Ten Year Crush (2 page)

I look around the room to see everyone holding their stomachs laughing. I scream at Josh, "I hate you! And you," I say, pointing at Tiffany. "See if I help you next time you need it!"

With a huff, I flip over and bury my face into my pillow. I can’t believe I just snorted in front of Cam after hitting him in the face and falling in his lap. Can one die of humiliation? I'm well on my way.

“Boy, are you picking on your sister?" Josh's laughter dies as he catches Dad’s stern face. His face softens as he looks at me, "You okay, monkey?" Dad uses my nickname that came from my obsession with monkeys.

"I'm fine, Daddy," I grin at him.

"Alright, boys, I think it's time to head to your own room." My father's voice has the stern tone that means business.

I hop up off my bed and follow Josh and Cam out into the hall to give Dad a hug and kiss good night. As I'm hugging my dad, I watch Cam’s back as he walks down the hall. Yeah, after tonight he won't ever want anything to do with Josh's little sister that snorts when she laughs. I press a kiss to Dad's cheek. "Night, Daddy."

He kisses my forehead. "Night, monkey. Hope you had a good birthday."

I beam up at him. "It was great!"

"Good. Now you girls get some sleep."

I head back into my room to see Alicia, Jessica, and Sam all curled up on the blankets, and Tiff in my bed, all of them giggling.

"I can't believe you fell into Cam's lap, and then you snorted." Sam giggles louder.

“And you hit him in the face," adds Jessica

"Ugh. Most embarrassing moment of my LIFE!" I say, flopping head first into my bed and hiding under the covers. I fall asleep and dream of being wrapped up in big strong arms, black hair, and blue eyes. Dream of him kissing me while telling me that he loves me, and holding me tighter, like he never wants to let me go.

Chapter One

*Gabby*

Coming out of my last class for the day, my phone rings. Digging in my bag, I try to find it before it goes to voice mail. I close my hand around it and pull it out to see that it's my brother, Josh, calling. I click the little green phone and accept the call, but I have a feeling I already know what he wants.

"Happy birthday, brat," Josh says through the phone. "Me and Cam wanna take you out tonight for your big twenty-first! I already sent Tiff a text and she's game. We'll pick you guys up at seven. Be ready, we’re having dinner before too."

I should have known Cam would be involved. He and Josh have been best friends for ten years and do everything together. They share a house and even own a construction company, building houses together. They started the business fresh out of college. Now, both at the age of twenty-five, they’re doing really well for themselves. I should be used to it now, but no, each time I look into Cam’s blue eyes and he flashes that dimple I melt a little more, fall harder.

"Wow, you have it all planned out, dontcha?" I shoot back at him.

"Hey, don't get bitchy with me! I thought you would like to go out for your birthday. Look, if you don’t want to go, that's fine. I just thought it would be fun." His frustrated sigh comes through the phone.

Now I feel like a bitch. It's not that I don’t want to go; I don’t want to watch the women hanging on Cam all night. Yea, still haven’t kicked that crush. Ten years and going strong. He sees me as a little sister; his best friend’s little sister, the girl who snorts when she laughs too hard. I look at him and see the dark hair, mesmerizing deep blue eyes, his sexy dimple, and all of this comes in a six-foot two, nothing-but-muscle package. The normal pain grips my heart when thinking about Cam and the girls that get what I want;
him
.

A sigh escapes my lips. "No, I'm sorry, Josh. I had a shitty start to my day. I woke up late and my professor was an ass 'cause I disrupted class by coming in late.” Which isn’t a lie; it’s just not the whole truth. "I'll be ready by seven; pick us up."

"Alright, see ya then."

"Love you."

"Love you too, brat."

I click the phone off and continue the walk to my car. I hope tonight goes well, but I have a feeling it's going to be a night I'll never forget and my heart is going to break a little more. Doubt settles in the pit of my stomach.

Pulling up to the townhouse Tiffany and I share, I cut the car off and gather all my books and stuff from the day. We got the place together after living in dorms our freshman year, deciding that we wanted a townhouse instead of going back to a dorm sophomore year. It helps that Tiff's uncle owns them so we pay half the rent of what it would cost anyone else.

