Until Friday Night
Page 34

“You do know you came into my room uninvited, right? If I had known you were coming, I’d have been dressed.”
He smirked. “I texted you.”
“I was in the shower.”
“Minor detail.”
This time I laughed. But I quickly caught myself and bit my lip, hoping Aunt Coralee didn’t hear me. “Turn around,” I whispered.
“Why?”
“So I can get my clothes on.”
“Okay, yeah, that,” he said, and turned to face the wall.
I went over and grabbed a pair of panties from my drawer and then some leggings and a baggy T-shirt. I had never dressed with a guy in the same room. Even though he wasn’t looking, it still made me nervous. I dressed quickly and reached up to run my fingers through my wet hair. Crap. I’d forgotten about my hair.
“I’m done,” I told him as I turned to search for my brush.
“Nice,” he said, which made me pause and look over my shoulder at him.
He winked. I hated it when he winked at me. Mostly because I loved it when he winked. I hated that I loved it. Because friends did not get birds in their tummies over winks.
“You should wear leggings more often,” he said, and I set my attention on looking for a brush. When I finally found it, I started pulling it through my tangled hair before turning back to him.
“How was the field party?” I asked, sitting down on the end of my bed.
He shrugged and sat down beside me. “Boring. You weren’t there. No one else is fun to talk to.”
I rolled my eyes, making him chuckle.
“Your aunt and uncle check on you at night?”
I shook my head. I locked my door at night. I have nightmares and, although I didn’t scream in them, I often cried and whimpered, saying things I didn’t want them to hear.
“Can I stay a while if we whisper?”
Like I would tell him no. I never told him no. Even though I should tell him no. . . . It wouldn’t hurt him for me to tell him no, and he could stand to hear it more often.
“Of course.”
You’re Insane If You Think I’d Make a Move on My Cousin
CHAPTER 24
WEST
She’d fallen asleep on me—literally, on me—about an hour ago. But I was still here. Her head had been on my shoulder when she’d nodded off and had gradually moved its way to my chest. I had to get out of here before Brady got home and saw my truck parked down the street. His parents might not notice it, but he would. He would also know I was in her room and how I got there. I wasn’t going to push my luck with him.
Easing out from under her, I pulled the covers up so she wouldn’t get cold. Just as I was about to move away, she began to whimper. It was soft, but it was a cry. Then she began to kick and shake her head as the whimpering got louder.
I have nightmares every night. I see my mother die over and over again. Her words replayed in my head. Was that what this was? I began to rub my hand up and down her arm as I assured her she was okay and I was here.
It didn’t help. She kept kicking and then started to moan pitifully.
I hated seeing her like this. Lost in a horror she couldn’t escape. It wasn’t a nightmare. Those weren’t real. Those you could wake up from. This was a memory that haunted her. One she’d never wake up from.
I crawled in bed and lay behind her, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her against my chest. I kept whispering in her ear that I was here. That she was in my arms and I wasn’t leaving her. That she’d be okay.
Slowly, she began to ease. She quit kicking and her terrified sounds stopped. Then her fingers wrapped firmly around my arm. She wasn’t letting me go. Even in her sleep she knew I was here, and she was keeping me close.
That felt good. For once, I had helped her. She’d been my rock and my source of peace, but I was never one for her. I thought she’d gone and lived her hell alone. But in reality, she was still living it, and I could do for her what she did for me. Hold on to her so she never lost herself.
Someone was jerking my body back and forth. Groggily, I opened my eyes to see why. It was still dark out. I blinked and looked down to see that Maggie had turned and was now facing me, tucked in close to my body.
A hand on my arm tightened. Apparently, I hadn’t woken up on my own. I looked up to see Brady scowling at me.
“What. The. Fuck,” he growled. “I trusted you.” He was keeping his voice down, which was good. Brady I could handle, but Boone would kill me.
“She had a nightmare. I was just helping her, and then I fell asleep too. I swear to God, that was it.”
Brady’s scowl didn’t lift. “Why were you in her room? It’s after midnight. I know you, West, and you don’t crawl in bed with girls and do nothing.”
He was right about that. Except with Maggie. I did crawl in bed and do nothing with Maggie.
“I would never touch her, Brady. I swear it. She’s my friend, and she needed me. I’m not trying to do anything more with her.”
Brady finally looked like he might believe me. “She’s dressed,” he said.
“Yeah, and so am I. My boots are even still on,” I pointed out.
Brady backed up and nodded for me to move.
I eased away from Maggie and covered her up. Brady was her cousin, but I didn’t like the idea of him seeing her in those skintight leggings. Her shirt was bunched around her waist, and you could see a little slice of skin on her stomach. I didn’t want him seeing that either.