Such a fucking tease.
Chapter Four
Caleb
The door closes to her bedroom and I exhale, shoving a rough hand through my hair as I glance down at my sweatpants and the obvious hard-on I’m now rocking.
“Fuck,” I breathe out, wondering if she noticed. I mean we were curled up together on the couch, which isn’t exactly roomy. And I’m pretty sure my dick was pressed up against her ass too. Or at least in close proximity to it.
I hear the sound of the shower starting up and almost immediately my brain is filled with images of her naked and wet, which of course does nothing for my hard-on. Readjusting my pants, I move into the kitchen to make some coffee, just as the front door opens and Reid and Sienna walk in.
“Honey, we’re home!” Reid shouts, chuckling as he walks into the kitchen. “Hey,” he says, slapping me on the back.
“Hey yourself.”
“You good?”
I give him a wordless thumbs up, actually meaning it for once. Last night was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in months. Not only did I sleep through the night, I didn’t have a single nightmare, at least not one I remember anyway. Given I was wrapped around Ruby all night, I’m pretty sure I would’ve woken her if I had, which means she would’ve woken me.
I’m also pretty sure she’s the reason for my good night’s sleep, but I’m still trying to process the reasons behind that.
“Yeah,” I say, holding up the coffee pot. “I’m good. Coffee?”
Reid glances over his shoulder as Sienna walks into the kitchen. “Nah, we gotta get to class,” he says, throwing his arm around Sie’s shoulders. “Just came by to grab some things.”
I pour myself a cup as I mentally tell my dick to calm the fuck down so I can actually turn around and face them.
“You working tonight?” Sienna asks.
I shake my head, quickly glancing down to check all is good before I turn to them. “Nah, night off tonight,” I say, leaning back against the counter.
“Good,” my sister replies. “Family dinner and movie night then,” she adds, smiling at me.
My eyes flick to Reid who just grins at me because he’s totally pussy whipped these days and will do anything Sie wants him to do. I roll my eyes at him, a look of mock disapproval on my face, which only makes him laugh.
“Sure, sounds good,” I reply, turning back to Sie as I take a sip of coffee.
Sienna beams as though I’ve made her fucking day, stepping over to give me a hug, because that’s become the new thing since we got to Hawthorn. She and I were never really super affectionate growing up, maybe because we had distant parents who never gave a shit. But ever since I came back with her and Reid, she’s been kind of clingy with me.
As weird as it is though, I don’t mind and honestly, I kind of get it too. After everything we’ve been through, after the two years apart and all the shit that happened when our dad died, the things she came home to when her and Reid drove back, and then watching as they risked everything to get Reid’s dad; it’s all only solidified the bond we share.
Her, Reid, and me.
Because he’s different with me, too.
But again, I get it. This is our family now and we are all each other has got.
“Okay, we gotta go.” She steps back, giving me a once over. “You look good,” she suddenly says as she tilts her head at me as though she’s trying to figure out what’s different. “Rested.”
My eyes flick to Reid again before back to Sie. Shrugging, I try to play it off as though it’s no big deal. “I am.”
Sienna pulls me in for another tight embrace, her mouth at my ear as she whispers, “I’m so glad.”
I exhale because as much I hope it’s over, I really have no idea if last night was a one-time thing, or whether my nightmares will all return when I go to sleep on the couch by myself tonight. Whatever it was though, I’ll take it for now, because it feels good to actually feel so rested. To wake up and not feel like I’m trying to swim through concrete. It’s the first time in forever that I’ve felt like this and it’s even better that Sie somehow thinks I’m getting better too.
“I’ll see you guys later, yeah? And I’ll take care of dinner tonight,” I say, as I put my coffee cup in the sink. “I’m gonna take a shower.”
We say our goodbyes and I head into the bathroom, my mind instantly going back to thoughts of Ruby in her bathroom, naked and wet beneath the water. The hard-on that I managed to talk into submission returns with a vengeance, demanding I do something about it.
I know what I’d like to do, but I’m pretty sure that’s not an option. As fun as it’s been hanging out with Ruby and as much as I love spending time with her, I’m positive we are squarely in the friend zone.
Plus, it’s been so fucking long since I was with a girl, it almost feels like I wouldn’t even know how to read the situation if she was into me. The last thing I want to do is make a move when she’s not on the same page. These days, it seems jacking off in the shower is the limit of my sexual activities.
I resist the urge to jerk off to thoughts of her though, because as tempting as it is, it also feels kinda wrong. Instead, I turn the water to cold and wash quickly, once again mentally giving my dick the message that it isn’t happening today.
By the time I walk back into the kitchen, showered and dressed, the house is empty. There’s a note on the table, which I pick up and read.
Hey! Sorry, had to bail for class. So, family dinner tonight, huh? Sounds like fun... Will be done with class at 3 if you wanna go for a quick run afterward…you’re getting in better shape, but there’s still work to be done ;)
R
I let out a laugh at her cheekiness, even if she is right. Having spent the last two years working every night and most of the day trying to find ways to salvage our family business, not to mention eating shitty bar food on a fairly regular basis and not having any football practice, I’ve definitely let myself go.
So it’s been great being able to get back in shape again, even if the best part of my run is getting to hang out with Ruby.
I feel like I should text and let her know I’m up for the run, but I can’t because I still don’t have her number. It’s weird, because even though we live in the same house, spend most nights hanging out together and run practically every day, we haven’t done the whole number swap thing.
Again, it’s hard, because I feel so out of fucking practice with this whole thing, I just don’t know how to approach it.
With nothing else going on and Reid, Sienna and Ruby all in class, I spend the afternoon shopping for food for dinner. Now I have a fairly steady income, not to mention the money Reid gave us, I feel like it’s the least I can do, considering I’m crashing on the couch and basically living rent free with them.
And as shitty as it is that I don’t have my own space, I still can’t bring myself to look for somewhere else to live. I know part of it is just not wanting to be alone. It’s not just because of what happened, when Ray Bowen showed up at my house and beat the shit out of me, although I can’t deny that’s a huge part of it. But having spent two years virtually living by myself in Providence, I crave the company I now have, even if it’s just knowing someone else is in the house.