As soon as I come in the door, Tiff yells from upstairs so she's probably in her room.

"The Birthday Girl is home! Josh texted and we’re going out!" She ends on a squeal.

Of course, she’s always ready for a party.

"Yeah, he called. We have about an hour and a half before they get here," I yell back, going up the steps. I drop my books on my desk, and then head into Tiff's room. "I'm going to jump in the shower, then get dressed."

Tiffany is standing in the doorway of her closet in her bra and panties with her hands on her hip, chewing her bottom lip. The girl can never decide what she wants to wear, but has a closet full of clothes.

"Before you get started..." Tiffany walks over to her bed and gets down on the floor. She reaches under and comes back out with a present wrapped in hot pink paper and lime green ribbon. "Here, bestie, happy birthday. I love you the mostest."

She hands me the gift and squeezes me while kissing my cheek, not bothered one bit that she's half-naked. I guess that's what you get when you've been best friends for fifteen years.

"Open it already!"

I sit down on her bed and rip into the wrapping. Inside is a pair of cut off blue-jean shorts, a green silk halter-top, and a hot pink sash that says
21 & Fabulous
in black lettering.

"I think it will look really hot with your black cowboy boots. Wear your hair down and your natural wave, total hotness."

I shake my head. She's too much sometimes, but I don't know what I would do without her. "Thank you so much, bestie. I love you." Carrying the box with my gift over, I give Tiff a hug and a loud wet kiss on the cheek. "You're the best! I'm going to go jump in the shower so I have time to get ready before the guys get here. Have you figured out what you’re going to wear?"

"Ugh, no, it's this blue-jean skirt with this top or these jeans with this top," she says, coming out of her closet, laying the clothes out, and placing the outfits together. The skirt is paired with a black halter-top, a low v-cut, and ties with a thin string around the neck. The other, dark skinny jeans paired with a violet strapless top.

"Ooo, wear the skirt and you can wear your pink boots. We can kinda match, plus you can show off your great legs in your skirt." I wink at her.

"Go get ready, skank, and you can show off your own sexy legs." Tiff ends with a catcall.

I walk off shaking my head, laughing at our normal banter and name-calling.

"You better be glad I love you, biotch!" I yell as I walk into my room and start up my music. I'm all about my music. I want music playing while I'm doing anything, other than reading. What better way to start the night than with “Diamonds” by Rihanna.

*Cam*

"Alright, let's go. You know the girls; we'll probably have to rush them. I don't understand why it takes so long," Josh says, grabbing his keys and throwing his signature Longhorns hat on backwards.

"It’s women. We'll never understand anything they do." When Josh said he wanted to take Gabby out for her birthday I wanted to make up an excuse to get out of it.

I know she has feelings for me. I can't deny that she's hot with her long, wavy, dark-brown hair, and gorgeous green eyes. Unlike most women, she has meat on her in all the right places and curves to drive a man insane.

I remember the first time I saw her as more than just my best friend’s little sister. She and Tiffany had gone away to some camp for two weeks. When they came back, we went to the creek for a day of four-wheeling and playing in the water. We were done playing for the day and had moved to the water. She pulled her shirt off, leaving her in only a bikini top and short cut-off jean shorts. I had no clue when she grew breasts and her baby fat changed into luscious curves. Guilt had slammed into me for checking her out and the thoughts I had of what I wanted to do to her. I should
not
have been thinking of her like
that
. The feelings have only grown from there and I always fight them back. Josh would kill me if he ever knew. I just can't go there. Josh and I have been best friends for ten years and that's his baby sister. And off limits.

Fifteen minutes later, we’re pulling up to their townhouse. Josh beats on the door and we hear shouts on the other side. Yup, he called it, they’re not ready yet. Josh uses his key and lets us in, knowing we’ll be there for a while otherwise. "I said be ready at seven, not seven-thirty." He yells to the girls upstairs.

