Secretly Dating My Brother's Best Friend

I pushed open my front door after work, only to find five half-naked, sweat-drenched guys standing in my living room.

I froze in my tracks.

Did I walk into the wrong house?

We stared at each other.

They froze too, before howling like a pack of baboons a second later, scrambling around the room to find their shirts.

Just then, Dylan poked his head out of his bedroom. "Avery, why are you back so early? These are my friends. We just finished playing ball nearby and came over to shower."

He flashed a grin at the guys. "This is my sister."

"Hey, Avery!"

"Welcome home, Avery!"

"Tough day at work, Avery?"

Chapter 1

Surrounded by a group of guys practically radiating intense testosterone, my heart skipped a harsh beat.

I fought to control my facial expression and pointed at the pizza and beer Id just bought and set on the table.

"Hey guys. Grab whatever you want, don't be shy."

"You're the best, Avery!"

"Looking good, Avery!"

I offered a small smile. Well, they weren't lying.

Dylan hollered toward the kitchen, his voice like a megaphone. "Cole, is it done yet?"

"Almost. You won't starve." The voice was lazy, a slow drawl.

I followed the sound and saw a guy in a crisp white t-shirt cooking in the kitchen. He was tall, lean, with pale, flawless skin. He stood sideways, facing the living room. His gaze locked with mine for a second before lazily dropping back to the stove.

He was slowly and methodically searing a steak in a skillet. The muscles in his arm flexed slightly with the movement, and the juices let out a mouth-watering sizzle under the high heat.

"Avery, did you eat?" Dylan asked.

"You guys go ahead, I already ate. I'm going to rest."

Working consecutive days of overtime had drained the life out of me. I needed to catch up on sleep. I went back to my room, quickly cleaned up, and raced to get into bed.

Except the noise outside was hard to ignore.

"Cole, this is actually really good."

"Wait, didn't you say you couldn't cook at the last party?"

"Where are we heading after this? Or are we just calling it a night?"

A moment later, I heard it.

"Keep it down. Can't you just eat and shut up?"

The house instantly went dead silent.

I recognized the voice. It was the guy in the kitchen. Cole.

Dylan mentioned him all the time. Every girl on campus's dream guy.

I didn't know how long I slept, but it was pitch black outside when the pain woke me up. A throbbing ache radiated from my gums. Damn it. My wisdom tooth was acting up again.

I rolled out of bed and padded into the living room, flipping on a single wall sconce. Gritting my teeth through the pain, I rummaged through the cabinets for painkillers. I swore there was one pill left. Where did I toss it?

"What are you looking for?"

The sudden voice behind me nearly made me jump out of my skin.

In the dead of night, it sounded like a crack of thunder.

I whipped my head around, squinting to see who it was. Cole stood out on the balcony, half-hidden in the shadows, moonlight spilling across the floor at his feet.

"You're still here?" I asked, clutching my jaw through the ache.

"Yeah." He gestured toward Dylan's room. "Playing games with your brother. What are you looking for?"

Tears pricked the corners of my eyes from the pain. "Toothache," I mumbled. "Looking for meds."

He stepped inside and walked toward me. He paused, grabbed a throw pillow off the couch, and tossed it at my chest.

I caught the throw pillow.

He arched a brow, his gaze lingering on my neckline for a half-second. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly before a faint smirk tugged at his lips. "It's cold at night. Cover up."

I followed his line of sight downward, then snatched the pillow and crushed it tight against my chest.

My breathing lost its rhythm.

Holy crap. Holy crap.

I was wearing a silk slip dress. Even though I threw a knit cardigan over it so it wasn't overly revealing, his vantage pointstanding over me while I crouched on the floorleft nothing to the imagination.

Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I gripped the pillow like a lifeline. Cole acted like he didn't even notice my panic. He stopped right in front of me and dropped down on one knee.

"Open."

"What for?" My pulse spiked. He was way too close.

"What else would I do?" A dry, amused edge coated his voice.

"Let me see your tooth. My family is full of dentists. I know a thing or two."

I hesitated for a second before obeying and parting my lips. Thank God I brushed my teeth before bed.

His fingers caught my chin, tilting my head up as he clicked on his phone's flashlight, shining it inside. His expression went dead serious.

