Distraction (Westbrook Series Book 1) (30 page)

"So, you're home kind of early?" I say it more like a question, praying that he doesn't recognize Sam's t-shirt that I now realize is crumpled on the ground next to mine in plain sight.

"I thought Dad said no boys, lil sis. I don't like you being home alone with guys I don't know.
Who
is that and
where
did he go? Where's Avery?" he asks gruffly.

I let out a burst of air. As I had hoped, Kyle didn't recognize Sam.
Thank God
. I just need to keep him up there until we can figure out a way to sneak Sam out of here.

"Isn't her car here?" I ask curiously.

"Uh,
yeah?
It's out front, but I don't see her
anywhere
. I thought she was down there with you."

"Did you check the basement? I think she might be down there watching a movie or something," I suggest, hoping he will leave us alone long enough to make Sam disappear. She might kill me for sending Kyle down there, but I weigh her reaction against the fury that Kyle would unleash on us if he knew this is Sam, and decide I'd much rather deal with her.

"No, I'll go check. Do you guys want something to drink?" Kyle asks casually.

I am surprised that he is being so laid back, after catching me half naked and making out in the pool with a guy. I suppose he still doesn't know that I am standing here topless. Even though it doesn't help with this particular situation, it's nice to know he isn't going to go nuclear on every single guy I date, just because he's my big brother.

"Uh, yeah. I'd like a raspberry Smirnoff Ice and he'll take a beer," I say, trying hard to keep my voice even despite the fact that it feels like there is a giant boulder caught in my throat. Kyle simply nods, turns around, and disappears into the house.

Sam bursts out laughing, as we stumble out of the pool.

"It's
not
funny," I spit out, as I dash up the pool stairs with my arms wrapped tightly across my bare chest. My eyes are darting around the patio in a desperate search for those two tiny purple triangles of fabric. I throw the towel and his shirt at Sam as he makes his way towards the back gate. "
What
did you do with it?" I ask him with urgency.

"What did I do with
what?
" He has an amused look on his face that is far too blasé for my taste. I throw the big t-shirt over my head, after quickly drying myself, worried that Kyle will return before I get a chance to find my bikini top. Sam is standing by the gate, chuckling at my frenzied reaction.

"My
top
. I can't
find
my top. Why are you
still
here? I'm pretty sure you will not be laughing if Kyle finds out it was
you
who had his little sister topless in the pool."

Sam's expression quickly changes, as it finally dawns on him just how close we are to getting caught. Before I can get an answer from him about where the other half of my bathing suit is, I hear the gate latch and click, followed by the sound of metal rattling. Sam is gone. I sigh with a flash of relief.

Seconds later, Kyle is jogging down the deck stairs, holding our drinks. I still have no clue where my bikini top is.

Kyle looks around the patio with his face all scrunched up. "Where did your boyfriend go?" he asks, while handing me the cold bottles.

"I guess you scared him away. He suddenly remembered he had a curfew," I say with mock frustration. I try to keep my eyes down so he won't pick up on my lie. I've never been a very good liar. Mostly, it is because my red cheeks tend to give me away.
Thank God it is dark right now
.

"Where is Georgia?" I ask casually, in an effort to divert his attention away from talking about my boyfriend
.

"She ran home to get her suit. She wanted her car, too. I told her I'd drive her home after, but she refused. She said it is silly for me to drive her all the way back to her house and then back here." He shakes his head and smiles appreciatively. "I really don't mind, but that's just Georgia. She's always thinking about other people like that."

He takes a sip of his beer and sits down in the chair next to me. I am still searching for my top without being too obvious.

"Did you ever find Avery?" I ask. My eyes are about ready to pop when I spot the purple triangles scrunched up into a ball, right under the chair next to Kyle's foot.

"Um . . .
yeah
." His voice catches a little. He clears his throat and continues. "You could have
warned
me, lil sis. I didn't know she'd be down there making out with
some guy
. I felt pretty stupid barging in on them."

My stomach turns upside down. I guess Trevor finally decided to kiss Avery. I knew there was a chance it would happen tonight, but I didn't expect them to be having a full on make-out session so soon.
Why does this still bother me so much?
It certainly shouldn't, considering how well everything is going with Sam.

"So
who
is she down there with?" he asks, after not saying anything for a while.

"You couldn't
tell?
They didn't
see
you?"

"
No.
Thank God
. They were . . . uh . . . a little bit too
busy
to notice my perverted ass staring at them. I honestly didn't mean to look. It's just
weird
. I mean Avery is growing up, I
guess
, but . . . ." He shakes his head. "I still think about how you two used to run around the neighborhood with your dolls. You'd annoy the hell out of me. I guess that's why it's strange seeing some dude shoving his tongue down her throat, and doing other
stuff
. . . ."

He closes his eyes and shakes his head again. "It kind of made me want to just get him the hell
off
of her, and tear him a new one, you know?" He looks at me. His face is now contorted into a strange scowl.

I look at him curiously.
What other stuff were they doing? He wanted to get Trevor off of her?
I didn't realize he was ever
on
her. My stomach aches more, as I try to push that image out of my head. Despite my own disgust with the situation, I am shocked at how open Kyle is being with me. He doesn't normally reveal this much about himself to me, or anyone else in our family. It's strange, but I like that he trusts me more.