Gabby and Tiffany’s place is definitely all girl. Never in my life have I seen so much pink and green shit. And it’s not just in the living room. No, Gabby’s room is the same way. I remember when we helped them move in. All I could think was that there couldn’t be more, but it’s all her
—
the black iron bed and black comforter with a million pink and green pillows in all different designs. It’s the same with their couch. Who needs that many damn pillows? I sit down on the couch and shove three pillows out of my way.

"You’re fifteen minutes early, jackass. Learn how to tell the fucking time!" Tiffany yells back down and mumbles something else I can’t hear. I caught a ‘fuck’ and ‘asshole’ in there. It’s the annoying usual 'I hate you. You’re an asshole' back and forth between Josh and Tiffany. I wish they would just screw and get it over with.

"Would you two shut up already? We'll be down in just a minute." Gabby's sweet voice echoes down the stairs. It has that country drawl to it. I could listen to her talk for hours. And man, when she sings in the car.
Beautiful.

"There's my Birthday Girl! Come on, Gabs, I wanna give you your present before we head out." Josh is the only one that calls her that. He says she talks too much, so ‘Gabs’ fits her perfectly. It drives her nuts.

"Coming! One minute."

A few minutes later, I see Gabby start to come down the stairs.
Holy fuck.
I gulp and catch myself before my mouth drops open. Heart racing and heat spreading through my veins. She's wearing a short-ass pair of shorts with her black cowboy boots, and a green shirt that covers her throat and flows loosely, then cinches at her waist, showcasing her sexy curves. I bite back a groan. Her hair is spilling down over her shoulders in her natural waves, which I love. Her makeup is natural, except her eyes. She did that thing that makes them pop even more than normal. She turns away and I see that there is only half a back to her shirt, which means no bra. My cock tingles and begins to swell. I try to adjust myself without drawing attention. She could almost be Hilary Duff's twin, but her nose is a little smaller with what looks like a ball on the tip of it, dark brown hair instead of blonde, and she has brilliant green eyes.

"Happy birthday, baby girl!" Josh wraps Gabby up in a hug and hands her an envelope. 

Gabby beams up at him and rips into her gift. She reads the front of the card first. When she opens it her mouth drops open, and then she starts screaming and jumps on Josh, hugging him tight. "Oh. My. God. Josh, how did you get these? It's in two months and last I heard it was already sold out."

"I may have gotten them a little bit ago. I got an extra ticket so you can take whoever you want," Josh says, poking Gabby in the ribs. She giggles as she jumps away, slapping his hand. Get Gabby laughing hard enough and she snorts, it embarrasses her so Josh does it every chance he gets.

"Thank you so much, you’re the best brother ever!"

"Happy birthday, Thumper." I hand her my gift.

"You’re never going to let me live that one down, are you?"

"Um, no. You hit me in the face the first time you met me, you will always be Thumper to me."

She loves reading and is all the time going on and on about the author J.B. something or another. Salsbury, yeah, that's it. She’s obsessed with her books and the MMA fighters in them. Then, there were the demons, Titan something or another. Each week it’s some new guy. I'd like to know what's so special about them, but don't let her hear you say that, or you may lose your balls, or head. I’m just glad she has book boyfriends instead of real ones. Jealousy slams into me. She’ll never be mine because I can never risk her and Josh.

A gasp brings my attention back to Gabby. She has her hand over her mouth and is staring at me as if I'm a god. I’m not able to fight back the grin that spreads over my face. I would do anything for that look.

"Cam, oh my god. You shouldn't have, this is too much."

"It wasn't that bad. Just say ‘thank you’ and we’re good." I wink and flash my dimple.

The next thing I know, Gabby is in my arms and is wrapped around me, squeezing. I wrap my arms around her and hold on while I can and fight the urge to bury my head in her neck and pull her closer. She always smells so good, like vanilla mixed with sugar cookies. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. You’re the bestest!" And she plants a big kiss on my cheek. I laugh as I put her down, before I do something stupid, like kiss her how I’ve wanted to for the past few years.