I forced my breathing to slow. My eyes darted around, unsure where to look, before settling on the pale beauty mark just under the corner of his eye. The scent of body wash hung in the air between us. I couldn't tell if it was mine or his.

His lashes fluttered as his gaze flicked up to meet mine. My heart gave a sharp jolt.

Honestly, his eyes were incredibly strikingslightly upturned at the corners, the irises sharp and clear in the dim light. His skin was flawless. Even in the dark, with barely inches between us, he looked perfect.

Wait.

I just woke up. Did I have crust in the corners of my eyes? Staring at him like this, if he saw that

Every shred of romantic tension vaporized at the thought.

Chapter 2

A sudden, drilling ache flared in my jaw. A sharp hiss slipped through my teeth.

His cool fingertips pressed against the side of my face, the pressure incredibly light.

"Hurts?" His brow twitched slightly, his voice dropping low.

No shit.

"It might be infected."

"Then what do I do?" The throb in my jaw practically stripped the strength from my voice.

"What else? We pull it." He paused for a beat. "Are you free tomorrow?"

Why was he asking that? I ran through my schedule before confirming, "In the afternoon, yeah."

Cole released my chin. He stood up and fished an ice pack out of the freezer.

I followed suit and tried to stand. Id been crouching for too long, and my legs had turned to lead.

The moment I straightened up, a wave of dizzying black spots swarmed my vision.

A firm grip clamped around my waist. A split second later, a freezing weight pressed against my cheek.

I jerked back on reflex, putting distance between us.

He let out a low chuckle, stepping forward to press the ice pack firmly against my face again. "Keep this on. It'll take the edge off."

I snapped out of it and awkwardly averted my gaze. "Right, okay" I subtly rubbed the spot on my waist where his hand had just been.

For a moment, the room fell dead silent.

He checked his phone. "I'm heading out for a bit."

"Oh." I didn't ask where.

He offered it up anyway. "Getting you some meds. I'll be right back."

A rush of warmth hit my chest, but I felt too awkward making him run errands for me in the middle of the night.

"I can just go."

"Forget it. Can you even speak right now? How are you going to explain the situation to the pharmacist? Sign language?"

I suspected he was mocking me, but I had no proof. Even if I couldn't string a sentence together, I could still force the words out one by one.

He was unyielding. My gaze stayed fixed on the door until it clicked shut.

The ice pack was rock-hard and freezing; my face and hand were practically going numb. I switched hands and kept it pressed to my jaw.

After switching back and forth a few times, the throbbing finally dulled.

Ten minutes later, Cole walked back in holding a small pharmacy bag. His chest heaved slightly, like hed just sprinted back.

I took the bag from him. "Thanks." That's when I noticed the ends of his hair were damp.

"Why is your hair wet?"

"Started drizzling outside." He ran a hand through the damp strands falling over his forehead.

Wait.

He actually ran out in the rain just to grab my meds? That was way too nice.

Cole turned and walked into the kitchen, returning a moment later to hand me a glass of water.

I swallowed the pills and downed the water.

He smoothly took the empty glass from my hand, set it on the coffee table, and dropped onto the opposite end of the couch.

"Still hurt?"

"It's manageable."

"I'm taking you to the dentist tomorrow."

Something about that felt strange, though I couldn't quite put my finger on why.

"Do I really need to get it pulled?"

He paused for a few seconds. Those striking eyes blinked once, and then a slow smirk spread across his face. "What do you think?"

Jesus.

"You'll know when we get there," he said, watching me with a relaxed, almost lazy posture. He didn't look like he was lying.

I hesitated for a few seconds, my brain spinning as I seriously started questioning every medical article I'd ever Googled. WebMD always convinced you that you were dying anyway.

Was I actually going to have to get a tooth ripped out? No. I didn't want to.

At least not right now. I wasn't mentally prepared for a pair of pliers in my mouth.

I furrowed my brow, stressing out. Great. It was probably just psychological, but the tooth started throbbing all over again.

A sudden, low laugh broke the silence. Cole leaned back against the couch cushions, openly laughing at me.

"What's so funny?"

"Avery, how are you that gullible?" He pressed the back of his hand against his lips, trying to stifle his amusement.

Son of a bitch. He was messing with me.

"So cute. Like a startled kitten."

My pulse gave a sudden, sharp kick.

