I shove him in the chest, shaking my head as my brother laughs loudly, throwing his head back, his body shaking.
Sometimes I wish I was more like him, could bury my pain behind a shield of humour and dirty jokes.
I nod stiffly, turning my hand over to inspect my brother’s handy work. He’s done a good job, seems that just like me, you can take the man out of the military, but you can’t take the military out of the man.
‘Thanks’ I grunt roughly, avoiding his gaze.
Gage snorts out a laugh, ‘God, did that actually hurt?’ he teases, ‘saying thank you?’
‘F*ck off’ I reply, but there is no heat to my words, there never is when it comes to me and my twin. We’re the same in some ways, same pain, same memories, we just handle it differently.
‘Ahh there he is’ my brother grins, ‘the big brother I know and love, thank f*ck, I was getting worried there. I’m not sure I can deal with upbeat, friendly Caleb for more than a few seconds.’
Giving the man a middle finger salute, my lips twitch as he blows me a kiss before leaving my office, purposefully leaving the door open just to annoy me.
I’m about to get up when Jennifer pops her head around the door and eyes me apprehensively.
‘I . . . have your coffee Mr Hawthorne’ she practically whispers, a mug of the steaming liquid of the Gods clasped in her hand.
I open my mouth to snap at her, agitated that it’s not already on my desk, I don’t need it announced, just bring the damn drink in. My brother’s words echo through my head, and instead, I force a quick nod, waving her in.
Surprise flickers across her face but she comes in immediately, scurrying over and placing the coffee in front of me.
I clear my throat awkwardly, ‘thank you’ I grit out, picking it up and taking a sip, ‘it’s really . . good.’
Emily’s eyes widen before her face flushes and she practically beams at me, ‘you are most welcome Mr Hawthorne’ she murmurs before leaving, shutting the door quietly behind her.
Leaning back in my chair, I sip on the hot beverage, enjoying the burn of the liquid as it slides down my throat. My mind wanders to Tessa, the firecracker who I can’t seem to get out of my head even though I know it’s wrong.
‘She’s too young, too nice, too smart, and too full of light for someone like you’ I mutter to myself firmly. ‘She’s your new stepmom’s daughter, that makes her family, so stop thinking about her.’
Even I can hear the laughter in my own head and I grab my hair tugging it in frustration, I’m so utterly f*cked.
Tessa’s POV
I stand at the curb outside of the College biting down on my lip as I try to decide what to do. Part of me wants to be a stubborn cow and stalk my way over to the bus stop, taking the two buses back to the house. The other part remembers that I promised Henry that I would catch a ride to and from college with Caleb until he got me my car.
I’m still not comfortable with my mother’s new husband buying me a car, it’s a bit extravagant for some kid he doesn’t even know!
A car horn beeps and I glance up to see a sports car pull up beside me, the window drops and Noah’s friend Mateo leans over from the drivers side. ‘Hey Tessa’ he calls out warmly, ‘you need a ride?’
I glance down the road that is still empty of traffic, shifting from one foot to the other uncertainly. Is Caleb going to even turn up? Has he forgotten about giving me a ride? The thought that I’ve completely slipped his mind doesn’t sit well with me for some reason. I don’t know why, as the guy has been a colossal ass to me since we set eyes on each other, but for reasons that I don’t want to study right now, the thought of me being so unimportant to him that he’d actually forget me completely, hurts.
I’m about to nod, my hand reaching for the door when a loud car horn has me jumping clear out of my skin. I spin around to find Caleb’s SUV slamming to a stop behind Mateo, the huge bulking form of my stepbrother climbing out and stalking toward me.
Reaching my side, he glares at the football player, ‘another friend?’ he snaps, as Mateo’s face pales.
‘He was offering me a ride home because you were late’ I growl back, ‘not everyone thinks it’s OK to leave a young girl standing outside on her own.’
A strangled growl rolls in the back of Caleb’s throat as he continues to glare at Noah’s friend. ‘Well I’m here now, so you don’t need to be getting into a car with a virtual stranger’ he retorts. Leaning closer to the Hispanic man he adds, ‘and I will be picking her up every single day so she won’t need a lift any other days either.’
Mateo nods, giving me an uncertain smile, ‘OK, so, you good Tessa?’ he asks, obviously not sure whether to leave me with Caleb or not.
I smile warmly, ‘yeah, I’m fine, ignore him, he’s taking this whole stepbrother thing way too seriously’ I add as Mateo relaxes slightly.
‘Stepbrother, right, yeah, OK’ he nods quickly, ‘well I’ll see you tomorrow yeah? The gang will be in the quadrant for lunch, so we’ll meet you there?’
I nod back, shifting my books so I can wave at him, ‘absolutely, see you tomorrow Mateo, and thank you for the offer to take me home, I appreciate it.’
The jock returns my wave before gunning the engine and pulling away from the curb, leaving me with Mr grumpy pants who stalks back toward his vehicle without a backward glance. My eyes drop to his ass, man, he fills out that suit well, I bet it’s hard as a rock, you could just sink your nails right into the flesh and he wouldn’t flinch.
‘Tessa! Get in the car!’ he roars suddenly, and I realise I’m still standing by the curb just watching him walk away.
I hurry after him, climbing into the passenger seat and stilling, my breath catching in my throat as his big body leans over me for the second time today, grabbing my seatbelt and fastening it securely.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.