he kissed the top of my head as he set me down. “You want breakfast, Mase?” I asked.
“Thanks, sweetheart, but we need to get going.” He picked a piece of sausage out of the pile of paper towels and shoved it in his mouth.
“Dude, we just finished making this. Let me—”
“Kash.” They shared a look for a moment. “We need to go work out.”
Kash’s eyes widened and he glanced over at me. “Rach, I’m sorry, I forgot today was Thursday. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.”
Before I could respond, they were both walking out the door, and I was left there with enough breakfast to feed five of me.
“C ANDICE, ARE YOU serious? I’ve been kicked out twice this week already. I don’t feel like going to Starbucks again tonight.”
“No one said you had to go to Starbucks every time I have someone over.”
“Well where else am I supposed to go?”
She dropped her towel and began putting on pink lingerie. Why she even bothered with the lingerie, I had no idea. “You could go hang out with, oh, I don’t know, Kash. Especially tonight. He’ll be lonely.” She winked.
“It’s not Kash’s job to babysit me when you decide you need to get some. And Mason . . . again? Really?”
“Ohmigod. Rach, he’s incredible. He does this thing—”
“I don’t want to know!” I shouted, and slammed my hands over my ears. “Mason is like Eli to me.”
She made a face and shuddered.
Since the past weekend, I’d spent most of my time with Mason and Kash. They were usually home during the day while Candice was at cheer camp, and on Tuesday Kash had begun bartending at a bar/restaurant near campus. Mason had gotten the same position at a different bar downtown the next day. I was surprised they found work so quickly, but I guessed when you looked like them, it wasn’t hard to find jobs.
I was happy for them. They were both only part-time, but it was something for now, Kash said, and they seemed happy about it. Throughout the almost-week with them, Mason had quickly taken on the role of the big brother I’d never wanted. But honestly, I loved the guy. His cousin, on the other hand . . . I wished I could view him the way I saw Mason, but every thought I had about Kash Hendricks was anything but sisterly. And while I knew we needed to remain friends, it was a near-constant struggle to get my body and heart to understand that too.
Mason walked into the apartment without knocking, as was becoming his usual routine, and I rolled off Candice’s bed and went to grab my purse, phone, and keys. Mason grabbed me in another big hug and kissed my head. “Kash isn’t working tonight.”
I grumbled to myself and started picking everything up off the entryway table. “Just call me when I’m allowed back in.” I’d barely stepped outside when they shut the door and locked it behind me. “Rude.”
Taking a few steps toward the parking lot, I paused and shifted my weight a few times as I looked at the guys’ door. With a deep breath, I gritted my teeth and walked quickly over to the door before knocking on it. Kash opened it after a moment in nothing but a pair of low-slung jeans and my mouth went dry.
“Rach.” He laughed low and my eyes snapped up to his. “What’s up?”
“Oh, um . . .” This was a really bad idea. Would I look like a complete freak if I took off running for my car right now? “Well, I . . .”
“Yes . . . ?”
“You, uh, wanna have a lock-out night with me?”
He mouthed the words lock-out night before recognition flashed through his gray eyes. “Mason with Candice?”
“Yep.”
“You don’t have to ask or have a reason, Rach. You’re welcome here whenever.”
My eyes drifted over the colorful artwork covering his shoulders and arms and I somehow made it into the apartment without running into anything. I wanted to study the tattoos but he was still smirking, so I forced my eyes onto the TV and walked past him.
“So did you get tired of hanging out at
“Thanks, sweetheart, but we need to get going.” He picked a piece of sausage out of the pile of paper towels and shoved it in his mouth.
“Dude, we just finished making this. Let me—”
“Kash.” They shared a look for a moment. “We need to go work out.”
Kash’s eyes widened and he glanced over at me. “Rach, I’m sorry, I forgot today was Thursday. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.”
Before I could respond, they were both walking out the door, and I was left there with enough breakfast to feed five of me.
“C ANDICE, ARE YOU serious? I’ve been kicked out twice this week already. I don’t feel like going to Starbucks again tonight.”
“No one said you had to go to Starbucks every time I have someone over.”
“Well where else am I supposed to go?”
She dropped her towel and began putting on pink lingerie. Why she even bothered with the lingerie, I had no idea. “You could go hang out with, oh, I don’t know, Kash. Especially tonight. He’ll be lonely.” She winked.
“It’s not Kash’s job to babysit me when you decide you need to get some. And Mason . . . again? Really?”
“Ohmigod. Rach, he’s incredible. He does this thing—”
“I don’t want to know!” I shouted, and slammed my hands over my ears. “Mason is like Eli to me.”
She made a face and shuddered.
Since the past weekend, I’d spent most of my time with Mason and Kash. They were usually home during the day while Candice was at cheer camp, and on Tuesday Kash had begun bartending at a bar/restaurant near campus. Mason had gotten the same position at a different bar downtown the next day. I was surprised they found work so quickly, but I guessed when you looked like them, it wasn’t hard to find jobs.
I was happy for them. They were both only part-time, but it was something for now, Kash said, and they seemed happy about it. Throughout the almost-week with them, Mason had quickly taken on the role of the big brother I’d never wanted. But honestly, I loved the guy. His cousin, on the other hand . . . I wished I could view him the way I saw Mason, but every thought I had about Kash Hendricks was anything but sisterly. And while I knew we needed to remain friends, it was a near-constant struggle to get my body and heart to understand that too.
Mason walked into the apartment without knocking, as was becoming his usual routine, and I rolled off Candice’s bed and went to grab my purse, phone, and keys. Mason grabbed me in another big hug and kissed my head. “Kash isn’t working tonight.”
I grumbled to myself and started picking everything up off the entryway table. “Just call me when I’m allowed back in.” I’d barely stepped outside when they shut the door and locked it behind me. “Rude.”
Taking a few steps toward the parking lot, I paused and shifted my weight a few times as I looked at the guys’ door. With a deep breath, I gritted my teeth and walked quickly over to the door before knocking on it. Kash opened it after a moment in nothing but a pair of low-slung jeans and my mouth went dry.
“Rach.” He laughed low and my eyes snapped up to his. “What’s up?”
“Oh, um . . .” This was a really bad idea. Would I look like a complete freak if I took off running for my car right now? “Well, I . . .”
“Yes . . . ?”
“You, uh, wanna have a lock-out night with me?”
He mouthed the words lock-out night before recognition flashed through his gray eyes. “Mason with Candice?”
“Yep.”
“You don’t have to ask or have a reason, Rach. You’re welcome here whenever.”
My eyes drifted over the colorful artwork covering his shoulders and arms and I somehow made it into the apartment without running into anything. I wanted to study the tattoos but he was still smirking, so I forced my eyes onto the TV and walked past him.
“So did you get tired of hanging out at
Similar Books
