Page 60 of The Deadbeat Next Door

CHAPTER TEN

Cody

“Feeling any better?” Carrie asked, stepping back into the room we shared. My head ached and my throat was sore, but the sight of her, in a cheery, yellow sun dress, her hair still damp, and not a bit of make-up on her face, eased something tight in my chest.

“If I had the strength,” I said. “I’d demand you undress and get back in that shower, so I can show you my favorite thing to do there.” Just the idea, the image of her smooth skin beaded with water and her naked body displayed for me, made me hard in a place I thought wouldn’t be hard for another six hours or so.

“You’ll feel better if you take a shower,” she said, her face pinched in concern. I couldn’t fathom why she’d feel anything but anger and distaste for me after the way I’d treated her. I’d told my family my favorite thing about her was her boobs and then I’d fallen asleep before she’d gotten a moment’s pleasure. At least I thought she hadn’t. “Did you come?”

“What?” she sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Before I fell asleep,” I asked. “Did you come?”

She laughed. “Nope. One taste and you were out.”

“I’m a moron. I’ll make it up to you.”

She kissed my forehead and smiled, looking so beautiful that my breath caught in my throat. “I know you will. But right now, you need to get in the shower, because your family is at breakfast and, unless you want them to know we aren’t entirely platonic, we should go down.”

“Down is exactly where I’m going to go.” I sat up and my head spun and pain lanced through it. “Later. Down is where I’m going to go later.” She laughed and stood.

“I’ll see you downstairs.”

“You’re facing that crew alone?” I didn’t want to face them alone. In fact, I was quite glad I’d have Carrie by my side.

“Yep. Aubrey and I are great friends and she’ll love the story about what happened to you last night.”

“You can’t tell her. My family can’t know we’re sleeping together. It’ll give them ideas.”

Her expression turned inexplicably sad. “I know, Cody. But Aubrey won’t tell anyone, she’s got her own secrets.”

I didn’t want to know Aubrey’s secrets. My own secrets were all I could handle. “I’ll take a quick shower.”

She left and I dragged my sorry ass out of bed. I needed to get my shit together. I was better than this and, if I wanted to prove to my family that I’d changed and was on a good path, I needed to stop acting like the idiot loser they’d always known me to be.

I showered and dressed and was about to head downstairs when a brisk knock at the door stopped me. I opened the door to find Noah on the other side. “Hey, douche nozzle,” he said. He pushed his way into the room and looked around, his gaze lingering on the single bed with the rumpled sheets. “You did a good job of getting completely soused last night.”

I smirked at my older brother. He’d always been the perfect son I’d by turns resented and strived to be like. “It’s what we do, right?”

He shrugged. “I guess so. I like Carrie. She’s gorgeous and sweet and she tolerates your obnoxious ass, which means she’s a saint.”

My headache increased and my hands curled into fists. Noah had a habit of always getting everything he wanted and women were no different. He was as much a womanizer as I’d ever been, he was just more discreet about it. I didn’t want him to decide he wanted Carrie. “She’s not your type.”

Noah turned to me, eyebrows high. “Is that jealousy I hear in your voice? I never thought I’d see the day you were jealous of anyone.”

“I’m not jealous.” The burn in my chest was heartburn from my hangover, not jealousy. “I’m pragmatically telling you she’s not your type.”

Noah sat on the end of my bed, settling in for a long discussion. “She’s not your type either, brother. In fact, you told us all last night that her boobs are your favorite quality.”

I winced. “Can you get to the point? I need to put some food on this hangover.”

“She seems like a nice person and she not only tolerates you, she actually seems to like you. Don’t fuck up by expecting to fuck up.”

I rubbed my temples. “Truly your logic is dizzying. Can you repeat that in English?”

He slapped his thighs and stood. “Nope. You’re smart, you figure it out.”

I didn’t need to figure it out, I got it, I just didn’t buy it. I wasn’t looking for a long-term relationship and Carrie needed a solid guy, a guy as good as she was. I ignored the twinge in my gut that suggested she might be better off without me, but I wouldn’t be better off without her.

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