Cute? What the hell was cute about this? Startled kitten? He could just say I was an easy target and get it over with.

"You took your meds. Go back to bed."

He reached out and lightly tapped the top of my head, effortlessly shutting down my irritation.

I froze, my thoughts stalling out.

I honestly had no idea how I managed to walk back to my room.

All I knew was that the second my bedroom door clicked shut, I threw myself face-first onto the mattress and viciously punched my pillow.

I lay there in the dark, tossing and turning, completely unable to fall back asleep.

Replaying everything that just happened in the living room left a weird, fluttering sensation in my chest. Being taken care of like that it was a dangerously warm feeling.

Cole was practically the same age as Dylan, but he had this grounded, steady presence that just made you instinctively trust him.

Thinking of my own brother, getting him to do anything required waiting twenty minutes while he whined and dragged his feet.

Comparing the two of them gave me the urge to drag Dylan out of bed and beat him up.

Chapter 3

The next afternoon, I got a text from Cole saying he was downstairs at my office building. I hadn't expected him to pick me up. I packed up my things, a faint, undeniable hum of anticipation buzzing in my chest.

The second I jogged out of the lobby, I spotted him leaning against his car. He cracked a smile as soon as he saw me. "Slow down. We're not going to be late."

I wasn't worried about being late; I just didn't want to keep him waiting.

Once inside the car, the silence was suffocating, so I forced a laugh and scrambled for small talk.

"Where do you live?"

"West Side."

"That's close."

"Yeah."

The atmosphere in the car could rival a freezer. For some reason, my nerves were completely shot.

I kept rolling the window down and rolling it back up, letting out a stiff, awkward laugh. "So weird. It's freezing one second and boiling the next."

He ignored me, which just made me feel like an absolute idiot.

At a red light, he turned his head and stared at me for a few solid seconds before dropping his gaze with a soft laugh. "Your eye makeup looks really good today."

Heat rushed straight to my face. I practically snapped my neck turning to stare out the window.

Jesus Christ, he actually complimented me. I was terrified he could see right through my pathetic panic.

A minute later, I opened my mouth again. "How old are you anyway?"

He didn't look like he wanted to answer, which only made me more curious.

After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke. "Younger than your brother."

Younger than Dylan?

"How much younger? A year? Two?" I pressed, refusing to let it go.

Just when I thought he was going to ignore me again, he dropped a single word. "One."

"Oh. Right." I nodded, quickly doing the math on our age gap in my head. "That's not bad."

A four-year gap. I couldn't make a move on him.

I said it wasn't bad out loud, but inside, it felt like a bucket of ice water had just been dumped over my head.

A four-year difference. The tiny spark of attraction that had just started to ignite was smothered before it even caught air.

"What's not bad?" he shot back.

"I just mean it's fine. It's great to be young and full of energy. Unlike me. I'm practically ancient"

And I definitely couldn't afford to play games.

"As long as an older girl takes care of herself, there are plenty of younger guys lining up."

I froze, completely caught off guard.

I whipped my head around to look at him, catching the distinct smirk playing on his lips. Was that a hint? Or was he just straight-up calling me old?

"Don't stress. It's just a routine check to see what's going on with your tooth."

"Okay." His grounded tone actually managed to soothe me, and the frantic hammering in my chest slowly leveled out.

It turned out exactly like he said. They just took some X-rays, and the dentist rattled off a list of things to watch out for. The only weird part was the strange, knowing look the older dentist kept shooting me.

"Once the swelling goes down, I'll come back with you to get it pulled," Cole said.

"Okay."

"Are you really that freaked out?"

I forced out a laugh. "Not even close."

Honestly, my legs felt like jelly.

When I got home, Dylan was standing out on the balcony, staring at me with this bizarre expression.

"Avery, since when are you so tight with Cole?"

I shot him a blank look. "What?"

"I literally just saw you getting out of his car."

I dropped my bag on the counter and shrugged it off. "He's your friend, I'm your sister. It just kind of happened."

"You shouldn't get too close to him. I don't want you falling for a guy like that."

Dylan closed the distance between us, lowering his voice. "He has half the girls on campus chasing him. He's a total player."

I froze for a second.

"You can't just judge people by how they look," I said, faking annoyance as I shoved his shoulder. But a sour, uncomfortable knot tightened in my stomach.

