway?”
I know I should let go, but she feels so good in my arms. “It’s only lifted a little bit.” I chuckle softly in her ear. “Let me help you up this time.” I grab her waist to steady her and help her into the jeep. Her dress rides up and gives me a perfect view of that tight ass. One more inch, and I would be able to see everything. My hands linger on her before I reluctantly let her go.
“Thanks,” she whispers.
“No problem,” I manage to get out. I shut the door and get in the driver's side. Sophia is on her phone looking at something and missed the whole exchange. Thank God. She would have probably seen this huge ass boner I have from a mile away. I need to get them home and take a cold shower. This night hasbeen torture. I don’t think I’ve been so hard for anyone this much in one night, and we barely have touched.
I pull up to the drive a little while later and glance over at Bell. She fell asleep a few minutes ago while Sophia and I were talking.
“Mav, can you carry Bella in? She had trouble sleeping last night, and I don’t want to wake her.”
“Why did she have trouble sleeping?” I look back at Sophia.
“She just said she had a lot on her mind.” Sophia gets out and closes the door softly.
I make sure Bell isn’t against the door before I get out and walk over to get her. I carefully lift her, and she snuggles up against me and sighs. My heart skips a beat as I breathe her in. I carry her to her room and gently lay her down. She looks so beautiful it makes my chest ache. I brush her hair back and let my hand linger on her soft skin, tracing the lines of her face. I can hear Sophia coming down the hall, and I quickly pull my hand away and stand up.
“Thanks, Mav. I got it from here. I’ll get her dress off and make sure she’s good.”
“Yeah, okay. No problem. I’ll see you Friday then at the bonfire.” I look at Bell one last time before I tear my gaze away and make myself walk away. I make the short drive home, which is basically on the other side of their building.
We live in the same apartment complex. It was fun when Noah lived with me, and we could drunk-walk home on game nights. I downsized to a one-bedroom when he moved out but stayed in the same building. I like being close to the girls and being there if they need me.
