“That’s awesome.”
Sophia’s face softened at his words.
“Because I was going to see if Drew wanted to stay for the rest of the year, and I figured I’d have a better shot at getting him to agree if he didn’t have to share the apartment.”
“And there it is,” Sophia said, her voice strong as if she’d been expecting his reasoning, but there was no missing the disappointment on her face. She got up and wandered into the kitchen.
“I haven’t made any definite plans,” Brody continued. “But are you interested in staying for another semester, Drew?”
I watched Sophia remove a bottle of water from the refrigerator and take a drink. I wanted to go to her, both because the sight of her head thrown back and her throat working was hot as fuck and because she looked like she needed a hug, but I also wanted to focus. What Brody was asking was important.
“Yeah, maybe. Just let me know, and I’ll see what I can work out.” I didn’t want to waste a ton of mental energy on the pros and cons of staying another semester until Brody told me what his plans were for sure.
“Okay, great. I’ll give you a call soon and let you know.”
“Sounds good.”
“Later, man. Bye, Sophia.”
She didn’t bother replying, but it didn’t matter. Brody hung up before either of us could’ve gotten a word out anyway.
I dropped my phone onto the table as I stood up so I could make my way to Sophia. She was setting the bottle on the counter when I reached her and slid my hands around her waist. I liked how she leaned back into me, allowing me to support some of her weight.
I pressed a soft kiss into her hair. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just sorority drama.”
“Anything I can do?”
She turned around and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “First, you can kiss me.”
That was something I would gladly do. I lowered my face to hers so I could press our lips together. The kiss was soft and sweet at first, but as it typically went with us, our hands started to roam and our tongues tangled.
She ground her pelvis into my erection as I moved a hand up to cup her face so I could deepen the kiss. Christ, this woman did it for me.
Needing to catch my breath, I began trailing kisses along her jaw. When I’d made my way to her neck, I asked, “Was there a second thing you needed?”
“Yeah,” she replied, her voice breathless and turned on.
“Gonna tell me what it is?” I asked right before claiming her mouth again.
We hadn’t gone much further than kissing yet, but it felt like we were quickly approaching the next step…whatever that might be. I was definitely excited to find out.
She was the one to pull away this time, and I dropped down so I could suck on her neck.
“God, that feels good,” she moaned. “I…I need…”
I pulled back so I could look deeply into her eyes. “What do you need?”
She took a deep breath. “I need you to be in my bachelor auction.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
D R E W
It had been a long night at Rafferty’s. Well, truthfully, every night felt long when my day was filled with classes and helping Sophia with last-minute tasks for the auction. Wasn’t it enough that I’d agreed to participate? Did she really need my help choosing fonts for the signs she was planning to display? She could put them in Wingdings, and I probably wouldn’t have even noticed.
My commitment to it was there. It really was. I’d just never been the type to concern myself with small details. At least when it came to event planning. Which suddenly reminded me that I was supposed to be planning Cody’s birthday party, which was in about a month and a half. Maybe after the auction dust settled, I could rope Sophia into helping me. She’d offered, but too caught up in all the sorority stuff, we hadn’t talked about it further.
“What’s up?”
Max’s words stilled my wiping of the bar. He’d been sitting there for over an hour, so I knew better than to think his question was a casual inquiry about what I’ve been up to since I last saw him. He was asking me what was wrong because, clearly, I wore my feelings on my face like a gigantic banner advertising my most recent concern.
How I’d ever managed to maintain a lie as huge as my identity for a few months had been a sort of magic even Houdini would’ve been impressed by. Though as Sophia had pointed out, our imaginary family might be coming to an end as soon as Carter slipped up.
I looked up from the spot on the bar I’d been scrubbing at even though I knew the stain was permanent. Sighing heavily, I left the rag on the bar and leaned against the steel fridge behind me. Crossing my arms, I wondered what part of everything would be easiest to fill Max in on.
“Well, I’ve been pretending to be gay, the majority of the student population thinks I’m fucking my sister, and I agreed to prostitute myself this weekend for Sophia’s bachelor auction.” That about covered it.
Max’s eyes had grown a little wider with every detail I’d revealed, and now he looked almost sorry he’d asked anything. He knew a little about my relationship with Sophia, but I’d left all the peripheral details out.
“Okay,” he said slowly. “That’s definitely a lot to deal with.” He was quiet for a moment while I guessed he was processing everything. “So is the auction really for people to bid on sex?”
“No,” I said with a laugh. Then I added seriously, “And no, you can’t come.”
Max laughed, his big belly jiggling with the sound of it. “Well, let me know if she opens it up to the public.”
“Even if it were open to the public, it wouldn’t be open to you,” I joked. “Seriously though, Max, I don’t know how I got myself into this mess.” I moved to the register to begin closing everything down for the night.
“I do. You wanted to better your life.”
Max’s statement was true, but so many things had changed since I’d initially agreed to play Brody Mason, it made me wonder if, when all of this was done, I’d have accomplished what I’d set out to. Right now, it just felt hectic and complicated.
Max slid off the barstool stiffly and pulled on his coat. “I’m sure you’ll figure it all out.” He smiled before putting some money on the bar and heading toward the door.
He’d said it with confidence, like he was in on some secret I wasn’t privy to. That or he had no idea how any of this would play out but wanted to assure me it’d be okay anyway.
I decided Max was a better actor than I was.
The remaining couple at the end of the bar closed out their tab, and I managed to close the place down in less than half an hour and couldn’t wait to get to bed. Or couch. Whatever.
I wasn’t sure if it was the low temperature, but the ride home felt painfully long. By the time I parked and climbed off my bike, I could barely feel my fingers. I didn’t typically like to ride when it was this cold out, but Brody’s apartment wasn’t exactly within walking distance of the bar. At least I’d found a spot out front this time so I didn’t have to walk far.
Shoving one hand into my pocket, I tucked my helmet under my other arm as I walked toward the apartment. As I approached the steps, I noticed Sophia sitting outside, a big jacket on. She had the fur-lined hood pulled over her head, and she was fumbling with something in her hand. I jogged toward her, causing her to startle slightly.