"I'm not judging him by how he looks!"

"You can't just call him a player just because he's ridiculously good-looking."

Dylan just stared at me.

After retreating to my room, my mood completely tanked, all thanks to Dylan's little warning. A guy like Cole, with his insane looks and that quiet, attentive streak, was obviously going to have girls throwing themselves at him.

I sat there overthinking it for a minute before storming back out into the living room and marching right up to Dylan.

"Call me 'big sister' right now."

"Why?"

"Just shut up and do it."

Chapter 4

"Avery? Aaa-ve-ry~"

It wasn't the same. It completely lacked that low, teasing gravity. Hearing Dylan mock my name didn't send that dangerous rush of heat straight to my chest the way Cole's voice did.

Dylan pinched his nose and whined my name again in a high-pitched pitch.

"Drop dead," I muttered, slapping the back of his head.

He yelped. "What was that for?! You're acting seriously weird.

Don't tell me youre out there adopting some other guy as your brother. I reject this! Denied!"

I slammed my bedroom door shut, cutting off his obnoxious yelling.

I leaned back against the wood, a terrifying realization sinking in: I was screwed. I was developing a massive, unspoken thing for Cole.

My mind flashed back to him standing in my kitchen. The way that plain white T-shirt clung to his shoulders, the easy, quiet confidence radiating off him. That single glance from his clear eyes had been enough to stall my thoughts. Combine that with his low, steady voice calming me down at the dentist? It was physically impossible not to be attracted to him.

But I couldn't let it show. I was terrified of him catching on. If he didn't feel the same way, it would be a humiliating disaster. If I were just a few years younger, I might have just recklessly gone for it.

When the day finally came to get the tooth pulled, Cole was the one who drove me again. I demanded a massive cheat meal beforehand.

He didn't argue. He just laughed. "Enjoy it while you can. You'll be eating mush for the next few days."

Even though we were sitting in a loud, crowded American BBQ joint, my entire focus was locked onto the thick cuts of meat sizzling in the hot oil on the grill. I chewed aggressively, getting my money's worth.

"Slow down." Cole barely ate anything. He was entirely focused on flipping the meat and managing the grill.

"Are you going to eat?" I asked.

Hearing that, he looked up. A dark, unreadable expression flickered in his eyes before his gaze slowly dropped to the piece of meat I had just wrapped in a lettuce leaf. One corner of his mouth tipped up. "Sure. Can I try that piece you're holding?"

"Uh" I glanced at the grill. The raw cuts he just threw on were nowhere near done. It wasn't that I was being greedy; the gesture was just way too intimate. But I was the one who asked, and he was the one doing all the cooking. I had no excuse to say no.

Under the heavy weight of his stare, I leaned across the table and extended my hand, bringing the food right to his lips. My palms were practically sweating. He dipped his head, parting his lips to take the bite directly from my fingers, chewing slowly.

My eyes zeroed in on his lips. I swallowed harda harsh, involuntary gulp that he definitely caught.

"How is it? Good?" I asked, awkwardly snapping my hand back.

He looked down, letting out a low, rough chuckle.

Sitting there under his gaze, I felt like I was the one getting seared on the hot grill. The meat wasn't even cooked yet, but my brain was already completely fried.

I clamped my mouth shut, chewing my food in silence as a fresh piece of cooked meat dropped onto my plate.

"Stop giving it all to me. You eat. I'll take over the grill in a second," I mumbled around a mouthful of food.

Ever since I practically hand-fed him, my entire nervous system had been in a state of high alert. I was silently cursing myself. How was I getting this worked up over a younger guy?

"Just focus on eating."

"I can't eat that much. Plus, it's an all-you-can-eat place. If you don't eat, it's a total rip-off."

He just smirked and casually dropped another sizzling slice of steak onto my plate.

Fine. I'd just have to eat his money's worth too.

"Cole! It really is you!"

A sharp, overly excited voice pierced the air right above us. A girl suddenly appeared at our table. Without waiting for an invitation, she slid into the booth, sitting right next to Cole.

My chopsticks froze mid-air.

I stared as she flashed a bright, perfectly sweet smile. "Hi there! I'm Violet."

"Hi," I said flatly.

