Drawn to You: Volume 3 (2 page)

Emily

My head is still reeling from Tristan’s kiss as my best friend comes crashing into my room. Ceci’s eyes light up with a look of mischief as she watches me flipping through the latest issue of
Stars.
I self-consciously brush my face, weary that I’ve left some kind of trace of Tristan’s lips on me. My cheeks warm just thinking about Tristan’s touch on my skin. I’m not sure how I’ve gone without it for so long. I clear my throat, but that only makes her stare at me more intently.

“So how was it?” she asks, jumping on my bed with a handful of black licorice. A streak of anxiety fills me.
Shit.
Does Ceci know something? Did she see Tristan leaving my room? I close my magazine and turn my full attention to her. She smiles as her eyes gleam with interest while a million thoughts float through my mind as she waits with baited breath. What if she does know? Hell, I don’t even know what’s going on between Tristan and me. How am I going to explain it to someone else?

“Dang, that good?” Ceci says, chewing on the several strands of black licorice in her hand. I haven’t seen her look this excited since I announced I was going to try online dating. It seems like her short-term relationships aren’t excitement enough.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say.

She stares at me with a look of disbelief.

“Um, a hot bartender with tattoos sound familiar?”

Relief washes over me. For a second there, I thought she might have seen Tristan leaving my room.

“Oh, Tyler?” I ask. “No, I left Oasis alone.”

Ceci's eyebrows quirk up at me in surprise. I’m sure she doesn’t believe me albeit I’m telling the truth.

“I’m not buying it.”

I laugh. “I guess you were too busy flirting to even really notice.”

A strange look crosses her face as she turns to me.

“No, to be honest, the only guy I wanted to flirt with was Tristan,” she admits. “Unfortunately, he seemed a little preoccupied.”

My heart sinks at her confession. I really didn’t think Ceci’s interest in Tristan would last so long. She has the attention span of a squirrel when it comes to men. Thank God she didn’t see what happened between Tristan and me at the club.

“Emily, you’re not saying anything.”

I blush. What can I say without hurting her feelings? I’ve never laid claim to Tristan. She doesn’t even know the history between us. The only soul I’ve told is Augie and that’s because if I didn’t tell someone, I would’ve exploded.

“Um…”

Ceci rolls her eyes at me as she paces back and forth across my guest bedroom.

“Um? That’s all you’re going to say? Look, I know you don’t look at him like that, but I think he’s sex on a stick.”

I’ve never felt so weird hearing Ceci objectify any guy except Tristan. He’s more than just sex to me, although I would be an idiot to say that isn’t important. I’ve always felt a connection to him. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t help but imagine myself as the woman he was sleeping with whenever he would bring someone home. I couldn’t be her, so I lived vicariously through each one.

“It’s not that. I just…”

“You think he’s too good for me?” Ceci asks.

The words hang in the air for what seems like minutes. A look of annoyance crosses her face as she waits for my reply.
Yes.
My heart squeezes at the thought. Before I can summon up the strength to say something, Ceci leaves the room in an angry huff and slamming the door behind her. I watch with a heavy heart as my best friend walks out.

A sense of dread fills me as I mull over Ceci’s words. The last thing I wanted was to hurt my best friend, but I don’t want to see her anywhere near Tristan. Just the thought of them together is enough to make me sick.

My cellphone vibrates on my lap.

I look down to find my roommates broad grin staring back at me as his name flashes across the screen. I swipe my phone open, desperate to talk to him.

“Augie, thanks for calling me back.”

“Of course, what’s wrong? You sounded upset on the voicemail.”

A small sense of relief fills me with the sound of my roommate's voice. Although nothing seems to make sense right now, I take comfort in the fact that he's always been there for me. I laugh at the thought of how ridiculous I must’ve sounded leaving him my message. Deciphering my babble should be part of our college course electives.

“I slept with him," I blurt.

“...Tristan?”

My eyes begin to water. Within forty-eight hours, the world seems to be running upside down on its axis. I’m not even sure how to function throughout the day. Am I supposed to pretend like nothing is happening between Tristan and me? What does this mean when we go back to the city? Was I just a distraction for him?

“Yes, Tristan."

“Why does it sound like you’re crying? Did he do something wrong? Tell me. I have no problem kicking his ass. Even if he does have a lot more muscle mass than me…God, I’m so jealous of his six-pack. I—”

“Augie!”

I bite my thumb as I wait for him to continue his questioning. My eyes scan the doorway for any sign of Ceci or my brother standing nearby.

“Right, fuck, sorry. Did he mess up?”

"No. At least not yet."

Augie sighs on the other end of the phone.

“Well, then, what is it?”

“I’m afraid he’s going to leave, and I won’t be able to walk away from this in one piece.”

My hands begin to shake at the thought of watching Tristan walk out of my life again.

“Who says he’ll leave?”

“He will.”

The last time Tristan left, he did it at the worse possible moment. I needed him. More than anyone, I needed him.

“I know why you’re saying that, but try not to over think things.”

Easier said than done.

“Okay, I’ll try.”

“I’ll see you Tuesday?”

“Yes, I’ll see you then.”

Tristan

The taste of Emily’s lips stains my soul.

