Page 41 of The P*ssy Next Door

As the night wore on and the beer flowed, mostly into Xander's glass, he grew increasingly nostalgic, rehashing old memories and inside jokes. It was clear he was trying to remind me of our past bond.

When Willa yawned, the exhaustion of the weekend catching up with her, I seized the opportunity to send Xander on his way.

“Hey, man, it's been great catching up, but Willa and I had a long weekend. We should probably call it a night.” I stood and extended a hand to help him up from the couch.

Xander blinked up at me blearily. “Oh, yeah, totally get it. I should... I should go.”

He stumbled as he stood, nearly knocking over the coffee table. Shit. He was drunk. I should have paid more attention to how much he was drinking.

Willa shook her head and stood up, inserting herself under his arm to act like a crutch. “Actually, Xan, why don't I take you home? You're in no shape to drive.”

Xander waved her off, his words slurring slightly. “Nah, 'm fine. I can... I can crash here, right, Hayes? Jus' like old times?”

Fuck. I hid my grimace, hating the situation he'd just created. But one look at Willa's pleading face and I knew Xander was sleeping here, in my house. I couldn't take her upstairs and fuck her brains out with him here, no matter how much I wanted to.

“Of course, man. Let me just grab you some blankets.”

I stomped off to rummage through the hallway closet. I wasn't even sure I had any random bedding. Eventually, I found a Mustangs logo blanket still in the package that I must have gotten as part of my welcome to the team. This would have to do.

I heard Willa's soft murmurs as she helped Xander settle onto the couch. She was the one who was good. She knew just as well as I did that her brother was probably here to sabotage what we had going, and she was still kind to him in his inebriated state. I was feeling less kind. He'd better not puke on my carpet.

When I returned with the blanket, Xander was already snoring softly, his beer-induced slumber claiming him. Willa looked up at me, her expression a mix of apology and exhaustion. “I should probably just go home.”

I nodded, understanding even as disappointment curled in my gut. “I'll walk you over.”

The short trek through my backyard to Willa's house was silent, and I seriously contemplated asking her if I could stay with her tonight. We were greeted at her door by Seven, who instantly wrapped himself around her legs and meowed like he was telling her about every little thing that had happened while she was gone. She picked him up and cuddled him in her arms.

I was not jealous of a cat. I was not.

“This isn't how I wanted tonight to go.” She had the cutest little pout.

I cupped her face in my hands, my thumb brushing cross her pouty bottom lip. “We'll have plenty of other nights, just you and me. Xander's antics can't change what we have happening between us.”

She leaned into my touch, a shaky sigh escaping her lips. “I know. I just... I feel like now he's trying to put you in a position to choose between him and me.”

I shook my head, my gaze fierce and unwavering. “There's no choice to make, Willa. It's you. It will always be you.”

I kissed her, pouring every ounce of love and certainty into the press of my lips. I only broke the kiss when Seven squirmed between us and howled out a warning meow. Once again, Willa had me breathless and flushed. I rested my forehead against hers.

“Get some sleep, flower. I'll call you in the morning.” And every morning until I didn't have to because she was in my bed.

She nodded and turned but spun back, dropping Seven and pulling me down, stealing one last kiss before slipping inside. I walked back to my house, breathing in cold November air to cool the heat beating through my veins.

Xander's interference, whether it was well intentioned or not, was a complication I hadn't anticipated, a wrench in the gears of my carefully laid plans.

I was falling in love with Willa, and I wasn't going to let anyone, not even one of my oldest friends, if that's even what he was, stand in the way of our happiness.

Game on, brother. Game on.

The next morning, I woke up with Seven between my knees. “Are you trying to remind me of what I missed out on with your owner last night, cat?”

Rude.

Also, I was giving up on trying to figure out how he kept getting in my house. He clearly went where he wanted to regardless of the opinions of the humans who cared about him. He stretched, and I shot my hand down to protect my junk and/or thighs from his claws. He happily stuck them into the flesh of my fingers. Good thing I had callouses from years of catching footballs.

I padded downstairs with Seven in tow, quietly in case Xander was still zonked out on my couch. But it seemed he left before I even got up. I wanted to believe he was working through his issues with me, but the text from Willa I woke up to didn't bode well.

Willa: I think Xan’s really mad I went to Miami with you.

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