The moment she sat down, the quiet tension at our table was shattered.

"I'm eating over there with some friends. I totally thought my eyes were playing tricks on me."

"Cole, your grilling technique is amazing. That looks absolutely delicious." Violet rested her chin on both hands, her eyes locked onto him with a brazen, hungry stare.

She was the definition of sweet and bubbly. Her eyes turned into perfect little crescents when she smiledthe kind of girl everyone instantly liked. The booth was small. Their shoulders were practically brushing. The sight sent a sudden, sharp sting straight behind my eyes.

I pulled back, dropping my gaze and focusing intently on the food on my plate.

Chapter 5

Finally, I hit a wall. "I'm full."

Cole shot me a look. "I'm going to the restroom."

That left just me and Violet at the table.

Suddenly, she asked, "Avery, are you guys dating?"

I nearly choked on my drink.

"N-no," I stammered, hastily wiping my mouth.

"Oh, okay." She sounded almost disappointed, then her voice shifted into this sickeningly sweet, admiring tone. "Cole is just so great. He's smart, he's gorgeous it feels like he's perfect at everything"

I tuned out whatever she said next.

Later, as I quietly followed Cole to the parking lot, he took one look at my face and caught the shift in my mood. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice dropping low.

What was wrong? I was insanely jealous, that's what.

But I couldn't exactly say that. "I just ate too much," I muttered defensively.

"Doesn't look like it."

Looking at the faint smirk playing on his lips, I let out a defeated breath. I had zero right to be jealous right now.

Seeing the older dentist again, I had to physically force myself not to back out of the room. He was wearing a surgical mask. He glanced at Cole standing next to me, his expression unreadable.

Even now, I hadn't seen the guy's full face, but the lines around his eyes above the mask were actually pretty sharp.

Lying back in the dental chair, my toes curled up tight.

"Relax, kid," the dentist said.

After the novocaine kicked in, he leaned in with the tools.

I squeezed my eyes shut in terror, my fingers blindly grabbing at the air.

Suddenly, a large, warm hand completely enveloped mine. The grip carried this grounding, heavy pressure, a rough thumb firmly stroking the back of my hand. The raw, masculine strength radiating through our connected palms shot straight to my chest, forcing my frantic breathing to slow down. The dentist had to announce he was done a few times before I finally snapped out of that utterly consuming physical contact.

I fluttered my eyes open and realized there was someone else standing right beside the chairCole.

And our hands were tightly laced together.

A delayed wave of realization crashed over me. Was I holding his hand this entire time?

An electric jolt shot from my palm straight to my chest, kickstarting a frantic hammering against my ribs.

The dentist started rattling off post-op instructions, but my ears were practically ringing. My entire focus was hyper-fixated on Cole's grip on my hand.

He just kept holding it. He never let go.

The dentist cleared his throat. "Do you want to keep the tooth? If so, I can have them clean and sterilize it."

My eyes darted to the bloody mess on the metal tray, and I nearly blacked out.

With my mouth stuffed full of gauze, I couldn't speak, so I shook my head so hard my neck ached.

Finally, the dentist stopped what he was doing. His gaze took a slow lap over my and Cole's tightly joined hands before he arched an eyebrow. "Your boyfriend is pretty attentive. He's paying way more attention to these instructions than you are."

A low, breathy chuckle right next to my ear made my face burn.

I shot out of the chair and power-walked toward the exit.

The grip on my hand tightened. Cole yanked me right back, clearly fighting off a smirk as he reminded me, "You haven't paid yet."

"Oh. Right." God, I wanted to die.

Once we were finally outside, I actively avoided making eye contact with him. Mostly because my cheeks were stuffed with gauze like a chipmunk, I couldn't talk right, and I was actively trying not to drool everywhere. Not exactly a great look.

We barely made it a few steps before my hand was suddenly snatched up again.

"Why are you running?"

My brain instantly short-circuited, zeroing back in on the hand holding mine. His hand was so large, his long fingers completely swallowing mine.

"Avery, let me ask you something," Cole murmured. He leaned down, slowly invading my personal space, that lazy smirk curving his lips.

My lungs just flat-out stopped working.

"It's my birthday next weekend. Can you come?"

The way he smiled at me was entirely too devastating.

I had zero reasons to say no.