"Kyle, we've been best friends almost my whole life.
Of course
, you'd react that way. She's practically your
sister
."

Kyle spits out his beer, as if he is suddenly choking.

"
Gross
. Try to keep it in your mouth, Kyle," I scold him, and wipe my arm where he sprayed me.

I never realized before just how similar Avery and Kyle are to how Sam and I used to be. I notice the heat rising in my brother's cheeks and wonder why he is reacting so oddly. He takes another big swig of his drink, as if the liquid might drown something he is fighting back. Then, it strikes me.
Does Kyle see Avery the same way that Sam sees me?

"Yeah. I don't know. I guess you're right. That must be what it is." He says this more to himself, as if he is the one who needs convincing. "
Who
did you say that was, anyway?" He tries to sound nonchalant, as if he really doesn't care one way or another, but it is so completely obvious that he does care.
Interesting
.

"Trevor Maddox." I cringe when I hear myself say his name out loud. I don't want to think about his beautiful lips kissing Avery, or how his gorgeous body was apparently lying on top of her. It makes me sick, even though I know it shouldn't, and I feel guilty about the fact that it does.

I play with my L charm that is dangling from the light chain around my neck, reminding myself just how great Sam is, and how I even thought earlier that I might already be
in love
with him. I am not so convinced now that these feelings about Trevor are creeping their way back into my system.
Remember what a jerk Trevor was to you earlier, Laila
. Sam would never intentionally embarrass me like that.

"So, am I finally going to meet the
elusive
Georgia?" I ask in a teasing way, hoping that I'm not over-stepping. The last thing I want to do is push Kyle back into his cave now that I am finally getting him to open up. A smile creeps onto his face and the flushed color returns to his cheeks.

"Yeah. She's pretty cool. I think you will like her, lil sis," he says smoothly, with a sweet smile on his face.

I simply nod, trying to fight back my own stupid grin that is begging to reveal itself. I want more than anything to act casual, as if Kyle and I talk like this all the time, but it's not easy. My eyes are still darting back and forth to his feet as we talk, wishing I could somehow freeze time, and snatch my bikini top out from under his chair. I don't even know how it got so far away from the pool.

"Taking a late night dip in the pool, lil sis?" The sound of Sam's smooth voice pulls me out of my trance.

He is fully dressed again, and is holding a bottle of Blue Moon. My heart flutters when I catch a whiff of his light cologne. He casually lies back on the chaise lounge, wrapping one of his arms behind his head.

I turn my head away as the heat returns to my cheeks, and no doubt, leaves a trail of red behind it. "
Something
like that," I mutter.

Kyle shakes his head and starts chuckling. "Yeah.
Something
like that," he repeats sarcastically. "She was making out with her
boyfriend
until I scared him off. It was
so
freaking funny, Sam. I just wish I could have seen the look on his face. He was probably scared
shitless
."

Sam almost chokes on his beer, but he attempts to cover it up with a half-hearted laugh. After an awkward pause, he realizes he should probably join in on the fun, to keep Kyle from getting suspicious. When he scratches his head, I realize his hair is still wet. Thankfully, Kyle does not notice this oversight.

"Since when did
you
start dating? And who's this little punk that is going to need some
serious
ass-kicking?" he asks me playfully.

"Ah,
none of your business
," I start to say, playing the offended sister role perfectly. Then, I decide to have a little fun with him. "On second thought, maybe he
does
need that." I cock my head to the side, making sure Sam sees the smirk on my face.

"Maybe we need to
kick his ass?
" Sam asks with the same amused look he had on his face when we were scurrying out of the pool earlier.

"Yeah. I mean he
was
getting a little
handsy
in the pool . . . ." I fire back, before taking a sip of my drink. Sam once again chokes on his beer when he hears me say the word
handsy
. I can't help but laugh at how quickly his confident demeanor diminishes.

"Now, wait just a minute. Who is this
tool,
anyway? He needs to
know
that if he touches my little sister again, I'm going to . . ." Kyle isn't able to finish his sentence because Sam slips into a coughing fit. He is so loud and dramatic that it pulls Kyle's attention away. "Are you all right man?" he asks Sam, while patting him on the back.

"Yeah. I just swallowed wrong or something."

Yeah, or something.
It takes everything in me not to bust up laughing. Sam is trying to glare at me, but it is obvious that he's not really mad. I can't even hide the smile on my face. Kyle looks at me curiously and shakes his head. He's probably wondering what is so funny.

When Sam looks my way, I try to tell him with my eyes to grab my bikini top without Kyle noticing. For the first time, it seems like he has no clue what I am thinking. When Kyle turns his head, I point to where it is, and make my eyes as big as I possibly can. It is my best attempt at pleading with him to pick it up before Kyle sees it.

When he finally catches on, the corners of his lips turn up playfully. He scoops up the top and tucks it away into his pocket, before Kyle turns his head back around. A devilish glint suddenly flashes in Sam's eyes, as he gets up and walks casually behind Kyle's chair. I eye him cautiously, wondering what he is up to. Sam leans over the top of the chair, forcing Kyle to look up.

"
Dude
, go hover over your
own
chair. You're
freaking
me out," Kyle says.

It's funny how guys don't want to be too close to each other. They seem to value their personal space much more than girls do. I suppose it's yet another one of those mysterious guy code things that I will never understand.