A light feeling fills my chest as I run across the wet sand. Sweat pools at the back of my neck, but the wind quickly offers relief as it whips around me. My lungs take in the cool mist as heavy waves crash only a few feet away. A million thoughts race through my mind as my lungs burn from the cold air.

This morning I woke with a start that felt like a shot of adrenaline coursing through my veins. My head is still swimming with flashes of her in the sheets beneath me. Last night, I crossed the line between Emily and me again. As much as I know I shouldn’t have, I wanted to. I still want to.

I’m not the type of man she needs in her life. I’ve been with more women than I’m comfortable admitting, and while I’m not living the BDSM lifestyle twenty-four-hours a day, I can’t hide that I like things most guys her age wouldn’t be into. She should be focused on finishing school and getting her first job. And much as I hate to admit it, she should be doing other normal college age things like dating other men. I can’t steal that learning process from her. She might hate me for it years down the line.

And yet, I don’t want her to be with anyone else. Maybe that’s selfish… No, it is selfish. What am I doing? Why do I keep doing this?

One thing’s for certain—the spanking I gave Emily last night ignited something wicked inside of her. Each rapid inhale of air that came from her only turned me on more. If my cock hadn’t been so needy, I would’ve taken my time exploring every curve and dip of her body.

Fortunately for me, there’s still time for all of that.

Emily

I’m drawn to the kitchen by the sound of a deep tenor singing. It isn’t until I’m standing in the doorway of the kitchen I realize it’s Tristan’s voice. As I enter, I spot him shirtless, standing in front of the stove as he flips what looks to be a pancake. My eyes trail down the well-defined muscles of his back to the indents just above the waist of his black jeans. Taunting me, his jeans sit low, bringing back the delicious memories of him on top of me.

I’m not sure how I managed to shower and dress myself without replaying every intimate detail over and over again, but I did. My body is drawn forward toward him. I’m halfway through the door when I realize Ceci is sitting a few feet away. Her figure pops into my view as she takes a seat at the breakfast bar. Her position gives her the best view of Tristan’s body. She doesn’t bother looking up at me as I approach. My heart aches at her indifference toward me. From behind, I can barely make out the outline of her smile as she continues to stare at Tristan. Something about the look on her face makes me curious to know what’s spinning through her head.

“Good morning,” I say, sliding next to her.

A tight-lipped smile appears on her face, but it vanishes just as quickly. Despite my best attempt at getting her to acknowledge me, her gaze never wavers from Tristan’s lean body. I reach next to her for the pitcher of orange juice hoping she’ll turn toward me, but she keeps her intense gaze on Tristan. To my surprise, Tristan turns and places a plate of fresh eggs and waffles in front of me. On top, is a pile of sliced strawberries waiting to be eaten. It’s as if he’s been anticipating my appearance.

“Eat,” Tristan commands.

Ceci’s eyes shift over at me with curiosity. Did she catch the same deep tenor in his voice when he gave me his order? My cheeks flame bright as I feel both of their gazes on me. There’s an uncomfortable shift between us.

“Would you like some eggs and waffles, Ceci?”

“I would love that. I bet yours are incredible.” Ceci’s seductive tone rolls off her like velvet to the ear. A streak of jealousy runs up my spine as she adjusts her breasts in her shirt. I’m not going to lie and say Ceci’s breasts aren’t bigger than mine are—because they are. I was graced with the body of a dancer, but the tits of a pubescent twelve-year-old.

“Emily, aren’t you hungry? You need to eat,” Tristan says.

I shovel a fork full of waffle into my mouth to keep myself from saying anything stupid. Tristan watches me with a slight smile of approval as he slides over a cup of orange juice and maple syrup for my waffles. Despite the animosity in the room between Ceci and me, I’m still enjoying the silent conversation between Tristan and myself. I smile as he pops a strawberry into his mouth without taking his eyes off me.

Tristan avoids crossing me and instead, takes a seat next to Ceci. I watch him as he pours himself a cup of coffee. My best friend leans into him as he grabs a packet of sugar off the counter forcing Tristan to subtly shift missing her boob grazing his hand. His eyes meet mine for a brief moment before he draws his attention back to the cup in front of him. I have a feeling we’ll be having a conversation about this later. Ceci isn’t detoured from her seduction so I busy myself by reading the Sunday paper, allowing me to only catch snippets of Ceci’s words, but the parts that I do turn my stomach.

“So, Tristan, are you seeing anyone?”

My heart stills as Ceci’s question hangs in the air between us. I try my best not to look up at Tristan, but I feel his eyes wash over me. He goes silent for a few seconds before eventually answering my best friend.

“No, I’m not seeing anyone. My work schedule doesn’t really give me much free time.”

“Oh, that's a shame,” Ceci says.

She isn’t sad about it. In fact, I can almost see her smiling at her newfound information as the wheels turn realizing there’s no competition for his affection. If it weren’t for the fact I love Ceci, I wouldn’t hesitate tackling her to the ground right now. I can’t blame her for her infatuation because I can’t seem to get over mine. Unable to stand the open flirting directed at Tristan any longer, I leap up from the table, causing them to briefly direct their attention to me while I place my dishes in the sink. I’m halfway out of the kitchen when I feel Tristan behind me. His fingertips are almost touching me, but they fall back at the sight of my brother entering the room.