Just the thought of Cole's birthday next week had me riding a massive adrenaline high. Suddenly, even grinding through work felt effortless.

I was ready to hustle for that paycheck just to spoil him.

Even Dylanwho normally couldn't care less about my existence unless he needed cashnoticed the shift.

Chapter 6

Dylan shuffled out of his room in his slippers, shooting me a suspicious glare as I hummed happily by the front door.

"Avery, you've been practically glowing the last couple of days. What's the good news? Did you get a raise or something?"

His gaze dropped to the shopping bags dangling from my hands. This was my loot from a massive mall haul, specifically bought so I could make a killer entrance at Cole's birthday party.

"Avery, you're buying more clothes? You're already pretty enough, now you're just showing off. Give the rest of us a break."

Whenever my brother started acting sweet, he definitely wanted something.

"No way. To stop you from maxing out your credit cards, you need to lend me fifty bucks as hush money." He shoved his hand right in front of my face, demanding it like it was his right.

"In your dreams. Keep pushing and I'll flush your game controller down the toilet."

I made it to my bedroom door before a thought hit me, and I spun back around.

"How would you feel if I got you a brother-in-law? Someone younger than you."

His face dropped. "No. Absolutely not."

"Like I need your permission."

"I'm just saying, with your IQ and looks, what kind of boyfriend are you honestly going to pull?"

One second he was calling me pretty, the next he was calling me ugly. Men were absolute liars. Could I return this brother to the factory for a refund?

"Whatever. Get out of my face."

"Avery, are you seeing someone? Who is this guy? Let me vet him so you don't get played.

You're exactly the type to get scammed, and I am not dealing with you crying about it later." He trailed right behind me, nagging non-stop.

I slammed my bedroom door shut, cutting off his yelling.

I leaned back against the wood, a realization sinking in: I was screwed. I was developing a thing for Cole.

A loud howl instantly erupted from the hallway. "Attempted murder! You almost flattened my nose! You're paying my medical bills!"

I honestly owed him nothing. He couldn't go two sentences without bringing up cash. He'd been asking for money constantly lately, acting like he was broke, though I had no idea what he was spending it on. I didn't care enough to ask.

The night before Cole's birthday, my insomnia flared up horribly, leaving me passed out until noon the next day.

I scrambled out of bed, threw my outfit together, grabbed his gift, and bolted.

Damn it. Dylan had taken the car. Left completely stranded, I had to swallow the pain and pay for an expensive Uber.

By the time I finally arrived, I was two hours late.

When the door swung open, the guys inside froze. I assumed they were stunned by my killer outfit, considering the whispers that broke out.

"That's Dylan's sister."

"She's gorgeous."

"Damn, Avery looks hot."

"I should have dressed better."

Then there was my brother.

"Avery, what are you wearing? That's hideous."

I was wearing pure confidence and flawless makeup. What did this idiot know?

I scanned the room, but Cole was nowhere in sight. My face immediately fell. I spent two hours getting ready specifically to impress him, and he wasn't even here.

The second I sat down on the couch, a dark jacket was tossed over my bare legs.

Cole appeared out of nowhere, handing me a cold drink.

"You look incredible."

His voice was pitched low, a rough murmur meant strictly for my ears, the heat of his breath practically brushing against the side of my neck.

I didn't even need to check a mirror; I knew the tips of my ears were burning hot.

"It's just an average outfit." I forced a calm smile, casually tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

"Avery, want to play a game?" One of the guys leaned over. Dylan was busy loudly destroying someone at FIFA across the room.

I glanced at Cole. He didn't look entirely interested in joining the crowd.

I shook my head, declining the offer.

Cole just sat there, quietly watching me.

I cleared my throat, awkwardly rubbing the back of my neck. Suddenly, I remembered this ridiculous flirting trick I saw on TikTok.

"I've been reading up on palmistry lately," I said, leaning in slightly. "Want me to read your palm?"

He arched a dark brow.

Chapter 7

I stared at the palm he held out to me and started spouting absolute nonsense with a straight face. "See this? This is your life line. And this one this is your love line"

I traced my index finger across his palm, taking full advantage of the excuse to touch him. How on earth did a guy have better skin than me? It wasn't fair.

