Page 20 of Wrapped Around My Heart
I grab the remote and turn on the TV, finding a rerun of a comedy show to have on in the background, and drop onto my bed. Landon returns shortly after with two bags of goodies and a drink tray. Before the door shuts, the colorful hair of our team’s social media manager fills the space, immediately laughing.
“Please let me take a picture for our account,” she begs and I shrug. Her pictures and other content ideas never bother me, but I know Greyson is more reserved than me, so I’ll be leaving the decision to him. Before he can answer, Lucy beats him to it. “I’ll even angle it so that your face isn’t in it. Just enough of your legs to show there are four of you.”
Grey sighs, but it lacks any annoyance or frustration. “Sure. Go ahead.”
Lucy squeals, motioning for Landon to get into his bed, and proceeds to snap a few pictures before running off to post them.
For as much as they all grumbled about paying up on the bet, we spend the next half hour catching up. Dominik brags about his fiancée’s latest book release and talks about her brothers coming down for another visit soon. Greyson tells us all about Harper’s upcoming dance recital, which I make sure to ask for tickets to. His kid is cute as hell and absolutely loves every one of us who are on her dad’s team. Stella is trying to make suretheir kid gets a wide range of extracurricular activities under her belt, like dance and gymnastics, but Harper has her eyes set on wearing skates every chance she gets. When they came to last year’s family skate night, she could almost keep up with us. Granted, I had snuck off and used most of my energy with Arianna in the lounge room. But still. His girl is good at skating.
An ache that can only be called jealousy hits me square in the chest. These two get to proudly talk about the women in their life, something I would love to do.
Just as the thought forms, Landon gets up and crosses to the bathroom, and that ache drops to a pit of guilt in my stomach.
I should be used to it by now, sneaking around my best friend’s back. We’ve been doing it for almost two years. But slowly something’s changed. Ever since Thanksgiving, seeing that golf lover boy try his best to show off for Ari like he was a damn peacock, something snapped. I find myself wondering what it would be like to just tell Landon I’m into his sister, that we’ve been hanging out every week and each time she wraps me tighter around her finger.
As if summoning her, my phone lights up with a notification. Seeing Arianna’s name makes me grin and unlock the phone quickly.
Ari: She won’t leave my side. This is how we live now.
All the air in my lungs heaves out the moment I click on the attached picture. Yes, Cora looks adorable sleeping against Ari’s side. She’s sprawled out, her back to Ari, making it look like Cora is the little spoon of the two of them. No matter how hard I try to keep my attention on my cute pup, all I can focus on is the fact that Arianna didn’t try to cover herself up.
At some point while cuddling, Ari’s shirt had ridden up her torso where Cora pinned it just above her chest. The lacey red bra is a stark contrast against her pale skin and my fingers itch with the need to peel the cup down and suck her perfect nipple between my teeth.
“Dude, are you seeing someone?” Landon says from right next to me and I jump, a squeal that does not belong to a grown man echoing through the room. My phone flies from my hands, landing screen down in the center of my chest.
“What? No.” My words come out on a rushed breath, which Landon doesn’t miss.
“So the red lacy bra was just from a stranger?” he inquires and I try not to think about how much he looks like his sister with that damn pointed stare.
“Bro, no. Just…it’s nothing,” I say, hoping he’ll drop it.
Only for Dominik to join and keep this mortifying moment going.
“I hope it was an unwanted tit pic and not you looking up porn while we’re all sharing a room.”
My head shakes so fast it feels like my brain is about to dislodge. “It’s not like that.”
“Not like what? It’s not porn or it’s not a stranger?” Greyson asks and I scowl in his direction.
“Thought you didn’t like gossip,” I retort, sticking my tongue out like a child.
Grey’s shoulder lifts and drops as he stares ahead, watching the TV as if he’s actually paying attention to it.
Landon shrugs. “I mean, personally, there’s just something about a red bra that does it for me too, so like, if that’s what you’re looking at, I get it.”
“Nope, no. We’re not doing this,” I snap, unable to process Landon talking about what bra he likes on a woman when his sister’s picture is burning a hole through my phone.
“Wait, since when do you get shy about women, Dean?” Dominik asks before taking a bite from one of the chocolate chip cookies.
“Right? You usually overshare everything,” Landon says, eyeing me skeptically.
Not wanting him to see anything that would give me away, I avert my gaze, only to lock eyes with Grey from where he sits on the pull-out bed that was the couch. He raises a suspicious eyebrow at me, and I have to look away almost as quickly.
That fucker might be the quietest out of all of us, but he is very good at figuring shit out.
And I do not need him or anyone else in the room putting it together that the red bra Landon is drawing attention to right now belongs to his sister.
“Dude, trust me on this. Just. No.”