"Mm." He rested his chin on his free hand, his dark eyes locked intensely on mine, offering a low hum of acknowledgment every few seconds. He looked so focused that he almost convinced me I was actually dropping ancient wisdom instead of totally making it up.

Just as I was rambling my nonsense, his large hand suddenly took control, wrapping tightly around mine. His rough thumb brushed across my palm, sending a jolt of electricity shivering straight through my body.

I froze in place.

I tried to pull back, but his grip held firm. I dragged my gaze up, shooting him a questioning look.

Cole let out a low chuckle. "Your hands are tiny." He slowly dragged his thumb down the center of my palm, a teasing edge in his voice. "Is this one your love line?"

I snatched my hand back, my heart slamming violently against my ribs. My fingertips trembled uncontrollably. The only sound left between us was the steady, heavy rhythm of our breathing.

I tried to make a move, and I played myself.

I grabbed my drink and took two desperate gulps, trying to fake some composure. Thankfully, a couple of girls pulled me over to their circle right then. Violet was one of them.

The moment I joined them, they treated me like their designated older sister. I was forced to sit through a tidal wave of campus gossip.

Crap. I drank way too much. I needed to use the bathroom.

But as I passed the kitchen, I spotted Cole standing inside by himself. I immediately pivoted, walking in and pretending to look for another drink.

He looked a little exhausted, the alcohol definitely catching up to him.

"You've been drinking?"

"Yeah."

He stood there under the warm overhead lights, leaning against the counter. He looked lazy, untouchable, and unfairly attractive. My common sense evaporated, and before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "You need a shoulder?"

He didn't quite catch it, letting out a confused, "Huh?"

I took a step closer, closing the distance. "Do you want to lean on me?"

I was officially out of my mind.

A slow smile spread across his face. He dipped his head, resting it right against my shoulder. A heavy weight settled on my left side, and half my body went numb. I had never been that physically close to a guy before.

I could feel the steady heat of his breath brushing against the bare skin of my neck, leaving a searing, tingling trail in its wake. My pulse hammered wildly. I had to hide it. I couldn't let him feel my heartbeat. I completely held my breath, taking painfully slow, shallow drags of air, terrified of doing anything that might make him pull away.

The loud laughter bleeding in from the living room clashed violently with the heavy, suffocating tension trapping us in the kitchen. I was practically burning up.

Finally, I forced a word out to shatter the thick atmosphere. "Why are you hiding in here?"

"They're too loud," he murmured against my shoulder. "My head is spinning."

He wasn't the only one. I was barely getting enough oxygen to function.

I discreetly turned my head to look at him, but his heavy lashes fluttered open, his dark gaze locking onto mine.

"What are you looking at, Avery?"

I lied through my teeth without missing a beat. "Your eyelashes are really long. I was trying to count them."

He shifted slightly, a rough chuckle vibrating against my collarbone. "Then get closer. You'll see them better."

His eyelashes brushed against my skin as he laughed, the sensation practically scraping directly against my nerves. I jerked my head away in a panic, only to catch a glimpse of Dylan pacing right outside the kitchen doorway.

"Did anyone see my sister?" he shouted.

Crap!

Pure panic took over. I shoved the weight off my shoulder with both hands.

A sharp grunt ripped from his throat. I watched Cole slam back against the counter, clutching his side with a harsh wince.

"I-I'm so sorry" I was dead. I definitely just broke his ribs. "Are you okay?"

He took a second to catch his breath, shooting me a look that was half-amused, half-exasperated. "I'll live."

He shot a quick glance toward the doorway, that lazy, dangerous smirk crawling back onto his face. "Why are you so jumpy? People are going to think we were in here doing something we weren't supposed to."

The way he smiled made it feel like we were actually doing something wrong. Guilt spiked hard in my chest, and I just blurted out the first thing that came to my mind.

"I'm not jumpy. I just really have to pee."

I turned and bolted out of the kitchen before he could say another word.

Chapter 8

I really did have to pee, and I was also incredibly embarrassed. Why the hell did I announce I had to pee?! Even if it was true.

I stalled in the bathroom for ten solid minutes before finally dragging myself out to look for Cole.

I spotted him sitting with Violet. They were huddled close, practically whispering to each other.

Violet murmured something, flashing a sickeningly sweet smile, and Cole actually wrapped an arm casually around her shoulder